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Chapter 36: Time to Make a Decision (3)

The sight of Yoo-Jin serving drinks and food to everyone seemed to bear exact semblance to that one scene of Blue Sky in my memory.

‘Yoo-Jin, Ms. Kim is looking at you right now. Show her that you are the best actress for Twilight’s role!’

Kim Soll-Ip stared intently at Yoo-Jin and pulled out her phone to write something in her memo app as if she had an idea.

I cheered inside. ‘Yes!’

As I saw Kim Soll-Ip smiling contentedly while jotting down her idea on her phone, I was sure that Yoo-Jin would get more scenes if she got cast for the role.

At that moment, Lee Ji-Yeon handed me a shot glass.

“Here. Let me pour you a shot.”

“Thank you so much, Ms. Lee.”

“Thank me for what? You did a great job today.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Mr. Kang called me today. Thanks to you, my drama avoided trouble.”

Lee Ji-Yeon explained that Kang Gam-Chan had immediately called Lee Ji-Yeon as soon as the situation was resolved.

“Ah, not at all. It was something that I wasn’t 100% sure of, so I couldn’t let you know right away and ended up dragging time unnecessarily. I am rather sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Well, if you didn’t drag time, my next drama would have been completely ruined.”

Lee Ji-Yeon took a sip of her drink and asked another question.

“Let me ask you one question. You said you read through all my scripts, even the previous ones. Right?”

I nodded my head to Lee Ji-Yeon who remembered what I said on the first day I met her.

“Yes. There’s not a single script I haven’t read of yours.”

“Then what do you think of my script this time?”

“Pardon me?”

“I’m talking about In the Name of God. You told me the reason you turned it down wasn’t because of the script but because of Choi Jun-Woo, right? If the male lead wasn’t Choi Jun-Woo, would you be interested in casting Yoo-Jin in my drama?” Lee Ji-Yeon asked in a soft tone.

When I hesitated to answer her sudden offer, Lee Ji-Yeon took a step back.

“Oh, and of course—if you don’t like my drama, I have no intention of forcing you to accept the offer.”

“Not at all, Ms. Lee! How could I not like your drama? The script is amazing! I’m sure it’s going to be great!”

In the Name of God had never been properly evaluated because it got canceled after only four episodes. However, based on my ten years of experience as a talent agent, I was confident that this script would be successful.

“I certainly want Yoo-Jin to be on your drama as long as the time slot doesn’t clash with Ms. Kim’s drama.”

Lee Ji-Yeon gave a smile at my answer. “Don’t worry about that part. I’m going to have a meeting with the production company and make changes to everything. I’m going to get a different time slot.”

“In that case, I will beg you to cast Yoo-Jin in your drama. The role you have in mind for Yoo-Jin is that of the shaman, right?”

“Yes. Why? Don’t you like that role? Do you want me to give Yoo-Jin the female lead?”

“No, Ms. Lee. The role of the female lead should be cast through an audition. I will make sure Yoo-Jin prepares herself for this role.”

Lee Ji-Yeon smiled. “Haha. You’re pretty good. You really know how to consider the writer’s situation.”

No matter how famous Lee Ji-Yeon was as a writer, she would become the talk of the town if she were to cast a female lead she wanted without an audition.

But given that I knew of many dramas that would be successful in the future, there was no need for me to make an unreasonable move just to get Yoo-Jin to be the female lead now.

Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Lee Ji-Yeon smiled contentedly. “Hmm, perhaps I will spice up Yoo-Jin’s role a bit more—maybe to the level of a leading role.”

‘A supporting role that’s equivalent to a lead role? That’s an absolute yes.’

“Thank you, Ms. Lee. I pledge my loyalty to you.”

At that moment, Kim Soll-Ip, who was sitting next to Lee Ji-Yeon, pouted her lips.

“Come on. Are you pledging allegiance to someone else before my drama has even been confirmed? I’m disappointed.”

I passed one hurdle, but another one was waiting for me.

“Oh, of course not! Ms. Kim, that’s not what I meant...”

"Haha. Then you should take a penalty drink from me."

When Kim Soll-Ip offered me a glass with a laugh, I accepted it with a pleased expression.

Once the talk about work ended, Kim Soll-Ip and Lee Ji-Yeon began to bicker.

"Soll-Ip, unfortunately, it seems I won\'t be facing off against you this time—though I would have won anyway."

"Oh my, Ms. Lee. You know that my work is not something to be taken lightly."

“Is that so? But when has my work ever been poor?"

Kim Soll-Ip and Lee Ji-Yeon clinked their glasses together and snickered. This scene before me seemed to be like a mentor and a departing protégé sharing a farewell drink.

"Come on, let\'s drink. We\'ve finished the last shoot, so let\'s forget everything for today."

"Yes, Ms. Lee."

Soon after, the two of them took a shot of soju and started extending their chopsticks to eat well-grilled beef ribs.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin appeared with tongs in her left hand and soju in her right hand.

"Ah! It\'s Yoon-Ho oppa. You should let me pour you a glass of soju too."

‘She really decided to take this part-time job, huh? I should probably not let her drink again in the future.’

Yoo-Jin put down the tongs and soju bottle before clinging to my side.

Lee Ji-Yeon and Kim Soll-Ip set down their glasses and each threw in a word.

"Yoo-Jin, you did well. Thanks to you, the latter part of the drama really came to life."

"Hehe, thank you, Ms. Lee."

"Miss Yoo-Jin, I hope you can do as well in the next drama."

"Yes! Trust me, unnie! I\'ll put my life on the line to carry the viewership ratings!"

"Ha ha ha. Unnie? That sounds nice, doesn\'t it?"

"Yoo-Jin! How come you call me Ms. Lee but call Soll-Ip unnie?"

"Then, shall I call you big unnie?"

Lee Ji-Yeon melted at Yoo-Jin’s charm and smiled. "Pfft. Who do you think you’re calling big unnie, huh?"

Despite her sharp words, Lee Ji-Yeon\'s face was filled with laughter.

***

I collapsed on the bed as soon as I got home right after the company dinner ended yesterday. When I awoke, I realized it was already late afternoon.

"I need to get to work... Ah, that\'s right. I took a day off today."

Feeling relieved, I turned on the TV while still lying in bed.

Just then, on the celebrity TV channel, they were showing Choi Jun-Woo being taken out of the police station. His face was covered by his jumper as he was caught red-handed.

-What were you thinking when you committed the crime?

-Mr. Choi Jun-Woo! You have something to say to the victims, don\'t you?

-Are you even human? You trash!

-Die, you bastard!

Choi Jun-Woo was being beaten by the crowd and was screaming in distress as his hair was pulled. His clothes were being torn to shreds, but the police were only making a half-hearted attempt to stop it.

Seeing him get hit with eggs and covered in flour thrown by the crowd, I thought to myself that all of this was nothing compared to what the victims had suffered.

Thanks to the news, various search terms like "Choi Jun-Woo’s drug scandal," and "Choi Jun-Woo, the human scum," filled the top 10 trending searches on the portal.

"Farewell, Choi Jun-Woo."

I watched Choi Jun-Woo being tied up with rope and escorted into the police van as I opened my planner app.

It seemed that the schedule related to him had disappeared because Lee Ji-Yeon had also changed her time slot for the drama.

[Everyday V10]

[Date: April 1, 2020]

-10:00 PM <Deleted Schedule>

(Deleted Schedule: MBS <In the Name of God> Monitoring. (Report) Due to Choi Jun-Woo’s scandal, the viewership started at 3.5%.)

"It\'s finally over."

There was no need to worry anymore. I rolled around on my bed for a while before browsing through the delivery food apps.

"Were there always this many delivery places?"

Just as I was contemplating whether to go for the Golden Jjajangmyeon set or the Elephant Leg Jokbal set, I received a KkTalk message from Yoo-Jin.

[Lovely?Yoo-Jin: Oppa. Did I make any mistakes yesterday?]

‘Is she serious? Does she not remember anything? Don’t tell me she blacked out after half a bottle of soju.’

I was dumbfounded but responded kindly to her message.

[Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho: I don’t know whether or not I should call that a mistake. But everyone seemed to have had fun.]

[Lovely?Yoo-Jin: W-what do you mean? What did I do? Tell me.]

[Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho: ? Do you actually not remember anything?]

[Lovely?Yoo-Jin: I remember having fun. But I’ve had a little too much to drink and exceeded my limit...]

‘Wow. I can’t believe that she got that drunk only after half a bottle of soju. She deserves a thumbs up for that.’

[Lovely?Yoo-Jin: Ah, seriously, oppa! Please tell me. Pretty please? I can’t even practice for the audition because I’m so stressed that I can’t remember anything about yesterday :’(]

Yoo-Jin continuously sent me the crying emoji.

‘I guess I have no choice but to tell her.’

[Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho: (Attached file: Drunk Yoo-Jin. MPEG)]

Soon, Yoo-Jin sent me another KkTalk message.

[Lovely?Yoo-Jin: No way. This is not me in the video. This can’t be me. This is unbelievable!]

[Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho: Accept reality, Actress Jung Yoo-Jin.]

For a moment, Yoo-Jin sent many frustrated emojis. Then, she went on about how to apologize to all the staff.

[Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho: Don’t worry about that part. All the staff loved it and had fun.]

Only after telling her that everyone had fun did Yoo-Jin relax. In the meantime, I sent Miso a message as well.

[Miso Angel?: Uncle Yoon-Ho. When are you coming over again?]

[Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho: Hmm. Maybe tomorrow? I will see you when I go and pick Yoo-Jin up.]

[Miso Angel?: Okay! I won’t sleep and wait for you, Uncle Yoon-Ho!]

‘Aww. What a sweet kid.

I saw Miso every time I went to pick up Yoo-Jin, but Miso always told me she missed me. I never thought that having someone wait for me would give me so much joy.

‘Thanks for making me feel this way, Miso.’

Making a fatherly smile, I sent a message to Miso.

[Talent Agent Jung Yoon-Ho: No, Miso. You need to sleep if you want to grow taller. Go to bed early, okay, Miso?]

[Miso Angel?: Hmm, okay! Have a good night, Uncle Yoon-Ho! :)]

After saying good night to Miso, I opened the planner as I opened the Elephant Leg Jokbal set I ordered.

There were tons of tight schedules, pitfalls, things I could leverage, and situations I had to prevent.

“Yikes. It’s all so daunting.”

But internally, I thought that this was much better than being dead. I felt grateful for being sent back in time, being able to save someone, and being able to give Yoo-Jin the chance to have a better life.

“All right, Jung Yoon-Ho. Stay strong. Let’s take this one step at a time.”

But on 31st December 2019, the last day of the year, another incident was waiting for me.

***

[Everyday V10]

[Date: December 31, 2019]

-11:00 PM (Report) Industry’s 3rd rank Louis Entertainment\'s final bankruptcy, 4th rank Stepping Stone Entertainment\'s final bankruptcy

At a time when the entertainment industry should have been bustling with various award ceremonies, the atmosphere was tense due to the bankruptcy of two major entertainment companies.

Gu Seong-Cheol stood up abruptly from his seat in the break room after watching the news on TV. With the fall of the 3rd and 4th ranked entertainment agencies, the ripple effects were bound to spread across the industry.

"Tell everyone to gather in the conference room," Gu Seong-Cheol said urgently.

Oh Deok-Gu picked up the phone at Gu Seong-Cheol\'s urgent voice. Within just five minutes, all the employees who were still at the company had assembled in the conference room.

Gu Seong-Cheol addressed the gathered employees with a serious expression. "I know everyone is busy with the preparations for today\'s award ceremony and I\'m sorry to call you here during a time like this. Have you seen the news about the bankruptcies of Louis Entertainment and Stepping Stone Entertainment?"

"Yes, Mr. Gu."

"Alright. The productions and shows that the actors from those companies are involved in are going to be chaotic for a while. The on-site PDs will be on edge, so everyone, be careful."

"Yes, sir."

Actor Division 2 began to move efficiently at Gu Seong-Cheol’s instruction. Gu Seong-Cheol then listed the actors who had a high chance of receiving awards at today\'s ceremony.

"Pay a bit more attention to the nominated ones. Make sure their hairstyles and costumes are top-notch if possible."

"Yes, Mr. Gu"

However, contrary to Gu Seong-Cheol’s expectation, only one actor in Hoop Entertainment from Actor Division 1, Jo Min-Sung, would receive an award.

\'We only had a bunch of nominees as far as I remember.\'

Disappointed by this, Kang Gam-Chan would give the order to seize the opportunity to recruit the celebrities who had become available due to the bankruptcy of the two companies, hoping to have more award-winning actors next year.

The problem was that this situation allowed Kim Dong-Soo to rapidly expand the scale of Actor Division 3. What seemed like an opportunity to expand the company could actually become a crisis for Hoop Entertainment in the long run.

Being only in my first year, I wouldn’t have the power to stop Kim Dong-Soo from gathering actors for his division. However, there was one person I had to bring to Actor Division 2 by any means necessary—Lee Tae-Poong, one of the members of Faithful. If Lee Tae-Poong got involved with Kim Dong-Soo, his life would be ruined.

"Alright, everyone. Let\'s move quickly. And Team Lead Park, keep checking the bankruptcy situation and keep us updated."

Park In-Ki of Actor Division 2 nodded. "Yes, Mr. Gu."

"Let\'s go, everyone."

Everyone left the meeting room in haste as soon as the short meeting was over.

Then, Gu Seong-Cheol let out a deep sigh and called me over.

“Yoon-Ho. How’s Yoo-Jin’s audition preparation going? What happened to the actress that the production company was pushing for?”

“Oh, the production company backed off when Ms. Kim Soll-Ip pushed for Yoo-Jin with a writer’s recommendation. Yoo-Jin will have a solo audition for the role of Twilight.”

Gu Seong-Cheol squinted and scanned me from head to toe.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Mr. Gu?”

“Hehe, it’s nothing. I was just thinking how well you’ve grown. You’ve been preparing well for the auditions and taking good care of the actors. If Yoo-Jin gets the role this time, you might actually be promoted.”

“Ah, you’re giving me too much credit. Anyway, I’ll go and help with the driving.”

“Sounds good. Go and help Team Lead Ju out. I heard they are quite short-handed today.”

“Yes, sir.”

But just as I was about to leave the meeting room, I received a message from Kang Gam-Chan, requesting for me to go to the president’s office right away.