74: Chapter 74 Agent

Leaving SM Entertainment, Chairman Wang Shunyi didn't get into the car immediately. He stood at the entrance and smoked a cigarette, the ash blown away by the wind, leaving a segment of the cigarette butt burning white. He had listened to Choi Ji-yeon's proposal, but didn't fully believe it. People in entertainment companies all talked like that—the packaging looked good, but what was inside was uncertain.

In the car, he called Kim Young-jun: "Team Leader Kim, follow up on SM Entertainment's proposal for the new girl group. Money is not an issue, but the contract must be signed cleanly; don't leave any grey areas."

"Chairman, what is the budget limit?"

"Fifty billion. I want to see that group debut within a year. Any extra money will be allocated from the marketing department."

Kim Young-jun didn't say anything over the phone, probably calculating figures rapidly. After a few seconds, he replied, "Understood. I'll coordinate with SM's legal team tomorrow."

After hanging up, Chairman Wang Shunyi closed his eyes for a while. The driver drove very steadily, and the heater was on full blast, causing a thin layer of mist to form on the car windows. He fell into a daze and slept, not knowing how long he had been out until his phone vibrated. It was a message from Park Min-ji asking what time he would be back.

"Soon. Have you eaten?" he replied.

"Waiting for you."

At past eight in the evening, he pushed open her door. The kimchi soup was still warming on the stove, the pot covered, and the steam made the lid hop. She was sitting on the sofa reading a book; hearing the door, she put the book down and walked over, took his coat to hang it up, and then bent down to arrange his leather shoes by the shoe cabinet.

"What did you think of Choi Ji-yeon's proposal?" she asked, bringing the kimchi soup from the kitchen and placing it on the table, the soup still steaming.

"She recommended Red Velvet and aespa, saying the price is negotiable. But my idea isn't just to find an endorser." He picked up a piece of kimchi, chewed it twice, and swallowed. "Endorsements are a one-off deal; you sign for a year or two and change when the contract expires. Consumers won't remember."

Park Min-ji sat across from him, picked up a spoon, and stirred the soup without drinking it.

"You want something exclusive?"

"Yes. Not the kind where they just pull a member from an existing girl group to film two commercials. It should be from scratch—from trainee selection, training, debut, to promotion—bound for the entire cycle. SM Entertainment is responsible for making stars, and we are responsible for turning stars into money. Co-branded products, endorsements, concert sponsorships, and variety show product placements—all of it integrated."

Park Min-ji didn't speak after listening, lowering her head to take a sip of soup. She never made a sound when drinking soup, unlike his slurping.

"Does Lee Soo-man know about this plan?"

"Choi Ji-yeon proposed it. But she can't make the final call; it needs Lee Soo-man's nod."

"She will go talk to him. She's been with Lee Soo-man for twenty years and knows what can be passed up and what can't." Park Min-ji put down her bowl. "How much do you plan to put in?"

"Fifty billion. If it's not enough, we'll add more."

"To train a group for fifty billion, SM Entertainment would have to put in about the same amount themselves. Would they be willing?"

"Lee Soo-man is willing. He has the trainee resources, the production team, and the promotion channels. What he lacks is money and an outlet for commercial monetization. We give him the money and the outlet; he'd be a fool not to take it."

Park Min-ji looked at him, the corner of her mouth moving slightly. "Do you ever make concessions when you're negotiating?"

"I do. I concede what should be conceded. But for what shouldn't be, conceding is losing."

He put down his chopsticks and looked at the pot of kimchi soup on the table. A few pieces of kimchi leaves floated on the surface, bright red. He picked up the ladle, served her a bowl, and pushed it over.

"Minji, I want you to be in charge of the new girl group matter."

"Me? I'm the CFO, not from the marketing department."

"The money goes through finance, and the accounts pass through your hands. I'll only be at ease if you're watching over it."

She picked up the bowl and took a sip of soup, neither saying yes nor no.

The next morning, Kim Young-jun took the legal team to SM Entertainment. Choi Ji-yeon had arranged a whole conference room of people waiting. The two sides talked from ten in the morning until four in the afternoon, with only a one-hour break for lunch. The contract framework was established—Shunyi Foods would invest fifty billion won, and SM Entertainment would invest fifty billion won to jointly create a five-member girl group. SM Entertainment would be responsible for trainee selection, training, production, and promotion; Shunyi Foods would be responsible for commercial development, endorsement coordination, and co-branded product planning. The girl group's debut concept had to be deeply bound to Shunyi Foods' brand image. The group's name didn't have to include 'Sunyi', but the debut song, album concept, clothing style, and stage design all had to be reviewed by Shunyi Foods.

When Kim Young-jun called back to report, his voice carried a hint of excitement. "Chairman, Choi Ji-yeon's side has basically agreed to everything. But there's one point they're stuck on—copyright. SM Entertainment won't let go of the copyright for the debut album."

"Copyright belongs to whoever created it," Chairman Wang Shunyi said. "The songs they write, the dances they choreograph, the MVs they film—the copyright for those belongs to them. We don't want that. But the design of co-branded products, the creativity of advertisements, and the planning of endorsement activities—that copyright is ours. Let's keep the two sides distinct and not infringe on each other."

"Understood. I'll continue the talks this afternoon."

In the evening, Park Min-ji asked him how the talks were going. He repeated what Kim Young-jun had said, and she nodded after listening. "It's right to clarify the copyright issue, otherwise things will get messy later."

"And you? When will you take over?"

She was washing vegetables, the faucet running loudly. She turned off the water and turned around to look at him. "Give me the proposal. I'll decide after I've finished reading it."

Early the next morning, he sent the proposal that Kim Young-jun had rushed out overnight to her email. The attachment was large and took nearly a minute to finish sending. After three in the afternoon, she pushed open his office door, holding the proposal in her hand, which was covered in pencil annotations.

"On page five, the budget allocation is unreasonable. The training fee percentage is too high, and the promotion fee percentage is too low. No matter how much you retrain trainees, it's only so much; exposure after debut is the key. I've made some changes; have Kim Young-jun recalculate."

He took it and flipped through. Page five was densely marked by her, with all the numbers changed and a small line of text written on the side—"Increase promotion fees by 500 million, cut training fees by 300 million, and cut clothing and styling by 200 million. Find sponsors for the clothing; we don't need to pay for it ourselves."

He chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Laughing that I rely on you to make money, and I also rely on you to spend it."

"Then you're not losing out."

"Not losing out."

The "Proposal for the Joint Creation of a New Girl Group by Shunyi Foods and SM Entertainment V2.0" was finalized half a month later. Kim Young-jun emailed Choi Ji-yeon, copying Chairman Wang Shunyi and Park Min-ji. The reply came quickly: "Confirmed. Please arrange a time for Chairman Wang to sign the MOU with Chairman Lee."

The signing day was February 22nd. Lee Soo-man met him in a private reception room on the top floor of SM Entertainment. Lee Soo-man was wearing a black turtleneck sweater with a dark grey cardigan over it, looking a few years younger than their last meeting.

"President Wang, I've heard about the new girl group. I think your proposal is quite good."

"Chairman Lee, this isn't my proposal. This is my CFO's proposal."

"That Director Park?"

"Yes. Her name is Park Min-ji."

Lee Soo-man nodded and didn't ask further. He picked up the signature pen on the table, signed his name on the MOU, and then pushed the pen to Chairman Wang Shunyi. The pen was heavy, metal, with the SM logo engraved on the cap.

Chairman Wang Shunyi signed it.

"President Wang, the new girl group will debut next year. Before the debut, we will first have aespa endorse your brand. The fee will be at a twenty percent discount of the market price. After the debut, the contract will automatically transfer to the new girl group."

"Alright."

Chairman Wang Shunyi stood up and extended his hand. Lee Soo-man I held his hand， This time I used more force than last time， He held on for a long time before letting go..

"President Wang, Director Park's proposal is very good. Bring her along next time. I'd like to meet her."

"She doesn't really like being in the spotlight."

"Then all the more reason to meet her." Lee Soo-man smiled. "People who don't like being in the spotlight often have the best ideas."

When he walked out of the SM Entertainment building, he sent a message to Park Min-ji: "Lee Soo-man wants to meet you."

She replied with two words: "Not meeting."

Then followed up with another: "There's a typo in the proposal. Have Kim Young-jun fix it before sending the final version. In the second paragraph of the third page, 'earnings' was written as 'efficiency'."