Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Prologue

What would you do if you were given the chance to go back in time ten years?

1. Win the lottery

2. Acquire stocks with prior knowledge and become rich

3. Purchase Bitcoin at a low price

4. Reverse the most regretful decision that you made

If you chose one of the options, let me ask you another question.

If you chose option one, do you remember the number of the lottery ticket that won first place ten years ago?

Hm, I certainly don’t.

Perhaps option two would have been the better option because even I know of a few companies whose stock prices are rising.

What about option three, purchasing Bitcoin at a low price?

One could make a lot of money if the timing was right—but still, making money didn’t give me much joy.

In any case, I made a lot of money in my first life. However, that life was too painful and futile. Even though I did make a lot of money, I was never able to sleep in comfort after the day my life changed completely.

Therefore, when I was given the chance to go back in time, I chose option four.

Having returned to the past, I was given the chance to rechart my life—thanks to the planner containing the schedule of my future ten years, which returned to the past with me.

Thanks to this planner, I was able to see the impact of my actions on the future.

Oh, but please don’t get me wrong. Of course I’m still going to make lots of money.

This is my second life. Wouldn’t it be weird if I failed to make money while doing the same work as in my past life?

Let me begin the story of the rookie talent agent who returned to his first year of work.

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[Vice President of Top Entertainment: Jung Yoon-Ho]

The appreciation plaques that filled one side of the shelf were engraved with my name in vivid silver color.

[For contributing to the development of Korean movies…]

[For contributing to Korean idols’ overseas expansion…]

[As an ambassador for K-pop…]

[The youngest to promote the culture to…]

I spoke to myself while reading the words written on the appreciation plaque.

“Wow, Jung Yoon-Ho. You really did succeed.”

It had been ten years since I started working in the entertainment industry at the age of twenty-six. Not only had I become the vice president of Top Entertainment—the number one entertainment company in the industry— I had also married a top actress, Ju Yung-In.

Given the fact that I lived in Jamsil LT Tower overlooking the Han River, anyone would think that I lived a successful life.

Yet, in spite of my apparent success, there had always been a void in my heart.

On that fateful day ten years ago, I lost the people precious to me by making a wrong choice in a moment.

“Sigh…”

I let out a deep sigh and shifted my gaze to the photo I had placed on one side of the shelf.

[Hoop Entertainment’s 7th Retreat.]

Inside the red-colored frame was a photo of the employees and actors of Hoop Entertainment gathered around President Kang Gam-Chan, sporting bright smiles.

“That was such a good time…”

Hoop Entertainment was the very first company I worked for. It was a company that valued the character of its actors, and the managers and the actors got along well like a family.

However, three years after this photo was taken, Hoop Entertainment took a downturn.

President Kang Gam-Chan suffered a stroke and Kim Dong-Soo, the 3rd division talent chief at the time and the president of Top Entertainment now, left with eighty percent of the actors and staff, leaving the company in shambles.

I decided to leave Hoop Entertainment with Kim Dong-Soo and this was how Top Entertainment was created.

Top Entertainment was starkly different from Hoop Entertainment.

Top Entertainment was infamous for its bad-tempered actors and indifference to scandals as long as the actors generated profit.

Consequently, I had no choice but to promote and train celebrities regardless of their character until I became the vice president.

Flinch!

A twinge of pain struck the upper part of my chest as if I’d been stabbed when I recalled those old memories.

Recently, I had been suffering from chest pains whenever I was under even a little bit of stress.

‘It’s been a while since I last had a checkup because I was too busy. I should visit the hospital tomorrow.’

Buzz!

Suddenly, I received a notification of today’s schedule from Everyday, a schedule management application that I had been using for ten years.

[Everyday V10]

[Date: November 12th, 2029]

[Current time: 04:30 AM, LT Tower(home)]

-(Reserved schedule D-30: Bundang Memorial Park, Miso.)

-5:00 AM: Top Entertainment Conference Room (7F,) Hwangryong Film Association day meeting.

-09:10 PM: Episode 11 of ‘Top Star with My Hands.’ Min Gyu-Ri.

…

“Is it already this late?”

It was 4:30 AM and I had a lot to prepare as today was the day of the Hwangryong Film Association meeting and I received a secret call from one of the executive members of the Hwangryong Film Association, whom I met at 11 PM last night.

“Vice President Jung, I think a red dress would be perfect for Gyu-Ri’s outfit tomorrow.”

Min Gyu-Ri was the lead actress of the movie The Best Bride, which had garnered 8.33 million viewers this year.

Top Entertainment had made a deal with the executive member to mention the color red if she was confirmed for the award for the best actress of the year.

Now that I had received the signal, it was my responsibility to ensure Min Gyu-Ri was prepared to receive this prestigious accolade, including having the best make-up and dress, fitting of her soon-to-be-crowned title. I also had to contact the reporters in advance to publish articles around noon with titles such as ‘Min Gyu-Ri is the leading candidate for the best actress of the year.’

I was rushing to leave the house for work as I had made all my staff report to work an hour early to prepare for the award ceremony.

Drag.

The sound of my slippers dragging against the floor could be heard as I rushed into the dressing room. I would have been worried about waking up my wife if she were in the bedroom, but she was not home yet.

“Tsk. I wonder who she’s with at this time…”

Right when I was about to call my wife, my phone rang.

[Caller: President Kim Dong-Soo]

“Huh? Why would Dong-Soo hyung call me at this hour?”

When I answered the phone, I heard Dong-Soo’s urgent voice.

“Yoon-Ho, we are in big trouble. Burp!”

Dong-Soo hyung was stumbling over his words as if he had been drinking with the investors.

“You always say that. What is it? What happened this time?”

“The reporters are after Gyu-Ri’s sponsor scandal. They are going to publish articles early tomorrow morning!”

“What?”

The situation was dire as Min Gyu-Ri was on the cusp of receiving a major award.

I felt my face heat up with anger.

“Are you kidding me right now? I thought you said Gyu-Ri had no sponsor! What are you talking about all of a sudden!?”

“Well, it happened, so do something about it. The party involved is someone high up. We will be in huge trouble if the reporters publish articles on it.”

“Who the heck is that high up? I have to know who that person is!”

“Hey, do I have to explain everything to you? Just do what I tell you to do! Burp!”

The consequences of recruiting celebrities without considering their character were showing.

I felt like I was about to throw up, perhaps because of stress. I held on to my throbbing chest and caught my breath.

“Huff, huff. Okay, fine. How many reporters are after her?”

“Three. And they are…they are…”

I comforted Dong-Soo Hyung, who was still drunk and rambling on, and checked the list of newspapers several times.

“All right. I’ll try my best to negotiate with them. I’ll talk to you later.”

“You know the negotiation price, right?”

“I know, I know. I’m hanging up!”

As soon as I hung up the phone call with Dong-Soo, I called the Managing Director Gu Ji-Suk, my right-hand man.

“Yes, Mr. Jung.”

“I’m sorry, but I think I’ll be late for today’s meeting. You’ll have to be in charge of Gyu-Ri’s makeup, dress, and accessories—make sure they are top-notch. It seems like she will win a big award today.”

“Yes, Mr. Jung. What should I do about the reporters?”

Gulp.

My mouth went dry as I considered the ramifications of failing to prevent Min Gyu-Ri’s sponsor scandal from being published.

If I failed to block even one of the reporters, the news article would be replicated by every other entertainment newspaper company in less than an hour.

“Just wait until I call you back. I have to take care of some things first.”

Once I ended the call, I called the entertainment newspaper company Dong-Soo Hyung told me about.

‘Let the negotiation begin.’

“Hello? Oh, yes. It’s me—Jung Yoon-Ho from Top Entertainment. Yes. About the scandal the reporter Jung Sang-In is after… ah, come on. Don’t come out so feisty right away. Why don’t we go with the same as usual? One and a half?”

One and a half meant paying them 150 million won.

But the other party answered in a cocky voice, “Come on, Mr. Jung. You know that’s not gonna do it. You’re gonna have to give me at least two this time.”

Such negotiations were a routine part of the entertainment industry’s daily grind.

***

Two of the three newspaper companies that were after Min Gyu-Ri’s sponsor scandal were easily convinced to drop the scandal, with Celebrity Today receiving 200 million won and Bling Bling Celebrity getting 250 million won. Their articles would now focus on ‘Min Gyu-Ri’s Happy Day’ and ‘Min Gyu-Ri wins Hwangryong Film Association’s best actress award.’

“Jung Yoon-Ho, you really changed a lot…”

I used to hate making these kinds of deals. But what can I do? If I don’t make these deals, all my efforts in raising these celebrities would go down the drain.

Anyway, there was only one newspaper company left to convince—Weekly Stars.

I managed to speak to the editor-in-chief, but the reporter Gu Min-Ji, who had the photo, wasn’t responding to the deal.

Hence, I had no choice but to visit her personally.

Screech!

I parked my car in front of the garage of an expensive-looking two-story house in Cheongdam-dong that looks quite expensive.

“Phew! What a nice house.”

Gu Min-Ji used to be the leader of the girl group Pink Diamonds until a few years ago. She was now a reporter known for being pretty and stubborn.

After waiting for about five minutes, I heard the engine sound coming from the garage.

Buzz.

When the garage door opened, a fancy 2030 Pork Cheyenne came out but stopped as the driver noticed my parked car.

Screech!

Gu Min-Ji stopped her car and got out of the driver’s seat while shaking off her wet hair.

“What do you think you are doing right now? Get out of my way right now and…”

“Hello. How are you doing, Miss Gu?”

Gu Min-Ji frowned at my greeting.

“Hmph, it’s you, Mr. Jung. I’m kind of busy right now, so I’ll see you some other time. Please move your car right away.”

“Please give me a minute. Why don’t we grab a cup of coffee? I heard you like this?”

When I handed over her favorite Astrobucks double-shot cafe latte, she accepted it with unease.

“I’ll take it only because you came all the way here. But the only time I can give you is until I finish this drink.”

“Thank you. In fact…”

I managed to start the conversation somehow, but Gu Min-Ji soon burst into a cold laugh.

“We are both busy, so why don’t we get straight to the point? You want me to give up Min Gyu-Ri’s sponsor scandal, right? You are planning to offer about 500 million won in return?”

“Wow, Reporter Goo. You should be a prophet, not a reporter.”

“Give up. If the desk stops my article, I’m going to pass it over to the board of directors. To put it simply, you can’t stop this, Mr. Jung. Not even your grandfather can stop this.”

“Come on. Let’s not do this, Reporter Gu. I promise to take special care of you from now on. I’ll hand over a pretty good article for you to publish too.”

What I meant by taking special care of her was to pay her extra money without the knowledge of others.

But Reporter Gu Min-Ji shook her head in a stubborn manner.

“Don’t you understand what I just said? I said no!”

‘She usually accepts my offer, so why not today? Is there something behind the scenes that I don’t know about?’

In this case, I had no choice but to use my last resort even if I didn’t want to.

Being absolutely clueless about what I was thinking, Gu Min-Ji shook her coffee cup and laughed out loud.

“Miss A actually won the best actress at the Hwangryong Film Association with the power of her sponsor. What do you think about this title? Damn. I came up with it myself, but it’s so good. Don’t you think so?”

The cold wind chilled her coffee and Gu Min-Ji drank the remaining coffee in one gulp.

‘I bought a venti size, but that was a mistake. I should have brought it in a tumbler.’

“Thank you for the coffee. I’ll see you later then. Good luck with taking care of the mess.”

I let out a deep sigh and pulled out my phone.

“Reporter Gu. You can leave if you want, but you might wanna check this out before you do.”

Gu Min-Ji, who was just about to get in her car, turned pale upon seeing my phone screen.

“W-where did you get this photo…?”

What I showed her was the confidential file related to the entertainment industry that Dong-Soo hyung had sent me.

[Reporter Gu Min-Ji—Confidential File]

-Content: Affair with Jang Min-Ki of Jungin Inc.

-Reference file: 1. Yokohama Hotel (photo) 2. Bali Villa (photo.)

Upon seeing Gu Min-Ji’s perplexed and furious face, I felt a tinge of shame for resorting to such tactics.

‘Did I become a talent agent to do this?’

Nonetheless, I maintained a poker face.

“Let’s not do this. Karma is a real thing, you know?”

“You fucking bastard.”

‘Wow. She’s so good at cursing.’

Fwoosh!

At that moment, Gu Min-Ji reached out her right arm and tried to snatch my phone but I dodged it with ease, causing her to become more infuriated.

“Delete that right now. Do you think Min-Ki will leave you alone if he finds out?”

“I have no idea what kind of person he is, but I know very well what kind of person President Kim Dong-Soo is. I actually came back from convincing him not to hand over these photos to a different newspaper company.”

Gu Min-Ji glared at me and trembled, but not because of the chilly winter dawn.

‘She must have stabbed me a few hundred times in her head…’

“I could have thrown Min Gyu-Ri, that bitch, down the cliff for good this time…”

It seemed like she and Min Gyu-Ri used to have some beef between them when the former used to be in the entertainment industry.

Gu Min-Ji bit her lips in annoyance.

She then begrudgingly picked up her phone to call someone.

“Yes, Editor-in-Chief. I think we should accept the negotiated price for this article. 500 million won, yes. Yes…I had no choice. Yes, I’ll explain more later. Okay.”

Judging by how the conversation seemed to be going on smoothly, Dong-Soo hyung had probably made a deal with the editor-in-chief again.

At that moment, I flinched. My chest had begun to ache again.

‘Damn it. I’ll really have to go to the hospital tomorrow.’

Gu Min-Ji finished the phone call and frowned at me.

“Mr. Jung. Isn’t it hard to live a life where you constantly have to clean up after other people’s mess?”

‘You think? I feel like my lifespan is getting shorter every time I clean up the shit left behind by the celebrities in my company’.’

But I answered as if it didn't bother me.

“I’m glad we made a good deal. One of our staff will deliver my gift to your house very soon.”

When I turned around after speaking, I heard Gu Min-Ji’s sharp voice from behind.

“Hmph! You should do some housework instead of cleaning up after your celebrities. I heard bad rumors about your family, Mr. Jung.”

I tried to ignore her, but the content of her remark was a hard one to disregard.

“The secret private life of actress Ju Yung-In…or should I say the wife of Midas’ Touch Jung Yoon-Ho? What do you think? Either way, it sounds interesting enough to be the title of the year-end special article.”

I could feel the vein in my forehead pulsating, but I knew that entertainment reporters were true aces when it came to pushing people’s buttons.

I tried to tell her to stop talking nonsense, but not a single word came out of my mouth.

I couldn’t move an inch, as if my entire body had frozen.

‘What’s going on?’

“Hahaha. Have a good day, then. One day, I’ll make sure to drag down Min Gyu-Ri, that bitch. Hopefully, I’ll bring you and that asshole Kim Dong-Soo down as well. Hahaha.”

Gu Min-Ji poured out a curse and drove past me.

At that moment, I began to feel nauseous and sick to my stomach.

“Blergh!”

I vomited all over the ground, but the color of my vomit was different from usual—it was dark red rather than brown.

Then, I had a terrible headache and my vision began to blur.

Thud!

The moment I hit my head against the ground, I began to lose consciousness.

The asphalt ground on a cold day in November was colder than I had expected.

I could hear someone screaming and the 119 sirens in the distance as my consciousness faded away.

Soon, my vision turned dark.