Episode 52. Investment (1)
As the year was coming to an end, Kang Dae-oh slowly opened his eyes in the late evening.
“Is it around here?”
Kang Dae-oh, who had been staring at the navigation for a long time, realized a moment too late that he had to turn left and tried to turn the steering wheel.
To celebrate the end of the year, Kang Dae-oh was on his way to attend a long-awaited gathering of his alumni friends.
Since it was his first time coming here, the road was complicated, and there were many cars parked on the roadside, making it difficult to turn his car around.
‘I’ll have to back up and then turn the car around?’
However, the timing was not good at all.
Just then, another vehicle had lined up behind Kang Dae-oh.
‘If it’s like that, I can’t reverse.’
It was impossible unless the car behind him moved out of the way.
Kang Dae-oh rolled down his window and gestured, asking if the car could back up a little.
However, the only sound he heard was a “Honk! Honk!” from the horn.
‘Do they not intend to move?’
To go forward and turn the car, both the direction and distance were too ambiguous.
Kang Dae-oh had no choice but to get out of his car.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry, but…”
Just as Kang Dae-oh was about to politely ask for understanding.
The window rolled down.
Kang Dae-oh’s pupils widened greatly as he belatedly recognized the driver.
“Myung-woon?”
“Did you just realize, brother?”
“What? You, did you change your car?”
Compared to his other alumni friends, Oh Myung-woon was someone he met quite frequently.
So, he basically knew what kind of car he drove and what his license plate number was.
However, the car Oh Myung-woon drove today was completely different and new from what Kang Dae-oh had previously known.
Oh Myung-woon nodded his head.
“I got a new one last week. How is it?”
“Didn’t you say you’d never get an SUV again?”
“But SUVs are definitely better than sedans. Even for the family’s sake.”
“Indeed, that’s true.”
Kang Dae-oh also remembered getting SUVs almost exclusively when his children were young.
But now his children were all grown up. Since they each drove their own cars, Kang Dae-oh no longer needed to insist on an SUV.
The car he changed to this time was also a sedan.
“Anyway, please back up your car a bit. I need to turn left here. You’re blocking me from behind, so I can’t make the turn.”
“What? It’s not a right turn?”
“The navigation tells me to turn right. But Yeon-seong called me earlier, right? He said not to turn right at the three-way intersection, but to turn left. He said turning right would take me in circles.”
“Oh, really? Alright. Wait a moment.”
While Oh Myung-woon backed up his car, Kang Dae-oh got back into his own car and put it in reverse gear.
Thanks to their cooperation with Oh Myung-woon, Kang Dae-oh was able to arrive at the meeting place safely without getting lost anymore.
Park Yeon-seong, who had arrived earlier and was waiting for the two with his friends, greeted them with a bright smile.
“You’re here.”
“Sorry for being late. I tried to come early, but the traffic was heavier than I thought.”
“It’s okay. You guys aren’t the last ones to arrive. Are there still a few more who haven’t arrived yet?”
“Really?”
Kang Dae-oh and Oh Myung-woon inwardly sighed in relief at the fact that they weren’t the last ones.
Park Yeon-seong was always in charge of hosting the alumni gatherings.
One of the friends pointed at Kang Dae-oh and said.
“We were just talking about you with Yeon-seong, actually.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. The store Yeon-seong is currently running, isn’t it yours?”
“Ah, you mean the cafe? Well, yeah.”
He even held his wedding there.
Perhaps because of that, Park Yeon-seong couldn’t help but feel a special attachment to the store he was currently managing.
Park Yeon-seong pointed at Kang Dae-oh.
“Dae-oh is my lifesaver. No, it’s better to say he’s the lifesaver of our entire family. If Dae-oh hadn’t created a workplace for me, our whole family might have starved.”
Kang Dae-oh vigorously shook his head.
“Never say such a thing. I’m not a lifesaver or anything like that. You are capable enough, so I just gave you a position that suited you. I don’t think that makes me a lifesaver.”
It might inadvertently seem as if Kang Dae-oh had placed Park Yeon-seong there out of pity or sympathy.
Kang Dae-oh disliked that.
Park Yeon-seong was that capable. He had clearly proven his own worth to the Amare executives, and this was an achievement he had earned. Kang Dae-oh didn’t want that to be overshadowed merely by sympathy.
Even to protect his friend’s self-esteem.
Kang Dae-oh, considering that the atmosphere might become awkward, nevertheless drew a clear line and spoke.
Oh Myung-woon also actively supported Kang Dae-oh’s intention.
“That’s right, buddy. Dae-oh told me that so many times. He even said that he received a lot of help from you, Yeon-seong. He even said that he was saved because you appeared, you know?”
“Ah, it’s not that much.”
“No, you rascal. I heard it directly from Dae-oh!”
“……Really?”
Park Yeon-seong fixed his gaze on Kang Dae-oh.
Then Kang Dae-oh slowly nodded his head.
“Myung-woon is right. I often talked about it at drinking sessions too.”
“……”
Park Yeon-seong was speechless.
Making a thoughtful expression, he forced a smile and opened his mouth again.
“Thank you, Dae-oh.”
“I’m more grateful.”
For living well. And for managing the store Kang Dae-oh entrusted to him so well.
He was always grateful to Park Yeon-seong.
As the heartwarming atmosphere continued, Oh Myung-woon let out a loud cough and shouted.
“Alright, alright! It’s the end of the year, so it’s a bit much if the mood gets too somber, isn’t it? Let’s drink some alcohol and liven things up! Okay?”
“Shall we?”
“Boss! We’d like to order!”
If the atmosphere became too serious, it would lose its fun in its own way.
At his friends’ encouragement, Kang Dae-oh and Park Yeon-seong also smiled again and raised the tension to bring back the party atmosphere.
Kang Dae-oh, who had enjoyed a pleasant drink with his friends after a long time, called a designated driver and arrived home.
Getting out of the car, Kang Dae-oh checked the strong smell of alcohol emanating from his clothes.
‘I’m probably going to get an earful from my wife.’
Although he came home relatively early, he knew better than anyone that Min Seung-yeon disliked it when he came home reeking of alcohol.
He resolved to brush his teeth thoroughly and carefully opened the front door.
Min Seung-yeon, dressed in her pajamas, was the first to greet Kang Dae-oh.
“Oh, you’re here?”
“Uh, uh.”
“You came early? I thought you’d be a bit late since it was an year-end gathering.”
“Well, we’re at that age now. In our twenties, we could play all night and be fine. Now, just having a meal and a quick drink at the first round makes us tired.”
Moreover, Kang Dae-oh had been working at the company until just before attending the gathering.
Oh Myung-woon also said he had come after cutting a regular customer’s hair an hour earlier.
They each had plenty of reasons to feel tired.
Since they were tired anyway, and they both knew well that they weren’t in a position to stay out for long, they drank quickly with the intention of finishing their meal and getting tipsy in the shortest possible time.
This is why the gathering ended faster than expected.
No one can defy the passage of time.
Unless they seize an opportunity for regression, like his daughters.
However, Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon had no intention of seizing such an opportunity, even if it came.
Because they wanted to live faithfully in the present.
And most of all.
‘Because there wouldn’t be a happier scenario than now.’
Min Seung-yeon approached Kang Dae-oh and held out her hand.
“Give me your clothes. I’ll hang them up.”
“Thanks. Are the kids asleep?”
“Yera and Yebin went to bed early because they have schedules starting tomorrow morning. Yeyoung said she had something to do and isn’t asleep yet.”
Just then, Kang Yeyoung sensed a presence from the living room and came downstairs.
“Dad, you’re home?”
“Oh. What’s happened today?”
“I’m planning a program. I’m trying to do it in conjunction with a broadcasting station.”
“Like during Yora?”
“Yes.”
“Should Dad help too?”
Even as he spoke, Kang Dae-oh himself felt that there wasn’t much he could do.
Although Kang Dae-oh was also known as a broadcaster, his main profession was the CEO of Amare and an entrepreneur.
Since he wasn’t a professional in broadcasting, the areas in which he could help were extremely limited.
Becoming a main sponsor to support production costs, for example. That would be the standard method.
However, the method Kang Yeyoung mentioned was completely different from Kang Dae-oh’s expectations.
“Dad. Then, could you make an appearance on the broadcast?”
“An appearance? Is it like searching for cafes again this time?”
“Hmm… it’s a little different. No, should I say it’s very different? It’s not confirmed yet, though.”
“……?”
“Once the proposal passes soon, I’ll officially make you an offer then. Please wait a little longer.”
Sometimes Kang Dae-oh felt something.
That Kang Yeyoung seemed to be planning more suspicious things than Kang Yera.
A few days later.
Kang Dae-oh received a call from Kwak Jong-soo, who had been the main PD during Yora, after a long time.
“Hello?”
—CEO! Happy New Year!
“Thank you. PD, I hope you also receive many blessings. Nothing unusual, I hope?”
—Well, I’ve been working frantically lately, preparing for a new program.
“I actually heard about it from my daughter. She said you’re planning a program in conjunction with the broadcasting station this time.”
—Ah, so you’ve already heard from Yeyoung. Then the conversation will be faster.
Kang Dae-oh only learned on this occasion that the person Kang Yeyoung was discussing with at the broadcasting station was PD Kwak Jong-soo.
This was because Kang Yeyoung hadn’t revealed anything about whether she was planning the program with someone.
Because if she revealed it, Kang Dae-oh could immediately contact them and ask.
PD Kwak Jong-soo finally began to slowly unravel Kang Dae-oh’s curiosity.
—Yeyoung brought an interesting item, and she wants to expand its scale, so we’re thinking of collaborating with our broadcasting station.
“Oh, really? What’s it about?”
—It’s about finding and discovering future entrepreneurs.
Kang Dae-oh had thought that since Kang Yeyoung asked if he could help, it would be related to cafes again this time.
However, when he actually heard the story from PD Kwak Jong-soo, it was quite unexpected.
—We receive applications from young people with business ideas, they prepare a presentation, and then we evaluate whether their idea will succeed or not. So, we need to recruit an evaluation panel…
PD Kwak Jong-soo mentioned the real reason he contacted Kang Dae-oh.
—Yeyoung said she wants to entrust one of the evaluation panel positions to you, CEO.
