Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 519: Dress

Unbelievably, the entertainment section of the portal was filled with reviews of yesterday's concert.

[Cherry Blossom's Concert was a Huge Success!]

[Cherry Blossom Achieves Historic Streak! 10 Consecutive Weeks at Number 1 on Music Shows with 'Hurry Up!' and Now 'My First Love Story'!]

[Cherry Blossom's 'My First Love Story': Will They Make It 11 Weeks in a Row?]

[Hoop Entertainment's Next Big Rookie Arrives.]

[The Heavenly Voice, Seo Yeon-Woo!]

[Hip-Hop Girl Group Treviang: "Our Entrance? Treviang! Our Dance? Treviang! Our Vocals? Treviang!"]

[8,000 Seats Filled with Passionate Fans!]

[A 3-Hour Spectacle That Felt Like a Variety Show!]

[The Four Members of Cherry Blossom, Masters of Transformation!] ...

Not only were the entire top ten articles in the entertainment news section about the concert, but an entire page of the entertainment section was dedicated to it.

Even when there was a major event, it had never taken up an entire page like this. Yet, at this very moment, something unprecedented was happening. It was somethingI had never experienced even before the regression.

"Am I dreaming right now...?"

The sheer absurdity of it all made me rub my eyes, but nothing changed. Even the real-time search rankings from number one to ten were all about last night's concert.

Suppressing my pounding heart, I checked my messages. As if to confirm that what I was seeing was real, my Kk Talk inbox was flooded with messages from entertainment reporters and advertisers.

[Reporter Choi So-Hye: Team Lead Jung, call me the moment you see this. We need an urgent interview!]

[Reporter Jang Moon-Ki: Team Lead Jung, if you set me up with an exclusive, I won't forget this favor. You know I always pay back my debts, right?]

[Seven Stars Electronics Promotion Team: Mr. Jung, our director would like to meet with you.]

[LZ Fashion Assistant Manager Choi Yung-Sook: We'd like to schedule an ad meeting. When are you available? I tried calling, but you didn't pick up...]

Thanks to the massive success of yesterday's concert, the aftermath was no joke. Fan websites for Cherry Blossom and Kang Ha-Na were overflowing with reviews, and blogs were filled with posts about the event. Most of the reviews carried a sense of satisfaction that everyone felt they had gotten their money's worth.

There had been signs since 5 p.m yesterday when the first articles started coming out, but I hadn't expected the response to be this overwhelming.

I couldn't stay in bed any longer and I got up and walked into the living room. On the floor, Do Ran-Hee, who had gotten too drunk to go home after the afterparty, was writhing around like a worm.

Do Ran-Hee reached out with a pitiful expression. "Water... please... give me water..."

Beside her, Lee Yung-Jin, who was now officially her boyfriend, was in the exact same position, also reaching out. "Yoon-Ho... me too... give me water..."

The two had publicly announced their relationship at last night's drinking session, then proceeded to drink whatever was handed to them.

With a hoarse voice, I told them, "Alright, I'll get you water. But check your phones first."

They struggled to grab their phones and blinked as they read the news.

"Huh? Wait, what? Huh?"

"What... what is this?"

Proving their instincts as talent agents, the two, who had been rolling on the floor, shot up like springs. Just like my phone, theirs had probably been bombarded with calls as well.

The still half-asleep Lee Yung-Jin shoved his phone in my face. "Yoon-Ho, what is this?"

Pulling out water from the fridge, I replied, "What do you think? It's a message saying we're about to work ourselves to death."

"Ah... I see..."

Our singers had shed blood, sweat, and tears to make yesterday's concert a success. Now, it was our turn as talent agents.

I handed each of them a glass of cold water with ice floating on top. "Drink up and wake up. I'm going to wash up first."

"Okay."

I stepped into the bathroom and turned on the faucet to wash my face. Reflected in the sink mirror was my face, brimming with an uncontrollable smile.

'Good job, Jung Yoon-Ho.'

***

Even though it was 6 a.m, not a single team lead was absent in Hoop Entertainment's meeting room. Everyone had barely gotten any sleep but had voluntarily come to the office.

Since entertainment companies always kept hangover relief drinks and chocolate milk on hand, I passed them around for everyone to sober up. The team leads downed the hangover drinks first, then gulped down the chocolate milk to settle their stomachs.

That was when Team Lead Yeon So-Hee, who had stayed late at the office last night to handle things, began the briefing. "Let's start by reviewing the ad offers. Starting at 10:30 p.m, just 30 minutes after the concert ended, the ad requests started pouring in."

When an actor or singer gained popularity, ad offers came in from all kinds of companies, ranging from top electronics brands to cockroach extermination treatments. However, less than 10% of those ads usually met the rates set by the company. Nevertheless, half of the advertisers were willing to meet the rates Hoop Entertainment had set.

That meant Cherry Blossom and Kang Ha-Na had reached a level where companies were eager to pay top money just to have them in their ads.

Do Ran-Hee, now fully awake, shouted excitedly. "Mr. Jung! Our girls hit the jackpot!"

"Ran-Hee. That's great and all, but swallow the chocolate milk before you talk."

Gulp.

Wiping the chocolate milk from the corner of her mouth, Do Ran-Hee nodded. "Mr. Jung, our kids are a huge success, right?"

"Yeah. So let's start by organizing the list of advertisers."

I instructed the team leads to compile all the ad inquiries they had received.

"Please gather everything you got on Kk Talk from the advertisers and organize it."

Then, Yeon So-Hee spoke up. "It's already done. We've compiled a file with details on all 383 ad inquiries, including individual requests, proposed budgets, and advertiser profiles. I'll send it to you all on Kk Talk now."

"Wait, 383 inquiries?"

"Yes. Mr. Nam Pan-Kyu and I took calls all night to organize them."

Since we weren't answering their messages, advertisers had resorted to calling the company directly to inquire about ads.

'No wonder Yeon So-Hee and Nam Pan-Gyu are still wearing the same clothes as yesterday.'

I hadn't even ordered them to work overnight, yet the two had taken it upon themselves to handle everything as if they belonged to my division.

"Thank you so much."

"It's just part of the job."

"Well, I appreciate it. I'll let you leave early later, but let's continue the briefing for now."

"Yes."

Yeon So-Hee pressed the remote, and a neatly organized list appeared on the meeting room's LCD screen. However, the list was so long that I had to set a cutoff.

"For Cherry Blossom, let's cut all ads offering under six hundred million won. For Ha-Na, cut anything under four hundred million won."

"Understood." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Yeon So-Hee filtered the list according to the new criteria. Even with those restrictions, 30% of the ad inquiries remained.

Lee Dong-Min and the other leaders erupted in cheers.

"Ran-Hee was right. This is insane."

"Even after raising the bar, this many offers are left?"

Seeing it on the screen made it feel more real than just imagining it. I had deliberately displayed the list on the LCD to make sure everyone understood that Cherry Blossom and Kang Ha-Na were now at the top. As expected, it was only now sinking in for the team leads that Cherry Blossom and Ha-Na had become true top stars.

After giving them a moment to soak it in, I smirked. "Well then, shall we start raking in those ad deals?"

We began to choose the ads the girls could possibly endorse from head to toe.

Just like that, Cherry Blossom and Kang Ha-Na were now each securing ad contracts worth tens of billions of won.

***

After wrapping up the ad meeting and scheduling interviews with reporters, more than half the day had already flown by.

It was now 1 p.m. Ad inquiries were pouring in even at this moment, but I decided to focus on finishing the first round of negotiations.

"Alright, let's call it a day and take a break. Everyone, go home."

Both the team members who had worked hard for yesterday's concert and the team leads who had pulled all-nighters needed rest.

Yeon So-Hee stretched and asked, "What about you, Mr. Jung?"

"I still have work to do."

"What? You're working again?"

At Yeon So-Hee's reaction, the other team leads chuckled.

"Ms. Yeon, you'd have to stop being human to keep up with Mr. Jung's. Just... accept it."

"I'll be fine. Ms. Lee will be helping and I'll take it easy today. So, really, go home. You've all worked incredibly hard."

Even though they were amazed by my endurance, I had no choice but to push through because I needed to check the dresses Yoo-Jin and Miso would wear to the MBS Acting Awards.

Leaving behind the team leads who wanted to follow me, I headed to Cheonho-dong with Lee Mi-Ri, who had just arrived at work.

***

After picking up Yoo-Jin and Miso in Cheonho-dong, we arrived at LM Apparel.

Parking the car, we made our way to the L.M.L building, a luxury brand subsidiary that had spun off from LM Apparel. L.M.L had originally operated within LM Apparel's headquarters, but they had set up its own office in a smaller building next to the main one since it became an independent company.

An employee guided us to the president's office upon arriving, where L.M.L's Lee Yung-Ah and LM Apparel's Moon Yung-Mi were already waiting.

"I really enjoyed the concert yesterday, Mr. Jung. Yoo-Jin and Miso sang wonderfully," said Lee Yung-Ah, sharing her thoughts on the performance.

Moon Yung-Mi turned to Yoo-Jin with a smile. "Miss Yoo-Jin, are you trying to conquer singing now too? Do you want to keep all the stardom for yourself?"

Yoo-Jin waved it off with a smile. "No way~ I made so many mistakes."

After some light conversation about the successful concert, Lee Yung-Ah got down to business. "Alright. Let's try on the dresses, shall we?"

"Yes."

"Let's move to the fitting room."

The fitting room was about ten meters from the president's office on the first floor. To ensure security, the entrance was equipped with a fingerprint recognition lock as a measure to prevent any leaks of the dress designs set to debut at the year-end awards ceremony.

Normally, no phones were allowed inside the fitting room to prevent photo leaks. However, I used business discussions as an excuse to bring mine in while covering the camera lens.

Lee Yung-Ah placed her fingerprint on the scanner and entered a passcode.

[Access Granted.]

Buzz.

The doors slid open and revealed an expansive fitting room that took up nearly half a floor of the L.M.L building. At the center stood a circular stage surrounded by full-length mirrors. Behind the stage was a curtained-off dressing area, allowing immediate outfit checks upon stepping out.

To one side, there was a professional photography setup complete with cameras, reflectors, lighting, and a white backdrop. It was practically a full-fledged studio. This setup ensured that any outfit worn could be evaluated not just in person but also through the camera lens.

I remarked, "You must have spent a fortune on this."

Lee Yung-Ah grinned. "Sure did. Since the people wearing our L.M.L Black Label dresses are often in front of cameras, we equipped the space with proper testing gear."

The dresses Yoo-Jin would be wearing at the MBS Acting Awards were from L.M.L's newly launched Black Label line, the brand's highest-tier collection. Thanks to Yoo-Jin's success as a brand ambassador, sales had skyrocketed and allowed L.M.L to launch its premium lineup three years earlier than planned.

This was something that hadn't even happened before my regression.

Lee Yung-Ah said, "If Black Label launches successfully, we'll expand aggressively overseas. That's why this awards ceremony is crucial, so I'm counting on you."

I nodded. "We always give our best."

Smiling, Lee Yung-Ah gestured toward the dressing room. "Alright then. Miss Yoo-Jin, let's start with the dress for the MBS Acting Awards."

"Yes, ma'am."

Yoo-Jin waved at Miso before stepping into the dressing room.

Meanwhile, Miso, Lee Mi-Ri, and I followed Moon Yung-Mi's lead and sat down on the long sofa-style seats in front of the stage. As we casually discussed advertisement deals with Moon Yung-Mi, Yoo-Jin emerged from the dressing room.

She was wearing a pure white dress adorned with diagonal pearl bead embellishments and a small crescent moon decoration. It was truly an exquisite and breathtaking piece.

Its official name was 'Gloria,' meaning 'glory.' The dress shimmered under the fitting room lights, radiating brilliance and drawing everyone's gaze.

Looking slightly excited and pleased, Yoo-Jin asked, "How does it look?"

I was left speechless. And not just me but everyone in the room was completely mesmerized by her as well. Yoo-Jin's beauty in the dress left us all momentarily stunned.

As silence filled the room, Yoo-Jin's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "Why is everyone so quiet?"

Breaking the silence, Miso, who had been staring at her mom in awe, suddenly jumped up. Then, she began clapping her tiny hands so hard they seemed ready to burst.

"Wow~ Mom, you're the prettiest in the world! You're the best!"

Even Lee Mi-Ri looked amazed, saying this dress would make waves even at a New York fashion show.

I was about to shower Yoo-Jin with praise as well. At that moment, my phone vibrated.

Buzz.

[Notification: A new schedule entry has been added for 'Jung Yoo-Jin' on December 30, 2020.]

December 30 was the day of the MBS Acting Awards. I quickly checked the newly added schedule entry for December 30.

And there it was—a ridiculous, completely unbelievable event.

'Why... Why is this dress...?'