<Episode 36>
“Sir, you’ve really been busy lately.”
“To go work even during a company dinner… you’re truly someone to be a role model for a workplace superior.”
I could clearly hear the employees talking about me.
As I stepped outside the restaurant, a cool breeze ruffled my hair.
‘I wonder what kind of songs he sent.’
I carefully went over composer Maru’s songs in my mind.
‘Since it’s about games, it’s probably that one.’
A song with lyrics comparing going out to a game, [LOG IN LOG OUT].
It was a track where bright lyrics blended with game sound effects.
‘I can’t think of anything else in particular.’
Standing in the alley, I put in my Bluetooth earphones and opened my email.
[To CEO John Raid Lombardi.]
There wasn’t a single word written in the email, only attachments.
But there wasn’t just one song.
There were two files attached.
One was exactly what I expected: [LOG IN LOG OUT].
The other was a song I had never seen before, titled [End].
‘End, huh.’
From the title alone, I couldn’t guess what kind of song it was.
I decided to listen to [End] first.
The song began with the sound of an electric guitar. It had a beat that naturally made my head nod.
Thump.
Suddenly, there was a brief pause.
Then the drums surged in.
‘It really has a strong band vibe.’
[Honestly, tell me
Where your heart is headed right now]
It felt like it would suit Spade Joker extremely well.
A stage naturally formed in my mind.
[I can’t wait any longer
I’m always just waiting for you
(OH OH OH OH)]
[YEAH
Please don’t press the button
I want to be with you]
[Come in
AH AH AH AH
Today as well
Just like that]
The drums surged again.
‘It’d be perfect if they performed with standing mics on stage.’
I found myself nodding in satisfaction.
Next was [LOG IN LOG OUT].
Even though I already knew the song, checking it was still necessary.
[Ding]
The song started with a sound effect like obtaining an item in a game.
Just as I remembered.
[To go meet you, even today
DIVE IT]
The progression was the same as the one in my memory.
‘Now we can just move forward with preparing the mini album.’
When the song ended, I took off my Bluetooth earphones.
Then I began writing a message to Kang Woojin.
[I listened to the songs you sent. Both tracks seem to suit Spade Joker very well. I’m currently at a company dinner, so would it be okay if we continue the rest of the discussion tomorrow?]
As soon as I sent the message, my phone vibrated.
[Yes. Please contact me later.]
I put my phone away and returned to the dinner.
[A shabby night
The dark sky stays with me
On the days I shrank back
The shining stars greeted me
The memory of that day]
Zen, who-knows-where he learned it, had stuck a spoon into a beer bottle and was singing.
‘What kind of situation is this all of a sudden?’
The employees were waving their hands and cheering excitedly. It felt like I was the only one who couldn’t blend into the atmosphere.
‘Did they drink that much while I was gone?’
I had only been out for about ten minutes. There was no way they could get this drunk in that time.
I walked over to Han Suseok.
“What happened?”
“Oh, after you left, we were chatting, and the staff asked if they could hear a Spade Joker song, just one. So…”
“And they agreed right away?”
“Yes.”
“And what’s with that spoon?”
“Zen said he saw it on some YouTube video.”
After finishing his explanation, Han Suseok went back to waving his hands in rhythm.
‘Well, as long as everyone’s enjoying themselves, it’s fine.’
Since it was a company dinner, it seemed better to just let everyone have fun.
After all, we had rented out the entire place, so there was no worry about anything leaking.
***
Morning came as usual.
I stretched lightly and got out of bed.
I felt relieved that I had followed the unspoken rule of CEOs, leave after paying with the card, and quietly went home after the first round.
The employees had the day off, but I didn’t.
I washed up quickly and changed clothes.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
It was Han Suseok.
I roughly packed my bag and went outside.
“Good morning, sir.”
Even though I had heard he stayed until the third round last night, taking care of the staff, he looked no different than usual.
“Han Suseok, I told you that you could go alone.”
“I’m your secretary. I should accompany you.”
The reason he came to my house today was to go to a studio and film my reaction to the video we had shot earlier.
I had told him multiple times that I could go alone, but he firmly refused.
“You’re a secretary, not a manager.”
“If you think about it, they’re similar, aren’t they? Both are jobs that assist someone.”
Han Suseok didn’t budge.
When it came to work, he was extremely firm, so I had no choice but to give in.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
“Yes. I’ll take you to the makeup studio first.”
“Alright.”
In the end, I got into the car he drove and arrived at the makeup studio.
‘I’m not even a celebrity, do I really need to go this far? This feels excessive.’
I had planned to go to the studio in casual clothes.
But Han Suseok insisted that it wasn’t acceptable and immediately booked a makeup studio, saying that a neat appearance was important in business.
‘I was planning to look neat anyway.’
“How would you like your hair done?”
“Just keep it neat.”
“Yes.”
In the end, I was being transformed by a hair artist and a makeup artist.
Meanwhile, Han Suseok was working on a tablet.
“Sir, your skin is really nice.”
“Thank you.”
“Spade Joker is very polite.”
“Right? They’re well-mannered and very kind.”
Hearing praise for Spade Joker felt quite good.
“You’re all set. Honestly, sir, you could even be an actor. Your skin is that good.”
“Thank you, even if it’s just words.”
“I mean it. Our job is to work with actors’ and idols’ faces every day.”
I just smiled vaguely.
I couldn’t exactly agree, but repeatedly denying it felt awkward too.
Modesty should be kept in balance.
“Thank you. I’ll be going now since it’s time for filming.”
I quickly stood up.
“Secretary Han, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I headed to the filming location with Han Suseok.
“We haven’t even arrived yet, but I’m already tired.”
“Then you should get some rest.”
“It’s fine. It’s not far anyway.”
Saying that, I took out my phone and opened social media.
[LOL, did they get completely drunk yesterday? What is that? (Photo of Zen singing with a spoon stuck in a beer bottle.)]
↳LOL I’ve never seen them like that before.
↳It feels unfamiliar even though they’re our group.
↳↳We’re more used to seeing them forcing smiles even when they’re soaked in sadness.
↳What is this?
↳↳A video was uploaded on a Ramos Entertainment staff account. I was surprised too. Looks like Spade Joker joined the dinner after their music show.
Even though we had rented out the place, I wondered how this leaked… but it turned out to be from an insider.
[The members clapping next to him are so cute. Even drunk, Zen sings well. And our youngest is drinking soda alone.]
↳I’m more amazed that the youngest is hyped just from the atmosphere while drinking soda.
↳↳There’s a saying, you can get drunk on the vibe.
↳They ate beef.
↳Now that promotions are over, they must have eaten comfortably.
I immediately searched for the account run by Yoo Minsu.
[The current time after the dinner is 2 AM. The CEO stayed only for the first round and went home during the second. Meanwhile, we happily ate and drank using the CEO’s personal card. (He told us to order whatever we wanted, so we really did.) The reason we had dinner on the weekend was to celebrate the end of Spade Joker’s promotions. Also, even though we drank late, the CEO told us to take the next day off since we worked hard even on weekends. The video is a gift. (Video of Zen singing.)]
↳Thank you so much for the video. We get to see this side of Zen.
↳Wow, all the staff are waving their hands and enjoying themselves.
↳It’s nice to see everyone getting along.
↳I wish I could attend a company dinner like this.
↳↳I wish my company would learn from this. We don’t even get beef, let alone a free atmosphere… and most importantly, we don’t have Spade Joker.
↳They didn’t just give overtime pay for working weekends, but actually gave a weekday off?
↳↳Since everyone worked so hard during the promotion period, he said we couldn’t give a long break, but at least take a day off!
Even though he was drunk, Yoo Minsu still managed to post this… I couldn’t help but admire his mental strength.
Comments (0)