Chapter 19: Reactions from All Sides
"Who is IVE?" Yang Hyun-suk was startled, hearing this unfamiliar name, feeling a bit strange.
"IVE is a group launched by DM Entertainment," Secretary Li explained.
"DM Entertainment…" Yang Hyun-suk thought for a moment, and a nearly forgotten memory was awakened. "Lisa's former company?"
"Yes!" Secretary Li, seeing that Yang Hyun-suk still remembered, quickly nodded. "He also took a B-level trainee from our company."
"I remember now. It hasn't been that long, and their girl group has already debuted?" Yang Hyun-suk chuckled disdainfully. "Are they popular?"
"They're popular." Secretary Li handed the documents in his hand to Yang Hyun-suk with a solemn expression.
Yang Hyun-suk put away his nonchalance. He knew his secretary well; that kind of expression meant it wasn't just a simple popularity.
He took the documents and began to read them.
Yang Hyun-suk's expression gradually darkened as he read the contents of the document, but he didn't speak immediately. Instead, he opened his computer and watched IVE's music show stage from that afternoon.
Then…
"So, one of IVE's double centers, this 'Twin Star' Zhang Yuanying, was given to him by our YG?" Yang Hyun-suk pointed at the frozen ending shot on the screen, looking at Secretary Li opposite him with a gloomy gaze.
"Yes…" Secretary Li lowered his head and responded softly.
Bang!
"Useless!" Yang Hyun-suk threw the documents in his hand at Secretary Li, glaring at him with murderous intent.
"Go ask those good-for-nothings in the Director of Trainees department what they're doing? A trainee with such stage presence is only B-level? Their whole damn family is B-level!"
It was no wonder Yang Hyun-suk was furious. If Zhang Yuanying had been an A-level or even S-level trainee who was taken away, he would have been displeased but not lost his composure.
But this was a B-level!
With that kind of stage presence and visuals, you give her a B-level overall?
He didn't care too much about whether IVE was popular or not. After all, the second generation had just begun, and their YG hadn't launched a girl group yet, so there was no rush.
But one of IVE's 'Twin Stars' was personally sent out from YG. How could he accept that?!
If they could send out one Zhang Yuanying today, would they send out a Kang Yuan Ying tomorrow? Would they end up sending out their entire YG?
Yang Hyun-suk looked at Zhang Yuanying in the ending shot on the screen, so angry that his teeth ached.
These visuals, this stage presence, this star quality…
This was their YG's!!!
"Get out! Tell Jin Mintae (Director of Trainees) to come see me!"
"Yes!" Secretary Li felt as if he had been granted a great pardon. He quickly bowed to Yang Hyun-suk, then took the documents and hurried away.
"DM Entertainment… I underestimated you," Yang Hyun-suk muttered with a dark expression.
Last time, he could say he had thoroughly offended DM Entertainment. Now, IVE's sudden popularity was, after all, a hidden danger for YG.
Yang Hyun-suk frowned. The next second, he suddenly smiled.
He wasn't the one most anxious right now.
…
S.M. Entertainment, Chairman's Office.
Kim Young-min looked at the report in his hand, his brows furrowed deeply. He looked up at Li Xiuman opposite him.
"This popularity isn't right."
"Of course I know it's not right," Li Xiuman said helplessly. "Debuting at number one, debuting as daily chart-toppers across all platforms. Not only did one group launch two centers, but both of them also gained extremely high popularity, even being called 'Twin Stars.' This level of popularity is what we could achieve even if we used all our connections."
"But I contacted many media outlets, and they all said this was natural popularity."
"Natural popularity can be this high?" Kim Young-min looked incredulous.
"I checked on this DM Entertainment; they're almost bankrupt."
Li Xiuman's subtext was that DM Entertainment didn't have the money or connections to buy such high popularity, and they hadn't broken the rules.
It's very difficult to create top-tier popularity solely through hype and paid marketing in the K-pop industry. The reason is simple: the market is only so big. If you create a top-tier act, will other companies still play by the same rules?
So everyone tacitly avoids such small tricks; top-tier popularity relies entirely on the group's own abilities.
But DM Entertainment's new group, IVE, having this level of popularity right after their debut, was unreasonable.
Yet, if it wasn't natural popularity, where would this nearly bankrupt DM Entertainment get so much money to buy popularity and also get these media outlets to unify their narrative for them?
Kim Young-min looked at the document in his hand again, and he indeed saw something else.
"DM Entertainment's chairman is Jiang Shu, and IVE's debut song producer is also Jiang Shu. Are these two the same person?"
Li Xiuman sat up upon hearing this, reached out, took the document from Kim Young-min's hand, and looked at it. Then he picked up the phone on the desk.
"Check if the producer of IVE's debut song and the chairman of DM Entertainment are the same person."
"IVE's sudden popularity is very disadvantageous for us," Kim Young-min immediately said after Li Xiuman hung up the phone.
"I know," Li Xiuman raised his hand and rubbed his temples.
If one were to say who was most troubled by IVE's sudden popularity, it would undoubtedly be S.M., who had just declared their intention to lead K-pop into the girl group era.
Rainbow Girls, launched last year, indeed caused quite a stir, but people are afraid of comparisons. If there hadn't been IVE, then Rainbow Girls might have truly seemed to be leading the arrival of the girl group era. But as soon as IVE emerged, their carefully crafted Rainbow Girls were instantly reduced to dust.
The terrifying achievement of debuting at number one and being daily chart-toppers across all platforms right after debut was a bit too shocking.
As Rainbow Girls' direct competitor, the more popular IVE became, the worse Rainbow Girls' situation became.
"Give me the operational rights for the part you hold! I'll manage it!" Kim Young-min leaned his hands on the desk, staring at Li Xiuman as he spoke.
"You know that's impossible," Li Xiuman said, frowning at Kim Young-min.
Girl groups were the next hot trend. If he handed over his half of Rainbow Girls' operational rights to Kim Young-min, his power as chairman would be greatly weakened.
"Our mutual restraint is itself limiting the group's development. We're already not a match for IVE, and we're still fighting amongst ourselves. How can we possibly beat them?" Kim Young-min said with a frown.
Li Xiuman didn't speak, but his gradually chilling expression told Kim Young-min the answer.
It didn't matter if Rainbow Girls failed; he shouldn't expect to take any power from him.
Kim Young-min sighed.
With such a parasitic presence, how could S.M. progress?
Ring, ring, ring.
The desk phone rang.
Li Xiuman withdrew his gaze and answered the call.
"I understand."
He hung up the phone and looked at Kim Young-min again.
"It's the same person."
"This is troublesome," Kim Young-min's brows furrowed.
An entertainment company chairman who understands operations isn't scary. A producer who understands music production isn't a cause for concern either. But when the two combine, and he creates a massively popular girl group…
S.M.'s plan to lead the girl group era has encountered its biggest obstacle.
Kim Young-min gave Li Xiuman a deep look, didn't say goodbye, and turned directly to leave the Chairman's Office.
"Hmph!"
Li Xiuman grunted in dissatisfaction, sitting in his chair with a dark and uncertain expression.