Top Management - Chapter 128

Chapter 128

Chapter 128: Frequent Occurrences in This Industry (2)

TL: emptycube / ED: Isleidir

“Oh, Chief Jung . ”

Chief Lee Bongjoon tapped his hefty belly as he came over .

“You left long before us, but what are you doing here? What’s going on?”

“Same thing we see all the time . ”

Seo Jijoon hung his arm on Chief Lee Bongjoon’s shoulder as he laughed .

Relieved that the mood was more easygoing than she expected, Seo Eunkyo quickly transformed her ‘I’m screwed’ expression into an impatient chihuahua’s . Her wagging tail was more vigorous than when she was in front of Son Chaeyoung .

‘Now that my relationship with Son Chaeyoung is a goner, let’s get close to Seo Jijoon!’

Her eyes were filled with such desires .

Seo Eunkyo was about to say something when Seo Jijoon casually said,

“Haa, so embarrassing in another country . ”

“Hey, why are you embarrassed? Because you’re both Korean?”

“We have the same last name as well, hyung . And our last name isn’t common!” {1}

“That’s true . It must be a little embarrassing . ”

Although they didn’t specifically mention who it was, it was clear who they were referring to .

Seo Eunkyo’s face reddened .

“It’s not like I don’t understand what you’re feeling . ”

His one cheek bulging, perhaps because of candy, Im Joowon clicked his tongue . His sullen gaze landed on Seo Jijoon for a moment before returning .

“Act in moderation . It’s pitiful if your jealousy becomes excessive . ”

The whites in her eyes bloodshot, Seo Eunkyo shot a look at the weasel team leader . Though it looked like she was asking for help, the team leader was currently being ripped apart by Kim Hyunjo . In fact, Chief Lee Bongjoon and Chief Sung also added a few things .

And I, well, I just watched .

Since everything was proceeding as expected .

In the end, the weasel team leader and chief dragged Seo Eunkyo, who was trembling in rage, and fled as if escaping . I waved my hand at them because Seo Eunkyo was looking back at me with a furious expression . Well, could this be considered a pleasant conclusion?

“You had it tough . ”

Kim Hyunjo slapped my back .

“I encounter all sorts of incidents while all the way here in China . ”

“These incidents are frequent as you work . You know the saying, ‘fight between children become fights between their parents . ’ Fights between celebrities become fights between managers in this industry . You’ll probably be in more tough fights from now on . ”

“That’s scary . ”

“Those who can’t handle it all quit, and in the end, this industry becomes bustling with those skilled in psychological warfare . I used to be innocent too, just this industry made me like this . ”

“It’ll be difficult for a flower cultivated in a greenhouse like me to endure this world . ”

I said jokingly, but Kim Hyunjo became serious .

“What are you talking about? You’re meant for this industry . ”

“Definitely . Jung Sunwoo is a promising talent . ”

Chief Lee Bongjoon nodded with a serious expression .

“I bet 500 won that he’ll endure this industry until he’s being called CEO . ”

“I call and raise it 500 won . ”

Seo Jijoon said, giggling .

“Let’s go inside . The girls are waiting…”

I was saying while glancing inside the restaurant before stopping .

The girls, who had been staring at me with big, bright eyes, were paying attention to something else with awkward expressions . In front of hem stood a well-built man in a suit .

Holding Lee Songha’s hand .

Who the hell was he?

With no time to think about it, I entered the restaurant .

Then I grabbed the unknown man’s arm .

“Oppa!”

The girls looked relieved when they saw me .

Seeing them like that, I grabbed him even more tightly .

“Who are you?”

The man was Chinese . As soon as he was grabbed by me, he stuttered in Chinese before retreating back when he looked behind me . Hearing noises behind me, it seemed that the others came in right after me .

Just then, Im Seoyoung waved her hands and said,

“Euah! It’s nothing weird, oppa!”

“It’s not?”

Lee Taehee calmly explained,

“This person’s son is eight years old and is apparently a huge fan of Songha . Since he was having a tantrum about getting her autograph, he came to ask if it was okay to receive one autograph . We refused everyone up until now so we were concerned there might be problems if we made an exception for him . ”

“Then why was he holding her hand?”

“Ah, he wasn’t holding her hand . She was receiving a present . Fu Ling Bing{1} . ”

Lee Songha opened her hand to reveal a round, flat pancake-like snack .

I let out a short sigh . My body must have reacted first because I had seen a ton of fanatical fans rushing over .

The man was so surprised that he was hiccupping . I asked Lee Taehee, who was the best at Chinese among the members, to translate and apologize to the man . We also decided to give him a signed CD in secret .

That was how we settled the problem .

Im Joowon stared at me as he said,

“Chief Jung, why didn’t you scare Seo Eunkyo with that scary expression? Then I bet she would be too scared to pick a fight with you next time . You’re really sca…”

Im Joowon stopped mid-sentence and look around .

Then he suddenly began laughing . He was laughing even why coughing, seemingly having almost choked on his candy . At this rate, he might end up crying .

Laughing, he said,

“With a group like this, I bet we will have no more trouble dealing with fans . ”

“Pardon?”

“Do you know about the bouquet effect?”

Wasn’t it used for idol groups? If a few pretty idols grouped together, they would look much prettier than being on their own .

But why was he bringing that up now?

“This is exactly the opposite of the bouquet effect . Since we have a group of scary-looking people, we look ten times more menacing . ”

Im Joowon gestured to Chief Sung .

“Look, Chief Sung looks like a fox that’s more prickly than sandpaper . ”

As if acknowledging it, Chief Sung’s eyes narrowed into crescents as he smiled .

“And Chief Kim looks like a walking zombie . Chief Lee looks like a bandit when he’s expressionless . Also, this large manager just has droopy eyes . If he wears sunglasses, he’ll look just like a gangster . ”

Im Joowon, who looked at Kim Hyunjo, Chief Lee Bongjoon, and Lee Kwanwoo in order, lastly held my shoulder .

“And Chief Jung is unrivalled . A big shot amongst scary-looking fellows . ”

Neptune held their bellies and laughed when they heard him . Seo Jijoon had already been laughing so hard that it made one concerned about his breathing .

“Really! It’ll be difficult to gather a group like this!”

Well, it’s not like I don’t agree .

Just by looks, the celebrities weren’t that far off either .

Lee Songha and LJ looked aloof, and Lee Taehee usually had an indifferent expression . Seo Jijoon was the embodiment of a cold, city man . Im Joowon was slick and handsome but felt thorny .

To be honest, the only one who looked pure and innocent among us was Im Seoyoung .

When I said this, the chiefs laughed up a storm .

I was worried that the mood would be awkward since it was our first time gathering like this, but I was worried for nothing as our table was constantly bustling with laughter like a team that got along really well .

While laughing with them, I suddenly had a thought .

I hoped that the team I made had such a good atmosphere .

-It’s Nam Joyoon .

A warm, dry voice rang in my ears .

Leaning against the restaurant entrance, I said,

“It’s me . I was having dinner but called because I thought of you . ”

I could hear staff bustling around in the background from the other end of the phone .

“Are you filming right now? It seems I’m bothering you while you’re busy . ”

-It’s fine . I am waiting on set .

“How’s the atmosphere on the film set? I couldn’t go so I’m dying from curiosity . ”

I couldn’t stick with Nam Joyoon due to circumstances, but I planned on being there when they started filming . They just had to start the day after I went to Beijing .

-It’s fun . Getting ready, acting, and even waiting on set . It’s been a long time since I’ve worked on such a large-scale commercial film so it’s interesting as well .

Nam Joyoon’s voice heated up when he started talking about the shoot .

The corners of my lips unconsciously rose when I felt his faint excitement .

What kind of reactions did the staff have when they saw Nam Joyoon act?

I admired it multiple times while we were reading the script together and I was watching him practice . It was enough that my confidence in my discerning eye reached the skies .

Damn it . I wanted to see it with my own eyes .

Nam Joyoon acting in front of the camera .

“Are you lacking anything?”

-I already have more than enough . Thanks to the stylist and makeup artist you introduced me to, I’m having a comfortable time filming . Also, the director and production staff are treating me very well .

That was good . Without a company or a manager next to him to take care of things, I was most worried that a complication would arise on set .

I wouldn’t have had this worry if Nam Joyoon signed with W&U . Thinking about the Team 2 Leader made me frown .

“If this movie is a success, then…”

I swallowed my next words .

He was someone who was turned away after an interview . I didn’t want to give him false hopes .

“It’s nothing . Don’t starve, and make sure to take care of yourself . ”

-You don’t need to worry about me . You must have more than enough on your plate in China .

I resolved myself while listening to Nam Joyoon’s subdued voice .

If this movie was a success and Nam Joyoon’s performance was acknowledged by others, then I would take proper action . I couldn’t continue this vague relationship .

I turned my gaze while thinking about officially working with Nam Joyoon . I saw Neptune and the others laughing and chatting .

I laughed silently .

I could faintly see the outline of my team .

*

I looked around while being guided by an employee .

I heard it was a luxurious bar operating on a membership system . The decorations were as extravagant as the hotel . The soundproofing was perfect too . We passed a few rooms as we walked down the hallway, but all I heard was the employee and my footsteps .

Soon, the employee stopped in front of a black door .

When I opened the door and entered, I couldn’t help but gape .

Although I’ve visited various bars while working, this was my first time seeing such a luxurious room . From ceiling to floor, the entire room was an odd mixture of black and red . The dim lights above floated around like the aurora lights .

Did the alcohol taste exceptional if you drank in a place like this?

I licked my lips as I looked around . The table was already set with alcohol and side dishes .

Yet there was no one here .

I heard that he had already arrived and was waiting for me . Did he leave for a bit?

Just as I sat down on a sofa that felt amazing…

“Hello . ”

Wh-what a surprise .

When I turned around, someone raised their body from the seat of honor, which had been covered by the table . Perhaps he had been lying down all this time, but his always cleanly brushed hair was slightly disheveled .

The man searched the desk then put on his newly found glasses .

He was the employee from the Chinese agency contracted with W&U . His name was…

“We met last time . I am Lee Lyang . ”

“Ah, I am Jung Sunwoo . ”

“Thank you for coming here today . ”

“But why is there so much alcohol if it’s just us two?”

I asked, glancing at the table .

I was planning on getting on good terms with him after a few hours of drinking and learning a lot about how the Chinese entertainment industry ran . We couldn’t drink all of this even if we spent all night here .

I had heard that the Chinese liked to treat people extravagantly .

The corners of Lee Lyang’s lips curled up .

“Of course, we can’t drink this all by ourselves . People who will drink with us will arrive soon . ”

Just as he said this, the door opened once more .

When I saw fluttering cheongsam{3}, the world suddenly became quiet .

My vision was clear and static-free .

This place looked vintage yet different . I was with Director Park and Reporter Song .

Even after I realized I was in the future, my mind was a mess for a moment .

My attention was still on the red cheongsam I last saw .

I couldn’t be like this .

I suppressed the thoughts that floated in my mind . My priority right now was what kind of information I could glean from this future .

My future 20 years from now .

If I were to see the future again, I had hoped to learn whether Lee Songha’s drama or Nam Joyoon’s movie was a success or not . It looked like that would be difficult from this fixed future .

Then what was it this time?

I was closely examining everything in sight when my gaze suddenly turned to the side . Then the holographic window floating on the table slid in front of me .

Looking at it up close, it was filled with difficult-to-understand letters and numbers .

Then what looked to be photo evidence was attached at the bottom .

“It’s here . ”

My future self spoke .

“The people who helped me stand here today . ”

People who helped me stand here today?

I focused my eyes as much as possible . I wanted to examine the photo as much as I could before my gaze turned away . Although I didn’t know that he meant just now, either way, there was no doubt that they were related to my future self .

There were young people and people who seemed quite old .

And… There were familiar faces as well .

Him . A middle-aged man wearing unusual glasses . Although he aged a bit and he looked a little different, he was the Chinese agency employee, Lee Lyang, who I had just seen before .

And next to him was the Team 2 Leader, who now had grey hair . Damn it .

There was one more person .

He left a favorable impression and had a picturesque smile .

He looked like the traitor .

No, wait . He didn’t look like him but was an older Choi Gunyoung no matter how I looked at him .

What was going on?

What kind of damn group was this? Were they the people on my life’s blacklist?

I was blankly looking at the hologram when my future self smiled and said,

“In other words, they are my team members . ”

What?

{1} Many Koreans share the same last name – most common last names are Lee, Park, Kim

{2} Fu Ling Bing – Chinese pancake-like snack

{3} Cheongsam – traditional Chinese dress