Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 583: Into the Rain (1)

I reopened Everyday and checked the schedule entry again.

[Everyday V12.2]

[Date: January 21, 2021]

-3:00 p.m.: A 25-vehicle pile-up occurred near Yangjae IC on the Gyeongbu Expressway. (Note: Once-in-a-century winter rain.)

-10:00 p.m.: <Entertainment Everywhere> "SOO Entertainment boy group Extension in car accident." (Note: Will visit Joon-Soo hyung's funeral and Extension at the hospital.)

First, the accident would happen today at 3:00 p.m. A No. 9999 bus traveling from Osan to Sadang Station would cause the crash and the first vehicle that the bus hits would be a van carrying President Lee Joon-Soo and the boy group Extension.

After that, a chain reaction would lead to a 25-car pile-up. As a result, the driver and Lee Joon-Soo would die at the scene, along with several others killed and dozens injured.

To stop that incident, I first tried to find the name of the No. 9999 bus driver. However, the list of drivers was a security matter, so I couldn't access it.

After some thought, I decided to do what I could for now. That was to divert Lee Joon-Soo's van from Yangjae IC to another location.

I wasted no time calling Lee Joon-Soo. After a few rings, he answered.

-Yes, SOO Entertainment. This is Lee Joon-Soo.

"Hyung. It's me, Yoon-Ho."

-Oh~ Yoon-Ho. Long time no see. How have you been?

Lee Joon-Soo, who had split off from Singer Division 1 at Hoop Entertainment to found SOO Entertainment, talked to me casually.

"I've been well. How about you, hyung?"

-Me? I've been busy raising my Extension boys.

Extension was the only group under Lee Joon-Soo's label, a five-member boy group that debuted two months ago.

After a quick greeting, I asked where he was.

"By the way, hyung. Where are you right now?"

-I came down to Cheonan for a small event. Why?

"There's a rainstorm. Hasn't the event been canceled?"

-It's indoors, so it's still going on.

"Then what time will it end?"

-Around 10:30 to 11:00. Why? What's going on?

"I was wondering if Extension would be interested in appearing on Ha-Na's MeTube channel."

The boy group Extension, who had only had one music show debut stage, had since been performing only at small local events. For a rookie group like Extension, every stage was valuable. Kang Ha-Na's live stream, with over 30,000 daily viewers, would be a massive opportunity.

-Really? You'll get my boys on that?

"Yes. I owe you a lot, hyung. But it'll be in our underground venue at Hoop, so they'll need to perform the title track 'Advance' live without dancing. There will be an appearance fee too. About five hundred thousand won. Is that okay?"

-Hey, that's a great deal. Even a radio gig pays a hundred thousand won per hour. Five hundred thousand won is amazing. All five of the boys are vocals, so they can handle anything.

"But doing just one song feels a bit lacking. I really liked the track 'INTO THE RAIN' from Extension's album... Could they perform that live too?"

'INTO THE RAIN,' written and composed by Extension's leader Namgoong Hyuk, was a lyrical ballad. It was a masterpiece that showcased the vocal ranges of all five members and brought belated acclaim to Extension after their premature disbandment before the regression.

The mid-low tone of the main vocal and leader Namgoong Hyuk[1] was especially praised as a deep voice.

-Hey, my boys do live well. Honestly, if we weren't a boy group, we would've pushed that ballad as our title. You know how great Hyuk's voice is, right?

"I do. Then I'll have them prepare both 'Advance' and 'INTO THE RAIN' for a live performance. But actually, I wanted to talk more... Can you spare some time around lunch today?"

-Hmm. If we're meeting in Seoul... I'll feed the boys and head up. How's around 4 p.m.? With the heavy rain, I think I need to drive slowly.

Since there were two random events early in the morning, he didn't have time to eat. But if that happened, he would be passing Yangjae IC at 3 p.m. and end up in the accident.

"No, don't do that. Let's meet in Suwon around lunchtime instead."

If he detoured from Cheonan to Suwon, he wouldn't need to take the Gyeongbu Expressway at all. And from Suwon to Seoul, he could take another route avoiding the expressway. So I mentioned a fake schedule in Suwon to lure Lee Joon-Soo there.

He agreed without much suspicion.

-Alright. Where in Suwon should I go?

"Let's meet at Suwon Original Wang Galbi Restaurant. Bring the members without feeding them."

-Hmm, my boys eat a lot though. They've only had a single roll of kimbap since morning, so they'll be hungry... Should I give them snacks first?

"Come on, hyung. They'll be starving. Let's just get a whole cow."

-Wow~ Chief Jung's doing well these days, huh? Has your early investment in coins finally paid off today?

Lee Joon-Soo used to take me to a gukbap[2] place near the company when I skipped dinner from overtime right after joining.

He laughed, saying that his investment in gukbap was now returning as beef.

"Yes. Your investment paid off, so it's time to withdraw it. Let's meet there at 11:30."

-Okay. I'll head to Suwon Original Wang Galbi[3] as soon as the event ends.

"Cool. Since it's raining heavily, drive safe. If possible, take local roads instead of the highway."

-Don't worry. I hate paying tolls anyway, so I only take local roads.

Click.

I hung up and checked Everyday right away. Since we had set a meeting in Suwon, the accident at Yangjae IC involving Lee Joon-Soo should no longer happen.

However, Everyday didn't agree.

[Everyday V12.2]

[Date: January 21, 2021]

-3:00 p.m.: A 25-vehicle pile-up occurred near Yangjae IC on the Gyeongbu Expressway. (Note: Once-in-a-century winter rain.)

-10:00 p.m.: <Entertainment Everywhere> "SOO Entertainment boy group Extension in car accident." (Note: Will visit Junsu hyung"s funeral and Extension at the hospital.)

'What? Why hasn't the schedule entry changed?'

If he diverted to Suwon, there would be no reason for Lee Joon-Soo to be on the Gyeongbu Expressway. Nevertheless, the accident near the expressway still showed up on the schedule entry.

I thought about it for a moment, but no matter how much I considered it, I couldn't understand. Lee Joon-Soo wasn't the kind of person to lie or make excuses.

In the end, I had no choice but to call him again. This time, I planned to firmly set a work meeting in Suwon.

However, when I called, I got a busy signal.

[The person you're trying to reach is on another call...]

At that moment, a sense of dread crept in as if fate itself was determined to make my planner's schedule entry come true.

'Hyung. Pick up the phone.'

A few tries later, the call finally connected on the fifth attempt. But Lee Joon-Soo spoke with an apologetic tone.

-Yoon-Ho, I'm sorry. I don't think I can meet today.

"Huh? Why not?"

-PD Park Yung-Min from MBS Show! Music Center just called and asked to see the boys together.

One of this week's weekend music show stages had a cancellation, so Park Yung-Min asked if they were available. Even though my offer to appear on Kang Ha-Na's live broadcast was a great opportunity, it couldn't compare to a regular TV appearance.

-Yoon-Ho, the event manager here keeps calling for me. I'll hang up for now. I'll call you later after going to MBS.

Click.

The call ended suddenly. I found myself yelling at the phone without realizing.

"Hyung! Hyung! Damn it!"

It was 9:30 a.m. and Lee Joon-Soo had boarded the car that fate was driving toward death. In the end, just like when I tried to erase a schedule entry in the past, this wasn't something a single phone call could fix.

Then I had no choice but to take action myself.

'Hyung. I guess I have to get you out of that car today by force.'

I decided to meet Park Yung-Min myself and ask him to let another team take Extension's place on the music show.

But to persuade him, I needed preparation, so I headed straight to the basement recording studio.

***

I arrived at Room 4 of the basement recording studio.

Bang Seon-Woo, now the lead producer of Singer Division 2, was in the recording booth giving meticulous direction to Seo Yeon-Woo. They were re-recording a rearranged version of 'Hwayeonga' for the original soundtrack album, and his precision was relentless.

"Hey, Yeon-Woo. Let's try that one more time. In the second verse, the note was a quarter tone flat. And the vibration leading into the next syllable lacked power."

Inside the booth, Seo Yeon-Woo stuck out his tongue.

-I'm just hungry.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too. So let's finish quickly and go eat. One more time~"

-Okay!

Even Seo Yeon-Woo couldn't help but be nervous in front of Bang Seon-Woo, who had perfect pitch.

Just then, Sae-Ri, who was sitting on the studio couch waiting for her turn to record, greeted me excitedly. "Yoon-Ho oppa!"

With her solo stage debut this week, Sae-Ri was coming down to the basement studio whenever she could to practice.

"Hey, Sae-Ri. Don't tell me you skipped breakfast too?"

Right after finishing Cherry Blossom's fourth album promotions and heading straight into solo activities, she had gotten thinner and more drained. Even Kim Soo-Myung had given specific instructions to make sure she ate more.

"Nope. I ate before coming but this morning, Yeon-Hee unnie smacked me for not eating more. Look at this!"

Sae-Ri showed her forehead and brushed aside her bangs to reveal the middle, saying Woo Yeon-Hee had flicked her.

"Do you see the bump, oppa? You see it, right?"

There was a barely noticeable red mark in the center of her forehead.

'Of course. There's no way Woo Yeon-Hee would hit her hard. She adores Sae-Ri.'

Still, I played along so Sae-Ri wouldn't sulk. "Yeah, yeah. You totally look like a unicorn now."

Sae-Ri clenched her fist with a proud expression. "Then I'm gonna tell Yeon-Hee unnie that Yoon-Ho oppa saw the bump too."

'What the— She's going to use my name to confront Woo Yeon-Hee? Hey, Sae-Ri. Could you maybe not use my name for that? Yeon-Hee can be kind of scary when she glares.'

In the end, I had no choice. It was time to deploy the ultimate move.

"Wanna get ice cream?"

The moment I diverted her attention, Sae-Ri's eyes turned into crescent moons.

"Right now?"

"Yeah. And think about it—Yeon-Hee only did that because she was worried about you."

As I calmed her gently, Sae-Ri stuck out her tongue. "Actually, I didn't eat breakfast for three days straight because I kept sleeping in, so unnie scolded me. Hee hee. So, what kind of ice cream are we getting?"

'This brat. I might really turn her into a unicorn.'

Anyway, after calming her down, the door opened and Seo Yeon-Woo came out.

"Yoon-Ho hyung. What brings you here at this hour?"

I asked both Seo Yeon-Woo and Sae-Ri, "Can you and Sae-Ri do a special stage this week on MBS with the leader of a rookie boy group, performing 'Unreachable Heart?' I owe their company's president a lot."

'Unreachable Heart' was a ballad from the original soundtrack of Hwaranjeon. It was a song about the emotions between Princess Yu-Hwa, Kim Beop-Min, and BiHyungRang.

The first verse expressed the feelings between Yu-Hwa and Kim Beop-Min, and the second between Yu-Hwa and BiHyungRang.

I planned to tell the MBS PD that I wanted that song performed on stage this week. And for Extension, whose stage would be canceled, I intended to give the second verse vocals to their leader Namgoong Hyuk.

Seo Yeon-Woo looked at Sae-Ri briefly, then asked, "Sae-Ri, think you can do it?"

"I can totally do it!"

Though she wasn't the best at acting or dancing, Sae-Ri was more than confident and capable when it came to singing.

Seo Yeon-Woo nodded and looked at me. "If it's to repay someone who helped you, then of course I'll step up. Once Sae-Ri and I get the vocals aligned a bit more, we should be good."

"Okay."

I immediately said to Bang Seon-Woo, "Seon-Woo, can you send me the guide track for 'Unreachable Heart' that we recorded last time?"

"Yes, hyung."

To persuade the PD at MBS and to play it for Namgoong Hyuk, I also needed the guide recording featuring Kim Jong-Hoon.

Bang Seon-Woo turned around and sent the recording of 'Unreachable Heart' to my phone.

Ding!

With the file in hand, I headed to the basement parking lot right away.

***

I arrived at PD Park Yung-Min's office located on the 8th floor of MBS.

Upon hearing the rearranged version of the song for the special stage, Park Yung-Min's eyes curved like crescent moons.

"With a song like this, it's an immediate yes. Oh, and I got a call from PD Oh Bok-Hee too."

To secure the stage, I had also called Oh Bok-Hee of Hwaranjeon and asked for a favor. As a result, Park Yung-Min accepted the stage offer on the spot.

After all, having Seo Yeon-Woo, this week's top music show nominee; Sae-Ri, the vocalist of the award-winning Cherry Blossom; and Namgoong Hyuk, the leader of Extension, perform together was a win for him too.

But Park Yung-Min had one condition.

"Hey... while we're at it, could you do me a favor too?"

"What kind of favor?"

"Could you get Yoo-Jin and Miso to appear next week? They sang at the Cherry Blossom concert, right? Let's air that. It'll be perfect if we tie it in with promoting Hwaranjeon."

I was worried he would make an unreasonable request, but this was acceptable.

"That's totally fine with me, but I'm not sure if Yoo-Jin will have time next week. Her filming schedule for Hwaranjeon is packed."

"If you give the okay, I'll coordinate the schedule with PD Oh myself."

"Yes, then I have no objections."

Park Yung-Min smiled and picked up his phone. "Alright. Hold on a sec, I'll need to drop one of this week's acts."

"By the way, which stage is being cut to make room for us?"

"Oh, I was going to put up Extension, but I'll just cancel that."

As I expected, the Extension stage, which was added last, got canceled.

Park Yung-Min immediately called Lee Joon-Soo with an apologetic expression.

"President Lee. Sorry, but I have to cancel for today. If there's another chance, I'll call you again. Yeah. Sorry."

After hanging up, Park Yung-Min turned to me.

"President Lee seemed a bit disappointed, so smooth things over with him, will you?"

"Yes. I was planning to meet him anyway."

"Yeah? Perfect. Then good luck."

I gave Park Yung-Min a bow and stepped into the hallway. Standing there, I let out a deep sigh and thought to myself.

'Hyung, I'm sorry. But I'll get your boys on a much bigger stage instead.'

Lee Joon-Soo might be disappointed if he found out, but saving someone's life had to come first. As long as Lee Joon-Soo lived, Extension wouldn't have to give up on being idols. Even though I canceled today's stage, I planned to help Extension grow from now on.

Then, with trembling hands, I checked Everyday again.

[Everyday V12.2]

[Date: January 21, 2021]

-10:00 p.m.: <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: <Entertainment Everywhere> "SOO Entertainment boy group Extension in car accident." (Note: Will visit Junsu hyung"s funeral and Extension at the hospital.)

Fortunately, the 10 p.m. event about Lee Joon-Soo's death had disappeared. But another schedule entry hadn't.

[Everyday V12.2]

[Date: January 21, 2021]

-3:00 p.m.: A 25-vehicle pile-up occurred near Yangjae IC on the Gyeongbu Expressway. (Note: Once-in-a-century winter rain.)

'So in the end... is this incident meant to happen?'

It felt like the god of fate was determined to make the events listed in Everyday come true no matter what.

Though I had saved Lee Joon-Soo, someone I was close with, I couldn't just ignore a mass casualty accident that I knew would happen. Five people would die in that accident, and dozens more would be seriously injured.

In the end, I made up my mind as I looked out the window at the pouring rain.

I would stop this accident no matter what.

1. Namgoong is a surname ☜

2. Gukbap is basically rice in soup. Guk=soup, bap=rice ☜

3. Suwon wang galbi is a regional speciality with jumbo-sized ribs ☜

Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on freew(e)bnove(l).𝓬𝓸𝓶