Chapter 451: Behind the Stage

"Yoon-Ho hyung. You told me that while dyslexia prevents me from reading properly, it's a blessing that allows me to think more deeply. Thanks to your words, I found courage. You also told me that the world's criticisms were whips meant to strengthen me, which gave me hope instead of despair."

As Lee Tae-Poong began his acceptance speech with this calm confession, my heart swelled with emotion. I never imagined he had held onto all the words I had shared with him to help him rise again.

Lee Tae-Poong bowed deeply in my direction. "Every time the script was revised, you recorded it for me without a single complaint. I would never have been able to receive this award without your efforts. The fact that I'm standing here today is all thanks to you. Thank you, Yoon-Ho hyung."

All the time I had spent working for Lee Tae-Poong's success since the regression suddenly felt rewarded all at once. Fighting back overwhelming emotion, I bowed my head slightly toward him in return.

'

Thank you, Tae-Poong.

'

After expressing his gratitude toward me, Lee Tae-Poong turned to address his fans for his final words of thanks. "And to the fans who supported me this past year, I promise to work hard to become an even better actor. Thank you."

Standing confidently before the world, actor Lee Tae-Poong concluded his acceptance speech.

The actors and fans erupted into applause to celebrate Lee Tae-Poong's victory over dyslexia with heartfelt encouragement and admiration.

"Tae-Poong, congratulations!"

"Tae-Poong, well done!"

"Lee Tae-Poong, the epitome of triumph!"

The arrows of criticism that once tore at Lee Tae-Poong's heart had now transformed into songs of celebration. The cold and disdainful stares that saw him as just a pretty face were replaced by warm, encouraging gazes.

My actor, who had shed all the pain of his past, proudly held his trophy aloft with a confident expression on stage.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

As I watched Lee Tae-Poong descend the stage with his trophy, I clapped so hard my palms stung.

At last, one of Unfaithful's own had risen to be recognized as a top star by all.

***

In the final segment of the Hwangryong Film Association, the Grand Prize for Best Picture was awarded to

Beyond the Boundary

.

After the team of

Beyond the Boundary

delivered their acceptance speech, MCs Kim Yeon-Soo and Yoo Han-Seok took the microphone for closing remarks.

"To the viewers and audience members who stayed with us until this late hour, thank you. Please continue to support the growth of Korean cinema. We'll see you again next year."

With their polite farewell, the 41st Hwangryong Film Association came to an end.

It was now just past 11p.m.. The audience who attended the festival began rising from their seats.

Amid the bustle, I told Yoo-Jin, Miso, and Haru to head up to the hotel along with the rest of the group because we had reserved a party room at the Pyramid Hotel to celebrate Miso's birthday.

"Yoo-Jin, can you take Miso and Haru to room 1004 first?"

"Okay. What about you, oppa?"

"I need to attend Tae-Poong's reception party for a bit. I'll join you as soon as I can."

After the awards ceremony, a reception party was held where the winners and actors could socialize, discuss upcoming projects, and even negotiate advertisement contracts.

Yoo-Jin nodded readily. "Got it, oppa."

With assistance from the staff members, Yoo-Jin left through the front passageway reserved for actors along with Miso and the other actors from Team Jung.

While Lee Tae-Poong took photos and greeted the other winners, I checked the real-time live search rankings on a portal site.

But surprisingly, my name had made its way onto the trending list.

[Live Search Rankings]

1st: Lee Tae-Poong's Acceptance Speech

2nd: Lee Tae-Poong's Gorgeous Talent Agent

3rd: Best Actor Award at the Hwangryong Film Association

7th: Lee Tae-Poong's Dyslexia

10th: Jung Yoon-Ho

......

'

What is this?

'

The embarrassing term "gorgeous talent agent" had climbed to second place in the real time live search rankings.

I thought it was due to viewers reacting to Lee Tae-Poong's acceptance speech on TV at first, but that wasn't it. My name appeared in the rankings because of an article written by Jang Moon-Ki.

[Actor Lee Tae-Poong Contemplated Retirement, But Revived Spectacularly by Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho: A Tale of Two Men.]

-Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho, known as the "Midas Touch" of the entertainment industry, gave new life to Lee Tae-Poong, a handsome actor who had considered quitting due to dyslexia.

-Within the industry, Jung Yoon-Ho is nicknamed "Fortune teller" and "Star Jung" for turning every project into a hit.

-His managed talents include Jung Yoo-Jin, Jung Miso, and Haru. There's already anticipation for what awards they will win at this year's TV Drama Awards.

......

(Comments)

-vTeenRapperv: Honestly, Lee Tae-Poong probably wouldn't have succeeded without this gorgeous talent agent. Dude was totally washed up a year ago.

-ChocolateYogurt: Do talent agents even make good money? My friend keeps saying he wants to be a talent agent.

-ToEachTheirOwn: Depends. The successful ones buy vacation homes abroad and the struggling ones just drive actors around all day. This talent agent probably has extra points for being gorgeous.

-ChocolateYogurt: LOL, I'm submitting my resume tomorrow. Will report back after results. FYI, I'm gorgeous.

-StrawberryJelly: But this talent agent doesn't look bad despite standing next to Lee Tae-Poong in a two-shot. Usually, anyone else would look like a squid.

-GoGoEnter: Mr. Jung Yoon-Ho, please contact us! We'll turn you into a star! This is my email.

[email protected]

Unlike other reporters, Jang Moon-Ki had written an article about me instead of Lee Tae-Poong.

"As expected of a pro. While everyone throws fastballs, he throws a curveball and nails it."

The moment I chuckled to myself, I received a message on Kk Talk from Jang Moon-Ki.

[Reporter Jang Moon-Ki: Team Lead Jung! Did you see my article? LOL]

The message made me laugh again.

"Fine. You get a pass today, Mr. Jang."

Jang Moon-Ki had used me for clicks thanks to Lee Tae-Poong's win, yet I couldn't help but find it amusing.

As the audience took their leave, the actors noisily moved toward the front passage. I followed them and headed to the reception party on the basement level.

***

When I entered the party hall on the basement level, I noticed a photo zone set up with a large white backdrop and red carpet.

In front of the photo zone stood a five-tier cake with the words "41st Hwangryong Film Association" written on it. The backdrop bore the name of Jinseong Inc, the sponsor of the Hwangryong Film Association and the owner of the Pyramid Hotel.

Ranked 25th among conglomerates, Jinseong Inc specialized in food and beverage businesses and hotel resorts. Its food and beverage sector was so successful that it almost rivaled CK Inc.

Comedian Lee Tae-Gyu, MC of the reception party, called the award winners to the cake."Alright, everyone. Please gather here. Mr. Choi, please stand in the center."

Choi Sung-Moon and Lee Tae-Poong took center stage, flanked by the other award winners.

Reporters waved and shouted directions. "Mr. Lee Tae-Poong, over here! Smile! Perfect!"

Lee Tae-Poong picked up the knife to cut the cake as camera flashes exploded from every direction, capturing the winners' moments.

As I watched, I fiddled with three business cards I had received from the entertainment company's presidents earlier.

At that moment, Jang Sam-Duk, a Chief from TNT Entertainment who managed So Yi-Yung and Min Gyu-Ri, approached me. Due to a conflict with TNT's Yoo Kang-Seok during a previous Weekly Star interview, our relationship had grown strained.

But as soon as he arrived, Jang Sam-Duk blurted out something absurd. "Team Lead Jung, I heard you were behind the whole Oh Ji-Seok incident. Is that true?"

I asked back, "What are you talking about?"

"It was you, wasn't it? Chief Lee Chan-Dong is furious and swore he won't let this go."

'

The perpetrator playing the victim? How ridiculous.

'

This incident was clearly orchestrated by Suhyaejong, Bang Sang-Yung, and Ace Entertainment.

It seemed like Ace Entertainment would need a reckoning too once things settled at Hoop Entertainment. But for now, clarifying the truth took priority. If left unchecked, this could spiral into baseless rumors spreading across the entertainment industry.

I warned, "Bring proof before you make accusations. Also, let him know that he should watch his mouth unless he wants to be sued."

When I spoke firmly, Jang Sam-Duk backpedaled slightly. "Whoa, there's no need to get so sharp about it. If it's not true, just say so."

It was clear Jang Sam-Duk's envy and resentment were showing.

At that moment, Lee Chan-Dong himself also appeared at the reception party. After all, Park Ye-Seon, who had won Best Actress for Mist Horde, was under Ace Entertainment.

Lee Chan-Dong scowled and approached upon spotting me.

The moment he drew near, I lowered my voice and issued a warning. "Mr. Lee. If you keep spreading baseless rumors, I won't stand idly by."

Lee Chan-Dong sneered before he launched into profanity. "Bullshit. Baseless rumors? Who the hell do you think you are..."

His audacity was astounding. It was obvious Lee Chan-Dong was trying to provoke me in front of reporters and industry professionals, hoping I would lose my temper and create a scene.

But there was no chance of that happening.

Just as I decided to throw his ploy right back at him, a voice sternly scolded him from behind. "Why so aggressive on such a good day, Mr. Lee?"

Lee Chan-Dong was startled upon turning around and quickly bowed. "Oh... Mr. Jin... I didn't see you there."

The man who froze Lee Chan-Dong in place was Jin Sung-Joon, the executive director of Jinseong Foods. He was the main sponsor of the Hwangryong Film Association.

At thirty-two years old, Jin Sung-Joon had an older half-brother and half-sister as well as a younger full sister. He was poised to enter a fierce succession battle for Jinseong Inc, the parent company of Jinseong Foods, with his half-siblings.

Being tall with striking looks rivaling an actor's and a Harvard education to boot, he was every wealthy mother's dream son-in-law.

Jin Sung-Joon placed a hand on Lee Chan-Dong's shoulder. "How strange... From what I know, Mr. Oh Ji-Seok was absent today because of his own scandal. Why are you blaming Team Lead Jung for this, Mr Lee?"

Faced with criticism from a major sponsor, Lee Chan-Dong was visibly flustered. "I... I got carried away. My apologies."

Though he could have ignored the matter of talent agents, Jin Sung-Joon took my side. "Well, mistakes happen. But you should be more careful with so many people watching."

"Yes... I'll be careful."

With Lee Chan-Dong effectively silenced, Jin Sung-Joon turned to me. "Mr. Jung, may I have a word with you?"

"Oh, yes. Of course."

"I was wondering if Mr. Tae-Poong could model for our coffee advertisement."

For a moment, I nearly let out a gasp.

The coffee Jinseong Foods was about to launch with high hopes would be a colossal failure.

***

'

It was called "THE Best," wasn't it?

'

Before my regression, Jin Sung-Joon had ambitiously entered the RTD (Ready-To-Drink) coffee market with a blend he crafted himself. RTD coffee encompasses canned, bottled, and cup coffees commonly found in convenience stores.

The brand Jin created was called The Best. I remembered it well because Cha Tae-Hoon, an actor from Division 3, had been the face of the advertisement at the time.

In the previous timeline, Cha Tae-Hoon starred in

Beyond the Boundary,

not Lee Tae-Poong. After Cha Tae-Hoon won an award at the Hwangryong Film Association, Jin Sung-Joon selected him to launch The Best coffee brand.

However, Jin Sung-Joon's misguided premium strategy backfired. The Best was overpriced and tasted like bland water.

The product's failure damaged Cha Tae-Hoon's image with people mocking him for endorsing a coffee they deemed terrible. Rumors spread that he would take any job for money and couldn't even discern coffee flavors.

Despite only being an advertisement model, Cha Tae-Hoon bore the brunt of public ridicule.

Now, it seemed that the doomed advertisement was heading toward Lee Tae-Poong. Just as he had become a top star, I was already worrying about how to protect his image. I absolutely had to decline this advertisement.

'

How should I handle this?

'

Just then, Jin Sung-Joon, completely unaware of the storm brewing inside me, spoke with a warm smile.

"I was originally planning to propose this directly to Mr. Lee Tae-Poong. But after hearing his acceptance speech earlier, I thought it would be faster to speak with you, Mr. Jung. Here's the coffee advertisement proposal."

Jin Sung-Joon's secretary, Yeo Jin-Soo, handed me a black file folder.

I reached out to open it, but Jin Sung-Joon began speaking again. "I have a strong interest in coffee blending and personally created this product. What do you think, Mr. Jung? Wouldn't this be a great opportunity to build a relationship with Jinseong Inc? I think it would benefit both sides."

Jin Sung-Joon wasn't just any advertiser. As the main sponsor of the Hwangryong Film Association, he was a major figure with influence in the cultural sector. Food companies in particular had such a wide range of products that they rivaled major electronics companies in advertising power.

Offending Jin Sung-Joon could mean losing all future advertising opportunities with Jinseong Foods. Still, my answer was clear.

I carefully expressed my refusal without even opening the file. "Thank you for the wonderful offer, but Tae-Poong has already committed to another company's coffee advertisement. I'm sorry, but the model for THE Best will need to be someone else."

At that moment, Jin Sung-Joon locked eyes with me and asked, "That's strange. How did you know our product is called THE Best? The name isn't mentioned anywhere in the proposal."

Cold sweat began dripping down my back.