Chapter 172: On a Roll (2)

Chapter 172: On a Roll (2)

As soon as I heard Do Ran-Hee's question, I realized it was a mistake to cover her mouth. I could have just told her it was from Yoo-Jin, but covering her mouth only piqued her curiosity.

With her mouth covered by my hand, Do Ran-Hee began to struggle with her eyes wide open. "Mmmph! Uff! Uff!"

"I'll let you go...if you promise to be quiet, nod your head," I told her.

But Do Ran-Hee started to move her mouth instead of nodding. Her tongue peeked out and licked my palm.

"Hey! Don't lick!" I yelled.

When I was startled by the wet sensation and quickly pulled my hand away, Do Ran-Hee wiped her mouth with a mischievous grin.

"Your hand is salty!" Do Ran-Hee yelled.

'Do Ran-Hee, you're crazy.' I thought to myself.

I was wiping my hand with a wet wipe from the desk when Do Ran-Hee looked at me with a sly expression.

"Mr. Jung."

"What!?"

"Who is it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Who gave you the gift? I mean, you really didn't have to overreact and cover my mouth. Be honest with me. Do you have a girlfriend? Do you have a picture of her?"

"Let's talk in the staff lounge. People are starting to come in."

"He he he. Don't worry, my lips are sealed."

'Why is she so happy?' I wondered.

I took the excited Do Ran-Hee to the staff lounge. In the empty staff lounge, I revealed that my suit was a gift from Yoo-Jin.

"Wow! It's not from a girlfriend but from Miss Yoo-Jin?" Do Ran-Hee exclaimed.

"Do I look like I have time to date? I got it from Yoo-Jin as a congratulatory gift for becoming a team lead."

Do Ran-Hee swallowed hard. "Wait, Mr. Jung. Don't tell me...it's not...you guys don't have that kind of relationship, do you?"

"No way! Whatever you're thinking, it's not that!" I quickly clarified.

"They say a strong denial is a confirmation. Maybe it's not you, but perhaps Miss Yoo-Jin is the one who likes you..." Do Ran-Hee said with a smirk.

"I said it's not like that!" I insisted.

"Fine, fine. I'll believe you for now."

"What do you mean for now?"

"To be honest, there are rumors around the company that you and Miss Yoo-Jin have a thing."

'A thing between Yoo-Jin and I? This is news to me.' I thought to myself.

"Wh-who's spreading those ridiculous rumors?" I asked.

The combination of female celebrities and male talent agents often sparked various imaginations, since talent agents spent 24 hours with celebrities to help them with everything.

It seemed like my age served to fan the flames of these rumors further since I was around the same age as Yoo-Jin.

"You're not suspecting me too, are you?" I asked Do Ran-Hee.

"I did until I joined Team Jung," Do Ran-Hee answered.

"And now?"

Do Ran-Hee looked at me with narrow eyes and then shook her head. "Honestly, you two seem too close which is suspicious. But I'll trust you. You're not someone who lies as far as I know."

"That's right. If I were dating, I'd say I was dating," I stated.

Do Ran-Hee pouted her lips, disappointed that the juicy scandalous info turned out to be false.

"Anyway, the rumor could turn nasty if they find out that it's a gift from Miss Yoo-Jin," Do Ran-Hee added.

Even though she joked around, Do Ran-Hee was concerned about Yoo-Jin and me since she was now a part of Team Jung.

"It's okay. As long as you keep quiet, no rumors will spread," I replied.

But I realized I needed to be cautious, recalling that one of the talent agents from Ace Entertainment had asked the same question during the Blue Sky get-together dinner.

Then suddenly, Do Ran-Hee licked her lips and started laughing. "Well, I mean...life is all about give and take, isn't it? Don't you think you should do me some favor if you want my lips sealed?"

Her words caught me by surprise. 'Huh? Didn't she just say she would keep secrets and give advice for the sake of Team Jung?'

Nonetheless, I asked her to state her request. "What do you want me to do then?"

Do Ran-Hee responded as if it was obvious what she meant. "Buy me Hanwoo."

"Do you always start making deals with Hanwoo? There are other things like pork ribs. Don't you like pork belly? You should eat a lot of lettuce and perilla leaves. Vegetables are good for your body!" I retorted.

"Nope. Hanwoo is the best for your body. I don't like anything else," Do Ran-Hee replied.

'Damn it, I'm screwed.' I cursed inwardly.

I was about to say 'I don’t have money, deal with it!', but just then I heard someone approaching the staff lounge and inadvertently exclaimed, "Deal!"

"Guys, remember just a few months ago we said we'd do anything just to hit number one once? Let’s not ruin our next opportunity by being too greedy now."

The members started to agree one by one.

"If that's what Yoon-Ho oppa thinks...sure."

However, the ever-dramatic Sae-Ri sulked a little. "Sigh. I still want to do more though."

"Sae-Ri, you overslept this morning because you were so tired. We almost missed the schedule." I reminded her.

"No, I was just listening to the sound of me growing taller. That's why I kept my eyes closed a bit longer." Sae-Ri retorted cheekily.

'The sound of growing taller? That sounds more like a dream.' I shook my head at the thought.

Sae-Ri could really spin tales despite not even growing 1 mm in height.

Lee Dong-Min cleared his throat to lighten the mood. "Alright, since that's settled, why don't we review our activities so far?"

"Sure."

Han Myung-Ho cleared his throat and began to recount Cherry Blossom's recent achievements.

"In the past two months..."

Han Myung-Ho mentioned Cherry Blossom's impressive accomplishments, including five commercial endorsements, 1.8 billion won in sales, and a total of 38 million views on their related MeTube content.

Moreover, he also mentioned that fan club websites were being launched in Japan and China.

"The song's catchiness has garnered an unexpectedly strong reaction from the Asian market. It might be good to consider targeting our next album for international release."

The members of Cherry Blossom’s faces lit up at Han Myung-Ho’s report.

"Really?"

"That's amazing!"

Their eyes widened and laughter burst forth.

"Yeon-Hee unnie! Let's aim for number one on the Billboard chart in Japan!"

Sae-Ri's comment prompted Yang Eun-Bi to interject. "Sae-Ri, Japan has its own chart system..."

"I know, I was joking. It’s the Oricon chart, right?"

Not just Yang Eun-Bi but the whole room erupted in cheers.

"Wow~ Sae-Ri, you're such a professional now."

"Sae-Ri, you’ve studied a lot, huh? You even know about the Oricon chart?"

The talent agents cheered and Sae-Ri responded with a proud smile, "Of course! I'm not the old Sae-Ri anymore, you know?"

Sae-Ri winked at me as she struck a confident pose.

'Good job.' I smiled at the comforting thought.

It felt rewarding to see that the current affairs quizzes I made her do on KkTalk were finally paying off. To me, this moment was more delightful than all the achievements Han Myung-Ho had listed.

'Keep up the good work, Sae-Ri.' I cheered silently.

Sae-Ri once again performed her exuberant victory dance with shaky arms, and the meeting room was filled with laughter.

***

'Stylist' was the term for the staff responsible for celebrities' outfits. And in the entertainment industry, it was a role often scrutinized by both reporters and fans.

Today, I planned to recruit the final piece of Team Jung—a stylist.

"Where are you going, Mr. Jung?"

"I'm going to recruit a stylist."

"Wow. Who is it?"

"A remarkable person."

The stylist I was planning to recruit today was Lee Mi-Ri.

She was once a promising candidate for the next editor-in-chief and future artistic director at Condé Nast, having previously worked as an editor at New York's Bogue.

Four years ago, her daughter was diagnosed with pediatric leukemia. Unable to afford the exorbitant medical bills in the U.S., she had no choice but to return to Korea. Unfortunately, that decision proved to be a mistake because she found that no one in Korea was willing to hire her after hastily admitting her daughter to the hospital and looking for a job.

The fashion magazine industry in Korea was declining, and existing editors were wary of a successful international candidate entering their space.

Ultimately, she couldn't find appropriate work and decided to focus on caring for her daughter. Meanwhile, her husband, also from the same industry, started working at the Dongdaemun clothing market to make ends meet.

Do Ran-Hee looked perplexed upon hearing this news. "Bogue and Condé Nast...I get that she's impressive, but... isn't a former fashion magazine editor a bit off?"

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Well, she hasn’t really worked in the field, has she?" Do Ran-Hee responded.

But that was a misunderstanding.

A year from now, Kim Dong-Soo will scout Lee Mi-Ri following the tragic loss of her daughter, who passed away due to her inability to afford surgery costs. Driven by her circumstances and becoming a workaholic, she would quickly become Korea’s top stylist.

Super stylist Lee Mi-Ri, also known as Only One, was exactly the person I intended to recruit for Team Jung.