Episode 56. Sunbaenim (1)
Amare, Yuth, and the dessert specialty store La Dolce. Following these, Kang Dae-oh is preparing to launch his fourth label, a snack food specialty brand, Kangssi Tteokbokki.
Finally, with the official launch date set, various promotions simultaneously entered the planning stage.
Having keenly realized the importance of marketing while doing business, Kang Dae-oh plans to focus as much as possible on marketing this time as well.
Of course, the taste must be fundamentally good.
If they promote hard, but the reactions of people who actually buy and eat food from Kangssi Tteokbokki are lukewarm, it would be meaningless.
There would only be a momentary dazzling effect.
Business is ultimately a long race. Since it’s not a short-distance race, it needs to be viewed long-term.
So, Kang Dae-oh brought various experts to Amare and researched flavors that could more faithfully target people’s palates.
As a result of receiving help from various testers,
the taste reached a stage where it could be definitively guaranteed.
Now, only the task of informing people about these hard-earned results remains.
Who to use as a promotional model, what kind of events to hold – these things are also important, but.
“The opinion that a signature jingle to be played in stores is needed came out overwhelmingly in the strategy meeting.”
Kang Dae-oh listened attentively to Vice President Yoo In-seok’s report.
“You’re talking about a commercial jingle, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Moreover, these days, other food service companies are also rushing to create catchy commercial jingles.”
A type of commercial jingle that keeps coming to mind without even realizing it is needed.
This is because each of these things greatly influences customer attraction.
Amare also has its own commercial jingle.
However, they hadn’t really benefited from the commercial jingle as much as they had hoped.
How about fulfilling the regret from back then with the launch of this new food service brand?
This was precisely what Vice President Yoo In-seok was trying to say.
Kang Dae-oh fell into deep thought.
“Then we’ll need to secure someone to create the commercial jingle.”
“Regarding the securing of talent, I will handle it well. CEO Kang, you don’t need to bother with every single detail like this.”
“No. I should pay attention. It’s our company’s fourth new restaurant brand to be unveiled.”
And Kangssi Tteokbokki is even more significant because it’s Amare’s first venture into the food service sector, moving beyond the limited categories of cafes and desserts.
It’s also necessary to widely inform people that Amare is no longer just a cafe-limited brand.
This is because only then can they continue to branch out into other food service areas in the future.
“Coincidentally, I know a producer. Shall I ask them once?”
“Who is it?”
“It’s someone I had a special connection with a long time ago. They weren’t that famous back then. But now, they’ve become a very famous producer. Vice President, do you perhaps know Producer Na Jun-tae?”
“Na Jun-tae… I think I’ve heard that name somewhere.”
“He is Harin’s producer.”
“Ah!”
Vice President Yoo In-seok couldn’t immediately recall who it was when he only heard the producer’s name, wondering ‘Who is that?’, but.
The moment he heard who the representative idol he was in charge of was, he immediately recognized him.
“My children also really like the singer Harin. I heard she recently had a world tour concert. They say she’s a very famous singer.”
“Kang Yera and Harin also sang a children’s animation song together a long time ago.”
“Ah…! Now that you mention it, I remember you talking about it a long time ago, CEO.”
It was such a long time ago that his memory was hazy, but Kang Dae-oh remembered that incident clearly.
Because during the recording, Kang Yera had said something to Kang Dae-oh.
“Even though Producer Na Jun-tae and the singer Harin are currently unknown producers and unknown singers not well-known to people,”
“With time, they will be reborn as national-level figures representing South Korea in their respective positions.”
Kang Yera’s words ultimately came true, just like a prophecy.
Kang Dae-oh still had Producer Na Jun-tae’s phone number, which he had received a long time ago, saved in his phonebook.
Although he would occasionally contact him to check in.
‘I’ve never formally commissioned him for work, though.’
On this occasion, Kang Dae-oh planned to contact Producer Na Jun-tae after a long time.
Vice President Yoo In-seok nodded briefly and said,
“If you give me Producer Na Jun-tae’s phone number, I’ll contact him.”
“No. I’ll contact him myself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It’s a chance for us to see each other after a long time because of this, isn’t it?”
Vice President Yoo In-seok seemed to empathize with Kang Dae-oh’s words, saying “Alright” and immediately agreeing with him.
“I hope things work out well.”
“They will work out well. Probably.”
There was no definite basis.
Yet, despite that.
He had a good feeling about it for some reason.
Although he had confidently told Vice President Yoo In-seok that he would contact him directly and to wait,
Kang Dae-oh was actually a bit anxious.
Since it had been such a long time since he contacted Producer Na Jun-tae, he wondered if he would even recognize Kang Dae-oh. Or perhaps he might have recognized Kang Dae-oh’s number as an unknown one and deleted it. Worries belatedly flooded in.
This worry intensified the longer his reply was delayed.
Even though he was watching TV with Kang Yeyoung and Min Seung-yeon in the living room, the text message he had sent to him before leaving work kept replaying in Kang Dae-oh’s mind.
He had sent a long greeting message starting with, ‘Hello, this is Kang Dae-oh. Hope you’ve been well?’
There was still no reply.
‘Did I send it to a different number? No, I sent it correctly.’
He checked again and again, but Kang Dae-oh hadn’t made any particular mistake.
Meanwhile, Min Seung-yeon seemed bothered by Kang Dae-oh constantly fiddling with his smartphone for a while, so she mentioned it.
“Are you expecting a call or something?”
“Well… something like that.”
“Is it work-related?”
“Half right, half wrong.”
“What does that mean?”
Min Seung-yeon made a puzzled expression.
This was because Kang Dae-oh’s answer was not clear and was vague.
To this, Kang Yeyoung said with a meaningful smile,
“No way. You don’t have a secret lover, do you?”
“Of course not.”
He warned Kang Yeyoung not to make such scary jokes.
Kang Dae-oh was a man who was devoted to Min Seung-yeon his entire life.
Before marrying her, Kang Dae-oh had often been envied for taking Min Seung-yeon as his wife.
Min Seung-yeon was such a good woman that Kang Dae-oh thought she was more than he deserved.
She even actively helped Kang Dae-oh pursue his dreams even when they were financially struggling.
It made no sense for him to disregard Min Seung-yeon and look at another woman.
Min Seung-yeon’s mindset was no different.
Perhaps because of this, she completely ruled out the idea that Kang Dae-oh had another woman in his heart from the very beginning.
There were only four other women Kang Dae-oh could hold in his heart besides Min Seung-yeon.
Kang Dae-oh’s mother.
And Kang Dae-oh’s three daughters.
Min Seung-yeon intended to allow only up to this point.
Beyond that, there was no room. It would be best to consider it fully booked.
Kang Dae-oh was about to tell his curious wife and daughter whose call he was waiting for.
At that moment.
Viiing!
The vibration sound signaling the reply Kang Dae-oh had been waiting for so eagerly was heard.
As expected, it was a reply from Producer Na Jun-tae.
[I apologize, CEO. I checked the message a while ago, but I was driving, so I thought I’d reply later, and now I’ve only just remembered to send a reply.]
‘He was driving. Then it can’t be helped.’
He decided to generously understand if that was the reason.
After checking the reply, Kang Dae-oh mentioned the identity of the person he was exchanging messages with, for his wife and youngest daughter, whose curiosity was almost piercing the ceiling.
“It’s Producer Na Jun-tae. You know who that is, right?”
“Producer Na Jun-tae? Are you talking about the person who recorded the animation song with Yera a long time ago?”
As expected, Min Seung-yeon remembered.
“Uh-huh. That’s him.”
Although she had never met Producer Na Jun-tae directly, Kang Yeyoung, who also had deep connections in the entertainment industry, showed a surprised reaction upon hearing her dad’s words.
“Why Producer Na Jun-tae?”
“You know we’re launching Kangssi Tteokbokki this time. Well, there were a lot of opinions internally that it would be good to have a commercial jingle that would really stick in people’s minds! So, I said I’d try contacting Producer Na Jun-tae. Also, to say hello after a long time.”
“If Producer Na Jun-tae takes it on, it seems like it would be good. As for money, well, that won’t be a problem for dad, so it doesn’t matter. But time might be difficult.”
As Producer Na Jun-tae is a very famous person in the music industry, there are also a considerable number of people who wish to commission songs from him.
It was even joked that one would have to wait at least two years to commission a song from him.
To that extent, the voices of people seeking Producer Na Jun-tae were constantly heard in the entertainment industry.
Because he was someone who produced results commensurate with the long wait, Producer Na Jun-tae’s popularity was comparable to that of most celebrities.
To the extent that he was nicknamed ‘Hit Song Maker.’
One could tell just by looking at the success of Harin and her group Servie.
However, they are not currently active under the name Servie.
This was because several members had gotten married, and they were no longer in a situation where they could continue idol activities.
But Harin continued her singing career as a solo artist.
Harin was also the sunbaenim whom Kang Yera most respected and wanted to work with someday.
Kang Dae-oh sent a text message to Na Jun-tae asking if they could meet sometime soon.
This time, the reply was quick.
[Yes, of course! I’m always very welcoming, CEO!]
Producer Na Jun-tae was greatly pleased about the meeting with Kang Dae-oh.
Indeed. The premonition Kang Dae-oh had felt was correct.
The meeting with Producer Na Jun-tae was arranged faster than Kang Dae-oh had expected.
The location was set as the entertainment agency that Producer Na Jun-tae had established.
As he happened to have some business nearby, Kang Dae-oh headed towards the agency building with light steps.
After parking his car nearby and heading towards the building, a small exclamation escaped Kang Dae-oh’s lips.
“Even from a distance, it’s a building that strongly gives off the vibe of an ‘entertainment agency’.”
In the past, when he brought Kang Yera for recording, it was done in a shabby semi-basement recording studio.
Na Jun-tae had now become a respectable agency CEO and was waiting for his meeting with Kang Dae-oh.
The meeting hadn’t even been finalized yet.
Was it because he was about to meet an old acquaintance after a long time?
Kang Dae-oh was already feeling a flutter.
