Chapter 160
– Eddios . Comeback stage on KS TV, July 5th .
Eddios makes a comeback this summer with an entirely new alb.u.m . World Entertainment, their new company, has revealed that Eddios will release a new alb.u.m next month and also claimed that they will definitely meet the expectations of the fans that have waited until now . Eddios is a group made up of Jung MinAh, the leader, Han JooYeon, the main vocalist, Christie An, and Seo HanYu, the sub vocalist, as well as Lee SamSoon and Ailee . They have signed a contract with World Entertainment in December of last year, and since, they have appeared in this industry in many forms and…
***
“Wow . ”
President Choo ManJi of Yoonseul Entertainment made an expression full of curiosity as he saw the articles related to Eddios on many websites .
“Lee KangYoon, this guy, he’s really done it . Hahaha! Looks like MG will be very angry now!”
Like a person enjoying a fight from somewhere far away, he was very interested in this matter . KangYoon had accepted a group that MG Entertainment practically threw in the trash and was now making a comeback with them . His actions were a blow to the colossus in this industry which made president Choo ManJi laugh .
The following article made his laughter even louder .
– h.e.l.lo Tint aims to be ‘the’ summer girls by returning to KS TV on July 5th .
“This, I guess, is the fight between David and Goliath? Hahahahaha, that’s not right . The fight between senior and junior? What the h.e.l.l is this? Hahah, my stomach hurts . If that Lee KangYoon fails in his investments this time, he’ll have a big loss in his hands so he’ll be very desperate . Looks like this will be a fun sight to see . ”
Now, he was laughing his a.s.s off .
The comeback stage on the same date on the same program . The comeback of these two idol groups was obviously going to be a fight between World Entertainment and MG Entertainment .
“Whoops . Looks like we’ll have to lay low until autumn . I don’t want sparks on me . ”
Jumping into that fight would only result in losses . At times like these, he should just sit back and watch the show . He was going to watch whether KangYoon was going to successfully strike at the colossus that was MG or go down sinking .
***
On a rainy afternoon .
KangYoon was currently at Sace HQ to negotiate Eddios’s comeback promotion .
Director Gi SeungHwan, who had read the papers that KangYoon gave him inside the meeting room, put down the doc.u.ment and spoke calmly .
“An exclusive category for Eddios along with the showcase, huh . Looks like that will get us a lot of views . It’s like an upgraded version from last time . ”
Director Gi SeungHwan exclaimed while looking at the plans . KangYoon smiled and explained .
“Indeed . My plan is to keep the public tied to the website with videos about the showcase and other related footage . I think it will be better if we upload high-quality videos that people can’t find anywhere else . Sace’s video platform is managed by the main company so I’m not worried about the quality of the videos . ”
“So even the aftermath is thought out . To put things simply, it’s like opening up an internet-exclusive channel… . ”
“Indeed . To sum it up, I guess it can be called ‘Channel Eddios’?”
There was no way director Gi SeungHwan was unaware of matters with Eddios . Moreover, after they hosted MinAh’s solo alb.u.m showcase, many other entertainment companies looked to them for partnership . If this was about Eddios, who had more influence than just a single Jung MinAh, it was obvious that the effects would be very large .
Director Gi SeungHwan expressed very positive opinions .
“Okay, then . I’ll have the president sign the doc.u.ments and call you back immediately . ”
“Thank you . ”
“As for further negotiations, we’ll do it after it’s set in stone . ”
KangYoon and director Gi SeungHwan shook hands and stood up from their seats .
Being seen out by director Gi SeungHwan, KangYoon drove out of Sace HQ .
While driving, KangYoon summed up matters about Eddios in his head .
‘This time, we should be able to promote Eddios through both public TV programs and online . The girls have set a solid foundation until now . Now, their absence from America is all but gone . The problem is how satisfied the fans will be with the new alb.u.m . ’
The public’s interest lay in what form Eddios would reveal themselves . They all showed an interest in the whole of Eddios when each one of them started their solo activities . One of the reasons that Jung MinAh’s solo alb.u.m went well was also because it satisfied some of their expectations .
Just as KangYoon was waiting for the signal at an intersection, his phone started ringing . It was from director Gi SeungHwan of Sace .
“This is Lee KangYoon . ”
It hadn’t even been an hour since he left Sace . KangYoon was surprised and wondered if the proposal was approved already . And just as he had worried, the reply wasn’t a positive one .
– I must apologize . I handed in the proposal to the president, but I don’t think we can work with you this time .
KangYoon was confused . It was hard to think that they would refuse when their collaboration with Jung MinAh went so well and this new proposal was something even bigger than that . However, he still calmly asked back .
“Can I ask you about the reason?”
– The president did have high opinions about the proposal, but coincidentally, there was a singer that proposed to us a showcase in the same week . We don’t have the manpower to handle both at once…
Director Gi SeungHwan didn’t finish his sentence . His apologetic tone could be felt through the phone .
KangYoon felt that something was going wrong .
“…Okay then . ”
-I’m sorry, the president’s will was too resolute…
The first thing he had to do was to find out what was happening . The words ‘both at once’ tugged at KangYoon’s mind .
Thanks to World Entertainment, it became well-known that live streaming music through the internet was a viable strategy, and Sace also proactively used the chance as an advertis.e.m.e.nt . But now, Sace betrayed them . KangYoon was flabbergasted .
However, KangYoon did not make the foolish mistake of getting angry at them .
“I guess it can’t be helped . I hope we can meet in better circ.u.mstances next time . ”
KangYoon ended the call with director Gi SeungHwan who couldn’t hide his apologetic feelings .
‘Can’t handle both at once? Who is it? MG?’
KangYoon had his suspicions as he returned to the company .
He returned to his office and turned on his PC to have a look at Sace .
Indeed, there was a banner on the main page .
[The refreshing meeting with the 6 angels . We invite you to h.e.l.lo Tint’s showcase . Wednesday, July 4th . ]
KangYoon was taken aback when he had a look at the banner on the main page . His intuition was indeed correct .
It was very likely that negotiations with MG were occurring before he even managed to contact them . Considering the amount of time to create the banner and the time it took to upload it, it meant that it was already over before he even started .
Lee HyunJi, who had heard of the ins and outs of the story also gritted her teeth .
“Looks like we took a blow from MG this time . ”
In Sace’s perspective, it may be more profitable to collaborate with MG since they were a larger-scale company . However, Lee HyunJi still couldn’t hide her wrath .
However, things had already happened . KangYoon was cool-headed about it .
“I think it will be difficult for us to collaborate with Sace this time . After all, MG will be influencing their actions . ”
“……”
Lee HyunJi became silent . She agreed with that as well .
“But thankfully, the girls of Eddios have the TV side of things in full grasp because of their solo activities . I think we should focus more on that side . As for the online side of things, we should be able to cover for most of it if we utilize Tune . Despite everything, the music video turned out well, and if we upload high-quality videos on their performances, we should be able to attract many people . And to do that, I think we’ll need those camera companies that you mentioned to me last time . ”
“Oh, I have everything ready in regards to that . The results are on your desk, president . ”
“Thank you . I think we should have an exclusive video professional on Eddios’s side at this opportunity . ”
“…That sounds like more work . Okay, then . ”
Lee HyunJi was worried about the van not having enough s.p.a.ce . She wondered if they would have to end up buying a larger vehicle .
Her mind was in a mess about how to realize KangYoon’s plans .
***
‘Looks like this is the place . ’
Journalist Shin GyeSung stood in front of a building with the ‘LUNAS’ sign . He had some expectations because he was told that this place was exclusive to one company, but he was disappointed due to the shabby exterior appearance .
He was guided by the manager of the building and went inside . However, he was surprised to see the neat insides . He was surprised by the design that seemed to be a mix of a concert stage and a club .
‘I heard this place was where president Lee HyunJi belonged to . It sure is different . ’
Shin GyeSung, the journalist exclaimed and was guided by the manager to the practice room upstairs . When the manager opened the door, Eddios, who had dressed up, was waiting for him .
“h.e.l.lo! We are Eddios . ”
“Ah, yes . h.e.l.lo there . ”
When he had a look at his watch, he saw that there was still 30 minutes until the scheduled time . He was taken aback . However, he soon remembered that Eddios was a very punctual group even in the past and went inside .
When he did, he saw the owner of World Entertainment, KangYoon, as well as the director, Lee HyunJi .
“h.e.l.lo, there!”
“Huh? President!”
Lee HyunJi and Shin GyeSung seemed to be old acquaintances as they greeted each other cheerfully . Journalist Shin GyeSung’s face was filled with smiles .
“Please take care of our girls . ”
“Hahaha . Well, of course . Don’t worry about it . Oh, this must be…”
“Nice to meet you . I’m Lee KangYoon . ”
Shin GyeSung was surprised by KangYoon who was a full head taller than him and greeted him .
KangYoon shook hands with him and was very polite towards him, asking him to write good articles . Coffee and snacks were prepared already .
Shin GyeSung never knew that he would be treated so well and became embarra.s.sed .
“Well, with such treatment, I don’t think I can stay fair in this interview . ”
KangYoon replied with a smile at the journalist’s joke .
“Hahaha . That’s good for us then . ”
“Sheesh . ”
Even before the interview, the mood was very good . Although many people said that Eddios had lost their value, they were recovering . He never knew that such a well-going group of girls would treat him like so .
KangYoon and Lee HyunJi left the scene in order to provide a comfortable environment for both Eddios and the journalist . The members of Eddios also tried to provide a comfortable environment for the journalist as well .
‘Whoa…… . ’
It was hard to receive such treatment from successful stars . He became a lot more flexible-minded .
Like that, the interview began in a very good mood .