Chapter 6

In the following month, Choe Jung-woon seriously kept his promise and stayed at home. Every day, he chatted with his grandmother or watched soap operas, and the two of them would engage in heated debates about the plot or the upcoming episodes, as if they were the screenwriters. The old butler would always look helplessly at their childish behavior and then shoo the servants who were secretly laughing, so as not to undermine the authority of the family head if the news got out.

Of course, Choe Jung-woon did not forget his most important task. During this period, he read a large amount of material to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current state of the entertainment industry in South Korea. With the vast resources of his family, he became well-versed in both the widely known reports and the less-known inside stories of the Korean entertainment industry.

Choe Jung-woon always adhered to the principle of knowing both oneself and the enemy. In his previous life in China, he had only a vague understanding of the Korean entertainment industry. Despite being in the same industry, the differences in culture, social systems, and historical traditions made the entertainment markets of the two countries vastly different. As the great leader once said, without investigation, there is no right to speak. To achieve success in this industry, a solid understanding is essential. Choe Jung-woon was eager to see what kind of miracle he could create by combining the entertainment planning techniques and more advanced concepts from his previous life with the current reality.

In the month, he did extensive preparatory work. Next, it was time to put theory into practice. Therefore, as soon as the house arrest was lifted, Choe Jung-woon rushed to the headquarters of C.J Group. Here, his mother, the president of CJ Media Group, Mrs. Pan Jeong-jin, had already been informed of his arrival.

Taking advantage of his rebirth, Choe Jung-woon had the family change the name of the media system they had acquired. The name C.J Group officially belonged to the Choe family, severing all ties with the First Sugar Group. This move completely separated the Choe family's business from the First Sugar Group. The newly established group was called CJ Entertainment & Media, openly displaying the Choe family's ambition in the entertainment and cultural sectors.

Due to the separation of assets, the headquarters of CJ Entertainment & Media was no longer at the original address in Jung District, Namdaemun-ro 5-gil, 500. After parting ways with Jeong Jeong-sam, C.J Group moved to its current office location, the C.J Building in Chungmuro. This building was originally a Choe family asset and was now being used as the new headquarters.

Compared to the towering headquarters of the First Sugar Group, this building was somewhat old and only had five floors, with a beige color that gave it a very rustic feel. However, it was sufficient as an administrative headquarters, and there was no lack of space.

The security guard had been informed in advance, so Choe Jung-woon entered smoothly. When he entered the president's office, Pan Jeong-jin was on the phone and signing documents. Seeing her son come in, she gestured for him to wait a moment.

Choe Jung-woon did not disturb Pan Jeong-jin's work. He poured himself a glass of water and stood by the window, looking at the scenery outside. During this time, people kept coming in to report on their work, and Pan Jeong-jin remained busy. Each person who came in would unconsciously observe the handsome young man, speculating about his relationship with the president.

After nearly an hour of work, Pan Jeong-jin finally stopped. She stretched like a young woman, showing no signs of being a middle-aged woman in her forties.

"How is it? Mr. Choe, how does it feel to be free again?" Only in front of family did Pan Jeong-jin show her gentle side. If the employees outside saw this boss, who had only been in office for a month but was already known for her decisiveness, they would probably drop their jaws.

Choe Jung-woon walked over, put his arm around his mother's shoulder, and said with a sigh, "Freedom is so beautiful! For my future happiness, from today on, I will closely follow in Mother's footsteps, taking her instructions as the highest command, ready to face any challenge and follow orders without hesitation."

Pan Jeong-jin was amused by his Red Guard-like image and laughed. After a while, she stopped and waved off his arm, "Stop joking around. I have a task for you. Take a look at this proposal." She then picked up a thick file and handed it to Choe Jung-woon.

Choe Jung-woon sat on the sofa and did not rush to open the file. Looking at his mother's tired expression, he asked with concern, "Is the company in a difficult situation?"

Pan Jeong-jin rubbed her forehead and said helplessly, "It's more than just difficult. After the asset restructuring, those who used to follow the other side have all resigned. Six presidents of the subsidiaries have resigned, including the president of Mnet TV. Now, the company is in a state of panic, and many employees are looking for new jobs. I haven't had time to understand the specific business operations; I've been focusing on personnel arrangements, hoping to stabilize the company as soon as possible."

Choe Jung-woon's business acumen, as demonstrated in that proposal, had left a deep impression on Pan Jeong-jin. Now, the mother and son could finally sit down and have a serious talk. The idea of the family acquiring the media system was also Choe Jung-woon's, so she had a glimmer of hope that her son might have some brilliant ideas to help her out of the current predicament.

Choe Jung-woon did not immediately give his opinion but took the file and read it carefully. After reading it, he realized that it was more of a personnel appointment document than a proposal. Considering that his mother had just taken over and was facing so many issues, stabilizing the company was probably her top priority.

Choe Jung-woon had high hopes for his mother's solution, but after reading the proposal, he was disappointed. He was not familiar with the people appointed, but the appointments of Kim Gwang-soo as the president of Core Centens Media and Han Seong-ho as the president of F&CMUSIC made his veins bulge. While Han Seong-ho was one thing, the notorious reputation of Kim Gwang-soo was well-known even in China. Although he could not see the underlying issues, it was incomprehensible how someone could come up with such bizarre plans. In his previous life, he would have just laughed it off, but this time, C.J Group was his family's business, and he would not allow such things to happen again.

He had hoped that the trajectory of CJ Entertainment & Media would change after the Choe family took over. However, these people seemed to have eaten too much PC and had rigid minds. How was this different from the original C.J Group? Thinking about this, Choe Jung-woon threw the file aside like trash, sat up straight, and assumed a formal posture.

Seeing her son's demeanor, Pan Jeong-jin knew that the serious talk was about to begin, and her expression became serious. This was the Choe family's way: business was business, and personal matters were personal, with a clear distinction between the two.

"First of all, this proposal is a complete failure," Choe Jung-woon stated clearly, without any leniency because the person was his mother.

Pan Jeong-jin's face turned serious. She did not expect her son to start with such a harsh criticism but did not immediately counter. She knew her son must have a complete plan, "Tell me your thoughts."

"First, it is inappropriate for these entertainment agencies to continue being affiliated with Mnet TV. While Mnet can help promote our artists through its channels, Mnet is still a cable TV station and is in competition with the three major TV stations. Maintaining this subordinate relationship will put our entertainment agencies at a disadvantage in the competition."

In the future, S.M. Entertainment and the group H.O.T. refused to attend Mnet's music programs, while Mnet's artists, except for Kim Jong-kook and T-ara, had limited exposure on the three major TV stations. The most typical example was the group SeeYa, which received high praise at its debut but was gradually overshadowed by the rise of other groups. Given Mnet's capabilities, this should not have happened, and the key reason was likely the strange structure of C.J Group.

Pan Jeong-jin had been in business for many years. Although she had retired to China for three years as a housewife, she was still adept at handling business. She had not been familiar with the entertainment industry, so she could not see the core issues. However, after hearing her son's analysis, she immediately understood and began to think about how to improve the situation.

"Second, while having so many subsidiaries spreads the risk, the drawbacks are more significant. Mother, you must have heard Mr. Deng's saying in China—concentrating resources is necessary to achieve great things. S.M. Entertainment is thriving because they focus all their resources on one goal, which is why H.O.T. and H.O.T. are so successful. If we do not change, our subsidiaries will be at a disadvantage in the competition with S.M., JYP, Y.G., and DSP."

Choe Jung-woon organized his thoughts and continued, "Third, as the entertainment industry develops, these subsidiaries will grow and expand. Over time, without a direct subordinate relationship with the parent company, they will become too big to control. If they engage in cutthroat competition for short-term gains, it will only waste the company's resources and be counterproductive."

In the future, the entertainment companies under Mnet operated independently, with no interference from the parent company. Although they had to pay profits, they had formed independent kingdoms. When these subsidiaries reached a certain scale and had economic power, Choe Jung-woon was worried that ambitious people might break away and form their own companies, separating from C.J Group.

As for the cutthroat competition, Choe Jung-woon remembered it vividly. When T-ara released "Day by Day," the girl group After School from the subsidiary Pledis Entertainment also released a new song at the same time, making T-ara's competition with Super Junior even more difficult.

When "Sexy Love," the follow-up to "Day by Day," was released, an even more bizarre situation occurred. The male band FT Island from FNC Entertainment, which had separated from CCM, also released a song at the same time. Had there been no communication between the two? Did they not know that this would affect each other? Clearly not, these people were putting their own interests above the company's.

In this life, he had decided to take charge of C.J Group and would not allow such blunders to happen again. The first step was to integrate all the subsidiaries into a large brokerage group. Only then could they compete with the rising S.M. and other companies.

Choe Jung-woon's words were sharp, but Pan Jeong-jin had her own concerns, "The shares of these companies are held by close associates. Doing this might have adverse effects on the family."

Choe Jung-woon waved his hand with a grand gesture, "The most effective way to deal with them is through benefits. If they see the potential benefits, they will push you to do it even if you don't force them. If some are stubborn, we will not hesitate to take strong measures. Our Choe family has officially set sail, and we will kick away any stumbling blocks."

Seeing her young son act like a world leader, Pan Jeong-jin secretly found it amusing. She quickly composed herself and asked, "The problem is that this will cause greater turmoil. Instability can be exploited by others. You should know that Mrs. Lee Mi-kyung and Mr. Lee Jae-hyun have approached me multiple times, wanting us to merge with the First Sugar Group."

Mrs. Lee Mi-kyung was the current vice president of the First Sugar Group, and Mr. Lee Jae-hyun was the son of the former president, Lee Mong-hee. Lee Mong-hee had to live in Beijing to avoid trouble after losing a battle with the Samsung Group's president, Lee Kun-hee. Seizing this opportunity, Jeong Jeong-sam emerged and succeeded as the president of the First Sugar Group. However, the Lee family was not content with this defeat, and Lee Jae-hyun had been trying to regain the presidency.

Before he and his sister Lee Mi-kyung could achieve their goals, the First Sugar Group faced a major change—Choe family's separation. Originally, the First Sugar Group was one of the largest companies in Korea. Lee Jae-hyun had always considered it his private property, and losing half of it was unacceptable to him.

Originally, the relationship between the Choe family and the Lee family of the First Sugar Group was quite good; otherwise, they would not have left the Samsung Group and started a business with Lee Mong-hee. However, since the Choe family had taken this step, there was no turning back. In the face of huge interests, everything else was trivial. Lee Jae-hyun's efforts were destined to be futile.

Of course, Choe Jung-woon knew that Lee Jae-hyun eventually succeeded in taking back the presidency from Jeong Jeong-sam. But that was no longer relevant to the Choe family.

For Pan Jeong-jin's concerns, Choe Jung-woon saw no problem, "As long as we show them a complete plan and a promising future, they will support us. No one will refuse money. Besides, we are the major shareholders with a controlling stake, so even if others are dissatisfied, they have no choice."

"Where is the complete plan? Without concrete evidence, it won't be convincing. Are you just talking big, Mr. Choe?" Pan Jeong-jin used a bit of reverse psychology. Seeing Choe Jung-woon speak confidently, she knew he had done his homework.

"Give me half a month, and I will solve it." Choe Jung-woon took on the challenge. The old fox did not see through the young fox's scheme. Since he had gotten involved, he had no intention of backing out.

Thus, Choe Jung-woon took the first step in his entertainment career.

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