Chapter 721: Star Talent Agent (4)

My white knights—Jinseong Foods, LM Clothing, and CK Entertainment—had sent executives from their marketing departments. They knew how hard it was to reach me by phone when things got busy like this, so they came in person. And among them, Jinseong Foods had sent none other than President Jin Sung-Joon himself.

At that moment, Kang Gam-Chan quickly gave instructions to Lee Yung-Jin, who had just brought the news. "Assistant Manager Lee, escort President Jin to the meeting room first. Ask the others to wait in the sixth-floor meeting room."

"Yes, sir!"

Once Lee Yung-Jin stepped out, Kang Gam-Chan turned to Kim Gwan-Woo. "Vice President, let's leave it at that. The advertisers came here themselves. It wouldn't look right to say no outright."

In the entertainment world, advertisers were such powerful figures they were practically treated like royalty.

However, Kim Gwan-Woo clenched his teeth and shook his head. "This actually works out well. Now all I have to do is convince them, right?"

"Hey. Do you really need to go that far?"

Kim Gwan-Woo raised his chin stiffly. "Yes. Even if Chief Jung donates the entire advertising fee, the benefits he gains are enormous. Broadcast producers and advertisers hand out under-the-table perks all the time. And more than anything else, the problem is that Chief Jung is the only one constantly getting special treatment."

"What did you say? Special treatment?"

"Yes. Honestly, I've been keeping my mouth shut out of respect for you, Mr. Kang. But do you know how much talk there is in the company about Chief Jung getting preferential treatment?"

Kang Gam-Chan exploded. "He's being rewarded based on merit. How is that special treatment? If people have time to be jealous, they should be out securing new shows or building up their own talents!"

His voice rose sharply, but Kim Gwan-Woo continued without backing down. "Well, that's just how things stand in the company right now. So I'll handle persuading the advertisers. If I succeed, please cancel the campaign and make it clear from now on that talent agents can't appear in ads."

Kim Gwan-Woo clearly felt threatened not just by Deok-Bae, but by the attention I was getting as a talent agent. Especially with Hoop Entertainment going public early next month, it was obvious he was trying to find some way to discredit me.

Kang Gam-Chan looked like he was about to say something else in anger, but I stepped in first. Jin Sung-Joon was due to arrive in the meeting room any moment.

"If you can convince the advertisers, I won't insist."

As Kim Gwan-Woo had pointed out, there were many within the company who believed I was receiving special treatment. That was why it wouldn't help for Kang Gam-Chan to crush Kim Gwan-Woo on my behalf. It would be better if Kim Gwan-Woo tried to knock me down and failed. That way, we could naturally hold him accountable.

Just then, Kim Gwan-Woo turned confidently toward Kang Gam-Chan. "You heard what Chief Jung said, right? If I convince the advertisers, then no more special treatment. Agreed?"

I had no idea what gave Kim Gwan-Woo such confidence, but things wouldn't go his way. Jin Sung-Joon might be courteous and well-mannered, but he was still a member of a powerful chaebol family.

In other words, he knew how to throw his weight around.

***

Jin Sung-Joon arrived at the executive meeting room with his secretary, Yeo Jin-Soo.

After a brief greeting, he got straight to the point as soon as he sat down. He wanted to use Deok-Bae and me as models for the ad campaign.

"I'd like to use Mr. Deok-Bae and Mr. Jung as our advertising models."

Immediately, Kim Gwan-Woo interjected and addressed Jin Sung-Joon. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jin, but Chief Jung won't be able to serve as your company's advertising model."

Jin Sung-Joon's brow furrowed slightly. He had directed his words to Kang Gam-Chan and me, but Kim Gwan-Woo had suddenly cut in and answered on our behalf.

Jin Sung-Joon briefly looked at Kim Gwan-Woo, then turned to Kang Gam-Chan and asked, "Do you feel the same way, sir?"

Kang Gam-Chan answered firmly without hesitation. "There's been talk in the company about Chief Jung getting too much special treatment, so I've been thinking it over too. That said, I'm personally in favor of letting him appear in the ad."

Kim Gwan-Woo cut in again. "Mr. Jin, I ask for your understanding of our internal circumstances. And in place of Chief Jung, we'll voluntarily reduce the advertising fee allocated for Deok-Bae by twenty percent."

So his brilliant move was offering a discount to a chaebol. He must have thought that would be enough, simply because Jin Sung-Joon had been unusually polite for someone of his status. However, Jin Sung-Joon was a sharp and ruthless chaebol heir when necessary. And sure enough, his expression turned icy as he fixed his gaze on Kim Gwan-Woo.

"You thought I'd be grateful for shaving off that kind of petty change?"

Jin Sung-Joon's tone turned cold. The respectful air he had shown as a partner vanished, replaced by the gaze of someone looking down at a subordinate.

Flustered, Kim Gwan-Woo scrambled to recover the situation. "A-and our company's genius composer, Chief Yoon Dong-Gu, will produce the commercial song for free. I assure you the ad will deliver excellent results."

Jin Sung-Joon looked at him with a face full of disbelief. Then, finally, he turned to me. "What do you think, Mr. Jung?"

"Since I'm directly involved, I don't think it's my place to speak on the matter. I'm sorry."

Jin Sung-Joon had endured plenty of hardship in his life because of his brothers' jealousy. Because of that, he especially despised incompetent superiors who got in the way of capable subordinates. It seemed he recognized the situation immediately for what it was and gave a small nod.

With a quiet sigh, Jin Sung-Joon turned to his secretary.

"Secretary Yeo."

Yeo Jin-Soo bowed her head. "Yes, sir."

"How many programs is our company sponsoring at Hoop Entertainment?"

"A total of thirty-three."

"And what about ads?"

"We've got five major campaigns, and about fifteen smaller ones like snacks and beverages."

"Filter out all the ones tied to actors or singers connected to Vice President Kim Gwan-Woo."

Without even looking at her tablet, Yeo Jin-Soo answered immediately. "Excluding those tied to Chief Jung, there are twenty-five sponsorships, two major ads, and thirteen minor ones with no relation."

Jin Sung-Joon nodded. "Pull them all."

Suddenly, the room turned glacial like a cold snap had swept through the meeting room. No one had expected him to go so far as to pull every sponsorship and ad for every actor and singer at Hoop Entertainment except for those under Division Jung. But this was the real face of Jin Sung-Joon, the heir to the Jinseong Inc.

"I'll take care of it right away," Yeo Jin-Soo pulled out his phone.

Kim Gwan-Woo cried out in a panic. "Mr. Jin! Please, wait!"

Jin Sung-Joon raised a hand to stop Yeo Jin-Soo, then looked down at Kim Gwan-Woo. "As the president of Jinseong Foods, I personally came here and asked nicely. I've been nothing but respectful, so why should I show kindness to someone who dares to disregard me?"

His words were polite only on the surface, but he was clearly treating Kim Gwan-Woo as someone beneath him.

Kim Gwan-Woo stammered, "K-kindness? But... you used our celebrities in the ads because you needed them, didn't you?"

"Come on, Vice President. Don't flatter yourself. At Jinseong, we have plenty of other celebrities we can use unless they are S-class. In other words, except for Chief Jung's talents, we only gave your people a shot out of courtesy."

Kim Gwan-Woo's face turned red. "Th-that's going too far. Even so..."

Jin Sung-Joon clicked his tongue. "

Hah.

The same man who couldn't even meet with one of our directors face-to-face now thinks he's someone? Just because I've been on good terms with Mr. Kang and Mr. Jung, you really thought you mattered?"

"I-I didn't mean it that way..."

Apparently deciding this wasn't enough, Jin Sung-Joon turned to Yeo Jin-Soo again. "Secretary Yeo. Bring the Director of Public Relations here right now! What the hell has he been doing with the personnel? How did he let Jinseong's name fall to this level?"

"Yes, sir. I'll call him immediately."

Kim Gwan-Woo's face began to turn pale. Once word got out that he had been blacklisted by Jinseong's most likely successor, no ad agency would want to work with him again. And no celebrity would want to side with him either.

At this point, whether or not I appeared in the ad was no longer the issue. For Kim Gwan-Woo, it had become a matter of survival.

Then he suddenly jumped to his feet, stepped beside the sofa, and dropped to his knees.

Thud.

"M-Mr. Jin, I must've lost my mind for a moment. P-please, I'm begging you. Please forgive me just this once."

Kim Gwan-Woo trembled as he bowed his head, but that gesture only further provoked Jin Sung-Joon.

"Why are you kneeling? Are you trying to spread rumors that I abuse my power? Wow, you really came here today determined to humiliate me in every possible way."

Kim Gwan-Woo's face crumpled. He waved his hands in a panic. "N-no! That's not it at all..."

"I came here in a good mood, and now you've completely ruined it."

Eventually, Kim Gwan-Woo got to his feet awkwardly and wiped cold sweat as he looked at me. "C-Chief Jung, please. Do something. You can appear in the ad. I'll talk to everyone else. Just... please, okay?"

Kim Gwan-Woo was so desperate he was practically begging. Kang Gam-Chan looked at me too and gave a slight nod. In truth, if Jin Sung-Joon followed through with his threats, it wouldn't bode well for Hoop Entertainment's IPO. Of course, Jin Sung-Joon knew that as he was one of our white knights. Which meant this was most likely calculated bravado meant to make a statement.

Still, it was necessary to smooth things over and protect his pride. After all, he was the heir to Jinseong Inc.

I said, "Mr. Jin. Mr. Kim here is a bit old-fashioned, and his way of apologizing might seem outdated. But I assure you, we'll make sure no rumors about power abuse or anything of the sort spread."

Jin Sung-Joon exhaled, letting his irritation go. "

Sigh

... Very well. But on one condition."

"And what would that be?"

"Mr. Choi Deok-Bae and Mr. Jung—both of you will appear in the ad for our product."

Even now, he was trying to finalize the deal like this. He really was a businessman through and through. I glanced at Kang Gam-Chan, who gave me a subtle nod.

I turned to Jin Sung-Joon and gave a nod of my own. "Yes, Mr. Jin. I'll appear in the ad."

Jin Sung-Joon cleared his throat. "

Ahem.

Then let's discuss the details privately."

Kang Gam-Chan looked toward Kim Gwan-Woo. "Vice President Kim Gwan-Woo, why don't you and Managing Director Kim Jang-Bi step out for a bit and get some air?"

"

Ah

, yes, of course."

Kim Gwan-Woo bowed hastily and left the executive meeting room with Kim Jang-Bi.

Thump.

The moment the door closed, Jin Sung-Joon's expression changed. The arrogance vanished, replaced by his usual composure. "I was a bit rude. I hope you'll understand, Mr. Kang."

"

Oh

, not at all. We were the ones being rude. I apologize"

Jin Sung-Joon and Kang Gam-Chan exchanged polite apologies.

Then Jin Sung-Joon turned to me. "Shall we talk about the contract now, Mr. Jung?"

"What product do you plan to advertise?"

"I'd like you to model for the newly renewed Real Ramen line. We've estimated 300 million won for Mr. Deok-Bae and 50 million won for you."

Real Ramen was a safe bet. It had been around since Jinseong Foods' early days, but sales had slumped in recent years. Under Jin Sung-Joon's leadership, however, the product would be revamped and go on to become one of the world's top five best-selling instant noodles within the next decade, firmly establishing itself as the company's flagship product.

"Thank you. In that case, I'd appreciate it if my entire modeling fee could be donated to an orphanage."

"A donation?"

"Yes. To prevent complaints from other talent agents, I don't plan to accept any payment for this ad."

"I see." Jin Sung-Joon paused briefly in thought, then continued. "Then let's do this. We'll also donate five thousand boxes of the renewed Real Ramen to orphanages and underprivileged children. We'll bundle them with ready rice and kimchi sets as well."

Jin Sung-Joon truly was a white knight worth partnering with.

"Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. Now, would it be possible to shoot the commercial tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow...?"

"Yes. The product has already been manufactured, so we just need to shoot. And since things are going well, I'd like to air the ad while the momentum lasts."

Jin Sung-Joon wanted to start product sales before this week's broadcast of

The Omniscient Viewpoint

. It was a tight schedule, but Deok-Bae would be arriving in Seoul this afternoon, so it should work out.

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, right. I'd like to use Mr. Deok-Bae's home as the shooting location, if possible."

Deok-Bae's house was already spotless thanks to the ongoing shoots for

Documentary 7 Days

and

The Omniscient Viewpoint

. There would be no issue using it as a commercial set.

"Let's do that."

And with that, the contract for the ramen commercial featuring Deok-Bae and me was finalized.

***

After signing three more ad contracts—including one with Jinseong Foods and a few other white knights—the next day arrived.

A full day had passed, but the entertainment industry was still buzzing with the aftermath of

The Omniscient Viewpoint: Choi Deok-Bae and Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho

Episode.

Even now, with the Real Ramen shoot about to begin, calls from advertisers kept pouring in.

Buzz~ Buzz~

In the end, I put my phone on silent and turned my focus to the set. Today's Real Ramen commercial was being shot at Deok-Bae's house, the same one that had appeared in

The Omniscient Viewpoint

. We had decided to use the location to capitalize on the attention the show had brought.

"Let's bring up the lighting just a bit. Lighting is everything in a ramen commercial!"

Director Park Bull-Chool, who had gotten rave reviews for THE Best commercial, was directing again.

Just then, the large door opened and Deok-Bae stepped out with his makeup done and ready.

Creak.

Han-Ul, who had come home from school, pumped his fist in the air from inside the room.

"You've got this, hyung!"

"Thanks! And Han-Ul, just hang tight. Let's eat together when we're done."

"Okay, hyung!"

Then Han-Ul spotted me through the door and gave a deep belly-bow. When I waved at him with a smile, he beamed and gently closed the door.

Thunk.

Since Han-Ul wouldn't be appearing in the ad, Assistant Manager Yang So-Ri would keep him company in the room until filming wrapped.

In fact, Han-Ul had originally received an offer to appear in the commercial alongside Deok-Bae. At first, Deok-Bae had been open to the idea. But after reporters showed up at Han-Ul's school this morning and swarmed him with cameras, he changed his mind.

Deok-Bae officially declared that Han-Ul would not be appearing in any commercials or any broadcasts for that matter. So it was already decided that Han-Ul wouldn't be appearing in this week's episode of

The Omniscient Viewpoint

either.

After greeting the staff, Deok-Bae walked over to me.

At that moment, Jin Sung-Joon, who was on set, approached and asked him, "Mr. Deok-Bae, would you reconsider letting Han-Ul appear?"

"I'm sorry. If he keeps showing up on camera, I'm worried he won't be able to enjoy a proper school life. Going to school was Han-Ul's dream, and I really want to protect that for him."

Jin Sung-Joon smacked his lips, clearly disappointed. "I understand."

Just then, the shoot was ready. Park Bull-Chool looked over at us. "You two, please get into position."

"Yes, sir!"

Deok-Bae headed into the small room beside the kitchen and I walked over to the stove. The first scene of today's shoot began with me cooking ramen and calling for Deok-Bae.

"Mr. Jung, could you raise your arms? You'll need to wear this apron."

"Sure."

Standing at the stove, I let the staff slip the apron over me. It had a cute little rabbit character printed on it.

Once everything was set, Park Bull-Chool gave me instructions. "Mr. Jung, just pretend to cook the ramen. You don't have to actually make it. The team lead from the Jinseong Foods R&D center will handle the real cooking later."

However, I smiled gently and stretched my fingers. If there was one thing I was as confident in as Jung Coffee, it was Jung Ramen.