Do Wook’s father, Professor Kang Oong Chun, was smiling happily as he answered the phone from inside his research lab.
His son wasn’t ever a bad student who got into trouble, but he was tardy almost daily and his grades weren’t good, so you couldn’t call him a hardworking student either.
He and his wife, who was also a professor, were always at a university teaching classes as well as conducting research, so it was true that they couldn’t give their child a lot of attention.
They would tell themselves that it was fine as long as he didn’t cause trouble, but one day he suddenly started acting very grown up. Perhaps his puberty ended and he became mature.
When Do Wook gathered him and his wife together to say that he wanted to become a singer and attend a vocal academy, Professor Kang Oong Chun didn’t show it much, but he was very happy and proud. Whatever the outcome, it was good to have a goal.
While Do Wook was attending the academy or when he made it as a trainee after auditions, his father had actively provided support so he wouldn’t have financial difficulties. Besides that however, there wasn’t particularly anything else he helped with.
The amount of financial support he gave was just standard allowance-level that he would have given Do Wook anyways, even if he just attended school like normal. Despite that, Do Wook didn’t give up easily and worked hard towards the goals he set for himself.
It felt like his son had become a completely different person, so it was hard for Professor Kang Oong Chun to hide his surprise sometimes, but he was proud that he was growing up to be a good adult regardless.
Also, he couldn’t come home often as a trainee and later a celebrity, but Do Wook diligently called them to catch up.
Professor Kang Oong Chun told himself he didn’t care about the results, but Do Wook was now a famous celebrity whom even the other professors knew about.
He had declined it, but there was one time when Professor Kang Oong Chun was contacted for an interview since he was Do Wook’s parent.
He was so proud of his son who meticulously took care of them, his parents, and was very successful despite being so young.
And now, Professor Kang Oong Chun received a phone call from his son Do Wook.
He thought it was just the usual call to catch up, but Do Wook brought up a different topic.
“I’d like to invest.”
“…Invest?”
“Yes.”
Do Wook’s income was now pretty substantial.
First, as a KK member, there were album and merchandise sales, performance earnings, and advertisement earnings. The profits were divided with HIT Entertainment, other retailers, and other members, but a considerable amount of money came back to Do Wook.
On top of that, Do Wook had personally composed numerous songs as well as was the lyricist. The revenue from that and his solo album was substantial.
He only had one song on American market music sites after the recent project with LIL, but he was listed as the composer and the earnings from that were a lot too.
In comparison, there wasn’t much spending.
He lived in the dormitory and didn’t have a separate house or car he’d purchased. The company paid for his expenses during active periods, so there were no other day-to-day expenses.
At most, he spent money on buying his own equipment and everyday wear, but even in that case, he had recently been receiving necessities in care packages sent by fans, so he had been using those while showing proof of use.
Even Do Wook’s parents were currently working as professors, so he didn’t need to send them money for living expenses. In the end, most of his expenses were in donations.
As such, the hundreds of millions of Won were just accumulating in the bank account.
He put money in funds recommended by the bank, but that wasn’t a lot of money either.
Do Wook, who didn’t seem interested in money, suddenly said he wanted to invest, so Professor Kang Oong Chun was a little puzzled.
“Do you by any chance know a reliable consultant?”
Professor Kang Oong Chun had majored in economics, so fortunately, he knew quite a few financial experts. Professor Kang Oong Chun asked,
“Could you tell me what type of investment you’re looking to do?”
“One is investing in stocks…I want to hold quite a lot of shares. Little by little. And the other is investing in a small company that is not listed in stock yet.”
Professor Kang Oong Chun quickly went over the financial experts he knew in his head. He happened to recall someone suitable, and when he told Do Wook there was someone reliable, Do Wook said,
“Then I’d like to consult with him regarding some of my assets. Could you meet with him first in my place and ask him for me? If you’re busy…”
“No. I can do that much. Even if I were busy, I’m sure I’m not as busy as you. I saw an article saying that you’re going to Japan.”
“Yes, the Osaka performance is over now. We’ll be going to America soon.”
And so, Professor Kang Oong Chun entrusted Do Wook’s assets to the consultant in his place.
Do Wook sent the amount of details of the investments he wanted to him through email. Professor Kang Oong Chun entrusted the job to his former student from long ago, with whom he still kept in contact once in a while and who was currently a successful investor.
-Yeah, he invested it as you asked. And you made the agency investment in my name.
“Yes.”
-Also, he said he got the stocks for the music site you mentioned. The future outlook for it isn’t good, so he didn’t understand why you wanted to buy it and was worried. Are you sure it’s ok?
Do Wook nodded his head to what Professor Kang Oong Chun said.
The site that Do Wook wanted to invest in stocks for definitely did not have a good outlook right now. The biggest site in the rapidly growing music market was ‘Pineapple Music’. Next was ‘BN Music’ owned by the cable broadcast station TBN.
The third largest music site, ‘Jam Music’, didn’t have high market share and their share didn’t continuously grow like the top two sites, so Jam Music’s future was definitely bleak.
However, Do Wook had a different thought. If he had sought immediate profit, he probably would have made money by investing in places that would do well in the future as soon as he earned money.
Of course, money is an important method in achieving one’s dreams, but it’s just a means. It wasn’t money that Do Wook valued. He was simply using this investment to lay the groundwork so a bigger dream could unfold.
“It’s all right. I knew that when I invested. Thank you father, it must have been a hassle.”
-No. I can do this much for my hard-working son. He said he’ll send the investment updates through email periodically for now. He wants to meet you in person.”
“Mmm…for the time being, I think it’d be good to be in contact through you.”
He wasn’t doing anything illegal or making a lot of money, but it wasn’t good for it to be known that he, who was in the public eye, had invested somewhere.
-Ok. I understand. Take care of yourself and sleep well.
“Yes. I’ll make sure to go home on my day off.”
-Don’t push yourself too hard.
“Yes, father. Give mom my regards too.”
Do Wook, who had finished his call, stretched, then stood up.
Today was the day he had plans with Yoo Sung Fashion President Lee Yoo Min.
***
HIT Entertainment Fan Marketing’s Team Nam Hyo Jin was drinking with a friend at a cocktail bar near the office after work.
“Our Team Leader brought us here for our team outing. The vibe is really nice, isn’t it?”
“Oh, it’s totally awesome!”
Nam Hyo Jin’s best friend replied and gave a big nod.
“Team Leader, you mean the guy you said is kind of handsome? You should go for it.”
“No way! What do you mean, go for it?”
“Ah, why? You said there isn’t much age difference, he’s capable, and has a good personality.”
“That’s why it’s out of the question. And the boss is just the boss.”
The duo sat at the table and ordered the least expensive item, cheese nachos, and two glasses of cocktails.
“Ah, a low-level employee like me can only come to a place like this on payday.”
“Still, you’re a full-time employee and treating me to a place like this. You’re doing well for yourself, Nam Hyo Jin.”
“No I’m not. I almost got fired as soon as I became a full-time employee.”
“What? Why?!”
Mumbling, Nam Hyo Jin replied as she picked up a handful of nachos that had just arrived and ate them. She seemed as though just the thought of it made her nauseous.
“Well, our Do Wook…”
She stopped in the middle of talking and looked around. They were near the office, so she was checking if there were any affiliates.
Nam Hyo Jin was actually a diehard fan of KK. Half of the reason she joined HIT Entertainment was also to see KK and Do Wook. She was trying very hard not to let it show that every time she ran into Do Wook at the company, her heart fluttered and her ears turned red.
Fortunately, most of the female employees at the company looked at Do Wook with adoration, so her behavior didn’t stand out too much.
“I told my close friends about Do Wook working with LIL and I begged and begged them to keep it a secret, but…it was in articles the very next day. I went through hell trying to fix that…My palms were sweating when the Team Leader called me over and told me to take care of it…sigh…”
Nam Hyo Jin, who had found out about the project with LIL, had been so full of joy that she had shared the news with KK fans whom she was close with. She wanted to share the joy as soon as possible.
“Hey, why in the world would you tell them that?”
“I know. I must have been crazy. Seriously, never again! I’ll never do that again!”
“Sigh…”
Her best friend shook her head. Crunch. Nam Hyo Jin chewed the nachos as she vowed.
Do Wook, who had come to meet with President Lee Yoo Min and was covering his face with a Burberry coat and hat, entered the bar and saw a familiar face.
‘I think she was a Fan Marketing Team employee?’
Do Wook, who didn’t feel like there was a need to say hi when she was with a friend, headed towards the room inside the bar.
One of the reasons the affiliates often used this bar was because of the room inside. It was like a secret room that ordinary patrons didn’t know about, a place by the corner hallway.
Do Wook casually went there, opened the door, and entered.
Inside the room, President Lee Yoo Min and a man in his late 30s were sitting down.
He was a representative from the Korean branch of a global fashion brand.
“Nice to meet you.”
The man stood up and held out his business card to Do Wook.
‘Coco Korean Branch Manager, Jung Jin.’
The reason President Lee Yoo Min called Do Wook today was to introduce him. Do Wook was excited when President Lee Yoo Min told him she had good news waiting for him, but couldn’t help but be surprised when he received the business card.
‘From Coco? I wonder what’s going on…’
He didn’t know that it would be such good news.
‘Coco is one of the top three luxury brands. When it comes to luxury goods, most people think of Coco first.’
“Nice to meet you.”
Do Wook shook hands with Branch Manager Jun Jin.
“Seeing you in person, you really are handsome. You hear that a lot, don’t you?”
“Not at all. Thank you.”
“Your fashion sense is really good too, just as President Lee Yoo Min said. I can’t believe how well the Burberry hat suits you.”
Do Wook responded with laughter to the series of compliments.
“Sit down first, both of you. Are you going to talk about work as soon as you meet?”
“Ah, I was simply complimenting his fashion sense, ma’am.”
“If a person in fashion is giving a compliment about fashion, that’s work.”
Branch Manager Jung Jin smiled awkwardly at President Lee Yoo Min’s scolding. Do Wook also smiled and took a seat across from them.
***
Exchanging light conversation with Branch Manager Jung Jin and President Lee Yoo Min, Do Wook received information on trends in the fashion industry. He briefly left the room to go to the restroom.
As he left the room, Do Wook paused when he saw a familiar man entering the adjacent room.
It was Fan Marketing Team Leader Lee Dae Hyung.
There was nothing odd about Team Leader Lee Dae Hyung coming here for a drink. However, his vibe at the moment wasn’t good.
Do Wook looked towards the room Team Leader Lee Dae Hyung was headed to.
The room had an opaque window. Do Wook approached the window carefully.
In the room, there with Team Leader Lee Dae Hyung, was Ara Entertainment Director Seo Joong Won.
—
Next chapter: Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, Do Wook is told about the real reason this meeting with Coco Branch Manager was set up.