Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

"Whatever proposal Choi Man-Sik makes, accept it without question," Kang Ji-Yung said.

I questioned whether I had heard her correctly. 'Did I hear that wrong?'

There was only one thing that Choi Man-Sik, one of the shareholders of Hood Entertainment, would have to say to me in person.

"Even if he tells me to switch lines?" I asked.

Kang Ji-Yung bit her lip tightly and nodded. "Yes."

Her response took me by surprise. 'Huh?'

That wasn't the reaction I expected.

"Do you...do you really mean that?"

Kang Ji-Yung nodded. "The important thing is that you don't get hurt, Team Lead Jung. So just do as you're told for now."

The teacup in her hand trembled and a gentle ripple spread across the surface of the tea in the cup. It seemed like Kang Ji-Yung was quite upset to only be able to say this much.

But it couldn't be helped. After all, Choi Man-Sik was never someone to get close to.

In a year, Choi Man-Sik would betray his adoptive father, President Choi Eun-Tae, who had taken him in and raised him. After that, he would split Hoop Entertainment with Kim Dong-Soo and become a major shareholder of Top Entertainment.

Even after becoming a vice president in my past life, I had only met him a handful of times. But I still remembered him as a despicable person. It wasn't just because he betrayed his adoptive father, but also because he would summon rookie female idols to entertain guests every month.

I remembered having countless arguments with Kim Dong-Soo over that matter. But when I learned that the female idols saw those entertainment sessions as a chance to rise to popularity, I never interfered again.

Anyway, Choi Man-Sik and I were complete opposites.

Having put those old thoughts aside, I immediately rejected Kang Ji-Yung's suggestion to accept any proposal at once.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

A deep sigh escaped from Kang Ji-Yung. "You may not know this, Mr. Yoon-Ho. But Choi Man-Sik is so notorious that he's nicknamed 'viper' even in the Myeongdong private lending market. You might get seriously hurt if you cross him unnecessarily."

"I was already prepared for conflicts with the other factions when I took Mr. Kang's side. And our team has the best sales among all, so how could he fire me just because I'm not following his line?" I argued.

As long as Choi Eun-Tae, the major shareholder of Hoop Entertainment and Choi Man-Sik's adoptive father, was in power, Choi Man-Sik couldn't just fire me recklessly.

It was a well-known fact that Choi Eun-Tae who led the Suhyaejong line was more concerned about management performance. That was the reason the president of Hoop Entertainment was Kang Gam-Chan and not Lee Gi-Cheol from the same Suhyaejong line.

So there's only one thing for me to do: keep flourishing like now. As long as I did, Choi Man-Sik couldn't dismiss me.

A complex emotion passed over Kang Ji-Yung's face. "Sigh. Alright. Then I'll also prepare with that in mind."

"Don't worry too much. Isn't Mr. Kang coming back in about two months anyway?" I asked.

Kang Ji-Yung leaned back on the sofa and sighed. "Yes, but surviving until then isn't easy."

"I don't know how scary this Choi Man-Sik is, but could he really be worse than Mr. Kang?" I said in jest.

As I joked, Kang Ji-Yung smiled. "Really, you're incorrigible. Where does that confidence come from?"

'From having a second chance at life.' I answered silently.

And even if I were fired from the company, I believed that at least half of the real power within the company would follow me out.

I changed the topic and asked, "More than that, what are President Choi Man-Sik and the shareholders like? Who are they that you are so nervous?"

I asked about stories I didn't know even in my past life.

Kang Ji-Yung nodded and began to tell me about the establishment of Hoop Entertainment and the intertwined stories of its shareholders.

***

Hoop Entertainment was founded as a one-person agency by the once-famous actor, Jung Moon-Sik, and Kang Gam-Chan.

As the then-unknown actor Jung Moon-Sik gained popularity through his exceptional acting, Kang Gam-Chan decided to expand the company.

The person he joined hands with then was Lee Gi-Cheol.

Lee Gi-Cheol was the chief of Edin Music, the second-largest record company at the time, and he quickly became enthusiastic partners with Kang Gam-Chan after being introduced by a mutual acquaintance.

Soon after, he brought in his university sunbaes as investors. That was the first connection of Kang Gam-Chan to the Suhyaejong line.

Then, Kang Gam-Chan met Choi Eun-Tae, a major player in the Myeongdong private lending market and a member of the ninth class of Suhyaejong, and received investment to establish the foundation of Hoop Entertainment.

Subsequently, President Lee Sang-Pil of LSP Inc. and President Park Hyung-Moon of True Angels Investment joined as shareholders of Hoop Entertainment.

However, shareholder management interference began to intensify three years ago with the emergence of Choi Man-Sik, the adoptive son of Choi Eun-Tae, as the fourth shareholder.

"Everything changed after the greedy Choi Man-Sik came on board. That's when they started preparing to split up after going public," Kang Ji-Yung said.

She further explained that Kang Gam-Chan also knew about Choi Man-Sik’s ambition and the risks. But Kang Ji-Yung's expression became more distorted as she elaborated.

‘Was there something between the two of them?’ I wondered.

I wondered if it was a needless thought, but I had to know because I needed as much information as possible about the enemy.

I hesitated before asking, "Was there...something between the two of you?"

Kang Ji-Yung hesitated before speaking. "Sigh. I just can't hide anything from you, Team Lead Jung. Yes, that bastard Choi Man-Sik has been hitting on me."

"What?" I responded in shock.

Kang Ji-Yung shivered as if she got goosebumps. "Ugh, it really pisses me off thinking about it..."

Kang Ji-Yung muttered to herself and downed the tea on the table in one shot.

"Choi Man-Sik told me I wouldn’t have to lift a finger to do housework if I married him. He says women shouldn’t be working outside."

I was left absurd by the utterly absurd words. The only reason why I could freely excel in the field was because Kang Ji-Yung backed me up.

'And he told such a capable person to just stay at home? Is he insane?' I thought.

I wholeheartedly agreed with Kang Ji-Yung as she vented her anger.

After a long rant, Kang Ji-Yung glanced at me. "Here I am telling you to just follow that man's orders, yet I'm the one losing my temper. How embarrassing."

"Not at all."

As Kang Ji-Yung fanned herself, she suggested changing the subject to something more pleasant and brought up Kang Gam-Chan.

"Oh, right. Dad's recovery is going faster than expected."

"I know."

"Huh? How do you know?" Kang Ji-Yung asked with a surprised look.

"He called me yesterday. He told me to call him immediately if I'm having a hard time," I shared.

Kang Ji-Yung puffed her cheeks like a child. "It seems my dad likes you even more than me."

When she asked what we talked about, I just scratched my head and said it was nothing special because it was really just a call to check in on me.

Although it was just a quick update on his recovery, it felt like gaining a great army. With Kang Gam-Chan's return, we would be able to withstand the onslaught from our adversaries.

That was when the intercom buzzed with news of Choi Man-Sik's arrival.

"Let him in," Kang Ji-Yung instructed.

After clearing the tea from the table, we waited for Choi Man-Sik to enter.

***

Choi Man-Sik sat in the place of honor and looked around leisurely as if it were his own office.

"You've changed the interior," Choi Man-Sik said.

"We haven't changed it," Kang Ji-Yung replied.

"Oh. I-is that so?" Choi Man-Sik responded, a little caught by surprise.

Officially, Choi Man-Sik didn't hold a title. That fact allowed Kang Ji-Yung to speak more freely to him.

However, a strange feeling had been bugging me from the moment I first met Choi Man-Sik.

Dressed in Ormani suit with a Peter Phillip watch, Montblank cufflinks, and an Hermos tie, his appearance was a stark reminder of my old self in my past life—covered from head to toe in luxury brands.

I wondered maybe that’s why he felt so obnoxious. He looked like someone who couldn’t help showing off his wealth.

‘I...was like that too,’ I reflected silently.

Seeing him was like seeing my past-life self, which brought a sense of self-loathing.

At that moment, Choi Man-Sik sensed my gaze and stared back pointedly. “Why are you looking at me like that? I don’t like being stared at.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” I apologized.

Kang Ji-Yung stepped in when Choi Man-Sik warned me with a cold smile. "Why start with criticisms right off the bat when you're the one who wanted to see him?”

Choi Man-Sik’s expression changed instantly. The way he looked at Kang Ji-Yung was completely different from how he looked at me, proving his genuine feelings for her.

“That’s not a criticism. It’s just advice not to stare at your superiors like that. He can’t even handle that?” Choi Man-Sik tried to explain himself.

“Cut the superior talk and just say what you came to say and go,” Kang Ji-Yung retorted.

With that, the preliminary probing ended and we got to the heart of the matter.

“Okay. Then I'll pass on the higher-up's message. It's about Cherry Blossom. Get them ready to go to Japan next month,” Choi Man-Sik said seriously.

“What?”

“There’s a contract we made to use Golden Road as a local model in Japan this summer. Align the schedule with that and bring Cherry Blossom over. They'll be releasing a Japanese album too,” Choi Man-Sik explained.

Kang Ji-Yung frowned and clarified, “But that contract was canceled due to the social media scandal.”

“Who said anything about cancellation? That contract has been transferred to Cherry Blossom, so just go ahead with it," Choi Man-Sik replied with a straight face.

That's when Kang Ji-Yung’s expression twisted suddenly. “How could you just make this one-sided decision and inform us like this, demanding that we act on it right away?”

“What's wrong? Aren’t they wrapping up their activities soon? Why waste time? Going to Japan to make money is good for everyone,” Choi Man-Sik responded nonchalantly.

Cherry Blossom was scheduled to take a break after next week’s music broadcast. They were concluding their activities due to physical strain, but now he wanted them to go to Japan immediately.

His words annoyed me. 'No way. That's nonsense.'

We had been canceling schedules and feeding them well to focus on their health.

Surely the Japanese market was many times larger than Korea’s and the allure is real. But even if Cherry Blossom members were in good condition, sending them to Japan immediately would be foolish.

Currently, Hoop Entertainment’s partner in Japan was Aris Productions which was part of Barneys Inc., a company established with Yakuza money. True to the Yakuza’s nature, Aris Productions was known for making highly unfair settlements.

'What’s the use of a market several times larger? The settlement amount is tens of times smaller,' I thought to myself.

Because of that reason, having Cherry Blossom perform in Korea than Japan was more profitable at the moment.

Moreover, Kang Ji-Yung was trying to change our local partner in Japan to either APEX, AMOSE, or HOSHI PRO without the shareholders knowing to continue the work of Kang Gam-Chan.

And she would succeed in doing so by this November.

[Everyday V10]

[Date: November 24, 2020]

-03:00 p.m. Welcome event for the representative from Japan (President Hiroshi of AMOSE). Underground lecture hall.

For this reason, Cherry Blossom's expansion into Japan had to wait until after November.

Kang Ji-Yung looked straight into Choi Man-Sik’s face and rejected the shareholders' proposal.

“The Cherry Blossom girls are too exhausted to perform in Japan, and they are not prepared for it either. You should know that I absolutely cannot permit it.”

Choi Man-Sik’s face was slightly contorted. “Mr. Lee Sang-Pil went through a lot to secure this contract, and you want to just throw away this great opportunity?”

“Opportunity or not, it’s impossible. Also, you should be consulting Singer Division 1, the parties involved in the matter. Why are you dumping Golden Road’s mishap on Cherry Blossom?” Kang Ji-Yung argued.

Despite it being a special request from Lee Sang-Pil, one of the shareholders, Kang Ji-Yung refused. The Cherry Blossom members would suffer terribly, and Hoop Entertainment wouldn’t make much money, while only shareholder Lee Sang-Pil would profit.

Choi Man-Sik grimaced, then turned to me. “Team Lead Jung, what do you have to say? Surely, you don’t want to miss the chance to make Cherry Blossom become a star across Asia with our expansion into Japan?”

“I am eager, sir. But...” my voice trailed off.

“Eager, but?” Choi Man-Sik cut me off.

“Cherry Blossom is their limit due to the excessive strain over the last ten weeks," I explained.

“Oh, come on. How bad of a condition could they be in?” Choi Man-Sik asked dismissively.

“It’s serious enough to consider immediate hospitalization,” I responded.

I exaggerated a bit, which made Choi Man-Sik clench his teeth.

“Alright. How about giving them about two weeks of rest after they finish their activities and then sending them to Japan? I’ll make sure they’re sent to the best hospitals,” Choi Man-Sik suggested.

“No. From what I see, they won’t be able to move for the next month. We’re managing people, not machines,” I insisted.

Choi Man-Sik began to growl in a low voice at the repeated rejections.

“It sounds like you’re taking my polite request as a suggestion because I'm being nice. Cut the nonsense and get the girls ready to go to Japan immediately!”

At that moment, Kang Ji-Yung angrily interjected into the conversation. "Enough already. Don't you remember agreeing that we'd handle the company operations?"

Choi Man-Sik glared at Kang Ji-Yung. "That's true. But President Kang isn't here right now."

"Yes, but I'm here instead. And I have no intention of giving in. As Team Lead Jung said, Cherry Blossom is 100% going to collapse if we send them to Japan at this time. Do you want to see the kids collapsing on stage and making the NHK news?" Kang Ji-Yung barked back.

"Why, you...! Do I look like I'm joking around? Fuck!" Choi Man-Sik cursed.

While his coarse language made Kang Ji-Yung flinch slightly, I didn’t bat an eyelid. I had known for a long time that Choi Man-Sik tended to start swearing when he got angry.

"Let's stop there, Mr. Choi." I interrupted.

In an instant, Choi Man-Sik's icy gaze turned toward me.

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