<Episode 94>
“There’s also a rooftop that’s been nicely decorated. Would you like to take a look?”
“Yes.”
We took the elevator up to the rooftop.
It seemed the previous company that used this building had decorated it; it looked like a picnic area.
There was lush green grass, parasols, and although the flowers looked artificial, they were arranged throughout the space.
“The previous tenants used this as a resting area. They said they hoped the next occupants would make good use of it too, so they asked the landlord if they could leave it as is, and the landlord agreed. After coming to see it myself, I realized it’s been very well maintained. Sometimes the landlord and his spouse even come up here for a walk.”
It wasn’t bad.
Office spaces inevitably tend to feel bleak, after all.
“Of course, if you don’t like it, we can restore it to its original state. The landlord said he’s willing to adjust to the tenant’s needs.”
“No, I like this as it is.”
With a rooftop like this, it seemed possible to use it for producing in-house content for Spade Joker and Florence.
“Then, shall we start from the third floor and take a look slowly?”
“Sounds good.”
Following the real estate agent, we carefully inspected the building. Han Suseok took photos with his phone while jotting down notes.
“By the way, what kind of company did you say you run?”
“An entertainment company.”
“Ah, then this place is perfect since it’s not far from broadcasting stations. You know if you take that road behind there, you can get to one right away, right?”
The agent continued explaining the building with a bright smile.
There were no visible cracks or issues, nothing particularly wrong with it.
‘Looks like the previous tenants kept it clean and left it in good condition.’
“The interior is already well done, so you could move in just by bringing desks and chairs.”
As the agent said, we could leave the offices on the second and third floors as they were, and only renovate the first floor for a practice room and composer Han Youngju’s studio.
“This place used to be for product shoots. That’s why it has rail lighting like this.”
It seemed possible to convert it into a small studio for live broadcasts or members’ birthday parties.
The more I looked, the more I liked the building.
“There’s also this area on the first floor. It was apparently used as a darkroom.”
The space the agent showed us was a small room. With some soundproofing installed, it would be perfect as a personal vocal practice room.
“It’s really hard to find a property like this around here.”
The agent wasn’t lying. The building was clean, and the rent or purchase price wasn’t inflated.
“There are already several people who have their eyes on this place. Whether you rent it or buy it outright, if you like it, you should decide quickly.”
“I’ll sign the contract right away.”
“Sir?”
Han Suseok called out to me, startled.
“Secretary Han, is there a problem?”
“Shouldn’t we look at other buildings as well? This doesn’t seem like something we should decide so easily.”
Since the agent was standing right next to us, he spoke very cautiously.
“It’s fine. I like this place.”
Having gone through multiple regressions, I had visited many company buildings. Because of that, I had developed an eye for good real estate.
‘It’s just luck that I found such a good property right away.’
Han Suseok stepped closer and tugged at my sleeve, as if telling me to think it over again.
“Please show me the contract.”
But I immediately asked the agent for the contract, and Han Suseok’s face turned pale at my words.
“Just a moment. It’s in my car.”
“In your car?”
“It’s such a good listing that many people ask to see the contract right away, so I just keep both lease and purchase contracts in my car.”
“Then why hasn’t it been signed yet…?”
“Either the tenant or buyer tries to push for a cheaper deal, angers the landlord, and the deal falls through.”
“Unless the conditions are completely unreasonable, I’ll sign immediately. Ah, the lease contract, please.”
“Yes. I’ll bring it right away.”
“Alright.”
As the agent stepped out to retrieve the contract, Han Suseok spoke.
“Sir, this is going to be our office for years. Shouldn’t we make a more careful decision?”
“It’s fine. There aren’t any real flaws. The water pressure in the bathroom and pantry sinks is good. And you saw that the pipes are exposed, right? Buildings like this don’t have issues with freezing in winter. Also, the elevator was installed not long ago. Either the previous tenants planned to stay here long-term and renovated everything, or the landlord manages it very carefully.”
As I explained my reasoning, Han Suseok blinked in surprise.
“Did you study how to evaluate buildings? Back when we first chose the company office, you didn’t know anything.”
“I studied a lot after deciding to relocate. Thanks to that, I’ve developed an eye for it.”
“I didn’t even know you were studying… I was worrying on my own. I’ll work harder too and contribute more to the company’s growth.”
At my words, Han Suseok seemed newly motivated.
“No. You don’t need to do that. Han Suseok, you’re already more than enough.”
I meant it sincerely.
“Thank you for saying that.”
At that moment, the agent returned with the contract.
“Shall we go over the contract terms, then?”
***
After finishing the contract, we returned to the company.
The employees looked at us with bright, expectant eyes.
“Sir, are we really moving?”
“Yes. We are.”
The employees cheered.
“We just signed the contract.”
“Really? Then where are we moving to?”
“About a 20-minute walk from here, or 7 minutes by car. If it’s too far, your commute would change, and that wouldn’t be good.”
To be honest, we didn’t necessarily have to move nearby, but I deliberately looked for a building in this area for the employees’ sake. Longer commutes would only increase fatigue.
“Sir!”
“Thank you!”
The employees seemed touched that I had considered them.
“Sir! Then will we be hiring new staff too?”
“Of course. That’s exactly why we’re moving to a bigger building. Naturally, we’ll hire more people.”
At the mention of new hires, the employees grabbed each other’s hands in excitement.
‘Are they really that happy? Well, they’ve had a hard time working with such a small team. Even adding one person would reduce the workload significantly.’
“We’ll need to do some basic renovations and bring in new equipment, so it won’t be immediate.”
“But it’ll be soon, right?”
“We’ll post job listings first. We’ll need to conduct interviews and train them, so the office might feel a bit cramped for a while. Please bear with it.”
“We can handle it just fine. Don’t worry.”
The employees waved their hands, saying it was okay.
“Oh, and once we move, we’ll be creating a content production team.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Until now, the PR team has been splitting that workload, right? You’ve all worked very hard.”
I noticed one employee, the one who had submitted the in-house content proposal for Spade Joker, had their eyelashes trembling.
‘Right. I did say I’d make them team leaders when we create the team.’
It might be an unusual promotion, but that didn’t matter.
They had submitted a great proposal and even created content on their own time after completing their assigned tasks; they fully deserved the reward.
“Alright, back to work.”
“Yes!”
The employees’ voices sounded much more energetic.
***
As soon as it hit 6 PM, the announcement for Spade Joker’s fan meeting was uploaded to the official account.
Originally, we had planned to reveal the new promotional song during the fan meeting, but due to scheduling issues with the venue, it has been delayed until now.
“Still, it’s a relief we can hold the fan meeting before the promotion period ends.”
There was a lot to prepare: merchandise production, posters, stage setup, and more.
In truth, we could have held the fan meeting on the original date if we had reduced the scale slightly.
But that wasn’t an option.
If we did that, Clover wouldn’t let me off the hook.
‘It’s not like it’s a two- or three-day concert. If we reduce the scale for a one-day event, of course, Clover would protest.’
I stretched, loosening my stiff body.
[Wow. Our boys’ fan meeting! They’re having a fan meeting. I was sad the promotion period was ending, but this is perfect. They keep giving us things to fangirl over. They won’t even let us rest. I love it. CEO, please keep pushing like this. I want to see our boys often.]
↳ I’m excited.
↳ I can’t wait for the fan meeting.
↳ They must be so excited to see fans again. Just thinking about it is cute.
↳↳ Ah, I love it.
[I was worried they’d get pushed back because of the girl group debut preparations, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.]
↳ Honestly, I was worried too. Guess it was unnecessary.
↳ Our CEO wouldn’t do that.
↳↳ LOL, weren’t you criticizing him not long ago?
↳↳ LOL, you sounded like a Ramos Entertainment employee.
[I thought it’d be a concert, but it’s a fan meeting. Still good. Please give us a concert next time.]
↳ Please.
↳ We desperately need a concert.
To be honest, I had thought about holding a concert.
But the issue was the songs.
Spade Joker had a few songs, but not many were of a quality suitable for a full stage performance. I couldn’t hold a concert in that state.
‘We’d need to be on stage for at least two hours, and we can’t just rely on covering other people’s songs beyond one or two.’
Still, I found myself hoping that next time, we might be able to hold a concert, just as the fans wanted.
[I’m fine with anything. As long as I can see our boys.]
↳ LOL same. As long as we can see them, that’s enough.
↳ Let’s do our best at ticketing.
↳ I wonder what kind of fan meeting it’ll be.
Thinking that I needed to work even harder to meet the fans’ expectations, I packed my tablet and prepared to head home.
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