Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All-Chapter 486: Unexpected Event (4)

Squeeeeal!

The faded underbrush parted and out charged a massive black figure—a wild boar the size of a small car.

Without thinking, I cursed under my breath.

'Fuck. It's huge!'

Squeeek... snort, snort.

The boar seemed to easily weigh over 200 kilograms. Its hulking body resembled a giant motorcycle with razor-sharp tusks over 20 centimeters long and dark fur.

It was easy to underestimate wild boars thinking they're not predators, but a fully grown boar could be deadly. A charging adult boar could deliver an impact equivalent to being hit by a small car—enough to rupture internal organs. Worse, a tusk to the thigh could lead to fatal blood loss.

Squeal!

The beast let out another furious cry and blocked our path as if warning us to leave its territory. At that moment, the already skittish horses became uncontrollably agitated. Their necks bobbed frantically as they tried to bolt.

Neigh!

Gripping Dolsoe's reins as tightly as I could, I shouted, "Everyone, hold your reins! Don't let go!"

Everyone scrambled to grab their reins.

From behind, Yoon Myung-Hee expertly calmed her horse and rode forward, grabbing Dolsoe's reins alongside me. "Whoa, whoa, easy... it's okay."

Yoon Myung-Hee's soothing tone seemed to calm Dolsoe down, though he was still trembling.

The real issue, however, was the boar. It roared again louder across the mountainside this time as if demanding we leave.

Squeaaaaal!!!

Terrified by the boar, Dolsoe reared up on its hind legs despite Yoon Myung-Hee's effort to calm him down.

Neigh!

Despite my grip on the reins and Yoon Myung-Hee's assistance, neither of us could contain Dolsoe's strength. In an instant, Dolsoe reared up so violently that Yoon Myung-Hee lost her hold on the reins and Yoo-Jin was thrown from the saddle.

"Ahhh!"

I reacted without thinking, releasing Dolsoe's reins and leaping toward Yoo-Jin as she tumbled through the air.

Grab.

I caught Yoo-Jin mid-air and wrapped my arms around her tightly. In an effort to protect her, I twisted my body so that my back hit the ground first.

Thud.

The impact was hard even with the sand cushioning the fall. The combined weight of both our bodies amplified the shock and pain shot through my back. But my concern wasn't for myself.

"Yoo-Jin, are you okay?"

Cradled in my arms, Yoo-Jin opened her tightly shut eyes. "O-Oppa?"

"It's okay. Did you get hurt anywhere?"

Yoo-Jin looked at me with a worried expression. "I... I'm fine. What about you? Are you okay, oppa?"

I carefully moved my body to test for injuries. Luckily, nothing was broken. "I'm fine."

If I hadn't been prepared for this moment, it could have been a major disaster.

Though Yoo-Jin was clearly shaken, there was no time to dwell on it. The boar was still there and blocking the path ahead with its anger far from subsiding.

I gently set Yoo-Jin down and stood up. The ache in my back lingered, but it didn't feel like any bones were broken.

Yoo-Jin looked at me anxiously. "Oppa, what are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll handle it."

Meanwhile, the others had managed to calm Dolsoe down. But if something like this happened again, the other actors could get hurt.

I shouted, "Get all the actors off their horses! And everyone, don't scatter. Stay close together!"

Wild boars rarely attacked large groups because they perceived them as a single large animal.

At that moment, Action Director Ahn Seok-Chil, who was acting as an extra, yelled out. "Everyone, do what Team Lead Jung says!"

The staff quickly helped the actresses dismount, and the group huddled together as instructed.

That's when a few actors raised sticks and makeshift weapons. "Maybe we can take it down if we all attack together?"

'Absolutely not.'

A boar this size wasn't something a human could handle with sticks or prop swords. Even seasoned hunters armed with guns struggled to kill these beasts on the first shot. Maybe the case might be different if it was smaller in size, but the boar in front of us had the size of a motorcycle.

"If you get hit by a boar, you could die. Avoid it at all costs. And don't run since they'll chase you. Let's stay together and wait for the police. Did anyone call them yet?"

"Y-yes, we reported it already."

Ahn Seok-Chil standing on my right raised his voice to keep everyone calm. "Don't panic and stay huddled! We just have to hold out until the police arrive!"

And so, we found ourselves locked in a tense standoff with the massive boar, watching it closely as it stared back at us.

***

A few minutes passed though it felt like hours.

The boar remained still and glared at us. I wondered why it wasn't attacking, but soon I saw the reason.

Squeeeal!

The underbrush rustled again, and a slightly smaller boar emerged this time. Judging by the lack of tusks, it seemed to be a female. The larger boar must have been waiting for her. With the two of them together, their confidence surged and they became even more agitated.

At that moment, Geum Eun-Dong shouted from a distance, "A local hunter is on their way from the base of the mountain! Just hang on a little longer!"

A few moments later, the barking of hunting dogs echoed through the forest.

Woof, woof, woof!

'Finally.'

The hunter's dogs trained specifically to track and chase boars had arrived. As soon as the dogs began their pursuit, the boars lost their nerve.

Squeeeeal!

They turned tail and bolted into the forest at breakneck speed.

Thud, thud, thud!

Watching the boars' incredible speed, I felt a wave of relief that none of us had been caught in their path. The hunting dogs raced past us to track down the boars.

Shortly after, the police and hunters armed with pistols and shotguns appeared.

"You must have been scared. We'll take it from here."

"Good job holding out."

They gave us thumbs-ups as they passed, complimenting us for not panicking and handling the situation well.

Only then did the tension break and everyone in our group sank to the ground.

"Wow... I thought I was going to die."

"Did you see the size of that boar's head? It was as big as my whole torso!"

"The male was bigger than my car!"

"Car? That thing was the size of a minibus!"

As the story of the boar spread, its size grew larger and larger with each retelling. By the end of the day, people might claim we faced off against two boars the size of trucks. To keep things realistic, I decided I would just say we encountered a boar as big as an ox.

I let out a sigh of relief and opened my planner.

[Everyday V12]

[Date: December 10, 2020]

-6:00 p.m <Schedule Entry Deleted>

(Deleted Schedule Entry: [NEW. Jung Yoo-Jin] Arrival at Gyeongju S Hospital Emergency Room. (Company Report: Fracture. Six-week recovery.))

The ominous schedule entry had finally disappeared.

'It's done.'

If it weren't for the planner, I would have never been able to prevent this incident. After all, no one could have predicted that such an unexpected situation would put Yoo-Jin at risk.

At that moment, Yoo-Jin approached me from behind with worry written all over her face. "Oppa, wait a second."

Without warning, Yoo-Jin lifted the hem of my black costume.

Thud thud.

Sand and small pebbles fell from my back as she inspected me. Then she pulled up the cotton t-shirt I was wearing underneath and frowned.

"Oppa, you're going to bruise so badly! Your back is all red and blotchy. What are we going to do?"

I felt my face flush as there were still plenty of people around. I quickly pulled my shirt back down. "It's okay. I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"No way! You need to go to the hospital right now. Okay?"

"I told you, I'm fine. More than that, what about you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm okay thanks to you catching me."

"That's good. As long as you're not hurt, that's all that matters."

Yoo-Jin let out a sigh of relief but then scolded me. "Oppa, you can't get hurt either! Don't say things like that."

"Alright, alright. I won't get hurt. I promise."

Yoo-Jin nodded, but she wasn't giving up. "Still, let's go to the hospital. Please?"

Seeing Yoo-Jin's persistence, I couldn't help but agree. "Okay, okay."

Just then, Geum Eun-Dong called out through the intercom. "Alright, everyone. Let's head down. We're wrapping up for today."

While no one was injured, the shoot couldn't continue with the boars still loose in the area.

***

As we trudged down the mountain set, the staff walking beside me gave me enthusiastic thumbs-ups.

"Wow, Team Lead Jung. That was impressive back there!"

One of the staff mimicked my earlier actions. "And the way you dived to catch Miss Yoo-Jin? That was insane!"

"Seriously. I couldn't even react but you were on it in a second."

"Right. Thanks to you, no one got hurt."

"Agreed. If we had panicked and scattered, someone would've been seriously injured."

Even the actors nodded and agreed that I had protected Yoo-Jin, the actresses, and themselves.

Feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise, I brushed it off casually. "I was just in the front, that's all. Anyone else would've done the same."

"No way! I completely froze. You're amazing, Team Lead Jung!"

Just then, Oh Bok-Hee rushed over and scanned the group anxiously. "Is everyone okay? No injuries, right?"

Everyone reassured her while continuing to heap credit on me.

"No!"

"That's a relief. I'm sure you were all terrified. Go rest as soon as we get down."

After ensuring everyone was okay, Oh Bok-Hee pulled Yoo-Jin and I aside.

"Mr. Jung and Miss Yoo-Jin, come with me to my tent."

"Understood."

We followed Oh Bok-Hee down to the base of the mountain and into the waiting tent.

***

Inside Oh Bok-Hee's waiting tent, Yeon Hwa-Seon was nowhere to be seen. Instead, writers Lee Ji-Yeon and Han Woo-Ju were there waiting for us.

Lee Ji-Yeon beamed and waved cheerfully. "Yoon-Ho! You've done it again, haven't you?"

In contrast, Han Woo-Ju's face was full of concern as she asked, "Are you okay?"

I replied, "Yes, I'm fine."

They explained that they had arrived just before the police and hunters but had already heard the full story.

At that moment, Han Woo-Ju spoke up. "Oh, by the way, the footage from the drone came out amazing. If we dub the audio, we could probably use it as-is."

Originally, the hunting scene involved Princess Jeong-Hwa and Princess Do-Hwa's factions threatening Yoo-Jin with arrows. But they had made some changes to the script, replacing that scene with one where a boar herder turned assassin shoots an arrow instead.

I said, "Feel free to do whatever works best. But is that why you called me here?"

Oh Bok-Hee shook her head with her expression growing serious. "No. Actually, I wanted to discuss what happened during the sword dance scene earlier when Ms. Lee Tae-Yeon and Ms. Yoon Joo-Yeon acted recklessly."

Clearly upset after reviewing the footage, Han Woo-Ju also added, "We were thinking of giving them a warning and adjusting their screen time. What's your opinion on that?"

Unlike the agitated pair, Lee Ji-Yeon smiled and turned to me. "Yoon-Ho, what's your take? Do you agree with them?"

After a moment of thought, I shared the conclusion I had already come to. "What they did was infuriating, but I'm against cutting their screen time."

Both Oh Bok-Hee and Han Woo-Ju looked at me in disbelief.

"Are you serious?"

"Mr. Jung, do you really mean that?"

I nodded. "Yes."

However, Lee Ji-Yeon looked pleased as if she had expected my response. "I thought you'd say that. Yoo-Jin, what about you? What's your opinion?"

Yoo-Jin nodded in agreement. "I feel the same as oppa. Honestly, I was scared, but having actors of that caliber challenge me head-on is helping me improve. It's hard, but... I want to keep going this way."

Lee Ji-Yeon burst out laughing. "With a talent agent like that, no wonder the actress is top-notch!"

Still smiling, Lee Ji-Yeon turned to Han Woo-Ju.

"Writer Han, I know you're the main writer for Hwaranjeon and I'm just the assistant, but... may I say something as a sunbae?"

"Of course, Mrs. Lee."

"What was the original intent behind Hwaranjeon?"

"To show the ruthless power struggles within the royal family and the resilience of a strong protagonist overcoming them."

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"Exactly. That's why the subtitle is The War of Flowers. If you focus too much on the protagonist and neglect the others, can it still be called a war?"

"Oh..."

"Don't let personal feelings or attachment to the actors sway the script. Sticking to the original plan will ultimately be better for everyone."

As Han Woo-Ju was lost in thought, Lee Ji-Yeon turned her attention to Oh Bok-Hee.

"PD Oh."

"Yes, Mrs. Lee."

"It's good that you care about Yoo-Jin. But if the writer starts wavering, you need to hold firm. Don't you agree?"

"But what if something like this happens again?"

Lee Ji-Yeon chuckled. "Don't worry. Yoo-Jin is much stronger than you think. Stay focused on making a great drama. That will help Yoo-Jin the most in the long run."

Finally, Lee Ji-Yeon turned to me and spoke in a firm yet warm voice.

"And Yoon-Ho, you keep doing what you're doing—staying grounded and supporting Yoo-Jin. If you do, she'll grow into an even better actress."

A great actor wasn't made overnight. Even prodigies with natural talent often faltered due to small mistakes. Lee Ji-Yeon's words were a reminder to stay vigilant and protect Yoo-Jin's path as a talent agent.

Lee Ji-Yeon continued, "Alright, enough lecturing for the day! Now, about dinner..."

Just then, the sound of gunshots echoed in the distance.

Bang! Bang!

The hunters had started taking down the wild boars.

Lee Ji-Yeon laughed. "They say the local hunters are here. Should we roast one of the boars they catch?"

"Sure."

Oh Bok-Hee grabbed her intercom. "Eun-Dong! Get us some wild boar meat!"

-.What!?

Even from here, we could hear Geum Eun-Dong's panicked response.

Likely still on edge from the earlier commotion, Oh Bok-Hee exclaimed passionately, "We're going to devour that thing. It owes us!"

Yoo-Jin and Han Woo-Ju looked just as eager. However, I couldn't share in their enthusiasm. The flavor of wild boar meat varied greatly depending on the animal, and there was a real risk of it being gamey and unappetizing.

I hurriedly called out, "How about tomorrow? I'll grill the meat myself!"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes. I know a recipe that'll make it taste amazing."

Lee Ji-Yeon nodded with a knowing smile. " I know Yoon-Ho's cooking skills well. Alright, we'll call for a catering truck tonight and have the boar for lunch tomorrow. Sounds good?"

"Yes!"

"Alright then. It's settled."

With that, I called reporters Choi So-Hye and Jang Moon-Gi. The incident with the wild boar on the set was definitely newsworthy.

***

The next day, at lunch, the Hwaranjeon staff were in high spirits as they devoured the wild boar meat I had grilled.

"Wow, this is incredible!"

"Who knew wild boar meat could be this good?"

"It's leaner than regular pork, but it's so rich and savory! It's almost like Iberico pork."

"It's a shame it's not a full spit-roasted boar, though."

'Phew. I'm exhausted.'

As expected, the boar caught yesterday had a strong gamey smell. To fix that, I had to pay the hunter extra to skin and butcher the animal properly because cooking it as a whole spit-roasted pig would have made it impossible to get rid of the smell.

After receiving the prepared meat, I worked through the night using onions and a blend of spices to remove the odor and tenderize the meat to perfection.

Despite the success of the meal, Yoo-Jin sat nearby with a pouty expression and stared at her phone.

I asked, "Yoo-Jin, what's wrong? You skipped breakfast because you were so excited to eat this."

Yoo-Jin grumbled and held up her phone to show me the screen. "Look at this!"

Her name was trending on the real-time search rankings. But when I saw the number one entry, I couldn't hold back my laughter.

"Pfft... Ha ha ha!"

I burst out laughing uncontrollably.