Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Deok-Bae placed his script on the floor and pulled out his phone, gripping it tightly in his right hand.

He was mimicking how I always kept my phone in my right hand, ready for any call. Talent agents rarely let go of their phones, since a single missed call could mean losing an ad opportunity or a role to someone else.

'The kid pays attention.'

Just like Deok-Bae was portraying, most talent agents never part with their phones. There were countless cases where one missed call led to another celebrity snagging the opportunity instead.

Of course, the top-tier talents I managed now didn't have to cling to their phones anymore. Even if we missed a call, we could always follow up with persistent calls, texts, or messages. But still, the old habit of keeping the phone in hand never fully went away.

However, Deok-Bae wasn't done copying me. Just as he was about to stand, he glanced at his shoelaces, tucked the phone under his arm, and bent down again.

Then, he untied his shoes and retied them using a square knot with calm precision. Such a knot was called a talent agent's knot. The common granny knot with its vertical loops came undone too easily, which made it useless for talent agents who had to run around all day.

By mimicking even these small habits of busy talent agents, Deok-Bae left a strong impression on the judges before the audition even began. And that was what made Bong Tae-Sik visibly anxious.

Bong Tae-Sik leaned toward me and muttered, "Hey. Did you tell him to do that?"

I chuckled and replied, "Not at all. But shouldn't an actor capture that kind of detail? I mean, you've actually been a talent agent. So how is my actor more convincing than you?"

Bong Tae-Sik grimaced, realizing his mistake. "Damn it."

Meanwhile, Deok-Bae finished tying his shoes. He retrieved his phone from under his arm and stood up slowly.