Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 471: Jinseong Inc (1)

Jin Ah-Ram extended her hand with a bright smile. "I've heard a lot about you. I'm Jin Ah-Ram."

Her long straight hair cascaded down to her waist, and she was dressed in a white suit and a light gray coat. Jin Ah-Ram was offering me a handshake while smiling, which was a rare sight from someone as haughty as the Jinseong Inc's royal family.

At that moment, I could feel dozens of eyes in the expansive lobby turning toward me.

Jin Ah-Ram wasn't just the youngest daughter of Jinseong Inc, but she was also a Harvard MBA graduate with beauty rivaling Miss Korea and a model-like figure at 170 cm tall. Many of the younger employees admired her, and seeing her interact with me sparked visible envy.

Before I could react, Jin Ah-Ram tilted her head and pouted. "What's this? Are you not going to shake my hand?"

I quickly stood up and grasped Jin Ah-Ram's slender and delicate hand. "Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Jung Yoon-Ho from Hoop Entertainment."

Suddenly, I felt the daggers in the stares of the surrounding employees intensify.

But Jin Ah-Ram leaned in slightly and whispered with a mischievous smile, "Don't mind them. They're just clueless idiots who don't realize how impressive you are, Mr. Jung."

Jin Ah-Ram's sharp tone was oddly charming, though it was nothing more than an observation. After all, she was from a completely different world being a member of a royal family.

I replied modestly, "You're too kind."

"It's not flattery. Once you sign a contract with my brother, I bet the combined salaries of all the employees here wouldn't come close to your worth."

She must have heard stories about me from her brother, Jin Sung-Joon, with whom she seemed to have a good relationship.

"I was curious, though. My brother has never praised anyone like he praised you."

Jin Ah-Ram spoke openly about her brother's compliments while holding my hand longer than it seemed necessary. When I gently withdrew my hand and tried my best not to make it awkward, Jin Ah-Ram smiled.

I asked, "But aren't you here for business? Shouldn't you get going?"

Turning to her secretary, Choi Hee-Seon, she asked, "Do I have anything urgent right now?"

Choi Hee-Seon, the same age as Jin Ah-Ram, shook her head. "You have a meeting scheduled with Mr. Park regarding the food and beverage division... but it can be postponed."

"Is that so? Then postpone it. I'll meet with my brother first, and then I'll deal with Mr. Park. Make sure to smooth things over so he doesn't feel slighted."

"Understood."

As Choi Hee-Seon stepped away to make a call, Jin Ah-Ram plopped herself down beside me and turned to the gawking employees. "What are you all standing around for? Don't you have work to do? Get moving!"

Only then did the staff scatter and resume their tasks. Jin Ah-Ram then opened her tablet and hummed a tune as she began reviewing documents.

'What is with this woman?'

Knowing Jin Ah-Ram's reputation, her overly friendly behavior felt suspicious. But I couldn't exactly confront her about it, so I focused on monitoring entertainment news on my phone instead.

[KBC's Queen Jeong-Hee's Lead Actress So Yi-Yung's Filming Scenes Revealed!]

[KBC's Queen Jeong-Hee. Rising Stars Park Eun-Jin and Do Ye-Hoon Make Their Entrance!]

[KBC Bets Big on Queen Jeong-Hee: 2021's Most Anticipated Drama!]

PD Lee Seon-Chang was pouring money into promoting Queen Jeong-Hee

At that moment I noticed the screen of Jin Ah-Ram's tablet out of the corner of my eye. It displayed a complex financial statement, but having practically managed Top Entertainment by myself, I could instantly decipher the data.

[Sejin Resort]

...

- Annual Operating Profit: 32.5 Billion Won.

That's when a memory suddenly surfaced.

'Sejin Resort... wasn't that the company that engaged in accounting fraud?'

Accounting fraud referred to manipulating financial records to turn a loss-making business into one that appeared profitable.

Now was likely the period when Jinseong Hotels & Resorts was in the process of acquiring Sejin Resort. However, Jinseong would only discover the fraudulent accounting after completing the acquisition.

I knew this because Cha Tae-Hoon from Actor Division 3 had been the advertising model for Sejin Resort at the time before the regression.

I pulled out my phone to check if my recollection was accurate.

[Everyday V12]

[Date: January 13, 2021]

- 3:00 p.m: Actor Division Meeting. (Agenda: Discovery of accounting fraud post-acquisition of Sejin Resort. Cha Tae-Hoon's advertising fee unpaid.)

'Spot on.'

Due to collusion between accountants and lawyers, the fraud was thoroughly concealed until after the acquisition. As a result, Jin Myung-Hee, the representative director of Jinseong Hotels & Resorts, was labeled an incompetent leader. Meanwhile, Cha Tae-Hoon had to wait a full year before receiving a mere 30% of his payment.

'What should I do about this?'

Jin Ah-Ram was currently a director at Jinseong Hotels & Resorts. If I revealed what I knew, this disaster could be avoided. However, doing so would risk entangling me in Jinseong Inc's fierce succession battle.

As I pondered, I noticed Jin Ah-Ram taking her eyes off the tablet and glancing at me. She was smiling warmly, but in her face, I could see traces of her brother, Jin Sung-Joon.

In an instant, I realized why Jin Ah-Ram was being so friendly. Just like her brother, she saw value in my abilities. This was why she had angled the tablet toward me—to test me or perhaps elicit my help.

It was clear she had already heard about me from her brother.

'These siblings are just...'

But I had no plans to play along now that I understood her intentions.

I asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Mr. Jung. What do you think about this company? Our company is considering acquiring it."

"I wouldn't know. I'm not familiar with financial statements."

"Oh, come on. My brother said you were better than our entire marketing team when it came to assessing advertising value. And now you're telling me you can't read a basic financial report?"

I feigned ignorance and responded nonchalantly, "I can only analyze advertising data. I can understand simple terms like 'Operating Profit: 32.5 billion won.'"

Jin Ah-Ram pouted slightly before pressing further. "Tsk. Alright, then let me rephrase. We are planning to acquire this company. Should we proceed with the acquisition or back out?"

I met her eager gaze and replied simply, "Who knows?"

"Now, don't be like that. I won't hold you responsible, so just tell me what you think. Pretty please?"

It was surprising to see the typically composed Jin Ah-Ram acting cute.

Before I could respond, Choi Hee-Seon finished her call and cleared her throat. "Ahem."

Jin Ah-Ram turned to Choi Hee-Seon and snapped, "What is it? I'm talking to Mr. Jung!"

"Mr. Jin has finished his meeting and asked you to join him upstairs."

"Ugh, seriously. I was having such a good conversation with Mr. Jung and now you interrupt?"

"There are too many eyes on you. Please exercise discretion. It could lead to future issues."

When Jin Ah-Ram glanced around, employees in the lobby quickly averted their gazes.

Jin Ah-Ram complained, "Who cares about them?"

"I do. If rumors spread, it will create problems. Now, please, let's have a quick chat."

"Can't it wait?"

When Choi Hee-Seon wore a firm expression and remained silent, Jin Ah-Ram sighed and stood up reluctantly. "Fine. Let's go."

Jin Ah-Ram then turned to me with a hint of disappointment in her expression. "I'll join you shortly. See you upstairs."

I replied curtly, "Understood."

I grabbed the two duffel bags filled with thermoses and headed toward the elevator.

***

As soon as Jung Yoon-Ho stepped into the elevator, the cheerful smile vanished from Jin Ah-Ram's face.

Expressionless, she turned to Choi Hee-Seon and said in a cold tone, "Send our people to the Sejin Resort acquisition team and have them thoroughly review the financial statements again."

Although Jin Ah-Ram ordered in a cold and emotionless tone, Choi Hee-Seon didn't react much. After all, it was exactly what she expected from her boss.

Choi Hee-Seon asked, "But haven't the statements already been vetted and cleared?"

"No. Judging by Team Lead Jung's expression, something's off. Assemble an audit team and don't just review the documents. Actually visit the site and verify everything in person."

Choi Hee-Seon tilted her head in confusion. "Isn't this going too far? The acquisition has already been reviewed multiple times."

But Jin Ah-Ram had heard from her brother about Jung Yoon-Ho's exceptional instincts, which he referred to as being akin to a "Fortuneteller." Most siblings might not share such details, but the relationship between Jin Ah-Ram and Jin Sung-Joon was different.

From a young age, the two had to fight off their half-siblings, who constantly tried to undermine them. Because of this reason, they had created a strong bond between them.

One such incident occurred when Jin Ah-Ram was five and her half-siblings had deliberately unleashed a hunting dog to attack her. Jin Sung-Joon had intervened and shielded Jin Ah-Ramn even as the dog bit him, ensuring she remained unharmed.

Thanks to Jin Sung-Joon's protection, Jin Ah-Ram grew up relatively unscathed and she always felt she owed him a great debt. Now, Jin Ah-Ram was determined to help Jin Sung-Joon defeat their half-siblings and secure the position of Jinseong Inc's chairman.

If the outcome of the Sejin Resort acquisition could be predicted, it would be a significant advantage for her brother. After all, the deal was spearheaded by their second sibling, Jin Myung-Hee, and supported by the eldest, Vice Chairman Jin Myung-Gyu.

"I could tell from Team Lead Jung's expression. There's definitely a problem with this acquisition."

While Jung Yoon-Ho hadn't said a word, Jin Ah-Ram's sharp instincts picked up on his subtle reaction.

Choi Hee-Seon had also heard rumors about Jung Yoon-Ho's fortune telling ability, but she never believed in such notions. However, she trusted her boss, Jin Ah-Ram.

"Understood. I'll deploy our entire audit team to investigate."

"Ensure confidentiality. And if anything seems off, prepare to withdraw our capital and personnel from the acquisition team."

"So are we canceling the acquisition?"

Jin Ah-Ram smiled slyly. "No."

"But if this is accounting fraud, the losses could be massive."

"Oh, there will be losses, but not for me or my brother. Jin Myung-Hee, the president of Jinseong Hotels & Resorts, will bear the brunt."

Choi Hee-Seon's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you saying you intend to encourage her to make a critical error?"

"It's not encouraging her, but it's simply not intervening. And don't worry. A deal like this won't shake Jinseong Inc as a whole. Of course, President Jin Myung-Hee and the eldest brother burned through a lot of money, so they'll feel the impact."

Since the acquisition of Sejin Resort was spearheaded by Jin Myung-Hee, who supported their eldest brother Jin Myung-Gyu's bid for chairmanship, any flaws in the deal would be a perfect opportunity to weaken their standing.

"Understood. I'll draft a plan to use this to undermine President Jin Myung-Hee."

"Good."

After bowing, Choi Hee-Seon stepped aside to make another call. Meanwhile, Jin Ah-Ram gazed at the elevator Jung Yoon-Ho had entered moments earlier.

She murmured to herself, "As oppa said, he's quite the fascinating man."

Being a royal family, a graduate of Harvard University, and having fascinating looks, Jin Ah-Ram had never encountered a man who dismissed her so nonchalantly.

Yet she found his attitude appealing. Unlike the men who vied for Jin Ah-Ram's attention to leverage Jinseong Inc's power, Jung Yoon-Ho seemed to want nothing from her.

Shortly after, Choi Hee-Seon returned.

Jin Ah-Ram rose from her seat. "Alright, shall we head upstairs? I want to see what Team Lead Jung is up to."

"Yes, Ms. Jin."

Together, they followed Jung Yoon-Ho toward the elevator.

***

On the seventh floor, I arrived at the tasting room where I was scheduled to meet Jin Sung-Joon.

In addition to Jin Sung-Joon and Yeo Jin-Soo, about thirty researchers were waiting for me. At the forefront stood Research Director Jung Dae-Yoon, who wore an unwelcoming expression.

Jin Sung-Joon said, "Let me make introductions. This is Research Director Jung Dae-Yoon from the food lab. And this is Team Lead Jung from Hoop Entertainment."

I answered, "Ah, yes."

"I'm Jung Dae-Yoon. I've been newly appointed to oversee Jinseong Foods' research lab."

Before my regression, the research director had been the more seasoned Park Hyung-Jin. But his absence here was puzzling.

After greeting everyone, I set down the two hefty duffel bags I had brought.

Thud.

Each duffel bag held fifteen thermoses, weighing about thirty kilograms each.

Jung Dae-Yoon's eyes widened upon seeing this. "Is all of that coffee?"

"Yes. Ten types of espresso, ten types of café latte, and ten types of Americano."

Jung Dae-Yoon nodded and called out to the staff behind him. "Team Lead Choi and Team Lead Park, take two more people and please pour the samples into tasting cups. Ten cups per type."

"Understood."

Four researchers stepped forward and each grabbed one of the thirty kilogram duffel bags.

As they handled the coffee, I gave specific instructions for the tasting. "Please sort the coffee samples into groups based on temperature 55°C, 22°C, and 6°C."

When licensing the Jung Coffee brand, it was agreed that I would have final approval on product commercialization. However, I intended to be involved in the process from the ground up to ensure the highest quality.

The moment I mentioned the temperature requirements, Jung Dae-Yoon turned to me with a surprised expression.

It was clear he understood the significance of the specified temperatures.