The Years March On
Time passed.
2004 —
I had become an elementary school student.
The beginning of my mandatory education. *sigh*
"Teacher… can I not sit next to Ha-jin?"
"Why didn't you come out on Wagle Wagle Kindergarten? Did you fight with the animal friends?"
"My mom told me to write my name here."
Children are more honest than anyone.
When they see something delicious, they want to eat it. When they see something nice, they want it. And when they see a pretty face, they want to be beside it.
Just like in kindergarten, I became the 'best-looking kid' in elementary school too.
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That year, the film industry had a cause for celebration.
Old Kid, director Park Chan-hong's film released the previous year, had taken the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.
When he heard the news, Director Kim Si-woon wailed.
"Director Park stabs people and does that stuff with his own daughter, but why am I the only one getting cursed at? All I do is stab!"
2006 —
"You've made your mom rich, Ha-jin. I even got to fly first class."
My mother stretched her legs out and marveled at every corner of the seat.
Apparently the last time she'd been abroad was the prenatal trip she took before I was born.
We were on our way to America to see So-ra for summer vacation.
Thanks to Yu-jin, a VIP of Daesung Airlines, my mother and I enjoyed the luxury of first class as well.
"Huuuueeeeh, Ha-jin, Yu-jin… I missed you so much."
So-ra, who'd come out to the airport to meet us, burst into tears on sight, and it turned into a family-reunion scene.
Director Han Jae-ryong was on an overseas shoot, so his manager came out in his stead.
So-ra had boldly chopped off her trademark long straight hair into a bob, and with the baby fat gone from her cheeks, her feminine features stood out all the more. A sporty shirt and hot pants brimming with summer energy practically dazzled the eye.
"Hmph. So-ra, living in America has made you even prettier. I'll admit it this time."
"Where's Ha-jin?"
"Hm?"
"You're supposed to say he's pretty."
"I say it every time we call."
"I want to hear it in person. It's been four years."
Her eyes were brimming with expectation.
I couldn't turn away from that.
"You're gorgeous. A total summer fairy."
"Hehe."
With all three of us this pretty, every passerby gave us at least one look. When someone asked if we were here for a shoot, we hurried away from the spot.
For three weeks, we played until we dropped.
Disneyland in Anaheim. The Grand Canyon in Arizona. Universal Studios in Los Angeles. Niagara Falls at the border. The Statue of Liberty, the landmark of New York. Times Square in the heart of Manhattan. Miami Beach in Florida. The Smithsonian museums in the center of Washington, D.C. — we ran ourselves ragged touring the country.
Mom ran out of battery within a week and fell in battle at So-ra's house, while the stoic manager uncle shuttled us back and forth across America. Even we, with our elementary-school stamina, were exhausted — imagine how it was for her.
"I won't be able to come to Korea for a while."
"You have to come see Mom at least once a week."
So-ra said with a sorrowful look on her face.
Her mother, battling cancer, was recovering down south.
"Dad says he'll keep making films too."
The director's Hollywood debut, released two years before, had gotten decent reviews but flopped at the box office. Now he was shuttling between Europe and the States, shooting his second film.
"Take good care of Ha-jin until I come back."
Yu-jin nodded with a grim, solemn face.
Anyone listening would think I was under threat of murder.
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2007 —
In January, Steve Jones unveiled the MyPhone, claiming it would change the world.
It was the beginning of the smartphone revolution.
It launched in America in June, and So-ra called me with it.
"When's the MyPhone coming out in Korea?"
"The Gallax will come out first."
"Gallax? What's that?"
"It's made by Ohseong Electronics. Looks a lot like the MyPhone."
"Then, Ha-jin, are you gonna buy a Gallax?"
"Probably. The Gallax is easier to use in Korea."
"Booo~ if you use it, I'll use that one too."
"The MyPhone's more convenient in America, so just keep yours. When you come to Korea later, I'll buy you one."
Next year, all I had to do was buy YJ Entertainment stock at the right moment, and I'd become a building owner.
If I could afford a building, surely I could buy So-ra one phone?
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2008 —
Last year, the American real estate bubble had burst all at once, and this year Lehman Brothers went under.
Lehman Brothers was a financial colossus, one of the four great American investment banks. As a result, stock markets around the world — not just America's — plunged, quite literally head over heels.
In October, SN Entertainment's stock finally dropped into the 700-won range.
Now was the time.
"Dad, I want to buy YJ Entertainment stock. It's Yu-jin's dad's company."
I'd made the promise five years ago, so I nagged him until he gave in.
My parents weren't the kind of people to break a promise to their child. Still, given the situation, they wore worried expressions.
"I'll ask CEO Oh about it."
CEO Oh was every bit as astonished.
"Ha-jin wants to buy stock in our company?"
"Yes. If he just wanted to put in a little, I'd tell him to try it as a test, but he insists on putting in every won of his kindergarten appearance fees, so I'm worried."
"His appearance fees must add up to quite a bit?"
"A little over 100 million won."
"Whew, I like how bold he is, but that's not the kind of money an elementary schooler should go all-in on, is it?"
"He made a promise to invest, so I can't just dismiss it. CEO, why don't you talk it over with Ha-jin yourself?"
CEO Oh Dongseok called me.
"I'm asking because I'm genuinely curious — what on earth possessed you to buy stock in our company? And 100 million won at that?"
"The IPO price when the company went public was 17,000 won, wasn't it?"
"That's right."
"In 2006 it climbed all the way to 28,000."
"The Nueronji contract renewal and that boy group we launched earlier that year did well."
"Yesterday's share price was 910 won. I know the Lehman collapse is to blame, but entertainment stocks are bottomed out. Not a single one of the big three agencies is even trading above 1,000 won."
"……."
"CEO?"
"Ah — no, sorry. You just surprised me. How does an elementary schooler know the economy so well? It's not your dad teaching you all this on the side, is it?"
"Dad doesn't even want me investing. Why would he teach me that?"
"Fair point. Go on, keep talking."
"This is just my thinking, but if I buy this stock, I won't sell until I'm an adult. That means holding it for at least ten years — and if the price is still 900 won ten years from now, wouldn't that mean something's wrong with the company?"
"Obviously something would be wrong. If the stock sat still for ten years, do you think the shareholders would sit still too? They'd wring my neck."
"That's exactly why I want to invest. You ran the company so well you pushed the price to 28,000. I believe you can take it even higher within ten years."
"Hahaha, Ha-jin, you sure know how to put the pressure on. I'll really have to work hard so you don't lose money."
"So please talk to my dad nicely. I really want to buy your company's stock."
It's going up to 70,000, you know.
CEO Oh worked on my dad, and in the end we succeeded in pushing 100 million won into YJ Entertainment.
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The reason I was going to such lengths to buy a building was the Future Sight.
The last time I'd met Manager Hyung came back to me in vivid detail.
.
.
.
"So with the kids I'm managing now, I think I can go independent next year. You should join me next year too."
"What about the investment? You were scouting out office space and everything."
"The investment might get pushed back a bit. End of next year, maybe?"
"What are you going to do in the meantime?"
"Get an office, set up the company… there's plenty to do."
"You said the investment's delayed, though. How are you getting an office?"
"I've got some savings, and I'll pull money out of my place. That should just about cover it."
"Why on earth would you put your apartment in too? Are you planning to sleep in the street?"
"I just have to hold out until the investment comes through. There are goshiwons and studio apartments everywhere for people who just need a place to sleep, so don't worry."
"How am I supposed not to worry…?"
.
.
.
Even with my regression, I didn't see this situation changing.
The hyung whose dream was his own agency would push through even if the investment fell through.
I can't let him sleep in the street.
His #1 actor and the agency building would rise together — so wait for me.
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Seorim Entertainment Arts High School.
A private arts high school located in Munjeong-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. A prestigious institution that had produced countless celebrities, it ran its own Entertainment Advancement Club on campus, so its students broke into the industry more actively than at any other arts high school in the country.
Principal's office —
Principal Seo Chang-beom sat in his chair, reviewing the status of new-student applications. Across from him sat Vice Principal Na Kyung-man.
"The competition rate this year… Practical Dance is at 12 to 1."
"Word must have spread about all the idols enrolled here. Quite a few students have debuted while still in school, haven't they?"
"Every department's competition rate is high except Fashion Modeling and Film Production. Do people think this place is some kind of idol training camp, honestly."
"They call it an idol military academy from the outside. We hold agency auditions on campus and run the advancement club separately, so it's earned the reputation."
"The practical exams are all in order?"
"Yes. The exam schedule and venues have been announced, and the judges have all been selected."
Seorim Arts High admitted its new students based one hundred percent on practical examinations.
"What did you make of the applications? Were there any applicants as eye-catching as Ji-hoon the year before last?"
This was the school with the highest concentration of active idols and trainees in the country, so many middle schoolers with child-acting backgrounds or ongoing entertainment careers applied here. The freewheeling academic culture and lax attendance policies made it a favorite of the agencies as well.
"I skimmed through them, and two applicants caught my eye."
"If two of them stood out to your eyes, this year's pool must be a strong one. Who are they?"
"Oh Yu-jin, who applied to the Practical Dance Department, and Byun Ha-jin, who applied to the Performing Arts Department."