Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 198: Haru VS Woo Sung-Chan (3)

Sizzle!

As Haru's hair came into contact with the cigarette that Woo Sung-Chan had pushed forward, acrid smoke billowed up.

The distance between the red cigarette ember and Haru's cheek was merely about 2 cm, close enough to cause a burn if Woo Sung-Chan intended.

Haru's voice began to tremble. "H-hyung... please don't do this."

Woo Sung-Chan cursed. "Shut the fuck up. That's why you need to make good decisions! You've got to protect this pretty face first, right?"

Haru struggled with all his might to move away from the glowing cigarette ember. However, he couldn't move at all because Woo Sung-Chan gripped his collar even tighter than before.

"Ugh!" Haru groaned as he continued to struggle.

"You bastard. Where do you think you're going? You need to answer me before you leave. Are you going to audition or not?"

Feeling terrified, Haru was about to scream. But he was afraid to scream recklessly as he did not know how Woo Sung-Chan’s anger might unleash itself.

‘Yoon-Ho... hyung.’ Haru thought of Jung Yoon-Ho without realizing it.

At that moment, tears welled up in Haru's eyes. He thought he wouldn't have to experience such things anymore after leaving his father and entering the entertainment industry. But he realized that the world was the same everywhere.

That's when Haru hardened his resolve.

Even if such situations repeated, he decided not to be crushed. Just as Jung Yoon-Ho had said, he had to abandon his weaker self to become a true actor.

Haru hardened his resolve. ‘I'll land a role no matter what happens.’

A newfound determination began to take hold in Haru despite his body trembling due to the cigarette light in front of his face.

‘This too will pass. This time will pass...’ Haru thought to himself.

Haru tightly shut his eyes and waited for the violence that was about to come.

At that moment, a loud metallic sound rang out as the rooftop door burst open.

Bang!

And soon after, Jung Yoon-Ho’s shout was heard. “You crazy bastard! How dare you touch my actor!?”

Haru’s eyes snapped open in surprise.

In the blink of an eye, Jung Yoon-Ho ran forward and kicked Woo Sung-Chan in the chest.

Thump!

Struck by Jung Yoon-Ho’s kick, Woo Sung-Chan let go of Haru’s collar and tumbled all the way to the edge of the rooftop.

Crash!

At that moment, Haru truly believed that there was a god in this world.

***

Woo Sung-Chan dropped the cigarette and crouched down after being kicked. “Ugh. That damn asshole.”

While Woo Sung-Chan clutched his stomach and cursed, I paid him no mind and checked on Haru.

Although I was out of breath, I was more concerned about whether Haru was hurt.

“Huff, huff. Haru, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” I asked.

Haru's widened eyes in surprise looked up at me for a moment, and he soon burst out laughing.

I was puzzled by Haru's reaction. “Why are you laughing? Huff, huff. Are you too shocked?”

Haru shook his head. “No, not really.”

Then, he asked with his usual expression, “How did you come here at this time, hyung?”

“What do you mean how? I came to pick up Sae-Ri and heard you were dragged up to the rooftop, so I ran here!”

When I met with Sae-Ri after lunch, one of Sae-Ri's classmates suddenly called, saying that a tall high school student had taken Haru away.

The moment I heard that, I told Sae-Ri to wait in the car and ran up to the school rooftop. As I opened the door to the rooftop, I saw Woo Sung-Chan about to burn Haru's face with a cigarette.

Without a second thought, I kicked Woo Sung-Chan away.

"By the way, Haru. Didn't I tell you to call me if something happens?" I asked.

"I'm sorry... I didn't have time," Haru apologized.

I looked him over and Haru was fortunately not injured at all.

"It's fine as long as you're not hurt."

I calmed the startled Haru once more and slowly turned around.

By then, Woo Sung-Chan had somehow gotten up and was glaring at me with fiery eyes.

"What the hell! A mere talent agent dares to hit an agency's actor?"

Woo Sung-Chan always looked down on talent agents as if he, being a celebrity, was superior just because he had appeared on TV a few times. He was utterly disrespectful, probably due to the company pampering him.

When I laughed as I found the situation absurd, Woo Sung-Chan was unable to contain his anger and he clenched his fist.

'Is he trying to fight me right now?' I wondered.

"Woo Sung-Chan. I really want to grind you down, but I'm barely holding back. So let's stop here. Don't cross the line," I warned him.

I was ready to make him meet both Buddha and Jesus if Haru had been injured. But thankfully, I was restraining myself as Haru was unharmed.

But Woo Sung-Chan failed to grasp the situation. "Damn it. You crossed the line first!"

Woo Sung-Chan swung his fist at me. He was well-versed in fighting judging by his stance.

I gently pushed Haru to the side and moved slightly toward the center of the rooftop. As I moved from where I had been, Woo Sung-Chan’s legs tangled as he tried to hit me. At the same time, his balance was thrown off and his fist sliced aimlessly through the air.

Swoosh!

I didn't miss the opportunity and kicked Woo Sung-Chan in the backside.

With the momentum of his run and my kick, Woo Sung-Chan helplessly tumbled forward.

"Ugh!" Woo Sung-Chan groaned.

Once again, Woo Sung-Chan rolled on the ground with his hair disheveled and his body dusty.

I looked at him and said, "That's enough. Let's end it here if you really don’t want to get hurt."

But Woo Sung-Chan got up abruptly and charged at me again. "You fucking bastard! Die! Just die!"

It seemed his judgment was clouded, perhaps due to an overflow of male hormones.

'After all, what deep thoughts could a high school delinquent have?' I remarked inwardly.

I decided to knock him out lightly to stop him from charging further. But just then, the rooftop door swung open.

"Woo Sung-Chan! What do you think you are doing?"

The person yelling furiously was Park Han-Young, the principal of Hanyoung Arts Junior High.

At that moment, Woo Sung-Chan flinched and stopped in his tracks.

Park Han-Young was the older brother of Park Doo-Sun, the principal of Hanyoung Arts High School, and also the second son of the President of Hanyoung Foundation.

That's when Woo Sung-Chan took a step back and shouted, "Ugh! I didn’t do anything!"

Woo Sung-Chan then turned around and ran toward the rooftop of Hanyoung Arts High School.

"T-that kid! You better come back this instant!" Park Han-Young shouted.

Indeed, it seemed only a teacher could handle a student.

Despite his fierce demeanor earlier, Woo Sung-Chan became like a mouse in front of a cat in the presence of his teacher.

Since the two buildings were attached, it wasn't difficult for Woo Sung-Chan to flee back to Hanyoung Arts High School and he disappeared somewhere quickly.

That was when Sae-Ri peeked around the back of Park Han-Young. "Yoon-Ho oppa, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

I couldn't help but laugh seeing Sae-Ri's eyes filled with concern.

'As if I'd be beaten by a kid like Woo Sung-Chan,' I thought to myself.

I could beat him with one arm tied behind my back and finish him in ten seconds.

But I wasn’t sure where to start explaining, especially since Park Han-Young approached me in a furious manner, having missed capturing Woo Sung-Chan.

"Ahem! Are you Team Lead Jung? Let's have a word," Park Han-Young said after clearing his throat.

I flinched involuntarily. "Um, well, sir. Here’s what happened..."

It seemed not only students got nervous in front of a teacher.

***

The irritated Woo Sung-Chan returned to class.

He had only intended to intimidate Haru a little, but Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho had unexpectedly shown up. He tried to pass it off as a joke, but Jung Yoon-Ho launched a kick without hesitation.

"That fucking bitch," cursed Woo Sung-Chan.

It had been years since Woo Sung-Chan had been hit by anyone. Having lost his mind over this fact, he was driven to attack. But Jung Yoon-Ho was so fast that Woo Sung-Chan couldn't land even a single blow.

Fuming, Woo Sung-Chan gasped for breath.

That's when Lee Se-Myung, who had just come back from lunch, sat next to him and asked, "Sung-Chan, what happened? You left without eating and now you look like you've been in a fight."

"Damn it. It's nothing," Woo Sung-Chan said dismissively.

"Every sentence from you ends with a curse, huh? Wait. Why is there so much dust on your clothes? Did you lose the fight? The great Woo Sung-Chan lost?" Lee Se-Myung asked teasingly.

Woo Sung-Chan frowned. "Just shut up. You're being annoying."

Lee Se-Myung exclaimed when he noticed the dust on Woo Sung-Chan's chest. "Wow~ Someone actually managed to land a kick on Sung-Chan?"

"Hey, will you shut the fuck up?"

As Woo Sung-Chan glared, Lee Se-Myung raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Alright, I'm sorry~ But seriously. What happened?"

"Actually..."

Woo Sung-Chan dusted off his chest and explained what had happened.

"What? You got hit by a talent agent?"

"Ah, whatever."

"Do you want me to handle it?"

Lee Se-Myung, who dreamed of becoming an action actor, was trained to a professional level in judo, jiu-jitsu, and boxing.

"We'll see. I'll tell you if I need your help. I’m outta here," Woo Sung-Chan replied.

"Hey, where are you going? Class is starting."

"I feel crappy. I’m gonna skip and go to the PC room."

"Hey, wait for me!"

Woo Sung-Chan grabbed his bag and got up. While the incident with Haru bothered him, it wasn’t a big concern. He thought that was something Ju Ho-Sung should handle. Rather, what he couldn't bear was the fact that he had been hit.

'How dare a mere talent agent mess with me? I won't let this pass,' Woo Sung-Chan thought to himself.

***

After enduring a lecture from the furious Park Han-Young, I was finally set free. It felt like I had regressed to my school days, but I was lucky to get off that lightly considering I had entered the school without permission and caused a violent incident.

In return for the reprimand, Park Han-Young promised to speak to the principal of Hanyoung Arts High School about Woo Sung-Chan's behavior and ensured he would receive a separate punishment.

When I mentioned that Haru might debut soon, he even promised to pay more attention. After all, the reputation of an arts junior high depended on how many celebrities it produced.

After what felt like a parental conference with benefits given and taken, I left the principal’s office with Sae-Ri and Haru. It felt awkward to leave school early on their first day, but Hong Ye-Ji, feeling sorry, allowed it.

As soon as I returned to the company, I handed Sae-Ri and Haru over to Do Ran-Hee. I instructed her to check if Haru was hurt anywhere and to take Sae-Ri to the hospital.

Then I gathered Team Jung and informed them about what had happened at the school. Knowing Haru's difficult past, the team members reacted to the school incident as if it were their own problem.

"Sang-Bong," I called out.

Jung Sang-Bong nodded. "Yes, Mr. Jung."

"You’ll have to work hard for a while. Take care of Haru for the time being."

"Understood, sir."

"And Yung-Jin."

Lee Yung-Jin looked up. "Yes, Mr. Jung."

"We must win this audition no matter what. Understand?"

"Would be redundant to say more."

The most psychologically damaging thing for an actor was to have a confirmed role taken away. But I wasn't planning to stop there.

After the meeting, I stood up and said, "I’m going to see Mr. Gu."

"For what reason?"

"To tell on Woo Sung-Chan!"

I had to act preemptively since Woo Sung-Chan might try to make excuses and claim he was treated unfairly.

***

In the 6th-floor meeting room of Hoop Entertainment, a tense meeting was underway to address the violent incident that occurred between Woo Sung-Chan of Actor Division 3 and Lee Haru of Actor Division 2.

The talent agents from each division were raising their voices and sparks flew as they glared at each other, creating an almost palpable tension as if fists might start flying at any moment.

Gu Seong-Cheol couldn't contain his anger and shouted. "Kim Dong-Soo, you jerk! Is this how you manage your actor? Calling a hoobae to the school rooftop to burn him with a cigarette? Do you want to see the company close down from rumors?"

But Kim Dong-Soo maintained his calm composure and resorted to a strategy of denial. "Seriously. How many times do I have to say it might be a misunderstanding? You can't just accuse us like this."

"Misunderstanding? Did you just say it was a misunderstanding?" Gu Seong-Cheol asked in disbelief.

"Yes. It's not right to act so recklessly based only on Team Lead Jung's testimony," Kim Dong-Soo reasoned.

"Are you saying Team Lead Jung is lying?" Gu Seong-Cheol questioned.

At that moment, Kang Ji-Yung raised her hand and intervened to stop the argument. "Team Lead Jung. Do you have any solid evidence?"

"I apologize. I didn't have time to gather evidence because I was busy stopping the cigarette from burning Haru's face."

Having a video recording would have been ideal. However, the situation had not allowed for it, especially since it was almost a close call with Haru potentially suffering burns on his face.

But that was okay since I didn't intend to take Woo Sung-Chan down with this case alone. Today's meeting was merely a preliminary skirmish, a set-up for a larger battle.

I had a real trump card up my sleeve.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: October 10, 2020]

-05:30 p.m. Actor Division 3 emergency meeting. (Response to the article about Woo Sung-Chan's school violence.)

Even as our meeting dragged on at this moment, the victims of Woo Sung-Chan's bullying were recording all the violence they had suffered and preparing to deliver a decisive blow.

I planned to gather those recordings myself and blow the whistle for them.

That's when I started recalling the addresses of seven victims with the most abused among them being Lee Si-Yoon.

These were the addresses I had visited in my past life under Kim Dong-Soo's orders, to cover up incidents of school violence involving Woo Sung-Chan.