Chapter 50: Fate is Gathering (3)
In my hands was a script from Director Choi Sung-Moon, which I had obtained from the script department earlier that morning.
“This is Director Choi Sung-Moon’s latest script. He’s currently casting for this piece of work and I heard he has been facing challenges in securing a lead actor.”
Choi Sung-Moon was one of the few directors known for achieving his artistic merit and commercial success. Most importantly, he was Lee Tae-Poong’s favorite director.
“If you sign the contract with us, we’ll ensure that you get cast as the lead actor for this piece of work within the next three months.”
I sensed Oh Duk-Gu’s questioning gaze, seemingly inquiring when I had prepared such a plan. However, I ignored it and focused on my conversation with Lee Tae-Poong.
Lee Tae-Poong appeared skeptical of my remark. “M-me? The lead actor in Mr. Choi’s work? How is that possible?”
“If you follow my guidance, it’s entirely possible.”
Once we successfully manage Lee Tae-Poong’s dyslexia, he would no longer be criticized for his poor acting skills. Setting aside his struggle with dyslexia, he was actually a pretty good actor. After hearing my offer, Lee Tae-Poong seemed to ponder deeply before sighing and nodding.
“I would love to. It’s been my lifelong dream to star in a work by Mr. Choi. But, you know about my nickname, right?”
Lee Tae-Poong’s eyes were filled with uncertainty, revealing his lack of confidence. He wanted to act but was acutely aware of his limitations.
“I'm well aware of it,” I responded firmly.
Lee Tae-Poong’s face showed a glimmer of hope upon seeing my confident attitude.
“Even if it's not the lead role, I would be grateful just to be in Mr. Choi's work.”
Lee Tae-Poong took the bait, but the real challenge lay ahead. To ensure he could audition for Choi Sung-Moon’s work, I had to let him know that I was aware of his dyslexia.
As my eyes met Gu Seong-Cheol, I signaled for a private conversation with Lee Tae-Poong. When Gu Seong-Cheol agreed, I bowed to express my gratitude and asked Lee Tae-Poong if we could speak in private for a moment.
Lee Tae-Poong looked puzzled but soon pointed to the gazebo. “We can talk there. I've put up curtains, so it won’t be cold.”
***
As we moved to the gazebo, Lee Tae-Poong asked anxiously. “You’re not going to ask me to do something like a sponsorship, are you?”
“Not at all,” I reassured him.
“Sigh. That's good to hear. So, what is it?”
I hesitated before asking because it was always difficult to bring up the topic about someone’s weaknesses.
“Before we proceed, I just want to confirm one thing. The talent agent you wish to bring along is Lee Dae-Ho, right?”
“H-how do you know about him? Dae-Ho hyung is not even from this industry.”
‘As expected. That hasn’t changed.’
Lee Dae-Ho was Lee Tae-Poong’s close cousin who was five years older than him. He was a graduate of Seoul National University, the best university in Korea, and was currently a Seoul city government official. However, the truth was he had always dreamed of acting. In the future, he would become a successful businessman managing several actors with Lee Tae-Poong leading the way.
“Researching a prospective recruit is standard procedure.”
Lee Tae-Poong’s face turned anxious, possibly worried he might have to tell me about his dyslexia.
Nonetheless, letting Lee Tae-Poong know that I was aware of his dyslexia was necessary if I wanted to offer a solution.
"Mr. Lee Tae-Poong, I know about the condition you have..."
The moment I finished speaking, Lee Tae-Poong’s face turned pale.
***
After our conversation ended in the gazebo, I returned to the living room alone where Gu Seong-Cheol inquired why I had come back by myself.
“He probably needs a moment to think. Let’s wait a bit.”
Lee Tae-Poong remained seated in the gazebo, clearly zoned out. It was very likely that he was overwhelmed by the mention of his dyslexia and the solution I had proposed.
Ten minutes later, Lee Tae-Poong rejoined us in the living room.
“Mr. Gu.”
“Ah, yes, Mr. Lee. Please go ahead.”
“Do you happen to have the contract with you right now?”
At Gu Seong-Cheol's nod, Oh Duk-Gu promptly presented the contract. “H-here it is. Please read it carefully and if you agree...”
Without reading through the contract, Lee Tae-Poong flipped to the last page and picked up a pen, ready to sign it.
‘Hmm. That’s not a good habit.’
“Do I sign here?”
At that moment, Gu Seong-Cheol gently stopped Lee Tae-Poong and shook his head. He then gave sincere advice as a senior, not a business partner. “I recommend you read the contract first and consult a lawyer when signing an important document like this. I can give you a day for you to...”
However, Lee Tae-Poong shook his head and interrupted Gu Seong-Cheol before he could finish speaking. “Your words alone are enough for me to trust you. I'll accept everything as long as Mr. Jung Yoon-Ho is assigned to me.”
His finger pointed at me, drawing all eyes in my direction. Gu Seong-Cheol flinched for a moment and nodded.
“Although it’s true your previous agency went bankrupt, you still need to process the termination of your previous contract.”
“Yes, that’s fine. Please handle it according to your needs.”
Lee Tae-Poong promised to entrust all contract-related matters to us, with his sole condition being that I was assigned to him.
To be honest, I had not expected this situation. During our private conversation in the gazebo just a while ago, I shared a plan to help overcome his dyslexia: a voice recording of the script I had read aloud. While it was a straightforward solution, it proved to be highly effective for dyslexia—a condition where the brain struggles to process written words. Some individuals may mistakenly believe that people with dyslexia can't read because they aren't intelligent enough, but dyslexia is unrelated to intelligence. After all, the brilliant director Steven Spielberg and the action maestro Jackie Chan both have dyslexia.
Unfortunately, many individuals with dyslexia choose to hide their conditions for fear of being labeled as stupid. The same was true of Lee Tae-Poong.
Despite his struggle to read due to dyslexia, Lee Tae-Poong possessed a remarkable auditory perception. For this reason, his acting significantly transformed and eventually led him to stardom after I provided the recordings of the script in my previous life.
Before Tae-Poong signed the contract, Gu Seong-Cheol clarified my situation. “Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho here is currently handling both the Singer and Actor Divisions 2, so he can’t be exclusively assigned to you. We'll try to coordinate schedules as much as we can, but you’ll need another talent agent.”
“That’s fine. I’m bringing along one talent agent I know of anyway,” Lee Tae-Poong said, looking at me with a weighty gaze.
I felt slightly tense about what he might say next, but Lee Tae-Poong unexpectedly made a light-hearted remark.
“By the way...Please feel free to speak casually with me, Yoon-Ho hyung.”
‘Wait. Was that all he wanted to say with such a serious expression?’
As always, his ability to shift the mood was impressive.
“Sure, I look forward to working with you.”
When I shook Lee Tae-Poong’s hand, Gu Seong-Cheol took back the signed contract and stood up.
“We should head out now that everything seems settled. Mr. Tae-Poong, don’t you have an appointment?”
But Lee Tae-Poong shook his head, “I think I'll have to cancel that appointment.”
He grinned mischievously like a playful child.
When we asked what he meant, Lee Tae-Poong explained his earlier plans. “Actually, I had an appointment with Mr. Kang Myung-Gil, Team Lead of Hoop Division 3, this afternoon. If things went well today, I was planning to seal the deal with Mr. Kim Dong-Soo tomorrow.”
‘We nearly lost Lee Tae-Poong to Kim Dong-Soo.’
“Were you testing the waters between our Division 2 and Division 3?”
Lee Tae-Poong nodded with a playful smile. “Well, that was before I knew about you, Yoon-Ho hyung.”
He was indeed a bright individual who wasn’t hindered by his condition.
“Oh dear, what do we do about Team Lead Kim? We inadvertently jumped ahead in line. I feel bad.”
Despite his words, Gu Seong-Cheol's face was filled with mischievous delight. At that moment, a scheduled event was being erased from my planner.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: January 14, 2020]
-01:00 PM <Deleted Schedule>
(Deleted Schedule: Cheongdam-dong H Villa, Lee Tae-Poong recruitment meeting.)
We had finally successfully outsmarted Kim Dong-Soo.
***
“All done, thank you,” announced Reporter Jung Woong-Seok as he concluded the exclusive interview with Ju Yung-In for Baro Star.
As the photographer packed up, Kim Dong-Soo pulled Jung Woong-Seok aside to the corner of the meeting room and whispered, “Make sure to write a good article. This is a crucial time for Yung-In.”
“Ke hem. Well, I never know what I’m going to write. It might go well but it might flop depending on how I feel...”
Jung Woong-Seok gave a non-committal response, but upon receiving an envelope from Kim Dong-Soo, his demeanor changed.
“Oh, you didn’t have to do this. Don’t worry and just relax. I’ll prepare an excellent article.”
“That’s good to hear. We’re pushing hard for her in our Division 3, so Baro Star better support us.”
Jung Woong-Seok nodded vigorously to Kim Dong-Soo’s suggestion.
“You know how good we are at promoting people. But hey, I didn’t see Miss Jung Yoo-Jin here. I was thinking of getting her interview as well...”
“Don’t,” Kim Dong-Soo cut him off abruptly.
“Pardon?”
“Just don’t.”
Reading Kim Dong-Soo's stern expression, Jung Woong-Seok quickly understood the tension between the two and chose to remain silent.
At that moment, Jung Woong-Seok’s thoughts began to take a negative turn.
“Then, I guess I can write Miss Jung Yoo-Jin’s article however I want to?”
Kim Dong-Soo nodded with a smirk, indicating that he didn’t care how damaging the article might be, even if it were to ruin Jung Yoo-Jin. In fact, that was exactly what he wanted.
“Hehe, alright. I’ll take care of it. See you next time. Miss Yung-In, good job today.”
After Jung Woong-Seok and the photographer left, only Ju Yung-In and Kim Dong-Soo remained in the meeting room.
Ju Yung-In sat back on her chair and made a stiff expression. “I thought my face was going to cramp from smiling so much. Why did that interview take so long?”
Kim Dong-Soo reassured the complaining Ju Yung-In, emphasizing how Jung Woong-Seok wrote great articles.
“But tomorrow is the first script reading. It’s going to be uncomfortable being around her,” Ju Yung-In grumbled.
“That’s why I keep telling you the moment you feel threatened, you have to stamp it out before it grows.”
“As if it’s that easy,” Ju Yung-In retorted with a cold expression as she stood up.
Click clack click clack.
As Ju Yung-In walked away in her heels, Kim Dong-Soo called Kang Myung Gil.
-M-Mr. Kim.
“Yes, it’s me. What happened with Lee Tae-Poong?”
-Well...L-Lee Tae-Poong suddenly sent me a text message saying that he had already signed a contract with another party. He didn’t even show up for our meeting.
“What? But why all of a sudden? We had already discussed the conditions and all that was left to do was sign the contract. Who did he sign the contract with?”
-I’ve been trying to find out but he isn’t answering no matter how many messages I send.
Bang!
Kim Dong-Soo furiously threw his phone to the ground, completely shattering it. “Who could have snatched him away from us!”
Being aware that Kim Ae-Ja—the President of Daecheon department store and the Vice Chairperson of Daecheon group, which ranked 17th in the business world —was a passionate fan of Lee Tae-Poong, Kim Dong-Soo had been eager to recruit Lee Tae-Poong.
However, he didn’t expect his plan to fail miserably.
“Damn it! This was the perfect chance to monopolize major ads from Daecheon Group.”
With this opportunity to earn at least millions slipping away, Kim Dong-Soo was infuriated.
“Is this some kind of bad luck? Why is everything going wrong these days?”
Kim Dong-Soo's life had consistently been a fast track of unhindered success. But recently, he felt as if invisible obstacles were constantly thwarting his plans.
“It’s Jung Yoo-Jin. Yes, it all started with her.”
Things seemed to have gone awry for him ever since Jung Yoo-Jin, a newbie actress discovered by Kang Gam-Chan, had begun to stand out in the drama The Morning Takes Off.
“Or is it because of that first-year talent agent?”
After pondering for a moment, Kim Dong-Soo recalled Jung Yoon-Ho, the first-year talent agent who had boldly stood up to him. Then, he realized that his troubles seemed to have started after their encounter.
“I need to deal with both of them,” Kim Dong-Soo resolved, determined to remove Jung Yoo-Jin and Jung Yoon-Ho out of his way.
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