Chapter 101: Changing Future (1)
Kang Gam-Chan shared his strategy to counter the Seoul National University of the Arts line.
"Why do you think I've been so busy traveling to China, Japan, and even the US at this age? Though I used our artists' concerts and events as an excuse, that was just a smokescreen."
Hoop Entertainment was planning to go public within 2 to 3 years. Kang Gam-Chan intended to gain support and establish alignment with international entertainment partners as potential supporters.
At that moment, a thought crossed my mind.
'This is an opportunity.'
If I could intervene when Kang Gam-Chan's line clashed with the Suhyaejong line, maybe I could tip the balance and drive Kim Dong-Soo and the Suhyaejong line out of the company.
However, that would require money. Entering the stock market during the time it goes public meant engaging in a battle for shares.
'It’d be nice if I could invest as well. But how do I gather money before then?'
The only money I had at the moment was 20 million won in my bank account—and the money I invested in Yetterang's IPO was years away from generating dividends.
I momentarily got lost in thought recalling memories from my past life. By the time I came up with a few ways to make money, I was suddenly jolted back to reality when I realized the room was in complete silence.
When I looked up, I found Kang Gam-Chan watching me with a pleased look. "What were you thinking about?"
After a moment's hesitation, I decided to be honest. Kang Gam-Chan had opened up to me, so it was only right that I shared my thoughts to some extent.
"...I thought of it as an opportunity to make a profit."
Kang Gam-Chan's laughter boomed through the office. "Hahaha! Look at you, always so bold."
However, it seemed he had correctly guessed my true intention for joining the share battle. He stopped laughing, firmly grasped my hand, and said, "Go ahead. Make as much as you can."
I could feel the warmth and energy from his firm grasp.
***
After leaving the president’s office, Kim Dong-Soo took Ju Ho-Sung to his office.
"So, what do you think after meeting your target?"
"Well, what can I say? It was just a brief encounter."
However, Ju Ho-Sung's confident demeanor seemed slightly dampened after meeting Jung Yoon-Ho.
"You were all confident just a moment ago, but why the long face now?"
Ju Ho-Sung adjusted his expression and shook his head. "It's not that. You said he's in his first year—well, now second year, right?"
"Yes. What's the problem with that?"
"He didn't flinch in front of the chief, director, and even the president. A mere employee acting like that in front of core executives leading a company is quite odd."
"Odd?"
"Yes, sir. It's not like he's some hidden second-generation chaebol."
Kim Dong-Soo nodded, realizing Ju Ho-Sung was just curious. "Jung Yoon-Ho wasn't like this before but suddenly changed."
"Suddenly changed?"
Kim Dong-Soo tried to recall the past. "I think it was around the end of last year? Ah, thinking about it makes me furious. Anyway, he suddenly changed after the day Yung-In's schedule got messed up. Before that, he was as clueless as any other newbie."
Ju Ho-Sung tilted his head in curiosity. "Did something happen to him back then?"
"Who knows? Maybe those on Kang Gam-Chan's side made him an offer."
After a brief silence, Kim Dong-Soo spoke again. "Alright, take good care of Actor Division 3 and Jung Yoon-Ho for me."
"Understood. I'll pay special attention to him. So, Mr. Kim, please forget about these matters and focus on the bigger picture with the director."
Kim Dong-Soo nodded with a pleased expression.
As Ju Ho-Sung stood up, he flashed a sly smile. "But you know what I’m like, right? There might be some clashes with the existing team leads. Is that okay?"
"Hehe, go for it. If anyone gets taken advantage of, it's their own fault for being foolish."
Ju Ho-Sung grinned and gave a thumbs-up. After Ju Ho-Sung left, Kim Dong-Soo made a phone call with a smile still on his face.
-Mr. Kim? What's the matter at this hour?
On the other end of the phone, Ga Eun-Soo, the production manager and close associate of Director Choi Sung-Moon, responded.
"Ah, it’s about our appointment. I was hoping we could bring it forward to early May."
-Early May?
"Yes, something came up on our end."
There was a moment of contemplation from the other side.
-It will be a bit tight, but let's do that.
"Thank you. And how about casting Cha Tae-Hoon as the lead for Mr. Choi's next project?"
-Don’t you think it’s a bit too early to make a decision? Cha Tae-Hoon isn't a bad choice, but I'm not sure about Mr. Choi's intentions...
The main audition for Choi Sung-Moon's next work Beyond the Boundary was set for May 15th, and Kim Dong-Soo was planning to secure the lead role for Cha Tae-Hoon from Actor Division 3.
As the other party hesitated, Kim Dong-Soo made a discreet offer.
"If you give him your full support, I'll give you a 30% cut of the appearance fee."
The man on the other end laughed heartily.
-Alright, then we should aim high for the appearance fee. For someone like Cha Tae-Hoon, let's start at 700 million won.
"Why not aim for 1 billion this time?"
Kim Dong-Soo's suggestion to raise Cha Tae-Hoon's fee, which was originally 500 million per episode, made the other party ponder longer. But this was an enticing offer to pocket 300 million won, though it had to be shared with Kim Dong-Soo.
-Hmm, alright. Let's try that. So 30% of what I receive...that's 90 million that goes into your account, right?
"This time, I'm asking for up to 50%."
-150 million won?
"Yes, I have a lot of expenses to make. In exchange, I'll ensure the next contract is entirely in your favor. You can have 100% next time."
Silence followed for a moment. Kim Dong-Soo’s request for a higher cut was sudden, but an agreement was reached after a brief hesitation.
-Well, we do have a higher appearance fee this time...okay, let's do that.
"Thank you."
After hanging up, Kim Dong-Soo wore a contented smile on his face.
"Ke he he. It’s nice to have no one watching over us with Kang Gam-Chan gone. I wish he'd stay away longer."
Then, Kim Dong-Soo picked up the phone again as if he suddenly remembered something.
"Hello, this is Kim Dong-Soo. Ju Ho-Sung has arrived well. Yes, I'll take good care of him. As for the company's situation..."
Kim Dong-Soo began reporting to someone outside the company about the ongoing events.
***
I was summoned by Gu Seong-Cheol.
But upon opening the office door, Gu Seong-Cheol was nowhere to be found and only the newbie Jung Sang-Bong was sitting alone on the sofa. His legs were so long that his bent knees seemed to reach up to my waist.
Jung Sang-Bong quickly stood up and bowed at a 90-degree angle like an idol upon noticing me.
"Hello, sunbae-nim. My name is Jung Sang-Bong."
I reached out for a handshake. "I’m pleased to meet you. I'm Jung Yoon-Ho."
"Ah, yes. Mr. Jung Yoon-Ho, sir. I heard you'll be my mentor. Please feel free to speak to me informally."
"Let's take it easy."
As we shook hands, I could feel the calluses on Jung Sang-Bong's firm hand. Suddenly, a memory from before my past life came back to me.
Jung Sang-Bong was expected by many to transition from a talent agent to a celebrity due to his good looks and qualifications. However, he remained a dedicated talent agent alongside his colleagues at Hoop Entertainment until the end.
And when I was about to move to Top Entertainment, he confronted me fiercely.
-Hyung, are you really going with Chief Kim? Have you lost your mind? How could you betray Yoo-Jin and Hoop Entertainment?
That memory was still vivid in my mind. My last farewell with Jung Sang-Bong, who used to be close to me like a family, was bitter. Jung Sang-Bong remained true to his decision of never meeting me again, a resolution he had firmly established. I did not cross paths with him a single time since my move to Top Entertainment.
‘I won't leave this time, Sang-Bong.’
Seeing my pleased expression, Jung Sang-Bong tilted his head in confusion.
"Mr. Jung? Is there something on my face?"
"Ah, I’m sorry. Haha. It's just quite something to meet a gold medalist in person."
Jung Sang-Bong seemed a bit embarrassed. "No, it's all in the past. I'll focus solely on my work as a talent agent from now on!"
I couldn't help but smile when facing Jung Sang-Bong.
Shortly after, Gu Seong-Cheol entered the office and asked, "Have you two already introduced yourselves? Sit down for a moment."
Sitting on the sofa, Gu Seong-Cheol formally entrusted Jung Sang-Bong to me.
"From now on, take good care of Sang-Bong. And Sang-Bong, learn diligently from Yoon-Ho. Even though your mentor's title is 'assistant manager,' he's practically the ace of Actor Division 2."
"Yes, sir. I've heard about Mr. Jung's reputation."
"Right. If you can even follow half of what Yoon-Ho does, you'll be considered useful in this industry."
"Ah, Mr. Gu. Please stop praising me so much."
“What? I’m only speaking the truth”
‘Oh, this guy. He is overpraising me in front of a hoobae.’
"Well then, Mr. Sang-Bong. Or should I say, Sang-Bong, shall we go?"
Having been used to only hearing informal speech from his sunbaes, Jung Sang-Bong was quite uncomfortable with me speaking formally to him. So I eventually had to switch to informal speech.
"Yes, Mr. Jung!"
Finally, a smile appeared on Jung Sang-Bong's face and his confident voice made me feel reassured.
Now I had another ally to fight alongside me against the Suhyaejong line, and an S-grade one at that.
***
I was worried about how to introduce Jung Sang-Bong to Miso, who was shy around strangers. But as soon as Miso saw Jung Sang-Bong, she struck a horse-riding stance with her short legs and threw a punch.
"Taekwon!"
Miso froze in place with her punch extended as if waiting for praise before changing her pose.
Jung Sang-Bong, catching my glance, brought his hands to the center of his body and shouted, "Attention!"
At that moment, Miso instantly responded energetically as she aligned her hands neatly.
"Yes, sir!"
I asked the spirited Miso who had momentarily become a taekwondo player. "Miso, how do you know Mr. Jung Sang-Bong? Did you see him on TV?"
Miso shook her head. "No, I saw him last year during a field trip. The Taekwon Master showed a demonstration in front of all my friends!"
It turned out that Miso had met Jung Sang-Bong during a taekwondo field trip for kindergarteners from all over Seoul last year.
"Really?"
"Yes! The Taekwon Master even praised me a lot for doing well!"
Miso explained that Jung Sang-Bong had even personally helped her adjust her stance.
‘What a coincidence. She’s calling him the Taekwon Master? Makes sense.’
Yoo-Jin gave a pleased smile. "Oppa, will Mr. Jung Sang-Bong be taking care of us from now on?"
"Yes, when I'm not around. Why? Don't you like him?"
Yoo-Jin lifted Miso to meet her gaze. "Miso, what do you think about Mr. Taekwon Master helping us from now on? Is that okay?"
Miso's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah. What do you think, Miso?"
After a brief moment of contemplation, Miso nodded her head. "Hmm. I like it!"
Ultimately, the final verdict on whether the dedicated manager passed or failed was up to Miso, the chief judge.
Yoo-Jin also smiled and nodded. "Please take good care of us, Mr. Jung Sang-Bong."
"I'm the one who should be asking for your care, Miss Yoo-Jin."
As Jung Sang-Bong and Yoo-Jin exchanged greetings, Miso, who was standing next to Yoo-Jin, suddenly ran over to me.
"Uncle Yoon-Ho, Uncle Yoon-Ho. Look at this!"
Miso held out something she had made from cut paper.
"What's this?"
"I made it myself."
It had a red background, blue horns, and a black tail.
‘Is it supposed to be a demon or something?’
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be.
"What is this?"
"It’s an angel!"
‘Ah...though it has horns and its face is red, it's meant to be an angel...I see.’
"Wow! What a pretty angel! Right?"
"Yes! The angel will chase away all your pains, Uncle Yoon-Ho. It's a talisman, so make sure you carry it with you wherever you go!"
Only then did I realize I had mentioned that my health checkup revealed that I had Helicobacter pylori and hence, I was taking medication. Miso remembered that and prepared this especially for me.
It was a rather frightening angel that might give someone gastritis just by looking at it, but that was okay because Miso made it for me.
I carefully accepted the paper angel.
"Thank you, Miso."
Miso beamed with a smile. "And Uncle Yoon-Ho."
Miso gestured for me to sit down.
‘Is there something she wants to tell me about?’
"Huh? What is it?"
"Quickly! Sit down!"
As I knelt slightly, Miso cupped her hands and brought them close to my ear.
"I like Uncle Yoon-Ho more than the Taekwon Master!"
Miso smiled again after her shy confession.
I felt like I could fly from happiness due to Miso's confession.
‘Demon? What demon?’
The object in my hand was definitely a real angel—even though it had red skin, a tail, and was holding a pitchfork.
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