Episode 32. Awards Ceremony (2)
The day after finishing Kang Yebin’s school uniform fitting.
Kang Dae-oh met with CEO Do Sang-ho, who was appearing on the same entertainment program as him, at the Amare main branch.
At first, their relationship was one where they used formal language while calling each other “Representative So-and-so.”
However, after appearing on ‘Yoratte’ for several years, they now called each other hyung and dongsaeng, becoming close.
As CEO Do Sang-ho entered the store, Kang Dae-oh, who was waiting for him, greeted him first.
“Hello, hyung.”
“You were here already? I thought you’d be late since you had work in the morning.”
“It finished earlier than I expected. But hyung, it seems like you arrived much earlier than our scheduled time?”
“My work also finished early. How about it? Did you get the call?”
“Ah, yes. I received it yesterday.”
Kang Dae-oh recalled the phone call he received from the ‘Yoratte’ production team when he was with his family and continued the conversation.
“They asked if I could participate in the year-end awards ceremony. I heard you also received that call, hyung.”
“Yeah. From Writer Kim. Anyway… I was so surprised when I heard that. We weren’t invited to the awards ceremony last year, were we?”
“That’s right.”
However, if they suddenly asked the cast members of ‘Yoratte’ about their availability to participate, there must be a reason behind it.
Kang Dae-oh quoted what Kang Yebin, who was in the car with him when he first received the call, had told him.
“Yebin said that in most cases, when someone is invited to an awards ceremony, it’s usually because there’s a reason to give them an award, or they’ve been nominated as a candidate.”
“An award, huh…”
Do Sang-ho leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.
Just then, Lee Seo-joon appeared, carrying drinks and simple desserts for Do Sang-ho and Kang Dae-oh.
“Here’s your Iced Americano.”
“I’ll enjoy it. It’s been a while since I’ve had Amare’s.”
Do Sang-ho took a deep gulp of the Americano, filling his mouth from the large cup, and nodded repeatedly with an expression that said, ‘This is the taste!’
“It’s delicious. It tastes better than what we sell at our store.”
Do Sang-ho tends to evaluate coffee taste quite coolly, not only on broadcast but also in private.
Even if he was in a close hyung-dongsaeng relationship with Kang Dae-oh, he would honestly say if something didn’t taste good.
Because of this, Kang Dae-oh knew that Do Sang-ho’s words were sincere and not just empty flattery to make him feel good.
“We’re slightly changing the taste these days.”
“You’re emphasizing the acidity more, aren’t you? It tastes subtly different from before.”
“As expected. You know well.”
An expert was certainly different.
Do Sang-ho was curious about why Kang Dae-oh was gradually changing the taste.
To this, Kang Dae-oh replied:
“These days, it seems to be a trend to strengthen the taste in one direction rather than having a bland taste.”
“Indeed. Blandly seasoned food tends to be quickly forgotten in people’s minds and on their tongues.”
Spicy, salty, and sweet. An atmosphere that preferred giving such strong impacts was gradually forming among the public.
F&B ultimately had no choice but to follow people’s tastes.
This was because Kang Dae-oh didn’t jump into the coffee business to create art.
As a company that had to pursue profit, he ultimately had no choice but to prioritize methods that could increase sales.
Do Sang-ho savored the Americano a few more times.
As a result, even though less than five minutes had passed since the drink came out, nearly half of the large-sized Americano had instantly vanished.
Kang Dae-oh revealed his worry as he watched Do Sang-ho already drinking so eagerly.
“If you drink it that fast, you might end up going to the restroom a lot later.”
“Oh. That would be troublesome.”
Do Sang-ho belatedly came to his senses and started to control his tempo.
Moreover, he hadn’t come here just to drink coffee today.
He had come here to discuss with Kang Dae-oh how they would participate in the awards ceremony.
“Yeyoung said she’d attend too, right?”
“Yes. So-yeon also said she’d come if she didn’t have any special plans.”
“All the cast members are attending.”
“The PD-nim said that this time, we might be able to aim for the Best Program of the Year Award.”
It was the highest award a program could receive.
Of course, if that really happened, nothing could be better.
“I don’t know what will happen. There are quite a few formidable programs this year. I wonder if a program where middle-aged men just come out, drink coffee, and give various opinions was interesting enough to receive this year’s award?”
“Still, the viewership ratings are really good, aren’t they? We should have hope for that.”
Kang Dae-oh strongly wished that ‘Yoratte’ would receive an award if possible.
Because it would mean that everyone’s collective efforts were recognized as having done well.
Do Sang-ho chuckled, as if a fun idea had popped into his head.
“If we win an award, how about you and I run an event simultaneously? Something like a ‘Yoratte’ award celebration promotion.”
“That’s a great idea.”
He strongly hoped that the day for such a promotion would truly come.
After spending Christmas with his family.
Kang Dae-oh got into the car with his youngest daughter, Kang Yeyoung, to attend the Entertainment Awards ceremony, which the broadcasting station plans every year-end.
“Is it our turn now?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Kang Dae-oh’s gaze fixed once again on Kang Yeyoung, who was dressed in a gown.
If Kang Dae-oh and Do Sang-ho played the core roles in the program.
Kang Yeyoung and Ji So-yeon took on the role of the face of ‘Yoratte’.
Ji So-yeon looked at Kang Yeyoung, who was sitting opposite her, and said,
“Yeyoung-ah. Just a moment.”
Ji So-yeon reached out her hand and tidied Kang Yeyoung’s messy hair.
Kang Dae-oh expressed his gratitude to Ji So-yeon.
“Thank you, So-yeon. If the kids’ mom were here, she would have done this perfectly. It’s reassuring to have you.”
No matter how well Kang Dae-oh took care of and looked after Kang Yeyoung, his meticulousness could not surpass that of the kids’ mom.
Moreover, being a man, he didn’t know what women paid most attention to when dressed in a gown, or which parts were most visible to people.
However, Ji So-yeon had experience attending such awards ceremonies frequently, so she could immediately catch things like Kang Yeyoung’s attire that needed fixing.
Ji So-yeon smiled faintly, saying it was nothing.
“We have to make our Yeyoung look pretty.”
Even on set, Ji So-yeon always showed a lot of care for Kang Yeyoung, treating her like her own daughter.
Kang Yeyoung also knew that Ji So-yeon took good care of her, so she would act cute and make many lovely appeals that would make Ji So-yeon smile.
Every time he saw this, Kang Dae-oh always thought.
‘Yeyoung really knows how to be loved by people.’
Kang Yera attracts people’s attention with her dancing and singing. Kang Yebin gathers attention with her overwhelming acting skills, while Kang Yeyoung has the talent to focus attention through her gestures, expressions, and speech.
It was truly amazing how vastly different their methods were, even though they were sisters.
Meanwhile, the car they were in stopped in front of the red carpet starting point.
As the four people got out of the car, flashes went off everywhere.
Do Sang-ho decided to escort Ji So-yeon, and Kang Dae-oh decided to escort his own daughter.
Kang Yeyoung extended her arm and put her hand into the crook of Kang Dae-oh’s bent arm.
Since she was still young, there was a significant height difference, but there was no major hindrance to them walking side by side.
Kang Yeyoung waved to the people. As she waved, the crowd’s cheers grew louder.
Kang Dae-oh, just in case, warned Kang Yeyoung.
“Be careful not to step on your skirt hem with your shoe heel.”
“You don’t have to worry, Dad. I used to wear dresses very often before. I’m used to this much.”
Kang Yeyoung actually demonstrated that her words were not false by showing light footsteps.
Kang Dae-oh felt that he had worried unnecessarily.
The four people entered the photo zone.
Standing in a line, they gave reporters time to take as many photos as they wanted, turning their bodies or posing at angles desired by them.
Afterward, a young announcer acting as a reporter approached them and attempted an interview.
“Today, all the cast members of ‘Yoratte’ have come out. Can we expect an award?”
Everyone’s gaze turned towards Kang Dae-oh.
Kang Dae-oh seemed slightly flustered at first, perhaps not expecting the other cast members to push him forward to do the interview as their representative.
There was a reason for their actions.
It was because Kang Dae-oh was the person most frequently mentioned and received the most attention from viewers on ‘Yoratte’.
It was no exaggeration to say that he was the true protagonist of this program.
Therefore, it was unanimously decided on the spot to entrust him with the role of interviewing on behalf of the cast members.
Kang Dae-oh approached the microphone handed by the announcer and said,
“I consider it a great honor just to be invited to this event. Of course, I won’t say that I have no expectations for an award, but even if I don’t receive one, I will make sure to fully enjoy the awards ceremony and return. Thank you.”
Kang Dae-oh’s interview concept was humility.
Since it was their first time participating in an awards ceremony as ‘Yoratte’ cast members, they judged that adopting a humble posture rather than an ambitious one was the suitable stance for them at that moment.
Do Sang-ho gave a thumbs-up, signaling to Kang Dae-oh that he did well.
With that, they finished the short interview and moved their steps into the Entertainment Awards ceremony venue.
In front of the spacious area, a table with a small sign bearing the program name ‘Yoratte’ caught their eye.
Guided by a staff member, Kang Dae-oh sat down and diligently rolled his eyes, looking at a sight he had never seen in his life.
‘To think I’d see a scene I only saw on TV with my own eyes.’
At that moment, Kang Dae-oh’s smartphone vibrated briefly.
A smile naturally formed on Kang Dae-oh’s lips as he checked the text messages sent by Min Seung-yeon and his daughters.
[Honey, good luck at the awards ceremony. The kids and I will be cheering you on from home.]
[Dad! You know you absolutely have to bring back an award since you’re out there, right? Please tell Yeyoung that too!!!]
[I saw your interview, Dad. You will surely receive a reward commensurate with your efforts. Fighting.]
His wife’s and daughters’ personalities strongly came through the text.
Their ways of expressing themselves were all different.
But one thing was the same: everyone was cheering for Kang Dae-oh, their husband and dad.
‘Looks like I can’t go back empty-handed.’
He felt like he had to bring back at least one award to proudly return to his family’s embrace.
