Chapter 21

At this moment, Lee Hyori came over to find Lee Jung. "Follow me, I'll introduce you to someone." Lee Hyori looked at Lee Jung's peach-colored tie and couldn't help but laugh.

Lee Jung looked helpless, "Sis, enough already, I've been wearing this for so long, haven't you guys had enough? I'm already tired of it…."

"Haha, okay, I approve, you can take it off. My current boss wants to meet you, so I came to find you." Lee Hyori's face was full of smiles, her eyes curved into crescents.

"Kim Jang-woo? What? Is he planning to give me a hard time?" Lee Jung's demeanor changed instantly.

Lee Hyori felt a sudden change in Lee Jung, as if he had transformed into someone else. He seemed to be the same sharp and confident person she had first met long ago.

"Ah!" Lee Jung was stepped on by Lee Hyori, "If you want me to go, I'll go, but why do you have to step on me? Hyo-gu just stepped on me earlier, and now you. I think my foot is ruined…." Lee Jung thought he should have worn iron shoes today.

"Stop complaining, follow me quickly." Lee Jung followed Lee Hyori to a corner of the banquet hall.

"President Kim, this is Lee Jung." Lee Hyori introduced Lee Jung to the middle-aged man in front of her.

"Hello, Lee Jung-xi."

"Hello, President Kim Jang-woo."

"Sit down, Lee Hyori-xi, could you get us a glass of red wine?" Kim Jang-woo said to Lee Hyori.

"Sure." Lee Hyori got up, turned to the distance, and called a waiter to bring two glasses of red wine. She didn't return because she knew Kim Jang-woo had no ill intentions towards Lee Jung and might even help him.

"Lee Jung-xi, you are truly young and talented, daring to shoot an independent film at such a young age." Kim Jang-woo said slowly.

"What can I do? CJ Entertainment ordered all film production companies not to invest in me. I had to find my own way." Lee Jung raised his eyebrows.

"Ha ha, it's CJ Entertainment, not CJ Group. Liu Xiuli from CJ Entertainment can only represent CJ Entertainment, not CJ Media, and certainly not CJ Group." Kim Jang-woo explained.

Lee Jung looked at Kim Jang-woo in confusion. What did he mean? CJ Entertainment is just CJ Entertainment, and has nothing to do with him? Nothing to do with CJ Group?

"You're right. Whether it's CJ Entertainment or CJ Media, they are both wholly-owned subsidiaries of CJ Group. However, we are only responsible for paying a certain profit each year, and the rest is under our own control." Kim Jang-woo clarified.

"So, in other words, before the annual meeting, we are independent. He is him, and I am me. I have a good impression of you and hope to have the opportunity to work with you in the future." Kim Jang-woo added.

This time, Lee Jung was really confused. What did he mean? CJ Entertainment was boycotting him, but CJ Media was supporting him? Was this an internal struggle?

"By the way, let me give you a heads up, Liu Xiuli is not simple. Everyone thinks he's in this position because of his keen eye for talent and making money for the company. But he also has a brother who is a Seoul city councilor." Kim Jang-woo left it at that, then got up, "I need to greet guests from other companies. If you need any help, let Lee Hyori-xi know, and I'll do my best to assist."

Lee Jung thought for a moment but still couldn't figure out the intricacies of these large conglomerates. He hadn't eaten dinner, so he was now in a corner, drooling over the food on the table.

"Sigh, a month of fast food has almost made me sick. I should get something good to eat." Lee Jung muttered to himself.

With a plate in hand, Lee Jung started picking out the food he liked. "Pastries, hmm, I need some. Ham, a few slices. Grilled meat, more of that." He mumbled as he picked.

"Clack" The tongs collided, and Lee Jung looked up to see a tall girl in a black evening gown, also holding a plate full of food, trying to pick up the same piece of chicken.

"Ah, sorry, sorry…" the girl quickly apologized.

"It's okay, did you not eat dinner either?" Lee Jung looked at her full plate.

"Ah, yes, I just debuted recently, and I was rushing to a schedule before coming here," the girl said, seeing that Lee Jung wasn't angry.

"Let's go sit over there. It's less crowded, and it's a two-person seat, so no one will disturb us." Lee Jung pointed to a corner with a two-person sofa.

"Okay." The girl agreed.

"Which company are you from?" Lee Jung asked while devouring the food.

"S&M Entertainment, I debuted last month. I'm Sooyoung from Girls' Generation." The girl was also devouring the food.

"Ah, Girls' Generation?" Lee Jung looked up at the girl named Sooyoung.

"You know us? We've only been out for less than two months. By the way, mister, what do you do?" The girl looked up at Lee Jung.

Lee Jung was now immune to being called "mister"… older people called him "oppa," so it was fine for a new debutante to call him "mister."

"I used to be an MV director. There's a girl in your group named Kwon Yuri, right?" Lee Jung thought of the girl who insisted he be her first fan.

"Yes, yes, mister, do you know her?" Sooyoung looked at Lee Jung.

"I know about you all. I was at MBC on the day of your debut performance," Lee Jung said.

"Mister, you were at MBC Music Center that day?" Sooyoung looked at Lee Jung in surprise.

"Yes, I saw you all in your silver-white outfits, singing and dancing on stage. It was great, a very successful debut…" Lee Jung hadn't paid much attention to Girls' Generation's performance, but he knew how to say nice things.

Sooyoung's impression of Lee Jung improved significantly when she saw that he could even describe the outfits they wore on their debut day.

"Mister, what's your name? I want to get to know you too." Sooyoung found this mister interesting and to her liking, especially the way he ate.

"My name is Lee Jung. I used to be in the music industry, but I've changed careers. I have good relationships with many seniors in the industry, so if you have any problems in the future, just mention my name, and they'll give me some face," Lee Jung said.

"Mister, are you joking? I debuted this year, but I debuted in Japan in 2003. Besides, I've been training for so long, how could I not know you?" Sooyoung was surprised by Lee Jung's confident tone.

"Ha ha, the turnover in the entertainment industry is so fast. I served in the military for two years, and when I came back, I didn't stay in the music industry. That's why you newbies don't know me. But if I hadn't been in the industry, why would I be at this banquet?" Lee Jung quickly finished the food in front of him.

"Let me get some more food. Do you want more?" Lee Jung asked Sooyoung.

Sooyoung was still a bit shy, being at such an event for the first time, so she said she was almost full.

When Lee Jung returned with more food, Sooyoung told him some interesting stories about Girls' Generation. When she mentioned that there was a clumsy girl named Hwang Mi-Young in their group, Lee Jung realized that there were many people in Girls' Generation he knew. When Sooyoung mentioned that one of their members was mistaken for a boy by a creepy uncle, Lee Jung laughed out loud. He never thought that these things were related to him.

So when he learned the whole story, everyone laughed even harder.