Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 587: Bong Sook-Hee (2)

CP Bong Sook-Hee was able to manipulate viewership ratings.

Through a promotion company called Angel Media Consulting run by her younger sister, Bong Soon-Ja, she hacked into the servers of the viewership rating agencies TNK and Listener.

As a result, three years from now, Bong Sook-Hee would be found by the prosecution to have committed the crime of raising the viewership ratings of her past works by anywhere from 1% to 3%.

And the related details still remained in my planner.

[Everyday V12.2]

[Date: November 23, 2024]

-10:00 p.m. <Entertainment Everywhere> Both major viewership survey agencies TNK and Listener had backdoors installed on their servers. Source code traces of external intrusion found. Under investigation by prosecution. (Note: Angel Media Consulting was responsible for the hacking.)

That was the reason I wasn't afraid of Bong Sook-Hee, who was called the Viewership Ratings Magician. Because once what I knew came to light, Bong Sook-Hee and Bong Soon-Ja wouldn't be able to avoid arrest.

However, I couldn't share this with Oh Bok-Hee on the phone as I hadn't secured clear evidence yet. So for now, I downplayed Bong Sook-Hee and tried to calm Oh Bok-Hee down.

"When was the last time CP Bong Sook-Hee was called the Viewership Ratings Magician? And Hwaranjeon really begins from episode 5 when Yoo-Jin appears, so what are you worried about?"

The recently aired episode 4 of Hwaranjeon beat episode 4 of Queen Jeong-Hee with a viewership ratings of 23.7%, thanks to Miso and the supporting cast's standout performances.

Since we had already won with just the child actors and supporting cast, I confidently said that once episode 5 began next week with the full-scale court drama involving Yoo-Jin and the other leads, we would win even bigger.

Oh Bok-Hee, perhaps embarrassed to have shown fear as a producer, cleared her throat and responded.

-Ahem. Right, it's not like Bong Sook-Hee is who she used to be!

"Exactly. And if Bong Sook-Hee is on their side, we've got Oh Bok-Hee on ours, don't we?"

As I encouraged Oh Bok-Hee, her voice began to gain strength.

-Got it. I'll do my best, so I won't be ashamed anymore.

Oh Bok-Hee hung up, saying she will meet with MBS executives alongside CP Ryu Han-Joon to secure more promotional funding.

After hanging up, I informed everyone, including Park In-Ki, about Queen Jeong-Hee's viewership ratings.

"Queen Jeong-Hee got a 20.9% viewership ratings. It's still far behind our Hwaranjeon episode 4 with 23.7%."

I deliberately avoided mentioning Bong Sook-Hee, since there was no need to kill morale in advance.

Park In-Ki's lips curved up. "I knew it."

Yeon So-Hee crossed her arms and nodded. "TNT guys were bragging that Queen Jeong-Hee would win, huh? I should go say something to them."

Buzz.

It was that moment when the talent agents' phones, all set to vibrate, started ringing at once. It had to be about Han Woo-Hyuk's advertisement.

"Well, shall we go scoop up those ads now?"

"Yes, sir!"

From that moment, we started sorting through the flood of advertisement offers. With inquiries pouring in nonstop, the phones receiving them started to heat up.

That's when Gu Seong-Cheol, from the same floor as Actor Division 4, entered the meeting room.

"Chief Jung! Pick up your phone! It's about Han Woo-Hyuk's ad. They've been calling Division 4 but no one's answering, so they called me."

"Who is it?"

"It's the promotion director from Fresh Milk."

Then Oh Duk-Gu burst in, shouting. "I've got the promotion team from the kidswear brand Me Like. They say it's urgent too. You need to pick this up now."

Both handed over their phones.

At that moment, I grinned and pointed toward the meeting room. Inside, all the team leads were sweating as they handled the flood of ad inquiries.

"That's great. Since you're both here, why don't you help out a little?"

"Huh?"

"Ah, well... I'm kind of busy too..."

The two backed away, saying they shouldn't have come. But in the end, they both sat in the meeting room and began taking ad inquiries.

Soon after, Ju Yung-Hoon and the talent agents from Actor Division 2 and Singer Division 2 joined in, and anyone left was pulled into the meeting room to handle the flood of calls.

Thus began the dazzling rise of Han Woo-Hyuk, who had kept a low profile for four years.

***

Right after the 10 p.m. drama ended and the viewership ratings came in, congratulations poured in for Bong Sook-Hee in the KBC control room.

"Thankfully, we've caught up a bit this week."

"Congratulations, Mrs. Bong."

The division heads, directors, and control room staff all gathered to flatter her. Behind them stood Na Tae-Hwan, Jeon Doo-Hyun, Yook Sung-Ah, and Lee Ji-Sung—collectively known as the Bong Sook-Hee faction—smiling broadly.

Their loyalty was about to pay off, as Bong Sook-Hee was poised to be promoted to president. Yet, despite the celebratory atmosphere, some wore uncomfortable expressions. They were Director Oh Han-Guk, Executive Director Yoo Tae-Oh, and CP Do Ye-Soo.

Oh Han-Guk and Yoo Tae-Oh were rivals for the next president position but now resembled dogs staring at the roof after the chicken flew up, thanks to Bong Sook-Hee's sudden rise. Meanwhile, Do Ye-Soo had essentially lost control over his drama to a hoobae.

Still, Bong Sook-Hee had undeniably narrowed the widening viewership ratings gap.

Feeling their uneasy stares, Bong Sook-Hee shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. It's not like I asked to be president. The chairman himself came to me last night and insisted I take the role. What was I supposed to do?"

Though she hadn't even had an inauguration ceremony, Bong Sook-Hee was already exercising the full authority of the acting president.

After a brief silence, Yoo Tae-Oh was the first to lower his head. "I look forward to working with you."

"Yes, let's do our best, Mr. Yoo."

Bong Sook-Hee nodded, then turned to Oh Han-Guk.

"Since you're about to be promoted to Senior Managing Director, please don't take it too hard. I look forward to working with you too."

"Understood..."

Then, in a queen-like manner, Bong Sook-Hee began issuing commands to the assembled staff.

"Now! We'll be operating under emergency measures for a while, so each division head should focus on sales. In a crisis, surplus management is key. Mr. Yoo, Mr. Oh, please concentrate on the variety and news departments. I'll manage the drama department directly."

"Understood."

The senior executives suppressed their discomfort and left the room. Only Do Ye-Soo remained.

Bong Sook-Hee asked, "Why aren't you leaving, sunbae?"

"CP Bong. This project is mine."

Bong Sook-Hee chuckled. "Who said we don't know you created it?"

"Then why are you humiliating me like this? If you're becoming the president, shouldn't you step back from fieldwork? Don't you agree?"

At that moment, Bong Sook-Hee smirked. "What can I do? The Chairman of the Broadcasting Commission told me to do whatever it takes to boost Queen Jeong-Hee and beat Hwaranjeon. And honestly, when it comes to viewership ratings, I'm better than you, aren't I? So just focus on producing the show well like you always have."

Stripped of his CP authority and reduced to a mere PD, Do Ye-Soo began breathing heavily.

Episode 3's 16.9% viewership ratings had been impressive despite the disaster caused by President Park Chan-Sik. But since Bong Sook-Hee had achieved even better results, he had no valid comeback.

Do Ye-Soo swore and turned his back. "Fuck!"

Bong Sook-Hee smirked at his retreating figure and muttered to herself, "You can't win by yourself, sunbae."

After telling the control room staff to keep up the good work, Bong Sook-Hee stepped out.

Heading to the break room at the end of the hall, she immediately called Yoo Kang-Seok, the president of TNT Entertainment.

"It's me, Bong Sook-Hee."

-Oh, Mrs. Bong. Thank you. Thanks to you, Yi-Yung was able to save face.

"I should be the one thanking you. You made things easier."

Bong Sook-Hee then asked Yoo Kang-Seok to send money to Angel Media Consulting, the firm run by her younger sister, Bong Soon-Ja.

Yoo Kang-Seok willingly handed a large sum of money to Bong Soon-Ja, who used it for media manipulation. She posted on major online communities, ran banner ads, left comments, and even asked viewers to watch Queen Jeong-Hee through the social media accounts of influencers managed by Angel Media Consulting.

-Hahaha. Thank you for noticing.

"So, can I count on you to keep this going?"

-Absolutely.

"Good. But you know there's a limit to how much a marketing company can boost viewership ratings, right? KBC has to take care of the rest, so make sure to flood us with sponsorships."

-Don't worry about that. Our funding power is top-notch, after all.

"I know."

Then Bong Sook-Hee asked with a smile.

"Oh, by the way... do you have something against Chief Jung? Why are you so obsessed with beating any show Jung Yoo-Jin appears in?"

Yoo Kang-Seok answered without hesitation.

-I do have a lot against that bastard, Jung Yoon-Ho. That's why I absolutely want to beat any show starring his precious Jung Yoo-Jin.

Bong Sook-Hee burst into laughter.

"Then I should lend you a hand, huh? Truth is, I have a score to settle with him too."

-A score?

"Well, something like that. But one thing's for sure—I don't like Jung Yoon-Ho either."

Yoo Kang-Seok's voice rose with excitement. freeweɓnøvel~com

-Then... I'll serve you loyally from now on, ma'am!

Bong Sook-Hee laughed heartily.

"Got it. Take care, and I'll be in touch. Maybe not this week, but starting next week, it's going to get intense. That's when the real fight begins."

-I understand. I'll prepare more accordingly. And while we're at it, please give some attention to shows featuring TNT actors too.

"Of course."

After hanging up, Bong Sook-Hee smirked. She then called her younger sister, Bong Soon-Ja.

"Soon-Ja, TNT's going to go all in. Let's make the most of this opportunity."

-Oh my. Our Mrs. Bong's finally struck gold, huh?

"Whether it's gold or just a sucker, we'll find out soon enough. And next week... you know it's time to stir things up a bit, right?"

This week, they hadn't tampered with the data from the viewership rating agencies and relied solely on Angel Media Consulting's influence. So while viewership ratings did rise significantly, they still couldn't catch up to Hwaranjeon as expected.

Reluctantly, Bong Sook-Hee decided to resort to the viewership ratings manipulation she had hoped to avoid.

-As long as the money keeps coming in, anything's possible. Still, who would've thought our Mrs. Bong would become KBC's president? Life sure is unpredictable, huh?

"Tell me about it."

As her younger sister's laughter rang through the phone, Bong Sook-Hee joined in with a big laugh.

***

All night, I had to deal with the flood of ads pouring in for Miso and Han Woo-Hyuk.

In between, I went down to the basement recording studio to check on Lee Joon-Soo and Extension's MeTube live broadcast.

Extension gave it their all as if this would be their last stage. Their leader, Namgoong Hyuk, passionately performed 'Unreachable Heart' alongside Seo Yeon-Woo and Sae-Ri.

By the time the live ended, the number of fans asking about Extension had increased significantly. As a result, even though Extension's weekend music show appearance was canceled, Lee Joon-Soo cheered, saying this was actually better.

After receiving more ad inquiries until 3 a.m., I left the rest to the staff and went home, collapsing into bed. I had been running around all day in the pouring rain.

However, the moment I closed my eyes, a familiar sound reached my ears.

Beep beep beep.

"Huh? What is that?"

It was the alarm I had set for 7 a.m.

"Already...?"

It felt like time had been erased. I was stunned, but I couldn't fall back asleep. So, lying in bed, I checked yesterday's articles.

[Han Woo-Hyuk returns after 4 years. A deeper performance than ever.]

[The charisma of Goblin BiHyungRang.]

[A man who overcame illness returns with raw emotion. Han Woo-Hyuk's captivating gaze.]

Seeing the flood of articles praising Han Woo-Hyuk's acting, I couldn't help but smile. Below them were the results of last night's intense viewership ratings battle between the two dramas.

[MBS Hwaranjeon Episode 4 achieves peak viewership ratings of 23.7%! #1 in its time slot.]

[KBC Queen Jeong-Hee Episode 4 achieves peak viewership ratings of 20.9%!]

But one article stood out.

[Queen Jeong-Hee, #1 among middle-aged viewers! The solid strength of traditional historical dramas.]

"Not bad, CP Bong."

Bong Sook-Hee had isolated the viewership ratings graph for viewers in their 40s and older to claim that Queen Jeong-Hee had beaten Hwaranjeon.

It was a petty trick, but somewhat effective.

When data like this came out, showing number one viewership ratings among older viewers, it could raise the ad rate for Queen Jeong-Hee above Hwaranjeon when targeting cosmetic or massage brands aimed at those age groups.

But I planned to win in every metric from now on from age, time slot, to everything else even if Bong Sook-Hee manipulated the viewership ratings.

"Phew. That's that. First, I need to eat."

I got up, bundled up in thick clothes, and headed downstairs.

Clunk.

When I opened the front door, Han Yoo-Sik was feeding Injeolmi and Baekseolgi with Yoo-Jin and Miso. In the kitchen, Han Yoo-Sik's wife, Lee Ah-Eun, and Jung In-Ji were cooking dried pollack soup together.

Han Yoo-Sik and Lee Ah-Eun were moving into a vacant house nearby in two days and staying here until then.

"Good morning, everyone."

Han Yoo-Sik greeted me with a smile. "Oh~ Chief Jung. You came in late last night. Should've slept in a bit more, huh?"

"I wish, but my eyes just popped open."

Just then, a delicious smell wafted from the kitchen.

"That dried pollack soup[1] smells amazing."

Jung In-Ji spoke warmly. "Of course it does. I heard you were running around in the pouring rain yesterday, so I made it for you. Eat up while it's hot."

Her kindness warmed me from the inside out.

"Thank you."

I took Miso's little hand as she scurried over, and we headed to the table.

While praising Miso for her role in last night's drama, I began eating the soup. Across from me, Miso scooped up a spoonful from a bowl bigger than her face and drank the broth.

Slurp.

Suddenly, Miso stuck out her tongue and fanned her mouth. "It's hot... Mom, I-I need w-water..."

I handed her a glass of cold water faster than Yoo-Jin could react.

Miso held the cup with both hands and gulped it down. "Ahh~ that's hot."

"You have to eat hot food slowly, Miso."

Miso stuck out her tongue again and made a relieved face. "But it tastes best when it's hot!"

'True enough.'

"Still, from now on, let it cool a little first, okay?"

"Okay!"

Miso took a deep breath and blew on the soup. Every time she puffed, her cheeks puffed out like little balloons, making her look like she had stuffed a ball in her mouth.

Everyone laughed at Miso's adorable antics.

After the cheerful breakfast, Han Yoo-Sik mentioned he had heard about Bong Sook-Hee's promotion to president. Since Oh Han-Guk, his ally, had lost the chance to become president, Han Yoo-Sik looked a bit disappointed.

Just then, a call came in on his phone from Oh Han-Guk.

-Sunbae-nim, can I see you right now? I'm in Cheonho-dong.

"This is about Bong Sook-Hee being named president, right?"

-So you've heard.

"Yes. Hmm, should we meet at Café K, where we went last time?"

-Yes. I'd like you to come right away. And could Chief Jung join us as well?

"Huh? Why Chief Jung?"

-CP Bong Sook-Hee seems to hold a grudge against Chief Jung Yoon-Ho.

The puzzled Han Yoo-Sik asked.

"Why would CP Bong have a grudge against Chief Jung?"

-Well... Ah, I'm at the café. Let's talk in person.

Click.

The call ended abruptly.

'He just cut off the conversation!'

I felt like running over and grabbing Oh Han-Guk by the collar.

At that moment, Han Yoo-Sik turned to me with a puzzled expression. "Chief Jung, did you ever do something to make CP Bong resent you?"

"No?"

Maybe I did before the regression, but since my return, I had never crossed paths with her directly. She had never made any offers to the stars in our Actor Division 4, and I had no interest in working with her because I knew she was manipulating viewership ratings.

"I think we better hear it directly. Let's head out."

"Yes, sir."

I immediately left with Han Yoo-Sik, heading to Café K in Cheonho-dong. If Bong Sook-Hee tried to stand in my way, I was determined to stop her from becoming KBC's president.

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.

1. Dried pollack soup ☜

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