Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 202: In the Name of God Crank In (1)

'What do I think about her?'

Caught off guard by Yoo-Jin's sudden question, I was momentarily speechless.

I had lived for Yoo-Jin after traveling back in time. But that was because I was her talent agent, not because I harbored any other feelings. And even if I did have such feelings, I had no intention of revealing them nor should I.

I was her talent agent, after all.

I suppressed my confusion and cautiously began to speak to Yoo-Jin. "Yoo-Jin, I..."

At that moment, Yoo-Jin suddenly looked shocked and waved her hands frantically.

"I-I must be out of my mind! What, what am I saying...That's not what I meant to say! I mean, as an actress, what do you think of me? Uh, so, what do you think of actress Jung Yoo-Jin? Do you think I can do well tomorrow? Tomorrow's the first time I’m showing everyone Manshin Wol-Ah."

Yoo-Jin was so flustered that she rattled off her words like she was rapping.

I finally understood her words. 'Ah, so that's what she meant?'

She was asking for an assessment of herself as an actress.

My tension suddenly eased.

"You're asking me what I think of you as an actress?" I asked.

Yoo-Jin clapped her hands, clearly relieved to clarify. "Yes! That!"

Especially since she had to portray two entirely different characters this time, she felt a great burden.

I looked her in the eyes and tried to dispel her anxiety. "I can confidently say that you're better than any other actress your age."

"Really?"

"Of course. And if you ever feel uncertain, ask me anytime. I’ll answer a hundred and a thousand times," I replied with a smile.

When I assured her confidently, Yoo-Jin let out a long sigh. "Phew~ I feel a bit relieved hearing that."

A smile began to form on Yoo-Jin's face. "Then I'll go to bed now."

"Alright."

But her steps were a bit off as she walked upstairs. She staggered slightly like someone who had had a bit too much to drink.

"Just a moment, Yoo-Jin."

"Yes?"

Yoo-Jin held onto the railing and turned around.

"You didn’t happen to drink some baijiu earlier, did you?"

Yoo-Jin covered her mouth. "Gasp!"

That explained why her face was so red.

"No, no. I had just one sip! Only one sip!"

She protested as if wronged, so I raised my fist jokingly. "Just one sip?"

At that moment, Yoo-Jin quickly sprinted away and shouted. "I’m sorry! I had two sips!"

She hurried up the stairs and wobbled as she went.

I couldn’t help but smile watching her. "Take it easy going up. You might fall!"

"Okay! Good night, oppa!"

Even in these moments, my concern for Yoo-Jin proved that I truly was born to be a talent agent.

After sending Yoo-Jin upstairs, I stood in the yard and looked up at the house. With the company’s help, I had moved from a cramped one-room apartment to a house with three rooms. And now, almost 100 million won sat in my bank account which accumulated naturally from my unspent salary and bonuses.

"You've come a long way, Jung Yoon-Ho," I said proudly to myself.

Though it was my second chance at life after returning, I was growing faster than I had ever imagined.

It would take about two to two and a half years until Hoop Entertainment went public. From now on, I planned to gradually invest in the stocks of rapidly growing companies. That way, I could enter the battle for shares in Hoop Entertainment with even more money.

"Let's keep it this way," I told myself.

As I took a deep breath to steady my resolve, I felt the thick air of Seoul's night sky.

It seemed like I could taste the gritty sand even though it was a day without fine dust. But that also made me feel alive.

Suppressing my excitement, I headed toward my warm home.

'When will they install the air conditioner...?' I wondered.

It was midsummer and the installation date for the air conditioner had been postponed.

Because of that, it felt like I was starting to sweat just from climbing the stairs to the third floor.

***

As soon as we arrived at the shooting site in Yangpyeong in Gyeonggi Province for In the Name of God, the staff were busy putting up the unfinished sets.

"Engineers! You must stop construction during filming," yelled Cha Soo-Yeon, the production chief from the external production company Blue Dragon. She was in charge of the shoot as the production PD.

The staff replied, "Yes, Ms. Cha."

When I got out of the car with Yoo-Jin and Miso, I noticed Kim Sung-Woon setting up the ritual table in a serious manner.

"Mr. Jo, the pig's head is a bit tilted," Kim Sung-Woon commented.

"Ah, yes. Is this okay?"

Kim Sung-Woon frowned. "Hmm. I don’t really like it... Just a moment. I'll do it myself."

Surprisingly, many people were superstitious in this industry and Kim Sung-Woon was one of them.

Kim Sung-Woon adjusted the angle of the pig's head for quite some time with a serious expression.

We waited until he finished before we greeted him. "Hello, Mr. Kim!"

Kim Sung-Woon turned around and brightened up in an instant.

"Welcome, everyone. And Miss Yoo-Jin, are you well prepared for today?"

Yoo-Jin nodded at Kim Sung-Woon’s double-meaning remark. After all, what he was asking was if she was ready to take on the dual role of Manshin Wol-Ah. "Of course. Don’t worry."

Thanks to the confidence I had instilled in her yesterday, Yoo-Jin's voice was filled with strength.

Kim Sung-Woon nodded in satisfaction. He then greeted Miso and made eye contact.

"Miso, are you confident about shooting today?"

"Yes, I am!" Miso exclaimed.

"Good. See you later then."

At that moment, Miso hesitated and pointed to the ritual table. "Mr. Kim! Can I also bow there?"

"Sure~. Miso is part of our cast too."

"Wow! Really?"

"Of course. I'll see you in a bit. Okay?"

"Okay!"

Kim Sung-Woon said he was busy and headed back to the ritual table.

This time, it was because the pollack placed on the table was tilted.

***

As the ritual preparation dragged on, Miso fell asleep in the car while waiting.

Worried that Miso might wake up, I stepped outside with Yoo-Jin to talk about today's shooting. But while we were talking, Ju Yung-In spotted us and strode over.

Yoo-Jin bowed her head as soon as she saw Ju Yung-In. "Hello, sunbae-nim."

"Ah, what's this again? We agreed to be friends, so why do you keep bowing? And why the formal speech?" Ju Yung-In replied.

Looking around nervously, Yoo-Jin replied in a low voice. "You are still a sunbae no matter what. We need to be careful in places with many people watching."

There were a few warnings I said repeatedly that had stuck in Yoo-Jin’s ears. One was that regardless of the intention, the public would take the image captured on camera as the truth. Because of that, Yoo-Jin was careful about even the smallest actions and words.

Ju Yung-In laughed and appreciated Yoo-Jin's careful demeanor. "Wow~ Yoo-Jin, you have really become a celebrity now, haven't you?"

When Yoo-Jin shrugged her shoulders, Ju Yung-In turned to look at me and said, "Did you teach her this, oppa?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You know, how to protect herself. Acting is a natural talent but managing relationships certainly isn't. Right?"

I decided to play dumb. "Well, she's so smart on her own that there's not much for me to teach."

"Then that's settled. But can't you do something about that stiff way of speaking? You're not a celebrity, so it's okay for you to speak to me more casually."

Ju Yung-In expressed her displeasure at my consistently formal tone.

"I prefer to keep things formal," I replied in a serious tone.

Ju Yung-In pouted. "Sigh, fine. I get it. By the way, will the sunbae-nim taking the role of Manshin Wol-Ah be on set today?"

I nodded. "Yes. I will personally go and fetch her later."

"I can't wait to meet her. Who could she be, hiding away so mysteriously...?" Ju Yung-In wondered.

Ju Yung-In continued to show a keen interest in the actress Jin Yoo-Jung, who would perform the role of Manshin Wol-Ah.

Shortly afterward, the call from Cha Soo-Yeon came. "Alright~. Let's start the ritual! Everyone gather around!"

Ju Yung-In quickly urged Yoo-Jin. "Let's go."

Yoo-Jin replied, "You go ahead. I'll wake up Miso and bring her."

"Oh, right. Sorry. See you later then," said Ju Yung-In as she left with a disappointed expression.

I contemplated leaving Miso sleeping in the car but remembered she had insisted on attending the ritual, so I headed back to the van.

I gently spoke to the sleeping Miso. "Miso?"

"Uh... Yes." Miso responded but couldn't open her eyes.

"Miso, do you want to go eat some gamjatang?"

Miso's eyes snapped open. "Yes! Grandma's gamjatang!"

Miso looked around her surroundings.

"Huh? Oh. Did I fall asleep?"

"Are you awake now?"

Miso rubbed her eyes and nodded. "Yes."

"You said you really wanted to attend the ritual, right? It's about to start."

"Really?" exclaimed the excited Miso who grabbed my hand and climbed out of the car.

Then Yoo-Jin took Miso from me. "Oppa, I'll be going now."

"See you later, Uncle Yoon-Ho!"

"Okay. Take care."

With Yoo-Jin and Miso's arrival, Kim Myung-Hak and Kim Sung-Woon began the ritual. Lee Ji-Yeon and Kim Soo-Hee watched the scene with delight, and reporters also attended to offer their congratulations.

After making her bow, Miso placed 3 thousand won in the pig's mouth and completed another bow.

Shortly after, the actors' interviews followed the ritual.

The reporters focused their flashes on the rivalry between Ju Yung-In and Yoo-Jin while somewhat sidelining the male lead, Park Nam-Cheol.

After the actors' interviews, Kim Sung-Woon took the microphone. "We'll go straight into shooting the scenes with the child actors after the intro shoot. Parents, please make sure your children are prepared."

Kim Sung-Woon finished his remarks and sat in the director's chair.

And at that moment, In the Name of God finally began filming.

Watching the busy set, I too began my preparations because it was time for Yoo-Jin to transform into Manshin Wol-Ah.

I turned to Yoo-Jin and said, "Yoo-Jin, let's go."

Yoo-Jin nodded.

As we were about to leave, Miso, who was waiting for her shoot, looked puzzled.

"Uncle Yoon-Ho, where are you and Mom going?"

"Oh, Mom has a quick schedule nearby. We'll go home together later, so don't worry."

Miso nodded. "Okay! Bye~!"

Leaving Miso waving at us with Jung Sang-Bong, we sneaked out of the set while avoiding people's gazes.

***

We parked about 2 km away from the set in a residential area, and Yang So-Ri started the special makeup.

She put a mask and a wig on Yoo-Jin, completing the makeup and cosmetics.

At that moment, 24-year-old Yoo-Jin was perfectly transformed into an old woman.

Her skin was filled with wrinkles and her hair was completely white. Dressed in a white mourning gown, Yoo-Jin’s appearance was the perfect Manshin Wol-Ah.

“How do I look?” Yoo-Jin asked.

“I wouldn’t recognize you if we crossed paths on the street. Really,” I replied.

Only after hearing my response did Yoo-Jin finally look pleased with her appearance.

Meanwhile, Yang So-Ri advised us after finishing the makeup, “Mr. Jung, please spray some face mist on her every now and then. It will make it look like she’s sweating.”

I nodded. “Okay, Ms. Yang.”

I turned to Yoo-Jin, who had finished her transformation and asked, “Ready to go?”

“Hold on, oppa. There’s one last thing I need to prepare.”

“What’s left to prepare?”

“I’ve also created a character for Jin Yoo-Jung. I’ll show you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I thought about it and realized I needed to act out Jin Yoo-Jung as well to play the role of Manshin Wol-Ah.”

“Alright, let’s see it.”

At that moment, Yoo-Jin took a deep breath. After a brief silence, Yoo-Jin slowly began speaking.

“My name is Jin Yoo-Jung, and I'm playing the role of Manshin Wol-Ah. I look forward to working with you, Team Lead Jung~.”

She sounded like Lee Ji-Yeon might in about 20 years. Her tone was sharp, high-pitched, and confident.

Yoo-Jin as Jin Yoo-Jung smiled at me.

I thought she would be ordinary since Jin Yoo-Jung was a hastily created character, but Yoo-Jin's acting shattered my expectations at once.

“Yoo-Yoo-Jin. How...how did you...” I stuttered.

Suddenly, Jin Yoo-Jung, played by Yoo-Jin, slightly furrowed her brow. The mask was so detailed that the wrinkles moved with her expressions.

“Maybe you should also be careful about what you say. Don’t you think, Team Lead Jung?”

I was completely taken aback by Yoo-Jin’s portrayal of Jin Yoo-Jung.

It was like she was performing triple roles: playing Manshin Wol-Ah, and now also creating an on-set character, Jin Yoo-Jung.

I tried my best to contain my excitement and asked. “But have you received permission from Ms. Lee Ji-Yeon for this character?”

To match Yoo-Jin who was still in character as Jin Yoo-Jung, I began using honorifics.

Yoo-Jin, dressed in her white mourning gown, spread her arms. “Of course~. How does it look? Good?”

“It suits you well, ma'am.”

Yoo-Jin smiled as she was pleased with my assessment.

But something seemed missing.

‘Not just the voice and acting, but it would be great if there was a distinct difference in appearance between Manshin Wol-Ah and Jin Yoo-Jung... How should we do it?’ I wondered.

Then an idea suddenly sparked in my mind.

“Just a moment, ma'am.”

I began giving Yang So-Ri several instructions to further define the character of Jin Yoo-Jung.