<Episode 81>
I figured it was about time to start looking for a manager for Florence.
‘Who would be good….’
I quickly went over the people I had encountered so far.
But there was no one as capable as Kim Jawook.
‘The others were just… so-so.’
So I lowered my standards a lot.
To be precise, as long as they didn’t cause trouble, that was enough.
I wasn’t asking for much. I wasn’t expecting someone as capable as Kim Jawook; if they could just do the basics, I’d have nothing more to ask for.
‘Still, if possible, it’d be better if it were a female manager. There’s a higher chance the girls would feel uncomfortable with a male manager.’
“Han Suseok.”
“Yes.”
“I think it’s time to hire a manager for the Florence kids, so put up a job posting. Timing-wise, Florence will start promotions when the Spade Joker members are resting, so at first, have them work alongside Kim Jawook and learn. Once the handover is done to a certain extent, they can start managing them on their own.”
“Understood.”
Based on my memories, I decided to filter out only those who could cause problems and gave instructions to Han Suseok.
‘Seriously, what would I have done without Han Suseok? If I had to handle all this alone, I might’ve just given up and lived trapped in an endless loop, hoping it would stop someday if I got lucky.’
“CEO.”
“Yeah.”
“Um… your mother contacted me.”
“Huh? My mother?”
“Yes.”
Since we had known each other since college, I already knew Han Suseok was acquainted with John Raid Lombardi’s family.
But I didn’t know they were in contact separately.
“Why? Did something happen?”
“No, not that. She said she’ll be coming to Korea soon.”
“What?”
I was so surprised that no other words came out.
“She said she saw you on a broadcast. Since the company seems to have stabilized to some extent, she wants to come take a look… as an investor.”
This had never happened before.
Even in the most successful previous iteration, they had never come to Korea saying they wanted to see me.
They would ask when I’d come to the U.S., but I’d brush it off, saying I was busy with work, or when we talked on the phone, they’d just say they missed me or loved me.
That had been the case in every timeline so far, so I assumed it would be the same this time.
“As an investor? When?”
They were officially investors in Ramos Entertainment. After all, the initial capital for John Raid Lombardi’s business right after graduate school had come from his wealthy parents.
This completely unexpected situation gave me a headache.
‘I’ve never even met them face to face.’
On top of everything else going on, the thought of having to meet John Raid Lombardi’s family was already making my head hurt.
“Next week. She said they’ve already booked the flight tickets.”
“They didn’t tell me anything?”
If I had received such a message, there was no way I would have forgotten.
“They like surprises.”
At Han Suseok’s words, I could only press my forehead.
“They’ll come to the company too, right?”
“Most likely.”
“Ha… the employees will feel uncomfortable.”
“I don’t think so. They’ll probably welcome it.”
That’s what Han Suseok said, but I definitely didn’t feel welcome about it.
The problem was that I had no justification to stop their visit.
They were parents who wanted to see their child and investors who had funded the company’s founding.
‘Ha… I can’t help but sigh.’
“Alright, I understand. I’ll contact them. Thanks for telling me.”
“No problem.”
After a brief bow, Han Suseok left the office.
‘This is uncomfortable.’
I decided to just send a message, using the time difference as an excuse.
[ I heard everything from Suseok. When exactly are you coming to Korea? ]
While waiting for a reply, I went back to work.
***
Around lunchtime, a reply came.
[So Suseok already told you? I’ll send a photo of the plane tickets. I can’t wait to see you, my son.]
I only replied with “Understood.” I couldn’t bring myself to write that I missed them too.
‘To begin with, John Raid Lombardi didn’t seem like the affectionate type with his parents.’
“CEO.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s time to eat.”
“Right. Let’s go.”
I went out with Han Suseok to eat at a nearby restaurant.
“Florence moved into their dorm, right?”
“Yes.”
“Any inconveniences? Anything they need?”
“I checked myself, and it seemed fine. I told them to contact me anytime if they need anything or feel uncomfortable.”
“But they’re still minors, right? Even the oldest, Lim Hyeju, is only twenty. Even if not every day, find an auntie who can come once a week to clean and prepare side dishes. They’ll need it.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Then let’s eat.”
Han Suseok wasn’t very talkative, so it was definitely comfortable being with him.
“Oh. Have you decided when you’ll go to the U.S.?”
“I’ll go after Florence finishes promotions.”
“That late?”
“Yes.”
“Why not go now instead? Spade Joker is nearing the end of promotions, and there’s still time before Florence debuts.”
After saying it, I realized this was actually the perfect timing.
Once Florence debuted, things would only get busier.
‘Then I’ll have to manage Florence and also discuss Spade Joker’s comeback.’
If I only said it verbally, Han Suseok would definitely refuse again, so I immediately took out my phone and bought a plane ticket to the U.S.
“I already bought the ticket.”
“…What?”
“You’re on vacation starting the day after tomorrow for a week. Consider it settled. You can’t cancel it… I’ve already completed the booking.”
“But….”
Han Suseok hesitated.
It seemed he wanted to go home but felt uneasy leaving work for an entire week during such a busy time.
“Han Suseok. Without you, we wouldn’t have made it this far. I’m sending you so you can work even harder after you come back, so don’t think too much about it.”
“…Understood.”
Thankfully, he accepted it quickly.
‘It’ll be tough with him gone for a week, but he’s human too… he needs rest.’
“Spend a good time with your family. Don’t work overtime today either. You need to pack, right? Just do the handover tomorrow when you come in.”
“Yes.”
***
Perhaps because he was worried about his absence, Han Suseok worked at an incredible pace over the next two days before going on vacation.
‘He finished all this in just two days?’
Seeing how he even organized all the handover documents for the tasks that I and the other employees would need to handle in his absence, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Bzzzz.
My phone rang.
It was Kim Jawook.
“Hello.”
[CEO.]
His voice didn’t sound normal.
“…Are you sick? Your voice doesn’t sound good.”
[Yes. I think I’ve come down with a bad cold. There’s a shoot for the Spade Joker members today… cough.]
His voice sounded like he was on the verge of collapse.
‘I didn’t expect something like this to happen right after sending Han Suseok on vacation.’
There was currently no one who could replace Kim Jawook.
So when something like this happened, either I or Han Suseok, whoever was less busy, would go to the site.
But now, even Han Suseok was away.
In the end, I had to go.
“Take the day off. If possible, go to the hospital and get an IV drip. That’ll help you recover faster.”
[But Team Leader Han isn’t here either….]
“I’ll go, so don’t worry about that. What if you go out in that condition and pass your cold to the kids?”
[I’m sorry.]
“That’s enough. You’re not sick on purpose, so don’t apologize for that. More importantly, go rest. I have the schedule for the kids too.”
After ending the call, I got ready to go pick up the Spade Joker members.
“Huh? CEO, where are you going?”
“The manager in charge of Spade Joker, Kim Jawook, needs to take sick leave today.”
“Ah… then I’ll go.”
“It’s fine. You’re already behind on work. I’ll go.”
I stopped the employee who raised their hand to volunteer.
“If anything happens at the company, contact me.”
“Yes.”
“I’m counting on you.”
With that, I left the company and drove to Spade Joker’s dorm.
“Ah, CEO.”
It seemed they had already been contacted by Kim Jawook; they were waiting for me in the parking lot.
‘Even while sick, he took care of this.’
“Get in first.”
“Yes.”
Spade Joker quickly got into the car.
“Is Hyung Jawook very sick?”
“Seems like a bad cold. He’ll be fine after resting for a day.”
“Yes.”
“For today, I’ll have to accompany you. It might be uncomfortable, but bear with it.”
“We’re fine though.”
“…Huh?”
“We’re not uncomfortable around you anymore, CEO.”
Judging by their expressions, they seemed sincere.
“Not uncomfortable?”
“Yes. Honestly, before, you were kind of scary.”
“Yeah. Your expression was kind of… strange?”
It seemed they were talking about before I possessed this body.
“Really?”
“Yes. So back then, it was a bit scary, but not anymore.”
“It actually feels more comfortable now.”
I couldn’t help but wonder if these were really the same kids who used to feel so uncomfortable just riding in the same car as me that they couldn’t say a word.
“Alright. Then take care of me for today.”
“Yes. We’ll be in your care too.”
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