Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 139: Contract (2)

"Miso, your mom got it wrong. I'm in charge of all the contracts in this company and I'll let you sign. Will you sign right here for me, Miso?"

As Kwak Moo-Hyuk pointed to the blank space in the contract, Miso beamed a smile.

"Really?" Miso asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Of course~! Now, sign right over here. Make it big. That's how you become a celebrity of our company," Kwak Moo-Hyuk replied.

"Okay!" Miso exclaimed happily.

It turned out there was another fan of Miso besides Gu Seong-Cheol.

Kwak Moo-Hyuk pointed to a large blank space below the guardian section of the contract. "Can you write your name clearly here, Miso?"

"Yes!"

Miso started to write her name carefully with her pen. "Jung~Mi~So. All done!"

Miso wiped her forehead with a satisfied expression after writing her name in large handwriting as if she had just completed a difficult task.

At that moment, Kwak Moo-Hyuk presented two more contracts with a smile on his face. One was for company records and the other for notarization.

"Miso, we need two more signatures. Here and here."

"Two more?"

"Well, signing usually involves a total of three documents."

"Okay! Then I'll write my name even better this time!" Miso responded as she nodded and wrote her name again in large letters with her pen with a cute design.

In the meantime, I filmed the whole process on video. "After all, it marked Miso's historic debut moment as a celebrity."

After signing all the documents, Miso asked cautiously, "So am I a celebrity now?"

"Yes. You are now a celebrity, Miso. The only child actress in our company!"

"Yay! I'm so excited!"

Miso raised both her arms high and began boasting to Yoo-Jin.

"Mom, take a picture of me! I want to show it to my friends at school!"

"Okay, just a moment."

As Yoo-Jin took out her phone, Miso made a peace sign with her right hand and placed it next to her ear.

Everyone including Kang Ji-Yung couldn't help but smile at her cute winking.

Snap!

After the photo was taken, Miso asked to frame the contract so she wouldn't lose it.

"Alright, then. Miso, would you like to take a tour of the company with Mr. Taekwon?"

"Yes!"

Miso left the director's office in high spirits.

Only then did Kang Ji-Yung put away her smile and started talking about the custody trial for Miso.

"Now, let's get to the main point."

***

Kwak Moo-Hyuk laid out the documents on the table, explaining he had investigated Jung Hak-Jae. It seemed their previous threats and comments were all a bluff.

"Yoo-Jin's uncle, No—this Jung Hak-Jae guy. He's already appointed a lawyer."

"From where?"

"From JungSung Law Firm."

JungSung was the law firm at which Jung Yung-Seok and Sung Moon-Sang were representative lawyers. The lawyers at JungSung were all very capable and among them were many former officials too.

It looked like filing a suit against Jung Hak-Je was going to be a tough fight.

"And he also established an entertainment company a week ago called Miso Planning."

Everyone in the director's office frowned.

Perhaps because she was so tense, Yoo-Jin was tightly holding onto the end of my suit jacket.

"Don't worry. There's no way we'd lose Miso's custody."

When I held Yoo-Jin's hand to comfort her, she flinched and came back to her senses.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize..."

Realizing she had been crumpling my suit, she apologized with a troubled expression.

"What are you sorry for? This is a wrinkle-free suit. It won't crease at all."

"Oh, it's wrinkle-free?"

I reassured Yoo-Jin and boasted about this miraculous invention by the fabric industry to lighten the atmosphere.

Anyway, I had previously navigated a child actor's custody battle in my past life, and naturally, it ended in my victory.

"Ms. Kang, you know that a family investigator appears during custody trials, right?"

"Is that so?"

When Kang Ji-Yung shrugged as if hearing it for the first time, Kwak Moo-Hyuk answered instead.

"Wait. How do you know all that, Assistant Manager Jung?"

"I did some research in advance. Anyway, it would be good to start paying wages to Yoo-Jin's landlord in preparation for the investigation."

The outcome of a custody battle was significantly influenced by the child's living environment. It included whether the child could grow up in a stable situation and also the custodian's financial situation, among other factors.

Those who judged these factors were the family investigators appointed by the court.

Kang Ji-Yung tilted her head with a puzzled expression. "Wages? Do you mean to employ her as a staff member?"

"Yes. Helping occasionally and having a formal contract is very different. Since she's already taking care of Miso, it would be killing two birds with one stone to employ her at this time. We can prepare the legal documents and she can get compensated. The expenses could be under Yoo-Jin's name, right?"

Kwak Moo-Hyuk nodded, seeing the point. "Assistant Manager Jung is right. That would be quite advantageous for the trial."

Kang Ji-Yung smiled broadly. "Wow, no one can match Assistant Manager Jung in taking care of our actors, huh?"

I scratched my head with an awkward expression. Then, I took this opportunity to make a somewhat audacious request.

"Also, Ms. Kang, could we possibly advance Yoo-Jin's settlement for this year? The first settlement amount has come in, but having a higher balance in the account could be advantageous for the lawsuit."

Kang Ji-Yung made a dumbfounded expression and laughed incredulously. "Wow. You're incredible, Assistant Manager Jung. Can't you just be my talent agent too? It feels like everything would be solved if I leave it to you."

Kwak Moo-Hyuk also raised both his hands in surrender. "Ha ha ha. It seems like this guy here is the right person for trial preparation, not me."

Their teasing almost made me break out in cold sweat.

With Kang Ji-Yung's decision, we reviewed our final plan and braced ourselves.

***

[(Exclusive) Hoop Entertainment, the rookie child actor Jung Miso is selected.]

-Hoop Entertainment, following their actress Jung Yoo-Jin, has signed a three-year contract with her daughter, Jung Miso. Jung Miso, who had turned down numerous requests for joint appearances in commercials, is now emerging as a new blue-chip in the advertising world with this contract...

"What, what is this about all of a sudden!?"

Upon seeing the article, Team Lead Ju Ho-Sung from Actor Division 1 hurriedly arranged a meeting with Park In-Ki from Actor Division 2.

The plan to transfer Miso's custody to Jung Hak-Jae, Yoo-Jin's uncle, and ultimately take Yoo-Jin away as well, seemed to have met with some obstacles. Even if they were to win the custody battle, they might have to engage in a long and tedious lawsuit to nullify Miso's contract with Hoop Entertainment.

"Why did Team Lead Park omit such crucial information and only pass on irrelevant details after all the money I spent on buying him drinks?"

Waiting at a pub in front of the company, Ju Ho-Sung repeatedly scanned the article.

About ten minutes later, Park In-Ki lifted the red curtain at the entrance of the pub and walked in.

Ju Ho-Sung quickly changed his expression and waved at Park In-Ki.

"Over here, Mr. Park."

"Hey."

Greeted by Ju Ho-Sung, Park In-Ki sat down across with a stern expression.

The anxious Ju Ho-Sung skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"What happened? I heard that Actor Division 2 recruited Miso."

"Yeah. So?" Park In-Ki responded with nonchalance.

"Didn't you promise to inform me first if you had such information? Don't tell me you just came to enjoy my drinks and keep quiet..."

Park In-Ki gave a cold smile. "I came to see you as quickly as possible because you said there was a good offer. But it seems that's the main point, huh? Did you call me here just to argue about that?"

Ju Ho-Sung also frowned. "There has to be give and take."

"Are you crazy? Did I make any promises?"

"Excuse me?"

"Does buying drinks count as a contract? Hey! Am I your informant or what?"

Taken aback by Park In-Ki's sudden change in attitude, Ju Ho-Sung couldn't hide his confusion as they had been drinking together and conspiring until recently.

"Mr. Park, let's just calm down and..."

But before Ju Ho-Sung could finish his sentence, Park In-Ki shouted at him. "I must have been out of my mind with jealousy for a moment. Team Lead Ju, let's not meet outside work anymore."

As Park In-Ki tried to leave without even having a single drink, Ju Ho-Sung hastily grabbed his arm. If Park In-Ki were to leave like this, he would lose his way of getting information about Actor Division 2. He had to put everything he had on the line right now.

"Mr. Park! Do you have any idea how hard I'm trying to get Miss Kim In-Jung on SBC's flagship variety show? I just need to push a little more and she'll most likely get a guaranteed appearance."

Kim In-Jung was a seasoned actress who had been working with Park In-Ki for three years. With a down-to-earth personality unlike most celebrities, she was just like family to Park In-Ki.

Ju Ho-Sung thought he could at least keep Park In-Ki seated using Kim In-Jung's casting as leverage.

However, even that was futile. Park In-Ki's attitude remained as cold as a block of ice.

"Most likely? I must have been insane to ignore Assistant Manager Jung and stick with someone like you..."

The moment Jung Yoon-Ho's name was mentioned, Ju Ho-Sung's smiling face turned icy. But Park In-Ki didn't care and continued his tirade.

"Assistant Manager Jung doesn't just leave me hanging like you do. He straight up landed In-Jung roles in two variety shows on KBC and MBS. Don't come looking for me anymore. If you're not as capable as Assistant Manager Jung, at least have some shame!"

With that, Park In-Ki immediately left the pub.

Ju Ho-Sung's face contorted in an instant.

"Fuck! Why the hell is everyone talking about Jung Yoon-Ho? Are they all conspiring with him or what?"

Being compared to Jung Yoon-Ho since coming to Hoop Entertainment had pushed Ju Ho-Sung's stress to the limit. He grabbed the soju bottle on the table. Although he downed the entire bottle of soju in one go, it did nothing to soothe his anger.

That's when Kim Dong-Soo called.

-Hey, Ju Ho-Sung! You said you had a useful informant in Actor Division 2, but what's up with this mess? Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was in front of the director today? How dare you make me lose to Jung Yoon-Ho again? Find a solution right now!

Kim Dong-Soo continued reprimanding and comparing Ju Ho-Sung to Jung Yoon-Ho for a while, causing the former's anger to reignite.

After enduring Kim Dong-Soo's scolding, Ju Ho-Sung hung up the phone and clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Jung Yoon-Ho, so you think you're all that, huh? Fine, let's see who wins, you punk."

Perhaps because he was intoxicated with bitter jealousy, Ju Ho-Sung's eyes flickered with malice as he continuously downed his drinks.

***

The positive reception of Miso's debut article led to a surge in the viewership ratings for episode 19 of Blue Sky, reaching a remarkable 21.1%.

Thanks to this, Lee Ji-Yeon's new work, In the Name of God, had also climbed the live search rankings, riding on the coattails of the buzz. The news that Yoo-Jin had been confirmed for the role of Cheongmyung and the possibility of Ju Yung-In being cast as the female lead again also contributed to the buzz.

However, Yoo-Jin cut off external distractions and focused solely on practicing her acting as always.

Taking on both the roles of a 20-year old girl named Cheongmyung and a 60-year-old shaman named Manshin Wol-Ah was a challenge like no other, especially in terms of character analysis. In particular, the identity of Manshin Wol-Ah had to be kept secret until a certain point after the drama aired.

For this reason, the pressure Yoo-Jin had been feeling these days was a lot more than what she had experienced in the past.

Amidst the strenuous practice and day-to-day life, I received a call from Lee Ji-Yeon.

-The conversation went well with Soo-Hee unnie, so come straight to my house.

I immediately picked Yoo-Jin up and headed to Lee Ji-Yeon's luxurious villa in Hannam-dong. Upon entering, the legendary actress, Kim Soo-Hee, was sitting cross-legged and having coffee with Lee Ji-Yeon.

Though she appeared as a fun character on TV, she was incredibly strict and demanding in reality. Even the unparalleled Ju Yung-In was once reduced to tears by Kim Soo-Hee's scolding.

"Hello, Ms. Lee."

Lee Ji-Yeon greeted us and asked Yoo-Jin, "Have you practiced enough?"

Kim Soo-Hee also placed her coffee cup on the table and stood up. "Let's start with the test right away."

"Just a moment, let's have a cup of tea and exchange greetings first," said Lee Ji-Yeon.

"I'm busy. I need to see this quickly and go," Kim Soo-Hee replied with a stern expression.

Taken aback, Lee Ji-Yeon responded with a flustered expression. "If you promised to give lessons, you should do it properly. What's up with this, unnie?"

Kim Soo-Hee replied with a sharp expression at Lee Ji-Yeon's insistence.

"Ji-Yeon, watch your words. I said I'd only help if I thought it was possible after seeing the actress for myself, didn't I? I don't want to waste my time at this age when I don't have many years left. If the test doesn't go well, you should just give up as well."

The situation unfolding was entirely different from what Lee Ji-Yeon had said about taking lessons from Kim Soo-Hee.

'We came to get advice on how to act as an elderly woman, but we have to take a test on the first day!?'