Chapter 147 - Introduction to Business Management

"Honey. He's not answering." Liboo says as he tries to call Tayaw's phone again.

"*Sigh* It's ringing, right? That means he's in Teungeb at least, right?" Kilat says.

"Has to be. Oh. A text." Liboo says, which gets Kilat's attention.

"What did it say?"

"He said 'Mom, dad. I'm fine. No one knows that I'm in Teungeb right now. I'm also going back to Jericho immediately. Please delete this message after reading. We'll talk about it in the future.'" Liboo reads.

"*Sigh* At least he's fine." Kilat says in relief.

"Yeah." Liboo is relieved too.

The two becomes silent, things running in their heads.

"I still can't believe he had something to do with it. I just hope he didn't do the deed himself." Liboo shakes his head, trying to console himself.

"Let's not jump into conclusions, okay? Maybe… Maybe, he just… watched." Kilat says, half believing in Tayaw's good nature, half disbelieving her own words.

"I hope so too, honey. I hope so too." Liboo embraces the trembling Kilat. 

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Tayaw, seeing Kilat's text, the guilt he suppressed from his actions, came rushing back. His guilt however is quickly overridden by what could be his parents' opinions on what he has done. He debated in his head whether to talk to his parents or not, but after a few seconds of extreme consideration, he opted not to. He decided not to confront them at this time as he has no idea how to rationalize his actions to them. 

A few hours later, Tayaw is back in Ouigab using the car he took from Kingbo. Tayaw however did not go to East Ouigab where there is a good chance that his friends will see him, but at West Ouigab where Chala currently lives. 

"Tayaw. Come in. This is a pleasant surprise…" Chala, despite his confusion of Tayaw's text earlier and Tayaw's current unassuming outfit, let Tayaw in.

"Hey man. Thanks. First of all, though. Don't tell anyone that I'm in Teungeb right now. Don't tell my parents or my brother, or my friends that you've seen me." Tayaw says as they enter the living room.

"Huhh.. Okay?" Chala says, implying that he wants to know more.

"I'll explain when the time's right." Tayaw says.

"Fine." Chala simply shrugs.

"So. How are you doing?" Tayaw asks as he sits on Chala's couch.

"Great actually. But boring." Chala says.

"Hm? How's Payew adjusting here?" Tayaw asks implying that Chala should be busy with Payew.

"Bah. He doesn't need babysitting. The kid's responsible. In fact, I'm more worried about you especially that stunt you pulled online." Chala shakes his head.

"Man, you're still on that? It's been a month. I haven't been in trouble since. None of the celebs' people even contacted me." Tayaw scoffs.

"Heh. Whatever. A drink?" Chala offers.

"Any hard liquor? Gin? Whiskey?" Tayaw asks.

"I have Scotch. Are you really drinking this early? Why don't we go to lunch first?" Chala says.

"I need the drink, just enough to get buzzed. We'll have lunch together some other time as I'm in a hurry to get out of Teungeb." Tayaw says.

"Fine." 

After pouring Tayaw a glass of Scotch on ice cubes, Chala finally wants to know Tayaw's purpose of visit.

"So… You didn't do something that would make me an accessory to a crime, right?" Chala says.

"Ehh. How would it make you an accessory when you don't even know what I did... Hehehe. *Gulp* Ahhhh. Great scotch by the way." Tayaw says.

Seeing as Tayaw does not really want to explain, Chala drops it.

"I know. I was keeping that for special occasions." Chala says. 

"Well, thanks for treating me a special occasion. Anyways… Actually, I'm glad that you're not busy. I'm gonna ask you something that isn't really a part of your job, again. I'll pay you too as it has a lot of leg work to do." Tayaw says.

"Alright. Stop guilting me, I'll do it for free." Chala scoffs.

"Wasn't my intention. But it really requires a lot of leg work so I'll pay for your transportation costs at least." Tayaw says. This gets Chala's interest. 

"I'm actually writing a screenplay right now. Then, film it as soon as it's done. But because it's gonna be a LOT of equipment and actors to work with, I really need to make a film studio. And a film studio needs to be a company so I can practice more legitimately." Tayaw starts.

"Hm? You didn't need a film studio for 'September Ninth' though?" Chala asks.

"True. But that was a very small budget. And I didn't know any better. Thank goodness, Black Deer didn't try to f*ck me over because I had the slack on the rope. This time though, the production is much bigger and I have a lot more risks to take." Tayaw explains. 

"Oh. Wouldn't the stuff you would buy for equipment and other expenses be deducted in taxes too?" Chala asks. 

"Exactly. I buy more cameras, the office space, the studio location, the costs of those would at least reduce my taxes. It's also more legit to hire through a company. That's all simpler to do through a company." Tayaw explains. 

"Okay? But how about business tax? Won't that increase your taxes nonetheless?" Chala asks.

"Nah. Because it's not a shared business, but my own, no business tax. A sole proprietorship company, in short" Tayaw explains. 

"Okay. While that sounds good, have you registered for a business name yet? A license?" Chala asks.

"Yeah. 'Half Basin Studios'. The process was quick and simple actually." Tayaw says.

"Hm? 'Half Basin Studios', there's a joke in there, right?" Chala asks, confused at the name.

"Hurhur. Exactly because of the face you're making right now that I made it the official name. I want a catchy name, but unpretentious at the same time. I'm even thinking of making a chopped off basin, as the company logo." Tayaw says.

"Heh. You're f*ckin out of your mind. At least make it a gold basin, okay? But I get what you're saying." Chala chuckles at the picture of half of a basin being in a film.

"AH. I was thinking blue plastic basin. A gold one doesn't seem that bad either." Tayaw nods. The image of a blue plastic basin chopped in half amuses Chala once again. 

"Puhah.! Good lord. Anyways. What do you want me to do?" Chala asks.

"Buy me two huge warehouses in South Ouigab near Nasiri Hill." Tayaw begins.

"Okay. For the filming studio stuff?" Chala asks.

"Yeah. And indoor filming sets. I have two warehouses in mind. Buy them in my company's name; I'll send you authorization papers once I get back in New York." Tayaw says. 

At this point, Chala pulls out his phone and taps on his new favorite application; Notepad. Seeing as Chala is ready, Tayaw continues.

"I also want you to handle the insurance for my company . In case something goes awry during filming processes, I have a cushion. I'll hire a lawyer to work with you… The cameras, sound equipment and some computers too, I'll send you a list to put in those warehouses." Tayaw enumerates more enthusiastically as he sees Chala's smile get wider and wider by the things he is going to do.

"Finally, once you buy my warehouses, I'd want you to hire people to build some things in there, through my company's name, again." Tayaw concludes.

"Okay. I'm guessing you already have someone in mind who will build your filming sets?" Chala asks.

"Yeah." Tayaw says.

"Cool. I think it's easy enough." Chala nods. 

"Alright... Oh! By the way. I want you to buy two apartment buildings. In South Ouigab too. It won't be purchased with the company name but my own personal property." Tayaw adds suddenly.

"Okay. Two apartment – Wait! Wait… Apartment buildings?! Not Apartments?" Chala asks, dumbfounded.

"Yeah. Two apartment buildings. I'll use them for actors' lodging." Tayaw says.

"Huh… The actors' lodging, I get. But why not just rent?" Chala asks, worrying about Tayaw's purge.

"Oh. It doubles for a real estate investment." Tayaw says. 

"Investment? South Ouigab has nothing in it. Why would you expect an apartment building to increase in value?" Chala asks.

"Hmm." Tayaw thinks for a moment. Chala, however misinterprets it as Tayaw considering his words.

"Okay. I'm gonna tell you this.  Did they announce the highway project yet? The one that begins at Biongo, passes between the Ocnob and Nabla, and ends right before Sepil?" Tayaw asks.

"Hmm. I've heard of it. What does that have to do with the apartment buildings?" Chala asks, not making connection. 

"Okay. The nearest airport, considering the traveling time, is in Kangpan, which is 9 or 10 hours of straight driving from here. But that highway that they're gonna make? It will be Biongo International up north that will become the go-to airport, for us. The twelve hour drive there will be cut down to only be 4-5 hours' drive on a straight f*ckin road.

"Gonto and Nabla will benefit from that. The immigrants, the international businesses that suffer the heat of the lowlands will climb up here in Nabla and Gonto. Where do you think will be the first places to be developed? South Ouigab is one. The place that has nothing, I think will be ripe when the time comes." Tayaw explains. 

Chala, hearing this, is skeptical.

"Psh. That sounds like a fairy tale to me." Chala says.

"Sure. Maybe it is. But Nabla and Gonto has the best weather and most scenic views. I'm confident that there will be a lot of migrations and tourism once the road is finished. That, I'm sure of. Even if the apartments I will own will not increase in value, living spaces will still be popular." Tayaw shrugs. 

"Geez. What if this becomes another failed investment like the one you got in New York? You got lucky with Pink Apron, but the other one, it's gone, right?" Chala asks.

"Hey. Come on. I trust Cognito Tech. They're developing facial and doc.u.ment scanners for cameras. Once the cameras on phones start getting better, their software will sell." Tayaw defends.

"Another fairy tale. Whatever, your money." Chala rolls his eyes.

"Come on. It's not like those are my main source of income." Tayaw says, itching to tell Chala of his knowledge of the future.

"Anyway. Is that all? The warehouses, studio equipment, some sets, company insurance, the construction for whatever, and finally the apartment buildings." Chala reviews.

"One more thing. After you've all done that, I want you to talk to the landowners of the nearby plot of lands in the vicinity of my land in Nasiri Hill." Tayaw adds another list. 

"Wait. You have a land in Nasiri Hill? Bah. Nevermind. I hope you don't regret this." Chala shakes his head.

"So, just talk to the landowners? Not buy?" Chala asks. 

"Yeah. I bet it's gonna be time-consuming to talk to them. By the time I'm back in Ouigab in the future, I'll buy the lands you'll be able to negotiate all at once." Tayaw concludes. 

"Alright. While I love to be busy, I can't do a lot just by myself." Chala says. 

"Yep. Don't worry, that's all. Enough for you to get busy for a while, yes?" Tayaw says.

"OHH Yeah. Hm... How about accountants? You need someone to process paychecks." Chala asks.

"OH! Right! Thanks for reminding me." Tayaw says in realization. "Okay. I'll be the one to look into that." Tayaw says. 

"Alright. Cool. So, really? No lunch? My treat." Chala offers again.

"No. I gotta get out of here fast. I'll come by again in secret maybe next week to help you." Tayaw says as he stands up, and quickly left Chala's house without a goodbye. 

Chala on the other hand, does not mind Tayaw's rudeness and is instead excited at the image of him starting a company.