Chapter 129: Last Day of Shooting (2)
"Huh? Miss Ju Yung-In is planning to appear in Ms. Lee Ji-Yeon's next project?"
"Does that mean the two of you will collaborate again on the same project?"
The flashing camera lights captured Ju Yung-In and Yoo-Jin together.
"Miss Yoo-Jin, please look this way!"
"Miss Ju Yung-In, could you please strike a pose with Miss Yoo-Jin?"
The lead and supporting actresses from the highest-rated drama of the first half of the year, Blue Sky, appearing together in another drama was definitely headline news.
Ju Yung-In was an actress frequently mentioned as a major candidate for the Best Actress award every year, and Yoo-Jin was emerging as the most likely candidate for the Best New Actress award at the SBC Acting Awards at the end of the year.
At that moment, the reporters suddenly began to surge past the makeshift photo line to get closer. Then, they thrust microphones right under the actresses' chins and began a barrage of questions.
"Is what you just said true, Miss Yung-In?"
"Stop beating around the bush and give us a quick answer!"
Ju Yung-In was a person who instinctively knew how to capture people's attention as if she were born to be a star.
Amid the clamor of reporters, Cha Soo-Yeon hurriedly intervened to stop the interview.
"We'll only take questions about Blue Sky today. Individual interviews with Miss Ju Yung-In and Jung Yoo-Jin will be arranged later..."
The reporters started to protest at Cha Soo-Yeon's intervention.
"Why are you being so strict today, Miss Soo-Yeon? Let's not be too harsh!"
"We'll write good articles about Blue Sky, so please help us out!"
"After all, it's not like you're only working with SBC, right? Are you not going to work with MBS in the future?"
Blue Dragon, an external production company, naturally supplied content to all three major broadcasting networks. Given the reporters' somewhat threatening pleas, Cha Soo-Yeon eventually gave in.
"O-okay. But please make it quick within 5 minutes! The higher-ups from SBC will be here soon!"
"Okay!"
The reporters continued their questions with a triumphant look on their faces.
"But Miss Yung-In, the main female role auditions haven't even been held, have they?"
"Has Ms. Lee Ji-Yeon already decided on you for the female lead?"
"So, does this mean there won't be auditions for the female lead in In the Name of God?"
As far as I knew, I heard that the script was just circulated to the production company and they were planning to start auditions for the roles after next weekend.
'What the heck is going on?'
As Ju Yung-In smiled at the burst of flashes, she slowly began to speak up.
"I haven't been officially cast yet. I just really liked the script and have applied for an audition."
"Oh..."
The reporters let out a sound of disappointment for a moment as it wasn't a confirmation of casting but rather a statement of hope to appear in Lee Ji-Yeon's work.
However, the reporters quickly began firing questions again to extract as much newsworthy content as possible. With Ju Yung-In's reputation and acting skills, it was highly likely she would be the lead in her next project anyway.
Receiving a barrage of questions and flashes, Ju Yung-In seemed to be enjoying the moment as if she were already the female lead.
In my past life, Ju Yung-In had appeared in another drama other than Lee Ji-Yeon's as her next project, and this entry had definitely not changed in my planner until this morning.
I hurriedly opened my planner to understand what was happening. At that very moment, the entry for Ju Yung-In's next project was disappearing.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: July 19th, 2020]
-01:00 PM <Deleted Schedule>
(Deleted Schedule: KBC Mom, Don't Go! script reading. KBC New Building Room 701)
The fact that the entry disappeared only now meant that Ju Yung-In made the decision impulsively without informing the company.
'What are you thinking, Ju Yung-In!?'
The Ju Yung-In I knew always had a clear goal, even if she seemed to act on her own accord. But Ju Yung-In's recent actions were completely unpredictable.
'No way. Could it be because of me?'
The thought crossed my mind, but I immediately shook my head to dismiss it.
After all, I was now Yoo-Jin's talent agent and Ju Yung-In was just an actress I had briefly worked with in the past.
***
[(Breaking) Ju Yung-In to meet Jung Yoo-Jin again in her next project?]
[(Breaking) Ju Yung-In considering In the Name of God for her next work.]
[(Breaking) Ju Yung-In expresses desire to work with respected Writer Lee Ji-Yeon.]
As expected, the entertainment news was filled with Ju Yung-In's statements.
When I called Lee Ji-Yeon to inquire about the situation, she answered that Ju Yung-In had only informed Ace Entertainment about her intention to audition for the female lead in In the Name of God after the articles were published.
Although it was annoying, there was no reason for Lee Ji-Yeon to reject Ju Yung-In given her popularity and acting skills.
There was no use fussing over something that had already happened. After saying we should meet up soon, I ended the call with Lee Ji-Yeon.
When I turned my attention back to the scene, I could see Ju Yung-In shaking hands with the staff and expressing her gratitude.
But unlike her usual demeanor, she was mimicking Yoo-Jin's actions.
"How far are you planning to copy Yoo-Jin? What are you, a gum[1]?" I muttered a complaint under my breath and started to help the staff clean up the scene.
After cleaning up, I took Yoo-Jin to the dinner location—a famous barbecue restaurant called Hanu Hanu.
Yoo-Jin sat at the actors' table while I joined a table with other junior talent agents.
In the lively atmosphere, the junior talent agents let go of their daily routines and chatted comfortably while opting for soda or cola instead of alcohol, knowing they had to drive their actors home after dinner.
"Meat~ meat~!"
Choi Yung-Mi, a second-year talent agent at Ace Entertainment, hummed a tune while devouring the barbecue. As soon as the beef hit the sizzling grill, it disappeared into Choi Yung-Mi's mouth.
"Hey, slow down. Anyone would think you've never had beef before," teased Kim Myung-Sang, a junior talent agent from SK Entertainment.
However, Choi Yung-Mi was too busy eating to pay attention.
"It's been too long since I've had hanwoo."
"Aren't you in charge of Miss Jin-Hee? She's known as a gourmet. Why don't you eat with her?"
"Jin-Hee never takes me to good restaurants. Oops."
Choi Yung-Mi was the talent agent of Park Jin-Hee, an actress who started as a child actress and had revived her career with her good performance in this drama. But with the shoot over, Choi Yung-Mi let her guard down and ended up gossiping about her actress.
Realizing her mistake, Choi Yung-Mi quickly looked around and relaxed only after she saw Park Jin-Hee buttering Kang Soo-Hoon up.
"Sigh. I'm so upset. She really makes me consider switching companies."
Choi Yi-Bae, a talent agent from Big Star Entertainment, sympathetically consoled her with a bitter expression.
"Hang in there. Actors have always been like this, haven't they? And it's not like switching professions would solve anything."
A long sigh escaped from Choi Yung-Mi's mouth as she eyed the soju bottle on the table.
"Is she that bad?" Choi Yi-Bae asked.
Choi Yung-Mi grimly stuffed a piece of meat into her mouth before answering. "Oh, yes. She is worse than you can imagine."
"Well, I'm not one to talk. We're in the same boat. Just the other day..."
Choi Yung-Mi's words opened the floodgates and the other talent agents started to share their actors' behind-the-scenes stories.
Talent agents, enduring tough jobs, often found themselves venting about their actors once someone started the conversation. I, too, felt the same way in my past life.
Being a talent agent often meant being at the receiving end of complaints from the actors you manage day and night. For this reason, it was common to gossip when talent agents of similar years of experience gathered.
But careless words in such gatherings could spread across the entertainment industry in an instant. That's why I was quietly focused on eating my food.
Then Choi Yung-Mi's gaze turned toward me in the midst of gossiping.
"Mr. Jung, you're close with Miss Yoo-Jin, right?"
Prompted by Choi Yung-Mi's remark, Kim Myung-Sang and Choi Yi-Bae showed their curiosity as well.
"Now that you mention it, Miss Yoo-Jin always treats Assistant Manager Jung like a real older brother on set."
"You never know. There are plenty of celebrities who seem nice but are actually terrible. There are people who change in an instant. Oh, by the way, Mr. Jung. How is Miss Yoo-Jin?"
I kept my mouth shut because I knew anything I said could only fan the flames.
But then Choi Yung-Mi asked a ridiculous question. "By the way, Mr. Jung. Do you by any chance have a 'thing' with Miss Yoo-Jin?"
"Huh? A 'thing?'"
I looked up, wondering why such absurdity was being discussed over an expensive dinner.
The eyes of the other talent agents sparkled with excitement. After all, a love story between a celebrity and their talent agent was a fantasy for many in the industry.
"What are you talking about? You know talent agents get fired immediately if they get involved with an actor, right?"
But Choi Yung-Mi seemed skeptical of my response.
"Oh, come on. That's just for the lower-level talent agents."
"I am a lower-level talent agent."
"But you're famous as the ace from Hoop Entertainment, Mr. Jung."
Choi Yung-Mi tried to flatter me, but there's no guarantee she won't pass on whatever I had said to a journalist—or maybe that was her intention all along.
"No. Miss Yoo-Jin and I are not in that kind of relationship at all."
"Hah, come on. From a woman's perspective, it's clear that Miss Yoo-Jin is interested in you. You should try probing if you get a chance."
I completely shut down Choi Yung-Mi's overstepping remarks. Counting the bubbles in my glass of cola, I zoned out until Choi Yung-Mi spoke again with a sour expression.
"Tsk. You could have just said something...anyway, I'm going to check out the other tables."
After Choi Yung-Mi left, Choi Yi-Bae moved closer to me with a chuckle.
"Assistant Manager Jung, that girl is a snake. A real snake. Good thing you didn't let anything slip."
"Is that so?" I asked.
"Yeah. Anyway, let's stop this talk and focus on the meat. Eating is what lasts, after all."
However, Choi Yung-Mi's words left me inadvertently concerned about Yoo-Jin.
'A 'thing?' Between Yoo-Jin and me? Nah, that's impossible.'
But without realizing it, I found myself looking in Yoo-Jin's direction. And for some reason, I could see her sitting next to Ju Yung-In and emptying glasses together.
'Why is she sitting there?'
As Kim Soll-Ip moved to another table following Jung Sam-Ryong's call, Yoo-Jin put down her soda glass and started pouring soju. Then she began to take shots of soju consecutively.
Concern washed over me as the soju glasses emptied, knowing Yoo-Jin's limit was half a bottle of soju.
At that moment, Ju Yung-In suddenly called me over with her face flushed. "Yoon-Ho oppa, come here for a second."
The surrounding talent agents began to murmur, finding it odd for a leading actress to call over a talent agent from her previous agency.
I reluctantly got up from my seat as I felt that not doing anything might fuel odd rumors.
As I approached the table where Ju Yung-In and Yoo-Jin were sitting, a visibly intoxicated Yoo-Jin patted the cushion next to her.
"Oppa, sit here."
But then Ju Yung-In also tapped the cushion beside her and said, "I'm the one who called you to this table, so you should sit here. Sit here, Yoon-Ho oppa."
'Seriously? What's wrong with her?'
Sparks flew between their gazes.
Dumbfounded by their childish quarrel, I intervened. "Alright, both of you stop. You're both drunk. And I'll sit right here."
I settled not beside either of them but squarely in the middle on the edge of the table.
"Seriously?"
"Oh, come on. It's not like you have decision paralysis."
Both shot me simultaneous glares.
'What do you want me to do?'
Sitting next to Ju Yung-In felt risky, and sitting beside Yoo-Jin was too much pressure.
Ju Yung-In seemed to read my dilemma and smirked.
"Always so cautious, aren't you?"
She twirled the soju glass in her right hand with her pinky finger raised.
'I see that habit hasn't changed...'
That's when Yoo-Jin caught me glancing at Ju Yung-In's fingertips.
"Why are you only looking at her, oppa? And since when did she start calling you 'Yoon-Ho oppa?'"
Yoo-Jin's groggy eyes shot lasers at me. The delicious hanwoo I had eaten earlier felt like it was churning in my stomach.
'I just got here. Why are you causing trouble too?'
Feeling uncomfortable as if sitting on a bed of needles, I quickly redirected the conversation topic.
"So, when did you two start talking to each other?"
Ju Yung-In was the one who replied. "Yoo-Jin and I are of the same age. I suggested we drop the formalities and she was okay with it. Oh, and don't give me that look of suspicion. I've apologized for what I've done to her in the past as well. I was just too jealous of her acting talent."
'Ju Yung-In, known for her pride, not only initiating a conversation with a hoobae but also apologizing?'
This series of unbelievable events continued to unfold. This was not the Ju Yung-In I knew; she was never one to act like this.
But at that moment, Ju Yung-In moved close enough for our shoulders to touch and made a request.
"Yoon-Ho oppa, I have a favor to ask..."
1. This is a Korean saying to describe a person who is stubbornly copying and clinging onto you like gum ☜
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