Chapter 34

Li Chong went downstairs, settled his bill, and walked towards the Lotte Mall.

Lotte Group is the largest department store group in South Korea. Currently, it has 29 stores across the country. Since its opening in 1979, Lotte has been leading the development of the Korean department store industry with its comfortable shopping environment, high-quality products, advanced commercial distribution system, and the best customer service.

Christmas has always been a crucial time for merchants to promote sales and attract customers. Some malls even hold free song and dance performances in front of the mall for several consecutive days, inviting famous idols from all over South Korea to perform and attract audiences. Today is a joint event planned by Lotte Mall and S&M Entertainment. All the artists from S&M will perform here, including the popular groups TVXQ and Super Junior, although it's unknown when they will arrive, which has gathered a large number of young female fans.

Li Chong struggled to squeeze through the crowd. On stage, Girls' Generation was performing. They had already performed two songs, and now it was the third song, the lead single from their album, "Girls' Generation." Watching the girls sweat on stage, Li Chong felt a bit admiring; it was so cold, yet they were still wearing short skirts and showing their thighs, which was really tough...

Jung Soo-yeon was dancing hard, not because she loved the stage, but because she was really cold. It was almost minus 10 degrees in Seoul, and they were still performing in short skirts outdoors, and for three songs, nearly 15 minutes. Her lips were already turning purple from the cold, so she made sure to dance with large movements to stay warm, as it was really cold!

Jung Soo-yeon prayed in her heart for the performance to end quickly. In the past, whenever she heard this music, she would hope for her part to come soon, so she could show her skills. But now, she really hoped it wouldn't be her turn, as she was afraid her voice would tremble if she opened her mouth.

As she danced, Jung Soo-yeon caught a glimpse of a somewhat familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. The hair was a bit long, but she took a closer look during a position change and recognized it was Li Chong. Jung Soo-yeon couldn't believe her eyes, and she forgot all about the cold.

It turned out that three days ago, Jung Soo-yeon had sent a text message to Li Chong, hoping he would come to Lotte Mall in Myeongdong to watch their performance. But she received no response, and when she finally called, Li Chong's phone was off, leaving her feeling very disappointed.

This time, the stage included a solo song for her. There was an internal rumor that the company wanted to select someone from Girls' Generation to sing the OST for a drama, and the selection would be based on singing skills, likely between Kim Tae-yeon and Jung Soo-yeon.

So today, both Jung Soo-yeon and Kim Tae-yeon had a chance to perform a solo song, and the audience's reaction would determine the selection. Jung Soo-yeon really hoped Li Chong would come to watch her performance, as she believed Li Chong would give her strength, the strength to be independent and strong.

And Li Chong was really there, watching them. Jung Soo-yeon forgot about the cold and sang her part flawlessly, feeling a surge of mysterious energy within her.

At this moment, Kwon Yu-ri also noticed Li Chong. Li Chong still had his mustache, his chin was dark, and his hair was a bit long, but he looked quite spirited in his dark gray overcoat, standing there quietly watching them. Kwon Yu-ri felt a warmth, realizing he had really come, not because of her second text message, but because he had seen the first one.

Meanwhile, Li Chong was critiquing the girls in the crowd. "Soo-yeon's shorts are too short; her thighs are turning blue from the cold," "Soo-young's legs are too long, and she's too thin; I wonder if she's tired," "Yuri's jumps are too forceful, but she's quite well-endowed for her age," "Oh, that short girl's figure is simply amazing; I wonder what she eats," "Huh, this girl looks so familiar; where have I seen her before?" Li Chong was looking around aimlessly.

At this moment, someone squeezed next to him, "Mr. Li Chong? Mr. Li Chong?"

Li Chong turned to look, not recognizing the person. "Hello, who are you? Is there something you need?" Li Chong asked politely.

"Hello, I am Kim Yun-ji from the planning department of S&M Entertainment. Our CEO is over there, and he would like to meet you," the person named Kim Yun-ji said to Li Chong.

"Sure, I'll go see him," Li Chong thought for a moment, also curious about the current CEO of S&M, Kim Young-min.

In the past, when dealing with Lee Soo-man, Li Chong found it hard to imagine anyone could oust him from the company. So he was particularly curious about Kim Young-min.

Following Kim Yun-ji into a temporary dressing room, Li Chong saw Kim Young-min talking to TVXQ. Seeing Li Chong enter, Kim Young-min stood up and approached him, "Hello, Director Li Chong, I am Kim Young-min." Kim Young-min extended his hand.

Li Chong shook it briefly and let go, "I am Li Chong. I have long heard of CEO Kim Young-min's reputation, and it's an honor to meet you today."

"Hehe, please sit down," Kim Young-min pointed to a chair.

Li Chong didn't hesitate and sat down. At this moment, TVXQ, who were standing nearby, came over to greet Li Chong, and Kim Young-min waved them off to the front stage. Soon, the deafening cheers could be heard.

"Director Li Chong, what do you think of TVXQ?" Kim Young-min asked, somewhat proudly, hearing the cheers.

"Undoubtedly the top group, their popularity is exceptional. When I was at the stage, more than half of the audience was there for them, and the rest were Super Junior fans," Li Chong had to admit S&M's ability to produce two popular boy groups.

Hearing Li Chong's praise, Kim Young-min felt even more pleased. "Hehe, too kind, too kind. I'll get straight to the point. I have two things to ask you. First, I would like to invite you to shoot an MV for Super Junior. Although their second album did well, the MVs were not ideal, and I would like you to help reshoot them. The pay is not a problem. Second, I heard your movie is finished. I happen to know some people in distribution, and our S&M has also established its own film production and distribution company, so I hope you will entrust your film to us for distribution." Kim Young-min stated his intentions.

It turned out that Li Chong's situation had already spread in the entertainment industry. The industry is small, and Li Chong had offended Liu Xiuli of CJ Entertainment, a major player, but he had miraculously finished his movie. This gave a boost to the morale of people in the industry.

Wow, there are still people who dare to take risks and are not afraid to die... And S&M had always wanted to enter the film industry but lacked a good opportunity. Just a moment ago, Kim Young-min was still discussing Li Chong's situation, considering the idea of bringing him in. And then he saw Li Chong, truly a case of "speak of the devil"!

"Um, the first request I can consider, but it has to wait until I have time, as I have already promised to direct the MV for Lee Hyori's next album; the second request is not possible. You might not know, but someone has suggested that my film be rated for viewers 18 and older," Li Chong said, looking at Kim Young-min.

Kim Young-min was taken aback...