God of Music

Chapter 160. R U READY! (2)

– Eddios. Comeback stage on KS TV, July 5th.

Eddios makes a comeback this summer with an entirely new album. World Entertainment, their new company, has revealed that Eddios will release a new album 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.

– Hello 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 hell 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 ass 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 document 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 album 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 documents 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 album.’

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 album 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 advertisement. 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 circumstances 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 Hello 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 space. 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.

“Hello! We are Eddios.”

“Ah, yes. Hello 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.

“Hello, 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 embarrassed.

“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.