Episode 52. Investment (3)
Articles about ‘In Future,’ the new concept startup investment program co-planned and directed by Kwak Jong-su PD and Kang Yeyoung, finally began to be uploaded.
Around the same time, the date for the production presentation was also announced, drawing a lot of public attention.
Whenever Kang Dae-oh had meetings, he would frequently hear congratulations from the other companies, who had learned about his new program through the news.
Each time, Kang Dae-oh thought about the buzz surrounding the entertainment programs created by Kwak Jong-su’s team.
‘I heard Kwak PD is very famous among people who like entertainment shows.’
Kwak Jong-su PD boasted a considerably high level of recognition, not only among entertainment industry professionals but also among the general public, to the extent that he was called a ‘star PD.’
If it’s a program he planned and directed, it’s guaranteed to be at least above average.
There were many hit entertainment programs like Yoratte.
Perhaps because of his decent batting average, even broadcasting stations gave their full support to programs Kwak Jong-su PD pushed for.
Being able to appear on a program he directs could, in a sense, be considered a blessing.
Some agencies even went so far as to offer all sorts of hospitality to Kwak Jong-su PD and his head staff, just to somehow get their artists placed on his shows.
However, Kwak PD was the type to be disgusted by such things.
Thanks to this, getting into Kwak PD’s programs became even more difficult.
Nevertheless, Kang Dae-oh was able to enjoy such benefits twice.
‘Should I say I’m lucky?’
This, too, could be attributed to Kang Yeyoung.
If Kang Yeyoung hadn’t joined hands with Kwak Jong-su PD for Yoratte, Kang Dae-oh wouldn’t have been given this opportunity.
Kang Dae-oh, who had been looking at his watch, slowly stood up.
‘Is it time to leave?’
Today was the day of the ‘In Future’ production presentation that people had been eagerly waiting for.
Kang Dae-oh traveled separately by car to the production presentation venue.
There, numerous reporters were already seated, waiting for their appearance.
After exchanging brief greetings with Kwak Jong-su PD and several other individuals who would serve as evaluators alongside him in the waiting room, Kang Dae-oh soon encountered his youngest daughter, who had changed into her outfit.
“Appa!”
“Uri ttal, you’re pretty today too.”
Kang Yeyoung, dressed in a purple one-piece dress with matching heels, smiled, curling one corner of her mouth.
“Does it suit me?”
“Yes. Very much so.”
The saying that clothes make the man didn’t apply to Kang Yeyoung.
Rather, it felt as if the clothes gained more presence thanks to Kang Yeyoung.
Following her unnies, Kang Yeyoung also diligently managed herself, boasting a considerably voluminous figure.
Despite having matured considerably compared to her childhood, in Kang Dae-oh’s eyes, she still appeared as a young child whom he would have to care for his entire life.
A father’s, and a parent’s, heart couldn’t help but feel that way.
While Kang Dae-oh was talking with Kang Yeyoung for a moment, Oh Myung-woon returned from the restroom with a deep sigh.
As soon as he saw him, Kang Dae-oh chuckled in disbelief and asked, “How many times have you been to the restroom already?”
“Since I got here… maybe seven times?”
“You were counting that too?”
Kang Dae-oh had just asked to help Oh Myung-woon relax.
However, Oh Myung-woon couldn’t easily calm down, perhaps because the production presentation and everything else were new experiences for him.
Kang Dae-oh could somewhat empathize with how his friend was feeling.
Because, ‘I was like that too when I first appeared on broadcast.’
Back then, his daughters had given Kang Dae-oh a lot of strength.
This time, Kang Dae-oh wanted to be a source of strength for his friend.
“Once you do it, it’s nothing special, so there’s no need to be nervous. Just be careful not to make any slip-ups. You’re usually very careful with your words even in private, aren’t you? So don’t feel burdened, just act normally. Got it?”
“…Yeah, I should do that. Thanks. I feel a bit calmer now.”
“I’m the one who brought you here, so I can’t pretend not to care.”
Oh Myung-woon was the one who had decided to stand here after receiving Kang Dae-oh’s proposal.
Kang Dae-oh thought he had some responsibility, so he intended to help his friend diligently.
Kang Dae-oh’s comfort seemed to have a great effect in calming Oh Myung-woon’s nervous mind, as his expression became much more relaxed compared to earlier.
Even so, “I’ll just go to the restroom one last time.”
Kang Dae-oh chuckled at his friend’s words.
“Alright.”
The desire to empty his bowels remained unchanged.
Kang Dae-oh, along with Kwak PD and the cast members, took the stage at the production presentation and skillfully answered reporters’ questions.
“I’m reporter Choi Yong-il from Just Media. If there’s a participant in ‘In Future’ who presents an item that truly captivates CEO Kang, would you consider investing in it directly?”
A fresh question came in.
Originally, the evaluators of ‘In Future’ were simply in a position to assess whether a business item would succeed or not.
After all, once it aired, investors would gather on their own.
But what if, as the reporter suggested, there was a participant who brought an item that truly captured Kang Dae-oh’s heart?
What would happen then?
Kang Dae-oh first exchanged glances with Kwak PD.
Kwak PD nodded, seemingly conveying various meanings.
As soon as he saw that, Kang Dae-oh picked up the microphone.
“If, as the reporter said, there is indeed a truly excellent business item… I am willing to invest directly.”
Short exclamations of ‘Oh!’ erupted from various places.
This meant that the evaluators could also potentially become investors.
Kang Dae-oh thought saying this would encourage participants to be more active and diligent in preparing for ‘In Future.’
Because among the participants, there would surely be some who decided to appear on the program because they wanted to see, or admired, those participating as evaluators.
Being recognized and even receiving investment from someone you respect is a great honor.
As soon as they heard Kang Dae-oh’s answer, the reporters’ fingers began to dance busily on their laptop keyboards.
Meanwhile, Kwak Jong-su PD secretly gave Kang Dae-oh a thumbs up.
It was an action indicating a perfect answer.
Indeed. With Kang Dae-oh, who had previously worked with Kwak PD, confidently on the cast list, he couldn’t feel more reassured.
Kang Yeyoung was no different.
“May I also say something regarding that question?”
The reporters simultaneously nodded.
“Although I’m in charge of the MC role, unlike the evaluators… I’m also willing to invest if I find a good item.”
Kang Yeyoung also had her own company.
It wasn’t a company specializing in investment. It was a one-person company Kang Yeyoung had established recently after leaving Erowool Entertainment, for her own broadcast and content production and planning activities.
However, for a one-person company, it boasted an unsuitably vast capital.
This was because Kang Yeyoung had diligently earned money by informing Kang Dae-oh about various investment information.
Since she already knew how to make money, it was a very easy task for her.
So, Kang Yeyoung also had enough capacity to invest in someone.
Thanks to Kang Yeyoung’s bombshell announcement, a peculiar light shone in the reporters’ eyes.
Today, they had come to the production presentation with light hearts but ended up with numerous unexpected scoops.
Kwak Jong-su PD added another thumb, giving a double thumbs-up this time.
Kang Dae-oh was 100 points.
Kang Yeyoung was 200 points.
Kang Dae-oh, confirming Kwak PD’s gesture, swallowed a bitter smile inwardly.
‘They say no parent can beat their child.’
That saying was true.
After the production presentation ended, time passed, and finally, the first filming day for ‘In Future’ arrived.
Kang Dae-oh, who arrived at the filming set first, quickly skimmed through the script.
Just then, the second cast member appeared in the waiting room where Kang Dae-oh was.
“Hello, Dae-oh-ya.”
“You came?”
Seeing Oh Myung-woon, Kang Dae-oh lightly raised and then lowered his hand.
“Did you see the script?”
“Yeah. But do I have to memorize all of this?”
“No need to memorize it. Just understand how the sequence proceeds, that’s enough. Yeyoung will handle the rest.”
Kang Dae-oh had not only seen Kang Yeyoung’s hosting abilities multiple times but had also experienced them firsthand.
If she saw someone among the cast who seemed lost, Kang Yeyoung would personally take care of them.
In terms of hosting ability alone, Kang Yeyoung was a step above Kang Yera and Kang Yebin.
That’s because Kang Yeyoung had been creating video content by herself with a camera since she was young, handling everything from planning to hosting.
Naturally, her speaking skills had to improve.
Perhaps because of this, Kang Yeyoung had surprisingly often been formally invited as an MC and hosted several programs, not just her own planned video content.
Kang Yeyoung, dressed in a women’s suit, visited the waiting room where Kang Dae-oh and Oh Myung-woon were.
“Oh my. Ahjussi, you’re here?”
“Hi, Yeyoung-ah. You’re dressed even prettier than at the production presentation?”
“It’s the first broadcast, so I have to put a lot of effort into it.”
Kang Yeyoung played a role like the ‘face’ of ‘In Future.’
Thanks to that, she had to pay a lot of attention to her appearance.
Kang Yeyoung pointed outside and said, “I saw earlier when I came here, there are so many participants.”
“Really? How many are there?”
Oh Myung-woon asked with interest.
“When I roughly heard from the staff… probably about 250?”
“Woah, that many?”
However, Kang Dae-oh shook his head, indicating there was no need to be surprised.
“250 is already a reduced number. Originally, even more people flocked. But there were so many applicants that the production team reviewed the applications and documents, and even went through a simple interview process, only then managing to narrow it down to 250.”
“Were there so many people interested in starting businesses?”
“Yes, many. Considering the self-employment rate in Korea, 250 might even feel like a small number.”
South Korea is by no means a country with a low rate of single-person startups.
Moreover, with the rapid changes of the times due to the activation of the internet and smartphone markets, there were many people with creative ideas targeting this.
Kang Dae-oh was very curious how many of them would manage to capture the hearts of the evaluators.
‘Wait. Come to think of it…’
Kang Dae-oh turned his head towards Kang Yeyoung.
‘Doesn’t Yeyoung roughly know who will succeed?’
Kang Dae-oh belatedly realized that the person who could make an even more accurate assessment than the evaluators was right nearby.
