Free Web NovelImages formed in the Supples’ minds.
“Dad doesn’t want to go to work?”
“Yeah.”
“But you’re the boss...”
Laughter erupted throughout the audience, and CEO Park Gyu-ho let out an awkward laugh.
Uju smiled broadly and took the mic.
“I’m really glad that thanks to us your commute has become enjoyable, CEO. How happy did that make you?”
“Show me with your body. With your body!”
CEO Park stood up like a doting father and, laughing, drew a big heart above his head with both hands.
The Supples clapped and laughed.
‘Well deserved.’
Thinking about the money NewBlack would bring in, it was no surprise their boss’s mornings had become joyful.
Uju held the mic and said,
“Wow, it’s still a bit surreal, you know.”
“Right. We never expected the CEO would come to find us.”
Viju said.
“But why Busan...?”
“It’s my hometown. My parents live in Busan.”
“Ah.”
It turned into an informative show where we even learned our agency head’s hometown.
Junghyun took the mic and said,
“I’ve been curious about Busan’s hidden eateries anyway. I’ll have to ask you after this.”
“Junghyun hyung, the CEO isn’t a restaurant app.”
Ri-hyeok clicked his tongue, and CEO Park laughed heartily, taking the mic.
“Actually, there’s a place that does amazing grilled clams. I made a reservation. Let’s eat well.”
“Whoa!”
“I’ll treat you without limit, so eat all you want.”
“Unlimited!”
While Supples envied that romantic keyword ‘unlimited’, tears welled in the NewBlack members’ eyes.
The members took mics and stretched out their hands.
“CEO...!”
“Guys...!”
“We really love you!”
“Me too...!”
As the audience laughed at the scene of the agency head and idols sending hearts at each other from a distance, the talk was wrapping up.
“Thank you so much for coming to today’s performance, CEO. The theme is ‘encounters’, and I’m really happy we got to meet you today.”
Uju greeted respectfully with a cheerful smile, and the other members followed suit.
“We’ve been spending like water until now. CEO, this time we want to use CGI in our MV. And this time, we’d like to go to the U.S. to learn choreography.”
“You’ve been spending like a waterfall.”
“Thank you for always believing in us, caring for us, and supporting us.”
“Thank you.”
Uju and the members laughed, raising their fingers.
“Money.”
They drew an OK sign.
“We’ll earn a lot.”
As laughter rippled through the audience, the spotlight remained on CEO Park.
It gleamed like the mirror Archimedes used to burn Roman ships, and the lighting director quickly dimmed it.
Meanwhile, Lemon Ent.’s CEO wiped away tears.
“Oh no...!”
“Don’t cry!”
Supples chorused “Don’t cry!” to encourage him, then burst into laughter themselves.
The emotional middle-aged man dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief.
“If you have anything you’d like to say...”
CEO Park nodded.
“I’ll talk to you later. I want to say something to everyone here.”
Turning to face the audience, he gave them a warm smile.
“Thank you for liking our kids. Just as you love them, we treasure them. We’ll keep working so NewBlack can shine even more...”
Supples nodded.
‘Shine....’
‘They really do shine.’
Attention was captured by CEO Park, shining not with a halo but a neon glow.
“In any case, truly thank you.”
“Waaah!”
Supples and NewBlack clapped together.
After the greetings, it was time to sing a fan song.
“Actually, we didn’t realize the story was about our CEO when we chose the submission.”
Uju said, a bit embarrassed.
“We thought it was from a company worker, so we picked the song without knowing. Can’t change the backing track now anyway.”
“We’ll go with what’s set.”
When everyone wondered what they’d chosen, Uju signaled for the MR.
“For our song to comfort Eunseo’s tired dad on his commute, NewBlack presents!”
“Goguma Trio’s ‘Wish You Win the Lottery!’”
“May you hit jackpot!”
Amid roaring laughter, NewBlack members swayed to the intro of ‘Wish You Win the Lottery!’
“Lottery, lottery, lotteryy
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Saturday is drawing day.”
Junghyun’s rhythmic vocals had Supples clapping along.
Listening to the workers’ dream of winning the lottery, CEO # Nоvеlight # Park burst into hearty laughter.
After the song ended, it was prize drawing time.
“Ah...”
Supples narrowed their eyes.
When prize time came, Lemon Ent.’s CEO sparkled with excitement.
Their gaze lingered on the latest fridge or washer.
“Alright, time for the prize draw.”
Uju said with a bright smile.
“Since we have a special guest, we prepared one more special gift.”
“Huh...?”
“With our personal autographed CD and a free hug opportunity!”
As despair flickered across CEO Park’s face, the members giggled playfully.
Uju held the CD next to the fridge panel.
“Which would you choose, CEO?”
Supples laughed as NewBlack members stood looking as if to say, ‘Us or the fridge?’
“He....”
CEO Park’s trembling finger moved toward the album, and everyone smiled in satisfaction.
After the encore,
“Ceo—ee!”
“CEO!”
Backstage, we rushed to our waiting CEO.
We handed over the autographed CD as promised and hugged in turn.
“Oh my.”
The CEO clicked his phone and stuck out his tongue.
“Journalists are fast these days. Articles were up an hour ago.”
“It’s live on Y-app. The reporters watching updated as soon as they saw it.”
“Ah, Y-app.”
So busy he didn’t know the details, the CEO laughed.
As we chatted,
“Let’s go have grilled clams! Grilled clams!”
“Are we going for clams?”
Unable to think of anything but food, the CEO laughed.
“Sure, let’s go.”
The dinner split into two groups. Managers and staff moved to the hanwoo restaurant he’d reserved.
Everyone stood awkwardly with hands clasped, and the CEO called Mingi over with a laugh.
“It’s not polite for me to join the young people’s table.”
“No, please!”
“And touring region by region is tough on the schedule.”
“Not at all. The kids buy expensive meals everywhere we go.”
The CEO handed out the company card in front of everyone.
“You’ve worked hard traveling nationwide. Eat to your heart’s content today.”
“Thank you!”
Staff cheered at the corporate card.
But the CEO cautioned,
“Just don’t drink if you’re driving.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Yes. Seo—no, we can’t call you Assistant Manager Seo anymore. Team Leader Seo, you’ll be responsible.”
“Huh?”
At the title ‘Team Leader,’ Mingi blinked and we widened our eyes.
In our company, ‘team leader’ can mean a department head or a manager rank in entertainment.
Mingi asked in surprise,
“...Am I getting a promotion?”
“You’ll hear good news soon.”
“...!”
“And so will everyone here.”
Murmurs of excitement passed among staff.
As the commotion settled and staff moved to the next venue, we rode separately in an SUV with the CEO.
“Wow.”
Jiho’s eyes went wide.
“Is everyone really getting promoted?”
“We’re planning a company-wide reorganization.”
“Oh!”
“We’ll form a TF team just for you and Scarlet.”
Summarizing briefly, the CEO explained. Our manager Seok-hwan will lead the TF as team head, and Deputy Manager Hong Seo-young and others from PR and various fields will join.
It’s like a small company within Lemon Ent. handling NewBlack. Hong will be promoted to Manager too.
Not final yet, but he wanted us to know.
“Considering everything, the current structure isn’t efficient.”
The CEO laughed and led us to the clam grill. The modest sign out front marked a second-floor spot with its sign unlit.
“Let’s leave the complex talk aside.”
The owner greeted us, saying he closes for us only this time.
“Wow!”
Yellow flames rose from the coal shaped like lightning.
Just seeing the grill made our mouths water; Junghyun sucked in air and gulped.
“Wow.”
We showed happy faces at the hot seaweed soup and shrimp side dishes.
The hot broth made us shiver.
The CEO laughed.
“Don’t fill up on soup. We’ll have ramen later.”
“Oh!”
Soon scallops, abalone, and clams sprinkled with seasoning and garlic sizzled on the grill.
The siblings and I nodded.
“I must have a drink.”
“Right. Days like this deserve a drink.”
We called the owner.
“Four bottles of cola, please!”
“Yes!”
Having been on diet cola, just seeing regular cola cheered us up.
As we enjoyed the fantastic grilled clams, I placed a well-cooked scallop on the CEO’s plate and asked,
“But what brought you to Busan?”
“Oh, I came home early since I have many meetings around Lunar New Year.”
“I see.”
“Also, I wanted to see you perform. I didn’t expect that submission would win.”
We nodded in awe.
“We didn’t pick it on purpose. It just stood out.”
“That’s right. Fan nicknames had mom or aunt, but rarely dad.”
Hearing they chose “Eunseo’s Dad” because it stood out, the CEO laughed and wiped his brow.
“From my hometown festival all the way to Jeju and now Busan, that’s tough.”
“No, we couldn’t go to Jeju.”
“Why?”
“It snowed heavily.”
Heavy snow closed Jeju’s runway. We felt sorry but relieved not to fly.
“We’re planning a travel reality show, so we’ll perform when we go.”
“A pity.”
“Yes, we did a live on Y-app, but it’s still a shame.”
We chatted about our struggles and needs while enjoying ramen after the clams. The yellow pot bubbled.
“Actually, this visit is mainly about your settlements.”
“Oh.”
“Your second-half settlement.”
I realized the time had come.
The CEO smiled, wiggling his toes in talk-show socks.
“The amount is significant, so I wanted to tell you in person.”
“Big?”
“The amount per person this time is...”
He tapped his screen and showed us the number.
“....”
Time seemed to freeze. Viju and Ri-hyeok widened their eyes; Jiho dropped his spoon.
Normally I’d catch a falling spoon with my foot, but...
“Wow.”
Junghyun looked disbelieving too.
“Is this real?”
“Of course.”
“....”
Even boiling ramen went unnoticed as we were stunned.
The amount dwarfed the first half of the year. Likely due to the concerts. No wonder senior idols tour overseas year-round.
“You’ve had more ad revenue in the second half. I’ll give details later.”
“....”
“Of course, that’s pre-tax, okay?”
I stared blankly; my equally stunned siblings looked back.
‘This is real, right?’
‘It is.’
We returned our gazes to the screen.
“....”
With soaring company revenue and a high settlement rate, the figure was astounding.
Our system gives us 8 won per 100 won before expenses.
“Wow...”
Viju swallowed.
“It’s unbelievable.”
‘Well deserved.’
The CEO said to our startled faces,
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you...”
“Since we’re on fortunes, here’s something else important.”
“Important?”
He wriggled his toes again.
“Like with Scarlet, when celebrities earn big, scammers come around.”
“Ah.”
He’d advise our families, but warned us about money predators. A ‘Scammer Identification’ lecture from CEO Park.
A and B, buyer and seller, began.
“Cases are so realistic.”
“They’re about our actors.”
“Oops...”
“From experience, so listen up.”
We ate ramen as he talked finance and money management.
“Did you follow?”
“Yes.”
We replied with smiles.
“Thank you so much.”
“Okay.”
He slurped ramen and asked,
“Have you thought about what to do with this settlement?”
“Yes.”
I answered,
“I’m looking for a nice house in Gunsan.”
“I want to buy a house for my sister and parents...”
Viju said, smiling at the thought.
Holiday just thinking of making grandmother Kim Deok-soon happy made my heart pound.
“I’m undecided.”
“I want to buy things Ye-in wants...”
The other two needed more thought. The maknae tapped his phone then said sadly,
“I told my sisters and parents, but they said just use it as allowance.”
Blowing his chance to show off, they said allowance. We patted him comfortingly.
Meanwhile,
“One thing first.”
We looked at his holey socks.
“We’ll buy you socks, CEO.”
“Oh, these?”
“These have holes.”
“Haha! I can patch them.”
But his toes poking through, we said seriously,
“We’ll get them for you.”
“No...”
“We’ll buy them, CEO.”
“Well...”
“We’ll buy you new ones.”
“...”
With our intense gaze, the CEO looked at his favorite socks sadly and nodded.
‘Comfort.’
‘Comfort.’
And only then, after our stomachs were full, we patted our bellies and looked at each other.
January passed into February.
Winter still held on.
People groaned ‘it’s enough,’ while winter teased back ‘nah, I’m here!’ with biting cold.
“Ri-hyeok si~”
“Ri-hyeok si~”
7:12 a.m.
We in woolen gloves waved at Ri-hyeok, smiling.
“Ri-hyeok...”
“Please stop that. It’s embarrassing.”
“Okay.”
“...”
His ears reddened.
“Really, if I say don’t, you won’t do it?”
We exchanged looks then beamed.
“Ri-hyeok si~”
“Ri-hyeok si~”
Despite early morning fatigue, our skin was dewy and eyes sparkled.
Viju, wearing a bread beanie, gazed at the crashing waves.
“The Dawn Chill of the East Coast is amazing.” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
“Right. The winter sea looks so beautiful today.”
“The seagulls flying are stunning.”
Thanks to our settlements, everything looked delightful these days.
We’re still planning family gifts, but every night our bank accounts greet us in dreams.
Like Kevin from Home Alone, dressed up, we glanced at each other and flexed our gloves.
“Oh wow, Viju’s coat is so warm.”
“I love the teddy-bear beanie hyung got me.”
“Wearing these sneakers by Ri-hyeok hyung feels like flying.”
“Ahem.”
“The jelly Viju bought is delicious-jelly.”
Laughing at the settlement gifts we’d exchanged, we burst out laughing. Managers and staff smiled warmly beside us.
“The world is truly beautiful.”
“And our clothes are warm.”
Staff wearing luxury paddings agreed the world was beautiful. Then,
Clunk.
A car arrived in front of us idling near the harbor.
“Hello!”
“Yes, hello!”
The crew of “Right Now, My Hometown” unloaded equipment and greeted us. Then we all headed to the Gangneung Ferry Terminal.
Today was the final filming of “Right Now, My Hometown” and the end of our small theater tour in Gangneung, followed by a special edition.
“Let’s go meet the Supples.”
Our destination: Ulleungdo.
The Supples there would be completely unaware of our surprise event.
Across Ulleungdo, loudspeakers blared from morning.
“Aaah— Residents—
Today, popular group NewBlack visits Ulleungdo for PBS’s “My Hometown” filming, will perform songs for fans—
Please cooperate—
One more announcement—”
At the continuous announcements, a teenage student’s face filled with dread.
The Supples who submitted a story in Ulleungdo felt their hearts race madly from dawn.
