The four of them were often found out together and soon people assumed that they were couples. But the girls played it smart. They were young but they didn't intend to date just because they were popular and handsome.
Hyo-Jin checked on their grades. "Se-Ri and I are honor students and we work hard for it. Full scholarships, too. And you?"
Tae-Soo scratched his head. "I have good grades but not enough for honors. I'm a good athlete though and am on a full scholarship on that."
Hyo-Jin nodded. "Okay. There are different areas to be great anyway."
Se-Ri added, "It's more important to be good and kind people."
The boys didn't say anything then, but they found out the truth soon.
Hyo-Jin and Se-Ri asked the boys out to watch a movie one weekend and when they didn't agree to dates with the girls, they were suspicious. What college boy would not want dates right? They found out where the boys were headed (in truth, it wasn't hidden from them, the boys just weren't saying what they were going to do in that venue) and went there to see if the boys were seeing other people.
At the venue, they found Tae-Soo and Jeong Hyeok with their teammates coaching different kids. They were holding a baseball camp for underprivileged children. This camp was the brainchild of Jeong Hyeok and Tae-Soo.
Jeong Hyeok was currently at a batting cage with a little boy and a little girl teaching them the proper stance so that they had a better chance of hitting the ball. He gave them some space to continue practicing and then started walking to help other children when he noticed Hyo-Jin and Se-Ri.
He looked surprised but jogged over. "Hi! What are you guys doing here?"
Hyo-Jin and Se-Ri felt shame for what they thought about them. Se-Ri spoke up and told him their doubts. "I'm sorry. We thought you were up to something fishy. I'm sorry. We're sorry."
Jeong Hyeok frowned. "It's not great to hear that."
"I know," Se-Ri said.
"But I guess it's expected. You don't trust us yet," Jeong Hyeok said. Tae-Soo joined them and soon pulled Hyo-Jin aside and they had a separate conversation.
"Are you mad?" Se-Ri asked.
"Disappointed but not mad. I don't like the going behind my back because I feel like hadn't done anything to deserve it. So, if it's alright, could you ask me next time? I promise to be honest," Jeong Hyeok said.
"Trust is earned."
"I know. All I'm asking is a chance to do so."
Se-Ri felt the sincerity in his words and nodded. "I'm sorry again."
"Do we have a deal?"
"Deal." They shared a smile and shook on it.
~~~
"Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart
Why are we here? Where do we go?
How come it's so hard"
(Song lyrics - Jack Johnson)
~~~
Se-Ri took the list from Manager Hong and prepared what they needed. They had very basic requirements so she wanted to make sure to they had better paperwork by the time they were scheduled to present.
It was Manager Hong's name that was put on the appointment which was fine with Se-Ri as it gave her time to get her wits together. Presenting a proposal to an investor for running a business that she had never done before was already a challenge in itself. Giving that presentation to your ex was a whole other difficulty she had to conquer.
So, Se-Ri studied. She did have some business course background to lean into and she wasn't completely clueless. Thankfully, there was a lot of material online that helped clue her in what to do. She even watched those shows where people stood up and introduced their ideas to famous venture capitalists.
"Oh, that's brutal," she muttered on one episode where the lady was harshly put down. "Is Jeong Hyeok like them when he asks about projects presented to him?"
After she studies those shows, she watched movies, documentaries, and television shows portraying powerful women to try to study traits that she can adopt.
The night before the meeting, she browsed her closet for the most appropriate outfit. "Balmain. One could never go wrong with Balmain," she said to no one. It was a white, long sleeved, high neck, suit dress with gold buttons in the middle. The hem ended on her mid-thigh and the fit hugged her in all the right places.
Then, she went to her shoe cabinet and selected a beautiful high heeled, nude beige Jimmy Choo pair, made of lace fabric and made her legs look even longer. The color also complimented the white and gold of the dress she had chosen.
Even her purse was something she thought about because she was hyper aware that in these things, sometimes, first impressions mattered.
Finally, the moment came.
Jeong Hyeok's office was located at the penthouse in a building he now owned at the Gangnam Business District. He renamed the building with his initials and a few numbers "LJH1131". Based on the directory Se-Ri read at the lobby, there were a number of big business already renting from him and she could only imagine how much the property was earning.
Se-Ri herself had properties but it was nothing this big. Sure, she would live comfortably and had enough to put into this new business she was planning but this building was in a different league.
Se-Ri and Manager Hong arrived at the offices 15 minutes before their scheduled time. They were escorted to a waiting room with Se-Ri going over her notes again and Manager Hong pacing around in worry.
At exactly the time they were told, she was walking into Jeong Hyeok's office.
Calling the office large was an understatement. The first thing you noticed was the floor to ceiling windows that occupied the entire side of the office. Jeong Hyeok also had a massive wooden desk, an 8-seater conference table, and a couple of comfortable couches. It was a pleasant mixture of dark wood and metal but turned out to be surprisingly cozy and filled with light.
"Yoon Se-Ri?" Jeong Hyeok asked, surprised at her presence.
"Good morning, Mr. Lee," she said, formally.
"I thought I was meeting with a Mr. Hong?" Jeong Hyeok asked his secretary and looking at the other people in the office.
"That's me, Sir. I made the appointment," Manager Hong said. "This is my boss, Ms. Yoon." Jeong Hyeok frowned but gave the go signal to proceed. Manager Hong scrambled with the secretary to set up the laptop they brought to show the powerpoint that would accompany Se-Ri's spiel.
Manager Hong and Se-Ri unveiled their proposal showing Jeong Hyeok an overview of the agency they want to put up, how they intend to make money and grow the business and finally asking for the investment they needed. "We are willing to give 30% equity," she said.
Jeong Hyeok was turning pages in the folder he was holding which was the information they provided him when they started. "Are you going to manage the business yourself?"
"Yes with Manager Hong," Se-Ri answered.
"You'll be handling the daily business matters, hire more actors and will be the main talent as well?"
"Yes. I'm willing to work for it and put into the business everything I earn from commercials and endorsements I have," Se-Ri said.
Jeong Hyeok crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. "Would you mind if we speak alone?"
Se-Ri shook her head and asked Manager Hong to excuse himself. "I'll see you outside."
Once the door was shut, Jeong Hyeok asked, "I would like to understand why you're doing this, Yoon Se-Ri. From what I understand you have been with your agency since your debut and are doing very well."
Se-Ri felt defensive. "I am unsure if that is necessary in assessing whether the business is going to be profitable."
Jeong Hyeok acknowledged her point. "Fair. From what I've seen with the companies I invest in, it helps to know the owner's purpose. Those who have the clearest views do a lot better than those who don't and are going about the business on a whim."
Seeing the logic in that, Se-Ri nodded and offered an honest answer. "The agency has been under new management for a few years now and has been shifting their priorities to younger, up and coming stars. Veterans like me are being sidelined and the offers given to me have been... underwhelming. There's more that I would like to do. There's more I feel I can do... Find good roles for women, make sure younger female artists are protected... and I... there's a project that I'm truly passionate about."
"May I ask what?"
"I... I am telling you this because I am vying for an investment, but I hope this is kept in confidence."
"I promise."
Se-Ri met his gaze. She had always believed in his promises. Though a bit anxious, she said, "I have obtained the rights to a very good screen adaptation about a Korean historical figure. I believe it would do very well and I could play it."
"But your business proposal is not a production company?"
"Yes, but I can make those deals."
"Have you done so before?"
Se-Ri demurred. "No."
He was silent for a heartbeat. Turning to the papers again, he mentioned, "You need a management team. Doing everything for a start up will take a lot out of you and if you would also be the talent, things may suffer."
"I can't afford a management team yet, but I will take that advice and see what I can do," Se-Ri accepted.
"Your business model needs some work. My day is full of meetings but I can send you notes within the week. Is this your email address here?" he asked, showing her the page where contact details were provided.
She nodded. "Does this mean you're taking us in your venture capital firm?"
"No."
Se-Ri immediately felt deflated but refused to give him any inkling of her hurt. "I see."
"Your company is different from what we're currently looking at for the firm," he explained.
"I understand. Thank you for taking time to hear us out."
"I'll give you the money as an angel investor."
Se-Ri was unable to hide her shock.
"I'll give you the money you need. As I mentioned, your business model needs work, so I'm going to help you out on that and then we can work out a scheme for when you could start paying me back. Deal?"
Se-Ri was in shock. Later, she promised herself she would look up what an angel investor was. Later, she promised to have an open mind on the comments he might give on the business model. Later, she would reprimand herself for not hiding her reaction better.
For now,
"Deal." They shared a smile and shook on it.