Top Management

TM Chapter 128

TL: emptycube / ED: Isleidir

“Oh, Chief Jung.”

Chief Lee Bongjoon tapped his hefty belly as he came over.

“You left long before us, but what are you doing here? What’s going on?”

“Same thing we see all the time.”

Seo Jijoon hung his arm on Chief Lee Bongjoon’s shoulder as he laughed.

Relieved that the mood was more easygoing than she expected, Seo Eunkyo quickly transformed her ‘I’m screwed’ expression into an impatient chihuahua’s. Her wagging tail was more vigorous than when she was in front of Son Chaeyoung.

‘Now that my relationship with Son Chaeyoung is a goner, let’s get close to Seo Jijoon!’

Her eyes were filled with such desires.

Seo Eunkyo was about to say something when Seo Jijoon casually said,

“Haa, so embarrassing in another country.”

“Hey, why are you embarrassed? Because you’re both Korean?”

“We have the same last name as well, hyung. And our last name isn’t common!” ^{1}

“That’s true. It must be a little embarrassing.”

Although they didn’t specifically mention who it was, it was clear who they were referring to.

Seo Eunkyo’s face reddened.

“It’s not like I don’t understand what you’re feeling.”

His one cheek bulging, perhaps because of candy, Im Joowon clicked his tongue. His sullen gaze landed on Seo Jijoon for a moment before returning.

“Act in moderation. It’s pitiful if your jealousy becomes excessive.”

The whites in her eyes bloodshot, Seo Eunkyo shot a look at the weasel team leader. Though it looked like she was asking for help, the team leader was currently being ripped apart by Kim Hyunjo. In fact, Chief Lee Bongjoon and Chief Sung also added a few things.

And I, well, I just watched.

Since everything was proceeding as expected.

In the end, the weasel team leader and chief dragged Seo Eunkyo, who was trembling in rage, and fled as if escaping. I waved my hand at them because Seo Eunkyo was looking back at me with a furious expression. Well, could this be considered a pleasant conclusion?

“You had it tough.”

Kim Hyunjo slapped my back.

“I encounter all sorts of incidents while all the way here in China.”

“These incidents are frequent as you work. You know the saying, ‘fight between children become fights between their parents.’ Fights between celebrities become fights between managers in this industry. You’ll probably be in more tough fights from now on.”

“That’s scary.”

“Those who can’t handle it all quit, and in the end, this industry becomes bustling with those skilled in psychological warfare. I used to be innocent too, just this industry made me like this.”

“It’ll be difficult for a flower cultivated in a greenhouse like me to endure this world.”

I said jokingly, but Kim Hyunjo became serious.

“What are you talking about? You’re meant for this industry.”

“Definitely. Jung Sunwoo is a promising talent.”

Chief Lee Bongjoon nodded with a serious expression.

“I bet 500 won that he’ll endure this industry until he’s being called CEO.”

“I call and raise it 500 won.”

Seo Jijoon said, giggling.

“Let’s go inside. The girls are waiting…”

I was saying while glancing inside the restaurant before stopping.

The girls, who had been staring at me with big, bright eyes, were paying attention to something else with awkward expressions. In front of hem stood a well-built man in a suit.

Holding Lee Songha’s hand.

Who the hell was he?

With no time to think about it, I entered the restaurant.

Then I grabbed the unknown man’s arm.

“Oppa!”

The girls looked relieved when they saw me.

Seeing them like that, I grabbed him even more tightly.

“Who are you?”

The man was Chinese. As soon as he was grabbed by me, he stuttered in Chinese before retreating back when he looked behind me. Hearing noises behind me, it seemed that the others came in right after me.

Just then, Im Seoyoung waved her hands and said,

“Euah! It’s nothing weird, oppa!”

“It’s not?”

Lee Taehee calmly explained,

“This person’s son is eight years old and is apparently a huge fan of Songha. Since he was having a tantrum about getting her autograph, he came to ask if it was okay to receive one autograph. We refused everyone up until now so we were concerned there might be problems if we made an exception for him.”

“Then why was he holding her hand?”

“Ah, he wasn’t holding her hand. She was receiving a present. Fu Ling Bing^{1}.”

Lee Songha opened her hand to reveal a round, flat pancake-like snack.

I let out a short sigh. My body must have reacted first because I had seen a ton of fanatical fans rushing over.

The man was so surprised that he was hiccupping. I asked Lee Taehee, who was the best at Chinese among the members, to translate and apologize to the man. We also decided to give him a signed CD in secret.

That was how we settled the problem.

Im Joowon stared at me as he said,

“Chief Jung, why didn’t you scare Seo Eunkyo with that scary expression? Then I bet she would be too scared to pick a fight with you next time. You’re really sca…”

Im Joowon stopped mid-sentence and look around.

Then he suddenly began laughing. He was laughing even why coughing, seemingly having almost choked on his candy. At this rate, he might end up crying.

Laughing, he said,

“With a group like this, I bet we will have no more trouble dealing with fans.”

“Pardon?”

“Do you know about the bouquet effect?”

Wasn’t it used for idol groups? If a few pretty idols grouped together, they would look much prettier than being on their own.

But why was he bringing that up now?

“This is exactly the opposite of the bouquet effect. Since we have a group of scary-looking people, we look ten times more menacing.”

Im Joowon gestured to Chief Sung.

“Look, Chief Sung looks like a fox that’s more prickly than sandpaper.”

As if acknowledging it, Chief Sung’s eyes narrowed into crescents as he smiled.

“And Chief Kim looks like a walking zombie. Chief Lee looks like a bandit when he’s expressionless. Also, this large manager just has droopy eyes. If he wears sunglasses, he’ll look just like a gangster.”

Im Joowon, who looked at Kim Hyunjo, Chief Lee Bongjoon, and Lee Kwanwoo in order, lastly held my shoulder.

“And Chief Jung is unrivalled. A big shot amongst scary-looking fellows.”

Neptune held their bellies and laughed when they heard him. Seo Jijoon had already been laughing so hard that it made one concerned about his breathing.

“Really! It’ll be difficult to gather a group like this!”

Well, it’s not like I don’t agree.

Just by looks, the celebrities weren’t that far off either.

Lee Songha and LJ looked aloof, and Lee Taehee usually had an indifferent expression. Seo Jijoon was the embodiment of a cold, city man. Im Joowon was slick and handsome but felt thorny.

To be honest, the only one who looked pure and innocent among us was Im Seoyoung.

When I said this, the chiefs laughed up a storm.

I was worried that the mood would be awkward since it was our first time gathering like this, but I was worried for nothing as our table was constantly bustling with laughter like a team that got along really well.

While laughing with them, I suddenly had a thought.

I hoped that the team I made had such a good atmosphere.

-It’s Nam Joyoon.

A warm, dry voice rang in my ears.

Leaning against the restaurant entrance, I said,

“It’s me. I was having dinner but called because I thought of you.”

I could hear staff bustling around in the background from the other end of the phone.

“Are you filming right now? It seems I’m bothering you while you’re busy.”

-It’s fine. I am waiting on set.

“How’s the atmosphere on the film set? I couldn’t go so I’m dying from curiosity.”

I couldn’t stick with Nam Joyoon due to circumstances, but I planned on being there when they started filming. They just had to start the day after I went to Beijing.

-It’s fun. Getting ready, acting, and even waiting on set. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked on such a large-scale commercial film so it’s interesting as well.

Nam Joyoon’s voice heated up when he started talking about the shoot.

The corners of my lips unconsciously rose when I felt his faint excitement.

What kind of reactions did the staff have when they saw Nam Joyoon act?

I admired it multiple times while we were reading the script together and I was watching him practice. It was enough that my confidence in my discerning eye reached the skies.

Damn it. I wanted to see it with my own eyes.

Nam Joyoon acting in front of the camera.

“Are you lacking anything?”

-I already have more than enough. Thanks to the stylist and makeup artist you introduced me to, I’m having a comfortable time filming. Also, the director and production staff are treating me very well.

That was good. Without a company or a manager next to him to take care of things, I was most worried that a complication would arise on set.

I wouldn’t have had this worry if Nam Joyoon signed with W&U. Thinking about the Team 2 Leader made me frown.

“If this movie is a success, then…”

I swallowed my next words.

He was someone who was turned away after an interview. I didn’t want to give him false hopes.

“It’s nothing. Don’t starve, and make sure to take care of yourself.”

-You don’t need to worry about me. You must have more than enough on your plate in China.

I resolved myself while listening to Nam Joyoon’s subdued voice.

If this movie was a success and Nam Joyoon’s performance was acknowledged by others, then I would take proper action. I couldn’t continue this vague relationship.

I turned my gaze while thinking about officially working with Nam Joyoon. I saw Neptune and the others laughing and chatting.

I laughed silently.

I could faintly see the outline of my team.

*

I looked around while being guided by an employee.

I heard it was a luxurious bar operating on a membership system. The decorations were as extravagant as the hotel. The soundproofing was perfect too. We passed a few rooms as we walked down the hallway, but all I heard was the employee and my footsteps.

Soon, the employee stopped in front of a black door.

When I opened the door and entered, I couldn’t help but gape.

Although I’ve visited various bars while working, this was my first time seeing such a luxurious room. From ceiling to floor, the entire room was an odd mixture of black and red. The dim lights above floated around like the aurora lights.

Did the alcohol taste exceptional if you drank in a place like this?

I licked my lips as I looked around. The table was already set with alcohol and side dishes.

Yet there was no one here.

I heard that he had already arrived and was waiting for me. Did he leave for a bit?

Just as I sat down on a sofa that felt amazing…

“Hello.”

Wh-what a surprise.

When I turned around, someone raised their body from the seat of honor, which had been covered by the table. Perhaps he had been lying down all this time, but his always cleanly brushed hair was slightly disheveled.

The man searched the desk then put on his newly found glasses.

He was the employee from the Chinese agency contracted with W&U. His name was…

“We met last time. I am Lee Lyang.”

“Ah, I am Jung Sunwoo.”

“Thank you for coming here today.”

“But why is there so much alcohol if it’s just us two?”

I asked, glancing at the table.

I was planning on getting on good terms with him after a few hours of drinking and learning a lot about how the Chinese entertainment industry ran. We couldn’t drink all of this even if we spent all night here.

I had heard that the Chinese liked to treat people extravagantly.

The corners of Lee Lyang’s lips curled up.

“Of course, we can’t drink this all by ourselves. People who will drink with us will arrive soon.”

Just as he said this, the door opened once more.

When I saw fluttering cheongsam^{3}, the world suddenly became quiet.

My vision was clear and static-free.

This place looked vintage yet different. I was with Director Park and Reporter Song.

Even after I realized I was in the future, my mind was a mess for a moment.

My attention was still on the red cheongsam I last saw.

I couldn’t be like this.

I suppressed the thoughts that floated in my mind. My priority right now was what kind of information I could glean from this future.

My future 20 years from now.

If I were to see the future again, I had hoped to learn whether Lee Songha’s drama or Nam Joyoon’s movie was a success or not. It looked like that would be difficult from this fixed future.

Then what was it this time?

I was closely examining everything in sight when my gaze suddenly turned to the side. Then the holographic window floating on the table slid in front of me.

Looking at it up close, it was filled with difficult-to-understand letters and numbers.

Then what looked to be photo evidence was attached at the bottom.

“It’s here.”

My future self spoke.

“The people who helped me stand here today.”

People who helped me stand here today?

I focused my eyes as much as possible. I wanted to examine the photo as much as I could before my gaze turned away. Although I didn’t know that he meant just now, either way, there was no doubt that they were related to my future self.

There were young people and people who seemed quite old.

And… There were familiar faces as well.

Him. A middle-aged man wearing unusual glasses. Although he aged a bit and he looked a little different, he was the Chinese agency employee, Lee Lyang, who I had just seen before.

And next to him was the Team 2 Leader, who now had grey hair. Damn it.

There was one more person.

He left a favorable impression and had a picturesque smile.

He looked like the traitor.

No, wait. He didn’t look like him but was an older Choi Gunyoung no matter how I looked at him.

What was going on?

What kind of damn group was this? Were they the people on my life’s blacklist?

I was blankly looking at the hologram when my future self smiled and said,

“In other words, they are my team members.”

What?

^{1} Many Koreans share the same last name – most common last names are Lee, Park, Kim

^{2} Fu Ling Bing – Chinese pancake-like snack

^{3} Cheongsam – traditional Chinese dress