Chapter 180
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 180
“Team Leader, why are you coming out of here?!”
[???????]
【Kim Seong-hyeon, Management Support Team Leader
Trait: Cannot easily pass by those in need.】
Flowers and sparkles were layered over a caption that read: ‘Why are you coming out of here…?’
[Seong-hyeon??? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
The script did mention ‘encountering Kim Seong-hyeon at a restaurant,’ but I never imagined it would be in this context.
Seo Ho-yun lost his appetite and set down his chopsticks.
“Excuse me, Management Support Team Leader, what exactly are you doing here?”
“……Uh, I took the morning off today, so I came to grab breakfast, but the owner here pleaded with me so earnestly…”
“Sigh……”
“Team Leader! I’ll have the buckwheat spicy cold noodles!”
Jeong Da-jun placed his order brightly, completely failing to read the room. Kim Seong-hyeon actually nodded and meticulously wrote it down.
Seo Ho-yun and Kang Yi-chae shot them looks of utter disbelief, but it didn't seem to have any effect.
“Yep, let me confirm the order. One buckwheat cold noodle soup, one buckwheat spicy cold noodles, one dumpling soup, one plate of dumplings, two bowls of rice, and two ciders, right??”
[I heard Kim Seong-hyeon worked a ton of part-time jobs before debuting, but he looks way too natural at this;;;;
└ Wait... is he kind of sexy.......?]
[Wait! Let’s look at the part-time jobs Kim Seong-hyeon has done:
Cafe, PC Bang, Movie Theater, Loading/Unloading, Delivery, Driving Academy Shuttle
└ Thanks, Speedwagon!!]
Tsking, Seo Ho-yun grabbed Kim Seong-hyeon’s arm as he turned toward the kitchen and untied his apron strings.
He then pushed Seong-hyeon down into a seat and called over another employee to order the food.
At this point, Seo Ho-yun realized something. Although they each had assigned roles, their given directions were completely different, and everything was unfolding as a genuine, live situation.
In fact, as soon as Lee Ji-hyeon heard the ‘Pyongyang Naengmyeon’ ad-lib, she decided she couldn't let such a good opportunity pass and hurriedly scouted the restaurant.
Kang Yi-chae tossed a question at Kim Seong-hyeon.
“Team Leader Kim, restaurant work seems so natural to you. It’s like it’s in your bones.”
“Whoa, really? It feels like it comes from experience?”
“Actually, I have helped out quite a bit before.”
“…And did you get paid properly?”
“……Well, I’ve received a lot of help from them usually, so…”
“Sigh……”
.
.
.
While Seo Ho-yun was grilling Kim Seong-hyeon, telling him not to live his life like that, the sight of Kang Yi-chae and Jeong Da-jun joyfully enjoying their lunch passed by like a fast-forwarded clip, and the screen soon transitioned.
【The Dawn Electronics: 20XX First Half Results Report】
In reality, an intern wouldn't dare dream of participating in a mid-term report, but a brief explanation from Seo Ho-yun flashed by, stating that The Dawn Electronics has interns participate and present to nurture the ‘growing sprouts.’
Of course, despite that, the ‘nepotism hire’ Kang Yi-chae was nowhere to be seen.
“Jeong Da-jun, repeat after me.”
“Yes?”
With Jeong Da-jun trembling beside him before the important presentation, Seo Ho-yun looked into his tablet and rubbed his eyes as if exhausted.
“Even if I make a mistake, the company will not go bankrupt.”
“…The, the company will not go bankrupt?”
“Yes, good. You can spit on a smiling face.”
“You spit on a smiling face?!”
Unaware that Jeong Da-jun’s mind was running wild with his own interpretation, Seo Ho-yun turned off the tablet and headed toward the meeting room.
“What did I tell you? If other departments say something?”
“It’s your fault for dumping all the work on us, so deal with it!”
“And even if Jeong Da-jun makes a mistake?”
“Fix it quickly, but maintain an attitude of ‘Ugh, did the company go bankrupt or something?!’”
“Excellent.”
Like a brainwashed person, Jeong Da-jun rattled off the answers in 0.1 seconds.
Seo Ho-yun gave a satisfied smile and brushed back Jeong Da-jun’s messy bangs.
“I’m counting on you.”
“……! Yes!!”
With those final words, Seo Ho-yun opened the door and entered the meeting room. Jeong Da-jun, following with stiff movements, slowly stepped to the front.
“Oh, is it Jeong Da-jun’s turn this time? I’m looking forward to it.”
Seong Ji-won, sitting across from Seo Ho-yun, beamed.
His pure, flawless smile made the meeting room—which had dimmed to turn on the projector—feel instantly brightened.
“You know the topic, right? As long as it’s a way to increase our teamwork at The Dawn, anything is fine.”
Taking that smile head-on, Jeong Da-jun’s thought process seemed to stall for a moment before he frantically turned his head toward Seo Ho-yun.
“Team Leader Seo!! Team Leader Seong is smiling! What do I do in this case?! Do I… do I spit?!”
“…….”
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL Jeong Da-jun, you madman LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[He didn't mean literally spit just because he's smiling LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
One of Seo Ho-yun’s eyebrows twitched.
Twirling his pen, he leaned deep into his chair and spoke.
“Most of what Seong Ji-won says is correct, so just swallow whatever is in your mouth and listen well.”
“Wow, look at the favoritism…”
“Baby Team Leader, you be quiet.”
“Ack!”
After silencing Kim Seong-hyeon, who was sitting diagonally and looking horrified, Seo Ho-yun gestured to Jeong Da-jun.
Jeong Da-jun pumped his fist and turned on the PPT screen.
【How to Increase The Dawn’s Teamwork!!
Subtitle: Secrets to stop getting nagged by Team Leader Seo Ho-yun!
-Jeong Da-jun-】
This was also something Jeong Da-jun had prepared quite diligently, racking his brain because Lee Ji-hyeon insisted it would only be valuable to the fans if they made it themselves.
“I believe the first priority for increasing The Dawn’s teamwork is Team Leader Seo’s nagging. Putting aside why he has such a personality in the first place!!”
However, it was so messy that saying he ‘put in effort’ would almost be an insult.
Gungsuh-style font was plastered over a rainbow background so bright it hurt the eyes. To make matters worse, photos of Seo Ho-yun flew in from all directions—top to bottom, right to left.
[KYAAA!]
It was an incredibly distracting screen, but the Noeuls were busy hitting the capture button despite the dizzying animations. Every single photo in the PPT was unreleased.
[I’ve never seen any of these, dammit!!!!!!!!]
[The sleeping photo is insane, first time seeing it;;;;;;;;;;;;]
[Da-jun, your sense is incredible. Make Jeong Da-jun the CEO of this company immediately.]
Though it wasn't a calculated move, it was working perfectly on the fans. Jeong Da-jun continued his presentation, banging on the podium.
“In conclusion! To cater to Seo Ho-yun’s whims, The Dawn has ended up memorizing the customized menus of every existing coffee shop chain in Korea! Even though it would be over if he just ordered a simple Americano!!”
From start to finish, Seo Ho-yun scrutinized the contents on the screen with sharp eyes.
“Jeong Da-jun.”
“Yes!”
He looked at Seo Ho-yun with a flushed face, seemingly quite satisfied with his own presentation. Seo Ho-yun tapped the table with his pen.
“Have you ever once properly brought me a customized drink that actually suited my taste?”
“……!!”
“When I asked for a drink, you just poured Pine Bud Drink into a Frappuccino. Was that an assassination attempt?”
“Th-that was! I did it with the mindset of ‘let’s just mix everything he likes’!”
Caught off guard, Jeong Da-jun stammered.
Mixing the drink into the Frappuccino was partly done out of curiosity, wondering if he’d still like it even then.
Regardless, all of Jeong Da-jun’s hard work up to that point vanished into thin air.
“Did I ask for something so difficult? Here, Kim Seong-hyeon. Tell him what I like.”
“Pine Bud Drink, citron tea, and for syrups, mostly caramel, chocolate, or condensed milk.”
“See? Isn't it perfectly possible?”
Ignoring Kim Seong-hyeon’s grumbling about how he could possibly not know after hearing it so many times, Seo Ho-yun pressed on against Jeong Da-jun.
“The topic is all over the place. What is your point?”
“What’s with the animations?”
“Get to the conclusion.”
As Jeong Da-jun screamed ‘Kyah!’ internally and lowered his eyes, he heard Seo Ho-yun click his tongue.
“…I can’t memorize it, so what am I supposed to do??”
“If it were me, I’d choose to write it in a memo and show it to the employee every time I order.”
“……There was such a way?!!”
Jeong Da-jun slapped his forehead.
Seong Ji-won tilted his head.
“Team Leader Ho-yun, why didn't you tell him the method if you knew?”
“Ah.”
Seo Ho-yun stopped tapping his pen and leaned closer to Seong Ji-won to whisper.
“Because watching him flustered is cute.”
“Aha.”
[LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[You son of a gun!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
“……Team Leader Seo….”
He pretended to whisper, but his voice rang clearly throughout the entire meeting room. Jeong Da-jun, who had heard everything, glared at Seo Ho-yun with burning eyes.
“Earlier!! You told me to just deal with it!”
“That’s for other departments.”
“Huh??”
“I never said anything about when someone from the same department says something.”
The moment Seo Ho-yun left him speechless, the meeting room door slammed open.
“Hellooooo~.”
It was Kang Yi-chae.
After grinding his teeth at being called a ‘nepotism hire,’
[You crazy bastard]
He appeared wearing an actual parachute bag.
[Hey, you madman LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
“The ‘Parachute Hire’ Kang—whose hobby is paragliding—has arrived.”
After being roasted by Seo Ho-yun, he had asked the staff to get a parachute from the tvK prop room.
While Kim Seong-hyeon and Seo Ho-yun’s expressions soured simultaneously next to a beaming Seong Ji-won, Kang Yi-chae, wearing a helmet and goggles, stepped up next to Jeong Da-jun.
“Get out.”
“Hey, wait a second!”
Seo Ho-yun pointed toward the door, but Kang Yi-chae stubbornly held the remote and switched the screen.
Kim Seong-hyeon had long since given up on stopping his team’s rapper, so he just watched with a weary face.
“This is the topic I will present today in the Strategic Planning Office.”
Flashy hearts spun around the screen before disappearing to reveal the text.
【The Dawn Electronics Company Song】
“Excuse me, why is a company song coming up all of a sudden? It has nothing to do with teamwork.”
“Team Leader Kim Seong-hyeon, wouldn't a good company song boost our morale?”
Kang Yi-chae responded shamelessly as if Seong-hyeon was the one who didn't understand, then pointed at Seo Ho-yun.
“Since joining the Strategic Planning Office, I have been moved by Team Leader Seo’s wa! rm! treatment.”
“Yes, I am quite a warm man.”
“Since he treats me like that every day, inspiration just burst! forth.”
Seo Ho-yun’s brow furrowed deeply.
No wonder he kept disappearing during filming breaks or was busy typing away on his laptop alone.
Kang Yi-chae snapped his fingers and wore a confident smile.
“Please, listen.”
Kang Yi-chae clicked a small heart on one side of the screen. The meeting room instantly fell silent, and a beat began to flow.
[Whoa, the song is amazing]
[What is this? Are they releasing an unreleased new song here??!]
For Kang Yi-chae, who had been cooped up working ever since Shining Star Season 2, producing a generic R&B beat that smelled like money was child's play.
Just as the Noeuls were staring at the screen with racing hearts,
【Pa- Pa- Pa-】
A mechanical voice layered over the melody, enriching it further.
[I’m so nervous I can’t watch]
[Are they really revealing it here?]
The lyrics began.
【Pa-pa-pa-pa-ra—chute~.】
“……?”
【Pa-ra-pa-ra—chute~】
“…….”
Parachute.
In other words, a ‘nepotism hire.’
【Yeah~ I’m a parachu~te
Your sla~~ve~】
As everyone’s jaws dropped, Kang Yi-chae twisted his body slightly as if embarrassed.
“I made it based on my own autobiographical experience.”
“…….”
“…….”
[You crazy bastard]
The fans’ reactions, which had frozen for a moment, began to pour onto various SNS and communities.
[Hey, Kang Yi-chae, you madman LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
[There’s a reason this guy gets along so well with Seo Ho-yun. He’s totally playing with the Noeuls’ hearts LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL]
Regardless of the members’ expressions, Kang Yi-chae kept clutching his chest as if his own song was deeply moving.
【Your~~ slave~ oh no~.】
“Hey, you parachute-hiring punk!!!!!”
“Get out. Tell that guy to just use that parachute and jump out the window.”
Kim Seong-hyeon, hardened by various part-time jobs, and Seo Ho-yun, with his extensive corporate experience, were about to stand up in a rage when—
【No~ Yes, No-ye~~ss.】
A pure voice echoed throughout the meeting room.
【I am a No-ye~ss!】
That’s right.
The title was: Parachute (feat. Seong Ji-won).
【I am Ji-won from HR Support, YO
Yi-chae told me to do whatever I want, so I’m supporting the rap, No and Yes】
“……What is this.”
Listening to the staccato rap that was perfectly on beat, a dazed Seo Ho-yun whipped his head around to demand an explanation from Seong Ji-won.
“……Well, the song was good.”
[Seong Ji-won, have you still not given up on rapping?]
[I guess he hasn't..................]
Kang Yi-chae winked at Seong Ji-won.
“You’ve improved by leaps and bounds!”
“Ahaha, it’s all thanks to you, Yi-chae!”
Kim Seong-hyeon scanned the harmonious duo with a sharp gaze.
Simultaneously, a narration in Kim Seong-hyeon’s voice played.
【This collusion. Come to think of it, it was true. Even if the CEO pushes a nepotism hire in, it can’t happen without going through the hands of the HR Support Team Leader.】
【We had forgotten this obvious fact, enchanted by that harmless smile….】
The screen changed to show Kang Yi-chae jumping out of the meeting room window and paragliding away.
【Goodbye, Parachute.】
Behind the gently descending paraglider, the sun set as if a long day had ended, and The Dawn’s logo was engraved.
【Goodbye, No-yess.】
Then, the camera showed the three oldest members quickly escaping the meeting room like a receding tide. Following them, Jeong Da-jun, the last one out after turning off the lights, pumped his fist.
【Goodbye, Elephant….】
“I worked hard today too!! Good!!”
The commentary ended in a poignant voice, and as the ending credits slowly rolled, the Noeuls fell into thought about what exactly they had just watched.
[Ah.....]
After a short while, everyone reached the same conclusion.
[This is exactly what a waste of talent looks like..........]
These guys were dead serious about maintaining that B-list humor.
[They are so damn serious about this...................
└ There was a rumor that their pride gets hurt if they lose at being funny, and I think it’s true.
└└ Guys.. is it because you’ll get kicked out of the dorm in your underwear if you aren't funny? I’m asking because no matter how much I think about it, I can’t find another reason...
└└ That sounds plausible...]
“Pa-pa-pa-pa-ra—chute~.”
“No-ye~ss.”
Just when it seemed to be over, a post-credit scene followed after the ending credits.
This time, all of The Dawn, including Seong Ji-won, were back at the restaurant in those same outfits, diligently slurping up Pyongyang Naengmyeon.
Jeong Da-jun swallowed a mouthful of noodles and asked.
“But are we performing this song at the concert?”
“…….”
Everyone fell silent.
Even Kang Yi-chae, who composed and wrote the lyrics, couldn't answer.