Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 521: Best or Worst (2)

The photo Lee Soo-Chan sent showed a woman with short hair whispering closely with Lee Ye-Seo.

That woman was none other than Director Jo Jin-Hee, who had been dismissed after mistreating Lee Mi-Ri at the L.M.L showcase. Holding a grudge over the incident, she was now trying to sabotage L.M.L's efforts to showcase Black Label dresses at the MBS Drama Awards.

After learning how Yoo-Jin was selected as the Worst Dresser, I asked Lee Soo-Chan, "Soo-Chan, did you hear what they were talking about?"

-No, the cafe was too small so I could only take photos from afar.

It was unfortunate, but there was nothing I could do.

"Then do you have the background check file on Chief Lee Ye-Seo?"

-Partially. I'll send it to your email right now.

"Thanks as always."

-Don't mention it. Thanks to the celebrities you introduced me to, Reverse Entertainment has been doing well. Oh, and Mr. Kim Seung-Moon is really good at his job.

Kim Seung-Moon, who had suffered a myocardial infarction and been hospitalized, started working at Reverse Entertainment as soon as he recovered.

"He's already discharged?"

-Yes. He overworked himself at HK Apparel, but he was originally in good health. Still, I'm making sure he leaves work on time.

"Good. Also, keep a close eye on both Lee Ye-Seo and Jo Jin-Hee."

-I already instructed that.

Lee Soo-Chan had placed private investigators on Jo Jin-Hee as well.

"Oh, and Ace Entertainment is about to split up, so many actors will be leaving. Ju Yung-In is also planning to start a one-person agency. Investing in it could be a good move. I highly recommend meeting with her. If you sign her, it'll be a huge win."

Lee Soo-Chan never took money from me for his help. Instead, I introduced him to actors and talent agents or shared industry intel in return.

With excitement in his voice, Lee Soo-Chan replied.

-Understand, hyung-nim. Thank you.

"Alright, do your best."

After receiving the contact information of the private investigator watching Lee Ye-Seo, I headed to her residence in Gangnam right away.

***

Lee Ye-Seo lived in Room 1002 of the Elberman Officetel in Gangnam. As I arrived at the entrance, the investigator assigned by Lee Soo-Chan approached me.

"Are you Mr. Jung? I've been waiting for you."

"Yes. Thank you for your hard work. What's Chief Lee Ye-Seo doing?"

"She went up to her unit about five minutes ago after meeting with the person in the photo."

"Did you get any additional pictures?"

The investigator grinned and handed me more photos. "Yes. I barely managed to capture these."

The images clearly showed Lee Ye-Seo betraying L.M.L. She was counting a stack of cash received from Jo Jin-Hee. This was an unexpected but valuable find.

"You deserve a bonus for this."

"I won't refuse."

I took out fifty thousand won from my wallet and handed it to the investigator, who bowed his head. "Thank you, Mr. Jung!"

"I'm the one who should be grateful. I heard you've been shadowing her since last night without any rest."

Since I had asked Lee Soo-Chan to investigate Lee Ye-Seo, this investigator hadn't gone home and had been tailing her.

"Well, in this line of work, we can't afford to miss a single moment."

After telling the investigator he had done well, I called Lee Ye-Seo and she picked up after a few rings.

-Hello?

"Ms. Lee, this is Team Lead Jung Yoon-Ho from Hoop Entertainment. Can we meet now? I'd like to discuss Yoo-Jin's outfit from yesterday."

Lee Ye-Seo hesitated before responding.

-Ah, I just got home after work, so it's a bit difficult right now... Can we talk tomorrow instead?

"It'll only take a moment. I'm already on the first floor of your officetel."

Hearing that I was waiting downstairs, she had no choice but to agree.

-Alright. Could you wait at Cafe Bigs on the first floor? I'll be right down.

"Of course, Ms. Lee."

Just in case, I told the investigator to stand by before heading to the cafe. Bigs was a small takeout-focused cafe with only two tables inside. Though the space was limited, it was a good place for a quiet conversation.

Before long, Lee Ye-Seo arrived, dressed in pink training wear. "Mr. Jung?"

"Over here."

As I waved, Lee Ye-Seo walked over to the innermost table. Perhaps because she wasn't properly dressed, she gave an awkward smile. As soon as she sat down, the drinks I had ordered were served.

I said, "I'm sorry for dropping by so late. I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I got a sweet potato latte and a decaf coffee. Choose whichever you prefer."

Lee Ye-Seo picked the sweet potato latte. "I'll have this one."

I took the remaining decaf coffee. Unaware that this could be her last peaceful moment, Lee Ye-Seo took a sip of her drink.

Watching me cautiously, she asked, "What's wrong with the outfit that you had to come all the way here? You said everything was fine yesterday."

I had been waiting for this. I pulled up the photos the investigator had sent me and displayed them on my phone screen. "It's not about the outfit. You need to explain this."

Lee Ye-Seo choked mid-sip, coughing violently. I handed her a cold glass of water, which she quickly drank before looking at me with anxious eyes.

"I-I think there's some misunderstanding... I just met Mrs. Jo because she happened to be nearby. She used to be my boss, after all. We were just catching up."

I scoffed. "In a situation where security is critical because L.M.L's Black Label dresses are debuting at the Drama Awards, you decided to meet with Mrs. Jo Jin-Hee, who was fired from the company?"

"M-Meeting someone isn't a crime, is it?"

Her shameless response prompted me to pull out another photo. "Then what about this?"

I placed another image in front of her—one that showed her receiving a white envelope from Jo Jin-Hee.

"And take a look at this one as well."

The next picture captured her clearly taking money out of the envelope. Now there was no way out. Lee Ye-Seo's entire body started trembling like a leaf as the evidence was undeniable.

At that moment, she grabbed both my hands tightly and pleaded, "P-please, Mr. Jung, spare me."

I shook off her hands and debated whether to call the police immediately. I could report Jo Jin-Hee for design theft and charge Lee Ye-Seo as her accomplice.

But when I checked my planner, I realized there was a problem.

[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)

'Reporting this to the police won't change anything?'

It didn't make sense. Even so, I couldn't just reveal Yoo-Jin's outfit early to Lee Yung-Ah. The release was scheduled to coincide with the MBS Drama Awards.

'What do I do?'

Then it hit me—a way to fix everything and ruin Jo Jin-Hee at the same time.

'A fake design scheme.'

If I could convince Jo Jin-Hee that the design had changed, I could turn this whole situation around.

Before putting my plan into motion, I looked at Lee Ye-Seo, who was rubbing her hands together in desperation. "If I don't report this to the police, will you do exactly as I say?"

Lee Ye-Seo's expression shifted from despair to relief as she nodded frantically. "Yes! Yes! I'll do whatever you ask."

To craft a precise strategy, I needed to fully understand the situation first.

"Good. Then start from the beginning and tell me everything."

Lee Ye-Seo sighed and began her confession. "Actually..."

***

Lee Ye-Seo was a luxury brand fanatic. However, as she continued buying high-end goods, she drained her savings. Even with an annual salary of hundred million won, it wasn't enough.

Eventually, she fell into credit card debt and resorted to private loans. Just when she was overwhelmed with repayments, she received a call from Jo Jin-Hee, who had left the company.

I asked, "So that's why you handed over the designs?"

"Yes."

"The security at the fitting rooms made it impossible to secretly take photos. How did you do it?"

"I personally sketched the designs and handed over the fabric details."

With just the designs and fabric information, a major company could replicate them within a day or two. Jo Jin-Hee had assured Lee Ye-Seo that she would make slight modifications to avoid getting caught for design theft.

My planner was right. If I had simply reported Lee Ye-Seo to the police, we might have been counterattacked instead.

"Alright. Now, you're coming with me to see the president."

With slumped shoulders, Lee Ye-Seo had no choice but to follow me to L.M.L.

***

At the president's office, Lee Yung-Ah had delayed her departure to wait for me and Moon Yung-Mi had also rushed over.

As soon as Lee Ye-Seo saw the two of them, she dropped to her knees on the cold floor without being told. "I-I'm sorry, Ms. Lee."

But Lee Yung-Ah's voice was icy. "Sorry? That's what you have to say right now? What on earth were you thinking, Ms. Lee?"

Twenty designers had spent sleepless nights producing thousands of designs. Over a hundred outfits had been made from those, and only ten were selected for the final showcase. From there, they carefully picked the ones that best suited Yoo-Jin. Thinking that all that effort had been wasted, Lee Yung-Ah couldn't contain her fury.

Moon Yung-Mi let out a bitter sigh as she looked at Lee Ye-Seo. "Chief Lee, how could you do this to me? I cared for you so much, and yet you handed over our designs to Jo Jin-Hee?"

Before joining L.M.L, Lee Ye-Seo had worked under Moon Yung-Mi at LM Apparel. That made her betrayal all the more painful.

Lee Ye-Seo continued to bow and plead. "I made a terrible mistake!"

"No. That's not enough. If the designs have already been leaked, I can't just let this go!"

When the fuming Lee Yung-Ah was about to call the police, I quickly stopped her. I still needed Lee Ye-Seo for what I was about to do.

"Please hear me out first, Mrs. Lee."

"Mr. Jung. If we don't make an example of her, this will happen again. And more than us, Miss Yoo-Jin will suffer immense damage if someone else wears the exact same dress at the year-end awards."

"I know."

"And yet you're stopping me?"

"I may have acted out of line... but I already promised Ms. Lee that I wouldn't turn her in."

"What? Why?"

"Because I need her help."

I explained that I intended to have Lee Ye-Seo meet Jo Jin-Hee again and feed her false information about a design change.

Moon Yung-Mi shook her head. "Jo Jin-Hee isn't that easy to fool. She's insecure, but she does have an eye for design. If the trap isn't convincing, she'll catch on immediately."

"I know. That's why we need a proper show."

"A show?"

"Yes."

From that moment, I began explaining my Fake Design Plan—written and directed by Jung Yoon-Ho.

***

"Alright. Let's give it a shot."

Fortunately, both Moon Yung-Mi and Lee Yung-Ah agreed to my plan.

It was also decided that Lee Ye-Seo would be fired but not reported to the police. After all, getting proper compensation for design leaks was nearly impossible. It was much more satisfying to completely ruin the other party instead. Additionally, Lee Ye-Seo swore her utmost loyalty to us.

Lee Yung-Ah sighed and asked, "Mr. Jung, what's our first step?"

"First of all, please gather all the most avant-garde dress designs available. The kind that would only appear once every three years at Paris Haute Couture Shows with designs so unique they'd be mocked by the public but respected within the designer world."

Haute couture was essentially custom fashion for the elite. While it often produced groundbreaking works, it also led to bizarre and unwearable designs that were difficult for the average person to appreciate. To fool Jo Jin-Hee, I needed dresses that looked like they came straight from those extreme showcases.

"Got it. I'll bring them from the storage myself."

Lee Yung-Ah headed off to collect the outfits, while I began contacting the people I needed for the plan.

***

A short while later, Yoo-Jin arrived at L.M.L with Lee Mi-Ri. Since it was already past 11 p.m, she looked confused.

"Oppa, why did you suddenly call me here this late?"

"I'm sorry. It's about the dress you'll wear at the Drama Awards."

"My dress? Didn't we already choose one yesterday?"

At that moment, Lee Yung-Ah entered the fitting room with the outfits. They were even more outrageous than I had imagined. The first was a bright red, sheer dress with a built-in hat that resembled a mosquito net. The matching dress was so tight-fitting it looked like a cheongsam, but the sides were completely open to expose the wearer's hips.

The second was a white gown covered in an absurd amount of feathers with two massive symbols resembling animal eyes embroidered onto the shoulders.

Yoo-Jin's jaw dropped in pure horror as she stared at me in shock, her eyes filled with fear. "O-Oppa... you want me to wear this?!"

I quickly explained the situation: the designs had been leaked to Jo Jin-Hee, and to trick her, we needed to put on a show.

Only after telling her these outfits were fake did Yoo-Jin finally sigh in relief. "Sigh~ I was about to refuse you for the first time, oppa... Thank God."

"Come on~ Do you really think I'd make you wear something like this?"

Yoo-Jin was so startled that she was still struggling to process everything. "But oppa. Even if I wear these, will they really believe it?"

"Not just like that. They're not idiots."

"Then what's the plan?"

I revealed the second step of my strategy. "We need authority."

"Authority?"

"Yes. As long as we have someone with enough credibility, even a lie can become the truth."

Yoo-Jin tilted her head, still not quite getting it.

At that moment, someone who could provide that very authority entered the fitting room.

He was one of South Korea's top designers, and he was someone I was personally acquainted with.

"Mr. Jung~!"