Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 204: In the Name of God Crank In (3)

Jin Yoo-Jung bent at the waist as soon as Kim Sung-Woon called out.

Her lively eyes quickly turned into the mad gaze of Manshin Wol-Ah. At the same time, her previously vigorous body began to stagger and she leaned on the cane as if she would be swept away by the wind.

Having transformed into Manshin Wol-Ah, Jin Yoo-Jung muttered to herself and stopped in front of a pile of stones stacked beside a cedar tree.

She then put down the cane she was holding in her right hand, threw off her rubber shoes, and started to bow barefoot.

A hushed silence enveloped the entire set as the scene vividly resembled a sacred ritual.

After a moment, Manshin Wol-Ah began to sway and climb up the pile of stones.

I involuntarily swallowed hard without realizing it due to her precarious movements.

It took about 20 seconds for Manshin Wol-Ah to slowly reach the front of the cedar tree at a pace several times slower than that of an ordinary person.

Standing in front of the cedar tree, Manshin Wol-Ah started to insert the hanji paper into a twisted rope.

That was when Kim Sung-Woon sent a signal with his hands wearing a tense expression.

At the same time, the extras playing the local residents entered the scene.

『Ah, there she goes again. We told you to stop doing things like this!』

『Hey, auntie! What are you doing? We made it very clear that we don't need a shaman in our village!』

『She’s not an auntie, she’s a grandma! Hey, grandma, get out of here! No one welcomes you here in our village!』

The villagers shouted at her, each commanding in their own way. One of them even threw an empty makgeolli bottle handed to them by the props team.

『Ugh, you're ruining the taste of the alcohol.』

Thump!

The empty plastic bottle flew and hit Manshin Wol-Ah on the back and then fell to the ground.

At that moment, Manshin Wol-Ah turned around and glared sharply at the villagers. Her intense gaze made the villagers step back hesitantly.

That's when Manshin Wol-Ah started to yell fiercely.

『You dare to create a disturbance in the dwelling of the spirit? You fools! Do you really wish to meet your demise?』

Her voice was sharp like the sound of nails scraping a blackboard, sending chills down everyone's spines.

At that moment, goosebumps erupted all over my body—And I wasn't the only one.

The staff on set covered their mouths in surprise and were repeatedly gasping in amazement.

Manshin Wol-Ah glared at the local residents with a cold gaze, then dropped the hanji paper and colored paper she was holding onto the ground.

She then stood up again and slowly started approaching the local residents. At some point, she had pulled out a sharp pair of scissors in her right hand which no one had noticed.

『What, what? Why is she holding scissors? Has that old lady really gone insane?』

『Hey! M-Mr. Kim! B-be careful over there!』

The voices of the flustered extras were trembling.

According to the original script, this was where they were supposed to curse the crazy shaman and throw stones before running away.

However, the extras were so overwhelmed by the atmosphere created by Manshin Wol-Ah that they were frozen in place.

'Could this be an NG?' I wondered.

But Kim Sung-Woon watched the scene intently with unwavering eyes.

Then, as if she had been waiting, Manshin Wol-Ah started her ad-libbed performance.

Manshin Wol-Ah approached the edge of the pile of stones surrounding the cedar tree and stopped abruptly. That's when she suddenly lifted the scissors above her head.

『H-hey! Let's calm down and try to talk this out!』

『Put that down right now!』

Shouts erupted from the startled extras.

However, Manshin Wol-Ah did not stop. She brought the scissors to the back of her head and grabbed her hair with her left hand.

Snip!

Manshin Wol-Ah cut off her hair with the scissors at once without hesitation.

At that moment, a strong wind began to blow and her short white wig began fluttering wildly in the wind.

Then once again, Manshin Wol-Ah shouted in a chilling voice.

『If you do not leave, not only you but your children will be cursed as well! Those who violate the sacred tree will not even leave a corpse when they die!』

The moment the ripping voice of Manshin Wol-Ah was heard, the extras could no longer hold back and started screaming as they ran away.

『Aaaaah!』

All the extras fled out of the camera's angle.

However, the extra who had thrown the makgeolli bottle slumped down on the spot and was shaking uncontrollably, not even noticing his wet front.

Manshin Wol-Ah looked at him with disdain and turned around.

Returning to the cedar tree, Manshin Wol-Ah began to insert her cut hair into the cedar tree's twisted rope.

『Accept my hair as your garment and spirit. Please protect this village with your miraculous powers stretching over the mountains~』

Manshin Wol-Ah kept muttering non-stop as she inserted her hair, hanji paper, and colored paper into the twisted rope.

And just like that, the scene ended with the first appearance of Manshin Wol-Ah.

***

"C-cut! Okay!" The startled Kim Sung-Woon shouted after a long delay.

At that moment, applause erupted wildly among the staff as if they had been waiting.

"Wow, that was amazing!"

"This is insane."

"Could our drama hit 30% in viewership ratings with her acting?"

"Her aura is no joke. She truly is a real shaman..."

The staff, who had all been anxious about casting an unknown actress in a significant supporting role, had completely changed their attitudes.

Kim Sung-Woon stood in front of the monitor and couldn't hide his flushed face. "Are the extras okay? Are you hurt?"

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry? Oh. I-I'm fine," the extra stammered.

But despite his words, the extra was hiding his blushing face while folding his legs.

Kim Sung-Woon immediately gave an order. "Props team, go get a pair of underwear and pants."

Though the situation was embarrassing, no one blamed the extra due to the intense performance Manshin Wol-Ah had shown.

"I would have pissed myself too," one of the staff said.

I quickly ran over and handed a knee blanket to the extra.

The extra looked at me and gave an awkward smile. "T-thank you."

"Don't mention it. We are sorry to put you in a difficult position. I'll buy you a pair of pants later."

But the extra firmly declined, still managing a resigned smile.

The extra added, "No, there's really no need to. But I gotta admit this is the first time I've experienced something like this despite being an experienced extra."

That was when Jin Yoo-Jung, having stepped out of her Manshin Wol-Ah role and straightened up, came down from the pile of stones.

Looking at the extra sitting on the ground, she said, "I guess I scared you too much. How can I make it up to you?"

"Oh, I'm, I'm fine."

At that moment, Jin Yoo-Jung looked at me and spoke. "Team Lead Jung, don't just stand there. Take this guy's number and send him some money for laundry. No, just buy him a new pair of pants."

Her face, expression, voice, and actions had all changed back to Jin Yoo-Jung, but her considerate nature was still that of the kind Yoo-Jin.

Without realizing, a pleased smile escaped me. "Yes, ma'am. I'll do that."

The extra was insistent on declining, but I managed to get his contact details forcibly.

After handing the extra over to a staff member who had brought a change of clothes, I gave Jin Yoo-Jung her clothes and shoes that she had taken off earlier.

Only after wearing a leopard-print coat, red boots, and her red horn-rimmed glasses did Jin Yoo-Jung approach Kim Sung-Woon.

Jin Yoo-Jung finished reviewing the footage of the scene they had just shot with Kim Sung-Woon.

"Everything looks good to me. Do you think it's okay for me to leave now?" Jin Yoo-Jung asked.

Because today’s shoot was just this one scene, Kim Sung-Woon nodded affirmatively as Jin Yoo-Jung looked at him expectantly.

"You did very well today, ma'am. I look forward to our next shoot," Kim Sung-Woon said with a smile.

Jin Yoo-Jung nodded and began walking toward the parking lot.

The staff parted like the sea around Moses and cleared a path for her. She walked through with regal steps as she headed toward her car.

Like that, the first appearance of Manshin Wol-Ah successfully concluded.

***

In a residential area a few kilometers away from the set, Yoo-Jin still in her Jin Yoo-Jung's disguise posed a question.

"Oppa, how was my acting today from your perspective?"

"Let's wash off the makeup first. It’s hot and you might get a rash," I replied.

Yoo-Jin nodded and tried to remove the makeup but struggled. "Ugh, why isn’t this coming off? I can’t seem to remove it!"

Yang So-Ri sitting beside Yoo-Jin quickly stopped her. "Wait, don’t force it. It might tear."

Yang So-Ri carefully removed the mask after applying some oil.

When the mask finally came off, Yoo-Jin's face and chest were drenched in sweat.

"Phew, I finally feel alive," Yoo-Jin said with relief.

As Yang So-Ri applied a protective solution to the mask, she said, "Since it was made to fit perfectly to prevent it from coming off on set, never try to take it off alone. It could damage your skin."

Yoo-Jin nodded. "Okay, unnie!"

Then the relieved Yoo-Jin asked once again. "Oppa, now tell me. Was the atmosphere on set okay?"

"Are you really asking because you don’t know?"

"I’m more curious about what you think than my own thoughts."

I suppressed my beating heart and responded sincerely. "You did well. I've never seen such acting before."

A big smile spread across Yoo-Jin's face.

"That's a relief! Then oppa, how about we go out to eat after Miso finishes acting? I feel like I've lost some weight from all the sweating," Yoo-Jin said with a playful wink.

Though she was just dehydrated from sweating, she insisted she had lost weight. But I decided to play along since she had worked hard today.

"Alright. I'll let you win today. Let's go eat some barbecue to celebrate," I suggested.

"Yay!" Yoo-Jin exclaimed.

The excited Yoo-Jin hummed as she dried her sweat.

"But I wonder when Miso will finish her acting," Yoo-Jin remarked.

"It should be soon. They said they're only shooting up to scene 7 today," I added.

But at that moment, I suddenly received a call from Lee Ji-Yeon.

-Yoon-Ho~ Bring Yoo-Jin over to my place once you’re done~

Click.

The call ended abruptly.

'Why is she calling us over?' I wondered.

It seemed like a casual team dinner wasn't in our fate tonight.

***

After stopping by home to wash up, we headed straight to Lee Ji-Yeon's house.

Upon arrival, I found that Kim Soo-Hee was also there.

But when they saw that we brought Miso along, the two could not hide their perplexed expressions.

I quickly took the initiative to explain that Miso had instantly recognized Yoo-Jin's makeup, which surprised Lee Ji-Yeon and Kim Soo-Hee.

"My goodness. Miso saw right through the special makeup?" Lee Ji-Yeon asked in surprise.

I nodded. "Yes."

Miso blinked and nodded. "I haven't told anyone because it's a secret!"

Miso proudly puffed out her chest. At that moment, laughter began to appear on both of their faces.

"This kid really has an extraordinary eye!" Lee Ji-Yeon remarked.

Kim Soo-Hee nodded in agreement. "She has good eyes."

After praising Miso for a while, they quickly turned to Yoo-Jin with excited expressions and showered her with compliments.

"By the way, Yoo-Jin~ you were super amazing today!" Lee Ji-Yeon exclaimed.

Kim Soo-Hee also nodded. "To think of playing three roles. I was worried but I was foolish to think that, Yoo-Jin."

"Oh, Mrs. Kim," Yoo-Jin replied bashfully.

Looking at the shy Yoo-Jin, Miso also excitedly exclaimed, "Mom, you were great! I totally fell for your acting!"

Miso's eyes sparkled as she looked at her mom.

"Did I do that well, Miso?" Yoo-Jin asked.

"Yes! I got goosebumps when you cut your hair and my heart sank. You were really scary!"

Lee Ji-Yeon smiled. "Yoon-Ho, you are truly fortunate to have not just one but two such blessings..."

Kim Soo-Hee grumbled about being rebuffed in her attempt to recruit Yoo-Jin and Miso.

At that moment, Lee Ji-Yeon burst into laughter and said, "Unnie, Yoon-Ho isn’t leaving Hoop Entertainment. Or rather, can't leave. Do you think President Kang Gam-Chan would let this guy go?"

"What do you mean?" Kim Soo-Hee asked.

"President Kang Gam-Chan said that even if all the others leave, he can always rebuild the company as long as Yoon-Ho is beside him," Lee Ji-Yeon explained.

"Woah, the President Kang Gam-Chan really said that?" Kim Soo-Hee asked in surprise.

"Yes. Unnie, you were trying to take the cornerstone of the company. It’s good you didn’t. And President Kang Gam-Chan can be surprisingly scary when angry, you know," Lee Ji-Yeon remarked.

'Mr. Kang...' I thought to myself.

I didn't know Kang Gam-Chan thought so highly of me.

At that moment, I started to feel a deep longing for Kang Gam-Chan.

Lee Ji-Yeon looked at me with a smile and changed the subject. "Anyway, I called you here today because it’s my treat."

Yoo-Jin's face lit up at once. "Ms. Lee, you're the best!"

That's when the doorbell rang.

Ding dong!

"Oh, right. I invited Kim PD and totally forgot about it."

When Lee Ji-Yeon opened the door, Kim Sung-Woon came in barefoot and created a commotion. "I'm sorry for being late. The director suddenly came to the set."

Right upon his arrival, Kim Sung-Woon highly praised Yoo-Jin’s performance. "It was an unexpectedly fantastic performance."

But as he continued his praise, Kim Sung-Woon suddenly dropped some unexpected news.

"But Festival of Money which airs at the same time as ours just got an investment from Hwayeon Media Inc."

"Hwayeon Media Inc.?"

Hwayeon Media Inc. was led by President Jiang Wei, who had previously caused trouble for Yoo-Jin.

'They decided to invest in our competition?' I wondered.