Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 358



Only Noblemtl

Episode 358

‘That’s ridiculous.’

Hong Gyu-heon personally borrowed money to recover 3 billion won worth of shares?

Why would that be?

In Seongpil’s opinion.

‘I didn’t know the boss had such a strong desire to control.’

Hong Gyu-heon could not stand to see someone else owning a 30% stake.

Garo Enter has a bright future ahead of it, so that 30% stake could become a huge amount of capital in the future.

‘It may be true that Garo Enter isn’t making a profit now, but things will be different in the future.’

Hong Gyu-heon believed in the company’s growth potential and immediately lent 3 billion won to get his shares back.

However, there was a loophole in this hypothesis.

‘Why is BG Investment selling its shares?’

As a shareholder, BG Investment is fully aware of Garo Entertainment’s circumstances.

If you knew that Garo Enter would soon enter a boom, why did you hand over your shares after receiving only the 3 billion won you had initially invested?

It was so absurd that the most plausible hypothesis was that Hong Gyu-heon’s family had threatened BG Investment.

Seongpil looked at Hanguin with a questioning look on his face.

“There were circumstances.”

“It’s bitter that the director doesn’t know the circumstances.”

“Just as I don’t know everything about the entire production department, Director Park doesn’t know everything about finance and management, right?”

No matter how much effort and hard work Sungpil puts into producing Girls’ League, it is difficult for Han Gu-in, who is in charge of finance, to know all of his hard work.

Sometimes you don’t even know what’s going on.

This time, it just worked in reverse.

“BG Investment attempted to interfere with management. To put it simply, they were telling me what to do.”

“Then I couldn’t help but know, right?”

“The boss told me not to tell you.”

Seongpil felt a slight discomfort.

Isn’t it like telling a child, ‘You don’t need to know that kind of thing’?

“Because the CEO wanted Director Park to pursue his vision as a producer without worrying about money or external circumstances.”

Seongpil’s discomfort turned into emotion.

Because it was a situation where they had to somehow hide the poverty of the family from their children and support them so that they could achieve their dreams.

“I didn’t want you to waste your energy on something useless.”

“Sonna (that kind of)… … .”

“After that.”

There were several incidents.

The most important incident was that BG Investment threatened to demand repayment of the investment if the demands were not met.

A grace period of about a year or so will be given, but… … .

‘Even after a year, if Garo Enter immediately repays 3 billion won, the company will go bankrupt.’

Seongpil had this imagination when he met Jin Soyu in Japan a long time ago.

If Jin So-yu wanted to come to Garo Enter, Garo Enter would have to pay tens of billions in liquidated damages to KS Enter.

Then, of course, Garo Enter would fail, so even if Jin So-yu wanted to come to Garo Enter, she couldn’t be brought there.

‘That was just a silly fantasy, but… … .’

When BG Investment asked for repayment, it didn’t mean they wanted real money, it just meant they wanted people to listen to what they were saying.

If you don’t have 3 billion, you can translate it to something like, “Just shut up and do whatever you’re told.”

“No, what did you ask for?”

“There were a lot. From the number of staff to the activities of the Girls’ League members, to the next group.”

So Hong Gyu-heon just borrowed 3 billion won and gave it to her.

“That’s the story.”

“… … Didn’t you skip a lot?”

“ah.”

When Han Gu-in heard Seong-pil’s question, he realized something.

“I think BG Investment wanted to sell its stake in Garo Entertainment to another company. I think they saw that opportunity coming within two years, but I don’t know which company. In order to get the highest price possible, Garo Entertainment had to turn around… … .”

“That’s not what I’m asking!”

“……ah.”

Hanguin seemed to have realized something again.

“The reason we allowed the repayment of the investment is because of the market situation. Instead of fighting with us, if you get 3 billion won, you can make more profit with that money. Isn’t it about the general election? Blind money is coming… .”

“That’s not it!”

“What do you want to hear?”

“Boss, boss! Are you okay? It’s 3 billion, 3 billion!”

Doesn’t the annual interest exceed 100 million just by breathing? For an ordinary person, it would be so painful that they wouldn’t even be able to breathe properly.

Han Gu-in lowered the corners of his eyes gloomily.

“It’s not okay. You can tell just by looking at it.”

The Korean’s speech was unusually sharp and twisted to the point of seeming rude.

Perhaps Han Gu-in knew the true meaning of the questions Sung-pil had asked. However, he did not answer them because he did not want to bring up Hong Gyu-heon’s story.

“Can you… can you pay me back? You have a paper company, right?”

“The president reinvested most of the profits from there into Garo Enter. But Garo Enter is still in the red. You can’t just cut it off all of a sudden.”

“Then what should I do?”

“I have no choice but to pay it off little by little without the interest increasing excessively.”

“Can I repay the principal?”

Han Gu-in shook his head.

“Even if you pay off 200 million won every year along with interest, it will take more than 20 years.”

Then Hong Gyu-heon is 49 years old.

“The only way is… … .”

“How?”

“Garo Enter has grown so much that the CEO’s annual salary is set at 3 billion won. Then, he will be able to pay off the debt and interest.”

How big would Garo Enter have to be for Hong Gyu-heon to receive 3 billion won in pure cash?

Even the president of an affiliate of a top Korean conglomerate would not receive an annual salary of 3 billion won…

“Okay then.”

Seongpil declared confidently. He spread out three fingers, then one more.

“I’ll pay you back within 4 years!”

“… … .”

Seongpil’s finger stretched out one more time.

“Within 5 years!”

The Korean man looked at it as if he couldn’t believe it, but he couldn’t even sigh and just laughed.

“If someone else had said it, I would have thought they were joking. But, since Director Park said it, I couldn’t help but believe it.”

The person who invested 1 billion won in Garo Enter as if he were possessed is Seongpil.

Han Gu-in has explained it over and over again.

With 1 billion won, you can live off of millions of won per quarter just by investing in stocks. It’s money you don’t have to work anymore.

However, Seongpil said this.

‘It will come back to hundreds of billions later?’

Dealing with such a person, Han Gu-in lost all sense of reality.

So I laughed lightly.

“But in the end, why did you swap houses with Ain?”

“You must be feeling very unwell.”

“yes?”

“You probably feel like you’re stuck in a swamp.”

* * *

Hong Gyu-heon left work.

It was an unfamiliar feeling.

The feeling of walking a long distance.

Not having a car was more inconvenient than I thought.

I never thought I would end up resenting the heels I used to wear so proudly.

She walked and walked and walked.

As I headed to the subway, I saw many tall buildings.

People walking into a department store smiling, people leaning against foreign cars with their noses high, and people laughing out loud while holding shopping bags.

Hong Gyu-heon looked at his hands again. There was nothing there.

She got on the subway.

It was more difficult than walking. Just standing still caused constant pain from my heels to my calves, thighs to my lower back.

It was also painful to mix with people and feel unnecessarily distracted.

Even after getting off the subway, I couldn’t breathe. I was stuck in the crowd of people, shaking around like bean sprouts in a basket.

Finally got out.

‘It takes me over two hours just to get off work.’

The place we arrived was not Seoul, but Gyeonggi-do.

‘Does Kwon Kyung-ri walk this road every day? She’s so respectable.’

Hong Gyu-heon moved his sore feet and headed towards Kwon Ah-in’s house, no, his own house.

We walked and walked, and came to a neighborhood that was a little scary to walk through. The orange streetlights were more eerie than comforting.

The forest of small buildings in the one-room village was filled with deafening noises.

My eyes were also dizzy.

Trash carelessly thrown away, people leaving cigarettes behind without a care, streets discolored yellow with saliva and ash stuck to them.

‘If I continue living like this, I’ll lose all desire to improve.’

With my commute to and from work taking over 4 hours, how can I dream of anything other than work?

‘But Kwon Kyung-ri studies, I heard.’

He said that he is studying finance hard with the help of Han Gu-in.

‘That’s really great.’

Hong Gyu-heon arrived in front of the house.

There was a passenger.

“president.”

It was Seongpil.

Hong Gyu-heon looked at Han Gu-in standing behind him. Han Gu-in slowly avoided his gaze like a scolded puppy.

Hong Gyu-heon let out a long breath.

“Come in. I don’t have anything to offer you, but.”

* * *

Kwon Ah-in’s house.

The one-room apartment that is currently Hong Gyu-heon’s house. As soon as he entered the place, Seong-pil felt a sense of longing.

‘It feels just like the place I used to live in.’

It doesn’t feel particularly cramped, but if you keep living there, it’s a size that makes it suffocating.

Seongpil lived in a studio apartment for two, three, and four years, but he couldn’t stand it anymore so he moved to a bigger house.

“Sit down.”

Seongpil and Han Guin sat on the floor between the bed and the desk. Because it was so narrow, the two had no choice but to sit shoulder to shoulder.

“… … .”

“… … .”

“Director Han.”

“Yes, Director Park.”

“Why don’t we just sit facing each other? Do we really have to sit next to each other?”

“ah.”

Han Gu-in quickly moved away from Seong-pil and went to face him. He hesitated for a moment, then returned to Seong-pil’s side.

Seongpil fell down in surprise.

“Are you flirting with me right now?!”

“Oh, no. Wouldn’t it be better for the boss to sit across from us… … .”

“Yeah, haha.”

A rustling noise was heard from the kitchen.

The two directors ran into the kitchen in shock. Hong Gyu-heon was making tea.

“Boss, we… … !”

“Sit down.”

“Hi (yes)!”

The two returned to their original positions.

Hong Gyu-heon poured green tea into a paper cup and placed it on the floor. Then, ignoring the seats opposite Seong-pil and Han Gu-in left empty, he sat on the bed next to them.

“Why are you two so close together?”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Seongpil quietly got up and sat down across from Hanguin.

“Boss, what happened?”

“What, that cheap-mouthed director has already told you everything, right?”

“I couldn’t help it. Director Park was looking at me with eyes like a cat that got wet from rain.”

“… … Yes, well, he looked at me with eyes like a cat that got wet from rain.”

Hong Gyu-heon’s lips opened slightly and a smile escaped.

“I know that well. Well, I guess there was nothing I could do about it. What are your thoughts?”

“yes?”

“How do you feel about my courage to protect the company?”

“Why did you do that?”

3 billion is a figure that is too embarrassing to even mention as a joke.

Money that 95% of people will never be able to touch in its entirety before they die.

Hong Gyu-heon borrowed that much money without any hesitation.

“You could have discussed it with me. I don’t know exactly what BG Investment’s requirements were, but I could have adjusted them appropriately.”

It might be a pain to be interfered with in producing, but it was better than being indebted to Hong Gyu-heon.

There was a possibility that a compromise could be found that would be somewhat satisfactory.

“Well, I don’t want to talk about something that’s already over. Your demands were ridiculous by my standards.”

Hong Gyu-heon smiled.

“It couldn’t be otherwise. These demands were not made for the growth of our company, but to sell shares at a high price. They go against our slogan.”

“Did our company have a slogan?”

“We need to start by overhauling our corporate culture. Director Park, are you absent-minded when we write our annual MD&A?”

“Hehehe.”

“Anyway, you know that you’re cute.”

“Is that cute… …?”

Garo Enter compiles and posts various materials, including the ‘Management Opinion and Analysis on the Company’s Financial Status and Business Performance’, on the company’s website every year.

Seongpil also said a word or two as one of the management team members, but I didn’t know the details because it was Han Gu-in’s domain.

“They even included something like a company slogan there. I’ll read it in detail next time.”

“They are bringing this as well.”

Hong Gyu-heon said with a friendly smile.

“Yes, slogan. The best idol.”

It’s a word that Seongpil habitually blurts out whenever he opens his mouth.

He bit his lip without realizing it, because if he hadn’t, he would have let out a moan mixed with tears.

These days, members and company people often say that they are ‘enchanted’ by Sungpil’s speaking skills. Sungpil didn’t really know what that meant, but now he seems to know.

Perhaps when Seongpil himself was described as being ‘possessed’, it would be similar to what Hong Gyuheon had said just now. That’s how Seongpil felt.

“But, but, I just can’t stand seeing you live like this, boss… … .”

“Is this Kwon Kyung-ri’s house?”

“… … .”

“And I don’t have to live here forever.”

Seongpil apologized to Kwon Ahin in his heart. I’m sorry for telling you to ‘live like this’…

“But are you okay, boss?”

In a capitalist society, debt is a curse.

It is the nature of capitalism to sacrifice time to make money.

If it’s a five-day workweek, you work five days and get two days off. But if you have a debt of 100 million won every year, you won’t be able to properly enjoy even two days of rest.

Wouldn’t it feel like living with a stone in your stomach? Numbers would always be floating around in your head, and if you didn’t work, even your hands and feet would start to tremble?

It takes time to gain freedom, but when you have debt, you are sacrificing your freedom even when you are resting.

“I, I… … .”

Seongpil clenched his fist on his knee. Hanguin saw his gesture and tightly closed his eyes, feeling as if he was about to say something embarrassing.

“I don’t want to see the boss like that… … .”

“Do you know Seneca?”

“Huh? Who are you?”

Is this a new idol?

“Philosopher. I don’t remember the exact words, but he said something like this.”

If you are worried about the future, try wearing shabby clothes for a few days, living in a shabby place, and not eating even bad food to your heart’s content.

Live like that for a few days.

So, is this what you were so afraid of?

“I tried that.”

“… … .”

Seeing Seongpil’s trembling expression, Hong Gyuheon raised his index finger.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“No.”

“That’s right. Am I being hypocritical for judging Kwon Kyung-ri’s house to be shabby?”

“No.”

“But what, I don’t really think Kwon Kyung-ri’s house is shabby… … .”

“No.”

When Hong Gyu-heon raised his fist, Seong-pil shut his mouth tightly.

“I tried to put Seneca’s words into practice, but there was no suitable place. It would be like staying in a motel for a month. No, a motel would be a decent place to live.”

So Hong Gyu-heon asked Han Gu-in for help.

“Director Han, this won’t work. Is that how you saw Ain? A person who lives in a shabby house and wears shabby clothes?”

“no!”

The coincidence started in the break room.

While we were having coffee together as colleagues in the finance team, Han Gu-in suddenly asked me a question.

‘Is there a way to get a house that is moderately small, smells like people, and is also a little poor for ordinary people to live in?’

‘Hehe, that’s my house.’

Kwon Ah-in also thought that Han Gu-in was making a strange joke and agreed with it.

Then, Han Gu-in snapped his fingers… … .

“Director Han, apologize to Ain immediately!”

“Please listen until the end!”

Han Gu-in asked if I was thinking about changing houses.

Kwon Ah-in asked back what a change was if it wasn’t a house share, and Han Gu-in said that it literally meant exchanging houses.

A person I know wants to live in a house smaller than 10 pyeong for a month to get some peace of mind.

‘That’s a strangely specific square footage. How do you know the square footage of my house?!’

‘I took a picture.’

‘… … Where does he live?’

When the name of the luxury apartment she would never be able to live in was mentioned, she opened her eyes wide and cried out.

‘It’ll be a loss if I don’t do it! I’ll do it! Haha, but are you kidding? There’s no way that would be such a good idea… … .’

Back in the present, Hong Gyu-heon shrugged.

“That’s what happened.”

Hong Gyu-heon looked around the house. Seong-pil’s eyes also moved to the same place as hers.

I saw a shabby place.

‘I’m sorry, Kwon Kyung-ri… … .’

Seongpil once again apologized to Kwon Ahin in his heart. Her bright smile came to mind.

“Well, it’s just like Seneca said.”

Hong Gyu-heon smiled brightly like Kwon Ah-in.

Of course, I couldn’t completely erase my worries. But the depressed mood I’d been feeling lately had somewhat disappeared.

“3 billion? More than 100 million won in annual interest? What would happen if I had that? I would live in a worse house than here, eat worse food than I do now, and wear cheap clothes. It’s not as hard as you think. It’s worth it.”

Hong Gyu-heon continued speaking. There was a look of determination on his face.

“I will never arbitrarily take Garo Enter’s profits to pay off my debts. That much is certain. Even if I were to live a life swept away by typhoons like a garbage bag on the side of the road, I would never do something like that.”

Seongpil seemed to know what would happen next.

“Even if I am suffering, I cannot see my dreams suffering.”

Hong Gyu-heon’s dream is to create idols.

Now it’s time to create the best idol.

I am the president of such a company.

Even if I had to live like a beggar, I wanted to make sure that my dream company would be successful.

“Well, that’s what I think.”

Hong Gyu-heon scratched his cheek as if embarrassed.

“In short, what I’m doing now is a kind of mental care. In preparation for the unfortunate future that may come… … .”

“Sir, I will pay it all back within four years.”

“Director Park, didn’t you say within five years this morning?”

“I changed my mind. No, I’ll pay you back within three years.”

“The numbers are very specific.”

Hong Gyu-heon was grateful for Seong-pil’s comfort.

Even if it was just empty words without any basis, I would have been grateful. However, Seongpil’s words did not seem to be empty words, so I was even more grateful.

“But boss, this is a bit of a mood-breaker.”

“Try it.”

“In the worst case scenario, why don’t you just sell the house?”

“It’s not my house. I pay the management fee.”

“How much is it?”

Seongpil’s determination burned even stronger after hearing the answer.

“I need to pay it back soon! Oh, and if you need anything, I can lend you money. Do you want to try stocks? I have some really good information, so I’ll keep investing in stocks… … .”

“If you’re going to entrust me with stocks, give them to Director Han. Should I get stock recommendations from Director Park?”

“No, I’m telling you, there’s something really good about it. I’m good at picking stocks, almost to the point of predicting the future (it’s true).”

“Okay. What kind of investment is this?”

“Don’t do that.”

“Why are you so persistent?!”

The three of them chatted late into the night.

Although it was late at night when they arrived, they seemed to have forgotten that they had to go back and were very interested in conversation.

There wasn’t much talk about the company.

We just talked about things without any worries, as if we were friends gathering at night and chatting.

Hong Gyu-heon suddenly thought.

‘It feels like the old days.’

Four years ago, three people gathered together with nothing.

‘no.’

It wasn’t like the old days, it was like nothing had changed since the old days.

Even as the company grew and the Girls’ League became successful, the relationship between the three people did not change.

Hong Gyu-heon was relieved by that.

* * *

Kwon Ah-in, the accounting department, said the world seemed to have changed these days.

Oh my goodness, you can commute from Seoul?

Oh my goodness, there’s a sedan?

Oh my gosh, your house is so fancy!

‘Could I be the main character in a novel?’

A pretty and handsome older sister approaches me in a friendly manner for some reason and offers me all kinds of favors.

Kwon Ah-in’s life was changing like the contents of an internet novel she might have read when she was a student.

At the same time, Kwon Ah-in felt that each day was too precious.

‘After a month, we’ll have to go back to the old days… … .’

Now that I’ve tasted this life, how can I ever go back to the old days?

Kwon Ah-in was drinking coffee in the break room, feeling depressed. She even poured Han Gu-in’s coffee, even though he didn’t ask her to. If she had brought it to him, he would have been flustered and said, “Hey, you shouldn’t do this, Mr. Ain… … ”

In fact, Kwon Ah-in wanted to see Han Gu-in like that, so she would even make him coffee and tea.

“Kwon Kyung-ri.”

“Uh, hello, sir.”

As Hong Gyu-heon entered the break room, Kwon Ah-in bowed. These days, Hong Gyu-heon even makes his own coffee and tea.

The staff would stiffen whenever she entered the break room. It was awkward.

Just looking at her face was hard, like looking at a fantasy creature, but these days, I just look at it when I feel like it.

Hong Gyu-heon drank coffee next to Kwon Ah-in.

Kwon Ah-in prayed that the water would stop flowing quickly. Talking to the president was quite a drain on her energy.

“Kwon Kyung-ri.”

“yes!”

“Why are you so disciplined? Is Director Han playing the military?”

“No, absolutely not!”

“okay.”

Kwon Ah-in smiled awkwardly.

“Kwon Kyung-ri.”

“yes yes.”

“We have a one month contract.”

Oh, no way.

I guess they’re saying that since they can’t stand it any longer, they should finish it earlier than the scheduled date.

‘Yeah, how can someone who has lived in a house like that continue to live in a house with cockroaches crawling around… … . But, still, they left a lot of ticks behind… … .’

From the beginning, the world we lived in was different.

‘Goodbye, my fantasy.’

Kwon Ah-in’s shoulders lost all their strength.

“When that’s over, do you want to come live in my house?”

“… … Huh?”

Kwon Ah-in answered awkwardly.

“I see that the company is really far away. Isn’t it hard? Oh, is it because there’s still a lot of time left until the contract for the room expires?”

“Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh?”

Kwon Ah-in pursed her lips and asked in the same awkward manner as when she answered earlier.

“Why, why?”

“Well, just.”

Hong Gyu-heon poured mixed coffee into a paper cup.

“It’s because Kwon Kyung-ri is like my younger sister.”

Kwon Ah-in thought.

‘I really entered the world of the novel.’

Kwon Ah-in finally decided to admit it.

‘When will the male lead show up? Will the CEO introduce you to my brother or something like that? Am I marrying a tycoon? When will the next story start!’

* * *

Although I thought it was autumn, the grass growing on the mountain still had a fresh scent.

Jang Ha-yang looked at the mountain ranges that stretched far into the distance. The trees were preparing to change into autumn leaves.

There was something hollow about her eyes.

“Um, the next thing I’m going to say is Hayang.”

Jang Ha-yang snapped out of her daze at Seongpil’s voice. She took out the envelope containing the concert ticket from her bosom and held it.

“wife…….”

Jang Ha-yang’s voice was choked once. She swallowed and spoke again.

“Nice to meet you, Mom and Dad.”

Jang Ha-yang knelt down toward the two oxygen tanks.