IJLMT 38

Chapter 38 …..

JM Entertainment’s CEO, Lee Jong-muk, was sitting at the table in his office, deep in thought. He stood up, opened the fridge, then sat back down again.

“The Nova Girls members said they really liked the cake I prepared for them.”

Hearing that, he had commissioned a custom cake from a master pastry chef. Soon, Section Chief Yoo Hyun-jae would be coming up to the office. He considered standing by the door and setting off some fireworks, then shook his head.

“No. Their happiness doesn’t come from the cake itself. It comes from the fact that it was given by the Nova Girls members. My congratulations, as a middle-aged man, has to be different.”

He needed to get closer to Yoo Hyun-jae. That was still a personal mission for Lee Jong-muk. No, it wasn’t just a lingering task—it was his top priority! How could it not be?

Brrr…

“Yes, this is JM Lee Jong-muk speaking.”

[Hello, this is Yoo-jin Ventures. I contacted the Gigi Studio regarding the investment in Chalk and Spear, and they told me that it needs to be coordinated with JM.]

“Could you call back in two hours?”

Calls like this were coming in about twice an hour. The reason was simple: the filming site revealed yesterday had left a strong impression on people.

Just look at the entertainment news:

[Finally Revealed! Chalk and Spear Filming Site! Jaw-Dropping Impact!]
[JM Had a Reason to Hold Onto Chalk and Spear? A Plot That Touches the Heart!]
[Behind the Scenes Revealed! Actor Lee Joo-ah Plays Rock-Paper-Scissors With Manager]

The 10-second making-of video uploaded to YouTube already had over a thousand comments.

L: What? Is that Lim Yu-joo and Lee Joo-ah?
L: As soon as they clap the clapperboard, the vibe… Feels like they’re in an elementary classroom fighting with real weapons.
L: Isn’t this the thing Lee Joo-ah said she would do because of Yoo Hyun-jae? Quality is insane.
L: I don’t like sweet potatoes, but why do I want to watch this? Somehow it doesn’t feel like a sweet potato.
L: Immersion is crazy.
L: So when is it coming out?! Hurry and show it!

Watching the footage, Jong-muk’s thoughts mirrored these comments almost exactly.

“I want to see it on the big screen soon.”

Even from just a 10-second clip, Lim Yu-joo and Lee Joo-ah were clearly sizing each other up. Jong-muk’s attention, in particular, was drawn to Lim Yu-joo.

He knew her personality. Lim Yu-joo was a good person—and she had a strong self-image of being a good person. Her actions reflected that; for example, if asked, “Why is it good to have a lot of money?” she would answer, “Because it allows me to help many people.”

Since it wasn’t a conscious act, it wasn’t easy for her to let that guard down.

But in the video… there was none of that. Not only that, she actually seemed a little annoyed with Lee Joo-ah. Could this, too, be because of Yoo Hyun-jae?

Either way, she was stunning. Normally, a businessman launches five projects at once, hoping at least one will be a hit. Usually, the results are mediocre: “medium, medium, medium, medium, maybe one big success.” But with Yoo Hyun-jae involved, every single project was a hit: big, big, big, big, big.

Aaron Husk, Eva Brooks, Sekhmet… it was needless to mention.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked. It was Section Chief Yoo Hyun-jae.

“Oh, come in, Section Chief Yoo Hyun-jae.”

Jong-muk cleared his throat. His previous greeting had sounded too awkward.

“Thanks for taking the time. Please, have a seat.”
“No, it’s nothing.”

Jong-muk studied Hyun-jae carefully.

“Something feels different…”

He asked about Hyun-jae’s well-being: How was the trip to the U.S.? How was the hot spring? Was everything okay? Had he tried the perfume?

Then he brought up the main topic.

“Section Chief Yoo Hyun-jae, this morning, Lee So-yeon and Nam Jung-yoon from Team 2 requested a team change. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because of you. Just a brief conversation with you resolved their concerns immediately. They felt that if they worked with you in Team 3, they could grow much faster.”
“That’s flattery.”
“Flattery? No, it’s a fair statement. This has become quite a serious issue for us.”

Jong-muk continued, considering Hyun-jae’s mood. Should he have prepared more refreshments…?

“They looked very desperate. Why should only Team 3 get the benefit of working with Yoo Hyun-jae? Won’t Team 3’s talents rise while others fall behind? We want the same opportunity to be cared for by Yoo Hyun-jae!”
“Benefit… I don’t know how to respond.”
“From their perspective, it’s inevitable they feel unfair. Being in Team 3 with Yoo Hyun-jae was purely a matter of luck. In reality, working with someone like Yoo Hyun-jae should require effort and qualification.”

It was pure fact, devoid of emotion. Jong-muk had also heard what happened on set yesterday. Magical, yet not impossible. Do you know how much your investment perspective changes after just ten minutes with Warren Buffett?

People like him can leave a strong impression even in a brief encounter. Yoo Hyun-jae was one such person.

At this point, it seemed there might be a flaw in JM’s personnel system. Why had Yoo Hyun-jae been assigned AMD tasks? It was like making Zhuge Liang do manual labor.

“To solve this, Hyun-jae, you need a more important position. The section chief role is too light for you. Could you consider the team leader position?”

Team leader? In reality, Hyun-jae should be on equal footing with Jong-muk.

“How should I respond?”

Should he refuse, claiming he’s not ready? He’d set the groundwork—would it still work?

But Hyun-jae’s expression was different from before.

“So, what happens? Team 3?”
“You and your talents would leave Team 3 to form a new Team 6. You’d be free to structure it however you want. How does that sound?”
“Hm…”

Determination was clear in his face. Did he intend to rise higher?

Jong-muk’s heart raced. Even he, usually unshakable at the shareholder meeting!

After a moment, Hyun-jae answered,
“No, I’m not keen on that.”

“No, this isn’t the direction.”

I concluded. There is a need to rise, to protect those who trusted me, to share the blessings of the ‘Onion Bracelet.’

But leaving Team 3 for Team 6… then…

“Why?” Jong-muk asked.
“It wouldn’t be right for Team Leader Jo Min-soo.”
“In what way?”
“Nova Girls were a group that Team Leader Jo cared deeply about. When I first transferred in, he supported both me and Nova Girls in every way. Now that Nova Girls are successful, taking that achievement to start another team doesn’t respect him.”
“…I don’t think Team Leader Jo would mind. It’s your achievement, after all.”
“I don’t want to work like that.”

Jo Min-soo was someone who noticed the Onion Bracelet. Even if I suddenly became promoted, he wouldn’t be jealous; he’d prevent others from envying me.

Abandon him to go to another team? That’s exactly what the Onion Bracelet would hate.

“You’re… quite remarkable. Sometimes you feel like one of my kind, other times like a sage… Alright. If you say so, I have a solution. Wait a moment.”

Jong-muk stood and started making calls.

“Ah, Director Kim. I need your opinion on something with Team Leaders 1 and 2. Well….”

After some time, he said,
“Alright, Hyun-jae. Here’s what we’ll do.”
“How?”
“Turns out it’s not difficult. You don’t want to be team leader out of respect for Team Leader Jo, right? Then you can become team leader in a way that respects him.”

Jong-muk smiled.

“So, we’ll promote Jo Min-soo to Director. You remain team leader of Team 3. Problem solved, right?”
“What?”

At JM, a Director oversees all five teams. It’s like Left or Right Prime Minister.

“Won’t Team Leaders 1 and 2 resist?”

A Director position would open in a few months, effectively meant for Team Leader 1. But now Jo Min-soo would occupy it?

“Probably. That’s why we’ll have three Directors. Since the management division will grow as much as you’ve grown the company, it makes sense.”

True, that did make sense. But such a bold decision in just five minutes?

“My priority is your opinion. How about it? No issues?”

Impossible. They had restructured the company just to make me team leader?

I nodded, and Jong-muk smiled,
“Looking forward to working with you, Team Leader Yoo Hyun-jae.”
“Ah, and I got a cake to celebrate my successful UN visit. Go enjoy it with the Nova Girls members.”

“Team leader? Wow, then I need to get you a promotion gift again. Your promotion speed… Will you be president by next year?”

Lim Yu-joo said.

“President? Why suddenly politics?”

I parked the car. We had arrived at the Singer is a Singer filming studio.

“I thought about the next level, but I only know enough to think of president.”
“Next level? Anyway… aren’t you tired?”

Yu-joo was on a schedule twice her normal workload, coming straight from filming a movie.

“Strangely, I’m not tired at all. But did you wear perfume? You smell so good.”
“No. I didn’t.”
“Hm… then what is it?”

Perhaps the scent of the Onion Bracelet? Oddly, smelling it made one feel energetic instead of tired. Hopefully, it affected Yu-joo too.

From the moment we entered, greetings began. Singer is a Singer is a competition between proven singers. Strong contestants make it entertaining.

“So, you’re here?”

Singer Heo Yoo-jin greeted Lim Yu-joo.

Heo Yoo-jin, born 1972, debuted in 1995 with Name of Happiness. A legendary singer, with three songs listed in Baekje Daily’s 100 Classic Korean Pop Albums.

“Hello, senior.”

Even as a top contemporary singer-songwriter, Yu-joo would be nervous here—before such veterans.

All participating singers were formidable: Nam Sun-woo (dance trendsetter of late 20th century), Lee Hyung-yeop (lead vocalist of legendary 80s rock band Sunflower), Choi Joo-ri (queen of drama OSTs), Lee Ji-soo (dominant solo female singer of early 2010s), and Kim Shin (ballad emperor).

Closest in age to Yu-joo? Probably Lee Ji-soo. Even then, six years apart.

Being invited here proved Yu-joo’s class. The seniors, however, would likely try not to lose to the youngest, Yu-joo.

“Hard work for you too. Suddenly singing someone else’s song… that’s tough. I’m regretting why I’m here too.”
“…I’ll do my best.”
“Yes. Do well.”

That sounded like encouragement but subtly mocked her inexperience.

Yu-joo stared at Heo Yoo-jin’s back. Was she intimidated?

When Heo Yoo-jin left the area, Yu-joo whispered to me,
“If I beat her and rise, do you think it’ll look cool?”
“Of course. Super cool.”
“Then, if I perform really well and rise…”

Yu-joo smiled, scratching her cheek with her index finger.

“Can you personally give me a bit of time?”