Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 956: Everyone Has a Dream

Miso wailed in my arms, and she showed no sign of calming down easily. Holding her close, I patted her back and looked toward the living room.

Lee Seo-Yeon, Do Ran-Hee, and even the social worker lady all looked completely flustered. There was no way gentle Lee Seo-Yeon would have upset Miso, and Do Ran-Hee, who adored her to death, wouldn't have made her cry either. The social worker lady also looked bewildered, so she couldn't possibly have scolded Miso.

This meant something had upset or saddened Miso herself.

"Miso. Tell me. What happened?"

Miso buried her face deeper into my chest and started crying even harder. "Waaaah."

At this rate, she clearly wasn't going to stop anytime soon, so I eventually told the others I would take her outside for a little while.

"Uh, I'll take Miso out for a quick walk around the yard."

Leaving the flustered group behind, I opened the front door and stepped out into the yard. As I walked through the neatly maintained garden, I kept soothing Miso in my arms.

"Miso. There aren't any people here now, so tell me. Who made you sad?"

After I comforted her in a gentle voice, Miso, who had been crying for quite a while, slowly started calming down. She gradually lifted her head, though her big eyes were still filled with tears.

"Seo-Yeon unnie said... hic... her original dream was... hic... to become a ballerina."

In Land of Happiness, Yoon Kkot-Nim's dream had been to become a ballerina. However, after injuring her leg and losing the ability to pursue that dream any longer, Yoon Kkot-Nim fell into deep despair. Since the script described every bit of pain Yoon Kkot-Nim experienced in vivid detail, Miso had realized just how painful it must have been for Lee Seo-Yeon as well.

"So that's why you cried? Because it hurt your heart knowing she can't achieve her dream anymore?"

Sniffling, Miso nodded. "Yeah. She said she can never do what she really wanted ever again. So my chest hurt, and the tears just burst out."

"Okay. Okay." As I comforted Miso, I also carefully checked whether she had made any mistakes. "By any chance, were you the one who asked Seo-Yeon about her dream first?"

Miso quickly shook her head. "No. We were talking about the script, and unnie asked about my dream first, so I answered her. Then I asked about hers after that. But unnie talked about her old dream first."

Thankfully, Miso hadn't accidentally poked at one of Lee Seo-Yeon's painful memories.

At that moment, Miso looked up at me anxiously. "Uncle Yoon-Ho... what if unnie hates me now...?"

There was the second reason Miso had been crying so hard. In Land of Happiness, after Yoon Kkot-Nim's dream of becoming a ballerina was shattered, she reacted aggressively whenever people asked about her dreams. Because of that, Miso had become afraid Lee Seo-Yeon might hate her the same way Yoon Kkot-Nim hated others.

Anxiety filled Miso's large doe-like eyes, but there was no way Lee Seo-Yeon would hate her. Even just earlier, from what I had seen, Lee Seo-Yeon had been worried about Miso rather than getting angry.

'There's no way Seo-Yeon would get mad.'

Besides, Lee Seo-Yeon had found a new dream now, and she was already moving forward toward it. So even if her past was painful, it was no longer something holding her back. Still, I thought it would be better for Miso to confirm it herself rather than hearing it from me.

I gently fixed Miso's messy hair and comforted her in a warm voice. "Then I guess you can just ask her directly?"

"Me?" Miso's eyes widened in shock, clearly saying she was scared.

Even so, I set Miso down on the ground and held her hand tightly. "I'll stay right beside you, so let's be brave and ask her. And if she gets mad like Yoon Kkot-Nim did, then you can apologize. You can do that, right?"

After hesitating for a moment, Miso pressed her lips together tightly before nodding. "Okay."

As if she had finally gathered her resolve, Miso bravely tugged on my hand and started walking forward on her own accord.

'Yeah, Miso. That's enough.'

***

When we returned, Miso bowed deeply toward Lee Seo-Yeon. "Unnie, I'm sorry for making you talk about your old dream. And I'm really, really sorry for hurting your feelings."

Only then did Lee Seo-Yeon, sitting in her wheelchair, realize why Miso had been crying. She rolled herself closer and gently stroked Miso's cheek.

"What are you sorry for? I answered on my own."

Miso looked up at Lee Seo-Yeon with trembling doe-like eyes. "Then... you don't hate me?"

As Miso's voice quivered, Lee Seo-Yeon stretched out her arms and hugged her.

Pat, pat.

"I told you it's okay, didn't I? More than anything, I'm just grateful you cared enough to think about how I really felt."

"Really?"

Lee Seo-Yeon smiled softly with her eyes as she caressed Miso's plump cheek. "Yeah. I said it's okay. Really."

After thinking carefully for a moment, Miso answered, "Still, I'm going to be more careful with my words now!"

Lee Seo-Yeon cooed at how adorable Miso was and gently squished her mochi-like cheeks. "Oh, honestly. How can you be this cute?"

Only after Lee Seo-Yeon comforted Miso did everyone finally let out relieved sighs.

Then Lee Seo-Yeon looked at Miso and asked, "Anyway, you can ask me anything you want. What else should I tell you? Like how it felt when I first got hurt?"

Before we arrived, Miso and Lee Seo-Yeon had already been talking quite a bit about Land of Happiness. That conversation was beginning again.

Carefully reading the room, Miso glanced over at me.

I nodded. "Seo-Yeon said it's okay, so it's fine."

Miso nodded and cautiously asked Lee Seo-Yeon, "Unnie, when you first got hurt, did you get really angry too? Like Kkot-Nim?"

"Yeah. I did. I was scared, it hurt, and I was afraid. And..." Lee Seo-Yeon placed a hand over her chest. "More than anything, my heart hurt. I thought everything I could do in this world had disappeared, so it felt like my dreams disappeared too."

Miso's face crumpled again as she stared at Lee Seo-Yeon's chest. "Then... does your heart still hurt now?"

"No, I told you. I'm okay now." At that moment, Lee Seo-Yeon lifted her head and looked at each of us one by one before smiling. "My brother is here, Ho-Jae oppa is here, Yoon-Ho oppa is here. And my social worker teacher, Ran-Hee unnie, and even you're here, all by my side. So now all the pain in my heart is gone, Miso."

After I helped her, Lee Seo-Yeon recovered even faster. Her rehabilitation was going well, and she was living each day doing her best toward her new dream of becoming a chef. Most importantly, she had also begun finding peace in her heart. That peace showed clearly in both her expressions and her actions.

Miso placed a hand on her chest and let out a long sigh of relief. "Phewww~ That's a relief."

Seeing Miso worry more about her than herself, Lee Seo-Yeon smiled brightly. "Miso. Then do you want to see the new dream I found too?"

"Isn't your dream becoming a chef?"

"That is one of them, but I have another dream too!"

"Yeah. Show me!"

Just as Miso was wondering what other dream Lee Seo-Yeon could possibly have besides becoming a chef, Lee Seo-Yeon suddenly gripped the wheelchair's armrests tightly with both hands and pushed down with all her strength. At the same time, her trembling body slowly began lifting itself from the wheelchair.

The moment it happened, the social worker lady quickly steadied the shaking wheelchair as if she had been waiting for it. Lee Seo-Yeon pushed herself up even harder, then planted both feet firmly on the ground.

Thud.

Her whole body trembled violently, but in the end, Lee Seo-Yeon managed to stand completely on her own without anyone's help.

"Ta-da. Miso, look. I can stand by myself now."

Miso stared at Lee Seo-Yeon with an overwhelmed expression. "Wooooow... unnie..."

"My new dream is to stand like this for thirty whole seconds before this month ends. Pretty cool, right?"

Miso clasped both hands together and nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Unnie, you're amazing!"

"So from now on, you don't need to worry about me anymore. Okay?"

"Yeah! Yeah!"

As Lee Seo-Yeon stood trembling on both legs, she looked at all of us and said, "And thank you, everyone!"

At that moment, Lee Doo-Oh, standing beside me, trembled as he nodded repeatedly. "Yes... yeah... yeah..."

Tears streamed nonstop from Lee Doo-Oh's eyes as he repeated the same words over and over. For the first time in two years, he was seeing his younger sister stand on her own without anyone else's help.

'Looks like Seo-Yeon really wanted to show us this.'

It seemed the reason Lee Seo-Yeon had invited us over today wasn't just for the food. She wanted to show us this moment too.

Right then, Miso started clapping enthusiastically.

Clap clap clap.

"Unnie's the best! You're so cool!"

At that moment, Lee Doo-Oh, me, Lee Ho-Jae, the social worker lady, and Do Ran-Hee all began applauding together with one heart to celebrate the beginning of her new life—the life of a woman who had overcome a devastating traffic accident and was finally standing on her own two feet again.

***

After everyone finished eating the food Lee Seo-Yeon had prepared, we gathered together in the living room.

Then I handed Lee Doo-Oh the stun gun. "Here. It's a gift."

Lee Doo-Oh's eyes widened. "Hyung, this is... a stun gun. Why are you giving this to me?"

"Victoria told me to."

Lee Doo-Oh stared at me in disbelief. "That woman... is there something wrong with her head?"

I thought he would assume it was because of the aftereffects of being shocked with it, but hearing him say that made me think maybe she was naturally like that. Still, if I admitted she was crazy, he would probably refuse to work with her. Which meant I had no choice but to redirect the conversation.

"...She's pretty."

"No, hyung. I'm asking if that woman is insane."

"I said she's pretty. Anyway, you'll be working with her starting Monday, so just keep that in mind."

Lee Doo-Oh nodded with a completely dumbfounded expression. "Got... it."

Only then did I finally feel relieved as I turned to Lee Seo-Yeon for her opinion. If anyone could become a true teacher for Miso after overcoming trauma so brilliantly, it was her.

"Seo-Yeon. Could you explain in more detail what goes on in the mind of someone using a wheelchair? Miso's been having some difficulty acting as Kkot-Nim."

"If it's something where I can help, then I'll do anything I can."

"Then..." I immediately handed her the script written by Lee Ji-Yeon on the tablet. "Read through Kkot-Nim's lines and scene directions, then explain to Miso what emotional state she's in. And if reading the script becomes difficult, tell me right away. If there are any parts you're uncomfortable talking about, let me know that too. I'll filter things properly and explain them to Miso myself."

Lee Seo-Yeon nodded and started reviewing the script on the tablet. Then, a surprised expression suddenly crossed her face as she asked, "Yoon-Ho oppa. The person who wrote this... they really knew what they were talking about."

"Knew what?"

"It feels like they've actually used a wheelchair before. They included a lot of things only wheelchair users would know."

"They've been in a wheelchair before?"

"Yeah. And there really are kids like Yoon Kkot-Nim too. Not kids who were born unable to use their legs, but kids who ended up that way after accidents. Some of them even lose themselves completely to anger."

'Could Yoon Kkot-Nim really be based on Writer Lee Ji-Yeon's own story?'

Very little was publicly known about Writer Lee Ji-Yeon's past. After winning the grand prize in a drama screenplay competition, she debuted with a KBC drama special, then immediately rose into the ranks of star writers with the twelve-episode miniseries A Gentleman's Romance. After that, she practically disappeared into seclusion and focused solely on writing. And even when she occasionally gave interviews later on, she always avoided questions about her personal life or family, claiming privacy concerns.

Still, if Lee Seo-Yeon was right, then the role of Yoon Kkot-Nim was bound to be far more difficult than expected. If the writer had truly experienced life in a wheelchair herself, she would immediately notice even the slightest awkwardness in wheelchair acting. In that case, there was only one solution.

"Seo-Yeon. Would it be okay if we relied on you just for today? Miso has to perform in front of the writer tomorrow."

I worried she might dislike the idea, but Lee Seo-Yeon unexpectedly broke into a bright smile. "Then does that mean Miso's sleeping over at our house?"

"If that's okay with you?"

"I'd absolutely love that! We even have pajamas Miso can wear, and stuffed animals too. We also have the Powertuff Girls doll Miso likes. I even bought Powertuff Girls bread too..."

The longer Lee Seo-Yeon talked, the wider Miso's mouth stretched open in amazement.

"Wooooow~"

Watching that scene, Lee Doo-Oh quietly whispered beside me.

"Hyung. Seo-Yeon is actually a huge Miso fan."

"No wonder she got so excited when she heard Miso was coming over. I'll bring her by more often from now on."

"Thanks, hyung."

Now the only time left was one day. Just thinking about how thoroughly Lee Ji-Yeon would evaluate Miso's acting tomorrow already made my lips go dry.

'Seo-Yeon... I'm counting on you.'

***

The next morning, I headed toward Hoop Entertainment with Yoo-Jin and Miso in the car after picking Yoo-Jin up in Seoul.

While Miso sat in the back seat concentrating on the tablet, Yoo-Jin quietly asked, "Oppa. Why did Mrs. Lee Ji-Yeon ask to meet at the company instead of her house?"

"Ah, she said she called people over because construction needs to start on the writer's office where she'll be working with her assistant writers. The house is apparently pretty noisy because of that, and since she's officially joining Hoop Entertainment anyway, she said she wanted to come by. Oh, right. Ms. Kim Soll-Ip's coming too."

Yoo-Jin let out a small laugh. "So all the star writers are gathering today?"

"Yup~ Oh, right. By the way, did you practice your singing?"

The reason Yoo-Jin had come along today wasn't just to watch over Miso. It was also because of the vocal training for She Was Beautiful, which was currently filming.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin answered proudly, "Nope!"

"Right, you practiced— wait, what? No?"

Startled, I looked at her through the rearview mirror, and Yoo-Jin turned her gaze outside as she shouted, "Yeah. I didn't have time!"

"...Are you proud of that?"

"No! I'm embarrassed about it!"

'No, Yoo-Jin. Your voice sounds way too confident for someone who's embarrassed.'

Still, considering she was filming both Hwaranjeon and She Was Beautiful at the same time, I could understand why she hadn't found the time.

"Well, alright. Then we'll just work with what we've got. Don't worry about it."

Only then did Yoo-Jin finally look forward again. However, she was holding up both thumbs proudly.

"Just as expected from the best talent agent!"

"Only at times like this?"

"Even at times like this!"

I burst out laughing at Yoo-Jin's shameless reply, and before I knew it, we arrived at Hoop Entertainment. After parking in the underground garage, I turned off the engine.

However, Miso, sitting in the back seat, was still staring at the tablet.

"Miso?" I asked.

She didn't answer. Miso had always been good at concentrating, but whenever I called her name, she would immediately look up. But right now, she remained completely absorbed in the tablet without even glancing away.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin gently grabbed Miso's arm and said, "Miso. We're here."

Only then did Miso lift her head and look around blankly. "Huh? When did we get here?"

"Just now. But do you understand the character Yoon Kkot-Nim a little better now?"

Miso shook her head. "No. I understand her even less now."

'What? Lee Seo-Yeon helped her so much yesterday, so why is she saying that?'

Nevertheless, Yoo-Jin simply nodded calmly instead. "You're doing well."

'Doing well? What is she doing well?'

Then Yoo-Jin turned to me and said, "Oppa. Don't worry. Miso's doing really well."

"What do you mean by—"

Right then, Miso naturally buried her head back into the tablet again.

Yoo-Jin smiled softly and said to me, "We don't have time, so let's hurry. They will be waiting. I'll explain later."

"Alright."

Still full of questions, I headed upstairs with Yoo-Jin and Miso toward the meeting room.

***

In front of the executive meeting room on the seventh floor, Yoo-Jin slowly followed behind me while carrying Miso, who still hadn't taken her eyes off the tablet. I opened the meeting room door ahead of them.

Click.

However, a ridiculous commotion was unfolding inside.

"Mrs. Lee! Please at least give Jung-Ae a chance to audition for the role of Yoon Kkot-Nim!"

Ju Ho-Sung from Actor Division 3 had shown up with the child actress Yoo Jung-Ae, who was called a genius child actor, along with her mother, and was desperately clinging to Lee Ji-Yeon.

'What is this? We already told them the role had been finalized.'

Even President Kang Gam-Chan raised his voice. "Chief Ju, you're even bringing the child's mother into this too? How rude can you be!"

"Sir, I didn't bring her here. She came herself. And Jung-Ae played the lead child role in the independent film Snow Flower six months ago and caused quite a sensation. Most critics praised her performance too! So it's not like our Jung-Ae is any worse than Miso!"

Ten-year-old Yoo Jung-Ae stood there with her chin raised almost arrogantly. She clearly thought of herself as a genius too.

'But saying Yoo Jung-Ae isn't any worse than Miso? Sure, Yoo Jung-Ae was fairly good at acting, but comparing her to Miso? No way.'

Meanwhile, Yoo Jung-Ae's mother hadn't even noticed we entered and continued agreeing with Ju Ho-Sung. "Mrs. Lee, please just watch Jung-Ae act once. You absolutely won't be disappointed. Once you see the acting of the genius child actress Jung-Ae, you won't be able to take your eyes off her!"

At that moment, Lee Ji-Yeon's sharp voice cut through the room. "Genius... you say? According to who?"

At Lee Ji-Yeon's merciless response regarding acting, Yoo Jung-Ae and her mother both froze in embarrassment.

However, Yoo Jung-Ae's mother quickly recovered and raised her voice again. "That's only because you haven't personally seen Jung-Ae act yet, Mrs. Lee. Once you do, you'll immediately realize that girl Miso can't even compare to our Jung-Ae!"

Lee Ji-Yeon, who had remained at the top of the drama industry for over twenty years, looked completely unable to comprehend the fact someone was actually arguing back against her. She seemed so dumbfounded she momentarily lost the ability to speak.

Honestly, I was just as stunned myself.

'What? Miso can't compare to Yoo Jung-Ae?'

I was just about to ask what kind of nonsense she was spewing. But right then, from beside me came Yoo-Jin's gentle yet slightly sharp voice.

"Then I guess we'll just have to check for ourselves who acts better. Won't we, ma'am?"

Yoo-Jin was angry.