Episode 22. Auspicious Occasion (3)
Exactly 1:00 PM.
As soon as Kang Dae-oh checked the current time, he stretched.
Then he looked for Lee Seojun and asked him to take care of things in the back of the store.
Lee Seojun tilted his head and asked.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“Uh. I have a filming scheduled at the broadcasting station at 2 PM later.”
“Huh???”
At the mention of filming, Lee Seojun showed a bewildered reaction.
He wouldn’t have been surprised if it was Kang Yera, Kang Yebin, or Kang Yeyoung. But ‘filming’ wasn’t a word that usually came out of Kang Dae-oh’s mouth.
“Are you appearing, CEO?”
“Uh, that’s right.”
“You mean Yeyoung’s YouTube video, right?”
“I think I just said ‘broadcasting station’.”
“……”
It wasn’t a personal shoot, but an official one at the broadcasting station.
Confusion began to mount in Lee Seojun’s mind.
At that moment, Choi Sein appeared and subtly joined the two men’s conversation.
“You’re going for the ‘On the Stage’ recording, right? I think I heard that Yera advanced to the final stage, so they need to film an interview video with her family.”
“That’s right. How did you know?”
“The madam brought Yera here last time and it came up while we were talking. Since the contents of the main round 3 haven’t been broadcast yet, she asked me to keep Yera’s advancement to the finals a secret for now.”
Kang Dae-oh would know anyway. So, Choi Sein spoke without hiding anything.
Unlike the other two, Lee Seojun had never heard of it.
“Yera advanced to the finals?”
“Uh. I heard it was confirmed last time.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, CEO!”
“Because it was supposed to be a secret.”
If rumors of audition results were to spread because of him, Kang Yera’s position would become very awkward.
That’s why Kang Dae-oh was intentionally keeping quiet.
Because one of the most important things in the entertainment industry is keeping silent.
“Anyway, that’s how it is. I’ll go first. Got it?”
“Yes. Although I found out late, congratulations, CEO. I’ll definitely go see the final stage too.”
Kang Dae-oh nodded and thanked Lee Seojun.
Since he had to arrive at the broadcasting station on time, Kang Dae-oh immediately left the cafe and drove home.
He had to pick up Min Seung-yeon, Kang Yebin, and Kang Yeyoung.
Kang Yera was still at school, so she couldn’t join them.
Since it was an interview filming only for family members, it didn’t really matter whether Kang Yera was there or not.
Therefore, Kang Dae-oh felt that the timing was actually perfect.
Because if he were to film an interview in front of Kang Yera, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to speak honestly.
It would go through several filters. Then, the interview might lack sincerity, making it ambiguous.
But it would also be too cold to tell Kang Yera to stay home alone.
‘Elementary school classes are really helpful at times like this.’
Upon arriving near home, Min Seung-yeon, who had received his call and was waiting outside, approached Kang Dae-oh’s car with Kang Yebin and Kang Yeyoung.
Min Seung-yeon, after putting the two children in the backseat, naturally took a seat in the front passenger seat.
The moment he saw his wife, Kang Dae-oh smiled meaningfully and said.
“You prepared a lot, didn’t you?”
“……”
Min Seung-yeon’s cheeks flushed slightly.
His wife’s full makeup, something truly rare to see outside of a wedding hall.
Min Seung-yeon’s beauty, adorned with sincerity, was beautiful even to her husband, Kang Dae-oh.
No, perhaps she looked even prettier because he was her husband.
Min Seung-yeon placed her handbag on her lap and said.
“It’s an interview filming to celebrate our daughter reaching the finals. Mom can’t just go out casually, can she?”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
Looking at his even more beautiful wife, Kang Dae-oh somehow felt good.
Kang Yeyoung looked at her dad, who had an excited expression, and showed a peculiar smile.
“Unnie. Should we take a taxi and go separately?”
Then Min Seung-yeon immediately glared at Kang Yeyoung using the rearview mirror.
Kang Yeyoung, with her lips sealed, turned her head to look out the window to avoid her mother’s gaze.
Kang Dae-oh swallowed a laugh once more at the chemistry between mother and daughter.
The interview filming took place in a small studio set up next to the main filming set of ‘On the Stage’.
Traces of interview filming for other finalists’ families from earlier time slots were visible everywhere.
“Hello.”
Kang Dae-oh approached the PD, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, and greeted him first.
At the sight of Kang Dae-oh, the PD’s face immediately brightened.
“Yera’s father! It’s been a long time. You’ve been well, haven’t you?”
“I’ve been busy with the shop. But I think you, PD-nim, must have been even busier than me.”
‘On the Stage’ was so hot that it was currently ranking first in popularity and viewership ratings across both public and cable broadcasting in the entertainment category.
It seemed the broadcasting station hadn’t anticipated ‘On the Stage’ becoming such a huge topic, so they initially provided little support, but later hurriedly revised their plans to expand the production scale.
As the program expanded to an unforeseen scale, the PD in charge of directing must have been incredibly busy.
That’s why Kang Dae-oh said what he just did.
Nevertheless, the PD’s face looked much brighter than when they first met during the program’s planning stage.
“Yera’s father, as someone who runs a business, you’d know well. Being busy is a hundred, a thousand times better than being quiet.”
“That’s right.”
Kang Dae-oh could deeply empathize with these words.
Because being quiet for him also meant having no customers at the shop.
This was a matter connected to his and his family’s livelihood, so it wasn’t a welcome phenomenon.
It was much better to be busy, as the PD said.
It was the same for the PD.
Because the program was popular.
Because the programs were receiving fervent attention and support from the public.
Even this busyness felt like happiness to him.
If one were to ask why ‘On the Stage’ became such a hit, there would probably be several reasons.
Among them, a significant portion would likely be the rivalry between Kang Yera and Ahn Yeseul – or Ahn Yeseul and Kang Yera.
The PD saw it that way.
“Ah, perfect timing. There’s someone who said they really wanted to meet Yera’s family when they came.”
“Who is it?”
When Kang Dae-oh first heard this from the PD, he thought it would be one of the broadcasting station’s officials.
Perhaps someone who had taken notice of Kang Yera’s talent and wanted to meet Kang Dae-oh.
However, Kang Dae-oh’s expectation was spectacularly off the mark.
“Yeseul’s father! Over here!”
At the PD’s call, a man of small stature approached Kang Dae-oh.
He introduced himself with a deep smile.
“Hello. I am Yeseul’s father, Ahn Jio.”
Ahn Yeseul’s biological father, Kang Yera’s rival and a senior figure, had his first meeting with Kang Dae-oh.
Before starting the interview filming.
Kang Dae-oh had a brief conversation with Ahn Jio.
Before that.
Kang Yebin quietly whispered to Kang Dae-oh.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself, Dad?”
She asked because she was worried that Kang Dae-oh might get nervous and not speak properly, given that Ahn Jio was a popular music industry figure who used to be a singer.
If needed, Kang Yebin and Kang Yeyoung could stay by his side and provide support.
However, Kang Dae-oh shook his head, saying there was no need for that.
“It’s just for us dads to talk. It’s fine.”
Kang Dae-oh didn’t just see Ahn Jio as a living fossil of the Korean pop music industry.
He saw him as another father who had a daughter, just like himself.
That’s how he saw him.
“Go to your mom first. Dad will talk with Yeseul’s father for a bit and then come.”
Kang Yebin reluctantly nodded.
As time was made for the two fathers alone, Ahn Jio spoke first.
Because he had something he was curious about regarding Kang Dae-oh.
“Looking at Yera, she seems to have a very deep understanding of music. But Yeseul told me that Yera has never received formal music education. So, I was curious if her mother or father had ever worked in the music industry before, and that’s why I really wanted to meet you.”
It was one of the questions he frequently heard.
Kang Dae-oh shook his head, indicating that it wasn’t true.
“Neither of us has any such experience. The children’s mother worked as a model. I was an ordinary salaryman and now I’ve started a cafe and am running it.”
“I see. That’s fascinating.”
Kang Dae-oh wouldn’t lie.
He had somewhat expected it, but knowing it was truly the case, Ahn Jio found it very fascinating.
“Yeseul praises Yera a lot at home. When she comes back after recordings, she always talks about Yera… And it’s the same when I see them on broadcast. I think they’ll be good rivals.”
Kang Dae-oh also nodded at Ahn Jio’s words.
“Yera also cares a lot about Yeseul. She says there’s a lot to learn from her.”
“Haha. Later, after the broadcast ends, maybe our families could have a meal together……”
He was in the middle of speaking.
Ahn Jio seemed to recall something in the middle and showed a troubled expression.
“Come to think of it, dads shouldn’t just make plans on their own. Our daughters’ wishes are the most important.”
At those words, Kang Dae-oh smiled faintly and nodded.
At first, he had worried that this face-to-face conversation with Ahn Jio might become awkward.
But after realizing that he, like Kang Dae-oh, was a father who was weak when it came to his daughter, a strange sense of familiarity began to grow.
Finally, the day of the ‘On the Stage’ finals arrived.
The final stage was scheduled to begin at 9 PM.
Before then, Kang Dae-oh headed with his family to the special stage set up inside the broadcasting station.
The audience seats were already packed with fans, families, and acquaintances who had come to support the participants.
Fortunately, the families had designated seats, so they didn’t need to search for empty ones.
With Kang Yebin and Kang Yeyoung in the middle, Kang Dae-oh and Min Seung-yeon took seats on each side.
Even though there was still a lot of time left until the stage began, Min Seung-yeon was already so nervous her heart felt like it would burst.
“Our Yera, she’ll do well, right? Huh? If she makes a mistake and cries on stage, I think I’ll cry too……”
No matter that Kang Yera was a regressor from the future, to her parents, she was still a young child to be cared for and cherished.
Just imagining her precious daughter crying alone on stage made Min Seung-yeon’s heart feel heavy.
Kang Dae-oh shook his head and said.
“It’s okay. Trust Yera. She’s our daughter, isn’t she?”
Perhaps thanks to her husband’s comfort, Min Seung-yeon’s expression became a little more relaxed.
He hoped that his eldest daughter’s unfulfilled dream would unfold on this stage.
Kang Dae-oh earnestly wished for it.
