Top Management Chapter 146-147

Chapter 146: Spring, the Season of Harvest (7)

TL: emptycube / ED: Unedited for now

"A song?"

Chief Lee Taes.h.i.+n licked his lips.

The few seconds it took to open his chapped lips felt like an eternity.

"We got one."

"Ah."

"We finished the guide track{1} and are currently working on the lyrics."

"Who's it being produced by?"

This felt like I was in the future.

My words felt like they were caught on my throat, but somehow, words were flowing smoothly from my mouth.

My voice sounded excessively calm and unfamiliar.

"I don't know if you've heard of him. His name is DOM…"

"Domi?{2}"

"DOM. He's an unknown songwriter."

Chief Lee Taes.h.i.+n laughed like he heard some amazing joke.

DOM, huh?

I had heard most songwriters while preparing for Neptune's mini-alb.u.m last time, but it was my first time hearing this name.

Still, since I knew his name, I could probably figure out his contact info with a few calls…

But what would I do when I have it?

They've already finished the guide track so what was I going to do?

"It's been too difficult to get songs from famous songwriters."

Chief Lee Taes.h.i.+n continued to talk.

"If we rush over because they tell us they have a song for us, it's usually a song that has been rejected constantly over the years. Ah, of course, we're grateful even for that. There have been cases where songs like that became hits. But…"

He lowered his voice.

"We couldn't bear the costs. We don't even have enough money to prepare outfits so the girls have been repairing them on their own."

A bitterness flashed on his smiling face.

Because he kept scratching his hair, it looked like a rat's nest.

"Since Neptune has their own songwriter, you probably don't have to hunt for songs anymore."

His gaze momentarily fell on Lee Taehee.

"Royal Family OST is still first. I'm been listening to it nonstop as well. The OST was so good, I wonder how great the alb.u.m will be… If you have any songs left over, could you let us…"

Chief Lee Taes.h.i.+n waved both his hand when he saw my eyes.

"Ah, no, I'm always speaking nonsense like this. You must need a ton of songs for Neptune's full alb.u.m so there's no way any songs would be leftover."

Just as I was about to speak,

"Pretty Girls! Where are you? You have to be on standby now!"

"Ye-yes! We're coming!"

Chief Lee Taes.h.i.+n quickly gathered the Pretty Girls members at the staff's call.

"Chief Jung, then we'll be taking our le!"

"Could I get your business card?"

I held him back and handed him my business card from my wallet.

"If you have time, I would like to grab a few drinks…"

"Of course, of course! Any time!"

Eyes bulging, Chief Lee Taes.h.i.+n accepted my business card. Then he fumbled through before handing me his. The staff calling for Pretty Girls began to sound irritated. Mouth opening and closing, Chief Lee Taes.h.i.+n rushed over to the staff.

I looked at the card in my hand. It felt like more like Pandora's Box than a business card.

One that contained blessings and evils.

Tightly gripping this thin piece of cardstock, I turned around.

A Pretty Girls member glanced at me as she pa.s.sed by.

The moment our eyes met, my vision swam.

What the heck?

My ability didn't activate no matter how much I begged it, and now it activated twice in a row.

Without the time to think about it, I concentrated. I could see a computer screen through my static-filled vision. My fingers slowly rolled the mouse wheel. Straining my eyes, I recognized what was on the screen.

It was an article.

There was a picture. It was the girl just now. The Pretty Girls member.

I scrolled down. A caption was boldly printed under the picture.

{Pretty Girls Jung Jei feels undeserving of her t.i.tle, "The Second Lee Songha"}

My feet seized. I stood in the doorway again.

My eyes looking back at Jung Jei.

Albeit slowly, my mind had been working until now, but it seemed to have finally broken down. The caption still lingered in my eyes.

The Second Lee Songha?

She'll be called that? Her?

She gave off a milder impression compared to the overwhelming Lee Songha.

Maybe it was because of the mole next to her eye, but she had a wistful yet attractive…

I was examining her face, but she suddenly stretched her hand out.

"Can you give me one too? Your business card?"

"Oppa!"

A voice dragged me out from my thoughts.

Im Seoyoung was crouching next to the sofa as she looked up at me. She looked nervous and restless. She put so much strength in her eyes that her eyelids were trembling.

"The child who you gave your business card to is only 22 years old!"

"What are you talking about? She's only a year younger than you."

"She's a child! Since you're 29, oh my G.o.d, there's a seven-year difference!"

"That's true. But I don't thi-"

"You were in elementary school when she was born!"

"No, I was probably in preschool."{3}

"Then when she was in middle school, you were in the army! An army mister!"

"… That's true."

She didn't give me any time to think.

With a quick sigh, I looked around. It seemed Lee Kwanwoo and the stylist had left as I only saw Lee Taehee and LJ. Both were staring at me with their earphones out and phones down. They stared at me like they were observing me.

But why were there only three?

"Where did Songha go?"

"I'm here."

The heck?

Lee Songha was sitting right next to me like some earthbound spirit.

"I've been sitting next to you for a while now."

"Euahh, this is big. A big problem."

Making a fuss, Im Seoyoung grabbed my knee.

"Oppa, were you the time to fall in love at first sight?"

"I have no idea what the heck you're talking about."

"Don't tell me you want to date her or anything, right? When she's seven years younger than you?"

"What does age got to do with it?"

Lee Songha hastily joined in.

"There's no order to marriage."

"What?"

"No, not this. What I mean is why does age matter when you're going to age at the same rate? It wouldn't matter if there was a seven or even a seventy-year difference."

"A seventy-year difference probably won't do."

Lee Songha blankly opened and closed her mouth at my words. She didn't seem right. Her dark eyes were moving quickly as her brain churned.

LJ casually said,

"Well, age doesn't matter. But she looks too much like a minor. Songha, when you're next to her, she looked so much younger than you."

"I do look old for my age."

Lee Songha nodded her head in agreement.

I was so dumbfounded that I laughed.

Thinking this was an opportunity, Im Seoyoung added,

"That's right. She looks like a minor. If you date her, you'll be handcuffed…!"

"You, acting like this to me, is an illness. Also, who's going to date who?"

"You gave her your business card!"

"Ah, so we're dating if I give her my business card? There are probably hundreds of people in this industry that have my card so am I King Uija{4}? I just gave her one. You all have my business card too. The one I gave you to commemorate me becoming a chief."

"This. I have it right here."

Lee Songha looked through her bag and took out a business card. My business card.

"Why do you carry that around?"

"I have another at home. This is my lucky charm when I'm on the go."

"Ah, okay."

Lee Songha put the business card back and stretched her hand out.

"Give me a new one too please."

"You said you already have two. Why another one?"

"The design seemed to have changed when I glanced at it."

I couldn't really understand, but I was used to it now.

"… Why are you collecting different designs?"

"Seoyoung unni collects dolls with different faces too."

Im Seoyoung was dumbfounded as she shouted,

"Hey! Songha, how dare you compare that to this! The details of my dolls are completely different!"

"The details on these are very different too."

Lee Songha firmly kept her hand out.

"Please give me one."

"Okay, it's not like it's valuable or anything."

"Then two please."

I gave her all but one of my cards in my wallet. The corners of Lee Songha's closed lips kept creeping up. She wasn't the type to express her happiness when companies sponsored shoes or bags that cost tens of millions of won, yet here she was. Maybe I should hand out my business card whenever she feels down?

I leaned against the sofa with this foolish thought.

Soon, Lee Kwanwoo and the stylist arrived with snacks. The waiting room became as loud as normal. Lee Taehee put her earphones back in her ears, and Im Seoyoung mumbled her lines. Lee Songha was standing in a corner practicing their ch.o.r.eography.

There was only one person still staring at me.

LJ kicked the floor. Her chair wheeled towards me.

"I'm just telling you this for your own good. Don't fall for it."

"For what?"

LJ came close and whispered,

"Fall for temptation."

Although I didn't know why LJ said that to me, it fit perfectly with my situation.

As I really was suffering from temptation.

Two snakes perched on each on my shoulders and whispered,

'Just swallow it. You can do it. It's not like they officially started recording.'

'And what if it rots inside you. You might really become a piece of trash in the future.'

It felt like their forked tongues churning my brain.

It was the same even if I took a cold shower. It didn't clear my mind. It only resulted in gooseb.u.mps. I couldn't act rashly. A single step. It felt like I was standing a crossroad where a single step could change everything.

At some point, my alarm rang.

I took a break from my worries and moved.

The day was brightening outside my window.

"Chief Jung, why do you look so haggard? Did you have a hard time falling asleep?"

The SBE Film project producer asked as he stuck his head out from the back seat of the bus.

Not only did I have a hard time falling asleep, but I didn't sleep at all.

"Producer, your face is all puffy. Did you not sleep?"

"I didn't sleep a wink. It's always like this for me the day before a release. I always get nightmares if I fall asleep. Like the opening scores crawling along the bottom or hearing people talking badly about the movie while I'm in a stall. Stuff like that."

Everyone on the bus was similar. The actors, managers, and staff, who had gathered for the commemorative shoot, were all nervous and tired wrecks. In fact, even Director Choi Sungwon was yawning nonstop.

"Still, maybe it's because I'm with you, but it feels different from the past."

The project producer said in a joking manner.

People sitting close to us joined in,

"Instead of praying to G.o.d, Buddha, or the G.o.ds of heaven and earth, I might start praying to Chief Jung Sunwoo."

"Mr. Sunwoo, don't tell me you poured all your luck in Royal Family. You left a little for us, right?"

"Do you sense anything about today's results?"

"I am not a shaman."

The staff laughed with rigid faces at my words.

I looked behind me. Lee Songha and Nam Joyoon were sitting next to each other amongst the actors. Within this mood of excitement and nervousness, only they looked calm as a pool of water. An employee from SBE Film was filming the actors.

The bus stopped in front of the Yeongdeungpo multiplex cinema. People were gathered here to see actors enter as it seemed they failed to get tickets for the screening where the actors greeted the audience. There were even DSLRs with huge lenses.

"Lee Kihwan! Oppa, you're so amazing! Please go in slowly!"

"Hey, it's Park Saeryung! Her face is the size of my first… Oh my G.o.d, hey! It's Lee Songha! Look at her face!"

"Amazing! We'll definitely go watch your movie! We'll watch it ten times!"

I heard excited voices in the crowd. The actors were in the middle as the staff and security escorted them inside. As the people here were experienced with events like this, they smoothly arrived in front of the theatre showing Alive. Looking inside, it was already packed with people.

With Director Choi Sungwon at the front, Lee Kihwan and Park Saeryung entered while waving their hands. The theatre erupted. Screams and cheers echoed. I saw a few of these before, but they weren't as intense as this one. Well, the cast was simply too splendid.

I said to Lee Songha,

"I'll be waiting here so good luck with your lines."

"Yes, I'll be back soon."

Lee Songha went in with steadfast steps. Even though it was her first time attending an event like this, she didn't seem nervous at all. Well, she did perform in front of thousands of people and went around to market her drama. She was no longer the rookie who would be startled by a few hundred people.

I turned my gaze and looked at Nam Joyoon.

"Hope you have a good time, hyung."

"I'm going because you told me to, but…"

"It's not me. SBE requested this. To go to these stage greetings."

After scratching his neck, Nam Joyoon walked in front of the audience seats.

It would have been great if they entered after the movie, but since this was an event before the actual screening, the audience's reaction was relatively lukewarm. They were clapping out a respect, thinking he was an actor since he came at the end of the procession.

I clicked my tongue in regret when Nam Joyoon suddenly stopped. His surprised eyes locked on a single spot. Curious, I checked to see if people he knew had come.

It didn't take long. In the middle of the audience, a handful of familiar faces sat in a row.

{1} Guide Track - Track that roughly lays out the structure of the song.

{2} It could sound like 'Domi' to Jung Sunwoo because of the actual sentence structure here. Also, Chief Lee Taes.h.i.+n gives him a more Korean p.r.o.nunciation after.

{3} So FYI, Koreans count age differently. Koreans consider themselves 1 when they are born.

{4} Legend/myth where he had 3,000 court ladies

/ /

Chapter 147: Spring, the Season of Harvest (8)

TL: emptycube / ED: Isleidir

Kim Hyunsup waved his baseball cap. Beside him were the director, staff, and other unknown actors who worked on the independent film with Nam Joyoon. Nam Joyoon bowed his head towards them.

The staff took something out from beneath their seats.

I flinched, worried it was some poster board, but fortunately, they brought out cameras. These cameras were even bigger than the reporters', but they were members of a film crew so it was to be expected. If they weren't at a theatre, they might have even brought along a film camera.

I should greet them separately after the cast introductions.

Thinking this, I looked at Nam Joyoon. The corners of his lips were slightly raised.

As soon as the actors gathered, the project producer held the mic.

"Wow, it must be because our actors are all amazing, but everyone seems heated in investigative spirit! After today's screening, I hope you will tell your family, friends, colleagues, and strangers about it. Now the director and cast will make their introductions!"

Ear-piercing cheers erupted.

"It feels weird seeing Mr. Joyoon over there, right?"

"He gets to introduce himself along with all those other top stars. Makes me feel like we've fallen behind."

"Will he be living in a different world than us from now on?"

The independent film members whispered to each other.

"Do you think your life will change if you appear in a couple scenes of a commercial film?"

A blunt voice poured cold water over their moods. It was Lee Sunghyun.

"Mr. Sunghyun, did you not come to see the premiere with us before? It's not just a couple of scenes, he appears quite a lot."

"That's right. His character is very impressionable too. With Alive's box-office results, I bet his popularity will soar."

Lee Sunghyun shrugged at the director and a.s.sistant director's words.

"We'll have to see how great the box-office results are. A Hollywood film is going to be released in a few days."

"Are you cursing other's movies because your own flopped?"

Kim Hyunsup cut in. Lee Sunghyun's expression distorted frighteningly.

The a.s.sistant director quickly changed the subject when he felt the mood become dangerous.

"Wow, Lee Songha, that girl has no need for lights or reflective panels. She glows on her own."

"Her acting is even more incredible. Apparently, she filmed Alive and Royal Family at the same time, yet she got into both characters so well. They were completely different roles to boot. It like she debuted as a child actress than an idol."

The staff gaped in admiration. The audience cheered like wolves as soon as Lee Songha held the mic. Expertly introducing herself, Lee Songha looked beside her. Nam Joyoon was next. The surging cheers quickly died down.

"Who is he?"

"Seeing as he's introducing himself as well, I guess he's an actor? He's good-looking compared to your average joe."

"I wish he would take his time so we have more time to look at the other actors."

As if she heard them, Lee Songha stopped before pa.s.sing over the mic.

Then she said,

"E-everyone, before the movie begins, please look at the person next to me."

One by one, the audience looked towards Nam Joyoon.

"Although you may not know him now, after the movie-"

"I know him! I know him!"

A pregnant woman sitting on the very front row raised her hand high.

"I bought a ticket to this event after seeing the premiere! I even saw it early in the morning today!"

The excited woman stomped her feet. Receiving the mic, Nam Joyoon bowed.

"I am Nam Joyoon. Thank you."

"Oh my goodness, you're so great at acting! My baby almost popped out while I was watching the movie!"

"… We can't have that."

Various people in the audience laughed. A few people began taking pictures of him.

The woman smiled brightly and said,

"I became your fan, but I couldn't find a photo of you on the internet! That's why I decided to see Alive a few more times! Please appear in many movies in the future!"

No words escaped from Nam Joyoon's mouth for a while before he bowed again.

"… Yes, thank you."

His lukewarm expression slowly warmed.

Two hours later, the audience left the theatre in a trance.

"The rumors weren't exaggerated."

"I need to watch it again. I was so immersed in the plot that I didn't get to look at Lee Songha."

"It was such a thrill for the whole two hours! My neck almost cramped from being tense for so long."

The audience continued their positive feedback. A woman who saw the pregnant woman pa.s.s by smacked her lips in regret.

"Ah! I should have taken a picture of that actor too! That crazy villain, what was his name?"

"Nam… Nam Joyoon! Did I take a picture? It feels like he'll become popular, right?"

"Let's see! Oh my gosh, the photo came out so well! Send it to me so I can post it on my blog!"

Seeing people like this, the independent film director grabbed Kim Hyunsup's shoulder.

"They seem to like Mr. Joyoon?"

"I know, right? Joyoon that b.a.s.t.a.r.d, I really hope everything goes well for him this time."

"He suffered a ton. People like him deserve to be successful."

Nodding his head, the director looked around.

"Mr. Sunghyun, you should stop… Huh? Where did he go?"

Lee Sunghyun stood rigid, pale in the face.

An unknown actor sighed next to him.

"f.u.c.k, someone's life's all set now. I always consoled myself whenever I failed an audition by thinking, 'At least I'm better than this no-life who's been getting nowhere for the past ten years'. Was Nam Joyoon also destined to be successful?"

"It's all luck."

Lee Sunghyun said as if convinced.

"He was lucky to be cast in a movie like this and was lucky to get an impactful role. If I also had this opportunity, I…"

"No s.h.i.+t. You would have done much better than him! I also-"

Just as the unknown actor put on airs, a man carrying a laptop and camera approached them and handed them his business card.

"Excuse me. Could I ask you a few questions?"

The unknown actor asked after checking his business card,

"Uhh… Are you a reporter?"

"I came here to cover this event, but I happened to overhear your conversation."

"Our conversation?"

The reporter took another step towards them.

"Yes, it seems like you're close with Mr. Nam Joyoon?"

"Mr. Sunwoo! Wow, really! Holy! Wow, I can't even talk right now!"

"Please calm down."

"I saw the articles! Amazing! Are you really blessed?"

"No."

I felt like the pied piper.

Employees surrounded me in the lounge just outside my office. Their excited voices buzzed in my ears. The PR Team female employee handed me a coffee from her tray of coffee cups and said,

"SBE Film is in a frenzy right now. Their CEO apparently said their first-week goal was 2 million people."

"I heard that too."

"Their goal was 2 million people for the first week? Then, of course, they are in a frenzy. If I was their CEO, I'd be tumbling over backwards in happiness!"

"Is 2 million people really the problem? Their opening number was 790, 000!"

Someone shouted with a snort. Other employees were astonished.

"They say it's the best yet."

"At this rate, they'll pa.s.s their 2-million goal by tomorrow!"

"I heard the rumors are great right now. Wow, I'm so speechless."

I felt like my face had become a dart board. Their gazes stuck on me. The gazes, which I could have laughed off in the past, were a bit intense. So much so that I felt a little queasy. I calmly rubbed my lips to not reveal my thoughts.

An Audio & Recording (A&R) Team female employee, who I remembered back when we were working on Neptune's mini-alb.u.m, said,

"He's definitely human just like us. You are human, right?"

"What would I be if not human?"

"But how can everything you pick be jackpots? With you, won't the company not need the A&R Team anymore? At this point, I think you could just pick Neptune's t.i.tle track. We'll just sit back and enjoy the ride!"

Laughter erupted in the crowd.

It was a joke. Meant for a laugh. Even though I knew this, I felt like there were thorns in my throat.

The moment I heard her words, the thoughts I had barely managed to suppressed burst forward. Pretty Girls. Chief Lee Taes.h.i.+n. The songwriter. The song Kim Hyunjo was certain would have done better if Neptune sang it. The song that could sweep away the potential problems laying around Neptune and make my next decision a surefire success.

The song destined for success. One no one else knew.

"Why is it so loud here?"

A th.o.r.n.y voice suddenly cut through the commotion. The Team 2 Leader was walking down the stairs.

"Do you all have no work to do?"

The employees quickly dispersed. I also simply greeted him and left. Maybe it was because of Alive's successful numbers, but the Team 2 Leader looked like an irritable stingray, and my mind was teeter-tottering as well.

"Jung Sunwoo."

The Team 2 Leader's voice held me by the back of my neck.

"… Yes."

"Are you taking good care of Neptune? People have been talking."

"There's never a peaceful day. I am aware of it."

"Really? I was worried you threw them aside since you were so entranced by your new guy."

I guess he didn't have anything to say about Nam Joyoon considering he brought up Neptune instead.

I just hoped he would worry about his own work.

I replied with a smile,

"That's not it. Rather, I feel like you can't take your eyes off me."

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, your words grow more revolting by the day."

The Team 2 Leader laughed.

"Hey, you need to be humble when things are going well. You never know when you'll trip up."

Just as I was about to reply, the office door suddenly burst open.

"Mr. Sunwoo! Come in quickly! An article about Mr. Nam Joyoon-!"

The PR Team female employee flinched when she saw the Team 2 Leader.

The Team 2 Leader asked with interest,

"An article? What kind of article?"

When we walked into the office, people were gathered around a computer.

The Team 3 Leader, Kim Hyunjo, Lee Kwanwoo, and other members of Team 3 and the PR Team were focused on the monitor. Team Leader Park was pacing around on her phone. Her voice was raised.

"Director, it's not like Mr. Nam Joyoon's all on his own, how can you do this despite knowing he's one of us? When did you investigate all of this? If you were going to publish an exclusive, you should have mentioned it to me beforehand. How can you just suddenly throw this out there?"

Investigate? Exclusive article?

What problems could there be regarding Nam Joyoon?

Was it about his lawsuit against his previous company? But the company was more at fault.

The tussle with Director Park last year?

No, there was no way he could talk when he himself was guilty.

I went over and asked,

"What is it? Mr. Nam Joyoon's article?"

"Yeah, what's with all this fuss?"

The Team 2 Leader, who came in with me, added. He looked like he was spectating a show.

Frowning, Kim Hyunjo looked at me and said,

"To be precise, it's an article about Mr. Nam Joyoon and you."

"Me?"

"Bring up the article."

Lee Kwanwoo moved the mouse. An article popped up on the screen.

The headline and caption caught my eyes.

{Chief Jung Sunwoo proves he's Midas's Hand. Not just projects, but people as well?}

The actor who went unknown for ten years then suddenly became Alive's scene-stealer! Who is Nam Joyoon?

What the h.e.l.l?

It was completely different from what I expected.

As Kim Hyunjo said, the article was more about both of us than just Nam Joyoon. It included the story where we first met on the set of the independent film. Also, how he auditioned in front of Director Choi Sungwon. Shooting Alive. It was recounting of the past few months I spent with Nam Joyoon.

It even included the part where Nam Joyoon was rejected by W&U after an initial meeting.

The Team 3 Leader read a part of the article out loud.

"In a call with the main reporter, a person at W&U said, 'The team leader at the meeting commented that Nam Joyoon lacked potential,' and revealed how 'thinking about it now, it was the team leader, who didn't have a good eye.'"

/ /