Episode 39. Joining (1)
Leaving the office, Kang Dae-oh drove alone somewhere, breaking through the pouring rain.
His destination was none other than.
“Welcome!”
It was the Amare main branch.
As Kang Dae-oh appeared inside the store, an employee who recognized him asked him to wait a moment and called Lee Seojun, who was in charge of the place.
“Oh, Representative-nim! What brings you here at this hour?”
He had not heard any news that Kang Dae-oh’s visit was scheduled.
Kang Dae-oh, who somehow managed to put his umbrella, dripping with rainwater, into the umbrella stand, let out a short sigh.
“There’s someone I was supposed to meet today.”
“So you had an appointment here.”
“Yeah. Is there a seat on the second floor?”
“Yes. There are plenty of seats, so you can choose wherever you like and sit down. Perhaps because it’s raining so heavily today, not many customers are coming.”
“When it’s raining this crazy, it’s usually best to just stay quietly at home.”
If it weren’t for today’s appointment, Kang Dae-oh would not have had a reason to come to the main branch.
Not long after.
The person Kang Dae-oh was scheduled to meet today visited the store, following Kang Dae-oh.
It was Kwak Jongsu PD, who was in charge of directing Yoratte.
He went up the stairs alone and approached the table where Kang Dae-oh was sitting.
“I apologize, Representative-nim. I tried to come early, but the traffic was really bad because of the rain.”
“It’s alright. You’re not that late anyway.”
He was about 5 minutes later than the agreed time.
Five minutes was a short enough time to wait.
Kwak Jongsu PD, who ordered an additional drink, immediately got to the point.
“The reason I asked to see you today, Representative-nim, is nothing else. It seems like we’ll be starting filming for the new season of Yoratte soon.”
Yoratte, the popular culinary program that caused a huge sensation nationwide.
This time too, Kwak PD was thinking of leading the broadcast by hiring the same members from the previous season.
“I actually heard about it from my youngest daughter. She said Kwak PD-nim contacted her.”
“Yes. I believe I contacted Yeyoung yesterday. Originally, I was going to tell Representative-nim at the same time that day, but something urgent suddenly came up. So, it was unavoidably delayed by a day.”
Instead, he came to visit Kang Dae-oh directly like this.
It was to emphasize and show how sincere he was in casting Kang Dae-oh, and how much he was needed for Yoratte.
Kang Dae-oh had become a mascot and symbolic figure of Yoratte.
If Kang Dae-oh were to refuse the offer to reappear.
The Yoratte that the public remembered would cease to exist.
That’s why Kwak PD was putting the most effort into Kang Dae-oh’s reappearance.
He looked at Kang Dae-oh with nervous eyes.
Because he didn’t know what answer would come out of Kang Dae-oh’s mouth.
Not long after. Kang Dae-oh began to speak, drawing strength from the warm Americano placed before him.
“Yes, I will appear.”
“Are you, are you serious?”
Kwak PD let out a sigh of relief and joy at the same time.
All the myriad worries he had in his mind disappeared only after hearing Kang Dae-oh’s confirmation.
The reason Kang Dae-oh decided to reappear was simple.
“Yeyoung said she wished her Appa would also appear together.”
Because his daughter wanted it.
To some, it might seem like a simple reason.
But for Kang Dae-oh, the existence of his daughters was more valuable than anything else in the world.
What his daughters wanted. What his daughters wished for. He wanted to do all of it for them.
Therefore, in fact, from the moment Kang Yeyoung said this to Kang Dae-oh, the game was already as good as over.
“No wonder. Yeyoung told me, ‘Appa will probably agree to appear if possible.’ So that’s what she meant.”
“I thought PD-nim had now fully understood what kind of person I am. But you still have a long way to go.”
Kang Dae-oh let out a hearty laugh and joked to ease his tension.
Kwak PD also smiled a beat later, following Kang Dae-oh.
“Because there’s a difference between knowing it in my head and hearing a direct confirmation from Representative-nim like this.”
“Indeed, that’s true.”
“Anyway, thank you. I was already relieved before coming here today because Do Sangho Representative-nim also said his schedule was fine and that he could appear. Today, my luck is good.”
“So, all the previous season’s members can reappear?”
“No. Soyeon will probably be absent this time because she’s starting a movie shoot. Instead, we’re looking for someone else.”
“I see. That’s a shame. Soyeon and Yeyoung had great chemistry, which I liked.”
Kang Dae-oh really liked seeing them get along well, both in front of and behind the camera, as if they were sworn sisters.
Therefore, he secretly felt very disappointed by the news of Jisoyeon’s absence.
“It can’t be helped. Her main job is important.”
Kwak PD was also disappointed, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of forcing Jisoyeon to appear.
“Instead, I will diligently search for someone who will get along as well with Yeyoung as Soyeon did.”
“Yes. Please do your best.”
“Leave it to me, Representative-nim.”
The question of who one will appear with is quite important for a cast member.
This is because the schedule of coming and going from the filming set can become either heaven or hell due to miscasting.
Kang Dae-oh actually doesn’t care much. This is because even if he doesn’t get along well with a cast member, he is confident he won’t show any discomfort in front of the camera.
When doing business, there are countless times when one has to maintain uncomfortable relationships by force. Thanks to this, Kang Dae-oh was quite well-trained in such matters.
However, he didn’t want his youngest daughter to experience such things.
Even though she had already gone through many hardships before regressing.
As a dad, he wished for only happy things to fill his daughter’s new life.
‘I hope a good person is chosen.’
He hoped Kwak PD would make a wise decision.
Kang Dae-oh earnestly hoped and decided to wait.
Upon returning home, Kang Yeyoung’s voice was heard from the kitchen.
“You’re just in time, Appa!”
“……?”
Suddenly, Kang Yeyoung thrust a camera at him.
“Please say hello to our Yejedeul.”
‘Yejedeul’ was a term referring to the subscribers of Kang Yeyoung TV channel.
Kang Dae-oh pointed at the camera with a questioning look and asked.
“Is this, live?”
“Yes!”
“Ahaha… Hello. I am Kang Dae-oh.”
Since his youngest daughter was a popular influencer, no one knew when or where she might suddenly thrust a camera at him.
Kang Dae-oh seemed to have gotten used to such things by now, as he immediately maintained his composure and activated his broadcast mode, despite having to hastily join Kang Yeyoung’s live broadcast.
After finishing his brief greeting, Kang Dae-oh thought to himself as he watched his youngest daughter return to the kitchen.
‘Looks like today’s live broadcast theme is cooking.’
Recently, Kang Yeyoung had been completely engrossed in learning to cook from her mom.
He had heard that even before regressing, she often learned to cook from Min Seung-yeon.
However, as she grew up and got busier with more work, the time she spent with her mom decreased.
Perhaps that’s why Kang Yeyoung’s small goal for this life was to spend a lot of time with her mom.
Of course, Kang Dae-oh was also included in the category of people she wanted to spend time with.
“Appa! Could you come and try what I made and tell the Yejedeul how it tastes?”
“Of course.”
Small, donggeurangttaeng-sized fried items were neatly arranged on a plate.
Min Seung-yeon wiped the water from her hands and explained what the dish was instead.
“It’s potato croquettes. I fried them with various ingredients, so they’ll be delicious.”
“Alright. Shall I try one?”
He picked up his chopsticks and brought one mini-sized fried potato croquette to his mouth.
The crispy fried coating and the soft texture of the potato created an exquisite harmony.
Although it was a little hot, Kang Dae-oh actually preferred this level of hotness.
This was because he believed that fried dishes were most delicious when eaten by gently exhaling the heat in one’s mouth with small “hoo, hoo” sounds.
“How is it, Appa?”
Kang Yeyoung asked, her eyes sparkling.
What more was there to say?
“It’s delicious. So much so that it makes me wonder if I’ve ever eaten such delicious potato croquettes in my life.”
Phrases like “I want to try it too” and “I envy the father” were continuously appearing on the real-time chat window.
Kang Yeyoung cleverly picked out interesting or impressive chat messages one by one and mentioned them directly.
Kang Dae-oh found his youngest daughter’s ability truly amazing.
‘The chat window is scrolling so fast. How does she even see those messages?’
He had been confident that he had gained some sense of broadcasting by appearing on Yoratte and other culinary-related programs.
But compared to his youngest daughter, he couldn’t help but feel that he still had a long way to go.
During the meal, Kang Yeyoung caught one particular chat message.
“Someone asked, ‘When will the next season of Yoratte start filming?’ Don’t you think there will be good news soon?”
“Cough!”
Kang Dae-oh seemed to have choked on Kang Yeyoung’s surprising remark, and hastily looked for water.
“Why are you so flustered, Appa?”
“Ah, no. Just… Ahem! But are you allowed to say something like that?”
It hadn’t even been reported in the news yet. He was worried if it was okay to leak sensitive information here.
Kang Yeyoung said with a bright smile.
“It’s just my guess and personal wish.”
“Indeed…”
Strictly speaking, it was ambiguous to call it a dangerous remark.
As Kang Yeyoung said, she didn’t definitively say, ‘Filming is starting right away!’
She had mixed conditional and interrogative expressions appropriately, so there were many ambiguous parts.
Kang Dae-oh admired Kang Yeyoung’s ability to walk a tightrope, stimulating viewers’ interest and curiosity.
‘This is what a broadcaster is.’
Today, he learned another thing through his youngest daughter.
After the live broadcast ended.
Kang Dae-oh informed Kang Yeyoung that he had met Kwak PD today and finalized his appearance in the new season of Yoratte.
Kang Yeyoung nodded with a bright expression, saying she knew he would.
“I thought Appa would say okay.”
“But it’s a shame about Soyeon.”
“Me too. I thought I had just gotten close with Soyeon seonbaenim.”
“Have you heard anything about the new person joining?”
Kang Yeyoung shook her head at her dad’s question.
“Not yet. But…”
Kang Yeyoung, who had trailed off, then revealed something concerning.
“I have a feeling there’s someone I can guess.”
“Who is it?”
Just as Kang Yeyoung was about to open her mouth.
“I’m home! Appa, please help me!”
The conversation was momentarily cut off by the eldest daughter’s urgent cry for help upon returning home.
