Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 592: At the Jiri Mountain (3)

The best way to briefly pause filming without disturbing the intense atmosphere was with Jung Coffee. After all, no one among the staff disliked my Jung Coffee.

"Yung-Jin, come with me."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

I ran into the Cheonwang Lodge ahead of Lee Yung-Jin.

On the first floor of the Cheonwang Lodge, there was a golden kettle always boiling on the wood stove. It was used both to control humidity and to make warm tea.

Next to the stove was a small table, and behind it were paper cups and coffee mix packets. The leftover mix was everyone's favorite—Maximum instant coffee. I couldn't make the original Jung Coffee with just that as a base, but I could mimic it pretty closely. To do that, though, I needed a few extra ingredients.

Before anything else, I gave an instruction to Lee Yung-Jin, who had followed me inside.

"Yung-Jin, lay out about fifty paper cups on the table."

"Okay."

Once I gave the instruction, I ran upstairs.

Tap tap tap.

Clunk.

I entered the first room on the second floor and opened the shared locker used by Hoop Entertainment. There, I saw the quality Vietnamese and Jamaican coffee I had purchased in advance.

To make proper Jung Coffee, I should have freshly ground roasted beans. But what I had here was pre-roasted and ground to an espresso-grade 0.3mm size.

I grabbed both types of coffee and also brought the unrefined sugar tucked in the corner, then headed back down to the first floor.

On the table next to the wood stove, the paper cups were already lined up.

"All done, Mr. Jung."

"Thank you."

The current time was 9:43 a.m. There wasn't enough time to blend each cup individually.

I looked around and found a wooden bowl shaped like a hemisphere, about 30 centimeters in diameter. I placed the bowl next to the table and began tearing open the coffee mix packets.

"Mr. Jung, should I help?"

"No, I've got it."

The key to the flavor wasn't just the balance of coffee, sugar, and creamer. It was also precise water control. That was the reason I couldn't leave it to anyone else.

I didn't plan to use the sugar in the Maximum instant mix sticks, so I held the ends of the sticks, shook out just the coffee and creamer, and poured the contents of 50 mix sticks into the wooden bowl. Inside the bowl, there was now a heap of freeze-dried coffee granules and creamer.

For a moment, I calculated the blend ratio for fifty servings in my head. Maximum Mocha Gold was a blend of Honduran and Colombian beans. It included plant-based cream, sugar, and milk. Overall, it was the kind of coffee that tasted decent no matter who made it. But the cream made it feel heavy, the sweetness was a bit too strong, and it lacked depth in aroma.

So I added five scoops of Vietnamese coffee and seven scoops of Jamaican coffee, using a small teaspoon. Then, I poured in a generous amount of unrefined sugar and started mixing it all with a wooden cooking chopstick.

Scrape scrape.

A moment later, the Maximum Instant Mix was now infused with a hint of smoky aroma and slight acidity to cut through the heaviness, making it a coffee very close to the original Jung Coffee.

Next to me, Lee Yung-Jin tilted his head. "Mr. Jung, you only changed the sugar and added a bit of two different coffees. Does it really taste like Jung Coffee?"

"You'll see once you try it."

I started quickly portioning the blended coffee into the paper cups. Then, I carefully began pouring water into each cup. In coffee, water quantity was just as important as the blend itself. It was almost like adjusting the water for instant noodles.

After making the coffee, I asked Lee Yung-Jin for just one thing. "Yung-Jin, stir it quickly!"

"Yes, sir!"

Thrilled to finally have a task, Lee Yung-Jin's shoulders bounced as he stirred the coffee like a madman.

By the time we finished, it was 9:48 a.m. I was so focused I hadn't even noticed time passing.

When I took a sip from the first cup to test it, a smile naturally spread across my face.

"That's it. Yung-Jin, try it."

"It smells pretty good, but..."

With a doubtful look, Lee Yung-Jin took the cup and drank.

Sip.

At that moment, Lee Yung-Jin's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh? What??"

"Tastes good, right?"

"How... How does it taste so different? This is seriously almost the same as the original Jung Coffee!"

"That's the magic of blending."

Lee Yung-Jin looked at me with amazed eyes. I quietly accepted his gaze and transferred the coffee into paper cups on a tray.

"Okay, let's start distributing!"

"Oh, right."

Lee Yung-Jin followed my lead, placing cups onto the tray. Since the two of us couldn't carry them all, I called out to the staff on the first floor.

"Everyone, please help carry these coffees outside."

"Sure!"

"Got it, Chief Jung."

Carrying a tray, I stepped out of the Cheonwang Lodge first.

***

When I walked out of the Cheonwang Lodge with a tray of coffee, it was 9:50 a.m., which was ten minutes before the accident.

First, I looked around for Lee Tae-Poong. He was waiting near the cliff, about 50 meters away from the lodge's clearing, with Go Jae-Soo.

At that moment, Park Sun-Jae, sitting in the clearing in front of the lodge, grabbed the megaphone as if ready to start filming immediately.

I urgently called out to him. "Mr. Park! Let's all have a cup of Jung Coffee before we begin filming."

Holding the megaphone, Park Sun-Jae turned his head. When he saw the steam rising from the coffee, his face lit up.

"Wow~ It's been a while since you made coffee, Mr. Jung. No way I'm skipping this. It's a bit chilly anyway. Let's each have a quick cup before we start."

Instead of announcing filming, Park Sun-Jae used the megaphone to call everyone together.

"Gather around, everyone!"

The staff stepped away from their equipment and moved toward Park Sun-Jae. They were thinking of having some Jung Coffee and warming up near the kerosene heater.

Meanwhile, Lee Tae-Poong and Go Jae-Soo, who had been rehearsing a fight scene near the cliff, began approaching slowly as well.

Everyone who received a cup from me started breaking into laughter as they drank.

"This is unbelievable. How does this taste so good?"

"Chief Jung, what kind of magic powder did you put in this coffee?"

"You're telling me this is just Maximum Instant Mix with a bit of two other coffees? Come on, no way."

Laughing and chatting, everyone quickly emptied their cups. Thanks to this, Lee Tae-Poong's 10 o'clock shoot was delayed, but no one complained.

Then Lee Tae-Poong came over and took a cup from me. "Thanks for the coffee, hyung."

"Don't mention it. I can make a hundred cups for my actor."

"Ah, can you please stop calling me like that?"

Even after winning the grand prize at the Hwangryong Film Association, Lee Tae-Poong still felt awkward being called an actor. His attitude was on a whole different level from the arrogant actors at Top Entertainment who acted like gods after winning some minor award.

As Lee Tae-Poong sipped the coffee, I checked the planner.

[Everyday V12.2]

[Date: January 26, 2021]

-10:00 a.m <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: [NEW. Lee Tae-Poong] Emergency helicopter transport to Jinju K Hospital ER. (Other: Contact Tae-Poong's parents.))

It was 9:54 a.m. At last, the schedule had been erased.

I let out a long sigh of relief. But then, a question suddenly hit me.

'Why had the event of Lee Tae-Poong getting injured at 10 a.m. disappeared?'

As I had always experienced, the warnings from EveryDay came with a cause. And when that cause was removed, the event vanished. But this time, even though the event was gone, I still didn't know what the cause had been.

If I had to speculate, maybe during the originally scheduled fight scene, Lee Tae-Poong slipped off the cliff and got injured because the pulley meant to ensure his safety had failed.

I turned my gaze to the cliff that would serve as the setting for Scene 130. About 50 meters away from here, there was a cliff jutting out of the slope, shaped like the eaves of a traditional Korean house. A large pine tree stood about two meters from the cliff, where a pulley had been installed to support the actor's body.

As I inspected the pulley, I spotted someone under the tree. It was the youngest member of the production team, Ahn Sung-Dae, guarding the pulley alone. He had joined the team a week ago. A 22-year-old intern, he stood there clutching the tied rope, frozen stiff.

Looking at him brought back memories of my past. Back when I was a newbie, even when sunbaes told me it was fine, I would push myself to show I was working hard, hoping for a chance at a full-time position.

The current time was 9:55 a.m.

Still uneasy, I asked the production team lead beside me, "Sir, why isn't the intern coming over?"

"Oh, he didn't respond when I called him over. I figured he's still new and just getting used to things, so I'm letting it go for now. But don't worry. We're keeping an eye on him."

The team lead said they planned to keep hiring Ahn Sung-Dae because he was diligent, but I couldn't shake the worry. In that future, Ahn Sung-Dae might not be around anymore.

The thought struck me like lightning, and I picked up a cup of coffee in my left hand and started walking.

Crunch, crunch.

My feet pressed quickly through the snow as if I were speed-walking. The cliff was 50 meters away, so I picked up the pace. Even then, Ahn Sung-Dae stood gripping the rope anchoring the pulley, staring at the cliff ahead.

When I was about five meters away, it turned 9:59 a.m.

Out of breath, I called out to him. "Mr. Sung-Dae, come over here and have a cup of coffee."

"Oh, I'm okay, Mr. Jung."

He said he was fine, but I wasn't. I closed the gap to about three meters and spoke again. I needed him to let go of the pulley tied to the tree.

"I made it myself and I guarantee you it tastes incredible. You should try it."

Ahn Sung-Dae looked apologetic but finally released the pulley. "You didn't have to, but... thank you. Then..."

Ahn Sung-Dae stepped toward me and the distance between us shrank.

Beep, beep, beep.

My phone rang, signaling exactly 10 a.m.

Crack, crack.

At that moment, a grotesque cracking noise rang out.

I whipped my head toward the pulley on the right, but it hadn't moved at all. Then I turned left. From the mountain slope a bit farther away, the heavy snow began to tremble and shift downward.

Rumble rumble.

Not just the snow, but the earth and ice underneath were sliding down too.

In that instant, I dropped the cup I was holding. I wrapped my arms around the dazed Ahn Sung-Dae and threw myself under the nearby cliff.

Thud.

Thanks to the mattress installed at the base of the cliff, it didn't hurt. I pulled the startled Ahn Sung-Dae closer and pushed farther under the cliff. From now on, a lot was going to come crashing down above our heads.

"Keep your head down!"

Then, the protruding cliff blocked all the falling debris and thousands of rocks crashing down from above.

Boom boom boom.

Soon, chunks of ice and black earth slammed into the cliff and split apart, pouring down on both sides. It seemed the ice formed from the heavy rain had cracked, dragging the snow and more ice piled on top of it down the slope.

An ice avalanche had been the real reason for Lee Tae-Poong's injury.

Thud, thud, thud.

After a large mass of rocks and ice tumbled down all at once, the mountain finally grew silent. By sheer luck, I had been able to save someone who might have otherwise been hurt.

I let out a relieved sigh and looked at Ahn Sung-Dae beside me. He had just survived with his life and now sat there, jaw hanging open in shock.

"Are you okay?"

With a dazed expression, Ahn Sung-Dae replied, "Huh? Oh, yes! I... I'm fine."

"Good. I'm fine too."

Just then, desperate and urgent voices calling Ahn Sung-Dae and my name echoed through the mountains.

"Chief Jung!"

"Sung-Dae!"

"You're okay, right?"

"Yoon-Ho!!"

It seemed they couldn't see us hidden under the cliff.

I stood up and stepped out from beneath the rock overhang. The area around us looked like it had been bombed, covered in tangled snow and black earth.

Thinking everyone probably imagined we had been caught in the middle of filming, I waved toward the slope. "We're okay! Mr. Ahn Sung-Dae is too."

As soon as I stepped into view, the staff, Go Jae-Soo, Lee Tae-Poong, Kang Si-Ah, and Jo Eun-Hye all collapsed to the ground in relief.

"It looks like we gave them quite a scare."

Behind me, Ahn Sung-Dae finally came to his senses and bowed deeply. "Th-thank you for saving my life, Mr. Jung."

I grinned and patted Ahn Sung-Jae's shoulder. "So next time I call for coffee, don't skip it. Got it?"

Ahn Sung-Dae nodded like crazy. "Yes. I'll be there no matter what."

"Then let's go have that cup of Jung Coffee you missed."

"Yes, sir!"

After saving Ahn Sung-Dae's life, I carefully walked back down the slope.

Suddenly, applause and whistles erupted from the staff.

"Chief Jung~~!!"

"Wow~ Chief Jung is the guardian spirit of our movie!"

"Now I get why they call you Star Jung the Fortuneteller, huh?"

"Thanks, Chief Jung. You saved Sung-Dae, and our movie too."

Amid cheers and warm praise from the staff, I returned to the clearing in front of the Cheonwang Lodge.

Then, Lee Tae-Poong, Go Jae-Soo, Kang Si-Ah, and the talent agents all rushed toward me.

"Yoon-Ho hyung!"

"Mr. Jung!"

"Uncle Yoon-Ho~~!"

"Yoon-Ho~"

Worried I might have been hurt, everyone clung to me tightly. Feeling their warmth, my chest tightened with emotion.

Choosing people over money in my second life had been the right decision.

***

After the avalanche, everyone, including Lee Tae-Poong, urged me to go down the mountain and rest. But I replied that I would stay and watch over my actors until the shoot ended that night.

An avalanche during filming was the perfect chance to promote both Jiri Mountain and my actors, and missing that would be a failure as a talent agent.

As soon as I returned to the lodge clearing, I started snapping photos and videos of the avalanche site.

Then I messaged Choi So-Hye.

[Chief Jung Yoon-Ho: Ms. Choi, there was a small avalanche during the shoot here at Jiri Mountain. It was so intense that I thought the mountain was collapsing.]

I attached field photos and a press release, making sure it could be published as-is. The goal was to flood every entertainment headline on portal sites with Jiri Mountain today.

In the meantime, the site was cleaned up and a thorough inspection was carried out to prevent any further issues. Once the area was deemed safe, filming resumed immediately because we had to finish shooting no matter what.

Then, a message came in from Choi So-Hye.

[Reporter Choi So-Hye: Articles will be going up shortly, so don't freak out~ okay? ^^;;]

Something felt off.

'Don't freak out? And what's with the cold sweat emoji?'

Just as I was about to ask what she had done, the articles went live.

At that moment, a completely unexpected situation began to unfold.

'Ms. Choi... What on earth were you thinking?!'