Look at Me, Please
Monday had come back around.
The awful day when office workers went to the company and students went to school had returned. Everyone except the unemployed climbed into cars and sat there chewing over their disappointment.
Like blood flowing through the vast city of Seoul, each of them headed for the company or school they belonged to.
And then...
There were also those heading somewhere that was neither their company nor their school.
The road to Hannam-dong's Big House.
Kang Do-dam sat in the passenger seat of the car driven by Representative Baek Su-cheol, checking her outfit over and over again in the vanity mirror attached to the sun visor.
There’s no booze smell, right? I sprayed perfume too.
After she finished checking, she flipped the passenger-side sun visor back up.
Thunk!
"..."
Do-dam glanced down at the top she was wearing.
It was flat.
Plain.
The tips of her feet in loafers were clearly visible.
If it were Aki, she probably wouldn’t be able to see them...
And the casual suit shorts were visible too.
Overall, it was a boyish kind of suit style. The top tucked in just enough to emphasize her waist, keeping a bit of femininity in the look.
This was the most formal outfit Do-dam could think of. But somehow, it still felt a little embarrassing. This was, after all, the first time she had ever put on a suit.
"..."
Damn it. This feels disgustingly awkward. It was good that I went to the department store with Aeri unnie last weekend and bought a suit, but did I pick something way too childish...?
But wearing a skirt suit would have felt awkward too.
With how skinny Do-dam was, it would have made her look like some kid who had borrowed her mom's suit and shown up to the party.
So, following Aeri unnie's advice, she had gone with the most casual style she could get away with.
What happened at the department store...
While Aeri unnie stood there with her fist clenched, cash bundles in hand, with Aki behind her loading up on gifts for Seonwoo Taek, she had said,
"Leave it to me...! A suit is a woman's battle gear!"
Coming from Aeri, who always dressed either in gothic lolita or in some landmine-girl style, it wasn't exactly convincing. But her sense was excellent. She quickly found a style that suited Do-dam and matched it up.
Then Aeri had said,
"Do-dam, let's go look at cosmetics now."
"Ehh? Do I have to? It's fine anyway, since it's just Boss and the people from the RD side coming. I don't have to wear makeup."
"Y-you...?! Then why did you even get the suit? If you're going to show up in a suit with a bare face, then it was pointless from the start. In that case, you could've just worn comfortable clothes."
"Ah, well, that's true."
In the end, Do-dam was persuaded. She picked out cosmetics with Aeri and learned some simple makeup. She had even put it on this morning just the way she'd been taught.
"..."
Once it was all done,
she looked pretty decent.
For the first time in her life,
she had come out in full makeup.
At this level...
Even if I'm standing next to Boss or Bigman, I won't look shabby, right?
Would he be a little surprised?
That thought crossed her mind.
When I'm with Boss, Aki and I are always bare-faced anyway...
She imagined him seeing her as a girl and flailing in confusion. That usually expressionless face twitching, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"Miss Do-dam... you look pretty when you dress up."
Something like that, maybe.
"..."
Ah, that's just my imagination. That line's terrible.
Terrible.
It was terrible, but...
She wanted to hear it at least once.
So she laughed.
"Heehee..."
A moment later, Do-dam froze.
"..."
...What am I, some kind of female lead? Who am I even trying to throw off? I just dressed up so I wouldn't feel intimidated. Get a grip. I'm an apostle of Bigman. I'm an apostle of Bigman. I'm an apostle of Bigman...
There was someone else who served Investment Director Seonwoo Taek.
"Oppa!"
"A-yeong-ssi."
That wasn't her.
"..."
Reassuring herself like that, Do-dam pretended to look at her phone because she felt embarrassed for no reason. Then, for some reason, she pulled out the bag of gummy bears sitting beside her and asked,
"Boss, can I eat these gummy bears?"
"Hm? Ah, sure. Looks like your aunt left them there after eating some yesterday."
"Huh? Aunt?"
"Yeah, my older sister from back home came up all of a sudden. When she gets depressed, she goes on a sugar binge, so I gave her those yesterday. Looks like she just left them there when she got out of the car."
"..."
His sister would be a middle-aged woman, then.
And she got depressed while eating gummy bears?
"..."
That's kind of cute, actually. A middle-aged lady old enough to have grown out of her youth doing that. Would Aeri unnie end up like that when she gets old too?
That also felt kind of cute.
They said women were like wine, and Berry-rie was the kind of beauty who shone in middle age. A beauty like wine, through and through.
Anyway, cute is cute, so okay.
Satisfied, Do-dam scooped out a handful of gummy bears. She stuffed them into her mouth and chewed noisily.
As the Big House came into view, Baek Su-cheol slowed the car and casually held out one hand toward Do-dam.
"Miss Do-dam. Can I have some of those too? Now that I'm nervous, I'm suddenly craving sweets like crazy."
"Here you go. Are you nervous?"
"Give me a little more. Well, yeah. I'm nervous, all right."
"Here. Anyway, it'll just be us, RD, and Boss... Director-nim. It's not like Big Plan is going to grill us over whether the results were good enough. It's just a get-together to ask how everyone's doing under Big Plan, and maybe explain the project while we're at it."
"So you were nervous too, weren't you?"
"Nuh-uh."
Baek Su-cheol tilted his head. Then he glanced at Do-dam's full makeup look and said,
"I thought you were dressed up extra nice today, so I figured you must be nervous too. You even put on makeup, which you never do."
"..."
Do-dam scratched her head and stayed quiet. A moment later, she turned her gaze awkwardly to the window.
"I mean. I just..."
"Just?"
"I just felt like it."
"Ha."
They said that, and then each of them tossed another gummy bear into their mouths. It wasn't long before the car they were in arrived at Big House.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"...And with that, we also plan to set up a themed space that includes a merchandise sales booth on-site. That is all I've prepared. That concludes my first ABCD Big Plan proposal presentation, including promotion."
"..."
"..."
"..."
In front of the Big Plan staff, including partner companies, Do-dam finished her presentation in a calm voice. It wasn't anything grand; she had simply laid out the outline and purpose of the event they were going to hold at the arena they had recently renovated.
"..."
I've already explained everything to Boss, so he knows it all anyway...
Do-dam sneaked a look at Seonwoo Taek sitting in front of her.
Boss was wearing a lavish suit with flashy accessories layered over it. Thanks to that, he gave off the charisma of a successful businessman or investor.
No, wait, isn't he actually a successful investor to begin with...?
Good grief.
The true identity of the shabby T-shirt-wearing convenience store manager was actually a monster investor wielding nation-level capital!? If you wrote a novel like that, you'd get flamed for the title.
So, what does our nation-level Boss think of my proposal?
"..."
"..."
He nodded.
She saw that and grinned.
See? Boss is Boss, after all.
Clap, clap, clap!
A round of applause rang out a moment later.
In the sunlit meeting room of Big House, a room that felt like a high-end cafe, about ten people were seated. They looked at one another with broad smiles and said,
"If we don't think about ROI, we can definitely go this route."
"If we're not connecting it to sales and just doing promotion only, then the wording can be a little provocative..."
"And if we don't worry about raw material costs and just run the merchandise production line..."
If they didn't have to think about money and could just make things happen, that was the kind of expression on the faces of the people in the industry. Mischief lit them up.
What needed to be done next was simple.
Renovate the e-sports arena into an event space and set up a themed area there. Create an emotionally rooted space that didn't need to worry about profitability.
In terms of pure speed,
they could have finished it by the end of the day.
"Haha, we could get this moving right away."
"Since Bigman covered all the operating costs and everything else."
Bigman.
"!"
The moment she heard that name, Do-dam's head snapped up. And naturally, the company logo inside the Big House conference room caught her eye.
Big Plan D
It isn't a dream.
This network of partners,
all the people gathered here,
...they gathered around my dream. With the name Boss passed along and Bigman choosing it.
"..."
Bigman.
My very own tall benefactor.
Please keep watching over me.
I won't let you regret the money you spent.
Just as she was renewing that resolve, voices came softly from beside her. It was Seo Eun-hwa and Seonwoo Taek, who had come over without her noticing.
"Thank you for helping us with such a good project. And for keeping in touch with us all this time..."
"Not at all. I simply watched from the sidelines. It was you all who received the budget and pushed the work through yourselves."
"That's exactly the best kind of support all creators want, isn't it?"
"Is that so."
"You knew that already, didn't you?"
"I did."
"Puhuhu..."
She didn't know what was so funny.
Seo Eun-hwa covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. The sunlight glittered on her round glasses. Then, with a shy little bloom of laughter, she said,
"What are you planning for lunch, Director-nim? If you have time, maybe..."
"..."
As soon as she heard that much,
Do-dam turned her head.
Her expression looked like a baby owl whose territory had just been invaded.
"Ehh...?"
Th-that woman...!
Boss is Aki's tall benefactor...!
When a friend's eyes were looking somewhere else, some creature would always come sniffing around Boss. As a close teammate and a friend she'd grown up with like a sister, this was unforgivable.
I have to protect Boss...
In Aki's place.
At least when Aki wasn't here.
I...
Thinking that, Do-dam wedged herself between Seo Eun-hwa and Seonwoo Taek. She puffed up her small body as much as she could, hiding Seonwoo Taek behind her back.
Do-dam said,
"Uh, then. How about we all eat together here?"
"?"
"Like we did here before... that, um... it was good."
"Ah, that time? But is that all right? If Director-nim doesn't approve..."
Seo Eun-hwa tilted her head at Do-dam. Behind her round glasses, her large eyes gleamed. It was a red-pill effect as strong as Aki's, and somehow enough to make Do-dam shrink back.
D-damn it...! Even full makeup can't beat that...!
Do-dam's self-esteem HP took dot damage in real time.
Then a slightly awkward silence fell.
The one who broke it and spoke up was Seonwoo Taek. He looked around and answered seriously.
"Very well. If the others have time, would you all care to have lunch here together as well?"
"!"
"!"
"!"
The people who had been packing up to leave paused. Then, smiling, they came over. The smiles never left the faces of people who didn't have to worry about money.
They said,
"With Director-nim? We'd love that."
"We're eating here?"
"Yes."
"Oh, then that would be wonderful! These chairs are so comfortable I'd be happy to stay here all day."
Seonwoo Taek nodded.
A little while later, he pulled out his phone and arranged for catered buffet lunch without wasting much time at all. His execution speed was unnervingly fast.
Do-dam found that side of him unfamiliar, and... a little bit proud. But standing right next to him still made her feel shy.
"..."
I don't know when he's just riding around on Caroline or that one-wheeled thing, but when Boss is wearing a suit and working, he really does look like a successful businessman. Standing next to him makes me nervous.
For no reason at all, that feeling crept in.
She was about to slip away a little to the side.
But after finishing the lunch setup, Seonwoo Taek called quietly to her.
"...The suit."
"!"
"It suits you well. Your presentation was impressive too."
"..."
Do-dam hesitated for a moment. Then, in a tiny voice, her face warming just a little, she said,
"T-thank you."
"Not at all."
After saying that, Seonwoo Taek went back in among the others.
Do-dam watched him and fidgeted for a moment. Then she murmured softly to herself.
Maybe I'm glad I came in makeup after all...
Seo Eun-hwa looked at Do-dam and smiled faintly. Then she looked at Seonwoo Taek's back and smiled even more brightly.
"...How interesting."
It was an interesting gathering.
A place where money had vanished, and only people's feelings remained.
Pure and
beautiful
a place like that.
The one who made this place was only one person.
Seo Eun-hwa looked at him and murmured,
"An interesting person."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next day.
The first day of June arrived.
The morning sun shone brilliantly, and people once again headed for their workplaces or schools. Or they climbed into vehicles to wander without a destination, or to enjoy a brief break.
On that hectic day, in the ordinary scenery of the subway.
Blue light blazed from the display screens.
The entire wall of the subway, stretching dozens of meters, began to glow blue. From one end to the other, everything passing by turned blue. Every subway wall with advertising space available had become that way.
Flash!
People stopped and stared at the wall.
"!"
"!"
"!"
There, a peculiar advertisement was playing.
In the middle of the blue screen, a trophy gleamed in gold along with a message floating beside it.
Do you consider yourself good at games?
Do you think you just haven't had a chance to prove it?
Do you truly think you're the strongest?
With grand music playing behind it, the sleek silhouette of a gaming arena appeared. It was a space where even the walls and floor were blue.
You're wrong.
"Huh...?"
The strongest is me.
At that same moment, some blue-haired heroine-type girl popped up on screen and shot the viewer a provocative look. Pointing at the minimap in the corner of the screen, she said,
If you've got a problem with that, come here.
And then the commercial ended.
"...?"
Most people who weren't interested in games just tilted their heads. But those who were interested in games let out the resentment that had already begun rising in their chests.
"Tch, that's annoying."
More people thought that than anyone would have expected.
So the community caught fire.