Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

TK Entertainment's Kim Tae-Kwon had officially retired from gang activity and rebranded himself as a respectable businessman.

However, he continued to manipulate the Tae-Kwon faction from behind the scenes. Three years later, TK Entertainment would be investigated by the prosecution under the suspicion of laundering funds for the Tae-Kwon faction.

I was aware of this fact because I was managing a collaborative project with TK Entertainment for Top Entertainment at that time in my past life.

That very scheduled event remained in my planner.

[Everyday V11]

[Date: November 10, 2023]

-10:00 p.m.: Team Lead meeting. (Meeting Agenda: Prosecutor's investigation into TK Entertainment Kim Tae-Kwon's money laundering. Persistent suspicions of him managing the Tae-Kwon faction. Review of joint investment projects with TK Entertainment.)

At that time, Kim Tae-Kwon was questioned but was eventually cleared of any direct involvement with the Tae-Kwon faction. No evidence of money laundering was found, but TK Entertainment was fined for inadequate accounting practices.

I knew this incident wasn't enough to send Kim Tae-Kwon to prison, but it surely was a useful leverage point as he had been under investigation for nearly a year.

Mentioning this event, however, would mean preparing for a serious clash with him. So negotiation came first.

When asked about Go Jae-Soo's payout, I met Kim Tae-Kwon's gaze and replied, "The remaining contract term is six months. And recently, TK Entertainment hasn't even provided him with a talent agent, right? Since you've been treating him like an outcast anyway, 10 million won seems reasonable."

Kim Tae-Kwon scowled and looked over at Ma Dong-Pal. "Director Ma, what's this about not assigning a talent agent?"

Ma Dong-Pal froze in the middle of making coffee. The fact that even Ma Dong-Pal looked tense showed just how dangerous Kim Tae-Kwon was.

As Ma Dong-Pal set the coffee on the table, he replied cautiously, "Well... it seems like he had to go alone today due to a shortage of field staff."

Kim Tae-Kwon's gaze grew sharp. "So we made a mistake?"

"Yes."

"Hahaha. What an inconvenience…"

At that moment, Kim Tae-Kwon abruptly slapped Ma Dong-Pal sitting next to him, hard enough for the sound to echo in the office.

Ma Dong-Pal's head jerked to the left as he staggered and struggled to steady himself. A bright red handprint was left on his right cheek.

With a chilling expression, Kim Tae-Kwon said, "How dare you let an actor go alone on set? Aren't you going to apologize immediately to Mr. Go?"

Ma Dong-Pal held back his anger and bowed to Go Jae-Soo. "I... I apologize, Mr. Jae-Soo."

Go Jae-Soo's face went pale. "N-No, Mr. Ma. It's fine."

'This is ridiculous,' I thought.

The only reason Kim Tae-Kwon was putting on this threatening act was to intimidate Go Jae-Soo and me, hoping to gain an upper hand in the negotiation. Nonetheless, having seen it all before, Kim Tae-Kwon's tactic only seemed laughable to me.

I answered without a hint of emotion, "What goes on within the company is your business. Now, please answer me. Will you accept the 10 million won or not?"

Seeing that his threat hadn't affected the offer at all, Kim Tae-Kwon looked at me with a grin. "Do you like sashimi?"

I furrowed my brows. 'Huh? Why bring up sashimi all of a sudden?'

Then, I nodded. "Yes, I do."

"I knew it. People who like getting things easily never seem to hate sashimi."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Hahaha! You've got guts. I like you more and more."

After laughing to himself for a while, Kim Tae-Kwon continued. "Director Ma, why don't you take Go Jae-Soo outside for a bit?"

"Yes, sir."

Ma Dong-Pal promptly stood and bowed respectfully before escorting Go Jae-Soo out of the room.

Thud.

The door to the president's office closed.

At that moment, Kim Tae-Kwon revealed his true nature. "Hey, Jung Yoon-Ho. Do you think I'd give up an actor for a mere few pennies? Especially one you have your eye on?" 𐍂ÃNօᛒÈȿ

As expected, he wasn't going to make this easy. I was impressed by how quickly he grasped the situation in such a short time.

I asked, "Then what do you propose?"

"It was you behind the Petite More incident last time, wasn't it? Director Cheon Yi-Sang is fully convinced it was because of you. That cost us a loss of no less than 10 billion won, you know."

Just because he suspected me didn't mean I needed to confirm it.

I shrugged and replied, "Don't go around accusing an innocent person."

"Deny it all you want but it won't matter. We're sure it was you."

"And?"

"You're going to make up for that loss. Isn't that only fair?"

"So are you saying that you'll only let Mr. Go Jae-Soo go if I hand over 10 billion won?"

Kim Tae-Kwon gave a dark smile. "Now we're finally on the same page."

Considering Go Jae-Soo's worth, that amount was absurd. I briefly considered delaying the transfer by a few months, but quickly dismissed it. There was no way I would leave Go Jae-Soo under TK's control, not even for a day.

The negotiation was over. Eventually, I decided to play my hand and mention Kim Tae-Kwon's weakness. "Please don't push me into a corner like that. Did you really think I came here unprepared?"

Kim Tae-Kwon gave a mocking smile. "Oh, I'm so scared now. It seems like you have a card to use on me, huh? Let's hear it."

"I know that TK Entertainment is laundering money for the Tae-Kwon faction."

Flinch.

Kim Tae-Kwon's face instantly went rigid at the mention of tax evasion. Gone was his casual expression, replaced by a fierce hostility.

Kim Tae-Kwon glared at me with a growl. "You little son of a bitch…How dare you…."

I continued unfazed. "Entertainment companies often have opaque expenses, making them perfect for money laundering. There's plenty of unaccounted money and a lot of operational costs get written off. Am I wrong?"

Grinding his teeth, Kim Tae-Kwon asked, "Who's behind your back to let you act so recklessly?"

"I don't particularly rely on anyone. I just make good use of the information I know. And if this isn't enough, I've got more cards up my sleeve."

I bluffed, hinting that I might reveal something worse if he escalated things.

Fortunately, Kim Tae-Kwon fell for it. He seethed with anger for a long time before speaking again. "Are you really willing to make an enemy out of me over a mere minor actor?"

"This isn't just about a minor actor. This is Mr. Jae-Soo's life we're talking about."

Go Jae-Soo had incredible potential to grow as an actor with just a bit of support. This was about more than just a career: it could change his life.

Kim Tae-Kwon didn't respond and simply stared at me in silence. Ten seconds passed, then thirty, then a full minute.

Finally, Kim Tae-Kwon sighed and leaned back on the sofa. "...Fine. Take him."

"There's no changing your mind, okay?"

Kim Tae-Kwon waved his hand dismissively. "Fuck off before I do!"

I handed him the documents to terminate the contract and a waiver of any future claims. "Then please sign here."

Kim Tae-Kwon quickly scrawled his signature.

It was done. As soon as I had his signature, I stood up. "I'll send the transfer papers to the legal division."

"Do what you want. Just remember—if I hear a single word about all the shit you said today, I'll assume it came from you even if it didn't."

"I have no intention of taking this to a full-blown war with you, Mr. Kim."

I left the executive office with a slight nod.

Click.

As I exited, the scheduled event in my planner was being deleted.

[Everyday V11]

[Date: November 10, 2023]

-10:00 p.m. <Scheduled Event Deleted>

(Deleted Scheduled Event: Team Lead meeting. (Meeting Agenda: Prosecutor's investigation into TK Entertainment Kim Tae-Kwon's money laundering. Persistent suspicions of him managing the Tae-Kwon faction. Review of joint investment projects with TK Entertainment.))

'It's done,' I thought.

TK Entertainment wasn't the kind of company that would collapse over something like this, so I put my phone back in my pocket without a second thought.

Outside the executive office, I saw the visibly deflated Go Jae-Soo sitting.

The moment Ma Dong-Pal saw me, he urgently asked, "So? What's the decision?"

"From today, Mr. Go Jae-Soo is officially an actor under Hoop Entertainment."

Ma Dong-Pal's face twisted in disbelief. "Mr. Kim actually approved that?"

"Go in and see for yourself if you don't believe me."

Not trusting my words, Ma Dong-Pal dashed into the executive office.

In the meantime, I calmly escorted Go Jae-Soo out of TK Entertainment.

***

As soon as we stepped out of TK Entertainment's main entrance, Go Jae-Soo stopped in his tracks.

When I turned around wondering why, I saw Go Jae-Soo staring at the building with tears streaming down his face.

I handed Go Jae-Soo a handkerchief and tried to console him. "It must have been a shock. I meant to handle this gradually, but things escalated rather quickly."

Gripping the handkerchief tightly, Go Jae-Soo shook his head. "No, Mr. Jung, it's not that... Ah..."

After several deep breaths, Go Jae-Soo looked back quietly at the towering 22-story TK Entertainment building.

Then he spoke in a voice laced with regret. "TK Entertainment scouted me six years ago. I felt like I had the whole world in my hands back then..."

Being scouted by the industry's second-ranked company must have filled Go Jae-Soo with dreams of becoming a top star. However, that had all been an illusion. Like most companies, TK Entertainment treated its artists differently based on their perceived value.

A few elite members were the company's primary moneymakers, while the rest were kept around just in case—because, in this industry, even supporting actors sometimes got lucky and hit it big.

Go Jae-Soo had endured this false hope until now, and it was only after leaving TK that he realized the truth.

Go Jae-Soo wiped away his tears and steeled himself. "I look forward to working with you, Mr. Jung."

"Then let's go over the contract terms. We'll offer you 50 million won as a signing bonus with a five-year contract."

Go Jae-Soo's eyes widened. "F-fifty million won, for five years…?"

"If the amount feels a bit low for the term..."

Go Jae-Soo quickly shook his head. "No, it's more than generous. I... I don't know what to say."

"That's good to hear. Additionally, I'll secure you a key supporting role in one project each year. Accepting the roles is up to you, of course, and it will all be in the contract as well."

What Go Jae-Soo wanted most was solid roles and I knew I could match him with roles better than any other talent agent out there.

"Then shall we head to sign the contract?" I asked.

"Oh, yes..."

When I gave him a smile, Go Jae-Soo followed me with a dazed expression as if he were a child entranced by the Pied Piper.

***

Back in the president's office at TK Entertainment, the furious Kim Tae-Kwon was rampaging and destroying office supplies in his path.

Crash!

A secretary peeked into the room at the loud commotion but quickly shut the door upon seeing the tense scene.

Smash!

Only after breaking the flower vase he had received as a gift did Kim Tae-Kwon let out a heavy sigh and stop. "Huff huff..."

Sinking into the main seat on the sofa, Kim Tae-Kwon accepted a glass of ice water from Ma Dong-Pal who had just entered.

After downing it in one gulp, Kim Tae-Kwon gave his orders. "Dong-Pal, contact Japan immediately and have Director Cheon return."

"But he's on a month-long assignment, isn't he?"

"I know, but that bastard Jung Yoon-Ho has found out about our money laundering."

"H-how could he... But Mr. Cheon handled everything himself. No one could possibly know."

Taking a deep breath to regain his composure, Kim Tae-Kwon finally steadied himself. "Quietly find out how this happened. There might be a rat among us."

"Understood. And what about Jung Yoon-Ho?"

Kim Tae-Kwon calmed his breath and replied, "Leave him alone!"

Ma Dong-Pal looked confused. "You're not going to drag him in and teach him a lesson?"

Kim Tae-Kwon raised his head and glared at Ma Dong-Pal. "You like baseball, don't you?"

"I do."

"Have you ever seen a player with a batting average of 1.000?"

"No way. Not even in video games."

"Well, that's what Jung Yoon-Ho is—a perfect hitter."

Ma Dong-Pal thought it over, eventually nodding in agreement.

Kim Tae-Kwon took a deep breath and gave instructions. "Jiri Mountain is definitely going to be big. Send every actor without a role to the Jiri Mountain auditions. And keep a close eye on any project that Jung Yoon-Ho is connected to from now on."

Ma Dong-Pal clicked his tongue in admiration upon hearing Kim Tae-Kwon's instructions.

He had thought working alongside Jung Yoon-Ho was impossible, but he realized that there might be a way to benefit from his success after all.

***

After finalizing the contract at Hoop Entertainment, I headed to the underground parking lot with Go Jae-Soo.

Go Jae-Soo looked dazed and asked, "So there's an audition in a week?"

"Think of it more as a final check before official approval."

In a week, Go Jae-Soo would perform in front of Park Sun-Jae and Shin Jong-Ki to confirm his casting for the role. My recommendation meant it was 90% certain, but the final decision still rested with the director.

"The signing bonus should be in your account within two hours, so take care of any urgent debts by tomorrow. And starting the day after, I'd like you to practice with Tae-Poong. I believe a week will be more than enough for you to master the role."

Lee Tae-Poong was planning to rent a small room at a hermitage on Seorak Mountain to immerse himself in his role for Jiri Mountain. I had reserved the room next door for Go Jae-Soo to practice alongside him.

"I appreciate the thoughtfulness..."

"There's no need to thank me. Go home, have a good meal, and get plenty of rest."

After encouraging Go Jae-Soo, I instructed Lee Yung-Jin to drive him home. After all, I couldn't have my actor riding the subway or taking the bus.

As Go Jae-Soo climbed into Lee Yung-Jin's car and left the underground parking lot, I started my own car, ready to take Yoo-Jin and Miso to meet Choi Ji-Yung.

Just then, my phone began to ring.

[Caller ID: Ju Yung-In]

Ristretto's Thoughts

Dang, Jung Yoon-Ho's got guts.

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