noveldepot Chapter 10: The Zero Money Given by Nuna
Chapter 10: The Zero Money Given by Nuna
On the first sunny day after the heavy rain, Jiang Yan was awakened by his phone vibrating wildly.
He groggily opened his eyes and saw the late March sunlight streaming in through the south-facing window, its golden rays falling on his face and making him feel lazy.
He reached out and fumbled around on the bedside table for a long time before finally finding his cold phone. He squinted and swiped the screen open.
The next second, he suddenly sat up in bed, and cold sweat instantly poured down his back.
【韩亚银行】您尾号7349的帐户，于09:12入帐10，000，000韩元。
Balance: 12,587,000 Korean Won.
Jiang Yan stared at the long string of zeros on the screen, his eyes unblinking, for a full fifteen seconds.
Ten million.
He rubbed his eyes hard, then held the phone up to his face and counted the numbers one by one.
Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions... Yes, seven zeros.
It's not a dream.
The text message was sent by the bank. The remitter was listed as a personal transfer. There were no remarks or explanations. It just lay there cleanly in his account, growing that previously pitifully meager number to a figure he had never seen before in his twenty years of life.
His first thought was that SM had made the payment in advance.
But the next second, he rejected it himself.
Lee Sang-min, the head of the company, said personally that the settlement would be made on the 15th of next month. SM's financial process is notoriously complicated, requiring seven forms to be filled out, three signatures to be made, and three levels of approval to be obtained. It is absolutely impossible for them to transfer ten million without any notice.
That leaves only one possibility.
Jiang Yan opened his contacts, found the number he had just saved yesterday with the nickname "Senior Tiffany," and pressed the dial button.
Beep...beep...beep...beep
After four busy tones, the phone was answered.
"Oh, our big producer is finally awake?" Tiffany's voice came through the receiver with a laugh. The background was noisy, and you could vaguely hear the hum of a hairdryer and the shout of "Unnie, touch up your makeup."
"Nuna, that money..."
"Received it? That was pretty fast." Tiffany interrupted him directly and laughed, "Don't overthink it. This isn't an arrangement fee. The ten million that the company owes you will be transferred to your account on the fifteenth of next month. Consider this a small allowance for your younger brother."
Jiang Yan's fingers tightened around the phone: "Nuna, this is too much, I can't accept it..."
"What do you mean, 'a lot'? Is ten million a lot?" Tiffany's voice suddenly turned cold. "You stayed up for days and nights for this song, helping Nuna get rid of the huge weight that had been weighing on my heart for a month and a half. As Nuna's wife, can't I even buy you a new dress?"
Jiang Yan subconsciously looked down at the gray sweatshirt draped over the bed.
The collar was worn down to the point of having a white edge, and the ribbed cuffs were so loose that two fingers could be stuffed inside. He bought it in Dongdaemun for 30,000 won when he enrolled two years ago.
"Let me tell you, this industry is very realistic. No matter how good your music is, if you go around dressed like a poor student who just got out of school, people will immediately categorize you as someone who can be easily bargained down and bossed around. I'm not trying to scare you, this is the rule."
As they were talking, someone suddenly called her from the other end of the phone. Tiffany quickly responded in English, then immediately switched back to Korean and continued, "Okay, I'm about to start filming here. Use this money to buy some decent clothes, and keep the rest for living expenses. Also, if you call me 'senior' again, I'll get angry. Remember, call me 'Noona'."
"But……"
"No buts. Don't be so wishy-washy, you're a grown man." Tiffany interrupted crisply. "Remember, 7 p.m., at the barbecue restaurant in Cheongdam-dong. I'll treat you to dinner and introduce you to someone. You can't refuse; Noona promised you that."
The call was disconnected as soon as he finished speaking, leaving a busy tone.
Jiang Yan looked at the blacked-out phone screen and smiled helplessly.
This senior colleague really didn't give him any chance to refuse.
He rolled out of bed and stepped barefoot onto the warm wooden floor.
Sunlight streamed in through the balcony door, spreading a golden patch of light across the light-colored floor, making even the dust motes floating in the air clearly visible.
He went out onto the balcony and took a deep breath.
The breeze at the end of March carries a faint scent of cherry blossoms, and feels warm and pleasant on the face.
The streets downstairs were already bustling with activity, young people strolling by chatting and laughing, while the Han River in the distance shimmered in the morning light.
Ten million.
Jiang Yan clenched his fist, feeling his heart pounding powerfully in his chest.
He went from living in a semi-basement and eating triangular rice balls to having ten million in his bank account in just five days.
He took out his phone, opened his chat with Kim Minjung, and typed rapidly: "Kotaro, what time will you arrive at Seoul Station tomorrow afternoon? Oppa will pick you up."
The message was sent and quickly showed as read.
[Two o'clock sharp! Two o'clock sharp!]
My mom insisted on taking me, but I stopped her! Her back isn't good, and it would be too much trouble for her to go back and forth. I can take the KTX by myself.
Oh, right! Mom packed a whole box of kimchi and soybean paste for you last night! And your favorite pickled radish! She said you should eat it with rice!
Looking at the barrage of messages on the screen, Jiang Yan couldn't help but smile.
Okay, Oppa will be waiting for you at the exit half an hour early tomorrow.
He put down his phone and quickly made a mental calculation.
Of the ten million, three million eight hundred thousand will be set aside for tuition, two million for living expenses over the next three months, and the remaining four million two hundred thousand will be used to buy Min-jung two new outfits and two pairs of comfortable sneakers.
That child was frugal from a young age; he would wear his winter school uniform into the summer.
He walked to the wardrobe and opened the door.
There were very few clothes inside.
The thickest item was the military green Marine Corps winter training jacket that his adoptive father had left him; the cuffs were already worn through.
The most presentable item is the navy blue hooded sweatshirt I bought when I enrolled in school. After washing it for two years, the color has long since faded to a grayish-blue.
The remaining T-shirts were all pilling, and the knees of the two pairs of jeans were worn white and so thin they were almost translucent.
He used to think that as long as it was wearable, that was fine.
But it's different now.
Tiffany is right.
If he wants to be part of that circle, he can no longer live like a shadow, just like before.
After washing up and changing into a relatively clean T-shirt, Jiang Yan went out, turned on the navigation, and found the boutique that Tiffany had mentioned.
The shop is hidden in a deep alley behind the main street of Hongdae. There are no eye-catching neon signs, only a rusty piece of iron hanging at the entrance of the stairs with a word written crookedly in white paint: MONO.
As you descend the narrow staircase to the basement, the moment you push open the glass door, the brass wind chimes overhead tinkle.
The shop is small, only about 20 square meters, but it is decorated with great style.
The walls are covered with all kinds of clothes, from retro American workwear to Japanese minimalist style, from Saint Laurent scarves to Nike limited edition sneakers, densely packed yet neatly arranged, like a treasure cave hidden underground.
A man with silver-gray hair was squatting behind the cashier unpacking a package. Hearing the sound, he looked up, revealing a row of shiny silver studs on his left ear.
He looked to be in his late twenties, wearing a black turtleneck sweater and two distressed silver rings on his fingers. He had a cool and aloof demeanor, like a male protagonist straight out of an independent film.
"A completely unfamiliar face."
The silver-haired man stood up, sized Jiang Yan up and down, then his gaze suddenly froze. "Tiffany recommended you?"
Jiang Yan was taken aback for a moment: "Yes, I was introduced by senior Tiffany."
The silver-haired man raised an eyebrow, his previously indifferent gaze instantly turning fiery. He slapped his thigh: "Hey! You're that Jiang Yan?! The new producer who changed Kenzie's arrangement and made Tiffany cry on the spot?!"
Now it was Jiang Yan's turn to be dumbfounded.
"You...know me?"
"Know her? More than just know her!" Kwon Minwoo rushed over, grabbed Kang Yeon's shoulder, and exclaimed excitedly, "Last night, the entire Hongdae underground scene was buzzing with the news! SM's stylist director, Jung, was drinking with me until 3 AM, and all he talked about was you!"
"He said there was this kid who popped out of nowhere, who solved the problem that had been bothering them for over a month in fifteen minutes, revised eight sections in seven minutes, and made Tiffany cry. Headmaster Lee Sang-min immediately decided to sign you, and Teacher Kenzie even said that you were the most talented newcomer she had seen in ten years and insisted on taking you as her apprentice!"
"Now, not only are people within SM Entertainment asking who you are, but even producers at JYP and YG are asking around."
Jiang Yan stood there, dumbfounded.
He never expected that in just one day, his name would spread throughout half of the peninsula's entertainment industry.
"Alright, alright, stop standing there." Kwon Minwoo pushed him toward the fitting room. "Since Tiffany introduced you, you're my little brother. I'll personally style you today and make sure you look like a real top producer. My name is Kwon Minwoo, and people in the industry call me Minwoo hyung."
Jiang Yan nodded quickly, "Thank you, Brother Minyu."
"Don't be so polite." Kwon Minwoo waved his hand dismissively. "First, what's the budget?"
Jiang Yan thought for a moment and gave a figure that he felt was already quite generous: "Around one million Korean won."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kwon Minwoo burst out laughing, laughing so hard he couldn't straighten up.
He patted Jiang Yan on the shoulder, shook his head, and gave him a look that said, "You're too naive, kid."
"One million?"
"Kid, do you know that even a decent coat here costs more than a million?"
……