“What are you talking about?” asked Hyunwoo.

“I mean the trade fair we mentioned before. I consulted with the news director and the chief of the current affairs department about it and just got the approval from the president. Our news team is going to form a joint team with the current affairs team,” said Jaeyol.

Hyunwoo’s face brightened instantly. If the trade fair event went smoothly, he didn’t have any reason to bend over backward to promote N&C Korea products. He felt he could achieve great performance at the trade fair.

What Jaeyol said next was even more pleasing to Hyunwoo, “I also decided to participate in the joint team as the deputy chief. I owe it to you, brother!”

“Congrats! In fact, a veteran like you should have been given a promotion a long time ago. Please show the best of your abilities this time!”

“Sure. I think we will broadcast a special program in early April and open the trade fair by the end of May.”

“Wow, that’s a pretty good pace. I thought the trade fair could open by summer.”

“Looks like our rival Seoul Broadcasting smelled a rat and started to move. So, my president gave a special order to preempt them.”

“Good job. Let me make sure that our Vietnamese staff won’t cooperate with any other broadcasting company.”

“Haha, that sounds good. How quick-witted you’re! By the way, the KOVE Dream made by Real Film has also been scheduled to be on air at 7 pm on Feb. 13. I think that’s Thursday. I’m not sure if the production team has received due payment for it.”

“Well, broadcasting the program itself is something we really appreciate. By the way, are you going to make the production through Korea Broadcasting or have it outsourced?”

“Of course, we will produce it by subcontracting.”

“Why don’t you the contact Real Film, if you have to?”

“Well, I was thinking of that, too. In terms of continuity in our work, I think it’s better to let the existing contractor take it. Do you know that contractor well?”

“Actually, I know its owner.”

“If that’s the case, let me give the contract to that company by all means. Let me talk to my boss about it.”

“Thank you! Let me treat you to a drink next time.”

“Oh, don’t say that! It’s my turn next time. Anyway, I think I’m going to be busier. Talk to you later then.”

“Yes, brother.”

After the call, Hyunwoo clenched his fist, and there came out a cheer from his mouth in spite of himself.

“Wow!”

Hyunwoo immediately called Han Kwangsoo, the CEO of Real Film, to inform him about the good news.

Kwangsoo also yelled out a cheer.

“That’s great! A special program for Korea Broadcasting? Wow, this is a big hit. Let me finish the ongoing project and put off the next one.”

“Do you have any other projects at the moment?”

“Actually I was planning to make a feature production of the “Faceless Angel” as soon as I’m done with the current one. I think I told you already that I would work on it after I’m done with the KOVE Dream project.”

Hyunwoo scratched his head, as he knew that many broadcasting companies were competing to cover the “Faceless Angel”.

“Anyway, you will get a call from Korea Broadcasting soon. I called you, so you would be ready in advance.”

“Thanks, brother. I think I am getting by these days thanks to your help.”

After the call, Hyunwoo also called Sungji Na, president of N&C in Vietnam.

Obviously, Na made a list of core local Korean companies to be featured in KOVE Dream: seven companies with technological prowess.

“It doesn’t matter how many companies will participate in the project. The thing is you shouldn’t include any low-quality products in the special feature program. Once you ruin the image of the local companies, KOVE Dream will be meaningless,” said Hyunwoo.

“I know that, too. I can guarantee these seven companies. And any additional company to be included in the list will have to undergo a thorough quality test of its products,” said Na.

Hyunwoo once again stressed the importance of product quality.

***

As soon as he came down to Ansan that weekend, he stopped by the empty old building in Bono-dong first.

He asked a close friend to do the renovation of the building.

As he had to save as much money he could, he wanted to have it renovated to the minimum.

Even the office furniture was all used and procured by the owner of an interior company that he knew.

Though Hyunwoo said he didn’t need the exclusive office of the president, Kyungsoo insisted he should have one.

“The president is supposed to make lots of calls, you know. If you call often in the presence of your employees, they can’t concentrate on their job, and they might get the impression that they are being watched by you.”

“Well, I just want to mingle with them as a fellow employee, not as the president.”

“Still, your position is president, which you can’t do anything about. They will never feel comfortable being around you. And you need a separate office for staff meetings, too.”

Hyunwoo was persuaded, and he decided to have only one separate space in the renovated building.

The space that he paid the most attention to was the central round stage that anybody could use for application when they hit upon good ideas about the expression or motion of animation characters. It took about one week to have the old building renovated, so he could call all the employees to the new office over the weekend.

Looking around, there were 26 people including Hyunwoo. Five full-time employees, 12 part-timers on a three-month contract, and the nine children from ANI & Funny. Among them were Jungah, Myunghook Koh and Jinhon Kwak.

When all of them gathered, the whole office looked rather small and cramped. The Ani & Funny kids and Jinhon had to sit on makeshift chairs as they had no desk.

To break the ice Hyunwoo smiled at Jinhon and asked, “Are you working on a good theme song?”

“Well, I’ve already made background music. I’m done with the main melody, and if you listen to it and you’re okay with it, I can finish it quickly. I’ve also composed three theme songs. Strange enough, I’ve composed lots of songs smoothly without any difficulty since I visited Vietnam recently.”

“Really? Can I listen to the song?”

“Sure. Let me play the main melody of the background music first.”

Jinhon played a 20-second music file contained on a USB card. The melody was simple and dynamic.

“The next song is background music that we can use in a tense situation.”

Jinhon played four different background songs.

The employees who listened to the music reacted favorably, looking at each other and nodding.

“Sounds good.”

“I think you can use the music as it is.”

“Okay, then. Let’s use that one,” said Hyunwoo.

“Got it. And this is for the theme song,” said Jinhon, playing another song.

He also composed the lyrics of the song and sang it himself.

Hyunwoo felt Jinhon had a very good voice with a baritone, which was moody and sweet.

Suddenly, Hyunwoo thought of that black guy Raymon, his neighbor at the lodging.

Though Jinhon and Raymon had the same baritone voice, Hyunwoo felt something different about it. Raymon’s husky baritone felt like a black and white movie about the lives of black slaves, while Jinhon’s baritone felt like sweet romance involving a noble gentleman in a suit.

Jinhon played two more songs, which were good enough but not attractive.

“Not bad, but they’re not up to my expectations. Don’t you think they are not good enough to make your name known in the market?”

“A bit dull, right?”

“Well, it’s too plain rather than dull.”

“Let me try again, sir.”

Now, Hyunwoo looked at the employees.

“Shall we have a meeting on the animation Tuti & Angelica?”

As Hyunwoo already let them know about it, they knew why Hyunwoo was making the animation. His first goal was to win the subsidies from the city government of Ansan, and present it to the talent broadcasting company with the momentum gained there.

This time, too, opinions were divided with Kyungsu and Jungah in the center of the debate.

“I think your opinions all make sense, but in the current situation, I think we have to put the priority on improving quality, which I think is the right direction.”

The professional animators including Kyongsu nodded with satisfactory expressions as if they agreed Hyunwoo’s judgment was excellent.

On the other hand, Jungah had a regretful look as she made the case for the production cost-cutting, not the quality of Tuti & Angelica. In fact, this was not the time to argue about the production cost. No matter how much money was needed for the production, the most important thing was to get the attention of the judges first, Hyunwoo thought.

After the staff meeting was over, they all had lunch together and went home. The Ani & Funny kids, Jungah and Jinhon went with Hyunwoo, who held them back because he wanted to show them something. When the van carrying them headed for Dongansan College, Jungah gave him a queer look.

“Where are you going?”

“There is an alternative middle school called Dreaming School. I’d like to show you something.”

The van stopped in front of the school. Hyunwoo led them all into the school.

A teacher was waiting from them, who had been informed about their arrival in advance.

“Welcome! It’s cold, isn’t it? Please come inside.”

“Yea, it’s sunny but windy.”

They warmed themselves with hot green tea. There was a fireplace in the middle of the classroom, which was really burning hot.

They chatted with each other for some time then headed to the warehouse where their works that had been presented at the previous exhibition were stored. Hyunwoo really wanted to show them around.

As expected, they were amazed. Each of the works was the fruit of their original ideas.

“The reason I showed you these works was to ask you to get out of the box. There is nothing impossible in this world. As long as you’re boxed in, you can never think of anything original.”

“You’re right. I’m just amazed at how they came up with such an idea.”

Jungah and Myonghun Koh were also stunned, so was Jinhon.

In particular, he paid particular attention to a musical instrument made by Mingyu Kang, who studded its bottom with several layers of steel rings of different diameters to make various sounds.

There were some other upgraded ones, too. Jinhon held a stick and hit it. Each sound coming from the bottle was different as if it had notes like a xylophone.

Besides, the sound was pretty much peculiar. It looked like he was hitting a xylophone inside a milk bottle. The sound was neither light nor dull. It sounded funny but pretty interesting.

“Haha. We can play a tune with this instrument.”

Taking his seat Jinhon hit the bottle here and there as much as he wanted. It was a totally strange song. Jinhon was composing a song on the scene.

When he started playing it, everybody opened their eyes wide and listened to it.

They looked at each other and asked for each other’s opinion.

While hitting the bottle, Jinhon seemed to have been inspired. Tilting his head, he changed the melodies and repeated playing the music. Then, he took out a notebook from his pocket and played as if he was trying to create new melodies.

It looked as if Jinhon was falling into a world of his own, not knowing at all that his company including Hyunwoo, was watching him.