Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 499: The Beginning (2)

I arrived at Womans' building. The elevator stopped at the floor where the editor-in-chief's office was located.

Ding.

As soon as I stepped out, Team Lead Lee Jae-Hee greeted me. "Mr. Jung, you got here fast."

I was still catching my breath as I replied. "Huff, huff... Yeah. What's the situation?"

"Mr. Lee Chan-Dong from Ace Entertainment is inside and discussing the issue with Mrs. Jang."

The January cover model had already been decided as Team Jung's celebrities. However, my celebrities have been appearing on the cover non-stop since September which drew complaints from other entertainment companies.

Now, Lee Chan-Dong was threatening to pull all Ace Entertainment actors and singers from future interviews unless the cover model was changed.

For Womans, the cover model was important but so were Ace Entertainment's celebrities who filled up about 60% of the magazine's content. Ace Entertainment was the number one company in the industry, meaning they had an overwhelming number of stars under their label.

Nevertheless, I had no intention of backing down. No one knew better than I did how hard my team had worked all year.

I took a deep breath and asked, "Can I meet with Mrs. Jang now?"

"Yes. Actually, she's the one who told me to call you."

"Got it."

Lee Jae-Hee led me to the door.

Knock, knock.

-Come in.

Then, I heard Lee Chan-Dong's voice.

-Huh? Who's coming in?

-You'll see.

As I stepped inside, Jang Ji-Hye sat at the head of the seating arrangement while Lee Chan-Dong was on her right.

Lee Chan-Dong's eyes widened in shock as he clearly hadn't expected to run into me here. "T-Team Lead Jung? Wh-why are you here...?"

"Hello, Mr. Lee."

At that moment, Jang Ji-Hye spoke. "I figured since Ace Entertainment made an official request, Hoop Entertainment should at least be informed."

Lee Chan-Dong looked like he had a spoon in the bowl, only to have the meal snatched away.

Jang Ji-Hye turned to me. "Team Lead Jung, are you willing to pull your celebrities from the January cover?"

"No. Not at all."

"I figured as much. But if Ace Entertainment's actors are pulled, that's about 50 pages gone from the issue. Can you help fill that?"

Jang Ji-Hye likely had her own backup plan, but she was giving me the opportunity to offer a better solution. Fortunately, I had prepared for this on my way here.

I said, "First, we can fill the pages with the Hwaranjeon special scheduled for mid-January, a feature on Jiri Mountain set to premiere at the end of the month, and a roundup of the award show results at the end of December. That should easily cover 50 pages."

Jang Ji-Hye tilted her head. "But our January issue is set to publish on December 26 with award predictions. How do you plan to include the actual results?"

Every year, Womans included predictions for the three major TV network award shows in its January issue as their audience enjoyed guessing which projects would win on each network.

However, Womans would change its publication schedule for year-end issues two years from now, because predictions were just predictions. Womans had been humiliated in the past due to incorrect award predictions.

I said, "If the magazine's release date at the end of December is moved to early January, the problem is solved."

Jang Ji-Hye tilted her head. "January?"

"Yes. You can keep the award predictions for the online edition, but the print issue should include actual results and interviews. That'll easily fill the missing pages."

"Hmm. That's a great idea."

As Jang Ji-Hye listened attentively, Lee Chan-Dong grew desperate. "M-Mrs. Jang! Are you really going to do this? If this goes through, Ace Entertainment won't participate in the February or even March issues! You know how many S class celebrities we have, right?"

I ignored Lee Chan-Dong and continued. "Hoop Entertainment is currently preparing for a merger with Gwanwoo Entertainment. Once that happens, we'll surpass TNT Entertainment and become the industry's third-largest agency. We'll have more than enough S class actors and singers for interviews. Hoop Entertainment will cover all the missing pages."

Lee Chan-Dong glared at me, but I didn't care and pressed on.

"Not to mention, Jiri Mountain is set to premiere soon and TVM's The Foodie Nomads will be launching. Jo Min-Sung has a new project, and our S class star Sung Ho-Joon will be in Just By Chance, Kim Cheol-Soo! If those projects perform well, there will be no shortage of content. I can guarantee top headlines at least until April."

Jang Ji-Hye leaned back on the sofa and sipped her coffee with a sigh. "Sounds good, then! Team Lead Jung, I think I really am getting old."

"Getting old? You're still in your prime."

She shook her head. "No. Back when I was just an editor-in-chief, I never even thought about leveraging my family connections... But now, I just find it all so tedious."

Then, her entire demeanor shifted. She turned to Lee Chan-Dong and spoke in a cold voice.

"Mr. Lee? No, Chief Lee."

"Y-Yes?"

"Thanks to you, I've realized my position. So... thanks?"

Jang Ji-Hye was the third daughter of Jang Hak-Joon, chairman of Myungseong Inc, the 32nd largest conglomerate in Korea. She had built her career without relying on her father's influence However, she clearly had no intention of holding back now.

The editor-in-chief Jang Ji-Hye disappeared, and in her place stood the royal family's Jang Ji-Hye, president of Womans.

Locking eyes with Lee Chan-Dong, she delivered a chilling verdict. "Ace Entertainment's actors will never appear in our magazine again. Make sure you understand that."

"M-Mrs. Jang...!"

"Oh, and not just for January or February. Let's just cut ties completely, shall we?"

"W-Wait. No matter what, this is just..."

Jang Ji-Hye then picked up her phone.

"Hello, darling. Yeah, it's me. Ace Entertainment had the audacity to declare war on me. Remove all Ace Entertainment models from our company and its subsidiaries. Got it? Okay."

The color drained from Lee Chan-Dong's face. "M-Mrs. Jang... W-What is this...?"

Yet Jang Ji-Hye wasn't done. "Hold on. I'm not finished yet."

She dialed another number and put the call on speakerphone.

The voice that answered was deep and authoritative.

-Yes, Ji-Hye? What's the matter?

It was Jang Hak-Joon, chairman of Myungseong Inc. Despite being a powerful figure, he spoke in a calm and affectionate tone.

Jang Ji-Hye, however, had a slight edge in her voice.

"Dad, I need a favor."

-Oh dear. My youngest daughter raising her voice like this makes me nervous.

Even at fifty-years-old, Jang Ji-Hye was still the chairman's beloved youngest daughter.

"Ace Entertainment tried to threaten Womans by saying they'd pull their actors if we didn't comply."

-Haha. And an entertainment company thinks they can threaten my daughter, huh?

Lee Chan-Dong quickly interjected.

"I-It wasn't a threat, sir!"

-I don't know who you are, but I'm speaking with my daughter. Keep your mouth shut.

Lee Chan-Dong trembled and Jang Ji-Hye continued.

"Dad, don't worry about whoever's on the line. Just make sure Myungseong Inc and all our subsidiaries drop Ace Entertainment's models."

-Hahaha. Ji-Hye, if we pull them all at once, it'll look bad. And finding replacements won't be easy.

"Why not? Hoop Entertainment has plenty of talented actors. You choose whoever you want and I'll introduce them to you."

-Ah, that's the agency with Lee Tae-Poong, right?

"Yep."

-Hmm. It's true those guys have been getting popular lately.

Myungseong Inc was a company centered around performing arts with holdings in publishing, media, insurance, and securities. It also owned vast amounts of prime real estate passed down through generations, making it a financial powerhouse.

-Alright. Since my youngest daughter is asking, I'll take care of it. Come home for dinner later so we can talk about it.

"Okay! I'll be there. Love you, Dad~"

-Ahem. You only say that at times like this, huh?

"If I don't say it now, when will I? See you later, Dad!"

Jang Ji-Hye playfully ended the call.

Lee Chan-Dong, now pale as a ghost, looked completely dumbfounded.

This was the risk of dealing with the royal families of the business world. One misstep and they could flip the entire game board. Blinded by Ace Entertainment's position as the industry leader, Lee Chan-Dong had momentarily lost sight of that reality.

Now, he was paying the price.

Lee Chan-Dong dropped to his knees, and begged, "M-Mrs. Jang, p-please. I... I made a mistake...!"

Jang Ji-Hye pressed the intercom. "Secretary Han, escort Mr. Lee out."

-Yes, ma'am.

Click.

The door opened and men in black suits stepped inside. As Jang Ji-Hye tilted her head, they approached Lee Chan-Dong and took him by the arms.

"M-Mrs. Jang, please...!!"

Kicking and struggling, Lee Chan-Dong was dragged out as the price for foolishly provoking Jang Ji-Hye.

***

Slam.

Jang Ji-Hye took a sip of her coffee as the door closed.

"Sigh. I can't do this editor-in-chief thing anymore. I used to tolerate so much, but now I just get pissed off right away."

Back when she was building Womans from the ground up, Jang Ji-Hye had done everything herself from running sales, overseeing printing, to handling operations without ever relying on her family's power.

However, those were her younger years. She could no longer go back to that time.

"I probably looked ridiculous in front of you, Team Lead Jung. That was some classic chaebol power-tripping, wasn't it?"

"Not at all, Mrs. Jang. It was refreshing to watch."

Jang Ji-Hye chuckled. "Are you just buttering me up because I promised you ad deals?"

"Of course not."

'Well, maybe a little.'

All I had planned to do was push Lee Chan-Dong out, but now she was even offering me advertising slots.

Jang Ji-Hye smirked. "Anyway, what's going on between you and Ace Entertainment?"

I hesitated briefly before deciding to tell her. "We're at war."

"What? Why?"

"They started it."

I explained the current situation at Ace Entertainment and how Im Sung-Hak was determined to destroy me.

Jang Ji-Hye listened quietly before speaking. "How can I help?"

I met her gaze directly. "For now, what you've done is more than enough."

Womans was the most influential magazine outside of major newspapers. For Ace Entertainment, being blacklisted from it would have a greater impact than they might expect.

Jang Ji-Hye nodded. "Got it. But if you need more help later, just ask. Oh, and tonight, have dinner with my dad. We need to replace those ad models."

Thanks to Lee Chan-Dong's idiocy, I had unexpectedly landed additional advertising deals.

'I should probably send him a thank-you gift basket.'

***

Lee Chan-Dong returned from his humiliating meeting with Jang Ji-Hye and knelt before Im Sung-Hak.

Im Sung-Hak stared at Lee Chan-Dong in disbelief. "What... What did you just say?"

"I-I'm sorry. Things... didn't go as planned."

All Ace Entertainment actors had been banned from Womans interviews. That, they could still manage. But now, they had also lost two major S class advertisements from Myungseong Inc's securities and publishing subsidiaries. On top of that, they had lost another S class ad from Yuseong Construction.

The confirmed financial loss alone was at least three billion won. However, the relationships with the ad models were the bigger problem more than money. Once those actors learned why they were cut, they would likely leave Ace Entertainment entirely.

"You call that 'handling' things?!"

"J-Jung Yoon-Ho... His network was stronger than expected, sir."

Im Sung-Hak refused to believe Lee Chan-Dong. "Are you fucking kidding me? What kind of connections could that bastard possibly have?!"

At that moment, Jang Sung-Min spoke. "Sir, please calm down."

"Calm down? You think I can calm down right now? Damn it... He underestimated the royal family way too much."

Then, Park Chan-Hyuk added, "He's right, sir. That matter is already settled and it can't be undone. We'll deal with Chief Lee later. Right now, we need to shake Jung Yoon-Ho as quickly as possible."

Im Sung-Hak sighed. "How?"

"This upcoming movie featuring Yoo Eun-Ah, Ballerina of Time—many of our actors are on set."

There were multiple Ace Entertainment actors involved in the film that Yoo Eun-Ah was cast as a supporting actress. Park Chan-Hyuk suggested using them to disrupt the production.

"If we shake up the cast, Jung Yoon-Ho will falter as well. And when that happens, we'll use the opportunity to destroy his reputation. That will lead to his endorsements falling apart one by one."

"Sigh... Fine. Do it."

"Yes, sir."

Park Chan-Hyuk called Chief Choi Han-Jong on set right away.

-Hey, Chief Choi. It's me.

***

For Myungseong Inc's securities and insurance ads, I recommended Lee Tae-Poong and Jo Min-Sung as new models.

And as for compensation for blocking Ace Entertainment's attack, I secured additional interview pages in Womans. Womans also officially pushed their January issue to release on January 3. In return, we scheduled our interviews accordingly.

The day after successfully repelling Ace Entertainment's attack, I headed to the Ballerina of Time filming site located in Namyangju with Baek Hee-Yung and Yoo Eun-Ah.

As we pulled into the parking lot, Eun-Ah let out a deep sigh from the backseat. Aside from a brief cameo in Master of Mukbang, this was her first real filming experience.

"Sigh..."

"Eun-Ah, it's okay. Don't worry."

Eun-Ah hesitated nervously. "Yoon-Ho oppa... Do you think I can do this properly?"

"Of course. Don't you worry. You got this."

Eun-Ah smiled and gathered her courage.

I was about to warn her to be extra cautious around any Ace Entertainment staff as the war had begun.

Just then, my phone vibrated and a notification popped up.

Buzz.

[Notification: December 15, 2020—A new schedule entry has been added for 'Yoo Eun-Ah.']

I checked the planner right away, only to find out the newly added schedule entry was a warning.

Something outrageous was about to happen to Eun-Ah.