Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 268: Return (2)

Everyone was startled when Kang Gam-Chan, who was officially supposed to return to the company in September, suddenly appeared in the meeting room.

His tanned skin, dark sunglasses, and floral T-shirt made it obvious that he had just returned from a summer vacation.

"H-how did you get here, Mr. Kang?"

"Mr. Kang! Welcome back!"

Everyone welcomed Kang Gam-Chan except for Lee Gi-Cheol and Kim Dong-Soo.

Kang Gam-Chan smiled as he took off his sunglasses. "I appreciate the warm welcome, but let's save the greetings for later. Why don't we handle the urgent matters first."

Kang Gam-Chan ignored the dazed Lee Gi-Cheol and approached Sung Ho-Jun.

"Ho-Jun, it's been a while."

"You look much better, Mr. Kang."

They were speaking comfortably in casual speech as if they were familiar with each other from before.

"Yes, I had a nice long vacation. But more importantly, I'm grateful that you joined our company. I'll make sure you get what you want."

Sung Ho-Jun stared intently. "Then will Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho manage me?"

Kang Gam-Chan nodded. "Sure. But even then, he can't be your exclusive talent manager as the actors and singers under Team Jung are all in their crucial periods right now."

After contemplating for a moment, Sung Ho-Jun asked again, "What if I ask for Team Lead Jung to be exclusively assigned to me?"

This wasn't part of the agreement I made with Sung Ho-Jun. I had clearly told him that it was not an option for me to manage him exclusively. Instead, I promised to deliver the best results like with the other actors I managed.

Kang Gam-Chan remained calm despite Sung Ho-Jun's insistence. "Then what about your brother? Wasn't he working exclusively for you?"

"Yung-Jun can be reassigned to road management."

"Hmm, is that so?"

When Sung Ho-Jun maintained his firm gaze without backing down, Kang Gam-Chan shrugged.

"Then I guess I'm left with no choice. I can't hinder a successful actor's path, can I? I'll terminate your contract without a penalty."

Kang Gam-Chan wasn't someone who played tricks. In other words, he was truly ready to let go of this top-tier actor.

Looking at Kang Gam-Chan's unwavering expression, Sung Ho-Jun also kept his mouth shut. The two had a brief stare-down for a moment, but Sung Ho-Jun eventually sighed and stepped back.

"I can see that you really mean it."

"You know me well enough, Ho-Jun. Have you ever seen me bluff before?"

Sung Ho-Jun raised both hands in surrender. "I can never beat you when it comes to making deals. Alright, I admit my defeat. I'll accept shared talent management along with the other actors. All I want is just help with choosing projects."

Only then did Kang Gam-Chan's stern face break into a broad smile. "You made a good decision. I look forward to working with you."

"Yes, sir."

When Kang Gam-Chan extended his hand with a smile, Sung Ho-Jun firmly grasped it.

At that moment, Lee Gi-Cheol interrupted the conversation.

"M-Mr. Kang, I welcome your early return from vacation, but you can't make such decisions about Mr. Sung Ho-Jun's treatment unilaterally like this! After all, Mr. Sung Ho-Jun was brought in by Chief Kim!"

Kang Gam-Chan finally looked at Lee Gi-Cheol for the first time after walking into the meeting room. "Unilateral, you say?"

"Yes! Someone on vacation suddenly coming in and making such crucial decisions is just..."

Kang Gam-Chan chuckled. "That vacation just ended. How could I possibly relax with the company in such a mess?"

Lee Gi-Cheol frowned. "Mess? That's a bit harsh to say!"

Kang Gam-Chan let go of Sung Ho-Jun's hand and walked toward Lee Gi-Cheol.

"Lee Gi-Cheol. Was it you or Chief Kim who brought in trash like Park Hee-Tae and Choi Seong-Lak?"

Lee Gi-Cheol, who had been confronting him aggressively until just now, took a step back. "N-no. That's not what I meant to say..."

"What do you mean it's not? If you, who have the company's approval authority on my behalf, don't know, who would? How many times have I told you to be careful when bringing in actors?" Kang Gam-Chan reprimanded him.

Faced with this harsh reprimand, Lee Gi-Cheol closed his mouth.

Kang Gam-Chan didn't stop at only targeting Lee Gi-Cheol.

He yelled, "Chief Kim!"

Kim Dong-Soo straightened up and replied quickly, "Yes, sir!"

"I won't say more about the way you handle things, but what is this? You are not the kind of person to work so messily, are you? Do it like before when you used to work precisely without mistakes!"

Kim Dong-Soo lengthened his words. "Mr. Kang, it's not that..."

"That's enough!"

Kang Gam-Chan cut off Kim Dong-Soo and then looked at me this time.

"Team Lead Jung! Ho-Jun is furious because he couldn't get Director Lee Han-Soo's next project. Do you have an alternative plan?"

To show that Sung Ho-Jun's choice was correct, I mentioned a prepared project for him.

"I was thinking of recommending the lead role in Director Song Hak-Seung's Just By Chance, Kim Cheol-Soo!"

Kang Gam-Chan tilted his head in curiosity. "Song Hak-Seung?"

Everyone tilted their heads as the name was unfamiliar.

"I've never heard of him. Who is he?"

"Who is Song Hak-Seung?"

Kang Gam-Chan looked at Sung Ho-Jun. Sung Ho-Jun seemed clueless as well.

'Of course no one knows who he is. He is an assistant director who hasn't debuted as a director yet,' I thought.

[Everyday V10.1]

[Date: March 10, 2021]

-10:00 p.m. Director Song Hak-Seung's Just By Chance, Kim Cheol-Soo! Audience count: 4.35 million.

Just By Chance, Kim Cheol-Soo! was an action-comedy film written and directed by Song Hak-Seung that would be released at the end of January.

The story starts with the main character, Kim Cheol-Soo, who wanted to live an easy life. However, he accidentally catches a criminal who turns out to be a notorious felon with eleven previous convictions.

With no prior knowledge but armed with physical strength alone, Kim Cheol-Soo was specially recruited into the police force and excelled in every task. Whenever he caught a perpetrator, they turned out to be a heinous criminal, and whenever he helped kids, they turned out to be missing children.

It was a lighthearted, cheerful film, perfect for unwinding without any deep thoughts. It was released in 300 theaters without much expectation initially, but subsequently gained popularity through word of mouth and eventually expanded to 1,500 theaters in my past life.

If it had received proper publicity from the start, it would have easily attracted six million viewers instead of four million.

I recommended this project to Sung Ho-Jun, as the original lead actor Han Sung-Woo would suddenly rise to stardom but soon retire due to a drunk assault.

But everyone seemed confused as they were unaware of this.

"Team Lead Jung, I think you need to explain a bit more," Kang Gam-Chan said.

Listening to Kang Gam-Chan's words, I sent the script which had been circulating among production companies through KkTalk.

"It's a light-hearted story that's easy to watch and provides an escape from the frustrating reality. Plus, I considered the fact that Mr. Ho-Jun excels in comedy acting."

The staff quickly read the script as soon as they received my message. Soon, I heard chuckles erupt from here and there.

Sung Ho-Jun was no exception.

I continued, "Although he's a new director, he has been an ace while working under directors Bong Jun-Woo and Na Hong-Gi for ten years. He also wrote the script himself. With both experience and talent, all the movie needs is celebrity power and a budget to succeed."

Kang Gam-Chan nodded. "A so-called experienced newcomer, I see. And having Sung Ho-Jun can compensate for the director's lack of a strong career... Not bad."

I nodded. "Yes, I expect it to perform much better than Divine Punishment."

Kang Gam-Chan looked at Sung Ho-Jun. "What do you think, Ho-Jun?"

Sung Ho-Jun read the script on his phone and nodded. "The script is exceptionally well-written. I'm satisfied."

Kang Gam-Chan looked around with Sung Ho-Jun's approval.

"I give the script a passing grade based on the fact that it satisfied Ho-Jun. What do you all think?"

The first to respond to Kang Gam-Chan was not Gu Seong-Cheol but Bang Sang-Yung.

"It's certainly interesting. Honestly, I'd have higher expectations if I didn't know who the director was."

Bang Sang-Yung then looked at me. "Can't we just buy the script from this director and assign it to a famous director from the production company?"

I shook my head. "Director Song Hak-Seung dreams of being a director. He won't sell the script."

"Is that so? That's a pity. Anyway, I think this script will do well. I support it."

Bang Sang-Yung's eye for choosing projects was top-notch in the industry. Following his agreement, everyone began to murmur their support.

Then Kang Gam-Chan looked at Kim Dong-Soo. "Chief Kim, do you have any complaints?"

Knowing excuses wouldn’t work, Kim Dong-Soo bowed his head. "No... I'm sorry."

Kang Gam-Chan looked around while motioning for Kim Dong-Soo to raise his head. "Team Lead Jung will take care of Ho-Jun. Any questions?"

There were no questions.

Kang Gam-Chan turned to Sung Ho-Jun. "Then Ho-Jun, I'll have the legal division prepare your contract by tomorrow and come to your house. You haven't moved, have you?"

"Nope, I'm still at the same place. Come after lunch, I wake up late these days. Then I'll take my leave now."

"Alright."

Sung Ho-Jun greeted the team leads and left the meeting room.

Kang Gam-Chan took his seat at the head of the table and started the meeting. When Kang Ji-Yung briefly reported what the meeting had been about, Kang Gam-Chan nodded and responded.

"As Team Lead Jung said, wait until Hoop Entertainment's name comes out. Why would you jump into a burning house with a bomb? No matter how urgent it is, think before you act!"

Kim Dong-Soo and Ju Ho-Sung's faces turned red, having suggested immediate action earlier.

"And Team Lead Kwak!"

"Yes, Mr. Kang."

"Immediately send a notice to those two guys. Make sure to bold the breach of contract clauses."

"Understood."

As Kang Gam-Chan's firm instructions continued, the team leads and talent agents began to feel relieved.

"That's it then. Everyone below the chief level, go back to your work. I'll handle the rest, so don't worry."

"Yes, sir."

The moment Kang Gam-Chan returned, the shaky Hoop Entertainment began to stand upright again.

***

While I was handling some tasks in the office, Kang Gam-Chan called me to his office.

As I entered, Kang Gam-Chan and Kang Ji-Yung welcomed me with a pleased smile.

"I see you've been shaking up the company quite a bit, Yoon-Ho," Kang Gam-Chan said with a smile.

I scratched my head and replied, "Not at all, Mr. Kang."

"Oh, come on. You even managed to silence Kim Dong-Soo, huh? Anyway, when did you start preparing for Mr. Sung Ho-Jun's next project?"

"Ever since Mr. Sung Ho-Jun said he would join Divine Punishment, sir."

It had actually been from the beginning, but I chose an appropriate timing instead to avoid any suspicions.

"I knew you would have a plan, so I pushed a bit hard. I thought there would be complaints if Sung Ho-Jun was just assigned to your team. You understand, right?"

His warm tone touched my heart. If Sung Ho-Jun had been assigned to me without reason, the backlash would have been worse. Kang Gam-Chan trusted me, which was why he pushed so hard at the meeting.

Thanks to my preparation, there was now a clear reason to bring Sung Ho-Jun to Actor Division 2.

Kang Gam-Chan praised me. "Well done. Really."

"Thank you, Mr. Kang."

"Ha ha ha. Come to think of it, you're already a team lead."

"Yes, it turned out that way."

Kang Gam-Chan looked emotional. However, I couldn't help but notice how thin Kang Gam-Chan's arms had become.

"Are you fully recovered now?" I asked with concern.

When Kang Gam-Chan raised both arms, his thin floral shirt fluttered.

"I think I'm healed, but rehabilitation has been tough. It seems like full recovery will take some time."

"Oh...I see."

Then Kang Gam-Chan quickly added, "But don't you worry. The doctor said I can work about six hours a day."

My heart felt heavy when I realized the reason Kang Gam-Chan had returned to the company so quickly.

'He came back because he was worried about Kang Ji-Yung and me.'

Kang Gam-Chan's deep tan was to cover his pale skin, and he dressed as if he had just returned from a trip for a purpose.

I wondered if I could have done more to let Kang Gam-Chan rest longer. Feeling sorry, I bowed my head.

Kang Gam-Chan read my mind and laughed heartily. "Hey, lift your head. There's no way you could have done better."

As I slowly raised my head, Kang Gam-Chan smiled warmly. "I came back early because I'm impatient, not because I don't trust you."

Kang Gam-Chan said that from now on, he would leave the work to Kang Ji-Yung and me so he could adhere to regular working hours.

"I'm going to enjoy some work-life balance, so please continue to work hard in my place, Director Kang."

"Yes, please do," Kang Ji-Yung replied.

After finishing the conversation, Kang Gam-Chan fixed his expression and called my name. "Yoon-Ho."

His calm gaze and low voice made me straighten my posture and respond.

"Yes, Mr. Kang."

"That Dong-Soo guy. Are you planning to push him out of the company completely?"

My heart started racing wildly as he saw right through me.

'How should I answer?' I wondered.

I had no idea how to explain that a team lead with just two years experience was thinking of ousting another chief from the company.

I thought about evading the question, but Kang Gam-Chan's eyes were sharp, clearly expecting a proper answer.