Episode 32. Awards Ceremony (4)
Kang Dae-oh couldn’t help but be bewildered by the unexpected Rookie of the Year award.
He wanted to pinch himself to see if this was real, but he was too overwhelmed.
Kang Yeyoung, who was sitting closest to him, grabbed her dad’s hand and shook it vigorously up and down, rejoicing as if it were her own achievement.
“Dad! Congratulations! You won an award!”
“Me…?”
“Yes! They said you won the Rookie of the Year award!”
Thanks to Kang Yeyoung, Kang Dae-oh realized that what he saw with his eyes and heard with his ears was reality, not a dream.
Kang Dae-oh rose from his seat, looking dumbfounded.
PD Kwak Jong-su, CEO Do Sang-ho, Ji So-yeon, and everyone else from the ‘Yoratte’ production team and cast, congratulated him on his Rookie of the Year award.
When he came to his senses, Kang Dae-oh found numerous bouquets in his arms.
Kang Dae-oh then stepped onto the stage once more.
The host asked Kang Dae-oh, who now held the trophy in his hand, for his acceptance speech.
“Kang Dae-oh-ssi. We’ll give you plenty of time for your acceptance speech, so please take your time and say everything that comes to mind before you leave the stage.”
“Ah, yes!”
Kang Dae-oh briefly placed the bouquets he held in both hands down below.
Holding only the trophy inscribed with “Rookie of the Year,” Kang Dae-oh walked to the spot where PD Kwak Jong-su had stood earlier.
“Coming here, I thought it would be enough if our program received an award. I never imagined that such an undeserved moment of glory would be given to me. I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone involved with ‘Yoratte’, our fans, and my beloved wife and daughters. Thank you all.”
Before concluding.
Kang Dae-oh called out each family member’s name once more.
“Yeobo, Yera, Yebin, and Yeyoung. I love you!”
If he were given the chance to stand on stage.
Kang Dae-oh had wanted to express his love to his family, just as he did now.
As what he had only imagined in his head became reality, Kang Dae-oh still couldn’t grasp what had happened, even after returning to his seat.
Kang Yeyoung gave Kang Dae-oh a thumbs-up and said,
“You were cool, Dad.”
“Thank you.”
Just hearing his daughter say he was cool was enough for Kang Dae-oh to be certain he had done well.
Kang Dae-oh’s Rookie of the Year award left several implications.
The fact that Kang Dae-oh, who was not a celebrity but arguably a non-celebrity, won the Rookie of the Year award indicated that the BLT Entertainment Awards ceremony was relatively open-minded.
Numerous articles about Kang Dae-oh’s Rookie of the Year win appeared online.
At the after-party, Kang Dae-oh skimmed through the articles written about him.
‘I never thought my name would appear in an article just for winning an award.’
It was surprising when his name was called, but.
It still felt unbelievable now.
At the after-party, Kang Dae-oh also received congratulatory messages from many industry insiders.
CEO Do Sang-ho raised his glass to Kang Dae-oh and said,
“I was surprised. I never thought you’d win the Rookie of the Year award.”
“Shouldn’t hyung have won it originally? I feel burdened, like I received it on your behalf.”
“I’ve been active in broadcasting longer than you. And I won the Rookie of the Year award at a different broadcasting station.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. So, you don’t need to feel sorry as if you took what was mine. That’s a result you achieved entirely with your own ability.”
Do Sang-ho’s warm words seemed to comfort Kang Dae-oh.
During their conversation, Min Seung-yeon’s video call came through.
“Just a moment. My wife is calling.”
“You definitely have to answer. Alright. I’ll be having a drink with PD Kwak, so take your time and come back after you’re done talking.”
“Yes, understood.”
Moving to the quietest spot he could find, Kang Dae-oh pressed the call button and smiled widely at the sight of Kang Yera and Kang Yebin on the screen.
—Congratulations, Dad!
—Congratulations on the Rookie of the Year award!
“Thank you, Yera. Yebin.”
Min Seung-yeon also waved from behind them.
—Congratulations. Watching the broadcast, you looked like you hadn’t expected to win the Rookie of the Year award at all, didn’t you?
“That’s right. There wasn’t even the slightest hint.”
No one had ever tipped off Kang Dae-oh, saying, “Kang Representative, you’ve been nominated for Rookie of the Year.”
It was a pleasant, unexpected blow.
Kang Yera grinned and asked her dad how he felt.
—How does it feel, Dad? To win an award in front of people.
“Just dazed, you know. If Yeyoung hadn’t been there, I probably would have just frozen in my seat.”
Just then, Kang Yeyoung, who had come looking for Kang Dae-oh, puffed out her slender chest, claiming it was all thanks to her.
“Unnies. You wouldn’t know how lucky it was that I was there. You should have seen Dad’s expression up close back then.”
Television alone cannot fully convey a person’s emotions and feelings.
There was definitely a difference between seeing something directly and experiencing it through the medium of a camera.
Kang Dae-oh, just in case, asked his two daughters as well.
“There was no future where I won the Rookie of the Year award, right?”
—That’s right.
—If you think about it, Dad wouldn’t have even set foot at an awards ceremony in the first place. It seems like, thanks to us and Yeyoung, you’re gradually gaining connections in the entertainment industry in this life.
Thanks to winning the Rookie of the Year award, Kang Dae-oh would be flooded with casting calls for a while.
Kang Dae-oh was already slowly getting a feel for broadcasting through ‘Yoratte’, so he was just starting to think about appearing on other programs.
At this point, having also received the momentum of the Rookie of the Year award, it was an unparalleled synergy effect for Kang Dae-oh.
Moreover, receiving such congratulations from his family made Kang Dae-oh immensely proud of winning the Rookie of the Year award.
To continue seeing his family’s joyful faces.
Kang Dae-oh repeatedly resolved inwardly to work harder, whether in broadcasting or business.
January 1st.
A new year dawned.
Even though it was New Year’s Day, the lights at the Amare store were still brightly lit.
However, Kang Dae-oh intended to spend this day with his family.
They had all been so busy with year-end schedules that they hadn’t spent much time together as a family.
So, they had made a prior arrangement to spend the New Year together without scattering.
If it was the first meal of January 1st, then naturally.
“You can’t leave out Tteokguk. Come on, eat quickly.”
Min Seung-yeon proudly presented the Tteokguk she had ambitiously prepared to her family.
The daughters and Kang Dae-oh had eaten their mom’s Tteokguk on the first day of every year.
Perhaps because it was a familiar taste.
Kang Dae-oh, who first tasted the broth, nodded his head instinctively and said,
“The seasoning is just right today.”
“Really? I put in a little less salt. It must suit your taste.”
Kang Dae-oh nodded, repeatedly emphasizing how much he liked this recipe.
While they were happily eating.
Suddenly, Kang Yeyoung asked Kang Yebin something.
“Unnie. I’m going next week, right?”
“Going? Where?”
Kang Dae-oh had heard nothing about his youngest daughter planning to go somewhere with his second daughter.
Perhaps sensing that her dad was misunderstanding, Kang Yebin immediately explained the situation.
“Yeyoung agreed to make a cameo appearance in the drama I’m currently starring in. The director is an old subscriber of Yeyoung’s channel.”
“It sounds like personal gain using the drama.”
Kang Yebin nodded at Kang Dae-oh’s words.
“I can’t deny it. Originally, that person has a strong tendency to cast actors they personally like.”
Kang Yebin was also a case of being cast directly without an audition.
“Wait. Is this Yeyoung’s first drama appearance?”
Before Kang Yeyoung herself could open her mouth, Kang Yera spoke first.
“Yes. Yeyoung never appeared in dramas even in her previous life.”
“Oh, really?”
She was such a famous influencer. He thought she might have made an appearance in a drama or movie at least once.
But that wasn’t the case at all.
Kang Yeyoung made an “ahem” expression.
“I told you. In this life, I’m going to do all the influencer and entertainment activities I couldn’t do last time to my heart’s content.”
If Kang Yeyoung put her mind to it, she could inflate her money as much as she wanted, whether through real estate, stocks, or cryptocurrency.
However, in her second life, she had decided to prioritize her life as an influencer, so she entrusted all investments to her father, Kang Dae-oh.
Kang Yeyoung was diligently fulfilling her role of providing information to Kang Dae-oh when he needed it.
Since his youngest daughter was facing a new challenge, Kang Dae-oh couldn’t just let this pass.
“No matter what, Dad has to do something for you.”
“What are you going to do for me?”
Suddenly, an idea popped into Kang Dae-oh’s head.
But it was too good to reveal right away.
“You’ll see for yourself next week.”
Min Seung-yeon chuckled, watching Kang Dae-oh speak in a way that hinted at a surprise.
“Like father, like daughters.”
It was clear that the daughters’ love for surprises was inherited from Kang Dae-oh.
Kang Yeyoung, riding in the car driven by her manager on the way to the drama set, focused solely on her script for a while.
Although it was a cameo, she didn’t want to act carelessly.
Not only was her own image at stake, but she also had to consider Kang Yebin’s reputation.
Just as she was concentrating on the script.
Kang Yebin suddenly called her.
“Unnie. Why?”
—You haven’t arrived at the set yet, have you?
“No. I’m on my way now.”
—The gift Dad sent has arrived. You’ll see it right away when you get here.
“A gift?”
—Dad said it last time when we were eating Tteokguk together, didn’t he? That it’s your first drama appearance and he wanted to do something for you.
Thanks to Kang Yebin, Kang Yeyoung recalled that day’s incident, which she had momentarily forgotten.
But a gift, of all things.
Kang Yeyoung was curious but also secretly worried.
What amazing thing did he send that her second unnie, who rarely called her first, even made a direct call?
Kang Yeyoung closed her script and asked the road manager who was driving.
“Unnie. When will we arrive?”
“Almost there. Just around this corner… Oh my?”
The manager’s eyes widened significantly.
“Yeyoung! Look over there!”
Kang Yeyoung, looking out the window, reacted exactly the same way.
Getting out of the car, Kang Yeyoung approached Kang Yebin, who was waiting for her, and asked,
“What is all this…?”
“What do you mean? It’s the gift Dad sent for you.”
The identity of the gift Kang Dae-oh sent to Kang Yeyoung.
It was a coffee truck.
Along with messages supporting Kang Yeyoung, this phrase was also written on the coffee truck:
[Fighting, my beloved youngest daughter! From Dad, who won the ‘Rookie of the Year Award’]
Kang Yebin and Kang Yeyoung laughed heartily at the humorous message, where the phrase “Rookie of the Year Award” was particularly emphasized.
It was impossible to tell who the main character of this coffee truck truly was.
