SURE 11

By the way, the fact that menu samples have come out and the work has progressed this far is practically the same as saying we will ultimately sign the contract.

Since last Monday’s lunch with Shin Taeyoon, we haven’t sought each other out. Shin Taeyoon was a crazy bastard who went for it even while convinced I would naturally refuse the scouting offer, and I, for my part, showed nothing but a negative attitude. No matter how much time passed, there would never be a day I would sell this company and crawl into Shinyoon F&B. From his end, if the business was over, there would be no reason to call, either.

I still burst into hollow laughter when I recall that day, wondering just how strong that golden parachute was that a mere marketing team leader would set out to scout a company’s CEO. As time passed and my head calmed down, it was dismissed as just a funny incident. One of the strange things one occasionally experiences in life.

“Ah, I’m telling you, it’s different from a production press conference.”

“But it’s not a press conference either, is it?”

“Ha. This is driving me crazy. The key is that Tae has to have that ‘vibe,’ that ‘vibe.’ It has to be so high-quality that the audience questions if this is even a tteokbokki ad! We need to put him in a three-piece suit, slick his hair back with pomade, and do his makeup more glamorously than at a year-end awards ceremony. And for the venue, we absolutely must rent a 5-star hotel wedding hall, get the most expensive flower estimate, and go with a concept that makes him stand out like a prince for the vibe to work.”

Oh boy, his passion still hasn’t cooled down. Team Leader Lim looked at me, telling the other two team leaders who asked if the ad really needed to be produced that way, “I can’t work with people who don’t get it.” If I don’t agree here, I’ll get lumped in with that bizarre new slang word too.

“Go make a storyboard and convince the guys who are paying for it. Don’t just talk. You can do at least that much, Team Leader Lim.”

Even I thought it was a wise answer to a foolish question. Satisfied, Team Leader Lim touched his forehead and shook his head back and forth.

“Honestly, if I go this far, you know? To be blunt, we’d be crushing the marketing teams of major corporations. What have they ever done? Just crunching numbers on a calcula… Ah, now that you mention calculators, my trauma is about to act up again.”

It seemed the meeting with Shin Taeyoon was still tormenting Team Leader Lim from time to time. Even I, who had heard worse, was over it, but it seemed the heat just wouldn’t fade for him. For both Team Leader Lim and me, Shin Taeyoon had been left behind like a scar. I watched Team Leader Lim, who, while complaining about being stressed, was wolfing down the sample tteokbokki as if he were in a battle. I was surprised back in our university days too, but he really eats well. Back then, I’d feel full just watching Sojeong eat.

Team Leader Park, saying that Team Leader Lim was eating so deliciously, finally reached for a soggy piece of fried food.

“But, CEO. You know that VOC we received a little while ago.”

He was talking about the complaint that had been posted on the Voice of the Customer board. That a foreign object was found in the rice cakes. We had explained that rice bran could occasionally get mixed in during the production process, but the customer had been furious, asking if this looked like rice bran to our eyes, so it ended with an apology, a refund, and a compensation payment through our insurance company. And the foreign object in the photo was, in fact, rice bran.

“Yeah. Why.”

“I have a strange feeling about this. Don’t you think we need to go and inspect the rice cake factory? Even if it is rice bran, this is the second VOC about foreign substance contamination this month alone. We should check if it was just in the rice cakes made that day, or if weevils have appeared in the rice storage warehouse as the weather has warmed up. And to monitor things like that.”

“But weevils only infest old rice…”

“So what I’m saying is, let’s take this opportunity to do a comprehensive inspection.”

“Should I go with Assistant Manager Kim?”

It was a job for the sales management team, but…

I had a connection with the rice cake factory since my days of running a snack shop in an alley. If nothing else, I was determined not to lose to other snack shops when it came to tteokbokki rice cakes, and the relationship I found in a rural town in Dangjin while traveling the country has continued to this day.

Back then, the current owner had been running a small mill like me, but as the snack shop business grew and the volume of rice cake orders increased dramatically, he built a factory in tandem and gathered the neighborhood elders to literally churn out cylinder rice cakes continuously. The amount of rice we purchased was so great that people joked that the Jungs’ family had a monopoly on the rice paddies in Dangjin… it was an enormous amount. In the process, I can’t even count how many times we met with the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation.

The factory steadily grew in size as the company grew. To put it nicely, it was a mutually beneficial relationship. As JW Foods prospered, the rice cake factory also transformed from a humble workplace for the elderly into a full-fledged business, its number of employees growing to more than ten times the initial number, and they delivered freshly made rice cakes across the country every dawn. The more franchise stores we had, the better it was for the factory.

In many ways, they are kind-hearted people, beyond just money. That’s why it’s better if I’m the one to go. If an inspection has to be done anyway, it’s better that I do it myself.

“You’re busy, Team Leader Kim. Get your work done. I’ll head down sometime next week to see them.”

“Please take a really good look.”

“They’re not those kinds of people.”

“CEO, you really seem not to trust people, but the problem is you trust them unconditionally once they’re inside your circle. And on your way back, stop by Daejeon and buy some bread.”

For some reason, the VOC felt like a scheme for bread, but I let it slide. My work phone rang and I took it out. Team Leader Kim, who was chewing on a rice cake, glanced at the screen and let out a sound of admiration.

“Wow. Unbelievable. You couldn’t be a nobleman.”

Speak of the devil, it was the owner of the rice cake factory. I excused myself from the team leaders and stepped outside.

“This is Lee Jungwoon.”

—Oh my, Mr. CEO. Are you doing well?

“Yes, Mr. President. It’s been a while since I’ve greeted you. I hope everything is well?”

—Everything’s well~ My eldest son is finally getting married, so the very first person I called was you, Mr. Lee!

“Ah. Congratulations. He’s finally getting married.”

—Yup. He’s finally getting married, and it’s such a weight off my shoulders. Our Mr. Lee needs to hurry up and meet a nice young lady, too.

“Haha…”

It’s a bit of a shame that I can’t openly retort, I’ll never be meeting a young lady, sir.

The factory owner is the head of a large family with four sons and one daughter, and I recalled him asking me to introduce him to a good young lady every time we met, saying his eldest son was approaching forty and still couldn’t get married. I think that was about three years ago, and it seems he’s finally found a partner.

—So I wanted to give you a paper invitation in person, but, oh dear… my knee’s gone bad, so I can’t drive for long. So I sent it by registered mail this morning, so please come and have a meal~

I could have just gone there to receive it, but since he said he sent it by registered mail, there’s nothing I can do.

“Yes. It’s your eldest son’s wedding, I have to go. But what happened to your knee.”

—You see, I’m learning to play golf these days? And that thing, posture is really important, you know. If you make one wrong move, your knee just throbs and throbs. But it’s so fun I just can’t give it up, I can’t.

Haa. Golf here, too. This damn golf. I’m sick and tired of it. Surely the VOC didn’t happen because he was off playing golf, neglecting the factory. I sincerely hope not.

“I’ll see you soon, Mr. President.”

—Alright. You stay healthy until we meet, Mr. Lee.

“Yes. Take care.”

I looked down at the disconnected phone. Getting married, getting married… From Yoon Sungjoon and various business partners, wedding invitations have been flooding in lately. That’s what seasons were like. When it got warm, wedding invitations arrived, and during the change of seasons, obituary texts would chime.

I could have bought a building and then some with all the gift money I’ve given over the years. Unless I entered a contract marriage with a like-minded lesbian, there would be no way to recoup the gift money I had sown. A contract marriage with a lesbian… It was a ridiculous thought, and a dry laugh escaped me. I don’t want to live like that.

The kitchen door opened and Team Leader Lim poked his head out. I put my phone in my pocket.

“CEO. I just got a call from Manager Park at Shinyoon, and he said Tae asked if he could have a meeting with you, CEO? Shinyoon is designating Team Leader Shin.”

“Huh?”

The model himself proposed a meeting, not his agency? With me and Shin Taeyoon, no less? It’s not insubordination, but with what nerve is the lowest on the totem pole summoning the two highest? This is hilarious. We haven’t even signed the contract yet.

“He said he’ll bring two GoPros. He said they’ll upload it as a behind-the-scenes video on the company’s YouTube later. If you’re okay with being on camera, CEO, should we proceed?”

The intention is to get more YouTube views while getting paid as a model. It seems his agency is also feeling pretty excited and proactive about receiving a push from a major corporation that fell into their lap… Their attitude is quite different from when we proposed the model deal, which makes me wonder what capitalism is all about.

Anyway, I don’t mind being filmed and having a video uploaded, but I do mind reuniting with Shin Taeyoon.

“Put it on hold. I’ll talk to Team Leader Shin and see.”

“Okay. But it’s not bad for us, either. They’ll include the landing page URL in the ‘more info’ section, and the channel has quite a few subscribers. They recently got a Silver Play Button. As long as Team Leader Shin doesn’t talk rudely like he did in our meeting… Nah, I doubt he’d do that with a camera rolling.”

It seems Team Leader Lim really wants this to happen. Judging by how he doesn’t back down even while singling out Shin Taeyoon for criticism. I waved my hand, telling him I got it and to go back inside.

From around that time, my mind was filled with nothing but Shin Taeyoon. The thought of seeing him again made me desperate for the smoking area.

The chair slowly spun a full circle. The two phones on the desk were silent. Why is it that at times like this, not a single one of the usually incessant work calls comes through?

Chief Han knocked and entered, placing a file folder down. It was information about Tae that he had gathered for an hour. The file folder, which included not only the profile registered on portal sites but also delved into SNS frequented by fans to attach minor hobbies and speech habits, was almost like a report analyzing a person. His real name is Lee Jungwoo… Our names differ by just one stroke. I flipped through the pages, neatly organized into an Excel spreadsheet, and asked.

“Chief Han, do you think it’s right for me to do this?”

Chief Han, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, gave me a puzzled look.

“If you weren’t going to do it, why did you ask me to research him?”

“Are you questioning me?”

When I asked playfully, Chief Han looked up at the ceiling and feigned ignorance. An excellent secretary. I turned a few more pages with a smile.

“CEO, are you going to the salon that day?”

“No. That would make it seem like I tried too hard. I’m not a celebrity.”

“See. You’re going to go, so what are you worrying about. I’ll talk to them separately and ask them to do a good job with the on-screen touch-ups.”

What I’m worried about isn’t exactly whether I’ll attend or not. It’s Shin Taeyoon, who will be sitting in front of or next to me, that’s bothering me. There’s no need to tell Chief Han this.

“Good work. You can go now.”

I closed the folder and met his eyes. Seeing me smiling, Chief Han gave a slight shrug and left. I tossed the folder onto the desk and picked up my work phone.

Right. It’s work, so what. I’ll just see him one more time. He won’t spout nonsense with a camera rolling, either. I was scrolling through my saved contacts when I realized I hadn’t saved Shin Taeyoon’s number and went into the messaging app. He contacted me on my work phone for work-related business, and I didn’t even save his number. I’m the type to immediately save anyone who’s even slightly related to work.

Figuring Shin Taeyoon had probably heard the gist of it, this time I called him directly instead of texting. The chair spun around. Outside the lowered blinds, a forest of buildings blocked the view.

Click, the ringing tone stopped.

—A welcome call, isn’t it?

Shin Taeyoon answered the phone just like himself. In other words, he’d thrown phone etiquette to the dogs.

“You didn’t think I would call?”

—No, I didn’t.

As if he wouldn’t know. Manager Park would have gotten confirmation from his superior first before calling Team Leader Lim.

“Then let’s talk again after you’ve been briefed by Manager Park Joosung.”

—Ah, you’re not falling for it. Then how about this? What if I told you I’ve been waiting for the CEO’s call for two hours.

“I’m not pleased at all.”

—Oh dear. I answered that way because it’s better to say I didn’t know even if I did, but you’re so heartless. I thought you would have been hesitant to call me, but I guess not?

If only he couldn’t talk.

“Let’s cut to the chase. I’m calling about the matter Manager Park Joosung relayed to our Team Leader Lim. That Tae wants to meet with you and me.”

—Yes.

“Will you proceed with it?”

—Haha, no.

I feel like a circuit in my brain just snapped. I had assumed he would naturally proceed. That’s why I had asked Chief Han for information regarding Tae. Wasn’t it because his side had the same opinion that he had called Team Leader Lim?

“You won’t do it?”

—Whether it’s Tae or tape, his attitude is arrogant, so I don’t like it. If a video is to be shot, we should shoot it and upload it to our channel. Who does he think he is, trying to get a piece of the pie.

“Then why did you contact Team Leader Lim.”

—Because I wanted to talk to you, CEO.

“…Excuse me?”

—I just needed a suitably enticing situation. I wondered if it could serve as a pretext, and it worked out perfectly. Have you been well?