Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 342: Mayfly (1)

Lee Soo-Chan sent a photo along with his KkTalk message.

With her hair dyed black, Haru's mother Natalia was dressed in a caregiver's uniform.

I carefully sent a reply, making sure Haru wouldn't notice.

[Jung Yoon-Ho: Where is she now?]

[Lee Soo-Chan: She was at Hyo Nursing Hospital in Suwon Until six months ago, so I sent some people there. I'll get back to you soon.]

[Jung Yoon-Ho: Alright. If you find her, make sure to tell her that Haru is desperately looking for her. Also, get her contact information. Oh, and don't forget to reassure her she doesn't need to worry about Haru's father.]

[Lee Soo-Chan: Got it, hyung-nim.]

As much as I wanted to share this good news with Haru, I suppressed my emotions.

With the important final match just around the corner, it would be risky to distract him—especially if we failed to find his mom in Suwon.

"Hyung, are you busy?"

"No, I'm done now."

I put down my phone and resumed eating the meal on the table.

"This rice is really good. Is it a different kind?" I asked.

"Yes, it's freshly milled new crop rice. And please try the steamed cabbage too."

Haru said he forgot about the steamed cabbage and quickly went to get it from the stove. "Dip the cabbage in this soy sauce here."

As I followed Haru's instructions and dipped the steamed cabbage in the seasoned soy sauce, a smile spread across my face.

The sweet juice of the cabbage filled my mouth, blending perfectly with the salty taste of the sauce to create such a savory flavor that I didn't even think of trying other side dishes.

"Wow~ this is amazing. You might win today just with this cabbage dish. How did you manage to get such a complex flavor from cabbage alone?"

Haru grinned. "It's a secret recipe."

"By the way, who is this meal dedicated to?"

Haru looked at me with sparkling eyes and smiled. "That's also a secret."

It seemed he still wasn't ready to reveal who his most precious person was.

"Alright, got it. Anyway, just do your best today."

"Okay."

"Let's eat quickly since we need to stop by the shop. You should eat some too."

"Sure."

Haru and I quickly finished our meal. Then I told Haru to go wash up while I started doing the dishes.

After I finished the dishes, I packed Haru's clothes and cooking tools.

The high-end knife set I had bought him for the competition looked as shiny as new, showing how carefully he had treated it.

I also packed a knife sharpener and a few extra outfits for him to change into at the venue.

'I really hope Haru's mom can make it to the final match...' I thought.

I fervently wished that Lee Soo-Chan would find Haru's mother in time.

After all, the person Haru wanted to serve his meals to was almost certainly his mom.

***

I left Haru in the care of Lee Yung-Jin who had come over and then headed to Cherry Blossom's dorm.

As promised, I was going to take the Cherry Blossom members as guests to the final match of Table of Mukbang.

It was 9:30 a.m. when I arrived at Cherry Blossom's dorm. The place was silent as everyone was still asleep.

While I waited for the members and Lee Ju-Yung to wake up, I checked the latest articles.

[Table of Mukbang, Final Round Live Broadcast. 5 p.m. First Part! (Total of Three Parts)]

[Table of Mukbang Final Voting Text. 1577-8282]

[Table of Mukbang Haru's Famous 'Charcoal Bulgogi' from the Semifinals. Collaboration Product with CEO Baek Jong-Seok Coming Soon. Late October!]

Last week's semifinal broadcast of Table of Mukbang had a 11.5% viewership rating, which was exceptionally high for an audition program.

Thanks to yesterday's scandal, Table of Mukbang dominated the real-time search rankings and news articles.

"I wonder what today's viewership rating will be like."

Just then, I heard the door to Woo Yeon-Hee and Sae-Ri's room creak open.

Woo Yeon-Hee was always the first to wake up. However, surprisingly, it was Sae-Ri who came out of her room first today while rubbing her swollen eyes.

"Sae-Ri, are you okay? What's wrong with your eyes?" I asked.

Sae-Ri struggled to open her puffy eyes. "Huh? When did you get here, oppa?"

"Just now. But what's wrong with your eyes? Did you cry because of Cha Do-Hee?"

Sae-Ri shook her head. "No, it's not that..."

Woo Yeon-Hee, who had followed Sae-Ri out, greeted me and answered for her. "It's because she ordered tteokbokki again last night. She tried to sneakily order Yeopgi King Tteokbokki without us knowing, but we caught her."

'Two servings of tteokbokki in one day? That's a bit much,' I remarked inwardly.

Woo Yeon-hee turned to Sae-Ri and reprimanded her. "You shouldn't have done that. Do you know how many calories there are in tteokbokki?"

Sae-Ri flinched and tried to make excuses. "But yesterday was one of those days when I really needed it! Spicy food is the best way to relieve stress!"

Woo Yeon-Hee playfully pulled on Sae-Ri's cheeks while nagging. "That's why I let it slide. But staying up late and eating snacks still deserves a scolding!"

Sae-Ri's cheeks stretched like mochi as she whined. "Unnie~ oww, that hurts!"

Sae-Ri squirmed and resisted, but she couldn't escape Woo Yeon-Hee's grasp with such a difference in arm length.

Meanwhile, I fetched an ice pack from the freezer. "Sae-Ri, let's get that swelling down first."

"Oppa, give it to me. I'll do it."

"Alright, here you go."

I handed the ice pack to Woo Yeon-Hee.

When Woo Yeon-Hee placed the ice pack on Sae-Ri's face, Sae-Ri let out another scream. "Aaah! It's cold!"

With Sae-Ri flailing around, Eun-Ah and Yang Eun-Bi woke up and appeared at the door. "Hi, Yoon-Ho oppa~"

Although the competition didn't start until 5 p.m., we needed to be at the studio by 2 p.m because we had a pre-interview scheduled.

Considering the time needed for hair and makeup at the salon, we had to leave within the next 30 minutes.

"Everyone, hurry up and get ready. I'll buy lunch boxes for everyone on the way except for Sae-Ri."

There was no other way to reduce the swelling on her face.

Sae-Ri clasped her hands together. "Yoon-Ho oppa, can I just have half a roll of kimbap?"

"Nope. Not a chance."

"Aww, that's so mean," Sae-Ri whined and pouted pitifully, but I steeled my heart as I looked at her swollen eyelids.

While the members were getting ready, I had the chance to learn from Lee Ju-Yung why Sae-Ri and Cha Do-Hee had fallen out.

On Haru's ninth birthday, Cha Do-Hee saw the birthday present Haru received and wanted it for herself.

Although Haru offered to give her something else because it was a gift from Sae-Ri, Cha Do-Hee insisted she wanted that specific gift.

When Haru hesitated, Cha Do-Hee mentioned Haru's mother who worked as a housekeeper for her family, using it to pressure Haru.

In the end, fearing that his mother might lose her job, Haru gave up Sae-Ri's gift.

"A second grader did that?" I uttered with disbelief.

Lee Ju-Yung nodded. "Yes. When Sae-Ri found out later, she had a huge fight with Do-Hee. They've been enemies since then."

I shook my head disapprovingly. "She's been pulling power plays and causing trouble since she was that young, huh... It's like she was born for this."

Knowing the backstory, I understood why Sae-Ri despised Cha Do-Hee so much.

I recounted Cha Do-Hee's behavior at Ace Entertainment and reminded Lee Ju-Yung again to keep a lookout for Cha Do-Hee. "Keep a close eye on Do-Hee. She's not an ordinary kid."

"Yes, Mr. Han Myung-Ho and Mr. Lee are also discussing countermeasures."

Just then, Sae-Ri's grandfather called.

[Caller ID: Sae-Ri's Grandfather]

'Why is Sae-Ri's grandfather calling at this hour?' I wondered.

I asked Lee Ju-Yung to look after the kids. After she left the room, I answered the call alone.

-Is this Team Lead Jung?

"Yes, sir."

-Team Lead Jung, I'm ashamed to even speak to you right now.

"Pardon? What do you mean all of a sudden?"

-It's Hyung-Moon, that rascal. Today's the day he was supposed to be discharged from the rehab center, so we went to pick him up. But he apparently left on his own early in the morning. He said he was heading to Seoul to see his son.

"Mr. Lee Hyung-Moon?"

Haru's father, Lee Hyung-Moon, had been in an alcohol rehabilitation center.

Today was supposed to be his discharge day and Sae-Ri's grandparents had gone to meet him. However, several hours before they arrived, Haru's father had left the facility alone.

Even though we had taken various measures to protect Haru, it wasn't easy to prevent his biological father from seeing him.

'What do I do now?' I mulled.

Of all days, something like this had to happen on the day of the finals.

Nonetheless, I responded in a cheerful voice to reassure Sae-Ri's grandfather. "It's alright. You've already done so much to keep everything under control and I'm grateful for that. He may just want to see his son after being discharged from the rehab center. It might not be a big deal."

-I hope not. Anyway, let me know if anything happens. My wife and I will head up to Seoul immediately.

I could hear Sae-Ri's grandmother sighing on the other end of the line.

Just the fact that they had managed to keep things under control all this time was already a huge help.

After calming down the worried couple, I hung up. I immediately called Lee Yung-Jin and warned him to be on the lookout in case Haru's father showed up.

-If it's Haru's father, you mean that scumbag...

"Yung-Jin."

-Sorry, my bad.

"It's okay. I feel the same as you. But be careful with your words and ask the on-site staff to screen all external guests as much as possible."

We were planning to distribute tickets to about 100 audience members at the event, so it was possible for unknown people to get in.

-I'll do my best.

"Alright. Thanks and I'll see you there soon."

On the day we found a lead on Haru's mother, his father was coming to Seoul.

***

At the filming site of Table of Mukbang finals, I left Haru in Lee Yung-Jin's care and Cherry Blossom with Do Ran-Hee and Lee Ju-Yung, before leaving to greet Producer Jo Han-IIl.

Just then, Jo Eung-Cheon from TVM, who was standing in one corner of the studio, called out to me. "Team Lead Jung, could I have a word with you?"

Jo Eung-Cheon was with PD Yoo Hyun-Ji who had directed Master of Mukbang.

I intentionally put on a stern expression and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Jo."

Jo Eung-Cheon had failed to shield Haru from the pressure of CK Group's Executive Director Choi during the last incident, allowing Haru to be almost eliminated.

"I can tell you're still upset about what happened. I'm sorry. Mr. Choi was so forceful that I couldn't do anything to stop him."

"I understand that, but what disappointed me more was that you didn't even take my calls."

Jo Eung-Cheon cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ahem. I apologized already, didn't I?"

At that moment, Yoo Hyun-Ji stepped in. "Mr. Jung, please understand. Mr. Jo was in a difficult position because of his ties with Mr. Choi's side."

Thanks to Yoo Hyun-Ji's information, we managed to get through that crisis.

'I guess I should let it go at this point to save her face,' I thought.

Besides, leaving a moral debt with Jo Eung-Cheon could be beneficial for me.

I nodded. "I understand. So why did you call me?"

"What do you think? We need to start negotiating the appearance fees for the drama that will follow Master of Mukbang at the end of the month."

Yoo Hyun-Ji immediately joined in. "Mr. Jung. You haven't forgotten your promise to lower Mr. Tae-Poong's appearance fee, right?"

"Of course not. I'm not the type to go back on my word depending on the situation. But are you sure you want to negotiate here, not at the office?"

Both Jo Eung-Cheon and Yoo Hyun-Ji nodded. "We can't afford any more delays, so let's settle it verbally here."

They wanted to have at least a verbal agreement on the appearance fee first.

"I wanted to say Tae-Poong's fee is 40 million won per episode..."

I hadn't even finished speaking when their mouths dropped open.

"...But I've settled on 20 million won. A promise is a promise, after all."

Both of them let out short sighs. They seemed to realize that I had already made a significant concession.

The two of them looked pleased. "Considering Mr. Tae-Poong's popularity, 20 million won per episode is practically a steal. Getting a top-tier actor for that price... It's not bad."

However, securing Lee Tae-Poong's contract wasn't my true objective. Lee Tae-Poong was just a supporting role in the drama.

What I really wanted was a fair deal for Haru's appearance fee as the lead.

"So, how much are you planning to pay Haru?" I asked.

The two of them tilted their heads with puzzled expressions. "Haru?"

Lee Tae-Poong's appearance fee was set at 20 million won.

No matter how popular Lee Tae-Poong was, the lead in the sequel to Master of Mukbang was Haru.

I continued with a satisfied smile. "It wouldn't make sense for the lead, Haru, to have a lower appearance fee than the supporting actor, Tae-Poong. Right? Especially since he's reached the finals of Table of Mukbang, and if he wins today..."

At that moment, realization dawned on their faces. They finally understood that I had dragged out the negotiation over Lee Tae-Poong's fee to push for a higher fee for Haru.

"H-how much are you asking for?"

I looked at the two confidently and said, "Haru is the one who achieved consecutive viewership ratings of over 10% in both drama and variety shows. I would like his fee to be raised to 50 million won per episode!"

"50 million just for Haru?"

"T-then that's 70 million for both?"

My principle was that a star should be treated like a star. I nodded at them with a grin.

In an instant, their faces turned pale.