Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 539: Preview Battle (1)

"Mr. Jung. What do you say to teaming up with me? I'll be your sponsor."

Jung In-Hwan was blatantly revealing his greedy ambition, perhaps thinking he had found someone useful. He was offering his protection in exchange for a steady supply of information.

But to someone like me, who had even turned down an offer from Kim Bu-Ho, the proposal from the third son of Jung Sung Inc. was laughable.

I shook my head and said, "I'm sorry. I've never considered being sponsored by anyone."

Maybe thinking I hadn't understood, Jung In-Hwan repeated himself. "Perhaps there's been a misunderstanding. If you join hands with me, you'll not only have financial backing but also full support from Jung Sung Inc. On top of that, I'll grant you full membership in the Leaders Club."

"Full membership?"

Jung In-Hwan nodded with confidence. "I don't know if you're aware, but becoming a member of the Leaders Club isn't an opportunity given to just anyone. I'm offering it because I value your information network. Think it over carefully."

A brief stir ran through the room. Even though Jung In-Hwan was the head of the club, it seemed some members were displeased by the idea of granting full membership to someone outside the royal family ranks.

However, the offer was already a no from my end. This was because not only Jung In-Hwan, but most of the Leaders Club members gathered here were destined to be arrested within two years.

They were all involved with stock manipulation, embezzlement, breach of trust, assaulting female entertainers and drug trafficking. In fact, they were no better than Hong Seok-Joon. Also, I had already tipped off the MBS news bureau about the existence of the Leaders Club, so their downfall would come even faster than in the previous timeline.

I met Jung In-Hwan's eyes and firmly declined again. "I'm sorry, but I'm more than satisfied with where I am now. Please consider your offer unheard."

Jung In-Hwan's expression tightened for a moment. Clearly, he hadn't expected his proposal to be refused so bluntly. "Ahem. Is that so? I thought you were a wise man, but I guess you don't have the guts to seize an opportunity. Fine. If you're not interested, there's nothing I can do."

Jung In-Hwan spoke as if I were some cowardly fool for rejecting him, but there was no need to waste energy on someone so ignorant of what was coming for him.

Losing interest, Jung In-Hwan turned his attention to the other members. "Well then, let's drink among ourselves. Bring down some new girls, not the girls we sent up to the third floor."

After that, Jung In-Hwan and the Leaders Club members withdrew their attention from me and began mingling among themselves.

***

It was past 1 a.m. when I left the meeting with the Leaders Club.

Jin Sung-Joon suggested one more drink and led me to a nearby food stall. As we lifted the red tent flap and stepped inside, there wasn't a single customer.

His secretary, Yeo Jin-Soo, handed the owner twenty bills of fifty thousand won and made a request. "We'd like to rent this place for an hour. Please bring out some drinks and snacks."

The owner's face lit up in an instant. "Oh my~ Feel free to use it as you like. We've had no customers today, so this works out great. Let me know if there's anything else you want to eat. I'll prepare it right away~"

"For now, please bring out some soju and fish cake soup, and start preparing whatever else you have."

"Of course! Just a moment!"

With a delighted smile, the owner stepped outside and hung a 'Closed for the Day' sign. Soon, a hot bowl of fish cake soup and a bottle of soju arrived at the table.

Jin Sung-Joon poured me the first glass. Clear soju filled the transparent glass to the brim.

"Let's just have one bottle and rinse out our mouths. That whiskey back there tasted like sewer water."

"It was the same for me."

I filled Jin Sung-Joon's glass in return. I wasn't much of a drinker, but tonight, even I needed a drink. Wanting to wash away the taste of that overpriced single malt whiskey I had with the Leaders Club members, I gladly lifted my soju glass.

As both glasses filled, Jin Sung-Joon raised his for a toast. "Since we've taken down President Hong Seok-Joon, let's toast to that."

"Yes. And while we're at it, let's toast in advance to one more thing."

Jin Sung-Joon tilted his head. "To what?"

"The Leaders Club members will follow in President Hong Seok-Joon's footsteps."

Since Jin Sung-Joon was here today because of me, he normally didn't associate much with the Leaders Club members. But if, by chance, MBS's news team stormed in and he happened to be there, it could spell trouble. So I decided to warn him ahead of time.

Jin Sung-Joon asked, "Is something going to happen to the Leaders Club?"

"MBS's reporting team is on them. Soon, they'll start digging and publish everything including the crimes they've committed."

"I see. Thanks for the heads-up."

"Don't mention it. We're on the same boat, after all."

We had already joined hands in our pursuit of securing his spot as the heir to Jin Sung Inc, and helping him was helping myself.

Jin Sung-Joon smirked. "Having you on my side was the best decision I've made."

"Same here."

"Well then, let's toast. To the downfall of Hong Seok-Joon and the Leaders Club, and to our success."

"To success."

Clink!

We tapped our soju glasses and downed them in one go. The cold soju sliding down my throat washed away the filth I had felt back at Club Angel.

'Farewell, Hong Seok-Joon. And you too, Leaders Club.'

***

Two days passed.

Word started spreading that the prosecution was launching a full-scale investigation into HK Electronics, likely thanks to Jung In-Hwan pulling strings. At the same time, a scandalous tabloid from Yeouido began making rounds, claiming Hong Seok-Joon was involved in a scandal.

As a result, HK Electronics' stock plummeted. From that point on, Hong Seok-Joon could no longer bother me or my celebrities as he was too busy trying to stabilize HK Electronics' collapsing stock.

However, it was clear that within a few days, he would be arrested. With the Leaders Club set on taking him down and so much dirt on him, it was inevitable.

Meanwhile, Han Yoo-Joo showed up at the crack of dawn the next day, apologizing profusely and swearing she would never step foot in such a place again.

With everything involving Hong Seok-Joon finally resolved, I was able to successfully host the Hwaranjeon production press conference at the grand ballroom of Daechon Hotel, courtesy of Daecheon Inc.

And then, the next day arrived. At the moon palace set of Hwaranjeon in Gyeongju, the staff was already bustling with early morning activity. Thanks to the successful MBS Hwaranjeon press conference the day before, everyone seemed energized despite the early call time.

"Dong-Hyuk, the windscreen fuzz is all clumped up from the cold. Grab a fresh one, will you?"

The windscreen was the furry cover that wraps around boom mics to block wind noise.

"Got it. I'll bring it right away."

"Filming starts in ten minutes, so the lighting team, please wrap up the setup fast!"

"Also, someone bring me the cue sheet!"

Despite a few slip-ups here and there, everyone was in high spirits.

That's when Oh Bok-Hee stepped out of a tent with a megaphone. "Alright! First broadcast is next week, so let's keep the pace up and crush Queen Jeong-Hee!"

At that, the crew geared up for filming and responded with gusto. "Yes, Mrs. Oh!"

Their energetic shouts echoed across the set, the atmosphere ramping up as the premiere of Hwaranjeon drew near.

Just then, Yoo-Jin arrived on set with her makeup already done. She had her long hair tightly tied back and a bandana around her forehead, dressed as a man.

Today's scene was about Princess Yu-Hwa tracking the assassins who had attacked her and the Second Queen, so Yoo-Jin was in disguise. In her male attire, even her walk had changed as she approached.

Swaggering with a wide-legged gait, Yoo-Jin spoke in a low voice the moment she saw me.

『Ahem~ In your honest opinion, how do I look? Do I pass for a man?』

Her voice was still a little high to pass for a man's.

"Your movements are fine, but your voice sounds a bit off. Try lowering your tone a bit more. Pull your chin in and use some chest resonance. It might help."

Yoo-Jin pulled her chin in, took a deep breath, then spoke.

『How about this... does this sound better?』

"Wow~ not bad!"

I gave her a thumbs-up, and she finally exhaled and relaxed her voice. "Agh~ my throat hurts, oppa."

"It's probably from the cold air this morning. Let's head into the tent and get you some hot water."

I took her to the standby tent and handed her a scarf I'd received as a gift from the tent's owner.

After drinking some warm water and wrapping the scarf around her neck, Yoo-Jin's face brightened. "Ah~ I feel a bit better now."

"That's good. Keep that scarf on all day. Here, wear this mask too."

Yoo-Jin quickly took the mask and put it on. "But why is the vibe on set so good this morning?"

"Yesterday's press conference went well and the articles came out great. Take a look at this."

I tapped into the entertainment section on my phone and held it out to her.

[MBS Hwaranjeon Press Conference: Crowded to Capacity.]

[MBS Hwaranjeon: The Drama Everyone's Talking About. Over 300 Reporters Present.]

[Jung Yoo-Jin: "I'll repay with my best performance!"]

[MBS Hwaranjeon Press Event: Stunning Original Soundtrack Performances by Seo Yeon-Woo and Kim Sae-Ri.]

[KBC Queen Jeong-Hee Press Conference: PD Lee Seon-Chan Says, "We welcome a fair competition."]

The Hwaranjeon press event, which was also streamed live on MeTube, had featured surprise original soundtrack performances from Sae-Ri and Seo Yeon-Woo. Since the songs hadn't yet been uploaded as official releases, there were no chart rankings yet. However, based on reactions, they were expected to place high once released.

Compared to KBC's Queen Jeong-Hee, Hwaranjeon was completely dominating in terms of media coverage.

"Wow~ Look at all these articles about us!"

Yoo-Jin scrolled through the news with a cheerful hum. Then suddenly, she pointed at one article and looked startled.

"Oppa. Everything's great, but... what's this?"

"What is it?"

I followed her fingertip on the screen.

[Jung Yoo-Jin, Leading Lady of Hwaranjeon, Tipped as the No.1 Candidate for This Year's Best Actress Award! (By Weekly Star's Reporter Jang Moon-Ki)]

-Last year at the MBS Drama Awards, Jung Yoo-Jin won Best New Actress and Best Supporting Actress, claiming three trophies. But she truly deserved to take home four.

-The MBS executives who denied her the Grand Prize left a stain on the awards' legacy.

-Now starring in Hwaranjeon, Jung Yoo-Jin undoubtedly deserves the top prize this year, in this reporter's opinion. ...

Jang Moon-Ki had written the article with clear bias, still bitter about last year's award results.

Yoo-Jin looked a little embarrassed. "Oppa... Don't you think it's too much to bring up the year-end awards before the drama has even aired? Viewers might think I'm full of myself..."

I chuckled and replied. "Don't worry. For entertainment reporters, this is nothing. And if it ever becomes a problem, I'll handle it. So relax."

Only then did Yoo-Jin's expression ease as she nodded. "Okay~"

She resumed reading the other articles. Taking that moment, I called Jang Moon-Ki. He picked up and asked right away.

-Chief Jung, have you seen the article?

"Yes, I did. Thank you for that."

-Oh, no need for thanks. I meant every word of it!

"Yoo-Jin really appreciated it."

Yoo-Jin glanced over at me as if wondering when she said that, but I kept a straight face and continued. After all, well treated reporters often dropped unexpected info. And sure enough, Jang Moon-Ki shared a tip.

-As a fan of Jung Yoo-Jin, it's only right. Oh, by the way, did you know KBC is really planning to go all in against Hwaranjeon?

"How so?"

-Tomorrow night, after the final episode of KBC's Fox Marble, they've slotted a whole ten minutes for the preview of next week's Queen Jeong-Hee. That's a huge deal.

Usually, when a drama ended, the final two episodes included a short preview for the upcoming new show. But even then, the preview rarely went over one or two minutes. Yet KBC had reportedly slotted a full ten minutes. And it wasn't just a random decision—it was personally ordered by Park Chan-Sik.

"Is that true?"

-Yeah. From what I heard, President Park Chan-Sik was furious yesterday, saying that Hwaranjeon overshadowed them in buzz during the press conference. So he gave the special directive himself.

'That's dangerous...'

If KBC aired ten-minute previews for Queen Jeong-Hee over two days, it could easily pull attention and viewership ratings away from the first episode of Hwaranjeon next week. Before my regression, Queen Jeong-Hee had been a high-quality drama that topped 20% in viewership ratings. It was also KBC's major production, with a top-tier cast.

If we lost in the viewership ratings battle even once, that momentum could have long-lasting consequences.

"Thank you for the info. I'll make sure to repay the favor."

-That's a promise, yeah?

"Of course. Let's have dinner soon."

-You know I'd rather have exclusives than a meal, right?

"Obviously."

After exchanging pleasantries and hanging up, I made my way straight to Oh Bok-Hee.

There was no way I could just sit on this.

***

Upon hearing the unexpected news, Oh Bok-Hee jumped to her feet in shock. "KBC is airing ten-minute previews? For two days straight?"

"Yes. I confirmed it with other outlets. It's been verified."

"Ugh, you've got to be kidding me. What are we supposed to do..."

The blow was clearly unexpected and Oh Bok-Hee looked visibly troubled. If they rushed a clip together haphazardly, it might be worse than sending nothing at all.

Since the issue boiled down to time, I offered a suggestion. "Mrs. Oh, why don't you handle the filming here and have someone else take over the editing? That way, we might be able to buy some time."

There were less than 36 hours left, which was way too tight a window to produce a proper preview. It would be impossible for Oh Bok-Hee to handle both filming and editing alone. So I proposed we send Geum Eun-Dong, who was known for his legendary editing skills, back to Seoul ahead of time.

After a moment's thought, Oh Bok-Hee quickly agreed. "With Eun-Dong's skills, we might just pull it off. I'll shoot here, and Eun-Dong can edit in Seoul. That should give us some breathing room."

Nodding, she made her decision.

"Good timing too. We've got the making-film crew here. Let's go for it!"

Thanks to Park Chan-Sik's bold move, the viewership ratings war had kicked off a week early. Nevertheless, I had no intention of losing this war. I was determined to make Yoo-Jin's drama the number one show in its time slot. And just like the headline in Jang Moon-Ki's article, I was going to make sure Yoo-Jin took home this year's Grand Prize.

'What else can I do...? Oh, right!'

At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind—something that could help Hwaranjeon win the preview battle.