12 Hours After

Translator: Khan

Editor: RED

Five boys with yellow and brown hair said with open hands at once, “Hello! We’re… Hearts Hunter’s!”

This was the so-called “idol-like greeting.” It was amazing to see what I’d only seen on television in front of my eyes.

“I’m Sungjin, the leader. I’m in charge of dancing and singing in the team.”

“I’m Franz. I’m in charge of rapping on the team.”

“I’m Maha. I’m in charge of dancing on the team.”

To be honest, I wasn’t interested in boy bands at all. Maybe that was why it was the first time I’d seen them.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”

The group of boys passed by, bright-looking girls came up and said hello, “Please take a good look! Uptown Girls.”

I was greeted again by idols. Unlike boy bands, I was familiar with famous girl groups, but these girls were also my first time. Nevertheless, like any girl’s group, their beauty was outstanding. Walking along Gangnam Boulevard, men’s eyes were sure to follow automatically. Each of them had a separate pose and self-introduction.

“Venus Serin!”

“Jupiter Sujin!”

“Mercury Ha Young!”

‘Isn’t this the concept of Sailor Moon? I shook hands with them even AS I thought about it.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you, please have a good performance.”

I looked around after being greeted for a long time.

Heh… Secretary Seo was looking at the Uptown Girls with his mouth open slightly. “Secretary Seo!”

When I called his name, he looked at me in surprise, “Yes, boss?”

“After this is over, I want you to look into all the names of the trainees, actors, singers, group entertainers from OH Entertainment, and report to me. ”

“Yes, I see.”

Just in case I said one more thing, “Not their stage names, but their real names. Okay?”

“Yes, I see.”

Many actors, singers, entertainers, and trainees shook hands with me. Everyone said they were celebrities, but it was my first time seeing them. There were so many people I couldn’t remember seeing anywhere.

‘But television only shines on successful entertainers… There are more than 100 new girl groups a year, right? Celebrities on television are handsome, pretty and colorful, but there are very few people, really. The public is only seeing the good side of the entertainment industry.’

At the end of the handshake, I could hear a murmur in the distance.

‘What is it?’ As soon as I glanced over, a handsome young man walked over, looking at me.

Kwon, who had been quiet, said, “CEO Han, this is Kim Jun-hyung.”

‘Oh, this man.’ Before the merger, Kim Jun-hyung was a CKD ace. I’d seen him many times in the movies, or in the dramas.

He came up to me, bowed his head and offered me a handshake. “Thank you, CEO. I’m Kim Jun-hyung. I look forward to your kind cooperation.”

He was a handsome man, and he looked good and bright. His smile was a good thing for women.

‘I heard that the work he had taken in China was blocked by Hanhanlyeong and was unable to come out.’ I shook hands with him and said, “Did you act in a recent historical movie?”

“Oh, yes. You mean the Wind and the Waves?”

“Yes, the Wind and the Waves. I watched you play the role of the prince.”

“Thank you. I will continue to work hard.”

At the end of my greeting with Kim Jun-hyung, I got a sense of who was coming to me.

Clump clump. The owner of the heavy shoes was none other than Oh Hyun-joo, the best actress of OH Entertainment.

“Good to see you, Mr. President.”

“Glad to see you, Ms. Oh.”

We exchanged greetings only briefly. It was supposed to be something that didn’t exist. When others were looking at us, we should be first acquaintances. Like this, after finishing greetings with all the celebrities, I entered the president’s office of OH Entertainment with President Kwon.

“You did a good job, boss.”

“It was nothing. You did a good job, President Kwon. Anyway, we’ve got a rough arrangement. As I said before, I’m not going to interfere with the company’s affairs directly. President Kwon, I want you to do well on your own.”

“Yes, boss.”

“But sometimes, I may recommend people or not recommend them.”

“Recommend or not recommend?”

“Yes, I don’t know anything else, but I’ve always been pretty good at judging people. I’m confident. So, if I think someone from the company is going to be fine, I’ll contact you sometimes if I want to. Not often but sometimes… At that time, please review my opinion carefully.”

Kwon quickly blinked his eyes and bowed his head, “Yes, I see, boss. I’m sure of what you’re saying.”

He was looking at me as a bit of a mystery. I deserved it. At the age of 29, I was the head of a thirty million dollar investment company. When we met at the tuna restaurant, he had asked me, “Excuse me… May I ask what your father does?”

That was how he asked me.

‘It’s amazing. The email which comes every day is amazing.’

This was the end of all the official work. I was about to call in Secretary Seo, but I remembered the last thing I had to do. “Oh, by the way. That… manager.”

“Manager?”

“Please call the manager of Oh Hyun-joo in here. I have something to talk about with him.”

Kwon didn’t know what the situation was, but he replied without a word, “Yes, I see, boss.”

—————

The door opened, and the man came in without a word. It was none other than Oh Hyun-joo’s manager.

I pointed to a seat. “Sit down.”

He sat down at my order, but his hands were trembling on the armrest. He was a little nervous. It seemed that a guilty conscience needed no accuser.

I asked him, “I wanted to ask you something, didn’t I hand you my business card for Oh Hyun-joo back then?”

When I said that, he came out of his chair and suddenly knelt down. “I’m sorry. I received the business card at the time, but…”

I didn’t keep him down on his knees. I raised him up, but he kept begging. “But I didn’t expect you to be this big. I’m sorry…”

He was right. I wasn’t a rich man with authority then. I said, easing his mind, “It’s okay. I didn’t call you to blame you.”

“Yes? Then…”

“Please take a seat. I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

At my words, he sat in a chair with his head down. I asked him, “Usually, it’s a manager’s job to block the approach of the public, right?”

“Yes. First of all, I limit people’s personal contact with a star. I don’t know what Oh Hyun-joo is doing.”

He just tried to stick to the manager’s duty. I couldn’t say anything about that. “Then what did you do with my business card? What did you say to Oh Hyun-joo?”

“I threw away the business card and gave her another phone number.”

“Really? What did Oh Hyun-joo say?”

“She said that she sent you a text message, but you didn’t reply… She’s said it many times because it’s weird. So, I was making excuses.”

She must have sent me a text message, a number of times. ‘She texted me as she asked me my number.’

I changed the subject around and asked, “Did Oh Hyun-joo not read the countenance of her boyfriend?”

“Oh Hyun-joo has never been in love with a man since her debut. The company itself has been managed well, but she is so passionate about her work.”

I was happy, but deliberately hardened my face. If I was happy to hear that, the manager might have a weird imagination.

Funnily enough, the manager looked at my stiff face and apologized again, “I’m sorry. Oh Hyun-joo was scheduled to shoot the CF, and she had to audition for the movie…”

I dissuaded him, “Ah, that’s all right. I understand everything. I’ve been at work in a company. First, you had to do your job, no matter what the situation was.”

At my words, the manager stayed still with his head down.

I asked him something else, “How old are you anyway?”

“I’m 34.”

More than I thought. He was five years older than me. “Are you married?”

“Yes. I have two sons and a daughter.” He seemed to say, “I have a wife and children, so please take good care of me.” He looked at me with that kind of expression.

‘That’s not why I asked you.’ “Oh, yes, I see… So what happened last time was just… Let’s consider it as having happened. Instead, bring it well this time…”

I took my wallet out as I spoke my words ambiguously, and I handed it to him.

‘Han Sang-hoon, CEO of the Invictus Investment.’

The new business card changed its name and my position. As the business card changed hands, the attitude of the recipient also changed. This time, he politely took my business card with both hands. “Yes, I see, Mr. President.”

“And please tell Oh Hyun-joo that you memorized the wrong number, so the text message went wrong… I don’t want to be a person who ignored the message even after I got it from a superstar.”

“Yes, I see. I’ll explain that actively.”

I laughed and tapped him on the shoulder. “Yes, then, please continue to do your job well. ”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and don’t change the company’s policy because of this. I don’t want you to.”

“Yes?” said the manager, lifting his eyebrows.

“I want you to stop the public from approaching her from now on. Oh Hyun-joo is the top saleswoman of our company.”

He finally understood me. “Oh, yes! I see.”

————————————–

On the way home. I got a text message on my cell phone.

-CEO Han Sang Hoon. This is Oh Hyun-joo. My manager forgot your phone number, so I couldn’t send a thank-you message. So I want to say “thank you” again. Thank you for saving me then!-

I sent her a reply with a smile… and I saved her number under her name Oh Hyun-joo in my phone list.

About that time, Secretary Seo asked, “Where would you like to go, boss?”

‘Company? Or home?’

“Home. Let’s go home,” I said to him.

“Yes, boss.” Secretary Seo picked me up and headed to my studio. I didn’t go home to rest; rather, it was going to work. OH Entertainment’s acquisition ended in success this time. What I had to do now was to make money again.

‘Five companies ruled by a parent company are needed to reach the Master Class. To achieve that, I need much more money than I have now.’