Top Management Chapter 9

TL by Myoni

Edited by Myoni & Yoni

After dropping off Neptune members at their residence, we returned to Sangamdong. The meeting place was a hurriedly reserved high-cla.s.s sus.h.i.+ restaurant. Although we didn’t know if we were going to attend, Hyunjo dragged us there saying it was a good idea to show our faces to the chairman.

I simply breathed while following behind Hyunjo.

Honestly, I wasn’t in my right mind since a while ago.

Hahaha. How could I be in my right mind? Considering the waves cras.h.i.+ng down on my life today, it was good enough that I didn’t suffer a heart attack.

I was relieved thinking my mind wasn’t as weak as I thought.

“I think they’ve arrived?”

The first to arrive were from W&U. The management business director was a middle-aged man whose head was starting to bald while the management team 3 leader was a man in his mid-thirties with a pleasant impression.

And lastly, the man who got out of the Rolls Royce was the chairman, the man who I had only seen in pictures in interviews. He was the role model for me who was dreaming of becoming the chairman of a management company.

Baek Hansung.

My mind sobered up as soon as I saw him.

He looked 10 years younger than his real age of forty-seven and his body revealed that he exercised regularly. He was wearing a high-quality suit under a cashmere coat, but his appearance… He looked like he could be the cover model of a men’s magazine.

Above all, his actions were filled with confidence and dignity. Of course, he was someone who could be dignified. He had built a huge management company like W&U starting from a 1-man agency. The skilled of the skilled. The business man of business men.

While greeting them, I made eye contact with Chairman Baek Hansung. Very briefly.

“You guys did well.”

He turned after lightly patting Gunyoung and my shoulders.

“Then, let’s go. The people from Knet haven’t arrived yet, right?”

“Yes. Should we come with you?”

As soon as Hyunjo asked, Chairman Baek Hansung shook his head.

“Nah. Leave the business to us and you guys wait for the good news.”

Then Chairman Baek Hansung led the director and team 3 leader into the sus.h.i.+ restaurant.

It has already been 4 hours since we have been waiting for the good news. It was 1 a.m. right now.

“What kind of sus.h.i.+ are they eating for hours?”

Nervousness was present in Gunyoung’s voice.

We were waiting after ordering chicken in a 24-hour bar. Just in case we would have to meet with the chairman or the director, we couldn’t even take a sip of alcohol.

Hyunjo answered while piercing a piece of cold chicken.

“Do you think they were eating sus.h.i.+ all this time? They probably moved to the next place.”

“How do think things are going? I’m so curious I could die.”

“It’s good that they are taking their time. If the talk wasn’t going well, they would have already ended.”

The two of them were checking the time while shaking their legs. The only one who was quiet at the table was me. I was in thought. Continuously for 4 hours, continuously thinking.

What exactly did I see?

When I first saw it in the morning, I thought it was just a dream, but there was no way that was true. I definitely saw it when I was awake with my eyes open while standing and I woke up in the same state. If it was narcolepsy, then I would have already had my skull split open on the washroom tiles. So it definitely wasn’t a dream.

Then what was it?

Supernatural ability? Was it something like foresight?

I recalled the movies and dramas that had supernatural beings or superheroes. There were a variety of methods of which they would be able to look into the future, from knowing what would happen a minute from the present to drawing the future.

Did I just get a supernatural ability like that?

Didn’t those that contracted supernatural powers get them from getting bitten by radio-active insects, a vampire or experience some other special circ.u.mstances?

But, what about me?

I didn’t have anything happen to me. What was this?!

Hoooo. Let’s not get excited. Let’s calmly think about it one more time.

I didn’t know why I was given this ability. I didn’t know how to use my ability. However, if you thought about it, it was something to get excited over. Anyone would have the same thoughts.

Supernatural ability, it was a supernatural ability!

Of course if I was to receive a supernatural ability, I would have preferred teleportation or invisibility, but foresight was good as well. It was cool, even mysterious. If this was a movie, it was an ability that would be of great importance!

Ehahahahaha! I am a supernatural being! Yay!

Now, was it time for aliens to appear? Was it?!

…d.a.m.n! I couldn’t calm down!

“Mr. Sunwoo.”

“Yes?!”

I abruptly lifted my head and saw Hyunjo looking at me. My excitement slowly died down.

“Are you tired?”

“No. I was just thinking… I’m feeling a bit out of it after experiencing everything today.”

It seemed like he thought I was nodding off since my head was lowered. I tried to show I wasn’t sleeping by opening my eyes really wide.

“Now that I think about it, today was your first day. I forgot because of what happened today.”

Hyunjo pushed aside the cold chicken and handed us a menu.

“You two can choose whatever you want to eat. Instead of looking like you’re being punished, should we relax and have a beer? Let’s consider it a welcoming party.”

We ordered barbecue chicken dripping with oil along with freshwater snails, fries and fish cake soup to warm our bellies. The owner who would show a dissatisfied expression whenever he pa.s.sed us gave us a friendly smile as he got us our beers.

My heart felt refreshed after drinking the bubbly beer. After I downed a pint in an instant, Hyunjo pressed the bell again.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like they are going to call for us so drink more. You can drink a lot today.”

“Yes?”

“I meant you did a good job. When I first saw a pale guy wearing a suit, I thought where did this guy come from…  But, even without telling you to, you went and introduced the girls to a producer and got them a chance. Do all people with quadruplet nieces[1] act that way?”

The sincere compliment made me feel many times better than the beer.

“My luck was good. The producer and the manager of Lemon Girls were talking about the group dropping out.”

“Of course, the timing and luck were unbelievably good, but if it wasn’t for you grabbing onto that chance and not letting go, we would have lost it. I heard you were very pa.s.sionate?”

I bashfully scratched my cheek. It was hard to control my expression. Compliments from work were very different from the ones from family and school. I felt proud as it felt like my existence as an employee was acknowledged.

If I didn’t see the future, I probably would have lost this chance.

I didn’t even know who Producer Go Joontae was or that Knet was launching a program called Next K-Star. Even if I did, I could have hesitated whether or not I should talk with the producer and eventually turn my back on it.

If that was the case, things would have proceeded the way my future me said, the bokdongee of the company would have been Gunyoung.

I looked over at Gunyoung while drinking beer. It would have been normal if he was unhappy that I was the only one who got complimented on our first day, but he was actually a.s.sisting Hyunjo.

If I didn’t see the future and told Gunyoung about Producer Joontae, would he really have tricked me?

I remembered what Reporter Song had said.

‘So that person was like that even then.’

The good person, Choi Gunyoung. The person who I thought I would work well with, Choi Gunyoung. I wondered what kind of person he really was…

One thing that was certain was he was someone I had to put my guard up against.

However, I couldn’t openly push him away. We were in a situation where, unless one was a.s.signed to a different team, we would have to work together.

I would only become the bad guy if I pushed him away for no apparent reason and if I was to tell Gunyoung, ‘I think you will backstab me, so I don’t think I can be friendly with you,’ I would become the crazy person… Sigh.

I never had to face a more complicated problem in my life. To have to work with the guy who backstabbed, no, who might backstab me… Was this ‘Sleeping with the enemy’?

On top of that, although I knew that the truth, I might end up unconsciously dropping my guard since he really did look like a good guy.

I have to be careful. If I were to get backstabbed even while knowing this fact, I would be a loser, a loser.

To reinforce my guard against him, I decided to call Gunyoung traitor from now on.

“Mr. Gunyoung did well today as well. Quick witted and sociable, anyone would think you’ve worked here for a few years. It was because of Mr. Gunyoung, the music broadcast was able to go so smoothly.”

“Thank you, chief.”

“Let’s have another round. Don’t tell me you guys are drunk after 2 pints?”

Two became three, then three became four. We drank unceasingly.

“Mr. Sunwoo, what time is it right now?”

“4:30. But chief, please speak casually.”

“I told you I am more comfortable this way.”

When you were mad, you seemed really comfortable talking casually.

Well, it was a really long day today. I didn’t imagine my first day to be like this. How was it I was unable to leave even at 4:30 when I started at 3 a.m. yesterday?

Was there anyone in the world who experienced their first day like me? Besides the traitor.

There was still no news from the chairman. Just what in the world were these people doing? 3rd, no, they probably moved to the 4th place by now.

Although it was certain Neptune would appear on the show, as I didn’t know the process of when and how they joined, it was really frustrating. No matter how quick things proceeded, it wasn’t like things would be decided just like that, maybe it would take 2-3 days?

Once we ordered pints of beer, it just ended up being eating and drinking event. We kept ordering more beers and extra sides.

Then 5 in the morning. The moment we had been waiting for had come, the phone began to ring.

[1] Not sure if they are nephews or nieces. 조카 is a gender neutral term. I read ahead and considering how the quadruplets are portrayed later on, I have a hunch they are girls. I tried to keep it as gender neutral as possible, but it always sounds a bit off to me. If it gets revealed later on to be boys, then I’ll will make changes.