Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 149

151

It was around Sunday evening. Beomseok, dressed neatly, stood with Natalie in front of the Rainbow Hotel lobby. They were there for a small gathering with Gloria, Inspector Lexter, Leppard, and Karen.

A hotelier, who had been waiting to escort them, guided them to the elevator.

“Natalie, how do you feel? Are you ready for the business presentation?”

She nodded, looking nervous. Today was the day to present her broadcasting business investment proposal to Gloria. She couldn’t take it lightly.

“Yes, I’ve prepared as much as possible, though I can’t say it’s perfect.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Gloria can be quite demanding, so it might be tough.”

In truth, Gloria had never been demanding with Beomseok. Their first meeting was during a promotion evaluation, where she was impressed by his selection of all female employees for the team’s support department. The second time, he’d appeared as a savior, earning her deep affection. And in their third meeting, they became lovers, sharing deep affection and building a strong bond.

Naturally, Beomseok hadn’t witnessed Gloria’s entrepreneurial spirit firsthand. However, he’d heard many stories. The tale of her starting from nothing and building a huge real estate group with her meticulous and thorough work was legendary in the Avand area.

“Yes, I know. I’m prepared.”

“Okay, then good luck.”

With that brief exchange, the elevator doors opened. They were led through a corridor with plush carpets to a small banquet hall. Inside, a long dining table covered with white lace was set with seats arranged on either side, and an electronic whiteboard stood ready for presentations.

A woman with a noticeably swollen belly rose with some difficulty and greeted Beomseok warmly. It was Gloria. Almost six months had passed since their first night together, and the baby in her belly had grown considerably.

“Beomseok, welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Hahaha, Gloria, it’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has. I’ve been a little sad that we’ve been so distant.”

“Hahaha, I’m sorry. I’ve been quite busy lately. I feel like I need multiple bodies these days.”

Gloria nodded understandingly. She knew he was leading a busy life, juggling his roles as a league player, World Cup player, and chairman overseeing office work. Nevertheless, Beomseok made sure to video call her once a day to check on her. Her words about being sad were just that; she was actually very grateful.

She looked at Natalie, who was standing close to Beomseok.

“Ah, yes. Is this the person you mentioned?”

“Yes, this is Natalie, the chairman of LKS Broadcasting.”

As he gently pushed her forward, Natalie quickly bowed.

“Hello, I’m Natalie.”

“Yes, I’m Gloria. Nice to meet you.”

“It’s a great honor to meet you too.”

Gloria, after carefully observing her, made a simple observation.

“You’re quite young. How old are you?”

“I’m 20 this year.”

That meant she was a complete rookie. It was hard to believe that someone so young was running a broadcasting station.

“Really?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hmm, that’s amazing. It must have been quite difficult.”

“No, building a broadcasting station is my dream, so even if I’m tired, it doesn’t feel difficult.”

Gloria nodded, finding her admirable. She herself had worked hard in her youth, driven by the hope of making money and becoming rich. That drive led to her success and her position as the head of the Rainbow Group. She believed that passion for one’s dreams was the most important virtue in youth.

“Yes, it’s very important to pursue your dreams diligently when you’re young.”

Natalie, encouraged by the respected businesswoman, gave an awkward smile.

“Yes, thank you.”

Gloria smiled and guided Beomseok and Natalie to their seats.

“Okay, come this way and sit down. Let’s enjoy some drinks and snacks until the others arrive.”

While they settled comfortably and engaged in friendly conversation, Inspector Lexter, Karen, and Leppard arrived in turn. They greeted each other warmly, exchanged pleasantries, and began discussing their shared interests.

“Leppard, how is Karen’s album coming along?”

Leppard smiled brightly at Beomseok’s question. Thanks to the investment from him, Gloria, and Lexter, his granddaughter was finally working on an album. Moreover, with the song’s release, she would soon appear on WBS’s famous music program, which had worldwide broadcasting rights, filling him with anticipation. It wasn’t just because she was his granddaughter; he sometimes felt a chilling sensation when Karen sang.

“Yes, it’s going smoothly, and the album will be released soon.”

“That’s great. Now all that’s left is for Karen to become a star.”

Beomseok said confidently. After checking her characteristics through the information window [presumably a reference to a game-like interface the character uses], he was certain of Karen’s success. However, Leppard, unaware of this, thought he was just being polite. As a veteran of the entertainment industry, he knew that capturing the public’s hearts wasn’t easy. Still, he couldn’t appear unconfident in front of the investors, so he boasted loudly.

“Hahaha, thank you. Of course, she should. Whose granddaughter is she? I’ll definitely get her on the air. The money you invested will multiply several times.”

“Hehe, several times won’t be enough. It should increase dozens or hundreds of times.”

Leppard looked awkward, thinking the joke was a bit much. For that to happen, Leppard Planning would have to become a global entertainment management company, and Karen’s success alone wouldn’t inflate the investment that much.

“I don’t think that’s possible… This is becoming a burden.”

“What do you mean? If Leppard just grows the company well, what’s so difficult about that? Just like you recognized Karen’s talent, if you discover other promising talents and nurture them, it’s definitely possible.”

“Hehe, is that so? I understand. I’ll definitely make it happen. Even if I look like this, I’m Leppard. Leppard. Hahaha.”

Leppard’s confident voice echoed in the banquet hall. Although he was just an old man now, he used to be a world-class star and created Leppard Planning, the foundation of the Hyena Group. He believed he could do it again.

At this, Beomseok, Lexter, and Gloria smiled brightly. They had no reason to be unhappy when their investments were said to be turning into gold.

The group enjoyed the meal and continued their conversation. After a while, Lexter glanced at Natalie and asked Beomseok in a subtle voice that no one else could hear.

“Beomseok, is it really okay to invest in LKS Broadcasting? I checked after you mentioned it, but it doesn’t seem right. It’s basically playing house.”

Beomseok, who was cutting his meat, seemed startled and quietly put down his spoon. He actually shared Lexter’s opinion. No matter how talented Natalie was, the situation was different from Leppard Planning, which had Karen. Karen was guaranteed success if she just sang on a famous public broadcast, but Natalie wasn’t. The response rate of her programs had only increased by 20%, making her chances of surviving in the competitive broadcasting industry extremely slim. Even now, that characteristic was evident, with LKS Broadcasting only recording hundreds of users.

However, Beomseok, who was trying to attract Lexter’s funds, couldn’t honestly reveal his feelings. His goal was to make Natalie feel disappointed with failure and then bring her into his arms.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s just playing house right now.”

“Then why did you think of investing in such a broadcasting station? The chances of it failing are very high.”

“Of course, you’re right. The possibility of failure is high. But the rewards if it succeeds are significant.”

Lexter knew that. Unlike entertainment agencies, broadcasting stations were very large. Even building a certain level of recognition would result in an exponentially increased return on investment. But surviving in the field required more funds than the three of them could provide. Even filling only the daytime hours, instead of broadcasting 24/7, would cost astronomical sums. With a mere 10 million krang [currency in the story], they would soon have to shut down all the programs.

“Do you think I’m asking because I don’t know that? The problem is that it’s not something that can be solved with our funds. Broadcasting stations are on a different level from entertainment management companies that survive when one singer succeeds. This is too likely to fail.”

“Well, that’s probably true. But I believe in Natalie’s talent. I’m sure she’ll overcome those difficulties.”

Lexter shook his head, disapproving of Beomseok’s false sense of trust. He trusted his judgment, but running a broadcasting station couldn’t be solved with one person’s talent.

“Hey, tell me honestly, what are you up to? Do you have other intentions?”

As expected, Lexter was perceptive, immediately getting to the core of the matter, making Beomseok uncomfortable.

“No, absolutely not. It’s purely for investment purposes. Cough.”

Lexter, who had been scrutinizing him, nodded. He planned to examine the details in the upcoming investment briefing. Beomseok hadn’t done anything wrong so far.

“Hmph, okay. Since you say so, let’s look at the briefing first and then talk again.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Beomseok smiled slyly. He didn’t know if the broadcasting station would succeed, but this investment briefing was different. Natalie wouldn’t have prepared carelessly, and with her characteristic of increasing response [referring to her in-game abilities], he thought he could captivate the people in the room. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried so hard to recruit her, even being prepared to sacrifice millions of krang.

Soon, they finished their meal and had tea. It was time for the investment briefing to begin.

Natalie, after hesitating, received a nod from Beomseok and immediately connected her electronic notebook to the electronic whiteboard controller. When the first screen with the title appeared, she bowed 90 degrees and greeted the people gathered in the room.

“Hello, I’m Natalie from LKS Broadcasting.”

Karen clapped energetically. They seemed to have become close during the meal, thanks to being women of similar age.

“Natalie, good luck!”

Natalie, responding with a light smile, turned to the first chapter, which covered the current operating form and financial status of LKS Broadcasting.

“Our LKS Broadcasting is being run entirely by me. There are no employees, and the operating funds are raised with money I earned from part-time jobs. So, it looks very shabby. And I currently have about 20,000 krang. That’s my total assets.”

As expected, Lexter sighed and rubbed his face. This was more serious than he thought. He had assumed there would be at least a few employees.

Lexter immediately raised his hand and asked.

“How much money has been spent on the broadcasting station so far?”

“Well, I don’t know because I haven’t calculated it in detail. I was too busy to even organize the accounting data, doing part-time jobs and updating the site… Since it’s something I do alone, I didn’t even think about writing it down. Hehe.”

He frowned at her good-natured smile. It would be difficult if she ran the company like this even after receiving investment.

“Cough. You’ll probably have to pay a lot of attention to it in the future, because you’ll be running the company with our investment, not your money.”

“Yes, don’t worry about that. Beomseok recently gave me a part-time job that gives me a lot of time, so I have more time. And if I get investment and focus only on broadcasting work, I’ll have even more time, so I’ll be able to manage the funds.”

Lexter immediately scratched his head and looked at Beomseok. This was too much. He couldn’t understand the mindset of the broadcasting station’s representative, who was going to do the accounting work herself. Natalie was already busy managing the company and focusing on program production.

“Hey, Beomseok, what’s going on? Is she really that talented?”

Beomseok had the same thought, so he had nothing to say. But if he admitted it here, Lexter’s investment would be lost. He had to bring him in to reduce his losses.

“Hey, why are you doing this? Let’s listen to it until the end and then talk.”

“Whether I listen to it until the end or not… Running a broadcasting station is not child’s play… No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem right.”

Natalie coughed roughly and showed an uncomfortable expression. She couldn’t feel good about being ignored. At this, Lexter closed his lips and quietly continued listening to the investment briefing. He had a lot to say, but he was going to listen to everything first and then talk.

She immediately moved the screen to the next one.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

Ah, I’m a little late today. I dozed off for a while. Hahahaha. I was supposed to take a good rest on Sunday, but I rested too much. Hahahaha.

Then have a good morning. I’ll come back again around midnight today.