kangmin & arin ⇹ it's all about business

Wang Arin was a hard-working woman; always on time, always finishing every project way before the deadline, always trying her hardest to please the producers of the show and to be satisfied with the outcome. At first, #s(e)oulfood wasn’t very promising. They couldn’t get a good slot for the show and the marketing was quite lacking. She even contemplated dropping the show because the whole staff was suffering, not just her, and the future didn’t seem so bright. She wasn’t very experienced anyway, she had a few MC roles, she was a radio host for a year, but nothing spectacular on the big screen. It was her first big chance, and everyone had faith in her after her audition. She didn’t want to let anyone down. However, after one of KBS’ variety shows was cancelled, they could earn its slot, and the viewership rate suddenly increased to the point that they could afford more money for marketing, and ever since then, the show was doing pretty well. It was a bumpy road from the start, yet here they were having a meeting with yet another business partner, talking through the details of his episode.
Arin wasn’t the one who came up with the idea of having Do Kangmin’s place on the show, it was actually the idea of the producer who came to her office that exact day to walk with her to the conference room where Mr Do was already waiting. She wasn’t a very distant person, however she liked to make sure not to be rude, so she never called anyone by their first name unless it was already settled between the two parties.
While the producer introduced herself, she had the time to have a look at the man. He was a quite tall and lanky person, features showing someone younger than his age, somewhat childish and playful smile, very polite manners. He could tell from this much that he wouldn’t cause any hardships.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr Do. My name is Wang Arin, I’m the host of the show,” she introduced herself when it was her turn as an act of courtesy and reached her hand out for a handshake. They always had to make this polite round at first before they moved onto to discuss more details such as the exact day and time when the shooting would take place, what Mr Do should do, whether he wants to have any employees on the show and of course the pay itself. Mrs Kim was already used to telling all the information the possible catering unit owners needed to know before the actual shooting, so it wasn’t a surprise that she finished quite quickly. Though they usually had a longer conversation, so she was a bit surprised when Mrs Kim needed to excuse herself and leave the conference room because of some family emergency.
That led to the two of them being together for the first time since the beginning of the meeting. Needless to say, the sudden lack of Mrs Kim created a difference atmosphere, but not certainly an unpleasant one. On the other hand, Arin didn’t like awkward silences, so she tried her best to avoid such outcomes whenever she could.
“Do you prefer Mr Do or Kangmin? I feel like it would be most comfortable for both of us if we decide on it first,” she explained with a half-smile, hoping that the owner of Minchelin would decide instead of saying something like whatever. As it was deeply within the roots of the Korean culture to use honorifics and such, she didn’t want to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings. Plus, Do Kangmin seemed like the type with whom it was easy to cooperate, so she wasn’t very afraid of his response.

Frankly, #s(e)oulfood was definitely not the most watched show of its time slot, it was not even the most watched gastronomy-related show, but Arin was thankful that it was doing relatively well nevertheless. Sometimes not even years of hard work was enough to build a reputation for a show, thus seeing #s(e)oulfood thrive with the help of so many wonderful and diligent people was a blessing. Truth to be told, not everyone in the entertainment industry was equally dedicated, and she had to realize while doing her internship and then having a few different kind of jobs that she couldn't work efficiently with those who didn't put their mind to the given tasks every single day. This is reason she felt the need to highlight the fact that the show's success wasn't just her credit. It was the whole crew's.
"Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoy the show. I am lucky to have a crew like this by my side who make every episode happen without any serious mishaps," she let him know with a half-smile. She appreciated the man's words, especially because he seemed prominently genuine. Unfortunately, she had already encountered other professionals and guests alike who had faked their enthusiasm, and it was very obvious from the very beginning. Though Mr Do didn't look like the type who would fake a smile or sugarcoat his opinion. To be precise, Kangmin as he had precisely asked her to call him.
"Arin is enough on my part, too. I merely like to ask my guests' preferences, so that I know how to talk to them properly," she explained thoroughly because she was convinced that the right way to start any kind of cooperation was by using the right manners when having a conversation or merely spending time with others. Even though the shootings didn't last longer than a day or a couple of days if something really didn't work out, she didn't want to make even this amount of time uncomfortable on either of their parts.
However, when she heard about Kangmin's daughter who happened to spend time at his restaurant, Arin had to suppress a very unnecessary question regarding the validity of his words. She didn't want to question him even if it was very much surprising that someone his age had a child and was considerate enough to let her know about this detail before. She herself was always floored by the people around her who already had their own families or who were getting married, but may her bitter-sweetness come from her previous relationship and lack of free time.
"If she doesn't usually cause trouble while you are working, I don't think it would be a problem," she said diplomatically because she was a mere stranger when it came to analyzing the situation of Kangmin and his daughter. He should have known by now just how much of an assistance or nuisance his own children could be, and she didn't feel like interfering with the said question. Kangmin's wife may not have had enough time to look over the children, and maybe that's why she spent so much time at her father's restaurant. It was probably a more beneficial option for all members of the family.
It didn't mean though that Arin couldn't be curious. She was a tv show cost after all, her episodes were based on her curiosity and enthusiasm. Question towards the guests didn't just come out of nowhere; she was actually interested to find out the answers, just like this time when she inquired about Kangmin's daughter.
"How old is she? If you don't mind me asking," she added quickly before the man could think of her as someone rude. She merely liked children, that's why she asked. Plus, the information wouldn't be that useless when it came to business, just so she could know what to expect during the shootings.