Chapter 82: A House Full of Beauties

The sudden changes over the past two days have left many entertainment agencies in shock, while at the same time, they are eager to see how things will unfold. For them, it would be best if LOEN's new artist flops again. However, those who know the inside story understand that this is just temporary, and the negative comments online and in real life will not have much of a negative impact on Lee Yunjae. On the contrary, it will serve as free publicity for him.

Lee Soo Man did not pay much attention to the overwhelming negative comments online. What he was concerned about was how LOEN would deal with the retailers who were trying to take advantage of the situation. LOEN could ignore the negative comments, but they could not ignore the retailers. Retailers and entertainment agencies are interdependent; agencies rely on retailers to sell their records, and retailers need products to sell to make money. If the relationship between the two deteriorates, the agencies will ultimately suffer. Retailers can choose not to sell LOEN's artists' records, but LOEN has no choice but to sell through retailers.

Although that's the case, Lee Soo Man was frowning deeply. Just a moment ago, he received a piece of news that he did not expect, which left him quite astonished.

"Lee, do you have any good ideas? Yunjae is going to have a tough time these days!" Yoo Yong-jin had also been frowning for the past few days. He had already listened to Lee Yunjae's new album, and if he were to rate it, it would score 85 out of 100, far from the poor reviews online. This album is one of the few outstanding albums at the beginning of the year, ranking among the best.

Lee Soo Man closed his eyes and remained silent. Although S.M. no longer has any ties with Lee Yunjae, deep down, he still hopes for his success. Privately, Lee Yunjae was the one he recruited, and after six years of training, Lee Soo Man is well aware of his capabilities. He also feels a bit guilty towards Lee Yunjae, so he hopes that he can achieve the recognition he deserves and stand on the stage that belongs to him.

If it were S.M., the retailers would be eager to please them, as S.M. brings them a steady stream of wealth. However, LOEN is different. Although LOEN is a strong company overall, an agency without artists is just an empty shell. In terms of strength, LOEN is far behind S.M., and in terms of connections, they are on par. However, retailers dare to "bully" LOEN but would not dare to say no to S.M. because S.M. has a large number of artists under its belt.

Even if he wanted to help, Lee Soo Man did not know where to start, especially since he did not want to help Lee Yunjae. Helping Lee Yunjae would be like helping LOEN, and helping LOEN would be like creating a strong rival for S.M. Lee Soo Man respects JYP, YG, CCM, and DSP, but he is wary of LOEN because LOEN has a powerful backing that the other four agencies lack.

"This all depends on LOEN to save itself. Everything can only rely on Bae Song-in, and I can't do much to help. Also, I just received some news!" As he spoke, Lee Soo Man's frown deepened.

Yoo Yong-jin noticed the confusion and bewilderment on Lee Soo Man's face and asked, "What happened?"

"According to the latest news, LOEN is aggressively recalling albums. They are accepting returns from retailers without negotiation, and they are even asking those who haven't returned the albums yet if they want to return them! What is Bae Song-in thinking... This move has made the retailers who haven't returned the albums yet feel uneasy, unsure whether to join forces against LOEN or to remain silent!" Lee Soo Man was puzzled by this move.

"What...?" Yoo Yong-jin was taken aback, standing up from his chair and exclaiming, "Is Bae Song-in's brain broken? At this time, he should be negotiating with the retailers. Even if he loses some short-term benefits, as long as he can get through these few days, the album will sell well, and he can then control the retailers. Why is he recalling the albums now?!" Yoo Yong-jin was not only angry but also confused, just like Lee Soo Man.

"You don't need to worry about your protégé. If Bae Song-in is doing this, he must have a very good reason... I'm curious to see what he can do!" Lee Soo Man had a hint of anticipation.

Yoo Yong-jin glanced at Lee Soo Man and said nothing more.

...

At 9:30 PM, Lee Yunjae stepped out of the elevator, looking somewhat tired.

In the afternoon, Bae Song-in accepted Lee Yunjae's suggestion and acted immediately. No matter how many retailers wanted to return the albums, he accepted them all, even calling those who had not yet returned the albums or were preparing to do so. In one day, he recalled nearly 130,000 albums, including the 30,000 that had already been sold, leaving 40,000 albums still in the hands of the retailers. Ironically, when Bae Song-in called to offer returns, the retailers hesitated.

After that, they discussed the content for LOEN's online store, contacted a reliable third-party trading platform, and began setting up the relevant pages. Since this suggestion came from Lee Yunjae, Bae Song-in kept asking him for feasible suggestions. Lee Yunjae racked his brain, combining his knowledge of online business and his experience with online stores, and offered his insights. This day was more tiring than spending a whole day in the recording studio.

However, when Lee Yunjae opened the door, he was taken aback. The lights that were off in the morning were now on, and there were several pairs of women's shoes at the entrance.

"Is it you, sis?!" After entering, Lee Yunjae put his keys and backpack on the rack. Before he could take a few steps, a small head peeked out from the kitchen, a cute and unfamiliar face.

"Hello... You must be Yunjae oppa, I'm Park Ji-yeon, you can call me Ji-yeon!" the girl said.

"Oh... Hello!" Lee Yunjae was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure. Anyone would be surprised to see a cute little girl in their home. "Hey, Bora, Kyeul, what are you doing here? Where's my sister?!"

Seeing Jeon Bora and Lee Kyeul, Lee Yunjae was suddenly enlightened.

"Su-yeon went downstairs to buy drinks. Didn't you meet her? She just left a few minutes ago!" Lee Kyeul checked the time and said.

"She must have taken a different elevator... Why are you all here... Oh, who are these two?!" Lee Yunjae noticed two more girls with Jeon Bora and Lee Kyeul.

"These three are our dorm mates. You've already met the youngest, Ji-yeon. This is Han Eun-jung, and this is Park Hyo-min..." Lee Kyeul introduced them one by one.

"Hello, Yunjae oppa!" the three girls said sweetly.

"Hello... Hello!" Lee Yunjae felt a warm, comfortable sensation from their sweet voices, a feeling that reached deep into his bones.

"Your place is quite nice, a high-end single apartment, much better than our dorm..." Jeon Bora marveled.

"Yes, Yunjae oppa, your place is so beautiful... There are so many photos of you and Su-yeon on the wall, you two must be very close!" Han Eun-jung said, blushing slightly.

Lee Yunjae's face turned slightly red at the mention of the photos, which showed him and Su-yeon in rather intimate poses. Some were hugging, some were face-to-face, and there were even photos of Lee Yunjae shirtless.

"Ah... Hehe, yes, we've been close since we were young!" Lee Yunjae scratched his head habitually.

At this moment, Jeon Bora asked with a worried look, "Yunjae, have you been okay these past few days?"

"Fine, fine..." Lee Yunjae smiled lightly, understanding their purpose and giving them a grateful look.

"Really okay?!" Lee Kyeul looked at Lee Yunjae with some doubt. If they were in his situation, they would have been unable to bear it, and in a worse case, it might have led to a mental breakdown.

Lee Yunjae chuckled and said, "Really, Kyeul-ssi... I have a strong tolerance, and this small setback won't bring me down... In a few days, this will all blow over, and everything will return to normal!"

Hearing Lee Yunjae's confident words, Jeon Bora and Lee Kyeul both breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Lee Yunjae was fine, that was their only concern.

"Yunjae oppa, Su-yeon said you're good at making cakes. Can you make one for us to try?" Park Ji-yeon asked hopefully.

"Sure... I'll make a strawberry cheesecake!" Lee Yunjae agreed readily, always ready to fulfill a beauty's request.

Not long after, Su-yeon returned, carrying a large plastic bag with drinks and beer.

Originally, she had planned to come alone, but when Jeon Bora and Lee Kyeul found out, they insisted on coming along. Park Ji-yeon, Han Eun-jung, and Park Hyo-min, eager to meet Lee Yunjae, followed as well, leading to the current scene. Looking at everyone, Lee Yunjae felt as if he had returned to his trainee days. Back then, he had friends like Kim Jun-su, Leeteuk, Kim Jae-joong, and Jung Yun-ho, and after each day's practice, they would always gather together. Lee Yunjae missed those days deeply.