Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: A Well-Deserved Reward
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As I bowed to the cheering patrons and sat down with Kim Sung-hoon, everyone else immediately went back to their own business. They might have been talking about us amongst themselves, but they didn't stare or do anything else that would make us uncomfortable.
“Damn, you… you’re more of a public figure than I am.”
“Just call yourself a celebrity, Hyung. You’re going to get yourself in trouble otherwise.”
“Honestly, I thought you were working as a manager just so you could debut.”
“I told you that wasn’t it.”
“Yeah, right. I didn’t believe you, hehe. Does it make any sense for a guy with a face like yours to be just a manager?”
“Everyone has different dreams. Fair enough?”
“Yeah, fair enough.”
We chuckled without any real meaning behind it.
“How’s the panic disorder?”
“It’s seriously amazing, you know? It’s completely gone.”
“Then you should start taking on more work again.”
“Give me a break. I’ve been working my ass off. Don’t tell Lee Sun or Jae-yong. This is the perfect pace for me right now.”
Sung-hoon had been under immense pressure to provide for the other members of his now-defunct group.
It seemed he was finally free from that burden, as the members had gotten their act together and were working harder since the incident with his panic disorder.
Now, Answer was gradually increasing its share of JD Enter’s main revenue, creating a better environment for the company as well.
Just then, instead of a regular employee, a man who appeared to be the owner approached us to take our order.
“Are you ready to order?”
“Two bottles of beer, one soju, and the black pork belly…”
“No. We’ll have the 600g assorted Hanwoo set, please.”
“Yes. We’ll prepare your drinks and the assorted Hanwoo right away.”
The employee, who seemed to be part of the owner’s family, walked away cheerfully.
“Hey, how much did you get paid to be ordering Hanwoo? Pork belly would have been fine.”
“You lent me 300 million won, Hyung, and I still haven't thanked you properly.”
“Hah. Attaboy. You’re a good kid. I’m not asking for the 7% interest, so just pay me back the principal. You’re doing well these days, so can you pay it back in, say, five years?”
Sung-hoon was joking. Even if I paid back 300 million over five years, that would be 60 million a year. An amount most people couldn’t handle. I knew it. When he lent me that money, he had already half-given up on ever getting the principal back.
What a good man.
“Five years? Forget that. I’ll pay you back next month, with hefty interest.”
“What? I didn’t know you could joke with a straight face like that.”
“I’m not joking. Ssomaek?”
Sung-hoon nodded listlessly.
[Trait ‘Soldier’s Spirit’ activated.]
My body surged with strength.
I picked up a chopstick and swiftly struck the center of the beer bottle cap.
*Pop!*
“…What was that?”
Sung-hoon muttered to himself, looking at the beer bottle where nothing seemed to have happened.
I leisurely poured soju into two glasses, then tapped the beer bottle lightly with the chopstick.
*Ting! Fwoosh!*
White bubbles erupted inside the calm beer bottle, shooting up through the small hole in the center of the cap.
“What the hell!”
Startled, Sung-hoon blinked his eyes, staring at the beer foam spewing from the center of the cap.
*Fwoooosh.*
The foam precisely filled both glasses before subsiding. Not a single drop of beer was spilled.
“Holy shit, that’s insane.”
The astonished Sung-hoon didn’t even seem to realize he had cursed.
“Hey! Is that even possible? With a chopstick?”
Sung-hoon muttered, looking at the tiny hole in the center of the beer cap.
“With speed, power, and a high level of concentration, it’s totally possible.”
“…Really?”
“Let’s have a drink first.”
“Yeah. Gulp, gulp… Ahhh.”
After downing the ssomaek with me, Sung-hoon picked up a new beer bottle and a chopstick.
“Don’t do it. You’ll hurt yourself.”
“I’ve been lifting weights since my trainee days, you know? Don’t underestimate me.”
Despite my warning, Sung-hoon powerfully brought the chopstick down on the beer bottle in his left hand.
*Thud!*
“Ugh!”
The center of the cap dented slightly, but there was no way it would pierce like mine had. Instead, Sung-hoon hissed in pain as his thumb, which had been supporting the end of the chopstick, must have hurt immensely. He quietly set the bottle down.
He’s kind of an idiot, isn’t he? Why would he try to copy that?
“Are you okay? I told you not to do it.”
“…Hoo. Anyway, how much did you get paid to be buying a Hanwoo set that costs hundreds of thousands of won?”
He was clearly embarrassed, trying to change the subject immediately.
He’s a rich guy, so it should be fine to show him for a moment, right?
I showed him the transaction history on my phone.
“Pfft. With just a little over three million? Seriously. I’m paying, I’ll pay.”
“Does that look like three million to you?”
“If it’s not three million, is it thirty? It is thirty million! What the hell is this!”
Laughter escaped me at the sight of a flustered Sung-hoon, his tone and expression a jumbled mess.
“Are you on an annual salary?”
“What are you talking about? Do they pay out the entire year’s salary at once?”
“Then is that really just for one month?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, damn. I heard you were doing well, but this is insane. Is that all from incentives?”
“I closed a few contracts.”
“Whoa. You’re a real prodigy.”
Sung-hoon stared at me, his eyes still wide with amazement.
A generous portion of the assorted Hanwoo set arrived.
When the owner lifted the top layer of meat with a pair of tongs, the breathtakingly marbled meat underneath was revealed.
“Wow. It’s not marbling in the meat, it’s meat in the marbling.”
“I took special care with this. Thank you for all your hard work saving a life.”
*Sizzle.*
As the meat was placed on the charcoal grill, a sweet aroma filled the air.
“Wow, this is insane!”
The first piece of Hanwoo galbi slowly curled on the hot charcoal, a pinkish hue forming over the marbling. The glistening sight stirred an appetite I didn’t know I had.
When the meat was flipped, the marbling was so incredible that its pattern remained visible even as the fat sizzled and rendered. It was an amazing sight.
“It’s cooked. Help yourself.”
“I won’t refuse Hanwoo bought by a prodigy, you know?”
I took a piece of what I judged to be the best galbi I had ever seen in my life, dipped it lightly in salt, and brought it to my mouth.
The meat burst in my mouth like a soft jelly, releasing a flood of savory juices.
So this is what meat that’s both umami-rich and sweet tastes like.
“Haaah. Man, I’ve eaten my fair share of good meat, but today might be the best. This is seriously incredible.”
Sung-hoon expressed his satisfaction like someone who had just witnessed a moving work of art.
While my time with his younger brother, Choi Yoo-jun, was comfortable, drinking with Sung-hoon had its own way of giving me a sense of stability, making me feel like a part of this world.
The drinks, the meat, the company—everything was perfect.
***
The concept for the ‘Best Idol’ live broadcast was hastily revised.
With Your Girl, whose image had hit rock bottom, quietly dropping out, the competition element was gone. Instead, the stage was set for the contestants to showcase the talents they hadn't been able to display while buried in variety show antics.
It was a concept that brought together several mini-concerts in one place, different from a typical music show. In addition to Answer, Si-ah’s group N-Pink, who had gained attention due to her father’s cardiac arrest incident, also performed.
-This next stage is for N-Pink. I’m sure many of you have heard about the emergency involving member Si-ah’s father through various media outlets. As it happens, Si-ah’s father, who has now recovered, is here with us today. Sir, would you mind saying a few words?
-I went to see my only daughter before a dangerous surgery. It might have been the last time I’d ever see her. There, thanks to Answer’s Seol-ah and their manager, Min-jun, I made a miraculous recovery. Thanks to them, my relationship with Si-ah has also grown stronger. I’d like to take this opportunity to once again bow my head and express my gratitude to those two and the production team of ‘Best Idol’.
The audience erupted in applause and cheers at Si-ah’s father’s words, and Answer’s performance, which followed N-Pink’s, shone even brighter.
Answer’s recognition soared even higher with their new album.
The ‘Best Idol’ live broadcast ended at exactly 10 PM.
“Kyaa! Seul-bi Unni!”
“Answer, we love you!”
The crowd of fans waiting for Answer at the back gate of the broadcast station had grown significantly.
Seul-bi opened the van door and waved to the crowd outside.
“We love you too!”
Seol-ah and Seul-bi were particularly popular. Unlike Seol-ah, who had a balanced male-to-female fanbase, the powerful main dancer Seul-bi was gaining overwhelming popularity among female fans.
“Hah. Seul-bi Unni is so damn hip.”
“Seul-bi’s dance lines are cool, and she’s a good talker too.”
At Yi-na and Ro-si’s compliments, Seul-bi blew a kiss.
“Ugh!”
“Pfft.”
As Yi-na made a gagging gesture, Ro-si couldn’t hold back her laughter.
It felt great to see the Answer members in such high spirits.
“We’re heading straight to the commercial shoot.”
“Yes!”
The commercial shoot for the car company, a prize for winning ‘Best Idol’, was ready.
As it was difficult to align schedules, they had chosen a time well past midnight.
“How about this car?”
“Hmm… No, that won’t work. The price is already over the limit before you even factor in taxes and insurance.”
“Then we have to give up on foreign cars.”
“Forget foreign cars, even domestic ones are so expensive these days.”
“Wow, was it really this expensive?”
Perhaps because they were heading to a car commercial shoot, the Answer members seemed to have developed a keen interest in cars.
In a world where even domestic cars could cost over 100 million won, foreign cars would naturally be more expensive. By the way, I wonder if the coffee truck has arrived by now?
‘Isa-nim, the agency staff has to do a late-night shoot because of us…’
‘I’ll send a coffee truck. One with snacks, too.’
Feeling sorry for the staff who had to work late because of us, I had booked a snack truck.
We arrived at the studio. A "Golden Carriage" decorated in gold was glittering even in the dark of night, lifting my spirits.
-[Answer’s Treat]
-[We’re sorry for making you work so late]
The slogans also came out just as I wanted.
Booking it for the early morning hours meant it cost a pretty penny with the extra fees, but we were already earning more than enough. The only problem was the lack of time to make more money.
“The members of Answer have arrived.”
“Woohoo.”
A few of the commercial staff members cheered quietly. They must be fans of Answer.
Inside the studio, in the center of a giant green screen wall, the product of today’s commercial, a new model SUV, was showing off its sleek and impressive visuals.
It was this year’s version of the car that Sung-hoon drove.
“We apologize for making you all work so late because of us. As a token of our apology, we have coffee and snacks waiting outside. We’ve prepared plenty of everything, especially the coffee, with good quality beans, so please enjoy as much as you like.”
“Wow!”
The staff’s applause and cheers grew louder. It seemed like a good idea to have prepared it.
“Do you like the car?”
As I was admiring the new car I was seeing in person for the first time, Seol-ah approached and asked.
“Yes. I think domestic car designs are just as good as foreign ones these days. In fact, the interiors might even be prettier.”
“Really? I see.”
Seol-ah nodded, her face showing a sense of resolution.
“Seol-ah, are you thinking of buying a car?”
“Ah… I’m thinking about it.”
“That person over there is the head of marketing. If you’re interested, shall I try to arrange something? It might come with some complicated options, but they might give it to you for next to nothing.”
Although the car would cost over 100 million won fully loaded, if the advertising model was seen driving it, a free lease would be the bare minimum, and they would surely be able to purchase it at a drastically reduced price.
“No? I don’t even have a driver’s license.”
“Ah, right.”
I chuckled at myself for thinking I knew everything about Answer. I had been too overconfident. Seol-ah, for some reason, was beaming as she got into the passenger seat, showing a great deal of interest.
After changing into outfits and makeup that fit the concept, Answer’s commercial shoot began.
It was an ad that viewers would only see for 15 to 30 seconds at most, but even after several hours of filming, they hadn’t even completed half of the concept art.
“Let’s take a 20-minute break. Everyone, grab some coffee and please try to focus.”
The director sighed deeply and stood up from his chair.
“Oppa, Oppa! Let’s go get some coffee!”
“Alright, but let go of my arm. People will get the wrong idea.”
Seul-bi and Yi-na, who had appeared out of nowhere, clung to my sides and pulled me outside.
“Aren’t Seol-ah and Ro-si having any? Should I bring them some coffee?”
“No, we’re fine!”
Seol-ah and Ro-si shouted as they approached the head of marketing.
This was the break they had been waiting for, so what was this? Was it Ro-si who wanted to buy the car, not Seol-ah?