Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 586: Bong Sook-Hee (1)

Before I arrived at the final stop, Sadang Station, I tipped off Star Exclusive's reporter Choi So-Hye about everything that had happened so far.

That was because Star Exclusive had a tough reporter in charge of the social affairs desk—Kang In-Han.

"Ms. Choi, I'm currently on bus number 9999 that's about to arrive at Sadang Station. Please send Mr. Kang In-Han from the social desk."

-Huh? Why do you need Kang sunbae?

"The company that runs this 9999 bus is forcing the driver to work under a murderous schedule."

I explained that Osan Best Transport was making an exhausted driver keep driving and even pressured him over the phone to drive over 100 km/h in pouring rain.

-What? They told him to drive 100 km/h in that downpour? Are they out of their minds?

Just as expected, Choi So-Hye started jumping up and down.

-Hold on a second. Kang sunbae is near Seocho Station. I'll send him to Sadang Station right away.

"Okay. Then I'll ask the driver to pull the bus over nearby. He's in no condition to keep driving."

Soon after, bus 9999 arrived at Sadang Station. While the passengers were getting off one by one, I tried once again to persuade Woo Myung-Jin. I told him I would take full responsibility, so he shouldn't drive anymore.

Completely soaked, Woo Myung-Jin nodded and drove the empty bus to a vacant lot near Sadang Station. Soon after, the moment the bus stopped and the engine was turned off, a call came in from Osan Best Transport's Deputy Director Kim Ong-Joon, hurling profanities.

I recorded the entire call and immediately called the police.

"Hello, is this the police station? I'm reporting bus number 9999 parked in a vacant lot near Sadang Station..."

I explained the situation over the phone, gave them the location, then hung up.

"Just wait a little while. Help is on the way."

Knock, Knock.

A short while later, I looked up when I heard someone knocking on the front door. It was Kang In-Han from Star Exclusive.

"It's the reporter. Please open the door."

"Sure."

Screeeech~

As the door opened, Kang In-Han asked for the full story. I explained everything I had seen from the Osan depot and handed over the recorded video. I also gave him the contact info of Geum Ill-Soo, a former driver at Osan Best Transport who was introduced by Lee Soo-Chan.

"Mr. Kang, please dig into this case until the end. It's a miracle there wasn't an accident today."

Kang In-Han pounded his chest with confidence. "Don't worry, Chief Jung. I'm Kang In-Han, you know!"

Wee Ooh~ Wee-Ooh~

The sound of police sirens filled the air as the situation came to a close.

***

Woo Myung-Jin was taken to the hospital after a brief interview, because his blood pressure had spiked from lack of sleep.

And I, belatedly, returned to Hoop Entertainment. After sitting down at the office to catch my breath, I took care of urgent tasks.

A few hours passed, and around 8:30 p.m, an article about today's events was published.

[(Exclusive) Osan Best Transport forcing drivers into murderous schedules!]

-The company was imposing a brutal schedule without discussion, pushing drivers to the brink.

-Not only did they make them drive at 100 km/h in torrential rain, but they also harassed them over the phone to keep speeding. Drivers who didn't comply were given penalty points or had their salaries cut. Many left, and those who remained had no choice but to speed.

-(Citizen report) Interior footage of bus number 9999 that departed at 2 p.m today.

-(Former driver's testimony video)

In the video, Woo Myung-Jin's face was blurred. Perhaps because it was an exposé on abuse of power, the view count had already surpassed twenty thousand.

Afterward, Kang In-Han kept his promise and broke a follow-up story, revealing suspicions of collusion between the bus company and local council members.

[(Exclusive) Osan Best Transport colluded with Osan City Councilman A!]

[(Exclusive) Osan City and Osan Best Transport under emergency audit!]

The response was surprisingly swift.

Just then, a call came in from Woo Myung-Jin.

-Mr. Jung. Thanks to you, I got a good sleep in the ER and made it back to Osan. Thank you. And if you knew Ill-Soo, you could've told me in advance!

"Haha, I'm sorry. But things must be crazy at the company. Are you okay?"

-Oh, the president asked me to put in a good word and said he'd increase driver wages and guarantee more rest time. And it looks like Deputy Director Kim might get fired.

"That's a relief."

-Still, I'm planning to quit.

"What? Did the president threaten you or something?"

-No, not at all.

"Then why?"

Woo Myung-Jin paused for a moment before speaking.

-They said my heart is in bad shape due to serious overwork. If I hadn't gone to the hospital, I could've had a heart attack.

Years of driving under excessive stress had wrecked his health. It was a relief his life was saved, but the fact that he had to quit weighed on my mind. After all, he was supporting an elderly mother and a young daughter.

As I was thinking about how to help, Woo Myung-Jin spoke first.

-I'm going to take my severance pay, rest for about a month, then start doing special deliveries with Ill-Soo. He offered me a job and the working conditions are decent.

Thankfully, he was receiving a decent severance and already had his next job lined up.

"That's good to hear."

-Yes. I just really wanted to let you know, Mr. Jung. You saved my life.

"Thanks for calling."

-Oh, and my daughter has something she really wants to say to you. I'll hand the phone over.

Then, the clear voice of a child, which I had heard earlier in the afternoon, came through the receiver.

-Mr. Jung Yoon-Ho! Thank you so much for saving my dad~~! You're my hero!

Without realizing it, I smiled. And it finally hit me that I had truly saved someone.

"Thank you. It's thanks to you that your dad was able to drive safely. So actually, you're my hero, Jin-Ah."

-Really?

"Of course~"

Though Woo Jin-Ah didn't quite understand what I meant, she laughed brightly and thanked me once again.

"Oh, and Jin-Ah, if anything tough ever happens, call this number. I'll help you no matter what."

Their lives had changed because of me. It would be arrogant to say I could take full responsibility, but as long as it was within my reach, I wanted to help.

-Thank you, mister! See you later. Bye~~

"Okay, bye."

After saying goodbye to Woo Myung-Jin once more, I ended the call.

And just like that, I became an unsung hero in someone's life today.

***

Today was January 21, 9:30 p.m. There were thirty minutes before episode 4 of Hwaranjeon would air.

All the team leads under Division Jung had gathered in the 4th floor meeting room at Hoop Entertainment:

Kim Mi-Hye, the assistant manager in charge of promotions; Park In-Ki, Team 1 lead; Nam Pan-Gyu, Team 2 lead; Yeon So-Hee, Team 3 lead; and even Baek Hee-Yung, head of the singers' division, was there.

Only Team Lead Eun Ji-Yoo had gone down to the basement studio to oversee the Ha-Na Tube stage. That was because President Lee Joon-Soo and the members of Extension were about to arrive.

Together, we were checking through the promotional articles displayed on the LCD screen in the meeting room.

At that moment, Park In-Ki asked with a smile, "Mr. Jung, it looks like the response to Mr. Woo-Hyuk's return is much better than expected."

Just as Park In-Ki said, the entertainment section of one portal site was filled with articles about Han Woo-Hyuk.

[(Exclusive) Han Woo-Hyuk returns after 4 years.]

[Han Woo-Hyuk stands before the public after beating cancer!]

[Did he spend his sick days only practicing acting? A completely changed Han Woo-Hyuk emerges as a symbol of human triumph.]

It was a good sign, but not enough.

I said, "More important than beating cancer is proving himself with skill."

Park In-Ki smirked. "Well, wasn't that why you gathered everyone here with such confidence?"

"You figured it out already?"

"I've been on the ground for ten years, you know. If you brought all these busy people together, there's clearly a reason."

At that moment, Yeon So-Hee caught on to why I had gathered everyone. "Once tonight's episode airs, we're going to get a flood of ad requests. And we'll need to sort through them."

Nam Pan-Gyu snapped out of it and added, "Then I'll go through the script and start making a list of ads we can accept."

Baek Hee-Yung nodded and said, "Then I'll check if there's a company interested in using the theme song of BiHyungRang in their ads. Since the composer is Mr. Seon-Woo, this could bring in some real money."

Only then did Park In-Ki look around with a satisfied smile. "Now that's more like Division Jung's talent agents!"

Previously, he had clung to Actor Division 3 because he had been jealous of me, his hoobae, but now, Park In-Ki was one of the most reliable team members.

Just then, the clock struck 9:55 p.m.

"Mr. Jung, the pre-episode commercial just aired."

I looked around at everyone and smiled warmly. "Alright, let's focus."

"Yes, sir!"

"And Mr. Park, please keep an eye on KBC's Queen Jeong-Hee. I doubt KBC will just sit back and let the viewership ratings slide."

"Understood."

As the clock struck 10, MBS' Hwaranjeon and KBC's Queen Jeong-Hee began airing simultaneously.

***

Episode 4 of Hwaranjeon began.

It opened with the scene where Miso collapsed after eating poisonous mushrooms given to her by the other princesses and was revived by the goblin's mystical powers. Miso's performance was so captivating that it was hard to believe she was a child actor.

The talent agents, momentarily forgetting their monitoring duties, couldn't help but admire her.

"Miso doesn't just focus on the details. She becomes the character completely."

"It must be because her mom is Yoo-Jin. She's unbelievable."

"Did you see how she completely relaxed her fingers when she lost consciousness? Gave me chills..."

Then the spotlight shifted to the extraordinary presence of Han Woo-Hyuk. Despite a four-year gap, he fully embodied the goblin character BiHyungRang, leaving everyone in the room stunned.

"Mr. Woo-Hyuk's acting has improved a lot."

"He really nailed the character analysis. His portrayal of BiHyungRang is amazing."

Just as the talent agents were in awe, Hwaranjeon's viewer board started flooding with posts.

[MBS Hwaranjeon Viewer Board]

-Miso's acting never disappoints.

-Her acting is unreal. Is she gunning for the Grand Prize, not just Best Child Actor?

-Please give BiHyungRang more screen time!

-Wow, Han Woo-Hyuk's acting is insane. He owns every scene.

-It's like he spent all four years perfecting his vibe. His voice is incredible.

-My mom and I are hardcore Woo-Hyuk fans. We're bawling watching him back on screen.

I had expected a good response, but seeing the MBS board gave me real confidence. A comment section without a single negative post. It was almost unbelievable.

For a full hour, the remarkable momentum continued. As soon as Episode 4 ended, I called Oh Bok-Hee to check the viewership ratings.

-Mr. Jung, episode 4 hit a peak rating of 23.7%! And Yoo-Jin, the actual lead, hasn't even appeared yet. The child actors carried the entire first half and still managed 23%—this is a new chapter for fusion historical dramas.

Still, the competing drama Queen Jeong-Hee was no pushover. Even after President Park Chan-Sik's scandal, it was maintaining high viewership ratings.

"What about Queen Jeong-Hee's viewership ratings? How did they do?"

-Ah, well... they hit 20.9%.

"What? They hit over 20%?"

I knew it would be high, but I hadn't expected that.

Just a few days ago, reporter Hyun Sang-Beom, under orders from Park Chan-Sik, had intruded into Miso and Eun-Byul's elementary school and taken unauthorized photos. KBC's reputation had plummeted when reporters from their cultural affairs desk even stormed the police station to bail him out.

And yet, here they were, recovering trust and gaining viewership ratings. It didn't make sense.

Just as I was about to ask what happened, Oh Bok-Hee spoke first.

-Mrs. Bong Sook-Hee stepped in.

CP Bong Sook-Hee of KBC was a director with nearly 20 years in the drama department, and she never had a flop. At 49, she had worked with writer Lee Ji-Yeon multiple times and was known for her sharp eye in choosing projects and brilliant promotional skills, earning her the nickname 'Viewership Ratings Magician.'

She had an innate understanding of public sentiment, and any drama she touched would usually exceed its expected viewership ratings by 3 to 5 percent. Even before the regression, she was one of the few professionals I respected, and now she was behind the rise of Queen Jeong-Hee.

But she wasn't supposed to be at KBC anymore. She was meant to leave and found her own production company, SOOKI.

I couldn't understand why she was helping KBC around this time. Even if she had the power to help, there was one problem.

"What's going on? Wasn't CP Do Ye-Soo in charge of Queen Jeong-Hee?"

TV station CPs weren't allowed to interfere in each other's projects. As chief directors, they took full responsibility for their own dramas, and not even drama department heads or executives could easily interfere.

So the fact that Bong Sook-Hee, a hoobae to Do Ye-Soo, got involved made no sense.

-It seems the KBC board, under orders from the Chair of the Korea Communications Commission, unanimously pushed for CP Bong Sook-Hee to be the next president. It'll take about two weeks before it becomes official.

"What? They're ignoring seniority to make a drama CP the president at KBC, with its rigid hierarchy?"

-They probably sensed things were going south and needed someone adept at managing public opinion. That's why they chose Bong Sook-Hee.

Normally, KBC's presidents came from the news department or were political appointees. Until recently, Director Oh Han-Guk from the Han Yoo-Sik faction and neutral Executive Director Yoo Tae-Oh were the leading candidates.

But Bong Sook-Hee, who was several years junior to them and still in the drama department, skipped the ranks of director and executive to become president, which was a meteoric rise. And even before her official inauguration, she had begun wielding power as acting president.

"If CP Bong becomes KBC's president, things will get tough for us."

-Yeah. It's going to be exhausting.

Even though Hwaranjeon had just hit a massive 23.7% in only its fourth episode, Oh Bok-Hee's voice was tense.

Bong Sook-Hee, known as the Viewership Ratings Magician, would do whatever it took to boost her drama's numbers. And I meant literally anything.

She also had loyal hoobaes known as the Bong Sook-Hee Faction: CP Na Tae-Hwan, PD Jeon Doo-Hyun, PD Yook Sung-Ah, and PD Lee Ji-Sung. They formed the backbone of KBC's drama department and supported her with aggressive media strategies.

In short, when Bong Sook-Hee moved, the entire KBC drama division moved with her.

But I wasn't afraid of her, because I knew the real reason she was called the Viewership Ratings Magician.

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