Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 537: Leaders Club (1)

Leaders Club was a group created by Hong Seok-Joon and heirs in their twenties and thirties from the business world to foster friendships and talk business.

The founder of Leaders Club was Jung In-Hwan, the third son of Jung Sung Inc., the eleventh-largest conglomerate.

About ten core members centered around him would attend, and anyone from a chaebol's royal family could join. Each royal family member was allowed to bring a "plus one" to the gatherings. Most of the time, the plus one was a female celebrity, but sometimes men would attend for business reasons.

That was the reason I was calling Jin Sung-Joon from the empty waiting room of Cherry Blossom.

Jin Sung-Joon answered with a worried tone, apologizing for not being able to protect me from HK's attack.

-Mr. Jung. Are you all right?

"You know me, I'm fine. More importantly, would you be able to take me to the Leaders Club meeting tonight?"

-Leaders Club...?

"Yes."

-You really know everything, don't you?

I wanted to tell him that's because of my regression, but I held back.

Jin Sung-Joon, after a brief pause, responded. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

-Got it. I actually received an invitation for tonight's New Year celebration meeting. Let's go together.

He said his father had given strict orders not to get involved in the conflict with HK Inc., but this much should be fine.

"Then what time shall we meet?"

-9:50 p.m. Let's meet in front of Club Angel.

"Understood."

-Oh, and the dress code tonight is a black tuxedo.

If it was a tuxedo, borrowing one from Korea's top designer Jason Cho seemed best. I called Jason Cho right away to ask if I could borrow one.

However, I got an unexpected reply.

-I was wondering when you'd call. I already made a tuxedo for you, so just come by.

"For me? When?"

Jason Cho said he had tailored it in advance just in case I ever needed one. In fact, he even had two full suits prepared for me.

"I don't know what to say..."

-Just take it as your promotion gift~ Thanks to you, I got a collaboration with L.M.L. This is the least I can do.

A few days ago, when I staged that show with the fake designer outfit at the MBS Acting Awards, I had introduced Jason Cho to L.M.L. Thanks to that, he really did end up collaborating with L.M.L. Suddenly, I had a custom-made outfit from Korea's top designer.

"Thank you so much. Then would it be all right if I stop by around 8 p.m?"

-Of course. I'll be waiting, Mr. Jung~

Just as I finished all my tasks to head to Club Angel, an article started making the rounds on my phone.

[(Exclusive) Diva Han So-Jin. Did she make Cherry Blossom kneel?]

-Leaked footage: CherryBlossom_Kneeling_Footage.avi

-Pure-hearted Cherry Blossom's admiration for a diva crushed by Han So-Jin's abuse of power.

-Not a sunbae, but just a jealous female singer's tyranny.

-After three years of hard work, was abuse all Han So-Jin had to show?

It seemed like Han So-Jin could no longer remain in the entertainment industry.

'Adios, Han So-Jin.'

Two hours passed. On the waiting room TV, the No. 1 announcement for MBS Show! Music Center was airing.

The MC shouted on stage, where all the singers had gathered.

-Today's No. 1 is... Congratulations, Cherry Blossom! A record-breaking 11 consecutive wins on music shows~

Pop pop.

Gold and silver confetti began to flutter down on the stage.

In the meantime, Cherry Blossom's knees had turned even redder and the members clung to one another, shedding tears of joy.

'You've done well, girls.'

Proud of Cherry Blossom, I left MBS right away.

From now on, it was time to return everything they had suffered back to Hong Seok-Joon.

***

On the roadside in front of Club Angel in Cheongdam-dong, I wore Jason Cho's tuxedo and checked my phone while waiting for Jin Sung-Joon.

[Cherry Blossom. 11 consecutive music show wins!]

[Cherry Blossom breaks records with an unprecedented streak.]

[Han So-Jin! Forces Cherry Blossom to kneel.]

[Cherry Blossom's red knees as they hold their No.1 trophy.]

Cherry Blossom had delivered a top-tier performance on stage, living up to the fans' expectations. As a result, they had set a historic record—11 consecutive wins on music shows.

After reading the article that captured that fiery moment, I called Ryu Han-Joon. I wanted to hear the outcome of the undercover report I had requested from the head of the news bureau regarding today's Leaders Club meeting, which Hong Seok-Joon was scheduled to attend.

However, his response was a bit disappointing.

-Chief Jung. I'm sorry, but it'll take some time for the news team to get ready. With all the major incidents happening lately, we'll need about two weeks. It's hard to even find a royal family member to go with.

If I could have gotten in with him, I was planning to take down not only Hong Seok-Joon but the entire Leaders Club tonight. Yet, it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

"Understood. Then please keep digging. These guys...They're all the same bad guys."

-Got it.

After ending the call, I took a deep breath and opened my planner. I reviewed everything I had memorized about Hong Seok-Joon to prepare to bring him crashing down.

A few moments later, a call came in at 9:40 p.m.

[Caller ID: Jin Sung-Joon]

"There he is."

As I answered the call, Jin Sung-Joon's car pulled up in front of me.

-Mr. Jung. Just follow me in.

I followed Jin Sung-Joon's car toward the underground parking entrance of Club Angel.

***

As soon as Jin Sung-Joon got out of the car, he looked me over from head to toe.

"Wow~ Where'd you get such a sharp outfit?"

"It was a gift from designer Jason Cho."

"People say Jason Cho's on fire lately... and wow, it really does look great."

Jin Sung-Joon then told Yeo Jin-Soo, standing nearby, to set up an appointment because from now on, he wanted Jason Cho to tailor his suits as well.

Somehow, I had become a walking advertisement for Jason Cho.

"Alright. Let's go."

Since I was registered as his plus one for tonight, only Jin Sung-Joon and I headed to the elevator connected to the underground parking.

Security guards at the elevator checked our IDs and collected our phones. We were then handed two black cards. Leaders Club occupied both the third and fourth basement floors of Club Angel, and the cards granted access to those levels.

"Enjoy your time," one of the guards said.

With that, we took the elevator to the third basement floor. Upon arrival, we saw around twenty people on the spacious floor. Like a regular club, the third floor was filled with men dancing and chatting with celebrities. However, these were lower-tier individuals, not quite on the level to be considered true Leaders Club members.

Jin Sung-Joon pointed down the hall. "We need to go one more floor down."

"Okay."

Since the fourth basement level required a different elevator, we walked to the end of the hallway and went down one more level.

Ding.

As soon as we stepped onto the fourth basement level, the atmosphere was completely different from the third. A spacious room was furnished with luxurious sofas and a grand piano, where a tuxedo-clad pianist was playing classical music.

Five Leaders Club members were already seated on the sofas, chatting with their companions while sipping single malt whiskey. But Hong Seok-Joon was not among them yet.

'He's not here yet.'

Then, my eyes landed on the faces of the female celebrities sitting beside the Leaders Club members. I recognized them all—they were up-and-coming actresses starting to make a name for themselves.

At that moment, they all began staring straight at me while still holding their drinks.

'Why are they staring? Do I have something on my face?'

As I tilted my head in confusion, Jin Sung-Joon leaned in and whispered. "Mr. Jung, you might want to be careful tonight. All the actresses are ignoring their own partners and looking only at you."

"It's probably because of the tuxedo."

Jin Sung-Joon smirked. "I think it's more than just the tuxedo... Just know that most of the members here won't be happy with you tonight."

Looking at their expressions, I figured he was probably right.

Then, Jung In-Hwan—the third son of Jung Sung Inc., ranked eleventh in the business world, and the founder of Leaders Club three years ago—raised his hand.

"Hey~ You never come when we call, and today you show up? With a plus one?"

Jung In-Hwan and Jin Sung-Joon were the same age, but didn't get along. Back when they were kids, Jin Sung-Joon was often mocked as an illegitimate child, even though he was the son of the second wife.

Jin Sung-Joon shrugged. "I heard today's meeting was just quiet New Year business talk, so I figured I might pick up something useful."

"Yeah? Well, whatever the reason, good to see you. And that's Chief Jung with you, right? The one making waves in the talent agent world?"

"Yeah. Say hi."

The way they all looked at me was anything but friendly. Just like before the regression, the royal family members were not happy to see someone of a different social class among them.

As I sat on the sofa, Jung In-Hwan glanced at the female companions still staring at me and said, "Hey, you girls go hang out on the third floor today."

Upon realizing that his voice held a tinge of irritation, the actresses quickly adjusted their expressions. "Aww, come on, oppa~ I want to stay here~"

"Shut it and get to the third floor!"

At Jung In-Hwan's raised voice, the actresses pouted and headed toward the elevator. The other members didn't stop their companions from leaving either. They clearly didn't like that the women were interested in me.

Though I faced an unexpected obstacle right from the start, it didn't bother me much. After all, I had future knowledge on my side.

Moments later, Hong Seok-Joon stepped out of the elevator. Clinging to his arm was Han Yoo-Joo, one of our company's actresses.

"Sorry I'm late."

He walked in with a cheerful look, but the moment he saw me, his face twisted in disgust.

"Jung Yoon-Ho? What the hell are you doing here?!"

Hong Seok-Joon glared at Jin Sung-Joon with frustration.

"Jin Sung-Joon. You brought him?"

Jin Sung-Joon replied, "Don't look at me like that. We're here to talk business tonight."

"Business, my ass! That punk doesn't know the first thing about business!"

Hong Seok-Joon raised his voice, but he couldn't do anything about someone else's guest. Then, Han Yoo-Joo, who was clinging to his arm, began glancing nervously at me. She was an actress from Hoop Entertainment's Actor Division 3, and she had defied Kang Gam-Chan's strict order to avoid such places.

To shake Hong Seok-Joon, I decided to start with Han Yoo-Joo. "Miss Yoo-Joo, did you forget what Mr. Kang said about staying away from places like this?"

Han Yoo-Joo looked terrified like a student caught by the school disciplinarian. "Th-that's..."

Hong Seok-Joon snapped at her. "Hey! It's fine because I'm here. Just stay. Don't get scared!"

"B-but..."

"Hey, Han Yoo-Joo. Don't tell me you're more afraid of Jung Yoon-Ho than me?"

Han Yoo-Joo looked anxiously between the two of us, then finally turned to me. "Mr. Jung... Could you let it slide just this once?"

I nodded and said, "If you leave now."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's your first time here, and you didn't know better."

In truth, she did know. But even before the regression, Han Yoo-Joo never showed up at gatherings like this again after getting scolded once.

When I said I would let it go, Han Yoo-Joo instantly brightened and pulled her arm away from Hong Seok-Joon. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Hong. I think I'll head out for the night."

Hong Seok-Joon's eyes widened. "What? You'd rather listen to that damn talent agent than me?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you for the invitation, but I really should go."

At that, Hong Seok-Joon exploded in anger and grabbed her wrist. "You little—! Who said you could leave without my permission?"

Han Yoo-Joo let out a short cry of pain. "Ah!"

At that moment, Jung In-Hwan clicked his tongue in irritation. "Seok-Joon hyung. What the hell are you doing? That's so low-class. If she wants to leave, just let her go. You've got girls lining up to be here anyway, so why get all clingy? Huh?"

Hong Seok-Joon was boiling with rage, but he couldn't lash out at Jung In-Hwan.

"Damn it! Fine, go! Get out!"

When Hong Seok-Joon let go, Han Yoo-Joo cradled her wrist and disappeared into the elevator.

Ding.

As the doors closed, Hong Seok-Joon clenched his teeth and glared at me. His eyes practically shot laser beams, but I didn't look away.

He was the one who sabotaged the production announcement of Hwaranjeon today. He was the one who pulled the ads for Hwaranjeon. He was even the one who tormented Cherry Blossom.

So from now on, I planned to drag him all the way down.

Then Jung In-Hwan spoke up. "All right, since our dear Sung-Joon is here today, why don't we get back to business?"

"Sure."

The Leaders Club members began talking amongst themselves as if someone like me, just a talent agent, wasn't worthy of joining their conversation.

***

"You know what Judge Kim said?"

"Prosecutor Park said..."

"I met the U.S. Attorney General in Washington..."

The members of the Leaders Club, likely still bitter about losing the attention of their female companions, were trying hard to put me down. They bragged about playing golf with the U.S. Attorney General, being friends with the U.S. Forces Korea commander, even nonsense like controlling senior judges at will.

I listened quietly, waiting for my turn. After all, I wasn't here to tell childish stories like that.

Then, Hong Seok-Joon turned to me with a smirk right on cue. "This is what real opinion leaders talk about. Feeling out of your depth yet?"

Everyone turned to me while nodding in smug agreement, but I just found it pathetic.

I said in a nonchalant tone, "You all said we'd talk business, but it sounds more like you're trading friendship stories. Let's skip that. How about some actual business talk?"

"Actual business?"

"I have some business information that might be of interest."

Hong Seok-Joon scoffed. "You've got to be kidding. You still don't get it, huh? We don't care about some celebrity gossip rag!"

Laughter erupted around the room from those siding with Hong Seok-Joon.

"Hey, Chief Jung. Save that tabloid stuff for someone else. You've got the wrong crowd here."

"Come on~ Don't you know who we are?"

They all sneered, insisting entertainment gossip didn't bring in any real money. But that was their mistake. The entertainment intel I had could shake the very foundations of business dynasties.

Knowing this, Jin Sung-Joon muttered under his breath while glancing at the members. "Idiots."

Then, Jung In-Hwan raised his hand to calm the noise. "Really? Sounds interesting. Then let's hear what kind of help Chief Jung can offer us."

Just like I had seen before the regression, this guy was the most level-headed among them. The setup was exactly what I wanted.

I began to share the information that would deal a fatal blow to Hong Seok-Joon.

'Hong Seok-Joon. You're finished!'