The God of Alcohol's Plea
Young-hoon didn't make it to the Five Girls dorm until well past one in the afternoon.
He was exhausted, and his irritation had climbed all the way to the ceiling, but the thought of the girls' faces falling if he let his weariness show forced a smile onto his face as he pressed the doorbell. The chime had barely finished ringing before the front door burst open and Hye-in came at him like a firing squad, her expression thunderous.
"Oppa! What kind of person shows up this late? We've been waiting on an empty stomach this whole time!"
"Hey, now — I told you I'd be late, didn't I? And if you're hungry, just eat without me. Why wait?"
"How am I supposed to enjoy a meal when the head of the household hasn't even come home yet?"
"What are you talking about? Since when am I the head of the household? Don't go blocking the road to my marriage like that!"
"You're the songwriter and composer who has to take care of us for the rest of our lives. Of course you're the head of the household — what else would you be? You said it yourself on the phone earlier!"
"Ugh, fine, whatever! Enough. Let's just eat — my stomach's eating itself alive. You said you made beef scallion soup, right? Joo-yeon, I'm going to enjoy this."
"Heehee… it's nothing fancy, but… please, have as much as you like, big brother."
The broth was so rich and inviting that his mouth watered at the mere sight of it, and it turned out hauling himself all the way here with his stomach clenched in hunger had been worth every step. Everyone crowded around the table, lifted their spoons in unison, and began shoveling food into their mouths without a word. The nutty fragrance of the rice and the pitch-perfect harmony of the soup worked together so well that the table was stripped clean in no time.
Sated and content, Young-hoon and the members of Five Girls lingered over a cup of coffee each for dessert.
"This is really good. Where's it from?"
"It's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe — a coffee that's famous all over the world. Ga-eun's the coffee lover among us. Her dream is to taste every world-renowned coffee at least once. Money's too tight for anything but instant mix these days, but with you coming over, Ga-eun dug out the beans she'd been treasuring and brewed them for you."
"Ga-eun, thank you. Today you've led me into the world of fine coffee."
But hold on — something's odd. Hains the Archmage… did that man like coffee too? Why do methods for blending and roasting keep floating up in my head? If I roasted and blended this way, would it taste even better? Someday I ought to try it exactly the way Hains wanted. Young-hoon sighed inwardly. Another task added to the pile. Tsk.
"Oppa, you've been staring into that coffee forever. What are you thinking about so hard?"
"Hm? I was thinking it might be nice to make some money and start a coffee business with Ga-eun."
"Oppa, do you have any idea how many coffee brands there already are in this country? Stop daydreaming and stick to the one well you're good at — writing songs for us! Unless… wait. Do you have designs on Ga-eun?"
"Designs? Please. You girls are all just kids to me. And besides — are you planning to sing until you drop dead of old age? You know better than anyone how short a girl group's lifespan is these days. You've already wasted seven years as nobodies, so the clock's ticking. Hye-in, aren't you hitting your thirties in a few years?"
"Wow, is there anything this oppa won't say? One minute we're kids, the next you're talking about my age? You want to die? And for your information, we're a vocal-focused group, so we can have long careers. I intend to keep singing even after I'm married!"
"Ambitious, aren't we? I don't know about the others, but I doubt anyone's going to carry you off. Anyway — didn't you say your president was calling you? Shouldn't you be at practice? Off you go, chop chop~"
When Young-hoon and the Five Girls members pushed open the door of the agency's office, President Lee Jae-man and their manager Kyeong-hwan greeted him warmly.
"I'm truly sorry to drag you out here on a holiday when you should be resting. You went through so much entertaining the two PDs yesterday…"
"It was nothing, really. You're the one who worked hardest, President. By the way — who picked up the bar tab last night? It must have been quite a bill."
"Huh? Wasn't that you, Mr. Young-hoon? I went to pay and it had already been settled. Then was it PD Lee Hyo-young? I should give him a call."
"Ah — I'll ask him about it subtly later. Don't worry about it, President. It'd just make things awkward."
"Fair enough. But shouldn't you girls be at practice? Kyeong-hwan, go down and watch over them, would you? I have something to discuss with Mr. Young-hoon."
Once Five Girls and Kyeong-hwan had descended to the basement practice room, Lee Jae-man fixed Young-hoon with a grave look, the expression of a man who had made up his mind beyond all recall, and began to speak.
"Mr. Young-hoon, I'd like you to hear me out. The truth is, I first set foot in this industry as a road manager for Black Girls, that five-member girl group everyone knew in the mid-2000s."
"Really? Wow, that's impressive. I was a fan of Black Girls myself."
"It was never meant to be my path, though. After high school I spent three years at a small manufacturer of cellphone parts, then went into the army and was discharged at twenty-five. After that, an older soldier from my service days talked me into it, and that's how I ended up on the road crew for Black Girls."
Whether the memories of those days were resurfacing or not, a hard-to-read expression crossed Lee Jae-man's face — one that looked, depending on the angle, like regret, or like longing.
"Still, I was recognized for my work well enough to climb my way up to section chief. Up to that point, nothing had gone wrong. I got married at thirty-two, but a manager's salary didn't buy much of a life, and frankly I'd grown sick of the irregular hours. So I quit the job without hesitation and founded my own company — Girin Entertainment."
"Incredible. You got married at my age and took the leap into business… somehow standing next to you makes my own life look a little shabby."
"Heh. Coming from a man with your gifts for composition and lyrics, that's embarrassing to hear. In any case, I coaxed Kyeong-hwan — who was doing road work under me at the time — into coming with me, and we went hunting for trainees with real vocal talent. That's how Five Girls was formed."
Talking seemed to be drying his throat, because Lee Jae-man excused himself, walked over to the water dispenser, downed a glass, and resumed.
"At first I thought the money would come pouring in right away, but reality wasn't so generous. We've put out three albums so far, and exactly one song has cracked the top one hundred — once. It was 'Run,' the title track off our second album. The savings I'd built up as a manager are long gone, and we've only kept the lights on through the occasional event the girls perform at."
As he spoke, the rims of Lee Jae-man's eyes reddened. Bringing up the memory of all those hard years had evidently stirred something in him.
"And lately it's as if people are… forgetting our girls. This year, the event invitations have all but dried up. So… once this Chuseok passed… I had decided to disband Five Girls and shut the company down for good. And it was right at that moment that Hye-in brought you to me, Mr. Young-hoon."
At last a single tear rolled down his cheek, and Lee Jae-man laid out, plainly and without ornament, the reality that Girin Entertainment now faced.
"So that's it — you, and the girls… everyone's been carrying something painful all this time."
"You may have heard this from Hye-in already, but our office and the dorm used to be over in Songpa, in Gangnam. Then the third album flopped completely, the events kept thinning out… We had no choice but to move everything out here to Seongnam, and aside from Kyeong-hwan, every last employee has resigned."
Young-hoon said nothing.
"But not anymore. I intend to make the very most of the chance you've given us and run ourselves into the ground for it, Mr. Young-hoon."
"Yes. I believe in you, too. The two PDs we met yesterday both promised to push Five Girls hard, so you'll be back on your feet before you know it. Keep your chin up."
"Which brings me to the reason I asked you here… I have a favor to ask of you, Mr. Young-hoon. Please, I beg you to hear it through."
"A favor? For me? Well, go ahead. Within the limits of what I can manage, I'll help you wholeheartedly."
"As I said, I'm a manager to the bone. Which is to say — I'm no businessman. Honestly, one reason the company got into this mess may be that I've been wearing clothes that were never made for me. So… won't you acquire Girin Entertainment, Mr. Young-hoon?"
"I'm sorry — what? Didn't you just tell me that a brighter day was coming if we only pushed through a little longer?"
"And who's supposed to bring that brighter day? Who's holding our lifeline in his hands? If you stop giving us songs, Mr. Young-hoon, we will fail in the end. That's the simple truth."
"That's not true. I've already given you two songs. Aren't those two enough to carry you for a while? After that, you can just buy more good songs as you need them."
"No. The girls and I have already made up our minds. It's a small company, but I hold one hundred percent of its shares — and I will transfer ninety of them to you. Think of it as the advance payment for the two songs you've given us. And for the record, the company carries no debt. From here on, the true owner of Girin Entertainment will be you; I'll only remain as CEO until you quit your job and join us full-time. Being a manager is quite enough for me."
"Be that as it may, springing something this important on me like a done deal — how is that fair? At least give me time to think."
"I've already discussed it with the girls, and they've agreed. I'm truly sorry to put this on you so abruptly, Mr. Young-hoon — but that's how desperate we were. Forgive me, once more."
Young-hoon could feel how immovable Lee Jae-man's resolve was. Well, since it had come to this, he decided he might as well listen to the end.
"First — keep writing songs for our girls, Five Girls, until the day they retire. Second — once the company is stable, I'd like you to rehire the staff I had to let go. Third — after that, I'd like us to return to Seoul. Ideally we'd build our own office building, but even if that's out of reach, at least find the girls a proper place to live. Fourth — I'd like you to put together a boy group as well. And fifth — I hope you'll let me stay by your side until the very end. Grant me these five conditions, and I'll hand the company over to you today, this minute."
"Ahh — so that's why Hye-in said I'd have to feed them for the rest of their lives. You and the girls had already reached your verdict, hadn't you?"
"We did. I settled it with the girls this very morning. I know it's a terrible imposition, Mr. Young-hoon — but that's how desperate we were. I ask your forgiveness once again."
"Well, if things have gone that far, there's no backing out of it now, is there? In exchange, give me a moment to think."
Young-hoon turned the situation over in his mind, weighing whether it worked for him or against him. Honestly, he could see little downside. He had no intention of burying his bones at LK Electronics anyway.
If I take the shares, the music revenue settlement problem PD Lee Hyo-young mentioned should resolve itself easily. And there's no reason I can't meet President Lee's conditions either. If I'm going into business, surrounding myself with good people is no bad thing… Given half a chance, Lee Jae-man could reclaim his glory days in no time. Ah, whatever. Let's just do it.
Young-hoon made his decision.
"All right. I'll accept the shares. And I accept every one of your conditions as well. But I have conditions of my own. First — until I've acquired enough industry knowledge to stand on my own, please continue to run Girin Entertainment, President. Second — whenever we launch a new business or a new venture, discuss it fully with me before moving forward. Third — we'll keep addressing each other as we always have. Though if I do leave my company and join Girin for real, we'll revisit that then. And fourth — as the company grows, I'll be bringing in people I need and putting them to work."
"Oh — thank you, truly. I wholeheartedly agree to every condition you've laid out. Of course that's how it will be."
Joy written across his face, Lee Jae-man seized both of Young-hoon's hands and raised his voice.
"Then we'd best hurry. We need to finish the share transfer by next Tuesday at the latest — that's the only way the music registration and revenue settlement issues can be sorted out smoothly. Could you spare some time Monday at midday?"
"Yes, I'll be there. One more thing — keep my acquisition of the shares strictly confidential for the time being. Word getting out wouldn't do anyone any good."
"Of course. The owner's word is law."
And so, half in a daze, Young-hoon found himself the largest shareholder of Girin Entertainment.