‘What is this?’
Jung Dusik couldn’t easily make sense of the situation he’d been put in.
Just this morning, he’d been heading to work in high spirits.
The response to <Haru>, which Han Seongtae appeared in, was extremely good, and it was basically a done deal that the MiTube video would hit a million views.
A situation where the only thing left was to keep climbing higher.
There was no reason for Jung Dusik, who was supporting Seongtae at his side, not to be happy.
If he stayed with Han Seongtae, there would be a lot of work ahead, but he was confident he could handle it all.
But he hadn’t expected things to unfold like this.
‘Why am I having a one-on-one meeting with the CEO?’
In front of Jung Dusik sat Jang Panseok.
It did feel like the CEO had been calling for him a lot lately, but he hadn’t expected to be called in like this.
How could he have known?
Jung Dusik wasn’t even a team leader. He was just a manager at the assistant manager level.
Unless Min Najung told him, there wasn’t much information he could know.
“Is the work manageable?”
“Yes, yes! I’m working hard!”
At Jang Panseok’s question, he answered loudly, tense in an instant.
He didn’t know what this was about, but he was alone with Jang Panseok.
He couldn’t afford to look bad in front of the CEO.
“How long has it been since you joined the company, Dusik-ssi?”
“It’s going on three years now.”
“Three years…”
At Jung Dusik’s answer, Jang Panseok rubbed his chin.
Seeing that, Jung Dusik’s body was tightly wound with tension.
Tap, tap.
Jang Panseok, who had been tapping his finger against his knee, pressed a button on the desk phone.
—Yes, sir.
“Bring it in.”
—Yes.
Knock, knock.
Not long after he finished speaking, there came a sound of knocking on the door.
A secretary came in carrying a small box.
She set the box down in front of the CEO, bowed deeply, and left the office.
“It’s yours, Dusik-ssi.”
“Pardon?”
“Check it.”
“Yes…”
At his words, Jung Dusik nodded and reached toward the box.
When he opened the gold-wrapped box, he saw a silicone case holding business cards.
The moment he looked at the business card inside, Jung Dusik’s body went rigid.
“This is…?”
“It’s a business card. After three years, it’s about time you became a team leader. And Actor Han needs to start playing in a bigger pond too… and the person attached to him should be a team leader, shouldn’t they?”
“Ah.”
At the CEO’s words, Jung Dusik nodded immediately.
At first he thought Min Najung was going along, but now he understood why she’d said yesterday that she wasn’t sure.
If Jung Dusik moved up to team leader, there was no need for her—busy as she was—to move together with them.
His hand, holding the card, trembled.
The word “Team Leader,” and his name written beside it.
As he stared at each letter, his gaze suddenly snagged on the number “Actor Team 2.”
“But if it’s Team 2, Team Leader Min Najung is there.”
“Ah, I guess you haven’t heard from Team Leader Min yet—no, Deputy General Manager Min.”
‘Deputy General Manager Min?’
“Going forward, Deputy General Manager Min Najung will be overseeing and managing the entire actor division.”
At the CEO’s words, Jung Dusik’s expression went blank.
Compared to the singer division, the actor division was very small.
Because of that, there hadn’t been a deputy general manager, and the structure was one where team leaders competed with each other.
But now, Jang Panseok was saying he would be appointing a deputy general manager for the actor division.
“As the CEO, I can’t manage it forever.”
“Yes…”
“Deputy General Manager Min is a good person, so she’ll do well. And it’ll help Team Leader Jung, too.”
Deputy General Manager Min and Team Leader Jung.
Why did each word throb in his chest like this?
As he listened to Jang Panseok, his hand clenched into a tight fist.
If Min Najung became deputy general manager, it was naturally good news for Jung Dusik, who worked under her.
It would be far more comfortable than having someone else as deputy general manager, and he’d be able to get much more support.
‘Team Leader Choi Gideok is there too, so why promote Team Leader Min?’
Honestly, if you looked only at performance, Choi Gideok was far above.
Shin Jehee was on Team 1, for one, and several other minor actors were with him as well.
Even though this side’s performance had risen because Han Seongtae was doing so well,
Team 1 was still ahead by a narrow margin.
“You don’t need to worry about Team Leader Choi.”
Was he reading Jung Dusik’s thoughts?
Jang Panseok spoke as if it were nothing.
“Team Leader Jung, do you know what my guiding principle is?”
“Your guiding principle?”
“‘The artist is the company.’ I believe the company exists because artists exist, and that they are the company’s future.”
At his words, Jung Dusik slowly nodded.
He’d heard Jang Panseok say that before.
That PAN Entertainment’s CEO cherished singers and actors above all else.
Jang Panseok was known as someone who took good care of them.
“Team Leader Choi is certainly a capable person. He puts up good numbers. But I don’t want someone who sees actors only as performance.”
“Ah…”
“In contrast, Team Leader Min treats actors as person to person. Even if she doesn’t produce huge results, I understand that the satisfaction level of the actors who work with her is high.”
“Yes.”
Jang Panseok was right.
Min Najung took very good care of the actors she was responsible for.
Hadn’t Jung Dusik learned a lot from watching her?
“No matter how good the performance is, if an actor leaves, it’s meaningless. Looking long-term, you could say it was already decided who we should choose.”
“I see.”
“Keep it in mind, Team Leader Jung. Artists are the company’s future.”
“Yes, I’ll keep it in mind. I’ll work hard and do my absolute best!”
“You don’t need to do your absolute best. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“Thank you!”
Jung Dusik sprang up from his seat and bowed deeply.
Watching him, Jang Panseok let out a chuckle and nodded.
And that was how Jung Dusik became a team leader.
Click.
Jung Dusik slowly closed the door to the CEO’s office.
“Hoo…”
Letting out a deep breath, Jung Dusik looked down at the stack of business cards in his hand.
He really had become a team leader.
At that realization, the corners of his mouth twitched.
“Congratulations, Team Leader Jung.”
“Thank you.”
Receiving congratulations from the secretary, Jung Dusik headed down toward the office.
He wanted to tell this happy news to the people around him… to Han Seongtae.
He pulled out his phone to make a call, but then paused when he spotted someone approaching from the direction of the CEO’s office.
“Ah, Dusik-ssi. Fancy running into you here.”
“Seriously.”
Choi Gideok, the team leader of Actor Team 1, stopped in front of him.
“Are you coming out of the CEO’s office?”
“Yes. The CEO called for me.”
“Seems like he’s been calling you a lot lately. Because of Actor Han?”
Jung Dusik didn’t answer his question.
He simply looked at him, waiting to see what he’d say next.
“Don’t be so on guard. We’re coworkers at the same company, aren’t we?”
“I’m not on guard.”
“Then that’s good.”
Jung Dusik studied Choi Gideok closely.
Unlike usual, he looked to be in a good mood.
Like he’d found a solution to a problem he’d been agonizing over for a long time.
Meeting Jung Dusik’s gaze, Choi Gideok smiled and said,
“It’s a good thing we ran into each other here. I was about to discuss something with the CEO about Actor Han.”
“…?”
Why was Han Seongtae suddenly being brought up?
Jung Dusik’s brow creased slightly as he looked at Choi Gideok.
Seeing that, Choi Gideok continued immediately.
“I’m going to officially bring Actor Han onto my team. Looking at Team 2, it seems like you can’t properly take care of Actor Han. You can’t let a gem like Actor Han rot away.”
“…”
“I’ve got experience raising Actor Shin Jehee, and if we’re going to film <Rampage>, someone at team-leader level will need to accompany him. Team Leader Min is working on another project, so it’ll be hard for her. That leaves only me, doesn’t it?”
“Ha.”
At Choi Gideok’s words, Jung Dusik let out a faint, hollow laugh.
In the end, what he was saying amounted to: ‘I’m taking Han Seongtae.’
And he was trying to decide something that important with the CEO without even discussing it with Team 2.
As someone from Team 2, it would’ve been stranger for Jung Dusik not to be upset.
After looking at him for a moment, Jung Dusik’s lips lifted slightly as he felt the stack of business cards in his hand.
A very good idea came to him.
“I didn’t expect the first person I’d give my business card to would be Team Leader Choi.”
“Huh?”
“Actor Team 2…”
“Who doesn’t know you’re on Actor Team 2?”
Jung Dusik handed him a business card, and Choi Gideok muttered as he looked it over—then froze.
His eyes trembled slightly as he stared at the card.
“Team Leader Jung Dusik. I look forward to working with you.”
Watching Choi Gideok’s face twist more and more, a faint smile settled on Jung Dusik’s lips.
Bzzz, bzzz!
Han Seongtae, who had been reading his script, reached toward his phone as it kept vibrating without pause.
A call from Jung Dusik.
“Yes, hyung.”
Han Seongtae answered right away.
—Seongtae, I got promoted!
He could hear the excitement in Jung Dusik’s voice.
The loud voice that hit his ear the instant he put the phone to it made him flinch reflexively, and then his eyes widened at what Jung Dusik said next.
What did this hyung just say?
“Pardon?”
—I said I got promoted! I’m a team leader now.
“Team leader?”
—Yeah, I even got my business cards today. Anyway, let’s eat together. I’ll treat you to celebrate my promotion.
Listening to Jung Dusik’s voice, brimming with excitement, Seongtae’s eyes were wide with surprise and then a smile began to form at the corners of his mouth.
The news that Jung Dusik had been promoted was clearly something to celebrate.
He was one of Seongtae’s precious connections after returning.
So something good happening to him made Seongtae happy as well.
“Congratulations, hyung. I knew you’d get promoted.”
—Thanks. This is all because of you. If you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have gotten promoted this fast, right?
“No, it’s not. Everyone knows how hard you work.”
—No matter how hard I work, how could I do better than you? Seriously, thank you.
At Jung Dusik’s words, Seongtae let out a small laugh.
Seongtae knew that Jung Dusik had the ability to rise all the way to deputy general manager.
He could’ve easily claimed it was thanks to him, but Jung Dusik didn’t do that at all.
Jung Dusik was a good person.
Realizing that again made Seongtae’s smile deepen naturally.
[‘The One Who Defined an Era’ says that when you change, the people around you inevitably change as well.]
[‘The One With a Thousand Faces’ says that now there’s only climbing left, and that he’s looking forward to the day you depart.]
Just as the gods said, Seongtae’s change had changed the people around him too.
‘So now all that’s left is departure.’
Seongtae glanced at his passport and let out a small smile.
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