Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 777: Finding the Director (4)

President Bok Han-Joong of Suhyaejong suppressed his fury as he began with Han Beom-Soo's disciplinary action.

"Professor Han. You've disgraced the school as a faculty member. You'll step down as department head immediately. Professor Choi Ill-Joong will be appointed as your replacement this week."

"M-Mr. Bok!"

"I'm not finished. Let me speak." Bok Han-Joong cut him off, then continued calmly. "Hand over your classes to Professor Choi starting tomorrow and go on sabbatical. For the second semester, you'll take a research year at the University of Buenos Aires. I hear the weather's great and the steak is cheap."

"Buenos Aires? That's the capital of Argentina on the other side of the world!"

"And? You don't want to go? Then resign."

Only a university president could talk about exiling someone halfway across the globe with such dry wit. Han Beom-Soo swayed on his feet in shock, but Bok Han-Joong didn't even blink.

Bok Han-Joong turned to Ye Ji-Hyun next. "Chef Ye. From this moment, no faculty or graduate students from Suhyaejong will dine at this restaurant. All bookings through the end of the year will be canceled."

Ye Ji-Hyun protested, "Mr. Bok, you can't be serious!"

Without replying, Bok Han-Joong looked to his secretary. "Secretary Kim. Are there any legal issues with canceling our bookings?"

The secretary shook his head. "There are none, sir. The next faculty dinner was scheduled for next week, but I'll cancel it right away."

Ye Ji-Hyun's face turned ghostly pale. "M-Mr. Bok! You can't just cut us off like this! If the professors stop coming, we'll go under!"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have acted like a tyrant." Bok Han-Joong clicked his tongue and gave more instructions to his secretary. "Send a mass message to the faculty. Make it clear that if anyone tries to sneak in here with guests and I catch them, they better be ready."

The secretary nodded. "I'll send the notice in bold font, size twelve, using Gothic script."

"Good."

Ye Ji-Hyun collapsed where she stood, completely blank. Florence had survived solely on Han Beom-Soo's connections. After all, it was the go-to spot for Suhyaejong' private dinners and faculty-hosted guests. Now that it was over, its closure was only a matter of time.

Finally, Bok Han-Joong turned to Ahn Tae-Gil and sighed. Yet Ahn Tae-Gil, perhaps relying on his connections, looked far more composed than the others.

"Mr. Bok, aren't you being too harsh?" Ahn Tae-Gil asked.

"Cut the crap. As for you, Director, it's time to submit your resignation for personal reasons."

"R-Resign? Over this?"

"You call this 'just this'?"

Ahn Tae-Gil raised his voice. "It is just this! I got mad and raised my hand-that's all! I didn't even hit anyone. And you want me to resign for that?"

That was my cue. I pulled out my phone and played the recording. Ahn Tae-Gil's voice echoed clearly.

-I was trying to teach her a lesson for soaking my suit...

-Fuck! I'll destroy you and Hoop Entertainment, just watch.

-Maybe if she gets on her knees and begs, I might consider forgiving her!

Bok Han-Joong trembled as he listened to Ahn Tae-Gil's voice in the recording. "What are you going to do if Chief Jung gives that recording file to the press? Can you take full responsibility?"

"W-Well, still-"

"And if you don't resign, I'm the one who'll be forced out! So you resign. Now."

Ahn Tae-Gil bristled with anger. "You'll regret this! If you fire me like this, Suhyaejong could lose the entire second-half budget for the year!"

"Oh? Your uncle's going to pull the plug, is that it?"

"Of course! He absolutely adores me!"

Bok Han-Joong scoffed. "You really think I don't know who your uncle is? No, go ahead. Call your amazing uncle. Might as well hear it straight from him."

"You think I won't? I'm not bluffing here."

"I didn't say that. I'm telling you to call him."

Puffing up, Ahn Tae-Gil immediately dialed. "Hello? Yes, it's Gil-Tae."

Just then, his phone erupted with an enraged voice.

-Gil-Tae, what the hell have you done?!

"I'm sorry?"

-Fuck! I was having lunch with my family on a Saturday when the Vice Minister summoned me. He was livid, screaming about what kind of disgrace my cousin's nephew turned out to be. You bullied a restaurant worker? And she's a faculty wife? Are you insane?! Do you even know what year this is?!

"Well, I... that's..."

-Spare me. Get your ass home after work and wait there. Either I bust your head open today or you bust mine. Either way, someone's skull's getting cracked.

Click.

The line went dead. At that moment, all the blood drained from Ahn Tae-Gil's face like wet plaster peeling from a wall.

The confused Ahn Tae-Gil turned toward me, pale and dumbfounded. "Who... Who the hell did you call that even the president, and now my uncle, are like this? Did you call the president of Korea or something?"

I shrugged and answered, "I already told you. I called my friend's dad."

To most people, Choi Eun-Tae was Korea's loan shark king with deep-rooted influence across every level of society. But to me, he was just my friend's dad.

***

Leaving the dumbstruck professors and Ye Ji-Hyun behind, we exited Florence.

Still flustered, Bok Han-Joong murmured as we walked. "Going forward, Suhyaejong won't be coming after you."

While he couldn't stop individuals from acting on their own, he was guaranteeing there would be no institutional interference from the school.

"So please... speak to Mr. Chairman and smooth things over."

I smiled. "Of course, sir."

"Could you maybe... call him now? I, uh, don't feel comfortable dialing Mr. Chairman—No, I mean subae-nim."

Bok Han-Joong was sweating nervously. I didn't know what threats had been issued, but I nodded and dialed. After a few rings, the call connected.

"Mr. Chairman."

-So? Is it all taken care of?

"Yes. Mr. Bok handled everything perfectly."

-Hahaha. As expected. Nothing beats cutting off the cash flow.

"What exactly did you say to him?"

-What do you think? I told them the 20 billion won I donate to Suhyaejong every year stops immediately. I also said that I'm pulling out the personal loans I extended; they're worth several hundred billion. Simple.

Even I felt weak in the knees hearing that.

"Since Mr. Bok resolved everything cleanly, could you consider dropping it?"

Bok Han-Joong swallowed hard, giving me a pleading look.

-Ahem. Well, I am the 'Loan King of Myeongdong,' so flipping my word in a day isn't great. But... I do have a condition.

'Huh? A condition? Even to me?'

Taking it as a price for summoning a friend's dad, I answered. My voice trembled without me realizing. "What... what is it?"

However, Choi Eun-Tae's voice wavered just slightly too.

-Since you introduced me as a 'friend's dad' today... from now on, you'll have to call me 'Father.'

Even when Choi Eun-Tae was alone with his son, Kang Eun-Gi still called him Mr. Chairman. Perhaps because of this, he wanted me to start calling him Father so that maybe Kang Eun-Gi would as well.

I let out a laugh, realizing I had gotten tense for no reason. "Of course, Father. I'll start calling you that from now on. And I'll be sure to give Eun-Gi a proper scolding too."

-Ahem. Thank you... Yoon-Ho. Now... hand the phone to the president.

"Yes, Father."

After officially sealing the new title, I handed the phone to Bok Han-Joong.

Bok Han-Joong bowed repeatedly as he spoke on the phone. "Yes, yes, I understand. Of course. I won't breathe a word about your connection with Chief Jung. Yes, yes!"

Covered in cold sweat, Bok Han-Joong ended the call and turned to me.

"Chief Jung, if anything comes up with Suhyaejong in the future, please come to me first. I'll be more than happy to help."

I had just gained another solid connection within Suhyaejong. Since I couldn't always lean on Choi Eun-Tae's name, this arrangement would come in handy.

"Understood, sir."

"And, well... There's a rumor floating around that you're Korea's best talent agent these days. Could you maybe give a guest lecture at the school sometime? I promise I'll make it worth your while..."

"There are still people at Suhyaejong who don't like me, aren't there?"

"W-Who? That's just a misunderstanding, I swear!"

Seeing the president of Suhyaejong so flustered reassured me that I wouldn't have to worry about trouble from the school for a while.

I smiled and answered, "I'll think about it."

With that, I left Florence with Yeo Ik-Hwan, Sung Yeo-Jin, and Choi Eun-Seok, heading straight for LT Entertainment.

***

In LT Entertainment president's Office, President Shin Jong-Ki was waiting with Managing Director Lee Eun-Joo, who pulled out the prepared contract.

Once Yeo Ik-Hwan signed everything, Shin Jong-Ki stared in disbelief. This was a man who had supposedly quit directing altogether, but now he was here with a contract in hand just hours later.

"How on earth did you convince Director Yeo to come back so quickly?" Shin Jong-Ki asked.

Since I couldn't reveal my connection to Choi Eun-Tae, I deflected casually. "It just worked out that way."

Shin Jong-Ki clicked his tongue in amazement. "Sheesh... I've worked with plenty of so-called top performers, but I've never seen anyone close a deal this fast. You're something else, Chief Jung."

Lee Eun-Joo sighed beside him. "Mr. Jung, can't you take it down a notch? You make the rest of us look bad. Do you know how often Mr. Shin compares me to you?"

Shin Jong-Ki awkwardly cleared his throat. "Ahem. I don't know what you're talking about."

"You said it seventeen times today alone until I finally asked if you'd at least give me half of Mr. Jung's salary."

"Ahem... D-Did I say that?"

I leaned toward Lee Eun-Joo and jokingly said, "Ms. Lee. If you ever decide to join Hoop Entertainment, your salary could be a lot more generous..."

If she felt well-treated, she would manage She Was Beautiful with full dedication.

"Chief Jung! W-What are you doing? Trying to poach my director now?" Shin Jong-Ki stammered.

Lee Eun-Joo caught on instantly and teased. "Oh wow. I really might just leave!"

Shin Jong-Ki panicked. "Wait, wait! I'll give you a raise of 10%. No, 20%!"

Lee Eun-Joo had recently led Jiri Mountain to ten million admissions and was slated to take full charge of She Was Beautiful. For this reason, Lee Eun-Joo was absolutely indispensable to Shin Jong-Ki.

"Well, it's like peeing on a frozen foot, but I'll take it if it warms things up even a little. A 20% raise sounds good enough. It's a deal!"

'Wait. Peeing on a frozen foot? That means she's planning to ask for another raise later, doesn't it?'

When I gave her a startled look, Lee Eun-Joo winked at me. I pretended not to notice.

After sighing in defeat, Shin Jong-Ki glanced my way again. The smile dropped from his face as he turned to Yeo Ik-Hwan. "Director Yeo, I'll be blunt... I'm investing in this project not because of you, but because I trust Chief Jung's judgment."

Yeo Ik-Hwan nodded. "Yes, sir. I understand."

"And since your last three projects bombed, it's only natural that people doubt you."

"I'm prepared for that."

"Good. Then I'll ask just one thing."

"Go ahead."

I leaned in, curious what this one request could be. But what he said caught me off guard.

"When things get tough, don't listen to the wrong people. Just lean on Chief Jung. Don't get jealous, don't feel threatened, don't get into power games. Trust him, and he'll take care of it."

I was about to wave it off, worried it might bruise the director's pride.

However, Yeo Ik-Hwan answered first without hesitation. "Do you know why the professors at Suhyaejong hated Mr. Jung so much?"

"What is it?"

"They hate Mr. Jung because he never fails. They already resented him for exposing Director Gong Hak-Beom's corruption, and then he kept succeeding. That made them hate him even more."

"I didn't realize that's how it was."

"Yes, sir. Anyway, from this point on, I plan to leave everything aside from directing in Mr. Jung's hands. Even after failing three times in a row, I'm not so foolish that I'd ignore an obvious answer."

"Hahaha. Looks like Chief Jung picked the right director after all."

With Shin Jong-Ki laughing, the president's office filled with laughter. Seeing just how much trust Shin Jong-Ki placed in me, I felt the need to return the favor.

I waited for the laughter to subside, then turned to him. "Mr. Shin. Ms. Sung Yeo-Jin here is an excellent painter."

"Painting?"

"Yes, sir. She studied fine arts and still paints. It might be a good time to purchase a few of her pieces."

A graduate of Suhyaejong' Fine Arts Department, Sung Yeo-Jin would eventually gain recognition alongside her husband's success with her paintings selling anywhere between one to five hundred million won.

Shin Jong-Ki's eyes lit up. "So this is 'Jung Yoon-Ho's pick'?"

I turned to the dazed Sung Yeo-Jin and smiled. "You're still painting these days, right?"

Sung Yeo-Jin answered in a small voice, "I'm not selling them just yet..."

"Then maybe now's the time to start. There's someone here who'd be happy to buy it."

Still a little stunned, Sung Yeo-Jin slowly nodded. "Alright. I'll give it a try."

I figured there was no harm in tipping off a little future to help the people around me sometimes.

***

Since I needed to prepare for the move and set up the new production company, I postponed the meeting with Yeo Ik-Hwan and Yoo-Jin to next week. I left the couple in Lee Eun-Joo's hands and returned to the company.

After reporting that the director had been confirmed, I reviewed tomorrow's schedule and clocked out early. With the Project I.O.A broadcast tomorrow, I would have to stop by the office early and then head straight to Ilsan.

When I got home, it was already 9 p.m.

"Even an early night means 9 p.m..."

I chuckled to myself while parking, but noticed that cars were packed outside the house. One of them belonged to Cherry Blossom.

"What are they doing here at this hour?"

The Cherry Blossom members were scheduled to appear tomorrow as judges and MCs for Project I.O.A, starting early in the morning with both taping and live broadcast. I had no idea why they were at my place this late.

That's when I heard the commotion from the first floor.

-Ah, seriously! If I'd gone on stage today, we wouldn't have had to watch Park Eun-Bin take first place!

That was Sae-Ri, still bitter over what happened to Woo Yeon-Hee at Park Eun-Bin's hands.

Woo Yeon-Hee replied.

-Sae-Ri, we needed rest for the next album.

-Tch, tch, tch. If Yeon-Woo oppa had gone on stage instead, Park Eun-Bin wouldn't have had a shot!

Seo Yeon-Woo chimed in.

-Come on~ I told you, I've got to teach the trainees for Project I.O.A tomorrow. There was no way I could perform today.

Although Park Eun-Bin hadn't landed the lead in She Was Beautiful, she had snatched a music show win thanks to Sae-Ri and Seo Yeon-Woo sitting out. As a result, articles had been flooding the web all evening.

[MBS Show! Music Center: Park Eun-Bin Takes First Place!]

[Park Eun-Bin Shares Tears of Joy After First Win: "It's all thanks to the fans. I'll become a more admirable singer."]

...

TK Entertainment had thrown massive sums into a flood of media coverage promoting Park Eun-Bin. However, half the headlines now were also about Project I.O.A and tomorrow's team reshuffling following the results.

[Project I.O.A Team 1: "Top-tier talents gathered, but teamwork in shambles? Team leader Han So-Won struggles; Go Eun-Seo too headstrong?"]

[Project I.O.A Team 2: Visual standout Sung Na-Ra. "Shining like a gemstone."]

[Project I.O.A, Week 2: Team reshuffling based on results.]

[Project I.O.A: Week 2 Competition to Decide New Teams.]

[Project I.O.A's Yang Bing-Bing Fan Club Hits 10,000 Members.]

Since episode 1 of Project I.O.A was a massive hit, news outlets were flooded with articles even without any media push. I slipped my phone into my pocket and headed to the living room with a smile, ready to calm Sae-Ri down.

Clunk.

The moment I opened the door, I was met with the most absurd scene.

"Oppa, you're home!"

Yoo-Jin was lying flat on the floor with her face covered in cucumber slices, lazily raising her hand.

"Yeah. And the director's on board."

"I knew you'd pull it off."

That confident reply from Yoo-Jin felt surprisingly nice to hear.

Meanwhile, Sae-Ri had been talking so much that someone must have stuffed cucumber into her mouth. She chewed it as she raised her hand.

"Mmmph~ Yoon-Ho oppa, hi~"

Next to them lay all members of Cherry Blossom, Seo Yeon-Woo, Do Ran-Hee, Eun Ji-Yoo, and even Haru. And of course, Injeolmi and Baekseolgi.

Woof woof~ Chomp chomp.

Meow~ Hissss.

Baekseolgi was nibbling on a cucumber while Injeolmi stared at one in horror, fur bristling.

"What the heck are you all doing?"

At the center of it all, Jung In-Ji was slicing cucumbers.

Miso, the only one sitting up, held up two handfuls of thinly sliced cucumber. "Unnies and oppas are going to be on TV tomorrow. We're helping them get prettier!"

'Ah. So it's a full-blown cucumber facial, courtesy of Miso.'

At that moment, Miso jumped up excitedly and pulled on my hand. "Uncle Yoon-Ho, you lie down too!"

"Me? I'm good, really."

But lying nearby, Seo Yeon-Woo and Haru chimed in simultaneously. "You should join us, hyung..."

Apparently, they had also been pulled into this by Miso's relentless charm. In the end, I had no choice but to lie down.

Miso gently laid cucumber slices on my face.

Tap tap tap.

The coolness of a cucumber instantly spread over my skin, followed by a growing sense of relaxation.

'I should really get up soon...'

Things I had to prepare for tomorrow's Project I.O.A shoot popped into my head, but I didn't want to move a finger.

Then Miso began giving me a massage with her tiny hands, pressing my arms and legs.

Rub, rub.

"Uncle Yoon-Ho, you know what happened today at school? Well..."

Miso told me about a boy named Dong-Jin; who doodled angel wings on her desk, Yung-Soo; who told her she was pretty, Han-Ul; who scored a perfect 100 on dictation, and Eun-Byul; who got picked to represent the class in an art contest.

And she proudly shared how, even though it was only March, she volunteered to carry the milk cartons with the teacher for the whole class.

As I listened to Miso's stories, sleepiness crept in.

"That was all before the second period even started. Then during break time before the second period..."

"Yeah... that's nice... mmm... oh, I see..."

I meant to listen all the way to her fourth-period adventures, but that was impossible.