Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 831: To Number One (1)

The choreographer AZ, called mockingly as Ah-Jae, snapped and turned her head.

"Who the hell was that!"

"It was me."

When Chief Gu Seong-Cheol popped his head out, AZ, who had been shouting in a sharp tone, lowered her voice slightly. Nevertheless, the fire in her eyes hadn't gone out.

"Chief! How many times have I told you to call me A.Z.?"

"Yeah, yeah. Ah-Jae, A.Z., what's the difference? Anyway, what are you doing? Why are you treating the kids like criminals when they're just practicing?"

AZ frowned and replied. "Berry Six was scheduled to use the practice room, but the Treviang trio was in there. So I just gave them a lecture about keeping to the schedule."

"If the ones supposed to start practice at nine came forty-five minutes late, they should've just used Room 2. Is this really worth fighting over?"

AZ responded firmly. "Problems always start from things like this. I prefer everything to be clear."

"Ah-Jae, seriously. If you're going to be that picky about the small stuff, then why didn't your team show up on time?"

AZ flared up again. "Ugh, I said don't call me that! And we're different. We were late because we had to go around greeting all the broadcasting staff after our first-place win today. What do you expect us to do? Shouldn't the company cut some slack for a group like Berry Six?"

'A fox ruling in a tiger's absence, I see.'

With Cherry Blossom busy judging auditions, Berry Six had taken over.

Gu Seong-Cheol frowned. "What are you, college entrance exam students? You want us to cater to your every need? Even Cherry Blossom never made a fuss over stuff like this!"

At the mention of Cherry Blossom, AZ fell silent. After all, Cherry Blossom had achieved record-breaking success and was beyond comparison. Still, she couldn't let the next comment slide.

"But Mr. Gu, you're in charge of Actor Division 2, right? Should you really be interfering in a different division? Especially not even a singer division?"

Gu Seong-Cheol's face twisted. "What?"

"You said yourself that Hoop runs each division independently. Why are you interfering so much? If you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to report to Mr. Yoon."

Gu Seong-Cheol looked at her in disbelief. A moment ago, she had a point. But now, things had changed.

I quickly stepped in and gave Gu Seong-Cheol the justification he needed to intervene.

"Mr. Gu has just been appointed as a director of Hoop Entertainment. So now, he has the authority to speak across all divisions."

AZ looked shocked. "Mr. Gu was appointed as a director?"

At that moment, Gu Seong-Cheol seized the opportunity to raise his voice. "That's right! I've been appointed as a director! So can I speak now? Huh? Or should I keep it bottled up until the official appointment? Think you can handle that?"

AZ had nothing to say. "N-no...You can say it now."

"Then listen carefully. From now on, Practice Room 1 will prioritize scheduled reservations. If you're even a minute late, you lose your rights and it goes to whoever's there first. Got it?"

"Yes."

"And when you need to film or coordinate with a broadcast, notify us in advance. If that's difficult, send your talent agent to reserve the room. That way, we can avoid messes like today."

"Understood."

"And one last thing."

Gu Seong-Cheol abruptly stopped and walked forward. He marched right up to AZ and glared at her.

"Ah-Jae! If you talk like that to trainees from another division again, I won't let it slide! Who the hell do you think you are, calling hard-working kids lackeys or saying they stink? Huh? Are idols your errand boys? Don't you dare mouth off like that again when even I wouldn't go that far!"

Gu Seong-Cheol shouted, spittle flying, but AZ could only tremble in silence. After giving AZ a thorough scolding, Gu Seong-Cheol turned his eyes to the six members of Berry Six.

Berry Six's leader, Yoo So-Jung, flinched under Gu Seong-Cheol's fierce glare and quickly bowed her head. With five years of trainee experience under her belt, she had a keen sense for reading the room.

"Hello, Mr. Gu."

Following twenty-two-year-old Yoo So-Jung, Lee Tae-Seon, Sung Soo-Hye, Ahn Hee-Yeon, Oh Hyun-Seo, and Park Mi-Yoon all bowed in succession.

"Hello, Mr. Gu."

When I saw them outside the practice room just earlier, they were full of confidence from winning first place on a music show. Yet the moment things turned against them, they quickly flipped and became submissive.

Gu Seong-Cheol, however, didn't let them off the hook. Hoop Entertainment wasn't the kind of company that let everything slide just because someone did well.

"You think winning first place means everything gets forgiven?"

Yoo So-Jung and the other Berry Six members shrank back.

"Hoop Entertainment isn't like Guanwoo Entertainment. Whether you're ranked first or tenth, maintaining basic manners is more important. So if I catch you acting out like this again, I won't let it go! Got it?"

The six members of Berry Six bit their lips and nodded.

At that moment, I stepped in to add one more thing upon realizing Gu Seong-Cheol had missed a point.

"It doesn't matter if you've been a trainee for five or ten years. In this industry, seniority goes by debut date. So if someone debuted even a day before you, you treat them as sunbae. You can become friends or call each other unni after you've each built up at least three years of experience."

Yoo So-Jung and the others trembled without answering.

Seeing this, Gu Seong-Cheol shouted again. "You're not going to acknowledge Chief Jung when he speaks?"

The six bowed their heads again in unison. "Yes. Understood."

Only then did Gu Seong-Cheol let out a deep breath and lowered his voice. "It's your first mistake, so I'll let it slide. Now get out of here."

The members of Berry Six bowed silently and left the room. AZ also left without a word.

Screech.

The door closer eased the glass door shut slowly. Through the narrowing gap, Berry Six's muttering voices slipped through.

-Ugh, seriously. I'm so annoyed. I'm not practicing today.

-Coach, we're not in the mood to practice. We're just going back to the dorm.

-Me too. I just want to wash up and sleep. Getting nagged by that boomer totally killed my vibe.

As their complaints piled up, AZ chimed in.

-I get it. You think I don't understand how you feel? Go back to the dorm, have some ice cream, and cool off. No drinking, though. We've got a schedule tomorrow.

'Those brats...'

I almost ran after them to give them another scolding, but Gu Seong-Cheol grabbed my wrist and shook his head. "Let it go. We're done for today."

It seemed Gu Seong-Cheol never expected them to learn everything in one sitting anyway.

I nodded. "Understood, sir."

Gu Seong-Cheol took a deep breath, then finally relaxed his expression and turned to Treviang with a bright smile. "Aww, my dear Treviang. I heard you got third place today? But why so glum? Stand tall! Shoulders back! Well done! I'm proud of you, Treviang."

The girls looked at each other, then cautiously straightened their posture.

Gu Seong-Cheol leaned in with more enthusiasm."Ooh, now that's the hip-hop girl group Treviang I know! From now on, you've gotta rise up and crush it. Okay? Let's do it with energy!"

Every year, hundreds of idol groups debuted and disappeared. Even getting into a music show ranking battle was something most groups could only dream of. However, with Berry Six debuting and immediately taking first place, Treviang had been nervously tiptoeing despite finishing third.

Adding to that, big names like Cherry Blossom, Kang Ha-Na, and Yang Eun-Bi were already holding strong within the company. And soon, I.O.A was expected to join as well. For these reasons, the girls looked increasingly anxious.

Sure enough, Treviang's leader Oh Ji-Ah bowed her head toward me. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jung."

"Hm? What for?"

"You and Mrs. Park Seon-Nyeo helped us so much, but we still didn't get first place. We really wanted to this time..."

I looked at the apologetic girls and asked in a quiet voice, "So what do you say—want to win first place?"

The members of Treviang blinked in surprise, too stunned to answer.

After a moment, Oh Ji-Ah responded with a loud voice, "Yes!"

"Alright. I'll help you."

Just then, the door swung open and Chief Han So-Yoo walked into Practice Room 1 carrying drinks.

Clunk.

"Huh? Chief Jung, Mr. Gu... What's everyone doing here?"

At that moment, Treviang rushed over in a clump and threw themselves into Han So-Yoo's arms.

"Ms. Han!!"

"Hey, hey, what is it?"

I gave Han So-Yoo a brief rundown of what had happened. "...So I'm thinking of helping the kids take first place this time."

Han So-Yoo asked with an excited expression. "Do you think our kids can do it?"

"If you cooperate with us."

"Right now, then! I'll gather the talent agents."

Luckily, she asked for my help without hesitation, so I gathered the talent agents from our division as well.

***

Berry Six and AZ rode the elevator down to the first floor.

The moment Yoo So-Jung stormed out of the elevator, Chief Yoon Dong-Gu stepped out of the elevator next to them.

Yoo So-Jung immediately cried out in an urgent voice. "Mr. Yoon~~"

After getting chewed out in the executive meeting and having no countermeasures, Yoon Dong-Gu was in a foul mood, but he quickly wiped his emotions clean and put on a smile. At the moment, the only leverage he still had came from Berry Six's first-place win today.

Putting on an exaggerated, babyish tone as if he were talking to seven-year-olds, Yoon Dong-Gu spoke playfully. "My cute little babies~ Getting first place must've been suuuper hard, riiight? Good job, good job. Our Berry Six is always the best. I'm so proud~"

Normally, Yoo So-Jung would play along whenever Yoon Dong-Gu tried to act cute.

But this time, she snapped back irritably. "Ugh, that tone. I told you not to do that. You sound like such an Ah-Jae!"

At the word Ah-Jae, AZ flinched beside her.

Yoo So-Jung noticed, but she didn't turn to look at AZ. In truth, she had deliberately used that word out of resentment that AZ hadn't defended them from Chief Jung Yoon-Ho earlier.

Only then did Yoon Dong-Gu drop the act and stare straight at Yoo So-Jung. "What's wrong? You usually like this kind of thing."

Yoo So-Jung pushed out her lips and started whining. "Ugh, seriously. I'm just really upset today."

"Huh? What could possibly upset you, So-Jung?"

"I wanted to practice a bit more and go to sleep so we could take first place again tomorrow, but I got chewed out!"

Yoon Dong-Gu's expression hardened. "You got chewed out? By who?"

"Mr. Gu and Mr. Jung."

"Chief Jung, that bas— no, that guy. Why would he do that?"

"I don't know. I guess he just hates the sight of us."

Yoon Dong-Gu shot a glare at AZ. "And what were you doing just standing there?"

"What do you mean what was I doing? I told them not to interfere since it was another division. But Chief Gu—no, Director Gu now—came all the way to the practice room and shut us down. What was I supposed to do? Chief Jung backed him up too."

"What? Chief Gu became a director?"

"Yes. That's what Chief Jung said."

Yoon Dong-Gu ground his teeth. "So Chief Jung recommended him, huh. Damn it. He's really gone wild."

Hearing that Gu Seong-Cheol was becoming a director sent Yoon Dong-Gu's anger straight to the top of his head. He had just been disciplined, so he briefly considered letting it go, but the resentment wouldn't fade. After all, he had been the ace of Guanwoo Entertainment. Being treated like this was absurd.

Then, a discreet way to get revenge flashed through his mind.

Yoon Dong-Gu's eyes gleamed as he looked at Yoo So-Jung. "So-Jung. You think you can really grind them into the dirt on tomorrow's music show stages?"

The corners of Yoo So-Jung's lips curled upward. "Of course. Tomorrow, we're right before Treviang on both music shows. I saw them earlier and they're way weaker mentally than I expected. I'll shake them up a bit as they come off stage. Then third place won't be the issue. They might drop even lower."

"Good. Just do that."

"Then we'll head back to the dorm and rest."

"Yeah. Good work."

Only then did Berry Six seem to cool off, smiling as they headed toward the dorm.

Watching them disappear, Yoon Dong-Gu lifted his phone. "Yes, Mr. Ahn, it's me. Could I see you for a moment? Ah, right now? Yes. I'll come immediately."

Thinking about meeting CP Ahn Dong-Gyu from KBC Music Stage, Yoon Dong-Gu clenched his teeth.

"So I'm a joke to you, Jung Yoon-Ho?"

***

"Yes, that's right."

Treviang's leader, Oh Ji-Ah, who had just returned from a quick shower, asked me if I could really help them reach number one. I answered without hesitation that I could.

Eyes wide, Oh Ji-Ah asked again. "You're serious? You can really make us number one?"

"I am dead serious. Now take a seat. Ms. Han and everyone else are waiting."

"Oh! I'm sorry."

She gave a polite bow and sat down in the center of the meeting room. Oh Ji-Ah, twenty-five this year, wore a black tracksuit with her short, bleached blonde hair. She stood 162 cm tall.

Seated next to her was twenty-four-year-old Hong Mal-Sook, who had long, straight hair dyed blue and wore a pink tracksuit. She was notably tall at 172 cm.

Finally, there was the youngest, twenty-three-year-old Sung Ji-Hyo—average height at 164 cm, softly wavy hair, a round and cute face, and a notably curvy figure.

To their right sat Han So-Yoo of Singer Division 1, Team Lead Seo Joon-Hyung, and stylist Song Jenny.

To Treviang's left were my team members: Assistant Manager Lee Mi-Ri, Assistant Manager Yang So-Ri, and Team Lead Baek Hee-Young. Gu Seong-Cheol and I sat directly across from Treviang.

Once everyone was seated, Han So-Yoo shared what had happened earlier. The moment they heard it, the talent agents couldn't contain their fury. There were two things that made talent agents angriest. One was when their talent was treated unfairly, and the other was when their popularity was undercut.

Bang!

Seo Hyung-Joon from Singer Division 1 slammed both hands on the table and shot up from his seat. "I'm going to rip those kids apart!"

Han So-Yoo shook her head. "We've already disciplined them. Sit down. And from now on, we're all following Mr. Jung's lead. Just so we're clear."

Seo Joon-Hyung bowed his head and sat back down. "I-I'm sorry."

I calmed everyone down before the room got too heated. Then I pulled up the real-time digital chart rankings on the conference room's large LCD screen.

"Let's start with this."

[April 3, 2021]

[Current Time: 10:15 p.m]

[Real-Time Chart Rankings]

1 (–) 'I'm Cinderella' – Berry Six

2 (+2) 'White Day Proposal' – Park Eun-Bin

3 (+3) 'IDOLS' – Project I.O.A Original Soundtrack

4 (+2) 'Magic Mirror' – Big Man

5 (–3) 'Stand Alone' – Treviang

...

Currently, 'Stand Alone' sat at number five, fluctuating within the top ten.

I pointed at the chart and addressed the room. "To climb this chart, we need buzz. So here's the plan. We're overhauling the styling to align with the theme of 'Stand Alone.'"

'Stand Alone' was a breakup anthem about thriving confidently on your own after parting ways with a lover. However, the stage outfits chosen by stylist Song Jenny leaned more toward appealing to male fans than reflecting the empowering message of the female protagonist.

To her credit, Song Jenny was skilled and they had managed to place third even with the concept mismatch. But in my previous timeline, Treviang's success had come from stronger appeal to female fans, establishing themselves as fashion icons across teens to thirty-somethings.

So now, I suggested we need to shift the target to female fans while still keeping male fans in mind, and revamp their styling accordingly.

At that, Song Jenny shot up from her seat and bowed her head. "This was my mistake. I misunderstood the concept. I'll step down."

Before she could go any further, Oh Ji-Ah blurted out in a panicked voice. "No way! Why would you step down, unnie?"

Hong Mal-Sook and Sung Ji-Hyo jumped in too. "She's right! If you're gone, who do we rely on? You've taken care of us in so many ways, even behind the scenes..."

That's when I cut in, firm and clear. "Ms. Jenny, you just followed what came out of the planning meeting. So this isn't your fault. And as long as I'm helping Division 1, we go all the way together with no one left behind. If even one person drops out, I can't help you. A first-place win earned that way wouldn't mean anything."

The talent agents from my division were here strictly as support. Meanwhile, the people of Singer Division 1 would be the ones sticking by Treviang day in and day out, getting the real work done. So the end of this success had to include Singer Division 1.

Han So-Yoo nodded and backed me up, turning to Song Jenny. "This isn't your fault. It's mine for not being clear enough with the concept. So don't say things like that. Sit back down. And take this opportunity to learn a lot from Assistant Manager Lee Mi-Ri. Let's make our Treviang girls even more stunning. You're our only stylist in Division 1, right? if you quit, who's going to take care of them?"

Song Jenny still looked guilty and hesitated to answer.

So I spoke again. "As you can see, everyone here knows how hard you've worked. Let's keep going together. If there's a mistake, it's mine for not giving clear direction about the concept in advance. So let's just say we were both at fault, and now, how about we make Treviang perfect together?"

After a moment of thought, Song Jenny took a deep breath and made her decision. Bowing to everyone, she reaffirmed her resolve. "Thank you. I'll work harder, and learn even more..."

A round of applause erupted around the room in support of her.

Relieved, I turned to Lee Mi-Ri. "Mrs. Lee, could you start the styling briefing now?"

A month ago, anticipating a moment like this, I had already asked Lee Mi-Ri to prepare Treviang's new styling direction.

Lee Mi-Ri stood up and pointed to the large LCD screen at the front of the meeting room. "I've prepared a few things, so let's take a look while we talk."

Beep.

A concept sketch filled the screen. They were designs created in collaboration with Jason Cho, a top designer in the industry.

Everyone in the room immediately gaped in awe.

"Wow... That's amazing."

"These are so pretty."

From the start, I had planned to eventually support Singer Division 1 and Treviang by introducing Lee Mi-Ri and Jason Cho's designs when the time was right. But the moment I saw Treviang trampled under Berry Six today, I changed my mind. I couldn't allow a group with such poor character as Berry Six to become the face of Hoop Entertainment.

So from this moment forward, I was going to turn Treviang into a chart-topping group and make them another flagship brand of Hoop Entertainment.

'I'll get you to number one. No matter what.'

With that vow in my heart, I began checking over every plan I had tucked away for a moment like this.

The time was now 10:20 p.m. with just 19 hours and 40 minutes left until the results for tomorrow's episode of KBC's Music Stage were revealed at 6 p.m..

I planned to make a miracle happen within that time.