Chapter 43: Making Money Is Easy

"Old Li, Yunjae is back!"

In the S.M. Entertainment's artist director's office, Lee Soo-man and Yoo Young-jin were seated opposite each other. As soon as work started, Yoo Young-jin rushed to Lee Soo-man, eager to find out if he still wanted to bring Lee Yunjae back to S.M.

When Lee Yunjae had his incident, Lee Soo-man announced the revocation of his position as the leader of TVXQ and soon after, persuaded him to leave the company. Although from Lee Soo-man's perspective, what he did was right—a trainee with a severely damaged vocal cord who couldn't even sing, what use was he to the company?

However, considering that Lee Yunjae had been with S.M. for so many years, Lee Soo-man's decision seemed too inhumane, almost heartless. But Yoo Young-jin knew that Lee Soo-man was still reluctant. It was an unavoidable decision, and he secretly wrote a check to Lee Yunjae, which Yoo Young-jin handled. However, Lee Yunjae ultimately did not accept the check.

Under Yoo Young-jin's concerned gaze, Lee Soo-man remained silent for a few seconds before shaking his head slightly. This slight shake made Yoo Young-jin's face turn pale.

"Old Li... Yunjae's skills are very strong. I think many talent agencies are looking for him. He is my student, and if I ask him to rejoin S.M., he will certainly consider it seriously. The possibility of him rejoining S.M. is very high...

This isn't like you. Why would you let such a good talent slip away? What are you thinking?!" Yoo Young-jin asked anxiously, a thin layer of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"Ahn Jin, I am no longer the CEO of the company; I am just the director of artists! Yunjae's matter is not under my jurisdiction. If Kim Min-young is interested in Yunjae, he will naturally invite him to join the company!" Lee Soo-man said calmly.

Yoo Young-jin's face changed, and he said with a hint of anger, "Don't give me that crap... Although Kim Min-young is the CEO, he doesn't manage the artists. Do you need his approval to recruit an artist?! Don't use such a lame excuse to fob me off!"

"Is that so? Recruiting an artist doesn't require my approval? It seems that in your mind, I am just a figurehead!" A deep male voice echoed in Yoo Young-jin's ears, causing his body to stiffen. Turning around, he saw a man of about his age standing at the door.

"Director Lee, I came in without knocking, I hope you don't mind!" Kim Min-young walked in on his own, a faint smile on his face, seemingly not angry about Yoo Young-jin's disrespect, but those who knew him well knew he was a smiling tiger, skilled at hiding his true intentions.

Lee Soo-man shrugged indifferently and said, "CEO Kim, with your busy schedule, how did you find the time to come here?"

"There is something I need to discuss! This morning, I saw a video online and felt that this kid has a bright future. For the company's future, I came here personally to discuss it with you and hear your opinion... Unfortunately, when I arrived at the door, I heard some words that made me very uncomfortable!" Kim Min-young's gaze turned to Yoo Young-jin.

"Hmph!" Yoo Young-jin seemed to have a strong aversion to Kim Min-young, his tone hostile, "Don't think you're so great just because you're the CEO. You can never control S.M. with one hand... The CEO's position will eventually be returned. The company was built step by step by Old Li and the old-timers. You have no right to sit in that position!"

As he finished speaking, Kim Min-young's face darkened, and he said in a low voice, "Producer Yoo, you need to understand that I am your superior. I have the right to fire you for your disrespect to your superior!"

"CEO Kim, you know Ahn Jin. He just doesn't know how to speak, but I can guarantee that there are very few producers in Korea better than him!"

Currently, S.M. is divided into two factions: the new faction led by Kim Min-young and the old faction led by Lee Soo-man. The old-timers had fought alongside Lee Soo-man to build S.M. While S.M.'s success is attributed to Lee Soo-man's leadership, it is also inseparable from the management team that followed him. Yoo Young-jin is undoubtedly the most loyal member of Lee Soo-man's faction, as well as his right-hand man, Kim Sung-soo. Although Yoo Young-jin's words were harsh, he was speaking up for Lee Soo-man, who naturally had to support him. Although his words were softer and more gentle, it was just a strategy to be gentle.

Given the current situation at S.M., Lee Soo-man was not ready to confront Kim Min-young openly, so he had to be careful not to make the other side lose face.

Although Lee Soo-man only said it lightly, it was clear that he was strongly protecting his subordinate. Kim Min-young was not foolish enough to fire Yoo Young-jin and replace him with his own people. If he did, Lee Soo-man would definitely fight him to the bitter end.

Without a solid grasp, Kim Min-young still feared Lee Soo-man, who had controlled S.M. for ten years, with deep roots. He knew very well that he could not overthrow him just by sitting in the CEO's position for two years. The survival rule in the workplace is that when the enemy is strong and you are weak, sometimes showing weakness is a way to hide your strength. As an old fox, Kim Min-young naturally mastered this survival rule perfectly.

"Hmph... Let you have your fun for two more years, and I will make you all roll out eventually!" Kim Min-young smiled slightly, but in his heart, he was determined to accelerate his control over S.M. and not give Lee Soo-man any chance.

"Of course, I was just joking. How could I really fire Producer Yoo? That would be a loss for S.M. For the company, our little grudges are nothing!" Kim Min-young said sweetly.

"Then... What is CEO Kim's opinion on recruiting Lee Yunjae?" Yoo Young-jin, hinted by Lee Soo-man's gaze, also suppressed his temper.

"Well..." Kim Min-young stroked his stubbly chin and chuckled, "Of course... I won't recruit him!"

"Damn..." Yoo Young-jin gritted his teeth, looking at Kim Min-young's smirking face, he wanted to punch him.

Suppressing his anger, Yoo Young-jin asked, "CEO Kim, you may not know how strong Lee Yunjae is, but I do. I can guarantee that in five years, even Rain and BoA won't match Lee Yunjae. Don't you want to consider it?"

"Consider? Hmph... Do you think I don't know that Lee Yunjae is your student? If he joins S.M., he will stand with your faction. What benefit is there for me..." Kim Min-young sneered inwardly but pretended to think, "Hmm... You are right! But... I just don't want to recruit him! Even if Director Lee agrees, I won't!"

Yoo Young-jin was instantly furious. He realized that Kim Min-young had come to mock them.

Seeing Yoo Young-jin's angry but restrained expression, Kim Min-young felt very satisfied. But when he looked at Lee Soo-man's calm face, he was puzzled. Was he not angry?

"Director Lee, Girls' Generation is doing well. You have cultivated an excellent group, a future national group... Truly impressive! I have nothing else, so I will take my leave!" Kim Min-young glanced at Yoo Young-jin disdainfully, a slight sneer on his lips, and left Lee Soo-man's office.

"This bastard... He just came to provoke us, not to discuss Yunjae!" With a thud, Yoo Young-jin punched the redwood desk, causing the teacup, computer, and file folders on it to shake.

Lee Soo-man stood up and patted his shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, at most two years, I will drive him out of S.M. I won't hand over the company I created to anyone. If he tries to climb over my shoulders, the higher he climbs, the harder he will fall!"

Yoo Young-jin sighed inwardly. It seemed that Yunjae's chances of joining the company were slim. But at the same time, he suddenly felt that this might not be a bad choice. The current S.M. was no longer the S.M. of the past. The larger the company, the more evident the internal power struggles became.

Meanwhile, while some were worried, others were happy. For the video department administrator of Straw Hat Network, today was a good day. From the afternoon, he received many mysterious calls, all requesting him to provide the IP address of the video uploaded by Lee Yunjae, and promising him 100,000 won as a reward.

Without hesitation, the administrator violated his professional ethics, first sending his bank account number, confirming the money was in, and then started the business of selling IP addresses. In just five hours, he earned 2.5 million won, so happy that he couldn't stop smiling, almost treating Lee Yunjae like a god of wealth. It turned out that making money could be so easy, earning in five hours what he would normally earn in half a year.

These buyers of the IP address were undoubtedly talent scouts from various agencies. As scouts, they naturally had wide networks and many means. By bribing the Straw Hat Network administrator and using the IP address provided to find the exact location where Lee Yunjae uploaded the video, this was undoubtedly the most direct and effective way to find Lee Yunjae...

PS: Fairy is very good at flying

Brother Fan is here

wawx001

Toxic丶Ice

Thank you all for your generous support!!!

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends