Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 520: Best or Worst (1)

[Everyday V12.1]

[Date: December 30, 2020]

-11:30 p.m: <Entertainment All Times> [MBS Drama Awards 'Best or Worst'] (Worst Dresser – Jung Yoo-Jin)

'How is this dress the worst?'

The entertainment news outlet Entertainment All Times had a column called "Best or Worst." It evaluated celebrities' styles during major award shows and international film festivals. From outfits to accessories, everything was assessed and categorized as either Best or Worst.

Originally, this was just a segment created by the reporters at Entertainment All Times. Yet over the years, it gained public interest. Now, it was an influential section where fashion professors, entertainment reporters, and even fans participated.

Because of this, whether someone was chosen as Best or Worst held significant weight. Being named Best led to sponsorships and advertising deals, while being labeled Worst could result in lost endorsements and commercial opportunities.

'No, but seriously. Why is this considered the worst?'

I was dumbfounded. I may not be a designer, but with my years in the entertainment industry, I knew what kinds of dresses appealed to the public. And the dress Yoo-Jin was wearing was more than worthy of being in the Best category.

No matter how I looked at it, it made no sense. My brow furrowed slightly in frustration.

Noticing my expression, Yoo-Jin asked, "Oppa, why do you look like that? Does it not suit me? I thought it was fine..."

I quickly relaxed my face and reassured her. "Oh, no! Not at all! The dress is gorgeous. It's just... one of the advertisers said something ridiculous. Don't misunderstand."

As I diverted the topic, Yoo-Jin let out a sigh of relief. "That's a relief~ Oppa, I really love this dress."

"Yeah, me too."

As the positive reactions continued, Lee Yung-Ah smiled in satisfaction and suggested trying on the outfit for the second part of the MBS Drama Awards.

"Miss Yoo-Jin, let's try on the dress for the second half now."

"Okay~"

Yoo-Jin went into the dressing room with Lee Yung-Ah.

'Right. There's still the second dress. Maybe that's where the problem lies.'

Since Everyday only mentioned "Worst Dresser," I still had one more chance to confirm.

A moment later, the dressing room curtain opened and Yoo-Jin stepped out.

Whoosh.

At that moment, my jaw dropped.

"Wow..."

The second dress Yoo-Jin wore was an elegant blue velvet gown with the name "Cheongmyung." It shared the same name as Cheongmyung, the character Yoo-Jin played in In the Name of God. In English, it was called Blue Sky.

The Cheongmyung dress had an off-shoulder design with a delicate white lace blouse attached at the top, giving it both a playful and sensual feel. Additionally, Yoo-Jin wore matching elbow-length white gloves and a diamond-studded baby's breath headband. Each piece was a work of art that left everyone in awe.

Yoo-Jin was absolutely breathtaking.

'If this is considered the worst, then nothing makes sense anymore!'

I glanced to the side, wondering if I was the only one feeling this way.

Miso had her mouth hanging open and repeatedly whispered in amazement. "Wow...Wow... Mom...Wow..."

She seemed at a loss for words, expressing her admiration over and over again.

Even Lee Mi-Ri, who had worked as a fashion editor in New York and had seen countless dresses, was left speechless. "This is just... just... absolutely stunning."

Seeing our enthusiastic reactions, Lee Yung-Ah smiled confidently as if she had expected this response. "Hmm. I'm glad you're satisfied. These two designs are our main choices, but we also need to check what you'll wear at SBC. But since this is exhausting, Miss Yoo-Jin, take a break for now. In the meantime, Miso will try on her outfit for MBS."

"Okay."

Lee Yung-Ah turned to Miso. "Miso, shall we go try on your dress now?"

"Okay!!"

Miso jumped up from her seat and ran to Lee Yung-Ah, holding her hand with an excited expression.

"Auntie, will I look pretty like Mom?"

"Of course~"

"Yay!"

Holding Yoo-Jin's hand with her other hand, Miso happily headed to the fitting room. With a whoosh, the curtain closed.

Clearly satisfied with the work her daughter had created, Moon Yung-Mi turned to me. "Team Lead Jung, what do you think? Are you satisfied?"

I hesitated for a moment before answering honestly. If Yoo-Jin was labeled Worst Dresser, it wouldn't just impact the launch of L.M.L's Black Label brand but it could also affect the parent company, LM Apparel.

"Yes. The dresses are absolutely perfect, but..."

Moon Yung-Mi tilted her head. "But?"

"I'm just concerned about Entertainment All Times' "Best or Worst" evaluation."

"Why? Our outfits are leagues above last year's Best pick."

I completely agreed. That was precisely why I couldn't bring myself to say that Yoo-Jin would be named Worst Dresser. I couldn't explain something that didn't even make sense to me.

As I hesitated, Moon Yung-Mi gently urged me. "Team Lead Jung. We may not be close enough to share all our secrets, but we can at least share our worries, right? If I know the situation, maybe I can help."

After thinking it over, I finally found a way to convey that Yoo-Jin might be named Worst Dresser. "To be honest, it's because I have too many enemies."

"Enemies?"

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with the dresses. In fact, they're far too good to not be Best. But I'm worried that the evaluators might target me and give her Worst, or that the reporters might write malicious articles."

At last, Moon Yung-Mi seemed to understand. "Well, I have heard that you've been incredibly busy lately."

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. You make friends when you work, but you also make enemies, That's just how it is."

Moon Yung-Mi understood instantly. After all, she had fought her way up from the bottom to where she was now, overcoming countless battles along the way.

"Honestly, we can't afford to sit back while launching a new brand either. That's why we've prepared countermeasures for exactly what you're worried about."

Moon Yung-Mi picked up a tablet from the table. The screen displayed the names and tendencies of this year's Entertainment All Times evaluation panel.

"The evaluators haven't had any direct conflicts with you, Team Lead Jung. And as for the reporters and public perception, you don't need to worry. We're going to invest an enormous budget into promotions that day."

She was determined to make sure Yoo-Jin shone the brightest at the MBS Drama Awards. It was all about imprinting the elegant and luxurious image of L.M.L's Black Label dress onto the minds of the public as Yoo-Jin walked the red carpet. Moon Yung-Mi was putting an extraordinary amount of effort into ensuring the successful launch of L.M.L.

And yet, my unease didn't disappear despite everything I heard.

At that moment, Lee Mi-Ri spoke carefully. "Mrs. Moon, are these all the dresses we have prepared?"

"No. Since we're also going to SBC for Blue Sky, we have two additional outfits for that. Plus, I prepared two extra dresses just in case. Knowing Yung-Ah, she'll probably insist on trying them all later."

Moon Yung-Mi showed us the spare dresses on her tablet and they were just as breathtaking. In that instant, I knew the problem wasn't the dresses but the issue lay elsewhere.

Just then, the curtain opened and Miso stepped out wearing a pink dress.

Whoosh.

On her head, she wore a headband adorned with beaded cherry blossom decorations. L.M.L's Black Label didn't have a children's clothing line, but this dress had been custom-made just for Miso.

Delighted, Miso cupped her face with both hands and exclaimed, "Tada~!"

As she blinked her eyes brightly, everyone in the fitting room burst into laughter and cheers.

Watching Yoo-Jin and Miso so happy, I made a silent vow to myself.

'Whatever the issue is, I just need to solve it from here on out.'

As always, I would find the answer.

And I would make sure that the smiles never faded from Yoo-Jin and Miso's faces.

***

Yoo-Jin and Miso went into the dressing room to try on the backup dresses. Meanwhile, a memory from before my regression surfaced—an incident eerily similar to this one.

I quickly flipped open my planner. And just as I expected, there was a relevant schedule entry.

[Everyday V12.1]

[Date: October 25, 2022]

-11:00 p.m: <Celebrity Big News> "Controversy Over Outfits at the Busan International Film Festival—Actresses Wearing Identical Dresses." (Meeting Agenda: Conduct a full review of film festival attendees' outfit designs. LZ Fashion's Chief Lee Ye-Seo – in charge of Lee Soo-Yeon's dress. HK Apparel's Chief Choi In-Hye – in charge of Park Yeon-Soo's dress. All dresses from these two designers must be checked.)

-11:30 p.m: <Entertainment All Times> [Busan International Film Festival "Best or Worst"] (Worst Dresser – Lee Soo-Yeon, Park Yeon-Soo)

Before my regression, two actresses had shown up at a major event wearing identical black dresses with low-cut backs which caused an uproar. One of them was Lee Soo-Yeon, an actress widely regarded as S-class. The other was Park Yeon-Soo, a supporting actress.

Just the fact that two actresses had worn the same dress to a public event was a disaster. But later that night, an even bigger issue erupted. Rumors started spreading online that Lee Soo-Yeon had stolen Park Yeon-Soo's dress.

Originally, the black dress had been Park Yeon-Soo's pick, but Lee Soo-Yeon had supposedly liked it and forced Park Yeon-Soo to give it up. The story went that Park Yeon-Soo, frustrated and resentful, had decided to wear the same dress anyway to expose the truth. Because Lee Soo-Yeon already had a strong-willed and self-centered public image, the rumors quickly gained traction.

Lee Soo-Yeon and her agency tried to explain the situation online, but netizens refused to believe them, especially since Park Yeon-Soo remained silent. In the end, Lee Soo-Yeon broke down in tears before reporters, offering a sincere apology for her carelessness while strongly denying the accusations.

Only then did Park Yeon-Soo finally step forward to admit the rumors weren't true.

However, the damage was already done by then.

Lee Soo-Yeon had to halt her activities for a year due to the backlash, while Park Yeon-Soo, whose recognition had been nonexistent, saw her career skyrocket. Some talent agents even speculated that Park Yeon-Soo's team had learned about Lee Soo-Yeon's dress in advance and orchestrated the entire controversy.

'Could something like that happen again?'

If the dress designs leaked in any way, a similar situation could unfold. The possibility of a leak worried me, so I turned to Moon Yung-Mi. "Mrs. Moon, is there any chance the designs could be leaked?"

Moon Yung-Mi reassured me immediately. "You saw how strict the security was when we entered, didn't you? Plus, every designer had to sign an NDA before working on these. There's no way they'd leak."

Nevertheless, I wasn't convinced. In Korea, violating an NDA or stealing a design didn't carry harsh consequences and there were always people who weren't afraid of legal repercussions. Security might seem tight on the surface, but it only took a broader perspective to spot vulnerabilities.

I wanted to suggest keeping an eye on the designers, but I couldn't raise suspicions without evidence, especially in someone else's company. After all, I was the only one who knew Yoo-Jin would be named Worst Dresser.

So for now, I had to find proof that the designs had been leaked before bringing it up again.

***

Over the next few hours, I had Yoo-Jin try on more than ten sample dresses beyond the backup outfits just in case. Every single L.M.L Black Label dress that Lee Yung-Ah showed us was flawless.

"This is all of them," Lee Yung-Ah finally said.

I turned to her with gratitude. "These outfits are absolutely stunning. Thank you so much for all your hard work."

Lee Yung-Ah made a satisfied smile. "I appreciate that, Mr. Jung."

Seizing the moment, I made a request. "I'd like to meet the designers who worked on these dresses. Is that possible?"

I needed to familiarize myself with the people most likely to leak the designs, and Yoo-Jin also wanted to meet the designers who had created such beautiful outfits for her.

"They're gathered in Design Team 1... Would you like to meet them?"

"Yes, please."

Lee Yung-Ah smiled and took the lead. "Then let's all go together."

Before leaving, we placed Yoo-Jin and Miso's outfits in a secure vault inside the fitting room. Lee Yung-Ah pressed her thumb against the fingerprint recognition keypad and the fitting room door locked shut with a clank.

At that moment, a thought crossed my mind.

"If you don't mind me asking, how many people have access to this fitting room?"

"Only three of us—myself and the two main executives at headquarters. Even Chief Designer Lee Ye-Seo can't enter without me."

'Wait... Lee Ye-Seo?'

I froze for a moment. I had just seen that name in my planner. Lee Ye-Seo was the designer responsible for Lee Soo-Yeon's outfit in the past incident. Back then, she had been with LZ Fashion. Now, she was here at L.M.L.

Suspicion immediately crept in. But since I had no solid evidence yet, I carefully kept my expression neutral.

'I need to investigate Lee Ye-Seo.'

After heading upstairs, I met the designers through Lee Yung-Ah's introduction. Then, after wrapping up our visit, I left L.M.L. with Yoo-Jin and Miso.

As soon as I stepped outside, I called Lee Soo-Chan. I gave him a list of all the designers and instructed him to have people shadow each one. And as for Lee Ye-Seo, I made sure she would be watched around the clock.

A day later, I received an urgent call from Lee Soo-Chan at 10 p.m.

-Hyung-nim! I just sent you a photo on Kk Talk.

Lee Soo-Chan said the photo was taken by the surveillance team tailing Lee Ye-Seo. I opened the message and checked the face of the person standing next to her.

At that moment, everything fell into place. I finally understood why Yoo-Jin would be named Worst Dresser. Lee Ye-Seo was involved, but she wasn't the mastermind. Someone else had orchestrated this entire scheme.

'So you were the real culprit.'