The Korean Visit of Shanghai Media & China Media (2)
Secretary Byun had served Chairman Jang for over fifteen years — he was, in the truest sense of the word, the man's right hand. Lately, however, the Chairman he served had been so inexplicably delighted that the smile never once left his face from morning to night. And today, of all days, he had summoned Byun in a hurry, which could only mean he was cooking up something pleasant again.
"You called for me, Chairman?"
"Yes. Representative Kim — how many of us are attending tonight?"
"I couldn't say how many their side is bringing. Ours comes to twelve including myself — five of us, two Chairmen, and then the Five Girls."
"What time is it now? Ah, four o'clock... If we figure the banquet starts around seven, that leaves us barely two hours once you subtract travel time."
Young-hoon, who had been listening in utter bewilderment, finally spoke up. "Chairman, what exactly are you talking about...?"
"Hold on a moment. Where's the nearest department store from here?"
"The H Department Store in Apgujeong-dong."
"Good. Then here's what you'll do — call the store manager right now and tell him five gentlemen and five ladies are on the way, so have his staff ready to dress us in their finest. And tell him to bill me directly."
"Chairman, we all have clothes of our own."
"Not for this. No reason to look small in front of the Chinese, is there? We're short on time, so hurry. Come on, let's get moving — give everyone the place and time, and make sure Representative Kim brings what we've entrusted to him. Understood? And you too, Lawyer Kim — up you come with us. Ki-hyun, get ready to join the coffee team."
In the blink of an eye, everyone in the office scrambled to their feet. Young-hoon returned to his own office to relay Chairman Jang's instructions. President Lee Jae-man directed Kyeong-hwan to bring the Five Girls to H Department Store in Apgujeong-dong, while Young-hoon himself called Hye-yoon to confirm the meeting place and time. The others still lingering in his office scattered to their own homes, all agreeing to regroup at the department store.
On his way home, Young-hoon informed the two Chairmen of the venue and schedule, then stopped by his place to pick up two bottles of Magic Additive Wine before heading to H Department Store.
By the time Young-hoon arrived, the men had already finished picking out their outfits. The Five Girls had evidently just walked in — they were squealing with excitement, completely absorbed in sorting through racks of clothes. For once, they didn't even bother acknowledging anyone they knew. Shopping really was a woman's highest priority in life, it seemed.
Young-hoon picked out his own clothes in under ten minutes. It would have been nice to have someone pass judgment on his choices, but every man in the store had his eyes glued to the Five Girls. For Young-hoon the hours dragged on endlessly — for the others, and for Assistant Manager Park in particular, the experience was downright hypnotic. Just how long were they going to take? It wasn't until nearly six o'clock that the Five Girls' shopping spree finally came to an end.
The bill for ten people came to nearly eighty million won — eight million apiece. Well, he supposed it made sense, considering they drank wine that cost fifteen billion a bottle... Tsk.
It was the first time in his life Young-hoon had ever worn clothes this expensive. Clothes make the man, as they say — and the Five Girls certainly looked beautiful. Though had they known what he was thinking, a storm of protest would surely have followed. They'd been gorgeous from the very start, they would have insisted.
Glancing at the time, he saw it was almost time to head over to the Castle Hotel, the venue for the banquet. Young-hoon met Chairman Jang and Chairman Choi at the hotel entrance and followed them into the banquet hall. Five tables had been set up inside, apparently expecting forty guests in all, eight to a table. Not a single person from the Chinese delegation had arrived yet.
The banquet coordinator seated Young-hoon's party first. Chairman Jang, Chairman Choi, Young-hoon, and Director Kim as interpreter were assigned to the head table, while the rest split between two of the remaining tables.
About five minutes later, a distinguished-looking man in his early seventies entered the hall, accompanied by a beautiful woman who was presumably his daughter, along with what appeared to be an entourage — fifteen people in all. Four of them took seats at the head table, and the rest divided themselves between two tables.
At the head table, introductions proceeded through the interpreter. The Chinese side consisted of Wang Chenchen, Chairman of Shanghai Media Group; his daughter Wang Mimi, head of Shanghai Music; and Chen Jianbang, representing Shanghai TV. Young-hoon's side, in turn, introduced Chairman Jang and the others through their own interpreter, Director Kim Jong-seok.
Before long, the banquet was in full swing. True to form, everyone's interest lay not with the drama but with the Five Girls' songs. They agreed to put off the practical business until the following morning and simply enjoy the evening as a get-acquainted affair.
It was when the atmosphere had begun to mellow that Young-hoon brought out his secret weapon. The Chinese favored strong liquors like baijiu even at dinner, and perhaps that was why they reacted with indifferent shrugs at the sight of the wine he produced. Undeterred, Young-hoon poured the Magic Additive Wine into a glass and offered it first to Chairman Wang Chenchen to taste.
The truth was, Chairman Wang was in a foul mood. It had grated on him from the start that he and the Zhonghua Media Group had set foot on Korean soil the very same day, at the very same hour. Then, at the first night's banquet, he'd been told that Sinabro Production, playing host, would be entertaining his sworn enemy Chairman Xu Jiayin first — and the rage had been nearly unbearable. After all, his meeting had been scheduled first. It was only because his darling youngest daughter had insisted on meeting the Five Girls ahead of anyone else that this banquet had come together at all, and that had barely calmed his temper.
So he had steeled himself and come to the hall — only to find two old men in their seventies and some fellow who looked to be in his late twenties sitting at the head table. It was laughable. What was this, a senior citizens' center? And it rankled further that the young upstart was the one steering the conversation. The final insult came when the brat had the audacity to pour him some ordinary wine and offer it up as if it were something special. If not for his daughter sitting right there, he would have shoved back his chair and stormed up to his hotel room on the spot. He genuinely did not want to drink wine poured by some wet-behind-the-ears kid.
But the young man pressed the glass on him a second time, and with no graceful way out, Chairman Wang resolved to take the merest sip. He touched it lightly to his lips.
And then —
Huh? What is this? Is this really wine?
Chairman Wang prided himself on being something of a connoisseur. Over his long life, he believed he had tasted every drink worth drinking anywhere in the world. But the wine he had just tasted was nothing short of a revelation. From the moment it touched the tip of his tongue until it slid smoothly down his throat, he detected a flavor entirely unlike anything he had ever known. It was the best-tasting drink of his entire life. It clung deliciously to the palate, as though it had been custom-blended for him alone.
And that wasn't even the end of it.
When the old man at the head table — the one called Chairman Choi — let a remark slip across through the interpreter, Wang nearly fainted. This drink is truly good for a man, the old man said. One glass and its effects lasted five days; you could go six rounds and still walk away fresh. The old-timer himself played every single day, he added, though lately his opponents kept passing out before the match was over. The effect took hold about an hour after drinking, so all he had to do was wait and see. When his greed got the better of him and he asked how much a bottle cost, the answer was somewhere around thirty billion won.
Wang was certain it was a lie — but there was no denying the taste was extraordinary. Still, thirty billion was outrageous. The two old men at the head table had no apparent reason to lie to him, yet he figured there had to be a little puffery mixed in. Even so, once he decided they had served him an extravagantly expensive wine out of respect, the ill humor of minutes past evaporated in an instant.
Then the other old man passed along another message through the interpreter, and Wang nearly blacked out. Drink four or five glasses, and your body's age dropped by at least ten years. The old fellow himself had drunk this wine, shaved decades off his body, and now boasted the stamina of a man in his early fifties. If that were true, this was a truly miraculous drink. Forget the contract — he simply wanted to buy ten bottles or so and take them home.
From that moment on, the banquet hall began to simmer with a sudden heat. In high spirits, Chairman Wang asked the Five Girls to sing — though truthfully, he expected little. He'd done his homework; seven years as nobodies spoke for itself. But after hearing "A Loving Heart," then "After Farewell," and finally the new song "Returned Love," Chairman Wang shot to his feet and declared that no matter what it took, his company would buy the rights to their songs.
He was hardly an expert on music. But the songs the Five Girls sang were undeniably good even to a layman like him — no, good didn't begin to cover it. They seized a listener's emotions and refused to let go. This, he was certain, would be a colossal hit.
Come to think of it, disaster had nearly struck today. If he had met with Sinabro Production as originally arranged, wouldn't all of this have been snatched up by that wretch Xu Jiayin, his mortal enemy? Chairman Wang was ineffably grateful for the opportunity fate had placed in his hands. And with that, the banquet carried on in full swing, merrier than ever.