Chapter 7: Let’s Get Some Takoyaki

When making plans, one always makes backup plans.

I was more aware of the second plan than the first, which relied heavily on luck.

If the first one failed, I could just switch to the second one.

However, it wasn’t easy to recover from the collapse of an anticipated heart.

‘If the first plan, which I thought was unlikely to fail, fell apart like this, is there any guarantee that the second plan will succeed?’

‘Or should I make a third plan?’

‘Am I destined to never leave this orphanage?’

‘If fate exists, is it also predetermined that I will receive a terminal diagnosis at the age of 22?’

Doubt begets doubt.

Uncertainty spreads to areas that cannot be answered, creating endless agony.

And when faced with an unanswerable answer, people easily feel helpless and fall into depression.

This won’t do.

Slap-!

I slapped my cheek with all my might.

Even a child’s weak strength left a deep pain on the similarly fragile skin.

This momentarily invigorated my body and pulled my mind out of the deep pit.

Let’s think only about one thing for now.

Don’t be afraid of the tomorrow that hasn’t come, and don’t deny the today you’ve experienced.

Only those who are prepared for today can worry about tomorrow.

So I must live for today.

‘First, I need to talk to the director about the video. If I persuade him with Mister, it should work out somehow. Mister even considered adoption, so he’ll probably help. And-‘

I spent the next few days lost in thought.

When I was eating, during activity time, when I was being hit by the bullies, even just before falling asleep.

Then one day, the director broke my concentration and handed me a phone with a call on it.

The person on the call said.

-Kid, do you want to be on TV?

“Yes.”

•Huh?”

“I don’t.”

It was obvious.

There’s a saying, TPO.

It means Time, Place, and Occasion, and it refers to dressing appropriately for each.

It’s common sense for modern people to wear a black suit or formal attire to a funeral, and swimwear to a swimming pool.

And people often feel fear, not just strangeness, when they see something out of place in these common situations.

That’s exactly how the company employees felt when they saw Lee Seongbeom, dressed in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, carrying camping gear to work.

The new employees who had only heard rumors about Lee Seongbeom’s eccentricities looked at him with curiosity, while those who had seen it firsthand all urgently called their superiors.

And those calls miraculously connected, reaching Director Choi Juntae’s ears before Lee Seongbeom could set up his tent in front of the director’s office.

“Ah, Juntae hyung. Long time no see!”

“Argh! Put away the tent, you crazy bastard!!!”

Due to Director Choi Juntae’s strong opposition, Lee Seongbeom pouted with his duck lips and packed up the tent.

And he was dragged into the director’s office, sat down, and questioned by Choi Juntae, who was grinding his teeth.

“What is it that you’re dissatisfied with this time.. I look at your proposals first. I give you a lot of the budget. I gave you a lot of manpower. Damn it, I gave you everything!”

“Whoa, why are you so worked up? You’ll lose what little hair you have left.”

“I became like this because of you after I became director!”

His head, red with anger, had a few strands of hair fluttering as if swaying from the heat.

Lee Seongbeom suddenly thought of takoyaki and katsuobushi when he saw Choi Juntae’s head, but he didn’t say it out loud.

“Hyung, let’s go eat takoyaki later.”

“…What nonsense are you talking about.”

Still, Lee Seongbeom is a man who speaks his mind.

“Anyway, if you want to request something, submit a proper request like a member of society and protest properly. How long are you going to keep acting like a child….”

“I’m only doing this because it’s you, hyung. I didn’t do this when I was at KBZ.”

“…You did this back then too. How many letters of apology did we write together because of you….”

He wondered if that was the case, but Lee Seongbeom stopped thinking about it.

It’s all in the past, anyway.

Choi Juntae gets angry easily, so it was fun to tease him, and he wanted to do it a little more, but Lee Seongbeom brought the conversation back to the main topic.

It was a great consideration for his hyung, who had developed high blood pressure.

“This time, I want to create a program for children. Can you create a department for it?”

“No way.”

“I’m taking out the chamber pot again?”

“Go sell it to a scrap metal dealer or something, dammit.. Anyway, that’s not possible. We already have too many departments, and if we add more, we’ll really be in the red. No more new departments.”

Choi Juntae was adamant.

Since Lee Seongbeom knew him well, he could tell that the company really didn’t have enough budget this time.

So he sighed and expressed his deep disappointment.

“I know it can’t be done, but let me ask you why. What do you want to do this time?”

“You know I have a hobby of collecting people. I’ve made programs a hit that way.”

“That’s right. Did you find a new person to do that?”

“Yeah. But she’s an elementary school student.”

“???”

“Also, an orphan.”

Even after hearing that, Choi Juntae couldn’t understand, so Lee Seongbeom explained in detail what had happened.

The discovery of an exceptional person, their identity, adoption, and his mistake.

Choi Juntae was quite shocked when he heard the story.

‘Even so, this guy was thinking of adoption?’

Lee Seongbeom is an impulsive person, but he’s not a thoughtless fool.

Choi Juntae, who had watched him for a long time, knew that he could make the best judgment in a short moment, so the conclusions he came to after careful consideration were only seen as impulsive by others.

Therefore, he immediately knew that the content was important.

“Still, you were too hasty.”

“Stop nagging. I already heard enough from Song Jakga.”

“Sigh, what sin did Song Jakga commit to be stuck with this guy….”

“Is it my fault that Song Jakga followed me…?”

“Most of the problems are because of you.”

“That’s a bit hurtful.”

They laughed lightly, but both of their minds were still thinking about how to solve this issue.

No matter how sorry he felt for the child, there was no reason for the company to take care of her at a loss.

Choi Juntae, who had been thinking hard, came up with an idea.

“Debut her?”

“As what?”

“Anything is fine. You said she’s a pretty and mature child. Then she could be a child actress, or just show her talent and let her appear on TV for a bit.”

“Hmm…. Let’s ask her.”

Lee Seongbeom didn’t think she would be particularly happy about appearing on TV, but he called the orphanage and talked to Seo Sua.

“Kid, do you want to be on TV?”

-Yes.

•Huh?”

-I don’t.

The call ended abruptly.

She must still be depressed.

“Did you hear that?”

“She’s really a child.”

“I told you.”

Hearing her real voice suddenly brought a sense of reality.

Thanks to that, Choi Juntae had to think even harder.

Then, something suddenly came to mind.

“At first, you said you found this child because of a video uploaded to YouTube, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm…, Seongbeom-ah. What do you think will happen to broadcasting in the future?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden.”

“Isn’t internet broadcasting gradually overtaking TV broadcasting? Nowadays, even catchphrases are created on the internet and used on TV, and internet broadcasting styles are being brought to TV.”

“And when you look at children’s dream jobs these days, YouTuber is number one, right?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“You, make a YouTube channel.”

“What?”

The era will no longer welcome TV.

The days of sitting in the living room on weekends and watching TV are over.

Everyone has a personal display and can find অসংখ্য videos on it.

That means we also have to keep up with the flow of the times.

“I’ll provide some support, so create a personal YouTube channel. You can upload stories from your KBZ days, or deleted scenes, or NG scenes, and I think it’ll get a good response.”

“No, hyung. I already have a lot of work, how can I manage a personal YouTube channel? Even if you support me, I’ll still have to do everything….”

As Lee Seongbeom grumbled, Choi Juntae sighed and smiled.

“You still have a long way to go.”

“Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden.”

“Didn’t you just say you have an excellent editor?”

“…Ah?”

“You need to study more if you want to take my director’s seat, kid.”

“…I wouldn’t take that seat even if you gave it to me.”

Lee Seongbeom wanted to keep his still-abundant hair.

“So, please take good care of me from now on, editor-nim.”

“Yes?”

He said that on the day he visited the orphanage with tvM director Choi Juntae, holding a contract.

Seeing Director Choi Juntae standing next to him with a benevolent expression, I suddenly felt hungry.

The wind was blowing, and his hair was swaying….

“Mister.”

“What is it.”

“Shall we eat something first while we talk? I’d like to have takoyaki if possible.”

“That’s a good idea. I was just in the mood for some.”