Episode 26. Best Scene (1)
Kang Yebin, who was going to be a 3rd grader in elementary school this year.
She was, without a doubt, the most popular girl in her class.
In fact, as soon as the new semester began, boys and girls alike swarmed around Kang Yebin.
What made the children so enthusiastic?
The answer was already clear.
“Yebin-ah! If you film a drama, can you really see celebrities?”
“What are you talking about? Of course you can see them, right? I’m filming a drama with them.”
“Suyeon is right.”
“What’s it like to see celebrities in real life? Huh?”
“Are they really as cool and pretty as they look on TV? Tell me!”
“……”
As the children’s pestering began, Kang Yebin unconsciously pressed her temples.
She hadn’t even had alcohol. It felt like a hangover-like headache was coming on.
She didn’t particularly dislike the children.
However, when they approached her so overtly, and without any hesitation, Kang Yebin would instinctively become wary.
Wouldn’t it have been different if it were unnie?
If it were Kang Yeyoung, she might have even enjoyed such an outpouring of attention.
But Kang Yebin is not Kang Yera.
How can their personalities be so different, despite being sisters?
Sometimes, she envied Kang Yeyoung’s sociability.
Like now.
How could she overcome this crisis? While she was deep in thought.
“Sorry, just passing through for a moment.”
Someone broke through the crowd of children and approached Kang Yebin, grabbing her wrist.
Coincidentally, it was a face Kang Yebin knew very well.
The first friend Kang Yebin made during her kindergarten days.
It was Yang Jiyoon.
“Yebin is going to the restroom with me, so please move aside.”
The children were immediately intimidated by the aura Yang Jiyoon exuded.
When Kang Yebin first saw her in kindergarten, Yang Jiyoon was a very shy child, to the point of being a bundle of shyness.
However, after entering the same elementary school as Kang Yebin and living with friends, her personality gradually changed to what it is now.
She had transformed into a straightforward girl who could clearly and directly express her opinions.
Thanks to her, Kang Yebin was able to escape safely from the group of children.
Kang Yebin, who had come out into the hallway, let out a small sigh and thanked Yang Jiyoon.
“Thanks, Jiyoon-ah. You saved me.”
“Of course I have to help you, you’re my friend.”
Yang Jiyoon replied with a bright smile, as if nothing had happened.
“More importantly, I heard you had a shoot today, so I thought I wouldn’t see you at school. You came to school after all. I didn’t know.”
“The shoot is later in the evening.”
If time permits, Kang Yebin tries her best to attend school.
While focusing on acting to pursue her dream is good.
She didn’t want to give up her studies entirely.
This was also Min Seung-yeon’s wish.
Academics are a very important factor in living in this world.
Yang Jiyoon, who peeked her head in to check the situation inside the classroom, shook her head and said.
“No way. If we go into the classroom right now, the kids might rush at you again like before. Let’s go in later.”
Kang Yebin nodded briefly at her friend’s suggestion.
When she was young.
No, even before her regression, Kang Yebin had never deeply felt the necessity of having friends.
But now, her thoughts had completely changed.
A friend is someone you can reliably lean on when you’re in trouble.
Through Yang Jiyoon, Kang Yebin keenly felt this truth.
Kang Yebin, who had settled on the stairs leading down to the playground, looked at the chocolate-flavored stick snack Yang Jiyoon offered her to try.
Seeing Kang Yebin just staring blankly, Yang Jiyoon asked, just in case.
“Are you on a diet because of your drama shoot?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Oh? That’s good. If you were on a diet, I might have nagged you not to do it.”
“Why?”
“Why diet when there’s no fat to lose?”
In Yang Jiyoon’s opinion, Kang Yebin looked better if she gained a little more weight.
Still, the beauty standards applied in the world of celebrities and the world of ordinary people are different.
Yang Jiyoon knew this well.
Nevertheless, she didn’t want to see her friend becoming gaunt from balancing filming and studies.
Had Yang Jiyoon’s wish reached Kang Yebin’s heart?
Kang Yebin reached out and picked up the stick snack her friend offered.
“I’ll eat it well.”
As soon as she took a big bite, the sweet chocolate scent filled her small mouth.
“This is delicious.”
“Right? Yesterday, on my way home, there was a new dessert shop that just opened. I bought it there, and it was so delicious. I kept one in the fridge to give to you and secretly brought it to school.”
Yang Jiyoon’s affection and fondness for her friend, whether in kindergarten or in 3rd grade of elementary school.
Remained unchanged.
Kang Yebin, who had devoured the snack Yang Jiyoon gave her in an instant, brushed off the crumbs from her mouth with her hand.
Then, Yang Jiyoon took out a handkerchief and wiped her friend’s mouth herself.
“Then it’ll get on your hands. Just stay still. I’ll do it.”
“……Thanks.”
How should I put it.
As she received Yang Jiyoon’s care, Kang Yebin suddenly felt as if Min Seung-yeon was right in front of her.
A friend like a mother.
Yang Jiyoon gazed intently at Kang Yebin’s face with a satisfied smile.
“I like how pretty you are today.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“……”
At her friend’s direct words, Kang Yebin briefly pondered how she should react.
Yang Jiyoon, who had put the handkerchief back into her pocket, sat next to her and brought up the topic of the drama.
“My mom really likes the drama you’re in. Me too.”
“You mean ‘Princesses of the City’, right?”
“Yeah. That’s right. That one.”
It was a new drama by PD Lee Changsub, who directed the drama ‘Memory Bookstore’, a comedic melodrama that tells the stories of five sisters in an omnibus format.
Among them, Kang Yebin was playing the role of the youngest princess, the fifth child in the family.
Since it was almost a semi-supporting role, she had a lot of lines to handle.
Nevertheless, Kang Yebin showcased acting skills that were on par with senior actors, receiving immense love from viewers.
Even on set, Kang Yebin’s evaluation was quite high.
Perhaps because the drama also turned out to be fun, its viewership ratings were doing better than competing programs in the same time slot.
“When I tell people my friend is the youngest actress in ‘Princesses of the City’, everyone gets surprised. They even ask if she can get them autographs.”
“If you need an autograph, just tell me. If it’s your request, I can do it anytime.”
“Really? Thanks.”
“I’m more thankful.”
Thanks to Yang Jiyoon, Kang Yebin no longer feared school.
Just for this, Kang Yebin was immensely grateful for Yang Jiyoon’s presence.
Furthermore, she also had this thought.
Since she learned that Yang Jiyoon enjoyed watching ‘Princesses of the City’.
She should try to film even harder.
By acquiring Étoile, Amare’s growth trajectory was sharply upward.
As the company grew, the number of stores increased. And as the number of stores increased, so did the need for employees to manage them.
Today, Kang Dae-oh had to conduct interviews all morning with the HR team to hire new employees.
During the process, Kang Dae-oh recalled being surprised several times while looking at resumes.
“Everyone had really good academic backgrounds, didn’t they?”
Even graduating students from prestigious universities in Seoul submitted many applications to Amare.
Director Shin Youngjoon, who was in charge of the HR team, nodded several times and continued.
“From what I hear from the young people, Amare is gaining a reputation as a good place to work among university students.”
“Why is that? We don’t have anything special compared to other food service companies… aren’t we just treating them according to the standards everyone else uses?”
“These days, that’s a big advantage.”
Director Shin Youngjoon explained in detail the ‘big advantage’ he mentioned, while tidying his briefcase.
“Because the economy is so difficult, there are many companies that fall behind on salaries. Companies unilaterally tell employees not to come in starting tomorrow without notice. And they don’t even adhere to the minimum wage. I’ve heard that the frequency of such incidents has increased recently. But isn’t our Amare a company where you don’t have to worry about such things, at least?”
“That’s right.”
“That seems to have greatly appealed to young students. A company where they can commute stably without worries. As places that can satisfy these conditions become increasingly rare, we are relatively highly valued.”
Kang Dae-oh couldn’t be purely happy.
It was because he keenly felt that it was becoming harder for everyone to make a living.
My own prosperity isn’t the solution.
Because it is the fate of self-employed individuals for sales to fluctuate according to economic conditions.
Nevertheless, Kang Dae-oh wasn’t overly worried.
Because he had not just one, but three beings by his side who could be considered cheat codes.
Director Shin Youngjoon asked Kang Dae-oh.
“Since the interview schedule is over. Shall we go have a meal with the HR team employees?”
“I have a separate appointment, so I think I should go first.”
“Is it work-related? If so, I’ll join you too……”
Kang Dae-oh shook his head, indicating it was something else.
“My second daughter has an outdoor shoot nearby. I’m going to go see her face for a bit.”
“You mean Miss Yebin.”
At the word ‘Miss’, Kang Dae-oh let out an awkward laugh.
Perhaps because they were the daughters of the CEO they served, Director Shin Youngjoon and some other executives often referred to the three daughters as ‘Miss’ or ‘Princess’.
Kang Yera and Kang Yeyoung reacted as if they quite liked the title ‘Miss’.
But Kang Yebin was very embarrassed.
However, ironically, Kang Yebin, who was most unfamiliar with such titles, was actually playing the role of the youngest princess in ‘Princesses of the City’.
Kang Dae-oh couldn’t help but unconsciously swallow a bitter laugh.
Director Shin Youngjoon, trying to hide his regret that he couldn’t help, took a step back.
“We can’t disturb a father and daughter’s private time. Please go carefully.”
“Thank you for your understanding, Director. Oh, and you mentioned something earlier, didn’t you? About telling you who among the interviewed applicants I liked.”
“Yes.”
Kang Dae-oh handed him the entire folder containing the resumes and said.
“Hire all of them.”
“All of them······?”
“Yes. We’ll need to keep hiring people in the future anyway.”
It’s not that we don’t have money, but rather that we lack people to do the work.
To keep pushing forward, bold and quick decisions are necessary.
Now is exactly that time.
