Top Management

TM Chapter 135

TL: emptycube / ED: Isleidir

Like an illusion, a brilliant light shined down in front of me.

The man had arrived right in front of me without me realizing. Below his tall nose, his nice-looking lips opened to say,

“I am Song Inho, a rookie actor.”

It was that voice.

The one that was in tears.

“I am 22 years old. Please take care of me.”

“You are the most handsome amongst the rookies I’ve seen this year. You’re exactly the Team 2 Leader’s type.”

Team Leader Park said with a laugh before pressing my back again.

“What do you think? Tell him that you think he’ll do well. You’re the highly influential Midas’s Hand. Even if it’s the same compliment that everyone else says, won’t it feel different coming from you?”

“… Yes, I think you’ll do well.”

My voice was surprisingly normal.

Even though a bomb went off in my mind.

“Thank you. I’ll do my best from now on.”

“Okay, do your best and get the rookie award! I’ll promote the heck out of you in the press.”

Team Leader Park and Song Inho chatted friendlily.

I simply went along with them. My mind was filled with a single thought.

The future I had seen just now. To be exact, Song Inho who was giving his acceptance speech.

While I couldn’t be certain due to the static and makeup, he looked the same as he did now. The scene took place in the near future.

Was it the rookie award?

This year? Or the next?

My stomach began to boil.

What I need right now, what I desperately wished to see was the future of the people in my care. Neptune’s future, the success or failure of Lee Songha’s next project, and above all, whether Nam Joyoon succeeded as an actor or not.

Those were the futures I wanted to see.

Why did I see the successful future of a rookie who I had never seen before?

And he was selected by the Team 2 Leader to boot.

How should… I use this information?

*

“Bring me results.”

The Team 3 Leader said, having called me to the outdoor smoking area as soon as I was done my interview with the reporters.

“Results?”

“The actor you’re fixated on. Nam Joyoon.”

My head became dizzy once more. Various thoughts pushed their way into my mind.

The Team 3 Leader continued,

“Director Choi Sungwon’s project, you said his role in that will be quite small? Since he’s a rookie in a commercial film, that’s fine too. Only, even if it’s one scene, it just needs to be impactful.”

He said while exhaling cigarette smoke,

“From what the director tells me, it seems the CEO is somewhat interested in that fellow.”

CEO Baek Hansung was?

“Then a contrac-!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

The Team 3 Leader shook his head.

“The rookies the Team 2 Leader selected this time, the woman’s Im Hyorim and the other is Song, Song something.”

“He’s Song Inho.”

“Yeah, him. The Team 2 Leader said that they were much better than Nam Joyoon. The CEO seems interested since the Team 2 Leader and your opinions are divided. He wants to know who’s eye to trust more.”

“… Eye.”

“Yeah, discerning eye. Isn’t that what’s most important to a management company? Selecting rookies is the Team 2 Leader’s concern, but if yours brings back results before his, then he won’t be able to utter a single word.”

The edges of his lips curving upwards, the Team 3 Leader continued,

“The director was having a blast telling me about this. It seems like the news will quickly spread throughout the company. People might even start betting.”

Then the Team 3 Leader looked at me.

“To be honest, I’m curious as well. I saw Nam Joyoon’s profile a few times, but I couldn’t see anything special.”

He patted my shoulder.

“Still, it’s worth trusting your eye for things.”

My throat felt dry.

I swallowed my saliva. My throat still felt parched.

“So bring me results. Then I can make what you want happen.”

What should I do?

Left by myself, I looked down at the city shining in neon lights as I thought about it.

There was no doubt that Song Inho received an award at an awards ceremony. Whether that was a rookie award or not, it was a successful result since there were tons of actors who never got invited to ceremonies like that.

If I don’t change the future, I would see that future in real life.

What would happen to Nam Joyoon?

What lay in Nam Joyoon’s future, which was currently covered in a thick fog?

The ground seemed to shake. Would Director Choi Sungwon be able to capture what I saw in Nam Joyoon on film? Then would he leave a strong impression on people?

If that didn’t happen… What should I do if my eyes were wrong?

And if that was why I couldn’t see Nam Joyoon’s future?

What if this movie wasn’t a success?

Then the Team 2 Leader would raise his chin up high, saying that he knew this would happen. It would be worse if Song Inho even received an award.

If CEO Baek Hansung loses interest in Nam Joyoon, would there ever be another opportunity? Would the possibility of me taking care of Nam Joyoon in W&U be lost?

Something sprouted inside and took root deep in my heart.

How should I use the information I have to benefit me?

What should I do to change the future for the better?

If… If… I blocked Song Inho’s path…

Since there were two rookies, if I made it so that the Team 2 Leader focused on the actress… Or what if I made a move on whatever project Song Inho would do? What if I gave it to Nam Joyoon?

Then wouldn’t the person accepting the award at the awards ceremony be Nam Joyoon instead?

My mind jolted to its senses.

Chills ran down my spine as though I was drenched in ice water. Even the tips of my fingers felt numb.

Oh my god.

Just what was I thinking?

*

“Bro^{1}, have you ever threatened anyone before?”

I asked while twirling the remote in my hand.

My brother, who was reading a book that was as thick as the Bible, answered,

“I don’t know, why?”

“If you were to threaten someone, how do you think you’ll feel?”

He took his gaze away from his book.

“I thought it was weird for you to suddenly come here when you’re so busy. There’s something going on isn’t there?”

“I’m asking how you think you’ll feel if you threaten someone.”

“Hmm, I guess it won’t feel good.”

I tossed the remote on top of the rug and brushed my hair back.

“If threatening someone isn’t difficult and obtaining things I want through it doesn’t faze me. Or if I naturally come up with extreme methods when I need to solve something, that’s a bit dangerous, right?”

“Why? Did you threaten someone?”

“I didn’t know that I was the type to hold long grudges. I made someone almost lose it today. He clung to me, asking me to forgive him, but I left without looking back. And it was… easy. I didn’t feel anything.”

I clenched my hair and ruffled it vigorously.

“I might really become a bad person at this rate. A piece of trash.”

“Grandma said so!”

A voice abruptly joined in.

When I raised my lowered head, I saw the quadruplets’ large, clear eyes looking down at me.

“What did grandma say?”

“Grandma said that you were so busy taking care of us because we suddenly popped out when you were in middle school that you did stray to the bad side and became an upright person! She said you might have become a scumbag if it wasn’t for us!”

“A scum-… Grandma said that?”

“Grandpa even called us lucky charms! He said we are wonderful grandchildren!”

“Ah, even grandpa?”

Four heads bobbed up and down.

My stomach hurt just moments ago from worrying about the future and a vague sense of anxiety, but I was shocked for another reason right now.

“Bro, was I like that? I always thought I was well-behaved when I was young.”

“You weren’t well-behaved.”

My brother said as he took off his thick glasses.

“Is this Xunzi^{2}? Was I destined to be a bad person?”

“What’s the problem?”

He touched my ruffled hair.

His eyes, which bore no similarity to mine, curved into a smile.

“You didn’t grow up to be a bad person, and you just need to not become a bad person in the future as well.”

I had a nightmare.

I didn’t remember it clearly, but it felt an unpleasant feeling.

I let a sigh under my blanket.

What time was it? If I wanted to catch my flight, I needed to get up early.

I fumbled around looking for my phone when I felt that the blanket felt unfamiliar. My blanket didn’t feel or smell this good. This blanket seemed like it had been dried under the sun yesterday.

I heard young children talking outside my blanket.

Ah, right. I came over to my brother’s house.

“Also, nuna, our uncle is a master at rolled omelets. He’s really good at them1”

“That’s right. Did you try them? They’re really big!”

“He’s really good at Korean pancakes as well! But he doesn’t make them as often now. He said it was a pain.”

“Right. His love for us chilled once we started elementary school.”

What were they doing?

I took off my blanket. Four familiar heads were gathered below my bed with my phone in the center. Their milky, chubby cheeks wriggled as they continued talking.

Then I heard some familiar voices mixed in with their voices.

“What are you doing?”

The kids jumped up as soon as I asked.

“Uncle! We didn’t answer it on purpose!”

“It kept ringing so we came to turn it off thinking it was an alarm, but it was a phone call!”

“We were going to wake you up after saying hi to the unnies! But then the talk dragged on!”

“There’s four of us and four nunas so we understood each other!”

Just what were they saying?

“Bring it over.”

I sat up and put my hand out. Gyeoul handed me my phone without hesitation.

I was met with four pairs of eyes when I looked at the screen.

“What the heck.”

-Oppa! Open your eyes!

Im Seoyoung said with a bright smile.

“They are open.”

What was going on so early in the morning?

I was blinking my dry eyes when LJ, who was next to Im Seoyoung, suddenly said.

-Put something on first. We can see everything.

“What?”

I immediately looked down.

I was wearing a grey short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

-It was a joke to wake you up.

“Yeah, I’m wide awake now. Thaaanks.”

LJ laughed with a satisfied expression. The quadruplets were giggling as well.

I put my phone away and tidied my hair a little. I picked it back up once I looked a little more presentable. The members were looking at me like meercats.

“Why did you video call me so early in the morning? Is there a problem?”

-We couldn’t contact you at all yesterday! Our schedule ended early this morning!

Im Seoyoung yawned after fussing about how she didn’t get much sleep.

Lee Taehee calmly said.

-When do you arrive?

“I’ll be taking the 11 a.m. flight there.”

While answering, I examined their faces. Although it had only been a day, I wanted to check if they were doing alright. Im Seoyoung and LJ were as high-spirited as ever, and Lee Taehee was lethargic like she was out of energy.

And Lee Songha…

Her head was peeking out from behind Im Seoyoung and LJ.

Her mouth moved like she had something to say to me.

-Oppa!

Her one word felt like a warm breeze.

-Oppa, are you going to marry before you’re thirty?

Accompanied by some nonsense.

“What?”

-There’s not much time left. You’ll be thirty in a year and a half!

“Yeah, thank you for reminding me of my age. But what are you saying? Marriage?”

“Grandma said so.”

A voice suddenly joined in from below my bed.

Was this déjà vu?

The quadruplets examined my mood as they spoke out,

“Last time, grandma said that uncle needed to marry before he becomes thirty!”

“That’s right! Mom was already hoping that a celebrity might come and sing at the ceremony!”

“Also, that uncle might marry a celebrity-!”

“Cut it out.”

I stopped the kids from talking. Then I looked at my phone again.

As soon as our eyes met, Lee Songha said.

-The trend is to marry late these days. Thirty-one or two, thirty-five… Even marrying went you’re in your forties is fine. Right?

The other girls each added.

-Uuhh… Yeah, when people are living until they’re a hundred, forty is still young!

-People in our industry usually marry late.

-I bet he won’t be able to marry early anyways?

LJ shrugged as she hammered in the last nail.

“Why are you so certain? Why can’t I marry early?”

-Just look around you.

“Around me?”

-Hyunjo oppa, single. The team leader is also single. In fact, even the CEO is single.

She was oddly persuasive.

Now that I thought about it, it looked like I was single 20 years from now as well seeing as I didn’t have a wedding ring on my finger. Don’t tell me I really won’t marry until I’m over forty?

When I thought about this, I suddenly laughed out loud.

-Why are you laughing all of a sudden?

“Uncle, why are you laughing?”

On the screen and beyond it, eight heads tilted as they looked at me.

I kept laughing as I said,

“Because it’s so silly.”

Just yesterday, it felt like I was fighting with some unknown assailant when I thought about the future.

What kind of person would I be? How bad would I become? Even when my brother said those words to me, inwardly, I was frustrated, worried if it really was that easy.

That was just yesterday.

Yet, today, I’m wondering if my future self was married or not.

-Oppa, what’s wrong?

Lee Songha asked with a worried expression. I probably had a strange expression on my face.

The others were staring at me as well.

“It’s nothing. My soul felt like it was rotting.”

-Rotting?

“Yeah, but I guess I should say it feels a little cleansed now?”

Laughing, I told them I would see them soon.

I stretched after hanging up. Then I got to my feet.

I had a lot of things to do.

Let’s not dwell on it.

If becoming a bad person was my future, then I wouldn’t stay put and let it.

^{1} Using ‘Bro’ or ‘Brother’ to distinguish between ‘Hyung’

^{2} Xunzi – known for ‘Human nature is bad’, that we need to reform our bad nature (or so I think)