Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 279: Jung Yoo-Jin's Showtime (1)

Click.

Dressed in a pristine white hanbok, Jin Yoo-Jung, stepped out of the car with a dignified expression. The cameras of the MBS' This Morning! team followed her, but she remained composed.

Scanning her surroundings, she spoke to me. "Team Lead Jung, shall we go?"

"Yes, ma'am. Let's go."

As Jin Yoo-Jung and I moved toward the set, the atmosphere became reminiscent of a yearly awards ceremony. The MBS' This Morning! team's cameras trailed behind and the staff parted to make way for Jin Yoo-Jung.

Upon reaching the set, Jin Yoo-Jung took a deep breath and whispered to me in a barely audible voice. "I'll be back..."

It was finally time to reveal the true identity of Manshin Wol-Ah.

Jin Yoo-Jung slowly walked toward the set. With each step, her posture gradually hunched more and more until she had completely embodied Manshin Wol-Ah in the blink of an eye.

Everyone watched in silence as she transformed against the backdrop of the commentary by Choi Ahn-Sung, the reporter of This Morning!.

-We are currently at the filming location of the most recent popular drama, In the Name of God. Rumors suggest there's a hidden secret behind this drama, leading us to visit the set. We'll first watch the actress playing Manshin Wol-Ah and then uncover her true identity.

As the reporter's voice played in the background, the cameras focused on Manshin Wol-Ah standing on set. Once Manshin Wol-Ah entered the shrine set and took her seat, everyone held their breath.

Kim Sung-Woon grabbed the megaphone and began to give directions. "Stay focused, everyone. We're starting the shoot right away!"

However, Cheongmyung was supposed to sit across Manshin Wol-Ah in this scene and Yoo-Jin, who played Cheongmyung, was nowhere to be seen.

The staff began to murmur.

"Where's Miss Yoo-Jin?"

"Is Miss Jung Yoo-Jin here?"

"Where are you, Miss Yoo-Jin~?"

The staff instinctively looked at Hoop Entertainment's talent agents. We simply shrugged and feigned innocence while Kang Gam-Chan chuckled heartily.

No one seemed to suspect that Yoo-Jin was Manshin Wol-Ah.

That's when Kim Sung-Woon made an announcement in a firm voice. "We'll start shooting Scene 111 with only Manshin Wol-Ah first."

"Huh? But what about Miss Yoo-Jin?"

"There's no time to explain. Just do as I say for now."

Kim Sung-Woon charismatically led the scene. Although the staff remained confused, they didn't bother asking further questions and resumed their work.

With an exaggerated expression, Kim Sung-Woon grabbed the megaphone. "Scene 111! Ready~ action!"

Upon his cue, the set fell silent and Manshin Wol-Ah's solo performance began.

***

Manshin Wol-Ah slowly started her performance, gazing at the empty spot where Cheongmyung should have been.

『How did it feel to finally live in the city you longed for, Cheongmyung?』

Manshin Wol-Ah was typically a rather grumpy character. However, the way she looked into the empty space now was filled with warmth and pity. This scene showed that even the cold Manshin Wol-Ah had a motherly warmth within her, which was a stark contrast to her usual demeanor.

Her typically furrowed brow was relaxed, and her tone was soft and affectionate.

『I see. You're different from me, Cheongmyung.』

Manshin Wol-Ah nodded as if responding to Cheongmyung's lines. Throughout the scene, Manshin Wol-Ah gripped her jacket tightly with a distressed expression when expressing her frustration. And when she was happy, she laughed heartily while slapping her knees in amusement.

She matched the pace of Cheongmyung's lines, crying, laughing, and reacting as if having a real conversation.

Her exquisite acting made it seem like Cheongmyung was sitting opposite to her and conversing with her when in reality she was simply acting in front of an empty space.

'That's my actress. I'm so proud of her,' I remarked inwardly.

I was mesmerized by Manshin Wol-Ah's performance and turned to look around. The MBS' This Morning! team's eyes were fixated on her with their cameras glued to her every move, and the In the Name of God's staff were trembling with awe despite having seen her act many times before.

'She is improving day by day,' I noted.

Yoo-Jin's acting skills had improved so much that I couldn't think of any advice to give her anymore.

Just like that, Manshin Wol-Ah performed a monodrama for two minutes straight without any mistakes, making it seem like she was conversing with an invisible partner.

Then, she exhaled deeply and ended her performance.

The people who were absorbed in Manshin Wol-Ah's acting slowly came back to their senses, expressing their amazement.

"Is it over already?"

"Wow~ her acting has improved again..."

"No, it's not that her acting has improved; she just never had the chance to show all of it."

"Phew~ what did I just witness?"

Watching the scene, Kim Sung-Woon calmly called cut through the megaphone. "Cut! Okay~ well done everyone!"

As soon as Kim Sung-Woon called a cut, all the staff barely contained their cheers as they remembered that MBS' This Morning! was broadcasting the filming live.

When Lee Heon-Jae signaled urgently, the reporter quickly resumed his commentary.

-Alright. Viewers, we have just witnessed the performance of Manshin Wol-Ah live. Now...it's time to reveal her true identity.

At that moment, Kim Sung-Woon grabbed the megaphone and added, "Alright~ moving on. Miss Yoo-Jin, get ready."

The staff wore puzzled expressions and tilted their heads in confusion. They heard Kim Sung-Woon call for Yoo-Jin, but she was nowhere to be seen.

At that moment, Manshin Wol-Ah stood up abruptly and replied, "Yes, sir!"

The voice of a young woman suddenly coming from the elderly Manshin Wol-Ah shocked everyone and had them doubting their own ears.

"Wh-what...?"

"No, no way...it can't e on, this is a joke, right...?"

"That's impossible...this makes no sense."

Some started to realize what was going on while others still remained clueless.

In the meantime, Manshin Wol-Ah straightened her hunched back and stopped her persistent coughing. She began to remove her wig slowly, revealing artificial skin beneath the white hair. The sight of the smooth bald head left everyone in shock.

Next, Yoo-Jin removed her colored lenses which replaced the cloudy gray eyes with her natural black ones. With each piece of her disguise coming off, gasps filled the set.

Finally, it was time to remove the mask.

I quickly signaled Yang So-Ri who was waiting with oil to assist Yoo-Jin. She rushed over and began applying oil to remove the specially made mask, revealing Yoo-Jin's smooth neck without the wrinkles of Manshin Wol-Ah.

"What... what is this...?"

"This is unbelievable..."

"Was it really... Jung Yoo-Jin?"

As the mask came off completely, Yoo-Jin's sweat-soaked hair and smiling face were fully revealed. Everyone rubbed their eyes in disbelief upon seeing the smiling Yoo-Jin. The reporter from MBS' This Morning! was left speechless despite being on live.

Yoo-Jin, now free of the mask, untied the sash of her white hanbok. A white short-sleeve shirt and light blue shorts she wore beneath it were revealed, signaling the complete transformation from Manshin Wol-Ah to 'Cheongmyung.'

Yoo-Jin fanned herself and looked at us. "Mr. Kim, I'm ready for the shoot!"

Yoo-Jin beamed with sweat glistening on her forehead.

As Manshin Wol-Ah vanished and Cheongmyung took her place, Kim Sung-Woon chuckled and looked around. "It seems the staff is a bit surprised. Let's take a short break to wipe off the sweat, shall we?"

Yoo-Jin walked off the set with a cheerful smile. "Okay~ sounds good."

When I quickly ran to her with a prepared towel, Yoo-Jin took it and smiled brightly with a look that seemed to be asking me if she had done well.

At that moment, Kang Gam-Chan began clapping.

Clap, clap, clap.

The steady applause echoed around the set, and soon the other staff also joined in one by one. The previously suppressed cheers erupted from everywhere.

"Wow, that's incredible!"

"Jung Yoo-Jin, you're the best!"

"How did we not know while watching from up close?"

"Miss Yoo-Jin, let's take a picture together!"

"She fooled everyone and played two roles...How is that even possible?"

"Actually, she played three roles including Mrs. Jin Yoo-Jung."

"I thought it was weird from the start. Jung Yoo-Jin's name backwards is... Jin Yoo-Jung!" exclaimed Lee Eun-Hyo.

Everyone wore an incredulous look as they turned to the youngest member of the production team, Lee Eun-Hyo, who claimed she knew this all along.

The applause and cheers for Yoo-Jin continued without end.

The smiling Yoo-Jin blushed and thanked every staff member who was cheering for her.

The reporter from MBS' This Morning! seemed just as excited, praising Yoo-Jin like a sports announcer after a goal.

Flash! Flash!

As the staff started taking pictures with their phones, Yoo-Jin waved at them. She had successfully completed the arduous task of playing dual roles and was now basking in the recognition.

Standing beside me, Yoo-Jin whispered softly so only I could hear. "Oppa, thank you."

"Hmm? What for?"

"For helping me grow this much."

Tears welled up in Yoo-Jin's eyes as she took in the attention and camera flashes.

"There's no need to thank me. As your talent agent, it's my job to do this."

Despite my casual tone, I also felt emotional as memories of our hard work together flashed through my mind. I turned my head slightly and spoke. "There's a lot of dust today on set, isn't there?"

I had to blink away nonexistent dust to keep my emotions in check.

***

Shortly after the live broadcast of MBS' This Morning!, breaking news flooded all Korean media outlets.

[(Breaking) The Shocking Truth about Manshin Wol-Ah in In the Name of God!]

[(Breaking) Revealed on MBS' This Morning!, Shockwaves Felt in Yangpyeong.]

[Jung Yoo-Jin Deceives the World with Astonishing Acting.]

[Veteran Actress Kim Soo-Hee Declares, "No current actress shows as much depth in acting as Jung Yoo-Jin."]

(Comments)

-This is unbelievable... She tricked the viewers with an elderly role in her mid-20s?

-She's amazing. I had no idea.

-Of course. She portrayed completely opposite characters perfectly.

-Was the ghostly Manshin Wol-Ah and the young shaman Cheongmyung really played by the same actress?

-Is this for real?

-LOL, if I hadn't watched it live, I'd never believe it.

-Alright! I'm tuning in to In the Name of God from tonight onwards!

With a flood of favorable articles, MBS' president Choi Sang-Byung gave instructions to double the interview time with the MBS' This Morning! team instead of continuing the drama shoot.

The startled Kim Myung-Hak rushed to the scene, while Lee Ji-Yeon, who wasn't on-site, supported Yoo-Jin with an interview article.

[Writer Lee Ji-Yeon: "An actress who can portray both 'Shaman Cheongmyung' and 'Manshin Wol-Ah?' Even in a big country like Korea, only Jung Yoo-Jin can do it!"]

The praises from the on-site staff and the articles brought Yoo-Jin to tears once again. "Oppa... Do I... Do I really deserve all this praise?"

I patted Yoo-Jin's shoulder. "Yes, you do. You worked hard."

However, Yoo-Jin was too overwhelmed to know how to react.

"Alright, let's thank everyone and head back. The interview ran long, so they decided to postpone the remaining scenes to another day," I said to her.

Yoo-Jin wiped her tears and nodded.

After saying goodbye to every staff member once more, Kang Gam-Chan and the rest of us headed back to the company.

We were greeted with cheers upon arriving at the office, and Yoo-Jin was congratulated like she had won an acting award.

Just as we settled into the office to catch our breath, the phones started ringing off the hook with ad inquiries this time. Yoo-Jin also had numerous interview requests, so even phone interviews kept her busy.

At 10 p.m., Jung Yoo-Jin's name was still at the top of the real-time search rankings, raising our expectations for the viewership ratings.

We paused our work for a moment and gathered in the meeting room to watch the 9th episode of In the Name of God.

An hour later, Kim Sung-Woon called with the viewership ratings.