Episode 52. Investment (2)
“Me… as a judge?”
―Yes.
Kang Dae-oh felt a bit puzzled by what PD Kwak Jong-soo said.
And it was understandable.
“I’m not someone who has a deep knowledge of investment.”
He had only operated cafes and run businesses so far, never proactively invested anywhere.
However, PD Kwak Jong-soo, perhaps having heard a few things from Kang Yeyoung, mentioned a certain story.
―I heard you made a lot of money from stocks and real estate in the past?
“That’s…”
It was thanks to Kang Yeyoung’s recommendations.
If Kang Yeyoung hadn’t shared the information she learned from the future with Kang Dae-oh beforehand, he wouldn’t have earned such a large sum.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t because Kang Dae-oh had what they call a ‘good eye’.
But PD Kwak Jong-soo had no way of knowing this inside story.
And there was no reason for Kang Yeyoung to tell PD Kwak either.
An embarrassed smile formed on Kang Dae-oh’s lips.
“It was just good luck.”
―Isn’t investment inherently something that requires a bit of luck? From my perspective, I think President Kang would be able to distinguish which items will succeed, especially when it comes to the food and beverage industry.
Kang Dae-oh had a lot of interest not only in coffee but also in various beverages and baking.
In fact, Amare was preparing to launch a specialized dessert brand.
It was already proven multiple times that Kang Dae-oh had a deep knowledge of business.
This was exactly what PD Kwak Jong-soo wanted from Kang Dae-oh.
―You don’t need to overthink it. Just listen to the applicants’ presentations and then briefly tell us whether President Kang thought it was good or bad. That’s all. And for the program to be successful, a businessman with some recognition, like President Kang, needs to appear.
On top of that, he’s also a good speaker.
From a PD’s perspective, it was the icing on the cake.
He thought and thought multiple times about who would perfectly fit these conditions, but only one person came to mind.
It was Kang Dae-oh, the person he was currently talking to.
While Kang Dae-oh was happy to be evaluated so positively.
It was still true that he felt burdened.
But.
‘Yeyoung said she planned it.’
If it was a project his daughter was involved in, then it was a different story.
Even if Kang Dae-oh lacked ability, he was willing to study somehow to help his daughters.
Kang Dae-oh eventually decided to respond to PD Kwak Jong-soo’s proposal like this.
“I will review it positively.”
―You’re not giving a definitive answer.
“I think it’s a matter that needs to be decided after a meeting.”
―Indeed. President Kang is right.
No matter how good it looks, it’s naturally better to examine the contents specifically and then stamp it.
This applied not only to Kang Dae-oh’s work but also to almost all cases within the framework of society.
―Understood. Then I will visit you soon. I’ll bring some of our writers and head staff with me, so let’s discuss it in detail then.
“Understood. I’ll be waiting, PD-nim.”
After finishing the call, Kang Dae-oh immediately flipped through the table calendar to check his schedule.
What kind of attitude and mindset would young people who dream of becoming entrepreneurs, like Kang Dae-oh, have?
At first, he told PD Kwak Jong-soo that it was burdensome, but as time passed, curiosity and excitement surged simultaneously.
It had been a very long time since he had an official meeting with the Kwak Jong-soo team to discuss appearing on a program.
In the meantime, Kang Dae-oh had spent busy days preparing for Amare’s listing, expanding into Japan, and launching new brands.
And since he also made sure to spend time with his family, it wasn’t easy to juggle broadcasting work as well.
So for a while, he had been unable to appear on broadcasts.
He was happy to get a new opportunity thanks to Kang Yeyoung and PD Kwak Jong-soo.
He was also quite pleased with the meeting’s content.
“You won’t need to leave Seoul and go to the provinces like during Yora. Most of the recordings will be done in the studio. Occasionally, outdoor filming schedules will be arranged as needed. But there won’t be many, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Speaking of Yora, I remember filming all the way down in Namhae back then.”
“You mean the cafe with the ocean view, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Back then… the distance was no joke. I still feel sorry for both of you presidents.”
Kang Dae-oh shook his head.
“It’s fine. Personally, the scenery inside that cafe I saw back then is unforgettable. Actually, I didn’t tell PD Kwak-nim. Was it about… three months after filming ended? Sang-ho hyung and I went there one more time then.”
Surprise spread across PD Kwak Jong-soo’s face.
“Really? I had no idea!”
“Because I didn’t tell PD Kwak-nim.”
They were making private arrangements to go. There was no need to specifically tell PD Kwak about such things.
That much, Kang Dae-oh really liked the cafe he saw in Namhae.
“So, we also opened a few cafes on the ocean side for Amare. But the taste I experienced at that Namhae cafe just didn’t come alive.”
And that wasn’t all.
There were quite a few cafes during the Yora filming that left such a strong impression that they still remained vivid in his memory.
So, Kang Dae-oh didn’t have any major complaints even though the Yora filming was conducted without a separate studio.
It was like feeling as if he was traveling to a new place with each filming.
He remembered it not being bad.
That’s why Kang Dae-oh renewed his appearance contract every time a new season came around.
This time, he felt a sense of anticipation because it seemed like it would be a completely different kind of program.
“Then I’ll look forward to working with you again this time, President Kang.”
“Yes, likewise. Oh, is Sang-ho hyung not appearing this time?”
“We did consider President Do. But it seemed like his position overlapped too much with President Kang’s, so we excluded him this time. And it looked better to have President Kang appear rather than President Do anyway.”
“It’s because of Yeyoung, isn’t it?”
“To be honest… yes, that’s right.”
Considering the synergy with Kang Yeyoung, Kang Dae-oh naturally had a higher priority than Do Sang-ho.
“Sang-ho hyung must be disappointed.”
“I met President Do privately recently and talked with him, and it didn’t seem like he was particularly disappointed.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And President Do said that he’s already very busy with work this year and even next year, so he probably won’t be able to touch broadcasting at all.”
Should one say the timing was good?
Thanks to that, Kang Dae-oh was able to somewhat erase his feelings of regret towards Do Sang-ho.
“Filming is scheduled to start the month after next. We’ve already started recruiting participants. Oh, right. Do you happen to have any acquaintances, President Kang, who might be suitable to appear as a co-judge? Preferably in a different field than yours.”
“Hmm…”
A certain person came to Kang Dae-oh’s mind.
“Is it okay if they don’t have broadcast experience?”
“Yes. However, it would be good if they have a certain level of speaking ability. It would be difficult for us if we brought them on and they couldn’t say a word.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. In fact, I heard he talks so much that customers sometimes wish he would stop talking.”
“Oh, really? Who might that be?”
Kang Dae-oh revealed the identity of the person PD Kwak was curious about, with a meaningful smile.
“It’s Oh Myung-woon, a friend who runs the most successful hair studio in the country.”
Oh Myung-woon almost spit out the water he was drinking with a Pu-wak!
Oh Myung-woon, who had been coughing for a while, asked Kang Dae-oh with a bewildered expression.
“You’re asking me if I want to go on an entertainment show?”
“Uh-huh.”
“No, I thought, ‘Why is this busy guy suddenly visiting the salon?’ when you said you were coming. So you came to say this?”
“That’s right.”
Seeing Kang Dae-oh speak so calmly, Oh Myung-woon was even more dumbfounded.
“Why me of all people?”
“As I said before, your field of activity shouldn’t overlap with mine. You should have been very successful in business. And you should be good at speaking in front of the camera. Plus, it would be even better if you have some acquaintance with me or Yeyoung.”
When it came down to it, Oh Myung-woon was the only person who perfectly met all the various conditions.
Even so, Kang Dae-oh’s suggestion was too sudden for Oh Myung-woon.
“I’m not sure if I should appear.”
“You can do it. You said your hair studio has the highest market share nationwide, didn’t you?”
“That’s true, but…”
“Besides, celebrities often come to get their hair done. Who knows, maybe among the celebrities scheduled to appear, aside from Yeyoung, there might be someone you know.”
“If that’s the case, then appearing wouldn’t be bad.”
Since he already knew two people, Kang Dae-oh and Kang Yeyoung, he felt reassured. And the thought that he might gain additional acquaintances made him lean towards it.
In the end, after much thought, Oh Myung-woon made a decision.
“Alright. I’ll give it a try. I’ll appear this time and get some benefit from the broadcast too. I should go and promote our hair studio properly.”
“Yeah. It’s more effective than you think, so go all out.”
“Okay.”
Oh Myung-woon had already been watching Kang Dae-oh regularly promote Amare through his broadcast appearances for several years.
There were times when he thought it would be great if such an opportunity came to him too.
But he never thought that opportunity would actually come.
He felt like he would regret it later if he missed this, so he decided to give it a try for now.
“Then I’ll give your phone number to PD Kwak-nim, so if an unknown number calls, don’t just hang up, answer it first.”
“Got it. Thanks, Dae-oh. Thanks to you, I’ll get to be on TV.”
“I should be thanking you.”
Like Oh Myung-woon, Kang Dae-oh also naturally preferred having many acquaintances on the program he appeared on.
That’s because he could participate in the filming with a more comfortable mind.
“Yeyoung will be so happy when she hears you’re appearing.”
“She wouldn’t dislike it just because her dad’s friend is appearing, would she?”
“No way. All my daughters said you’re a good ahjussi.”
“Really? Then when we meet next time, I should buy them something delicious after a long time.”
Since things turned out this way, Oh Myung-woon recalled old memories and decided to play the role of a good dad’s friend for once.
