Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 798: School Bully Rumor (2)

"Let go of her hand, sunbae. Would you?"

Go Eun-Seo was heading to the cafeteria with her friends when she saw Sung Na-Ra being cornered by Park Ji-Hye and a group of third-year bullies.

In the past, she would have walked right by without caring as it wasn't her business. But now, something had changed. Maybe it was the bond she had built during their time together in Project I.O.A. Before she knew it, she had stepped in.

'Why am I doing this?'

The regret hit her a moment too late, but there was no turning back now.

Park Ji-Hye hesitated. Go Eun-Seo's dad was an assemblyman and her mom was Han So-Ye, a top star and the head of the parents' association at Hanil Arts High. Still, she was a sunbae. She couldn't back down so easily.

"Go Eun-Seo, don't butt into things you don't understand!" Park Ji-Hye shouted.

"I don't care what happened. Just let go of Na-Ra unnie's hand!" Go Eun-Seo snapped back.

Right then, Sung Na-Ra yanked her wrist free and ran toward Jung Jin-Ah, who was surrounded by the other bullies.

"Jin-Ah!"

"Na-Ra!"

Seeing Sung Na-Ra and Jung Jin-Ah grab each other's hands, Go Eun-Seo let out a sigh. It would have been easier if Sung Na-Ra had just run off and left her friend behind. Nevertheless, Go Eun-Seo quickly masked her face with a calm expression and turned to Sung Na-Ra.

"Na-Ra unnie, go back to class with your friend. I'll handle things here."

Park Ji-Hye exploded. "Hey, Go Eun-Seo! Don't fool yourself! She bumped into me first and didn't even apologize properly before trying to walk away!"

Go Eun-Seo scoffed. "Don't lie. I know exactly what kind of person Na-Ra unnie is. She would've apologized. Just be honest. You were pissed and dragged her behind the gym to beat her up, weren't you?"

"No one was going to beat anyone up! It was just... just a warning!"

"Seriously? I know exactly how you sunbaes operate. What, were you planning to mess up her face so she couldn't appear on Project I.O.A this week? Oh, wait. Weren't you trying to be an idol once too? Bet that jealousy's still eating you up," Go Eun-Seo cornered Park Ji-Hye hard enough to take her breath away.

Park Ji-Hye huffed in frustration. "Ugh, Go Eun-Seo. Wouldn't it be better for you too if one less rival were in the running? Why get in our way?"

At that moment, Go Eun-Seo's expression tightened. She realized that was how they saw her.

"So you really thought... I'd stoop that low?"

"Come on. Don't act all innocent now. You've never cared about anyone who wasn't in your league!"

That's when Go Eun-Seo took a step forward and said to Park Ji-Hye, "Well, maybe I'm ready to start caring now. So let go of her hand!"

Smack.

With a sharp tone, Go Eun-Seo grabbed the wrists of Sung Na-Ra and Jung Jin-Ah, who were still trapped among the bullies.

"Let's go, unnies!"

Go Eun-Seo glared at Park Ji-Hye and her crew as she pulled the two girls away. Staggering a bit, Sung Na-Ra and Jung Jin-Ah slipped out of the bullies' circle. The third-years, well aware of Go Eun-Seo's backing, hesitated but didn't dare block her path. Then, Go Eun-Seo's friends came rushing over and surrounded the three.

Park Ji-Hye, seething with humiliation, spat out a warning. "Go Eun-Seo... I'll make sure you regret this."

Go Eun-Seo opened her mouth, ready to throw out a retort. Just then, a man's low voice cut through the air.

"You're the ones who'll be regretting this."

Go Eun-Seo turned her head toward the voice. Standing there were Chief Jung Yoon-Ho of Hoop Entertainment, the Hanil Arts graduate and star Woo Yeon-Hee, and Hanil Arts High's vice principal, Bang Seo-Hee.

"M-Mr. Jung..."

Go Eun-Seo was stunned. To Jung Yoon-Ho, it must have looked like she was picking a fight with the sunbaes. And knowing her past—how indifferent she used to be to others—she wasn't sure he would believe she stepped in just to help Sung Na-Ra.

At that moment, Jung Yoon-Ho smiled as if he already knew everything. "You could've just walked away, but you helped her. Thanks, Eun-Seo."

Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine praise coming from Jung Yoon-Ho. Her heart suddenly started pounding.

"Not at all, Mr. Jung!!" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

***

I had been working closely with Vice Principal Bang Seo-Hee of Hanil Arts High for a while now to arrange the filming of Project I.O.A. Thanks to that, we were able to enter the school as soon as we arrived.

But right in front of the school store near the gym, we witnessed a group of sunbaes cornering Sung Na-Ra, and then Go Eun-Seo stepping in to help her.

I immediately rushed over to the kids. Luckily, the situation had just ended. After praising Go Eun-Seo, I checked on Sung Na-Ra.

"Na-Ra, are you okay?" I asked.

Sung Na-Ra nodded. "Ah, yes. I'm fine."

Aside from the red marks on her wrist, she didn't appear to be seriously hurt.

That's when Bang Seo-Hee started scolding the third-years. "What on earth were you thinking? You went after a student who's appearing on a show? How are you going to deal with the consequences?"

Park Ji-Hye protested, clearly feeling wronged. "Ma'am! We didn't do anything! Na-Ra's the one who bumped into us first!"

"Enough! I saw everything from over there. Don't bother with excuses. I want reflection letters from all of you by tomorrow."

However, Park Ji-Hye and the other third-years showed no sign of remorse.

"Ugh, why are we the only ones getting blamed?"

"Yeah. We're the easy targets, huh?"

Right now, these girls were the most likely candidates to spread school violence rumors about Sung Na-Ra. So I decided it was time to deliver a serious warning—one that would make them think twice about bothering her ever again.

"Ms. Bang, I'd like you to convene the school violence committee."

Bang Seo-Hee turned to me in surprise, clearly flustered. "T-the school violence committee? But Na-Ra isn't even seriously hurt. Don't you think it's better to settle things here?"

"She may not be injured, but the perpetrators clearly show no remorse."

"Well, no. But..."

"What if they come back and it escalates to actual violence? What if Na-Ra ends up with scars on her face? Are you going to act then? If you won't call the committee, I suppose I'll just have to alert the broadcast stations."

"The... the broadcast stations?"

I pulled out my phone and showed her the video I had taken while rushing over. "Yes. I've got footage of Hanil Arts bullies trying to drag Na-Ra away, and Eun-Seo stopping them. I plan to submit it to the station."

Sung Na-Ra was currently the top-ranking contestant on Project I.O.A., and Go Eun-Seo was the most talked-about trainee. If a video featuring both of them aired, the school would be thrown into chaos.

At that moment, all color drained from Bang Seo-Hee's face. "Let's... let's not get ahead of ourselves. Please calm down a bit..."

"This isn't something to stay calm about, is it?"

Panicking, Bang Seo-Hee turned and shouted at the students. "Hey! What are you standing around for? Apologize! If this goes to the committee, you'll have a permanent mark on your record. And that's the end of your college applications!"

Only then did Park Ji-Hye and the others finally apologize.

"N-Na-Ra, I'm sorry."

"Yeah... I was just in a bad mood."

"It won't happen again."

Bang Seo-Hee then turned to me, trying to appease me. "Mr. Jung, I'll make sure they're properly disciplined. And for Na-Ra's sake too, wouldn't it be better to keep this quiet?"

I glared at the girls and deliberately paused for effect. Then, fixing my gaze on their bowed heads, I said, "Sigh...Fine. But if this happens again, our show's investors might sue you all. Not for thousands, but for hundreds of millions. And the school would be held responsible as well. Understood?"

The mention of a massive lawsuit made their faces turn pale. It was the moment they realized life wasn't a game.

At that moment, the bell rang for the third period.

Ding-dong-dang-dong~

Ding-dong-dang-dong~

Bang Seo-Hee looked at me anxiously and said, "Mr. Jung, if you don't mind... I'll make sure to keep a close eye on them, so could we send the kids back to class now?"

If just a little pressure had them shaking like leaves, then I figured they had been scared enough.

I nodded and said, "Anyone else, I might hesitate. But since you're asking so earnestly, Ms. Bang, I'll trust you this once."

"Thank you, Mr. Jung."

Immediately, Bang Seo-Hee waved toward the students. "What are you standing around for? Get to class, now! Run along!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Park Ji-Hye and the third-years bolted first. Then Go Eun-Seo and the first-years who had been watching started to return to their classrooms as well.

Before leaving, Sung Na-Ra bowed her head to me. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Jung."

"Don't mention it. But from now on, call me the moment something happens. Got it?"

"Yes, Mr. Jung."

Sung Na-Ra quickly walked off with her friend, Jung Jin-Ah.

Bang Seo-Hee, eager to wrap things up, offered a slightly awkward smile. "Since you're here, why don't you stop by the principal's office? It'd be nice if our proud alumna Yeon-Hee dropped in and said hello too."

I waited until the students were gone, then gave a nod. "All right. Also, I apologize for earlier. I lost my temper, thinking of myself as Na-Ra's guardian with her parents absent. I raised my voice without meaning to."

"Oh, not at all, Mr. Jung."

We made an uneasy truce and headed toward the principal's office. As we walked, I glanced at my phone.

Then, I saw something totally unexpected.

[Everyday V13]

[Date: March 29, 2021]

-01:00 a.m.: [NEW. Woo Yeon-Hee]

[Entertainment All Star] Cherry Blossom's leader Woo Yeon-Hee speaks out on Sung Na-Ra, who was eliminated this week over a school bullying scandal.

[Baro Star] Woo Yeon-Hee's bold statement: "Even if everyone turns on Na-Ra, I still believe in her!"

'Even after all that warning, the schedule entry hasn't changed?'

That meant someone else might be behind the school violence rumors. I needed to check in with Lee Doo-Oh.

Earlier, on my way to school, I had asked Lee Doo-Oh to track the social media accounts of students who might post malicious comments about Sung Na-Ra.

Teenagers who lived their lives online tended to reveal everything about themselves from who they met, what they ate, to what they were into. With proper monitoring, we could identify who might spread the rumors.

Right now, the top suspects were the former members of the girl group FIVE Angels, which Sung Na-Ra used to be part of. So I asked Lee Doo-Oh for an update.

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: Doo-Oh, what are the former FIVE Angels members up to?]

[Lee Doo-Oh: It looks like they've backed away from the entertainment world and are focusing on college instead.]

Maybe because of the harsh lesson they had learned from me and attorney Kim Chan-Sung in the past, they were keeping a low profile now.

I told Lee Doo-Oh to keep monitoring them anyway, then moved on to check the haters club. Sung Na-Ra's haters club had originally been the fan club for FIVE Angels, rebranded by the remaining members into ANTI- Na-Ra after the group disbanded.

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: Any activity from the ANTI- Na-Ra club?]

[Lee Doo-Oh: Nothing unusual from them. Just the usual gossip and trash talk about Nara, but that's about it.]

So far, it didn't seem like the kind of hate comments that Everyday warned about had actually surfaced yet.

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: Got it. But if you see anything that frames Na-Ra as a school bully, let me know right away. The more specific, the better.]

[Lee Doo-Oh: Got it.]

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: Also, check the social media accounts of the kids I'm about to name. Hanil Arts High, third-years: Park Ji-Hye, Lee Sung-Hee...

Just in case, I gave him the names of the kids who had bullied Sung Na-Ra and asked him to track their accounts too. I was just about to finish the message when a thought struck me.

'Has he been following through on a task I'd given him before?'

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: And are you monitoring the social media and community activity of her classmates too?]

From experience in my previous life, the most vicious haters often came from the same school or even the same class.

[Lee Doo-Oh: Yes. That's where I'm focusing most of my attention.]

After sending him another Kk Talk message urging him to stay on top of it, I silently made up my mind that I was going to protect Sung Na-Ra no matter what.

***

The vice principal and the principal of Hanil Arts High School both promised to make sure nothing like today ever happened again.

After the third period ended, I double-checked that everything remained calm before returning to the school parking lot with Woo Yeon-Hee, where our van was waiting.

Inside, we pulled up the Project I.O.A app and started checking the fan boards. The hate comments against Sung Na-Ra were getting worse. Thankfully, there still weren't any posts accusing her of being a school bully.

Woo Yeon-Hee frowned and asked, clearly frustrated. "Oppa, why do they keep going after Na-Ra like this?"

"Because they blame her for the team breaking up."

As the visual ace of FIVE Angels, Sung Na-Ra had carried much of the group's popularity. When she left and the team disbanded soon after, fans blamed her for everything. To them, Sung Na-Ra had ruined the group.

I still had footage of Sung Na-Ra being harassed by her teammates during filming, including former leader Lee Jin-Sil. I had asked if she wanted to release it, but Sung Na-Ra had refused, saying she didn't want to hurt the fans of FIVE Angels any more than they already had been.

Though noble, that decision was feeding the current misunderstanding.

Then, the school bell rang again.

Ding-dong-dang-dong~

Dang-dong-ding-dong~

The fourth period ended and it was finally lunchtime. Even though it was late March, the chill in the air lingered. I turned the heater up a notch so the van would be warm by the time Sung Na-Ra and Go Eun-Seo arrived.

Whirrr.

Warm air began to circulate through the vehicle.

From afar, I spotted Sung Na-Ra running toward us with her backpack. Alongside her were Jung Jin-Ah and three more friends waving goodbye.

-Sung Na-Ra, you got this! Go, Na-Ra!

-Jin-Ah, Yung-Sook, Min-Ji, and Do-Yeon~ See you next week!

-Yeah! Make sure you get first place again!

Seeing that, Woo Yeon-Hee finally smiled. "Oppa, aren't you glad Jin-Ah's around? She really helps Na-Ra adjust to school life like earlier too."

I smiled gently but didn't say anything. As long as Sung Na-Ra's hate comment schedule remained listed in Everyday, I couldn't afford to let my guard down about any relationship no matter how warm it looked.

Click.

The van door slid open and Sung Na-Ra climbed in, beaming. "I'm back~!"

"Good job today!"

"You're in a good mood, huh?"

"My classmates were cheering me on to get first place again."

"Then let's go for it this week too."

"Yes, sir!"

Then, Go Eun-Seo appeared with her backpack from the east gate of the school, walking like a model with that effortlessly chic expression.

Woo Yeon-Hee gave me a look of amusement. "Does Eun-Seo always walk like that? She's hilarious."

"She's been trained like that since she was little."

Her mother, the top star Han So-Ye, had raised her daughter to be a celebrity from day one. She never let Go Eun-Seo drop her guard, not even off-camera. In the life of a star, everything they did was always being watched.

"Pfft. Oppa, she's doing facial expressions too, right?"

"Yeah."

"She's cute, that one~"

As expected from the 'mom' of Cherry Blossom, Woo Yeon-Hee found even the aloof Go Eun-Seo adorable and smiled.

And I couldn't help but smile along too. Walking like that all the time wasn't something just anyone could pull off.

'Kid's been through a lot.'

Maybe because I had opened my heart a little to Go Eun-Seo, I was starting to notice things I never saw before the regression.

Click.

Go Eun-Seo opened the van's back door and bowed her head. "Class is over, Mr. Jung, sunbae-nim."

Woo Yeon-Hee grinned brightly. "Sunbae-nim? Come on, that's so cold. Just call me Yeon-Hee unnie~ So, Eun-Seo. How was school today?"

"It was whatever."

"What, the kids didn't cheer you on?"

Go Eun-Seo shrugged with her usual cool expression. "They don't really like me. They call themselves friends, but they're not real friends."

When Go Eun-Seo grumbled, Woo Yeon-Hee smiled and raised her fists in mock determination. "Then from today on, I'll be your friend~ Oh, and helping Na-Ra earlier? That was seriously cool."

Go Eun-Seo started to squirm a little. "Ah, that was just... I just saw it while passing by... And Ji-Hye sunbae's always been kind of a pain anyway."

Right then, Sung Na-Ra, who was already in the car, suddenly grabbed Go Eun-Seo's hand. "No, Eun-Seo. If it weren't for you today, I don't know what would've happened. Thank you. I didn't even get to say that properly earlier. I'm sorry."

Instantly, Go Eun-Seo's ears turned red. "No, Na-Ra... unnie. I was just..."

Go Eun-Seo froze like a broken robot.

'Our Eun-Seo. So weak to praise.'

Now that I think about it, since Go Eun-Seo had changed, I probably needed to change the way I treated her too.

I smiled and said, "Eun-Seo. Like I said earlier, It's all thanks to you that nothing happened to Na-Ra. Thank you."

Now Go Eun-Seo's entire face turned bright red. "N-no, it's not like that. I mean, uh, I just... I didn't really mean to..."

Flustered, Go Eun-Seo started rambling nonsense.

"Haha, got it. Let's head back first and talk more there."

Just then, my phone vibrated suddenly.

Buzz~

When I checked, it was a message from Lee Doo-Oh.

[Lee Doo-Oh: Hyung. A new post just went up on ANTI- Na-Ra. You should see this one yourself. (Attached: Screenshot of the post)]

The moment I opened the file he sent, I knew exactly who the culprit was.

'So this is the one. This is the culprit.'