Genius Manager Who Hears Voices - Chapter 41



Only Noblemtl

Episode 41

A few days later, Heesung met Jeong Won-ho, the CEO of Dear Entertainment.

The location is a hotel lobby somewhere in Seoul.

Jeong Won-ho lifted his teacup with a happy smile as he looked at Hee-seong, whom he had met again after a week.

“It’s only been a week since you signed the contract? Why does it seem like Jeong Hee-seong’s face is getting prettier by the day?”

“Haha, is that so? I guess I’ve been catching up on the sleep I’ve been missing, so my condition has gotten a lot better. Today, I even went to the hair salon for the first time in months.”

“It’s not easy to handle such a busy schedule all by yourself. I also sign contracts and receive reports, so I wonder how I could handle all this by myself. I also get a steady stream of work scenarios.”

“It’s also proof that he’s not an actor who will appear and disappear in a flash. As you know, he was already recognized for his skills before he met me.”

“And you met a really capable, superman-like manager there and that gave you wings?”

“You are too kind.”

“Haha, that’s a fact.”

Now, Kim Ye-seul is under Dear Entertainment.

I was present at the contract signing a week ago and had a meal with CEO Jeong Won-ho that day as well.

Heeseong felt a little suspicious when he received a call asking to meet again a few days later.

“The reason I asked to see you today is none other than this.”

Jeongwonho also had another schedule right at this location, so he didn’t change anything and got back to the main topic.

What he held out was a light envelope.

“What is this?”

“It’s a contract. Well, it’s just a formality.”

“A contract?”

When I took out the A4 paper from the envelope, the first thing that caught my eye was the large letters that said ‘Agent Agreement.’

And the next thing that caught my eye was the amount of the deposit written near the middle.

“How many balls are there… … ? And why are you giving this to me… … .”

“That day, after signing an exclusive contract with Kim Ye-seul, I felt uneasy for several days. How should I put it? It was like I was just putting my spoon on a table that someone else had already prepared. I thought that it couldn’t go on like this, so I set my own standards. It would be easier to understand if you think of it as a kind of agent fee.”

“Agent Fee?”

“We are paying a corresponding price for discovering good actors, increasing their value, and making them choose Dear Entertainment over many other companies. It’s like the sports industry.”

Each sports player has his or her own agent.

They handle all negotiations related to contracts, including leases and transfers, and the player’s price and contract terms are also raised and lowered by them.

And depending on the size of the contract you conclude, you will receive an ‘agent fee’, or commission.

It was my first time hearing that something like that existed in the domestic entertainment industry.

“It would have been great if Mr. Jeong Hee-seong had come to our company, but since he said no, we are going to compensate him in this way. In any case, it is true that he actively recommended Dear Enter.”

“Hmm, objectively speaking, that was the company that offered the best conditions. But this one feels like they’re taking care of people behind the scenes, so I’m not really keen on it… … .”

Jeong Won-ho smiled and leaned back on the sofa at Hee-sung’s refreshing reaction of not accepting a large sum of money.

“Who said that you were going to take care of it separately? The first person to tell me this was Kim Ye-seul. When I told her that I would do this, she was so happy that she jumped for joy as if it was her own business. She said that she wanted me to do it even if it meant reducing the amount of her deposit.”

“So this is part of Yesul’s contract deposit?”

“Haha, it’s really disappointing when you think about it like that. Maybe I just seemed like someone who was that good?”

“Oh, that’s not it… … .”

“As I said earlier, this is an amount I set based on my own standards. However, since it involves money, a formal contract must be written. So, you can receive it with peace of mind. I think it is a bonus that is entirely based on Jeong Hee-seong’s ability.”

I feel like I unexpectedly won the lottery.

That’s at least equivalent to winning second prize in the lottery.

When I thought of it as an official ‘agent fee’ rather than some secret bribe I was receiving, I felt a lot more relieved.

‘I thought there would be a lot of money involved in the future. Wow, this is an unexpected harvest?’

Han Jeong-woo also needed plenty of bullets since he signed a contract with a postpaid settlement.

What good does it do if my father owns a building with dozens of stories in Gangnam? He uses that money to sabotage every work his son does.

So I was worried that I would end up in installment hell again, but at this rate, I thought I wouldn’t have to worry for the time being.

“Thank you, sir.”

“If you’ve confirmed it, please sign it for me. Then I have another meeting here, so let’s meet again next time, Jeong Hee-seong. I hope the new actor you’ve taken on also gets good results.”

“Yes, thank you, sir.”

I handed over the documents and shook hands with Jeongwonho.

Hee-sung also left for the lobby after seeing him preparing for the next meeting from his seat.

At that moment, an unknown number appeared on the screen of Heesung’s cell phone.

“Yes, this is Jeong Hee-seong.”

-Mr. Jeong Hee-seong? It’s me, Director Yang, Yang Cheol-hwan. Is it okay to talk now?

“Director Yang? Oh, yes, it’s fine. But why… … .”

For a moment, I wondered if I had ever exchanged contact information with Director Yang Cheol-hwan.

Han Jeong-woo, who plays the role of ‘Sang-ha’, visited the filming set all week and finished filming all of his parts yesterday.

There are still a few flashback scenes left, but they have to fit the female protagonist’s schedule, so they said they will notify us separately when the time is right.

Usually, the contact information of all the staff members is written on the last page of the script, but since Han Jeong-woo was a person who was hastily brought in, his manager Hee-sung’s contact information would not be there.

But how did he know and contact me?

Before that, the director called the new actor’s manager first to ask about something.

The answer came right over the phone.

-Because the matter was so urgent, I asked for the contact information of Director Park Kyung-joon and called him myself. I was going to go to the first room this week, but someone suddenly stopped me. Do you know Mr. Han Myung-ho?

“Mr. Han Myeong-ho? No. It’s the first time I’ve heard that name.”

-Huh? How could that be? Then, a person you don’t even know went all the way up to the higher-ups and demanded editing? I thought he had some kind of connection with that actor.

“You requested an edit? To your superiors?”

A thought suddenly occurred to me, hitting my head.

That’s right, his last name was Han.

– I don’t know the details, but it seems like they talked to someone higher up than the director, like a headquarters director. They said they would support the production cost for the number of days of filming, so they should either change the actors and re-film it, or edit it all out. What kind of grudge did they have that they would sabotage it before it even aired? This is their intention to bud the whole thing so that it can’t even get started.

I never thought that what I had been hoping for would actually happen.

Although there had been similar incidents several times before, this time it was an opportunity that came suddenly, and since filming was done quickly, I thought there would be no problems at all until the broadcast.

Even the portion that was continuously delayed was so short that what was filmed last week was released this week.

How on earth did they know and reach out to the higher-ups?

Did they put a person there?

“So what happened? You didn’t decide to edit it as requested, did you?”

-How can you do that? The broadcast is just around the corner, so how can you do everything from casting to filming to editing again? I told you not to make such demands, because it is absolutely impossible. The broadcasting station is not like a neighborhood supermarket.

Just like Lee Min-jun, he is a person with a definite personality.

Of course, it was also an unrealistic demand.

If I had just a little more leeway, I don’t know what would have happened.

‘It seems that he not only has a lot of money, but also has a lot of connections. Of course, he’s a businessman.’

Yang Cheol-hwan asked in a seemingly serious tone.

– Are you an actor or someone with a lot of problems? In my experience, when something like this happens, it’s often because of a bad past. Then, even after the show, it’s a huge headache. Please tell me honestly now. That way, I can prepare for it.

Heesung stopped walking in the lobby and told the truth.

It has already been verified that there were no problems with Han Jeong-woo’s past, and it is better to talk about these matters honestly.

As expected, Yang Cheol-hwan sighed in relief and said as if nothing had happened.

-Well, I don’t know whose side to take. It may be excessive, but as a father myself, I can understand it. It’s a headache in many ways.

“But thanks to the director’s shield, I was able to overcome it this time. Thank you, director.”

-Well, I didn’t know about this situation. Anyway, I’m glad to hear that you’re not the type to worry. Well then, I guess I’ll hang up now.

“Yes, please come in, Director.”

I hung up the phone, but I sighed.

If things continue like this, similar things will continue to happen in the future.

If you try to suppress him with your financial power and influence as the head of a company, not as a father, you will not be able to handle it.

This time I was lucky and things didn’t go as planned, but next time I won’t be picky about the means and methods.

Ultimately, we need to find a fundamental solution or make a breakthrough with one big move.

What could be that?

“Excuse me… …can I ask you something?”

As he was staring outside the hotel with a blank expression, a woman approached and stopped in front of Heeseong.

His face looked Korean, but his speech seemed somewhat awkward.

“Oh, yes. Why is that?”

“I just got from the airport and my phone battery is dead. I was going to call you when I got there but I’m having trouble. Could you please make a call here?”

What the woman handed over was a note with someone’s cell phone number written on it.

Judging from the note and the fact that part of the notebook was torn off, it seems like he hurriedly wrote down some notes before his phone died.

Heeseong glanced at the front for a moment and then looked at the woman.

In this case, it would be better to ask the front desk.

Why would he come up to me at the entrance and ask me to call him?

Surely this isn’t some new type of voice phishing or something?

‘No, it looks like you’re a Korean living abroad. Let’s give you a good image.’

Since he didn’t have any money to lose even if he fell victim to voice phishing anyway, Heeseong accepted the note with a good heart.

And then I entered the 11 numbers one by one.

however.

“uh?”

“What’s wrong? Can’t you get through on the phone?”

“No, that’s not it… … Are you here to meet CEO Jeongwonho?”

“How did you know? Are you perhaps CEO Jeong Won-ho?”

“No, it’s not me… … . Just a moment.”

Judging from the fact that he called himself CEO Jeong Won-ho, it seemed like we had never met before.

Representative Jeong also said he had a meeting here today.

There was no need to call, so Heesung took her to where he was.

Jeong Won-ho looks briefly surprised when he sees the two people who appeared together.

But soon, an unexpected offer was made to Heesung.

***

“Huh? Where are you from?”

Hee-sung joins the two for a meal and meeting at Jeongwonho’s suggestion.

When I heard the identity of the woman I thought was a Korean-American, my eyes grew wide without me realizing it.

“I’m from the US. I currently work as a casting director in Hollywood.”

Genius Manager Who Hears Voices