Top Management

TM Chapter 181

TL: emptycube / ED: Isleidir

The marble stairs I went up and down multiple times a day looked unfamiliar. CEO Baek Hansung and Lee Songha felt unfamiliar as well. They looked the same as normal, but I felt a strange sense of incompatibility between CEO Baek Hansung, who had the same leisurely expression and wore his normal clothes, and the cool Lee Songha.

I stood rigidly as I looked up at them.

It wasn’t just me. All the gazes that had gathered on Seo Jijoon looked over at them. The company employees, people from broadcast and production companies, and even the cameras from the Making Film crew.

There were a few people walking down the stairs, but they simply looked like the two’s followers.

The two looked like…

“This looks just…”

Seo Jijoon rested his bouquet against his shoulder and said,

“Like the appearance of the main characters.”

CEO Baek Hansung walked over to us while lightly greeting a few people. Although he looked easygoing, this presence was heavy and deeply rooted like a large tree. People continuously gathered by his side. Lee Songha remained by his side.

He soon stopped in front of me.

I gulped down my unpleasant saliva and greeted him.

“Hello.”

“Hmm, I was hoping to have champagne with Team Leader Jung as well.”

CEO Baek Hansung lightly tapped my arm. When I handed him a champagne flute, the Team 2 Leader took a step forward with a mocking smile.

“Then give me a glass, Chief Jung. We need to toast now that the CEO is here.”

The Team 2 Leader stretched his empty flute out before frowning. He said to CEO Baek Hansung,

“Ah, he’s a team leader right now. I keep getting confused whenever people call Team Leader Jung Sunwoo. Since his project team is done, we should settle his position so there is no more confusion…”

“Then just call him team leader from now on.”

CEO Baek Hansung replied as lightly as a tossing a pebble in a lake. However, the ripples were large. W&U employees were a given, everyone who understood the meaning of his words began to buzz. The Team 2 Leader looked like he was about to faint.

“What you just said, so, team leader?”

“It’s something I promised.”

CEO Baek Hansung replied while turning to me.

“That I would officially promote him if this project was a success.”

“CEO!”

“He succeeded, so I need to keep my promise.”

He raised his champagne flute and smiled.

While it wasn’t technically wrong, it felt like the spotlight had suddenly turned to me. I felt like I was being buried by their gazes. I had thought that he would quietly mention it once the Son Chaeyoung matter was settled. I didn’t expect him to announce like a morning greeting at a place like this.

I wet my dry lips with my tongue and raised my flute.

“Thank you.”

“I’m the one who should thank you. You have never disappointed me in the past two years. Even if this project didn’t succeed, you’re the one who made Neptune succeed, discovered new talent, and made Lee Songha our poster star.”

I glanced at Lee Songha. She was smiling while looking at me like she was congratulating me.

“Poster star?”

Seo Jijoon suddenly joined in our conversation.

He bowed respectfully to CEO Baek Hansung before taking a single rose out of his bouquet. Chief Lee Bongjoon poked Seo Jijoon’s side, but it was no use. With a crafty smile, Seo Jijoon handed the rose to CEO Baek Hansung.

“Please say that I am a poster star too, CEO. There are a lot of people watching.”

“Of course, Jijoon, you are also our poster star.”

CEO Baek Hansung laughed. Then he readily received the rose and waved it. People gathered around us laughed. His gaze alternated between Seo Jijoon, the Team 2 Leader, and me and made a meaningful remark.

“There’s no wall even though you’re in different teams. That’s good to see.”

When the Team 2 Leader was about to speak, the CEO added,

“Neptune is our poster group, and so are they, our new family members, Pretty Girls.”

“Th-t-th-tank you.”

The goldfish replied with a strange pronunciation in shock. Laughs grew louder. The awkward mood, which was akin to a party where the music suddenly cut off, quickly softened. The only one still standing stiffly was the Team 2 Leader.

CEO Baek Hansung smiled brightly,

“All the celebrities at W&U are our poster stars.”

“Me too?”

A refreshing voice sounded out.

A woman wearing sunglasses and a hat stood crookedly amidst the crowd. It was Son Chaeyoung. Even if I was flipped upside down, I could tell that she was Son Chaeyoung. Walking over here, she took off her sunglasses. The people sneaking glances gasped. The crowd created a path for her like the Red Sea.

Why did Son Chaeyoung suddenly appear here?

Since she said she didn’t even want me to act close at work, she clearly didn’t come to congratulate me as Seo Jijoon did. Probably not. Don’t tell me… I suddenly recalled the conversation we had at her house.

The Team 2 Leader gritted his teeth and said,

“Chaeyoung, what brings you here?”

“What do you mean? I came to see the team leader.”

“Which team leader?”

“Is there another person I could call team leader?”

The Team 2 Leader raised his brow when she said that while looking directly at him.

I covered my awkward mouth with my champagne flute.

“I had something to discuss regarding my commercial schedule. I wanted to go up quietly, but the CEO mentioned poster stars. I unconsciously butted in.”

Now a little relaxed, the Team 2 Leader said,

“You’re not a poster star, you’re our pillar. W&U’s pillar.”

“Pillar?”

Son Chaeyoung smirked and looked around. Her gaze glanced off me and landed on CEO Baek Hansung. A rare trace of predicament flashed across his face. Predicament? Was he worried that Son Chaeyoung was going to cause trouble in front of all these people?

Son Chaeyoung’s gaze landed on Lee Songha next. It lingered on her the longest. The smile on Lee Songha’s face was gone. I became nervous this time, but it was for naught.

“Hello, sunbae.”

“Yeah, hi.”

They acted extremely naturally. They seemed like normal celebrities who work for the same company. Son Chaeyoung greeted the dumbfounded Seo Jijoon and Neptune as well as the Pretty Girls members, who looked at her like she was a protagonist of an animation.

Then she asked,

“Is today some special day?”

“It’s a party celebrating the success of Chief Jung, no, Team Leader Jung’s project team.”

Seo Jijoon replied. Son Chaeyoung voiced her admiration.

“Congratulations.”

“… Thank you.”

Glancing at me, Son Chaeyoung whispered,

“You should have told me if something like this was going on today.”

“Why would we tell you?”

Seo Jijoon asked back. She immediately replied,

“To avoid it. All the eyesores are gathered together.”

“Huh? Did you throw away acting mysterious? There are a lot of people from broadcasting companies here.”

“That’s why I’m whispering. You’re annoying, so don’t talk to me.”

Son Chaeyoung cut him off. Just then, Producer Yoo Sooyoung emerged from the crowd, who seemed dying to know what we were talking about. She was accompanied by a cameraman.

“CEO, could we film a scene of this? The full shot looks great. You, the team leaders, and celebrities seem like a family.”

Seo Jijoon went into a coughing fit.

Producer Yoo Sooyoung spoke,

“If we can film this sort of mood from the company Pretty Girls will be working under, I think we’ll be able to end the epilogue was a happy ending.”

I looked back at Pretty Girls. They looked like Cinderella seeing the pumpkin carriage for the first time.

Neptune, who knew that the situation wasn’t pretty if they stripped away the ornaments, simply clicked their tongues, but the goldfish were already absorbed in it. Even Jung Jae’s cheeks were flushed.

CEO Baek Hansung soon smiled gently.

“Okay.”

The cameraman set his camera on his shoulder. Neptune dragged the goldfish, who were red to the tips of their fins, into the center. I heard someone laugh. Son Chaeyoung and Seo Jijoon were laughing. So was Lee Songha. Everyone was laughing.

I also raised my champagne flute and laughed.

Hmm, we really did look like a family.

*

“Sorry I’m late. I was busy signing autographs to the staff after my interview.”

Nam Joyoon said with a slight frown.

“Good job. Your schedule and fans are important.”

“So are you.”

“Stop with that.”

He said those things without batting an eye.

I examined Nam Joyoon while laughing. I checked to see if he was all right.

Just then, Kim Hyunsup, who was looking around, asked,

“Excuse me, Joyoon’s mother, I heard Son Chaeyoung came? I’m a huge fan.”

“She left. A long time ago.”

Son Chaeyoung disappeared with the Team 2 Leader after filming. CEO Baek Hansung left then too. It wouldn’t be weird if they had already arrived home by now. Seo Jijoon was the only one who was still entertaining guests.

I ignored the despairing Kim Hyunsup and asked Nam Joyoon,

“But, hyung, what’s all that in your hands?”

Both his hands were full of canapés. It seemed he didn’t have enough space to put them all as there were some on top of his wrist. He wasn’t the type to hoard food. Rather, he was so used to skipping meals that he had to skip a couple to realize he was hungry.

“Are you hungry? When did you last eat?”

“I did eat. People kept giving me these eat from below.”

“It’s because Joyoon’s a rising ‘MukSipNam’.”^{1}

Kim Hyunsup added.

“MukSip-what?”

There was no way I wouldn’t know about a new nickname.

“MukSipNam, a man who we want to feed. It’s something I came up with.”

“Ah.”

“Reactions to that Kakao^{2} photo was so good, so I plan on pushing this.”

Photo?

Kim Hyunsup took out his phone and showed me a photo attached to an article. Ah, this. This was one of the photos Team Leader Park sent out as part of a press release when there were rumors that Nam Joyoon persuaded me to help him by paying me money.

-Hyung, eat.

-I’ll eat.

-Hyung, eat.

-I’ll eat.

-Food.

-I’ll eat.

“People seem to really like this. Does it trigger their motherly instincts?”

It was simply a short exchange that occurred multiple times a day.

Anyways, it was good that people liked it.

I smiled in satisfaction when the one who truly triggered one’s motherly instincts appeared. A delicate face, it was Im Joowon. Next to him were Seo Jijoon, Chief Lee Bongjoon, and Chief Sung Uimin.

Im Joyoon clicked his tongue and grumbled,

“I wanted to be the center of attention at Chief Jung’s celebratory party since it’s been a while, but I’m late to the party. Mr. Seo Jijoon, I’ve seen articles that you’ve been receiving casting calls from China. Are you not busy these days? Don’t you have stuff to do?”

Seo Jijoon leisurely laughed.

“Nope. I’m free these days. Also, he’s not a chief but a team leader.”

“Don’t talk so casually to me.”

Im Joowon answered curtly before suddenly checking his pockets. He then took something out and handed it to me.

“Team Leader Jung, congratulations. I thought a wreath or bouquet would be too over-the-top, so I didn’t buy them. I found this on my way here.”

It was a single rose. Seo Jijoon giggled beside him. Dazed, I accepted the rose. While talking to them, the Team 3 Leader, Kim Hyunjo, and Lee Kwanwoo came over. If the family before was for show, this really felt like a family.

I looked around to find missing faces when my phone rang.

It was Song Inho.

-I heard you’re having a party at the company? I heard that Seo Jijoon sunbae attended as well. I want to go there too. I’m on set for the independent film on a mountain but was told we need to schedule another extra shoot. I plan on finding wild ginseng before being tied up by the team leader. Congratulations, hyung!

He sent a bouquet emoticon as well. At this point, I wondered if they planned this.

Smiling, I replied and turned my head again.

Where was Lee Songha? I bumped into the others and talked with them a bit, but I didn’t have the chance to talk to Lee Songha. I couldn’t even bring up Son Chaeyoung or CEO Baek Hansung’s name either.

Because of that damn scandal, gazes still gathered on us whenever we whispered to each other.

I looked around the entire fifth floor but couldn’t find Lee Songha. She was over there a while ago. Did she go down? I excused myself and left. I quickly went down the stairs when I saw the familiar heads of the goldfish in the corner of the stairwell.

“What are you doing here? You should have come over if you came up here.”

Yoon Sol spoke for the hesitating group,

“That’s, what should I say, we wanted to go, but you felt a bit distant and unfamiliar.”

“Unfamiliar? Why?”

“There were so many actors around you, chief, no, team leader.”

“Are you hardcore fans or something? Stop acting like this and go say hi. I’ll head over soon.”

I called Lee Kwanwoo and had him take care of them. The girls took loud, deep breaths before making their way up the stairs. I was about to go look for Lee Songha when I suddenly remembered something, I called out to Jung Jae,

“Right, Jae.”

“Yes, team leader?”

Stopping, Jung Jae turned back at me with an odd look.

“Do you want acting lessons?”

The moment Jung Jae’s eyes widened, I heard something fall and break below. Crackle. I heard the sound of someone stepping on glass. Lee Songha was making her way up the stairs.

^{1} MukSipNam (먹싶남) – Derived from the first character of each word (먹이고 싶은 남자). This sort of thing is common in Korea.

^{2} Kakao – A big internet company in Korea. In this case, Kim Hyunsup is referring to a screenshot from Kakao Talk, a widely used messaging service in Korea.