Chapter 108: Taste-Testing Contract

Taste-Testing Contract

“To be frank, the CLOSER Project is being handled by a completely different department from ours.”

The team leader said so, seemingly embarrassed, as if he hadn’t expected me to ask such a question.

“It’s a little difficult to give you a definite answer about what we can or can’t do right now.”

“Ah… I see…”

Then, I should just refuse their offer here, no?

Banking on merely the possibility that I could help Doah to jump into these complicated-looking intertwined interests didn’t feel worth it at all.

“However, if you propose supporting Luka-ssi as part of your contract conditions, we can certainly have a formal internal discussion about it on our end.”

“Speaking of, it has been about ten years since you and the Metaverse team leader who’s in charge of CLOSER have been working together, right?”

The manager subtly interjected into our conversation.

“To be exact, twelve years. Six years here and six years at our previous place.”

“If Taemin-ssi is on board, I think we can offer some additional support…”

The more I listened to them, the more attractive the offer seemed to be.

If this really was a way for me to support Doah, I’d gladly be on board.

“Then…”

I closed my eyes for a moment before taking my hand off the glass that was filled with my coffee.

“May I propose something…?”

“Please, go ahead.”

“To be honest, I know next to nothing about this matter and I’m not confident that I can do it well, so…”

This was the most rational thing I could think of.

“Is it possible for me to… Do a sort of tryout contract for a few months…?”

“Ahh… That might be a little difficult… We’re still a company, after all. We need to submit proposals and such to receive the funds for the investments…”

Seeing the manager’s awkward smile, it seemed like this wouldn’t work out.

“Alright. Let’s do it that way.”

The team leader’s cool declaration surprised the manager more than me.

“Sorry? Team Leader? Are you sure this is okay?”

“I can consider this as part of our investment.”

“But, then…”

“Jiye-ssi, you don’t need to worry. This is a matter that our casting team will handle.”

It seemed like the manager wanted to say something, but I didn’t know enough to tell what it was.

“What do you think of a tryout period for six months? No, three months.”

If he really proposed six months, I’d definitely say that it was too much, but three…

That aside, I gotta say that this guy was really good at influencing other people’s hearts with his words.

“It would be ideal to make the tryout period shorter, but if it’s too short, it’ll be a problem too, since you might not have enough time to learn and produce proper results.”

When he put it that way, it made me feel like I was the one troubling him.

“Um, well… If it’s three months… I think I could…”

“You’ve made a good decision. This will surely be a great opportunity for both you, Taemin-ssi, and Luka-ssi. Oh, or was it Doah-ssi?”

“In any case, we’ll send you the official contract as soon as it’s ready. Probably someone other than me or Jiye-ssi will contact you at a later date.”

Maybe because they received a positive answer from me, the two people sitting across from me had satisfied looks on their faces.

“Then, we’ll see you at the company next time we meet.”

They bowed their heads as they said that, even saw me off on my way home afterwards.

“Hmm~ Hm~ Hmhmhm~”

Oppa probably hadn’t eaten lunch, right?

I knew he was the type to eat breakfast diligently, so he probably just had a piece of bread at most.

Anyway, I was making tteokbokki today.

Yes, I knew ordering delivery would be tastier, but I felt like I’ve been ordering deliveries too much lately. I wanted to try cooking by myself this time.

Currently, I was following a popular YouTuber’s recipe, but seeing what was up, I couldn’t help but frown.

“…Isn’t this just powdered food?”

What? They really put in this much MSG?

The chef that introduced the recipe said this was how to make the dish taste like something you bought at a store, before pouring the powder generously.

It felt like everything was half seasoning, half powder.

I was using a paper cup to measure the exact amount, but I hesitated for a moment.

…Wouldn’t it be okay to use just half?

If I put in too much, it might be bad for our health.

I knew that they said it wouldn’t be that bad, but something still didn’t feel right…

As the bright red broth started to thicken, a spicy aroma rose to my nose.

“Mmm!”

I blew on a spoonful of the sauce before putting it in my mouth. Almost immediately, an exclamation of admiration escaped my mouth.

Huh, it was tasty. Actually, it was better than I thought.

As expected, tteokbokki never disappoints.

-Riiing

At that moment, my phone rang.

I answered without checking who it was, but I knew that it was from the person I had been expecting.

「Hello?」

「Is it over?」

「Yeah. I’m almost there now.」

「Oh… Did the talk go well?」

I couldn’t tell anything from his voice.

Well, at least he didn’t sound too upset,

I just hoped that he hadn’t hastily signed something without reading everything thoroughly.

「I’ll tell you when I get in. I’m almost there now.」

「Ah. Okay. Got it.」

It seemed like his words were true, since less than a minute later, he was already knocking on my door.

“It’s cold, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is cold.”

“Then, come in quickly.”

Since I couldn’t leave the pot for long, I immediately returned to the induction stove. Meanwhile, Oppa, now familiar with the place, took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack.

“Oh. What’s this? Are you making tteokbokki?”

“The color’s perfect, right?”

“It sure is.”

“Can you set the table for me?”

Oppa nodded and went back.

We sat facing each other on the floor.

In front of us was the pot. There was steam rising from it.

“Let’s eat!”

“Ah, wait, Oppa. Don’t you think you’re a little too dressed up for eating tteokbokki here?”

I was too occupied to notice earlier, but this man really sat on the floor while dressed like he was attending a relative’s wedding.

“Well, since I’d be meeting people from your company, I figured I’d dress up.”

After slurping some of the ramen, Oppa urgently looked for water, maybe because he found that it was still piping hot.

“Ow. It’s hot.”

“Be careful. You’ll burn your tongue.”

“A little too late for that warning.”

Seeing him frowning, as if in pain, I smiled. This should be the perfect time to ask what was in my mind.

“So, how was today? Tell me.”

“Ah… Well, so, your manager and the person who said that he was the casting team leader were there…”

After that, he told me about the conversation that took place in a calm voice.

“Hmm. So it’s a 3-month thing?”

“Yeah, kinda like an internship? Something like that.”

“But, did they say that they’d share the profits with you if you earn any during that period?”

“Uhh… I’ll need to see the contract to know. They said they’d give it to me next week.”

From what I’ve heard so far, the deal didn’t seem bad.

It wasn’t like they were asking for a full-blown five-year-contract or anything.

Honestly, I didn’t want him to change his life trajectory drastically because of me.

I wanted him to fully decide on his career path.

“So, say that you agree to sign the contract. What will you do first? Acting? Modeling?”

“Uh, they mentioned that I’ll appear in a web drama first.”

Hearing that unexpected answer, my eyes instantly widened.

…Oppa? Appearing in a web drama?

Rather than feeling excited, I was more worried than anything.

“…You’ll be acting?”

“No? They said just showing my face like a background character would be enough.”

“Ah… So you won’t get a line or anything?”

“Yeah and that’s probably for the best. If they actually make me act, that drama might just flop instantly.”

Finding his words funny, Oppa burst into laughter.

“Anyway, if I end up doing it, I’ll just do what they’ll tell me to do.”

Seriously, this dismissive attitude of his only made me feel more uneasy than not.

“Oppa, what if the drama becomes a huge hit and the memes of your face are all over the internet.”

This was a common occurrence.

Like a backup dancer outshining the singer.

Or a supporting actor that was more handsome than the lead.

It might just be me speaking from my rose-tinted glass, but I honestly thought that he could easily claim that title with his looks.

“Ugh… That sounds awful.”

Hearing my words, he shook his head, as if disgusted.

“And then hoobaes at school would ask for autographs and stuff.”

Then, I started listing off things that could happen to him, but for some reason, he made a face that looked as if he was about to crumble to ashes and disappear.

“Doah… Maybe this is too much after all…”

“Hey, you were just saying you’d consider it positively until a moment ago!”

I dipped the last egg I had saved in the sauce and brought it to Oppa’s mouth.

“Aah~”

“That’s too big, I can’t eat it all at once…”

“L-Luka-tan’s arm hurts… W-Won’t you eat this…? Please…”

I raised my voice and made Luka’s characteristic coquettish tone. In that instant, he opened his mouth wide.

“Jeez. Seriously.”

Why didn’t he just eat it when I offered it the first time?

Feeling a little annoyed, I put the whole egg in his mouth without cutting it as he began to grind it with his teeth.

“…Water.”

Yeah, he was a hundred times more suited for a non-speaking background character role than one with lines.