PD Lee Hyo-young (1)

As CEO Joo Young-ki brought the meeting to a close, he ushered everyone toward the door.

"As the Bible says, a good beginning makes for a good ending. So let's call this meeting to a close, and since it's getting late, why don't we all go grab dinner? I've made a reservation at a Japanese restaurant just up ahead—no exceptions, everyone's coming."

"Sir, that's not actually what the Bible says. You know that—you're just saying it on purpose, aren't you?"

"Oh! Nice catch, PD Shin. Sir, it's already nine o'clock—are you sure that's all right?"

"Oh, no need to worry in the slightest. It's a place we frequent regularly, and I've already called ahead to tell them we'll be late, so there won't be any problem at all."

Having already done his fair share of drinking earlier, Young-hoon resolved to hold himself back as much as possible at the Japanese restaurant. But fat chance of that. Everyone apparently decided he was the man of the hour, and the toasts came flying at him from every direction until he could barely see straight. It was only thanks to the after-hours drinking endurance he'd built up over years of office life that he managed to survive at all.

Toward the end of the dinner, PD Lee Hyo-young sidled up to Young-hoon and slipped him a business card, speaking with deliberate casualness.

"Mr. Kim Young-hoon, I'd very much like to meet with you sometime tomorrow or early next week. Give me a call whenever you have time. I'll introduce you to a junior PD of mine over at the radio station—it would be a good idea for you to meet him."

"Ah, in that case, shouldn't CEO Lee Jae-man be the one to meet him?"

"It wouldn't be a problem for CEO Lee to meet him, but I've taken a personal interest in you, Mr. Kim. So I'd like to meet with you first, and then sit down with CEO Lee at a later date."

"Understood. Then I'll call you and come see you no later than early next week."

After the dinner with the drama production staff wrapped up, Young-hoon, CEO Lee Jae-man, and the rest of their party kept the night going with a casual round two at a draft beer joint.

"The mood at today's meeting was really something. I think it's because Jae-man oppa and you brought such well-made songs—the producers and investors gave their OK on the spot the moment they heard them. I didn't even need to say a single word in support."

"Really? That's great news. So now all that's left is to record 'After Farewell' properly, right?"

"Exactly. Please have the recording finished by the end of October no matter what. Can you manage that?"

"Hmm, I've been swamped for days preparing the recordings for 'A Loving Heart' and 'After Farewell'... Today's the twentieth, so that gives me about ten days... I can make it work."

After a moment's deliberation, Young-hoon finally made up his mind and spoke.

"Jae-man hyung, you drill the Five Girls on their song practice thoroughly, and get the copyright registration and music distribution paperwork ready."

"Don't you worry. You know as well as I do that when it comes to pure singing ability, our girls don't take a backseat to anyone. It's this late right now and they'll still be in the practice room working their tails off, so don't waste a thought on them. This is our last chance—no matter what happens, we hit that deadline. And Young-hoon, please get the required documents for the copyright registration ready as quickly as you can. This time, we've got to land a monster hit."

At that, Young-hoon remembered the conversation he'd had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with PD Lee Hyo-young before they parted ways at the dinner.

"Oh, right—PD Lee Hyo-young asked to meet tomorrow or sometime around Monday next week. He says he'll introduce me to a junior PD at a radio station. He mentioned bringing you along to that meeting, too. Will that work for you?"

Young-hoon had completely forgotten Lee Hyo-young's request to come ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠alone. The fact that he'd had far too much to drink and hadn't properly taken it in was largely to blame.

At that, PD Shin Hye-yoon chimed in, looking surprised.

"Oh my, that's actually wonderful news. It seems PD Lee Hyo-young has taken a liking to you. That man doesn't hand out his business card to just anyone, you know. First of all, Jae-man oppa, when Young-hoon goes to meet PD Lee, don't go with him. The fact that he gave his card to Young-hoon alone means there's definitely another reason behind it."

Hye-yoon continued, speaking as if her hunch were beyond doubt.

"PD Lee Hyo-young is a star PD in MBS's drama division. He's only in his late thirties, but his influence is not to be underestimated. Young-hoon, you'll need to treat him with respect whenever you meet him or speak with him on the phone. My guess is that you and PD Lee will meet first, and he'll arrange for you to meet the radio PD afterward. Jae-man oppa, you can join the meeting then."

Only then did Lee Hyo-young's warning come back to Young-hoon, and he winced inwardly. If Hye-yoon hadn't explained things, he might have committed a serious faux pas. Grateful to her, he vowed to himself that from now on he would never let alcohol lead him into another blunder. Of course, the fact that he alone had been singled out was to remain an absolute secret.

"PD Shin Hye-yoon, thank you for the hint. If I'd shown ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up to the meeting with CEO Lee Jae-man in tow, it could have been a real disaster."

"But hey, Hye-yoon, you're younger than Young-hoon here—why do you keep calling him 'Young-hoon-ssi' so stiffly? Can't you just call him oppa?"

"Oh, come on, what are you even saying? We've only just met—this is only our second time seeing each other. I'll call him oppa when the time comes. You nitpick about everything, you know that?"

"...Hye-yoon, sorry."

Cowed by the ferocity of her rebuke, Young-hoon's tail curled between his legs on the spot. This wasn't like her at all—a truly baffling turn of events, he thought. Young-hoon, for his part, couldn't quite hide his embarrassment at being the subject of the conversation. Of course, nothing would have pleased him more than the lovely Hye-yoon calling him "oppa" so warmly...

'And yet she didn't seem nearly so formal when she called me this evening, did she?'

Deciding that pondering it would get him nowhere, Young-hoon resolved to call it a night.

"Um, it's already past midnight, and I have work tomorrow, so I was hoping I could head home... Would that be all right? I've already had plenty to drink, and..."

For some reason, the words came out sheepish and hesitant. It was absolutely not because PD Shin Hye-yoon scared him.

"Oh, is that so? We're going to drink a little longer, so you go on ahead, Young-hoon. Where do you live, by the way?"

"Just a tiny one-room apartment—in Ilsan. My cousin lives in Ilsan, so I moved out there to mooch side dishes off her, and the occasional meal, too."

Nobody had even asked, yet there he was, volunteering his whole life story unprompted.

Friday, for once, was passing without incident. Whether Deputy General Manager Cho and Assistant Manager Hong had caught wind of some rumor somewhere, or were simply keeping their heads down, the two of them sat quietly at their desks.

'What's gotten into them? It's been a long time since I've seen those two still in the office at this hour instead of out on some so-called business trip.'

With nothing pressing to handle, Young-hoon found himself debating whether or not to call PD Lee Hyo-young.

'He said today or Monday next week. Once month-end hits, sales-pressure stress will make meeting him feel like a burden, so today is perfect... But if I call him right away this very day, won't I come off as a little too eager?'

"Ah, whatever. Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Worried that others might overhear, Young-hoon slipped into the break room and dialed PD Lee Hyo-young.

Sweeping away his nervousness, Young-hoon hung up the phone. The meeting was set—now it was time to knuckle down and work.

As quitting time approached, Young-hoon deliberately struck up a conversation with his coworker and classmate, Assistant Manager Park.

"Hey, Assistant Manager Park, I've got a blind date today... What's the etiquette for a blind date? What am I supposed to watch out for?"

"What? You have a blind date? You? Whoa, what's the occasion? Is spring finally coming to Assistant Manager Kim's life?"

"Hey, keep it down, will you? You're embarrassing me..."

"Sorry, I'm just in shock, that's all. Anyway, good thing you asked. Etiquette is my specialty. If it weren't for me, you'd have made a fool of yourself the moment you walked in. Ahem—now listen carefully, because I'm going to teach you everything. When you meet a woman for the first time..."

True to form for a player, Assistant Manager Park possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of women. Young-hoon nodded along, diligently pretending to absorb every word.

Of course, the whole performance was a lie. He was laying down protective cover in advance, in case Deputy General Manager Cho or Assistant Manager Hong decided to assign him overtime.

Sure enough, Assistant Manager Hong, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, sidled over with a smirk and picked a fight.

"Assistant Manager Kim, you've got a blind date today? Wow, even a maggot can wriggle, huh. Then again, I suppose a guy like you would meet some country-bumpkin chick somewhere. Hahahaha!"

At least he didn't say anything about making him work late...

'Ugh, how am I supposed to just let that slide? You punk, the day you slip up even once, I'm going to beat you into paste. Argh, my fists are crying. Crying, I tell you.'

Assistant Manager Hong certainly had a gift for grinding people's patience into the dirt.

By five-fifty-five, Deputy General Manager Cho and Assistant Manager Hong hurried out of the office—presumably off to knock back a drink somewhere. Young-hoon was satisfied to have gotten out safely, but Assistant Manager Hong's parting shot still lingered in his chest, and he voiced his frustration to Manager Kim.

"Manager Kim, Assistant Manager Hong is completely out of line, don't you think? You're still here, and he's walking out of the office before quitting time—isn't that a problem?"

"Just let it go. You're better off not touching a rude little punk like that. The guy struts around acting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like garbage because he's got Deputy General Manager Cho's backing, but someday he'll get what's coming to him and be nailed to the cross. Do you dodge poop because you're scared of it, or because it's disgusting? Just think of him as a piece of poop and move on. By the way, Assistant Manager Kim—you said you've got a blind date tonight? Get ready and head out. This hyung will pray you meet a good woman this time."

"Thank you. I know how much you look out for me, Manager Kim. I'll repay this kindness someday, I promise."

Manager Kim, too, seemed to have plenty of pent-up grievances, and unlike his usual self, he played along with Young-hoon's lead. A man of true standing really is different, no matter how you slice it.

Arriving at MBS in Sangam-dong in good time, Young-hoon called PD Lee Hyo-young to announce his arrival. At seven o'clock sharp, PD Lee came down to the lobby.

"Hello, PD nim. Thank you for having me."

"Welcome, Mr. Kim Young-hoon. Was the traffic bad? The riverside expressway must have been jammed at rush hour—luckily you made it on time."

"Ah, yes. I figured traffic would be heavy, so I deliberately left a little early."

"Let's start with a simple dinner, then. There's a place nearby that does a great haemultang—spicy seafood stew. Will that be all right?"

"Of course. I'll eat anything."

Young-hoon and PD Lee Hyo-young had a light dinner with drinks at the haemultang restaurant, then moved on to a wine bar. It seemed to be one of PD Lee's regular spots—the bartender greeted him like an old friend. Young-hoon, a habitual soju drinker, found the wine bar unfamiliar territory, but the atmosphere was far from bad. If I ever get a girlfriend someday, bringing her somewhere like this would probably make her happy.

While Young-hoon was lost in that stray thought, the wine and a spread of simple dishes were set down before them. And with them, the real conversation began.