Chapter 59

"Seo Kyung, you should have quite a few artist friends, right?" Lee Hwal suddenly remembered something and asked with a bit of anticipation.

Bae Seo Kyung nodded and said, "I do have some, but they aren't doing well now. The new generation of idols is too strong, and sometimes I feel like I'm being phased out!"

"Don't talk nonsense. How old are you? I was going to say, look at my ex-girlfriend, who is the same age as you and only started as a trainee recently. You've already been in the industry for four years; that's a huge advantage." Lee Hwal originally wanted to say, "Look at my ex-girlfriend, who is the same age as you and only started as a trainee recently. You've already been in the industry for four years; that's a huge advantage." But she decided not to and instead said, "If you really feel the pressure, work hard. It's always good to learn more; knowledge is power!"

"Learning? Actually, I've had that idea too. After this comeback, I want to focus more on my studies. Will that affect what you need to do?" Bae Seo Kyung asked, a bit worried. Although she trusted Lee Hwal, they had only truly known each other for less than two days. After the initial excitement, she had calmed down and was now more cautious. She didn't really understand much about Lee Hwal beyond the pleasant memories from the past, so she was still a bit worried.

"That's great. You can consider me a partner. We can discuss things together. I'm not your boss, so you don't need to worry too much about me. The things I need to do will take some time!" Lee Hwal replied with a smile.

As they chatted, they headed towards GTB, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.

...

"Too cute!!"

In CCM's practice room, Kang Min Kyung, who had just transferred to CCM, pouted her lips as she watched Lee Hae Ri and the female assistant exclaim in excitement.

Understanding is one thing, but reality is another.

These unnie were watching the video from yesterday that seemed to be a "福利" (welfare). Although Unnie Jeon Bo A was indeed very cute, the thought of Oppa not asking for her help due to his macho pride made her very unhappy.

In Kang Min Kyung's view, these songs should have been sung by her to help Oppa. The thought of being completely excluded from Oppa's development plans made her, as his sister, increasingly unhappy.

"No, I have to help Oppa too, but how can I help?" Kang Min Kyung, sitting on the sofa, tilted her head and thought with a blank expression.

...

The spread of "Cute Song" was very rapid. In less than a day, many imitation versions appeared on video websites. Some newbies and trainees in the entertainment industry also shared and uploaded their own imitations on their SNS, making their fans very happy.

Many media outlets were puzzled by this bizarre trend, but they couldn't deny that the video featuring Jeon Bo A was indeed very cute. Regardless, the media reported on it, and there was plenty to report.

Especially the news that the Happy Musician and the Rookie Band would be participating in the recording of SBS's STARKING, which was a great topic.

The STARKING program staff and PD Ahn Jung Hwan were also stunned. They didn't expect that after waking up, the official website's message board would suddenly be filled with messages expressing anticipation for the Rookie Band and the Happy Musician.

After understanding the reason, Ahn Jung Hwan became very excited, but he was also a bit nervous. Having worked in the broadcasting industry for many years, Ahn Jung Hwan had seen many people.

Although he didn't know if this young man named Lee Hwal was really a rookie, he didn't believe that he did this just to share music.

From his willingness to participate in the program, to deliberately recording "Cute Song" and uploading it, and then announcing that he would participate in STARKING, it felt like a promotional campaign to him.

Moreover, Ahn Jung Hwan, who was familiar with program promotion methods, was very sure that there was a significant promotional force behind the Happy Musician from the time the video was uploaded to now.

But the only thing he couldn't understand was what the goal was.

Was it to promote the Rookie Band? Or the girl named Jeon Bo A? Or the duo of Jeon Bo A and Lee Ji Hyun? Or himself?

However, regardless of the goal, Ahn Jung Hwan was happy that Lee Hwal had actively promoted his appearance on the show and had gained significant attention. This improved his perception of Lee Hwal, and he planned to give them more screen time during the filming.

But what slightly troubled him was the hosting style of Kang Ho Dong, which he couldn't control. Lee Hwal had also mentioned that they were all troublemakers, and he hoped nothing would go wrong.

...

At 12 noon, in the office of the president of GTB Entertainment in Yaksam-dong, Lee Hwal was smiling as he looked at the middle-aged man sitting opposite him.

The president of GTB, Lim Sang Il, was shocked when he received a call from the head of the planning department last night.

The head of the planning department couldn't hide the matter, so he spilled everything, having already prepared to resign. However, while the matter was done privately, it wasn't a secret in the industry.

But how did it get discovered? And it seemed to have some connection with the Black Gang. Lim Sang Il immediately asked someone to investigate the background of the White Dove Bar, and the news he heard... scared him to death.

The Black Gang, the real Black Gang. Lim Sang Il was just the president, and although he had shares in GTB, he was still under the control of the parent company.

Even with T Entertainment, the two companies barely counted as top-tier, and as entertainment companies, they were just medium-sized enterprises in Korea. They didn't dare to provoke the Black Gang, let alone a local gang like the White Dove Group.

What was even more frustrating was that the other party had evidence. Even without special methods, using regular channels would be enough to cause significant trouble for the company.

Looking at the smiling young man in front of him, Lim Sang Il directly saw him as a ruthless Black Gang member. Although the young man was very young, he didn't dare to underestimate him.

"Mr. Lee, can't we take a step back? Suddenly terminating a contract with an artist without a good reason is hard for the company to explain to the media and fans!" Lim Sang Il asked with a forced smile, afraid of provoking these lawless people, who he saw as typical Black Gang members.

Lee Hwal glanced at the nervous Bae Seo Kyung beside him and smiled, patting her thigh to reassure her... but did he need to pat her thigh?

"President Lim Sang Il, Bae Seo Kyung isn't your company's Cha Seung Won. Why focus on these small issues? Our demands are already very modest. If things get out of hand, it won't be good for anyone. In recent years, the Korean entertainment industry has developed rapidly, and the government is closely monitoring it. Although there are many issues, they are not always exposed. If your company is powerful enough to control the mainstream media, then consider this a non-issue... but if not, let's not waste time. Even if we really report it, the goal isn't to have them face legal consequences. After all, it's been half a day, and there would be a legal battle. But with proper manipulation and media support, we can create a lot of trouble for GTB!"

Although Lee Hwal smiled naturally, to Lim Sang Il, it was the smile of a devil. This guy was simply too ruthless.

Ruthless... perhaps. After all, Lee Hwal was always like this in school, which is why he had so many medical bills and frequent visits to the police station.

Once he determined that someone was an enemy or set a goal, Lee Hwal wouldn't hesitate. If he was going to do something, he would do it thoroughly.

Bae Seo Kyung, who was sitting beside him, was now quiet, looking at Lee Hwal with surprise. Her thoughts were, "He's still as strong as before, but even more ruthless!"

Lim Sang Il, who had been in the entertainment industry for many years, knew that the Black Gang had tried to infiltrate the industry during its early years. However, as the Korean Wave became a national policy, the government began to strongly clean up the Black Gang. While it wasn't 100% effective, it was difficult for the Black Gang to get involved in the entertainment industry. Even if they did, they couldn't be overt, as that would be dangerous.

But the person in front of him wasn't here to join the entertainment industry; he was here to seek justice. When did the Black Gang start doing good deeds?