“It is because I want to include some other contract stipulations other than money.”
“What is it that you want?”
“I have decided to be all in when it comes to supporting the Dandelion School. That is why I want to use this opportunity to spread the Dandelion name even further.”
“I am a busy person. Get to the point.”
Chairman Jung started to walk again.
I concisely explained the core of my request as he wanted.
“Please publicize the Dandelion School as best as possible. The method that I have come up with is to create a documentary based on a student or a teacher and broadcasting this documentary on the air.”
“A documentary?”
“I am asking for you to create a way for even more people to have a positive image of the Dandelion Foundation and want to donate. Then, wouldn’t it also raise the image of the Golden Dragon Group as the creators of the documentary?”
Chairman Jung Man Yong just quietly nodded his head.
“I understand what you are trying to say. But.”
He stopped moving after saying that and looked toward me. His sharp gaze seemed to be piercing through my soul.
“Do you have some type of special relationship with the Dandelion School?”
Someone like Chairman Jung Man Yong will be able to easily investigate and find out that I am the creator of the Dandelion School. There is no point in lying.
But there is also no reason to tell him everything.
“I don’t think that is that important right now.”
Chairman Jung slightly smiled. If he can’t get the information from me, he just needs to use his network to figure it out.
“I understand. I will think about it. Shall we speed up a bit now? We’ve taken too long.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
A bit late in the evening.
It was still a little early for dinner. Because of that, other than the really popular restaurants, most restaurants would not have many customers at this time.
But today, this Japanese Buffet restaurant was full of customers. There was not an empty seat to be found.
All of them seemed to be students in their late teens to early twenties. Even just briefly counting, you could tell that there were a lot more than 100 people here.
They were all Kang Sung Ho’s friends or hoobaes [1]. He brought all these people after I said ‘bring whoever you can bring.’
They all had large appetites as well. Seeing them eat made me feel full even without eating anything.
“Boss-nim, you must be nervous.”
“Why?”
“The championship is the day after tomorrow. Do you have time to treat us like this?”
He was talking about the Alondis KPGA Championship.
Of course, I had time. I’m someone who competed with preset skills anyways.
Of course, my condition does play a factor, but I don’t need to put in the effort like other people to maintain my feel.
“People are more important to me than something like golf.”
“Haha. Thank you very much. But still, fighting!”
“Thanks.”
I called Kang Sung Ho over after we finished dinner.
“The reason I called you over today was because I had something I wanted to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Do you have any interests in working for the Dandelion Foundation?”
Kang Sung Ho’s eyes turned round at that moment. He immediately answered without any hesitation.
“Of course. I will put all of my effort into whatever you want me to do.”
But there was a condition in order to do that. Kang Sung Ho’s biggest role was the searching of the Royal Roader files.
“You can still quickly search through the files even while doing another job now right?”
“Of course. I just need to send a talk [2] to my friends and a keyword can be searched within 30 minutes. It won’t take long to go through the information after that.”
Based on what Kang Sung Ho is saying, he already has a pretty solid system going on.
“They will post an ad for new workers on Monday. Turn in your application at that time and I will do whatever I can to get you hired. However, you need to keep it a secret that we know each other.”
I plan on having Kang Sung Ho secretly inspect the Dandelion Foundation.
I have them being transparent with the account information, but you still never know when someone might go astray. It is natural for people to get greedy in front of money.
More people like that will appear as the Dandelion Foundation gets bigger and bigger.
With Kang Sung Ho’s level of friendliness, he should be able to get close to a lot of the Foundation’s people. I can also raise him as one of the Foundation’s staff at the same time.
Of course, I won’t leave a secret inspection like that to just Kang Sung Ho alone. It’ll be difficult for him to have deep conversation with the older people because of his age.
I plan on also including someone in their mid-40s. I already have a trustworthy person in mind.
“You can do it, right?”
I explained the situation to Kang Sung Ho and he vigorously nodded his head.
“I won’t let you down.”
“Work hard. If you do, the Dandelion Foundation can be your workplace forever.”
“Thank you very much.”
***
Two days later.
‘Sigh, why is my heart beating so much?’
Han Sul Yi could not calm herself down. The person actually playing golf was so calm, but Han Sul Yi felt like her heart was on fire.
But she knew he would do well.
No, he needed to do well. Only then will the days that they spent figuring out the course be worth it.
‘But he really is so cool.’
Kang Hwi Ram had a charm that drew you in the more you looked at him.
It was not because of his handsome face. After being hit on so much by celebrities, a handsome face felt more like a burden to her.
Kang Hwi Ram’s charm was something completely different.
Is it his mysterious nature? Or his unpredictable personality and skill? Or is it because of his lack of interest in her?
She didn’t know the reason, but her heart always went crazy whenever she was with him. She kept wanting to get him to talk, and even wanted to poke his side for fun.
“Miss Han, the broadcast is starting.”
The announcer sitting next to her lightly tapped her shoulder.
She found herself daydreaming a lot these days, especially about Kang Hwi Ram.
‘Omo! Again ……! I’ve never been like this before.’
She quickly focused on the task at hand.
The Alondis KPGA Championship was taking place on Jejudo’s Lake Hills CC. This was a very large competition, with the total prize money being 2 billion won, and the winner taking home 500 million won of that 2 billion.
But neither the staff, nor the viewers, were very interested in the prize money. They were more interested in seeing whether Kang Hwi Ram could continue to walk down this Royal Road to the PGA.
The broadcast comment naturally started with Royal Road as well.
“Miss Han Sul Yi, please explain the importance of this competition.”
“This year’s Alondis Championship is not only important because of its size, but also because of its role in the Royal Road to the PGA.”
“A lot of people still don’t know much about the Royal Road to the PGA, so can you please explain to us what that is?”
“In order to make it into the PGA, you need to first complete the Web.com Tour which is so difficult that it is called the, ‘Race from Hell.’ That is why it is so difficult for amateurs, and even KPGA players, to participate in the PGA. But if you ride on the Royal Road, you earn the right to participate in the PGA next year without going through the Race from Hell.”
“Then what is included in the Royal Road?”
“The first obstacle is this Alondis Championship. The Golden Dragon Cup PGA opens in three months, and the Golden Dragon Group can designate one player to enter the Golden Dragon Cup PGA using their identity as the sponsor.”
“And the winner of the Alondis Championship will naturally be that designated player?”
“Yes. They announced it will be that way a long time ago. And if they can win the Golden Dragon Cup as well, they will be able to enter the PGA.”
“Even if it is not player Kang Hwi Ram, I hope that one of our Korean players can earn the benefits of the Royal Road. Those players called the Golden Dragon Kids are very talented as well.”
“It will definitely be that way.”
Han Sul Yi was confident that the main character on the Royal Road would be Kang Hwi Ram as she said that.
The first squad started to tee up as they discussed the Royal Road. The owner of the first squad was Kang Hwi Ram.
Han Sul Yi subconsciously clenched her hands in front of her chest.
‘Please do well.’
***
‘Please. Please.’
Hwang Joon Yul was mumbling as if he was praying.
There were enough chances. The distance was a short 343 meters, so a tee shot on-green was possible, but the downward slope was 35 meters on this course.
Golf was not something you could be good at just because you could hit a long distance. There were times you ruined your game because you hit the ball too far. If you accidentally hit the ball even a little bit stronger than normal, it will end up being an OB as it would enter the forest that was behind the 343 meter green.
The wind was really strong to the left today as well. There was probably a strong gust of wind up in the air. That should make it so that nobody can tell where the ball will land.
Which meant that controlling your strength was not enough. You needed to accurately read the wind that you could not see, as well as have luck on your side. Only then will an on-green be possible.
That was why most of the golfers were giving up on a tee shot on-green today.
But Kang Hwi Ram should be different. He has never cut on a distance where an on-green was possible.
Kang Hwi Ram finally swung his driver.
Tang-
It was a strong swing, as expected. He was definitely aiming for a tee shot on-green. That should mean that his chances of mistake should be that much higher.
“Go past it! Go! Go!”
Hwang Joon Yul immediately started to shout as if he was cheering the ball on.
It was a nervous moment. If he successfully completed a birdie on this hole, it will be 17 straight holes with at least a birdie. Three of those holes were completed with eagles.
That meant that he currently had a total of 20 under-par.
How he plays on the 18th hole could determine whether he breaks another world record.
Hwang Joon Yul could not bear to see that happen.
Hwang Joon Yul continued to shout like there was no tomorrow.
“Go past it~~~~~!”
Unfortunately, the ball accurately fell 15 meters in front of the green. It then took a high bounce before landing on the green and rolling forward.
Hwang Joon Yul could feel his heart sink.
The ball was accurately rolling toward the hole. It seemed to be the right amount of strength as well.
Even the announcers were saying things that were terrible for him.
“Will he finally succeed this time?”
“He had multiple opportunities throughout the game, but barely missed a couple shots, thus causing him to sadly not record an albatross all the way up until here. This shot seems very accurate, so maybe it is time we finally see it.”
“Omo. Look. It looks like it is going in.”
He could hear Han Sul Yi’s moan-like voice.
Hwang Joon Yul felt like he was about to go crazy.
“No! No!”
But the ball sped up before suddenly disappearing from the screen. It had landed inside the hole.
“Wow!”
Whistle-
“An albatross!”
He could hear people cheering and whistling on TV.
Even the announcers were going crazy.
“Oh my! It’s an albatross.”
“Amazing. He missed four albatross chances until now, but he has finally succeeded!”
“Kang Hwi Ram is an amazing player! He is personally writing the next chapter of Korean golf!”
‘Damn it, shut up you f*ckers. Whose side are you on?’
He really wanted to go and take away all of their microphones. He will need to pressure the station to fire both the announcer and the expert panelist.
“Damn it, fuck, fuck!”
Hwang Joon Yul started to kick the couch in the office to let out his anger.
The door then burst open without a knock.
Normally, he would be anxious. Someone who would dare to open his office door without knocking would naturally be a person more important than himself.
But he didn’t even have the luxury to properly think right now. He was so angry that he just let out his frustration.
“Which bastard is coming in without even knocking … …! Oh, dad?”
It was Hwang Joon Yul’s father Hwang Chi Gook.
But Hwang Chi Gook’s face was odd. Bloodshot eyes and clenched teeth, he was clearly angry.
But that anger seemed to be directed toward Hwang Joon Yul. He glared at Hwang Joon Yul as soon as he entered the office and stomped over.
His father Hwang Chi Gook was a gentle man, especially to Hwang Joon Yul. No matter what kind of trouble he caused, he only repeated this phrase, ‘your dad is on your side.’
Naturally, he had never had such an expression toward Hwang Joon Yul before. Never.
But why today?
“Dad, what brings …….”
“Shut up you bastard!”
Hwang Chi Gook smacked Hwang Joon Yul on the back with his palm as soon as he approached him.
Smack-
It was so strong that the sound was very loud. It showed just how angry Hwang Chi Gook was at this moment.
Hwang Joon Yul started to tear up. The pain was one thing, but the fact that he was hit by his father who was always on his side hurt him even more.
“Why……are you doing this?”
“You really don’t know why? Just what the hell were you doing outside that you messed things up like this. Huh?”
Hwang Chi Gook continued to hit him every time he said something. Hwang Joon Yul was hit five times during that short statement. Five extremely hard hits at that.
Smack- Smack- Smack……
What could have happened? Why was his dad so angry?
Hwang Joon Yul decided to quietly take the beating for now. Talking back right now would just result in a longer beating.
Hwang Chi Gook stopped after about ten more hits.
“Did something happen?”
That question seemed to make Hwang Chi Gook angry again. He lifted his hand, that had finally dropped down, back up again.
Smack-
“The Chairman said he is giving the Medical Center leadership to someone else. Not to us.”
Hwang Joon Yul felt his heart sink. It was a shock that was multiple times worse than watching Kang Hwi Ram’s albatross shot.
“Huh? Why?”
—
[1] Korean term for underclassmen
[2] Kakaotalk – a Korean messaging app
“It is because I want to include some other contract stipulations other than money.”
“What is it that you want?”
“I have decided to be all in when it comes to supporting the Dandelion School. That is why I want to use this opportunity to spread the Dandelion name even further.”
“I am a busy person. Get to the point.”
Chairman Jung started to walk again.
I concisely explained the core of my request as he wanted.
“Please publicize the Dandelion School as best as possible. The method that I have come up with is to create a documentary based on a student or a teacher and broadcasting this documentary on the air.”
“A documentary?”
“I am asking for you to create a way for even more people to have a positive image of the Dandelion Foundation and want to donate. Then, wouldn’t it also raise the image of the Golden Dragon Group as the creators of the documentary?”
Chairman Jung Man Yong just quietly nodded his head.
“I understand what you are trying to say. But.”
He stopped moving after saying that and looked toward me. His sharp gaze seemed to be piercing through my soul.
“Do you have some type of special relationship with the Dandelion School?”
Someone like Chairman Jung Man Yong will be able to easily investigate and find out that I am the creator of the Dandelion School. There is no point in lying.
But there is also no reason to tell him everything.
“I don’t think that is that important right now.”
Chairman Jung slightly smiled. If he can’t get the information from me, he just needs to use his network to figure it out.
“I understand. I will think about it. Shall we speed up a bit now? We’ve taken too long.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
A bit late in the evening.
It was still a little early for dinner. Because of that, other than the really popular restaurants, most restaurants would not have many customers at this time.
But today, this Japanese Buffet restaurant was full of customers. There was not an empty seat to be found.
All of them seemed to be students in their late teens to early twenties. Even just briefly counting, you could tell that there were a lot more than 100 people here.
They were all Kang Sung Ho’s friends or hoobaes [1]. He brought all these people after I said ‘bring whoever you can bring.’
They all had large appetites as well. Seeing them eat made me feel full even without eating anything.
“Boss-nim, you must be nervous.”
“Why?”
“The championship is the day after tomorrow. Do you have time to treat us like this?”
He was talking about the Alondis KPGA Championship.
Of course, I had time. I’m someone who competed with preset skills anyways.
Of course, my condition does play a factor, but I don’t need to put in the effort like other people to maintain my feel.
“People are more important to me than something like golf.”
“Haha. Thank you very much. But still, fighting!”
“Thanks.”
I called Kang Sung Ho over after we finished dinner.
“The reason I called you over today was because I had something I wanted to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Do you have any interests in working for the Dandelion Foundation?”
Kang Sung Ho’s eyes turned round at that moment. He immediately answered without any hesitation.
“Of course. I will put all of my effort into whatever you want me to do.”
But there was a condition in order to do that. Kang Sung Ho’s biggest role was the searching of the Royal Roader files.
“You can still quickly search through the files even while doing another job now right?”
“Of course. I just need to send a talk [2] to my friends and a keyword can be searched within 30 minutes. It won’t take long to go through the information after that.”
Based on what Kang Sung Ho is saying, he already has a pretty solid system going on.
“They will post an ad for new workers on Monday. Turn in your application at that time and I will do whatever I can to get you hired. However, you need to keep it a secret that we know each other.”
I plan on having Kang Sung Ho secretly inspect the Dandelion Foundation.
I have them being transparent with the account information, but you still never know when someone might go astray. It is natural for people to get greedy in front of money.
More people like that will appear as the Dandelion Foundation gets bigger and bigger.
With Kang Sung Ho’s level of friendliness, he should be able to get close to a lot of the Foundation’s people. I can also raise him as one of the Foundation’s staff at the same time.
Of course, I won’t leave a secret inspection like that to just Kang Sung Ho alone. It’ll be difficult for him to have deep conversation with the older people because of his age.
I plan on also including someone in their mid-40s. I already have a trustworthy person in mind.
“You can do it, right?”
I explained the situation to Kang Sung Ho and he vigorously nodded his head.
“I won’t let you down.”
“Work hard. If you do, the Dandelion Foundation can be your workplace forever.”
“Thank you very much.”
***
Two days later.
‘Sigh, why is my heart beating so much?’
Han Sul Yi could not calm herself down. The person actually playing golf was so calm, but Han Sul Yi felt like her heart was on fire.
But she knew he would do well.
No, he needed to do well. Only then will the days that they spent figuring out the course be worth it.
‘But he really is so cool.’
Kang Hwi Ram had a charm that drew you in the more you looked at him.
It was not because of his handsome face. After being hit on so much by celebrities, a handsome face felt more like a burden to her.
Kang Hwi Ram’s charm was something completely different.
Is it his mysterious nature? Or his unpredictable personality and skill? Or is it because of his lack of interest in her?
She didn’t know the reason, but her heart always went crazy whenever she was with him. She kept wanting to get him to talk, and even wanted to poke his side for fun.
“Miss Han, the broadcast is starting.”
The announcer sitting next to her lightly tapped her shoulder.
She found herself daydreaming a lot these days, especially about Kang Hwi Ram.
‘Omo! Again ……! I’ve never been like this before.’
She quickly focused on the task at hand.
The Alondis KPGA Championship was taking place on Jejudo’s Lake Hills CC. This was a very large competition, with the total prize money being 2 billion won, and the winner taking home 500 million won of that 2 billion.
But neither the staff, nor the viewers, were very interested in the prize money. They were more interested in seeing whether Kang Hwi Ram could continue to walk down this Royal Road to the PGA.
The broadcast comment naturally started with Royal Road as well.
“Miss Han Sul Yi, please explain the importance of this competition.”
“This year’s Alondis Championship is not only important because of its size, but also because of its role in the Royal Road to the PGA.”
“A lot of people still don’t know much about the Royal Road to the PGA, so can you please explain to us what that is?”
“In order to make it into the PGA, you need to first complete the Web.com Tour which is so difficult that it is called the, ‘Race from Hell.’ That is why it is so difficult for amateurs, and even KPGA players, to participate in the PGA. But if you ride on the Royal Road, you earn the right to participate in the PGA next year without going through the Race from Hell.”
“Then what is included in the Royal Road?”
“The first obstacle is this Alondis Championship. The Golden Dragon Cup PGA opens in three months, and the Golden Dragon Group can designate one player to enter the Golden Dragon Cup PGA using their identity as the sponsor.”
“And the winner of the Alondis Championship will naturally be that designated player?”
“Yes. They announced it will be that way a long time ago. And if they can win the Golden Dragon Cup as well, they will be able to enter the PGA.”
“Even if it is not player Kang Hwi Ram, I hope that one of our Korean players can earn the benefits of the Royal Road. Those players called the Golden Dragon Kids are very talented as well.”
“It will definitely be that way.”
Han Sul Yi was confident that the main character on the Royal Road would be Kang Hwi Ram as she said that.
The first squad started to tee up as they discussed the Royal Road. The owner of the first squad was Kang Hwi Ram.
Han Sul Yi subconsciously clenched her hands in front of her chest.
‘Please do well.’
***
‘Please. Please.’
Hwang Joon Yul was mumbling as if he was praying.
There were enough chances. The distance was a short 343 meters, so a tee shot on-green was possible, but the downward slope was 35 meters on this course.
Golf was not something you could be good at just because you could hit a long distance. There were times you ruined your game because you hit the ball too far. If you accidentally hit the ball even a little bit stronger than normal, it will end up being an OB as it would enter the forest that was behind the 343 meter green.
The wind was really strong to the left today as well. There was probably a strong gust of wind up in the air. That should make it so that nobody can tell where the ball will land.
Which meant that controlling your strength was not enough. You needed to accurately read the wind that you could not see, as well as have luck on your side. Only then will an on-green be possible.
That was why most of the golfers were giving up on a tee shot on-green today.
But Kang Hwi Ram should be different. He has never cut on a distance where an on-green was possible.
Kang Hwi Ram finally swung his driver.
Tang-
It was a strong swing, as expected. He was definitely aiming for a tee shot on-green. That should mean that his chances of mistake should be that much higher.
“Go past it! Go! Go!”
Hwang Joon Yul immediately started to shout as if he was cheering the ball on.
It was a nervous moment. If he successfully completed a birdie on this hole, it will be 17 straight holes with at least a birdie. Three of those holes were completed with eagles.
That meant that he currently had a total of 20 under-par.
How he plays on the 18th hole could determine whether he breaks another world record.
Hwang Joon Yul could not bear to see that happen.
Hwang Joon Yul continued to shout like there was no tomorrow.
“Go past it~~~~~!”
Unfortunately, the ball accurately fell 15 meters in front of the green. It then took a high bounce before landing on the green and rolling forward.
Hwang Joon Yul could feel his heart sink.
The ball was accurately rolling toward the hole. It seemed to be the right amount of strength as well.
Even the announcers were saying things that were terrible for him.
“Will he finally succeed this time?”
“He had multiple opportunities throughout the game, but barely missed a couple shots, thus causing him to sadly not record an albatross all the way up until here. This shot seems very accurate, so maybe it is time we finally see it.”
“Omo. Look. It looks like it is going in.”
He could hear Han Sul Yi’s moan-like voice.
Hwang Joon Yul felt like he was about to go crazy.
“No! No!”
But the ball sped up before suddenly disappearing from the screen. It had landed inside the hole.
“Wow!”
Whistle-
“An albatross!”
He could hear people cheering and whistling on TV.
Even the announcers were going crazy.
“Oh my! It’s an albatross.”
“Amazing. He missed four albatross chances until now, but he has finally succeeded!”
“Kang Hwi Ram is an amazing player! He is personally writing the next chapter of Korean golf!”
‘Damn it, shut up you f*ckers. Whose side are you on?’
He really wanted to go and take away all of their microphones. He will need to pressure the station to fire both the announcer and the expert panelist.
“Damn it, fuck, fuck!”
Hwang Joon Yul started to kick the couch in the office to let out his anger.
The door then burst open without a knock.
Normally, he would be anxious. Someone who would dare to open his office door without knocking would naturally be a person more important than himself.
But he didn’t even have the luxury to properly think right now. He was so angry that he just let out his frustration.
“Which bastard is coming in without even knocking … …! Oh, dad?”
It was Hwang Joon Yul’s father Hwang Chi Gook.
But Hwang Chi Gook’s face was odd. Bloodshot eyes and clenched teeth, he was clearly angry.
But that anger seemed to be directed toward Hwang Joon Yul. He glared at Hwang Joon Yul as soon as he entered the office and stomped over.
His father Hwang Chi Gook was a gentle man, especially to Hwang Joon Yul. No matter what kind of trouble he caused, he only repeated this phrase, ‘your dad is on your side.’
Naturally, he had never had such an expression toward Hwang Joon Yul before. Never.
But why today?
“Dad, what brings …….”
“Shut up you bastard!”
Hwang Chi Gook smacked Hwang Joon Yul on the back with his palm as soon as he approached him.
Smack-
It was so strong that the sound was very loud. It showed just how angry Hwang Chi Gook was at this moment.
Hwang Joon Yul started to tear up. The pain was one thing, but the fact that he was hit by his father who was always on his side hurt him even more.
“Why……are you doing this?”
“You really don’t know why? Just what the hell were you doing outside that you messed things up like this. Huh?”
Hwang Chi Gook continued to hit him every time he said something. Hwang Joon Yul was hit five times during that short statement. Five extremely hard hits at that.
Smack- Smack- Smack……
What could have happened? Why was his dad so angry?
Hwang Joon Yul decided to quietly take the beating for now. Talking back right now would just result in a longer beating.
Hwang Chi Gook stopped after about ten more hits.
“Did something happen?”
That question seemed to make Hwang Chi Gook angry again. He lifted his hand, that had finally dropped down, back up again.
Smack-
“The Chairman said he is giving the Medical Center leadership to someone else. Not to us.”
Hwang Joon Yul felt his heart sink. It was a shock that was multiple times worse than watching Kang Hwi Ram’s albatross shot.
“Huh? Why?”
—
[1] Korean term for underclassmen
[2] Kakaotalk – a Korean messaging app
