Chapter 72

"Yufan, how did you feel when you were facing Lee Jae-won's provocation just now?" After leaving HOT's waiting room, Lee Hyori pulled Kim Yufan to a corner of the corridor. After looking around and confirming that no one was around, she turned to stare at Kim Yufan and asked.

"Feel? I didn't really feel anything." Kim Yufan looked at Lee Hyori with confusion. When he saw the worry in her eyes, he felt a warmth in his heart and replied with a smile.

Indeed, at first, he was very angry and upset, but he forced himself to hold back. Kim Yufan knew that in such situations, he currently had no ability to resist or fight back. If he did, the reputation of not respecting his seniors would be enough to ruin him.

Similarly, Kim Yufan was not worried about being at a disadvantage because he knew that he had Lee Hyori, the big sister, by his side. With her personality, she would definitely not let him suffer.

Sure enough, as Kim Yufan had guessed, when she saw Lee Jae-won targeting and provoking him, Lee Hyori couldn't help but burst out, making Lee Jae-won very embarrassed.

Now, seeing the concern in Lee Hyori's eyes, any委屈 and annoyance in Kim Yufan's heart had vanished. Suffering a little loss to gain the love and care of a big sister was worth it.

Lee Hyori looked at Kim Yufan seriously, noticing that his expression was very natural, with no sign of勉强. She couldn't help but feel relieved.

To be honest, the reason Lee Hyori jumped in to help Kim Yufan so quickly was that she was worried he might be young and hot-headed, and if he couldn't control himself, the trouble would be huge.

In this extreme country of South Korea, the charge of not respecting seniors is really serious.

Now, seeing that Kim Yufan was fine, Lee Hyori couldn't help but smile and pat his head, saying, "It's good that you didn't feel anything. I was really worried that you might be young and hot-headed and do something impulsive, which would cause a lot of trouble. Fortunately, it's all good!"

"Hehe, Sister, you don't really think I'm a child, do you? Am I that immature? Besides, I know that you, Nuna, are by my side and wouldn't let me suffer and be bullied without helping me."

"Hehe, you're right!" Thinking about how mature Kim Yufan usually was, never showing any childishness, Lee Hyori nodded with a relieved smile.

However, she then said very seriously, "You saw what happened just now. In this industry, no one can have a smooth and peaceful journey. Sometimes, when you encounter such provocations, you must hold back and never act impulsively. Otherwise, the consequences can be very serious."

"If you are really angry, you must still hold back. If you want revenge, you must wait until your status, popularity, and influence in the industry are higher than the other person's. Then, you will have the means and friends to help you take revenge. You might think that Lee Jae-won was very embarrassed by my harsh words just now, but he didn't react. The reason is simple: HOT is rumored to be disbanding, and they have been appearing less frequently. Our group, Fin.K.L, is more popular and influential than HOT right now, and I am older than Lee Jae-won. So when I was angry, I could directly reprimand Lee Jae-won, and HOT couldn't do anything to me."

At this point, Lee Hyori couldn't help but lift her head proudly. In the Korean music industry, no one, regardless of the reason, would dare to reprimand a senior with a junior's status except for Lee Hyori.

And only Lee Hyori could do this because of Fin.K.L's influence and popularity, her outstanding connections in the industry, and her straightforward personality, which made her a unique presence.

If it were anyone else, even if HOT were no longer popular, a junior, no matter how successful, who showed any disrespect to a senior would be in serious trouble.

After boasting, Lee Hyori continued seriously, "If you want revenge, you must wait until you are stronger than the other person. Then, with our company DSP's status in the Korean music industry, you can basically take down anyone except the top artists of the other three major agencies."

Sometimes, conflicts between artists are not just about their own popularity and strength but also about the status and power of their management agencies.

Even if you are a very popular artist from a small agency, if you offend one of the four major agencies, you will be silenced and suppressed.

To put it simply, any of the four major agencies can negotiate with the TV stations to have them suppress you, and in return, their artists will fully cooperate with the TV stations, appearing on shows and dramas. Even the top artists would be fine with this.

In such a situation, the TV stations would not hesitate to agree to the four major agencies' request to suppress an artist from a small agency. No matter how popular you are, you can't compete with all the artists from any of the four major agencies.

Artists from major agencies need TV stations as a platform for promotion, and TV stations need the artists from these agencies to participate in various programs. The number and popularity of artists from any of the four major agencies far outweigh those from a small agency, so you would inevitably be suppressed and silenced.

Looking at the Korean music industry, almost all top-tier artists come from the four major agencies. Even if they are not from these agencies, they usually have someone backing them.

As for the artists from other small agencies, very few are very popular. Is it because these small agencies lack the ability to cultivate excellent artists, or because they are unlucky and can't find talented trainees?

No, that's a big mistake. The reason small agencies find it difficult to cultivate top-tier artists is that the rules are set by the four major agencies, and these rules favor their artists. If anyone challenges or threatens the development of the four major agencies' artists, they will inevitably face suppression and provocation.

Over time, the new artists from the four major agencies become increasingly popular and eventually become top-tier artists in Korea. Meanwhile, the promising new artists from small agencies, under the covert bullying and suppression of the four major agencies, either become semi-popular or are forced to leave the entertainment industry.

Resources are limited. Even the four major agencies themselves, if they find that one of their new artists is not developing well and has no potential, will abandon them. It's even more so for artists from small agencies, especially those who have offended the four major agencies. Even if these small agencies' new artists don't want to give up, the small agencies, to survive and develop, and to avoid offending the four major agencies, will have to turn against their own new artists and help suppress and silence them.

Although it's harsh, that's the reality. In South Korea, for the next ten years, top-tier artists will basically be monopolized by the four major agencies, and we must also include Mnet's various subsidiary agencies. And considering Lee Seung-gi, some actors managed by acting agencies who occasionally sing and achieve great success are also possible, but these are exceptions and can be disregarded.

In short, in South Korea, apart from the four major agencies and Mnet's subsidiaries, it is almost impossible for small agencies to cultivate a super artist. Various factors and conditions determine that small agencies cannot cultivate top-tier artists.