Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Ha, temporary Team Leader, huh.
To me, someone who thought I'd live and die as a bottom-tier manager, the word 'temporary'—even with that qualifier attached—was nothing short of sweet.
Well, the reality is...
[Absolute Beef]
[Strawberry Fish Roe Rice]
Leaving the fancy, high-end beef restaurant right above us.
"Wow, Hyun-woo-ssi. They're having a one-week event starting today, giving a 500-won discount on fish roe rice as a lunch special. Isn't that a total steal? Ha, I'm gonna have to come back tomorrow too."
Being this ecstatic just because we could taste fish roe rice for 6,500 won after a 500-won discount—that was exactly the sad state of affairs for me and Yoon Won-seok.
"I mean, it's something to be able to eat fish roe rice for under 7,000 won. Let's go in. Order something expensive!"
Even if it's just fish roe rice, I'm the one paying, so I can at least act like a big shot, right?
Deureureuk-.
When I opened the door and went in, the place was just packed with people.
Not just people living nearby, but office workers, and—wait, are those high school students?
"Well, I used to sneak out with friends during lunch time when I was younger because I didn't want to eat school lunch."
"Ah, those students over there?"
Yoon Won-seok, who was on the receiving end of a free meal, placed the chopsticks and spoon at my seat, leaned forward to look at the students sitting in the corner, and shook his head slightly.
"Let's see. That's a Hanbit High School uniform. And, hmm, judging by the yellow name tags, they're probably about to graduate. So they might not be skipping class, but just came after school ended? It's the end of January, after all. Graduation is coming up soon, so they probably only go to school for a bit before the ceremony."
"Oh, really?"
All I remembered was that school usually starts in March.
Ah, come to think of it, I think I had my graduation ceremony in February too.
"You know a lot about this?"
"I know because I'm a Hanbit High alum. It's pretty strict there. Maybe because it's a mix of rich and poor families, but some rough stuff has happened there a few times."
"Eh, if you put it that way, I went through all sorts of things when I was in school too."
"Anyway, kids these days are all so pretty. They haven't even been consistently managed like the trainees at our agency, so why are there so many pretty ones?"
"Well, does being pretty mean you'll succeed?"
"At least half the battle is won. Of course, it's not an era where you can succeed just by having a pretty face."
"So many celebrities have already succeeded that people's standards have gone up."
Of course, I know that celebrities from the older generation walked a thorny path too.
Honestly, if you compare the stage quality and such with celebrities from back then, it's a fact that the difficulty level has gone up in many ways.
"And how many trainees are there these days? 2 million? How does that even make sense? The population of South Korea is 55 million."
"They probably just made up the statistics however they wanted. Ah! Ma'am, two extra-large servings of spicy flying fish roe fried rice, please. And for the side dishes... Yes, yes, we can just grab them ourselves? Thank you."
Yoon Won-seok scooped up some fish cake and pickled radish from right next to us into an empty bowl and asked me cautiously.
"But, just in case, I'm asking."
"Yeah."
"By any chance, Team Leader Park isn't eating lunch here, is he? I'm really just asking in case. If he's here, he'll get mad just hearing us talk like this, calling it pathetic."
"Ha..."
That damn Team Leader Park.
Park Ju-yong, that f*cking bastard. Whenever that guy's name comes up, I sigh without realizing it, or my throat just clogs up.
But, Yoon Won-seok is probably the same.
In military terms, he was a total psychopath.
Of course, he has the skills to back it up.
I give credit where credit is due.
But his personality is fcking shtty, so I really didn't want to face that guy for long.
"I mean, it's not like we're badmouthing him. We're managers who have worked here for at least two years. Can't we talk about stuff like this?"
"Even so, haha... Maybe because I've developed a bit of PTSD, but whenever Team Leader Park calls me to a quiet place to nag, I'm exhausted that day and can't even sleep at night. Hahaha."
"Is that something to laugh about?"
"Still, it's not like it's only like this here. I worked as a manager at another place for about a year before coming here, and other places are just as tough."
At Yoon Won-seok's words, I clicked my tongue and said.
"I don't know why there are so many devils in this world."
While crunching on a piece of pickled radish.
"Frankly speaking, it's hard to call myself a good person either, but ha, Team Leader Park is a devil, a devil. Heh heh."
It's funny for no reason now that I'm talking about it.
[Please, feel free to talk more comfortably, ho ho.]
Don't they say the most fun thing in the world is gossiping about others?
College students gossip about professors.
Office workers gossip about their bosses.
I completely lost track of time.
Plus, with the piping hot, delicious spicy flying fish roe fried rice appearing right in front of me in an extra-large portion, even my tongue was enjoying itself.
I ended up saying things I didn't necessarily need to say.
"You know."
"Yeah."
"I've actually felt this after doing this job for a few years now."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Isn't my eye for talent better than that guy, Team Leader Park? And I think I have a knack for taking care of celebrities too. So, frankly speaking, Team Leader Park told me earlier to try and make an idol group myself, right?"
"Eh, he just said that to screw you over, Hyun-woo-ssi. Is that as easy as it sounds? If it were that easy, everyone would succeed and make a name for themselves in Korea's top 4 agencies."
"No, I think I can do it."
"Eh, are you serious? Are you planning on leaving the company?"
When Yoon Won-seok asked with an incredulous expression, I shook my head.
Yeah, usually people would think that.
"Ah, that would be a bit difficult. All I can say is, from my perspective, no matter how I look at it, I think I'd do better than Team Leader Park."
"Eh, even so, Team Leader Park didn't just get to that position for nothing..."
"Why are you stopping? Why did you stop talking? One of the things Koreans hate most is being interrupted, and the second is..."
That was when it happened.
I felt killing intent from behind.
Furthermore, a powerful grip that reeked of experience had already firmly grabbed my shoulder.
The familiar voice that came last.
"Hey, follow me outside for a second."
"..."
At that moment, I'm not lying, I felt like someone had smashed my heart with a hammer with all their might and sent it down to my belly button.
Because the person who just said that was Team Leader Park, the one I had been excitedly badmouthing all day while eating.
It felt like time had stopped, but strangely, cold sweat was pouring down like crazy.
"What are you doing, f*ck? Come out. And pay the bill."
"Yes..."
Honestly, this time, getting scolded by Team Leader Park was unavoidable.
I admit that.
I was told from the start never to badmouth others.
It was true that I had said something unnecessary.
[No, no, it's actually good. This happening was definitely the right answer. If you had just acted like a lukewarm, nice person here, Master, you wouldn't have reached the right answer.]
'What the hell are you talking about...'
It's true that Novel helped me succeed once, but I just couldn't believe that this situation was the right answer.
I swallowed a deep sigh inwardly and quietly followed Park Ju-yong, entered the alley right next to the fish roe rice restaurant, and immediately got into a military-style punishment position.
"Hey, Kim Hyun-woo."
"Yes."
Park Ju-yong poked my chest with his index finger as if it were natural.
It felt like he was poking right into my heart.
"I'm sorry."
"Bullsht. I was eating right next to you and heard everything. I'm going to live a very long life, aren't I? Fck, I'll probably live to be 120."
"...Sorry, ugh!"
"Hey, you son of a b*tch. Do I look like a joke to you?"
"No, sir."
"No? What do you mean no, f*ck!"
No, I really mean it.
How could you be a joke?
F*ck, you devil. You're scary, you're scary.
"You were talking big earlier, weren't you? What? Your eye for talent is better? You think your caregiving skills are better? Hey, since you only came into this company and just took what I and the other team leaders cultivated, does this industry look like a joke to you?"
"No, sir."
"What do you mean no, f*ck. Are you a tape recorder? Just repeating the same thing all day."
"..."
Ha, I'm going crazy.
I really have to acknowledge his skill at nagging. I wonder if he grew the company with this skill.
"The fact that you still don't know that is proof that you're incompetent, you bastard."
Poke, poke, poke-.
Park Ju-yong is poking not just my chest, but now my forehead too. I'm not some stir-fry ramen, am I?
At this rate, my head is going to start bleeding.
"Does the management industry look like a joke? Does the entertainment industry look easy? You wouldn't be able to say that otherwise."
"..."
"Hey."
"Yes."
"You're not mute. Say it again. Can you still confidently say that if you put together an idol group yourself, you'd be much better than me?"
Actually, this was a 'the answer is already decided' situation. Since the answer is set, he's telling me to only give the answer he wants.
However, I didn't want to give the 'right' answer.
It was a bit of stubbornness.
"Yes."
"What?"
I confidently spat out an answer completely different from what Park Ju-yong expected.
Yeah, if I didn't have 'Novel', this kind of defiance would have been impossible.
But you know.
I have Novel.
"I think I'd do better."
"..."
"If you actually just leave it to me, I might be able to make this company the best management agency in South Korea, you know?"
A man should have at least this much ambition, shouldn't he?
"Ho-oh, is that so?"
For some reason, Park Ju-yong claps as if it's impressive.
Could it be that even this bastard was moved by my ambition...
「Clap, claaap... Slap!!」
"..."
I felt my cheek snap to the side and the stinging sensation, but I quietly kept my mouth shut.
Park Ju-yong, who had slapped my cheek with all his might, grabbed my ear and muttered.
"There's a limit to bullsht. Fck, do you think if you just say whatever comes to your mouth, I'll suddenly go crazy and give you some kind of authority? Wake up, you bastard. You're just a bottom-tier manager who got a little lucky. Do you think N&P would be affected even if you were fired right now? You and I are completely different, you kid."
This sucks.
I scoffed.
"Then don't ask."
"What?"
"You don't even give me a chance, you just f*cking nag. How am I supposed to prove it? What, should I debut as a solo artist?"
He must think I'm some kind of goody-two-shoes.
I was the kind of person who, if pissed off, would just charge in, or rather, I was someone who could say whatever I wanted with the mindset of 'I'll just quit this shitty company'.
I subtly leaned my face toward Park Ju-yong and said.
"Give me a chance before you f*cking nag. I can really do it, so stop acting like that while not giving me a chance. Aren't you the one who's actually afraid, Team Leader? Because I might actually pull it off."
In reality, even if I struggled like a dog like this, nothing would change.
However.
[It's magic time.]
You never know how things in the world will turn out.
"Was what you just said sincere?"
With a ding, the door to the beef omakase restaurant above the fish roe rice shop opened, and a voice that couldn't be more unfamiliar came from there.
However, it was also a voice that no N&P employee could fail to recognize.
"Pr, President?"
The President of N&P.
Cheon Tae-o was looking at us with interested eyes, with Han Hye-eun by his side.
"If I just give you a chance, can you really make our company the best in South Korea? Manager Kim Hyun-woo."