Chapter 79: Proposal

Chapter 79: Proposal

While Kang Ji-Yung was in a meeting with the legal division’s team lead, I handed over the voice memo file to her.

Lee Dong-Min then began to detail the events that occurred at Uncle Music.

"Are you guys hurt anywhere?"

"No. But I'm planning to get a medical report from the emergency room just in case."

"You both did a great job."

The relieved Kang Ji-Yung began to listen to the recorded voice memo. In the voice recording, S-class composers who were regular clients of Uncle Music, like Epil K, were mentioned. Kang Ji-Yung laughed out loud, saying the issue would be easily resolved thanks to the voice memo file.

"Ha ha ha. This is so much better than I had expected. Alright, everyone here, please discuss the follow-up actions with the publicity division. And Mr. Jung, could you see me for a moment?"

"Me?"

"Yes. Right now."

Not knowing what this was about, I followed Kang Ji-Yung to her office.

"Just give me a moment. I'll make some tea."

"Oh, I can do it."

"No, it's fine. I can't sleep if I drink too much caffeine at this time."

As I waited on the sofa in the director’s office, Kang Ji-Yung brought warm chamomile tea. The subtle scent—somewhat like apples and herbal medicine—began to fill the room.

"Please help yourself."

"Thank you, Ms. Kang. The scent is really unique."

"Right? It's supposed to be good for your health."

Kang Ji-Yung took a sip of the tea and started to smile playfully.

"Now that I think about it, I don't know much about you, Mr. Jung."

"I mean, I’m in my first year. It's only natural you haven't seen me much."

"First year? Hah. Who would think of you as merely a first year, Mr. Jung?"

Kang Ji-Yung covered her mouth with her hand and burst into laughter. Her crescent-shaped eyes were charming.

"Honestly, this copyright issue would have been a real disaster if you didn’t find out what was going on behind it."

"I just got lucky."

But I wasn't saying this to be modest; this time, it really was luck. If I hadn't offered to pay for my colleagues' drinks at my celebration party, I wouldn't have heard such a story from Do Ran-Hee.

‘What if I had found out just the day before Cherry Blossom’s comeback?’

That thought alone sent chills down my spine.

Kang Ji-Yung looked curiously at me as I shuddered. "What are you thinking about?"

"I’m relieved that we were able to take care of this issue promptly. If it had happened the day before Cherry Blossom's comeback, it would have been a huge mess."

Kang Ji-Yung smiled like a child. "Right? I was sweating bullets thinking about that as well."

Then came the usual talk about work and whether it was manageable. As the conversation progressed, Kang Ji-Yung began to share her own life story. "I entered this industry at the age of 14. I aspired to be an idol, you know?"

"At 14?"

"It's a bit of a funny story, actually. Don't laugh, okay?"

I nodded at her serious expression. However, I couldn't help but burst into laughter soon after. Kang Ji-Yung's story of her attempt at being an idol at 14 was hilarious.

"Ugh, seriously! You promised not to laugh!"

"Hmm, hmm. Sorry. It's just funny that you fainted after a day of fasting at 14. Ahem. I won't laugh anymore. But why did you quit? You would have suited being an idol."

"Sigh. Back then, I didn't know being an idol would be so tough. When I actually started training as a trainee, they wouldn't feed me! So I quit at the thought that I might die..."

Kang Ji-Yung explained she had a tendency to gain weight very easily back in her middle school days, so she couldn't bear the hunger and quit being a trainee.

‘Well, she isn't the only one like that. There are so many trainees who quit because of that reason.’

"Anyway, after that, I tried everything from Miss Korea to modeling and then acting when I entered high school. But none of those worked out. You really can't make it in this industry without possessing a certain flair."

It was certainly hard to survive without a unique charm no matter how pretty or handsome one was in the entertainment industry. Being attractive could bring a flash of popularity in the beginning, but that popularity would soon turn into poison and gradually become suffocating and unbearable.

As Kang Ji-Yung's story came to an end, she asked me a question. "That's my story. But Mr. Jung, can you share with me your life story?"

"...." nove(l)bi(n.)com

I was suddenly at a loss for words at her question. It was easy to talk about starting sports to becoming a pro with Lee Dong-Min, but I didn’t know why I found it so hard to talk about my own life.

Thinking back, I realized that even though bonuses were often given to employees for their good work, this amount seemed excessive. The special bonuses for other employees weren’t this high.

That’s when it dawned on me—Kang Ji-Yung and Kang Gam-Chan had been trying to get me on their side for a while now.

“I’ve been completely won over. Haha.”

Finding out about their intentions didn’t bother me at all. In fact, I was rather pleased because it meant they valued me a lot.

“I’ll make good use of this money, Mr. Kang and Ms. Kang.”

***

[Waiting to be assigned: Chief Park Han-Cheol of Singer Division 1]

An announcement about Park Han-Cheol's pending reassignment was posted next to the elevator in the first-floor lobby. However, the reason section was left empty.

“What's this? Mr. Park is waiting to be reassigned? Why?”

“Did he make some mistake?”

“Yikes. This is the first time I've seen someone from the Suhyaejong line getting pushed back in our company.”

Talent agents from all divisions, regardless of whether they managed singers or actors, were buzzing in the lobby. Particularly, the employees from Singer Division 1 were reacting more sensitively than others.

“Ah, fuck. Our Division 1 is performing well, so why is this happening? Are they planning layoffs or something?”

“There’s no way that’s the case. Didn't Mr. Park say anything to you guys?”

“The atmosphere was so tense I couldn't even speak to him.”

That’s when Lee Gi-Cheol appeared and shouted at the employees who were gathered in the lobby.

“What are you all doing here instead of working!”

“M-Mr. Lee!”

Like the parting of the Red Sea, a path to the elevator opened up. At the same time, Lee Gi-Cheol also noticed the announcement about Park Han-Cheol's pending reassignment.

Lee Gi-Cheol’s expression twisted at once. He couldn't understand why this had happened overnight, especially after he had drinks with Kim Dong-Soo and Park Han-Cheol at Club Rose.

‘A chief-level personnel change happened without me knowing? Are they really trying to challenge me or what?’

The infuriated Lee Gi-Cheol shouted loudly, “What are you looking at! Don't you all have jobs to do? Get moving!”

“Y-y-yes! Yes, sir!”

The employees quickly dispersed in all directions with their heads bowed. Lee Gi-Cheol then called Park Han-Cheol and Kim Dong-Soo to his office. Shortly after they arrived, Lee Gi-Cheol yelled as soon as he saw them. “What’s going on here?”

Park Han-Cheol bowed his head. “I have no idea either.”

While everyone was anxious and clueless about the reason for Park Han Cheol’s pending reassignment, a call came through on Park Han-Cheol's phone. It was Jang Myung-Soo, the director from the copyright association.

Park Han-Cheol received Lee Gi-Cheol's annoyed gaze and answered the call.

“Hello?”

-Chief Park! Why weren't you answering your phone yesterday!?

“Sorry, I had some important things to do yesterday.”

-Sigh, whatever it is, we're in big trouble! The higher-ups at Hoop Entertainment have figured everything out, including the fact that we deliberately didn't send official documents. Everything!

“B-but how is that possible?”

-Ugh, I don't know. And Uncle Music is saying they’ll cancel their copyright registrations. Anyway, be prepared for what’s to come. I’m hanging up.

“M-Mr. Jang! Please wait. Mr. J...”

Click.

The call ended abruptly. It was at that moment that Park Han-Cheol finally understood the reasons behind his pending reassignment. Kim Dong-Soo and Lee Gi-Cheol, who overheard the phone conversation, grimaced. Everything they had planned had fallen apart just over one night.

Park Han-Cheol desperately turned to Kim Dong-Soo. “Chief Kim, is there anything we can do about this situation?”

Amidst the heavy atmosphere, Kim Dong-Soo offered a suggestion. “Mr. Park, if the CEO or managing director calls you in, just deny these allegations for now. Just vehemently deny it. That's the only way.”

“A-alright.”

Lee Gi-Cheol looked at Kim Dong-Soo and asked, “Chief Kim, who do you think meddled in this?”

“Please give me a while. I'll find out.”

Kim Dong-Soo started making calls to people inside and outside the company. After a while, Kim Dong-Soo began to reveal what he had found out. “The legal division team lead and the managing director intervened. Also, Lee Dong-Min and Jung Yoon-Ho visited Uncle Music.”

Bam!

Lee Gi-Cheol slammed his hand on the armrest of the sofa. The loud sound resonated from the reddish oak armrest.

Lee Gi-Cheol's voice thundered. “Damn it, how is that possible!? They managed to resolve the copyright issue in just one day? You expect me to believe that!?”

But at that moment, Kim Dong-Soo frowned and began to say something unexpected.