enjoyebooks Chapter 60 The building is too small
Chapter 60 The building is too small
The day the packages piled up to the ceiling, Su Yu stood at the door and watched for three minutes.
It's not an exaggeration. When the delivery guy rang the doorbell at nine in the morning, Su Yu was squatting in the tea room getting water when she heard someone outside shout "Yinguo Entertainment Express". When she went out, she saw the delivery guy carrying a stack of cardboard boxes, his chin almost buried in them.
"Where should I put it?" the middle-aged man asked, panting.
Su Yu glanced down the corridor. Three cardboard boxes were already stacked against the wall, and there were two more that had been opened, containing snacks and letters sent by fans to Yoon Shi-yoon.
Further inside, there were printed copies of scripts scattered on the desks, four empty coffee cups piled up next to Lee Young-eun's laptop, two coats hanging on Cai Xiubin's seat, and a scarf draped over the back of her chair.
The 80-square-meter office seemed quite spacious when we rented it. Five people could sit inside; there were workstations, a conference table, a tea room, and even enough space to put a sofa.
The sofa is now buried under cardboard boxes, and half of the conference table is piled with documents. Lee Young-eun has to move the script to the chair before every meeting.
"Put it on the ground," Su Yu said.
The uncle looked at the ground, which was also covered in things.
Cai Xiubin returned from the restroom, her hands still wet with water droplets. She paused for half a second when she saw the package, then expertly began unpacking it. She had mastered it; three seconds to cut the tape, five seconds to sort the items—fan letters on the left, gifts on the right, and she'd shake the suspiciously large box to listen to the sound.
"It's for Yoon Shi-yoon again." She pulled out a card and glanced at it. "And there's one for Kim Do-gi too."
Su Yu remained silent. After the fourth episode aired, An Gaoen trended on social media, and Jin Daoqi also gained popularity. Viewers started shipping the couple, and someone even created a GIF of the car scene with the caption, "I also want to be scolded by Jin Daoqi."
Yoon Shi-yoon's fan count has increased by 200,000, and his agency has started accepting endorsements, although they are all small brands, the number of which is staggering.
The problem is that all these packages are sent to the company.
During filming, the production team listed the contact address as "Yinguo Entertainment." Su Yu thought it would only be a few months, and no one would send anything after filming was over. But after the show aired, things went even crazier. She received anywhere from a dozen to dozens of packages a day; the deliverymen all knew the route and sometimes made two trips a day.
"Su Yu," Cai Xiubin called out, "the refrigerator is overflowing."
The refrigerator is for snacks, drinks, and seaweed rice rolls. Now, opening the door, it's crammed full of handmade cookies and chocolates sent by fans, as well as two boxes of kimchi. I don't know who sent them; there were no names on them.
"Put it on my desk," Su Yu said.
Your table is full too.
Su Yu glanced at his desk. It was indeed full. Script, contract, bill, Lee Young-eun's newly written outline, Yoon Shi-yoon's signed letter of intent for contract renewal, and a cup of coffee that had been left there by someone, now completely cold.
He walked over, threw the cup of coffee into the trash can, and then piled up the things on the table to make room. Cai Xiubin came over with a cardboard box, put the cookie box on it, and wiped the dust off the table.
"Should we move to another place?" she asked.
Su Yu didn't answer, but walked to the window and looked down. Below was a narrow alley, with cars parked on both sides, leaving only enough space for one car to pass through in the middle.
We rented this place because it was cheap and quiet, and close to the subway station. The rent was 2.5 million won a month, and the deposit was 20 million won, which was just right for a startup. But now the filming has wrapped up, a new project is starting, and hiring is on the agenda, so this space is clearly not enough.
"I'm going to see a place tonight," he said.
Cai Xiubin glanced at him but didn't ask where he was going.
Shirley arrived in the afternoon. She's been playing music on TV lately and her voice is off, so she always stops by whenever she passes by the company. Today she was dressed all in black, her hat pulled low. She glanced at the pile of packages on the floor as she entered and smiled.
"Your company is practically becoming a logistics hub."
"Is something the matter?" Su Yu asked.
"Can't you come if there's nothing wrong?" Shirley took off her hat and walked towards the sofa, but stopped when she saw the cardboard box on it. "Never mind, where should I sit?"
Su Yu pointed to his chair. Shirley didn't sit down, but stood leaning against the table, taking an envelope out of her bag and handing it to him.
"What?"
"The MAMA invitation. The organizers sent it to my company, saying they would like to invite Influence Entertainment to this year's awards ceremony."
Su Yu didn't answer. "What would I go there for?"
"The awards ceremony," Shirley said. "The Best New Screenplay nominee is Lee Young-eun for 'Model Taxi'."
Su Yu then took the envelope and glanced at it. The envelope was exquisite, with gold lettering, and inside, besides the invitation, were two admission tickets for front-row seats. After reading it, he stuffed it back and handed it to Shirley.
"I'm busy."
"I knew you'd say that." Shirley put the envelope away. "I already turned it down for you, saying I was too busy at work. But the organizers said they'd like to talk to you about a collaboration. They have a new variety show coming up next year and want to do a special project related to a TV drama."
"Have them send the email directly."
"It's been posted, have you seen it?"
Su Yu remained silent. He had indeed received a lot of unread emails recently, mostly spam from guys and reporters requesting interviews, with the occasional piece of cooperation intent mixed in, all of which Cai Xiubin had already filtered out.
Shirley looked at him and sighed. "Your company is somewhat well-known now, can't you at least be a little more presentable? There's not even a receptionist, the packages are piled up like mountains, and there's not even a place for customers to sit."
Are you a guest?
Shirley paused for a moment, then smiled. Her eyes crinkled when she smiled, making her look completely different from the charismatic idol on stage.
“Okay, I’m not a guest,” she said. “Then, as a shareholder, I’ll say that this office is really too small.”
Su Yu didn't refute. Shirley was telling the truth. When the company was registered, Shirley invested a sum of money, not much, but she held some shares. At the time, she said it was to "support a friend's business," but Su Yu later found out that she had taken out her own savings from endorsement fees. Cai Xiubin also knew about this and didn't say anything, but from then on, every time Shirley came to the company, Cai Xiubin would prepare an extra cup of coffee.
"I'm looking at something new," Su Yu said.
"Really?" Shirley's eyes lit up. "Where? How big?"
"It's not decided yet."
Shirley said "Oh," and didn't ask any further questions. She walked to the pile of packages, bent down to pick up a cardboard box that had fallen to the ground, and helped Cai Xiubin stack it up. Cai Xiubin came out of the bathroom, saw Shirley squatting on the ground, paused for a moment, and then went over to take the cardboard box from her.
"I'll do it."
"It's nothing." Shirley stood up, brushed the dust off her trousers, and said, "You go about your business."
The two stood facing each other, separated by a cardboard box. Su Yu leaned against the table, watching without interrupting. He was used to this kind of scene; it wasn't exactly awkward, nor was it harmonious, just a deliberate politeness, as if both knew of each other's presence but chose to maintain a respectful distance.
"I'm leaving now." Shirley put her hat back on. "I have rehearsal tonight. Let me know when you've booked the new office, and I'll send a flower basket."
"Need not."
"It's not a gift for you, it's a gift for the company."
Shirley left. After the door closed, Cai Xiubin continued unpacking packages, stopping after a few and looking up at Su Yu.
"She's right, this place is indeed too small."
"Um."
"Shall I go with you tonight?"
Su Yu thought for a moment. "Okay."
At 7 p.m., Su Yu and Cai Xiubin went out to look at apartments. The real estate agent was a man in his forties surnamed Park, wearing a suit and carrying a stack of documents. He had been waiting downstairs for ten minutes.
"Representative Su, hello, hello." Manager Park bowed slightly. "The building you want to see is in Gangnam District, a five-minute walk from the subway station. It has five floors and underground parking. The monthly rent is negotiable, and we can also discuss buying or selling it."
"How much would it cost?"
Park, the middleman, was taken aback. He thought the young representative wanted to rent, since Yinguo Entertainment was just a small company, and renting one or two floors would be considered good. He didn't expect the young representative to ask about buying.
"If I were to buy it... the landlord is asking for 8.5 billion Korean won."
Cai Xiubin gasped. Eighty-five billion, which is roughly fifty million yuan. She knew Su Yu was rich, but she didn't know he was this rich.
Su Yu's expression remained unchanged. "Let's go look at the building first."
The building is located on a rather inconspicuous street in Gangnam District, surrounded by office buildings and coffee shops. It's across an intersection from the main road, quiet but not remote. The exterior walls are gray tiles, a bit old, but the structure seems fine. There are two shops on the ground floor, a coffee shop and a convenience store, and offices upstairs, each floor being about 150 square meters.
Su Yu walked from the first floor to the fifth floor, and then went to the basement to check the parking lot. She looked at every corner, opened and closed the windows repeatedly, tapped on the floor, and touched the walls. Agent Park followed behind, introducing the building's advantages along the way—convenient transportation, complete surrounding amenities, a friendly landlord, and negotiable price.
"What's the lowest price?" Su Yu asked from the rooftop.
"I talked to the landlord, and he said that if I really want it, eight billion is negotiable."
"Seventy-five."
Park, the real estate agent, wiped his sweat. "This... is a bit difficult. Eight billion is already the bottom price. For this location and size, the building next door sold for eight billion last year."
Su Yu didn't speak, but glanced at the street below again. The location was indeed good—close to the subway, yet not noisy due to the main road. The building was a bit old, but with renovations, it would be perfectly usable. The two shops on the ground floor could continue to generate rent, the upstairs could be offices, and the underground parking was enough for over a dozen cars. This size was sufficient for the company's future growth over the next three to five years.
"Seventy-eight billion," Su Yu said. "If we can negotiate, we'll sign."
Park, the real estate agent, gritted his teeth. "I'll call the landlord and ask."
The phone call lasted five minutes. When Manager Park returned, his expression changed from nervousness to surprise.
"The landlord said that if you can pay the deposit today, 7.8 billion is possible."
Su Yu nodded. "Okay."
Cai Xiubin stood to the side, not saying a word the whole time. It wasn't until Su Yu took out his phone to transfer the money that she tugged at his sleeve.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
"Where did you get so much money?"
Su Yu glanced at her, his tone casual. "Profits from investments."
Cai Xiubin stared at his face for a few seconds, her lips moved as if she wanted to ask something but didn't. She remembered the millions of US dollars, the money he pulled out without batting an eye when registering the company, and the casual expression on his face when he said "I was lucky."
She wasn't without her suspicions. A 23-year-old college student from a modest background, living in a basement, suddenly had money—and not just a little, but billions. Anyone would be suspicious. But she chose not to ask, because Su Yu had said, "Some things are better left unsaid," and she trusted him.
"Let's go." After transferring the money, Su Yu put his phone back in his pocket. "We'll handle the formalities tomorrow."
"Wait a minute," Agent Park stopped them. "The landlord has another condition. He said he hopes you can complete the transaction as soon as possible because someone else is also looking at this building and has offered a higher price than you."
"Who?"
"They didn't say, they only said his surname was Zheng."
Su Yu frowned. The Zheng family, who were in the construction business and had bought an apartment in Jiangnan District? He recalled seeing some blurry images when the black lines and cracks were leaking money. There was a figure in the image, wearing a suit, surrounded by several bodyguards, but his face was not clearly visible.
"Understood," Su Yu said. "Have him prepare all the materials for the signing tomorrow morning."
On the way back, Cai Xiubin remained silent. Su Yu drove, a slow song playing on the radio, the streetlights outside the car window receding one by one.
"What are you thinking about?" Su Yu asked.
"I'm wondering who you really are."
"Your boyfriend."
Cai Xiubin was taken aback by his words, wanting to laugh but holding it back. "I'm serious. Sometimes you really make me feel... like a stranger."
Su Yu didn't answer. Of course he knew what Cai Xiubin was thinking. Anyone would be puzzled if an ordinary person suddenly pulled out 7.8 billion to buy a building. But he couldn't explain, nor did he intend to.
"So what if we're strangers?" he said. "We can't run away anyway."
Cai Xiubin finally couldn't help but laugh. She reached out and pinched Su Yu's arm, pinching it a little hard, and Su Yu hissed.
"You better not get away," she said.
As Su Yu parked his car downstairs at the company, his phone vibrated. It was a text message from an unknown number, containing only one line:
"Representative Su, congratulations on buying the property. I hope to have the opportunity to cooperate in the future. — Zheng Zhemin"
Su Yu stared at the screen for a few seconds, then locked his phone and put it back in his pocket.
Cai Xiubin asked, "Who is it?"
"I sent it to the wrong person," he said.
What he didn't tell Cai Xiubin was that the text message was sent at 3 PM today, four hours earlier than when they went to see the apartment.
Someone is watching him.