Chapter 151: The Joy of a Conglomerate

That evening, CJ Entertainment held a grand welcome reception for Wei Jin. As one of the four major distribution companies in South Korea, Wei Jin finally witnessed the immense influence CJ wielded on its home turf.

Many industry companies and celebrity artists from the South Korean entertainment circle attended the reception, but Wei Jin had very little interest in this tiny land; he found many of them familiar, yet could not name them.

However, just because he didn't know others didn't stop many people from knowing him and wanting to befriend him; there was one such person right before his eyes.

"Mr. Wei, hello. I am Lee Soo-man from SM Entertainment."

Looking at the somewhat balding middle-aged man before him, Wei Jin found it hard to imagine that this was the head of SM, known as the godfather of South Korean entertainment. Although he had paid little attention to South Korean entertainment in his past life, Wei Jin had watched plenty of TVXQ and H. O. T. when he was young. They were truly popular back then, though it wasn't until he hit puberty that he realized the three big sisters of S. E. S. were actually more appealing.

"President Lee, hello. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Lee Soo-man was very pleased that Wei Jin used Korean to converse with him; it signified respect.

"Mr. Wei, I know you have your own film and television company in Huaxia, and I hope to have the honor of cooperating with your esteemed company."

If Wei Jin were merely an Oscar Director, Lee Soo-man would have shown him respect at most, but he would never have been this deferential.

One must know that this was a man who started from scratch, building SM Entertainment from nothing into the first entertainment company to be listed on the KOSDAQ in South Korea, and who single-handedly brought the Korean Wave to the entire Asian continent.

Do not be fooled by his honest appearance in front of Wei Jin; in fact, in the South Korean entertainment industry, Lee Soo-man was a figure whose words could decide a person's life or death.

However, Wei Jin's status as the owner of a film production company naturally placed him in a superior position relative to an artist management agency, making him worthy of such deferential treatment.

"I wonder, President Lee, how do you hope to cooperate?"

"Your company possesses powerful production capabilities, while SM Entertainment possesses many well-known artists. Our cooperation would surely produce high-quality works."

SM Entertainment primarily operated as a celebrity management business; although they focused on idol groups, they had plenty of artists in other areas as well.

But SM had a huge weakness: their film and television production capability was extremely poor. All the artists in the entire company combined didn't have a single work worth showing off. In the Mainland China entertainment industry, this would be unimaginable.

One must know that in South Korea, a hierarchy of contempt existed in the entertainment circle: the film circle looked down on the television circle, those who made television looked down on singers, and singers looked down on idol stars. Therefore, it was no wonder Lee Soo-man was so respectful, even somewhat ingratiating, toward Wei Jin.

Wei Jin understood what Lee Soo-man meant, but he didn't feel there was any room for cooperation between them.

Around the year 2000, the "Korean Wave" began to enter Huaxia and quickly gained a crowd of young fans.

In the following years, more and more South Korean artists began to value the Huaxia market, flocking to the Mainland to develop their careers, and among them were many South Korean stars familiar to the audience.

If one were to speak of the earliest South Korean artists to develop in Huaxia, the superstar-level celebrity Ahn Jae-wook should count as one.

As early as 2002, Ahn Jae-wook had starred in the youth idol drama *White Collar Apartment*, directed by Hu Xueyang.

Furthermore, the South Korean artist who had been quite popular in the country in recent years was Jang Na-ra.

In 2004, Jang Na-ra was appointed as a promotional ambassador for Huaxia. Afterward, she shifted her career focus to Huaxia and started a "Na-ra Whirlwind" in Mainland China, receiving the love of countless viewers.

Last year, the drama she starred in, *My Bratty Princess*, broke a 4% viewership rating in the Mainland, making her a household name and a red-hot South Korean star in the Mainland. She even released four Chinese albums in one go, beginning her journey of cashing in on the Mainland.

Many South Korean artists followed suit and flocked to the Mainland to cash in, because in South Korea, the income of artists in the entertainment industry was simply too low.

But South Korean artists coming to Huaxia to develop on their own was one thing; actively letting South Korean stars participate in his own company's works, then becoming popular in Huaxia, and then cashing in heavily in Huaxia was an entirely different matter.

As long as Wei Jin hadn't lost his mind, he could never do such a thing, so he flatly refused:

"President Lee, I am very sorry, but I also have many artists under my banner waiting to eat."

"Mr. Wei, then how about this: you provide the works, and my side provides the artists, to be produced and distributed in South Korea."

Seeing Wei Jin refuse, Lee Soo-man proposed a new method of cooperation, which actually made Wei Jin's eyes light up; he was somewhat tempted.

"That's an interesting idea. For the specifics, I need time to consider."

"Of course. In any case, I am holding great expectations and sincerity."

Lee Soo-man hadn't expected to achieve his goal at this reception; as long as Wei Jin didn't refuse, it was already a good start. He then turned his head and said, "You two, hurry up and come over here to meet Mr. Wei."

Only then did Wei Jin see two young girls standing not far from him.

"Mr. Wei, these are two representatives from our company's newly debuted group, 【Girls' Generation】: Im Yoon-ah and Jessica."

In fact, Lee Soo-man was exaggerating; 【Girls' Generation】 had only just released their first album this month and hadn't officially gained fame yet, so they didn't count as truly debuted.

"Mr. Wei, hello. Please treat us well."

The two girls, both with good looks, bowed 90 degrees to greet him; one was tall and pure-looking, the other petite and full of substance.

"Hello to you both, beautiful ladies." Wei Jin had always been easygoing toward beautiful women. He had a premonition that tonight he would be able to experience the joy of a South Korean conglomerate. —— After the reception, Wei Jin and the director from CJ Entertainment discussed the script for *New World*, proposing many ideas that were more profound and darker than the domestic script, which made the director exclaim in awe.

After finishing the discussion about *New World*, CJ Entertainment brought up the cooperation for *Brotherhood of Blades*.

"Mr. Wei, a film with a dynastic background like *Brotherhood of Blades* is not that easy to sell at the box office. A buyout of the copyright is a better choice, and the price of three million US dollars is truly very sincere."

"No, Mr. Park, your company is not the only one in South Korea with distribution capabilities. Showbox has long wanted to cooperate with me."

The overseas box office for *Brotherhood of Blades* was not low; even if he were to sell it outright, the price was too low.

"Mr. Wei, our previous cooperation was very pleasant. CJ is very willing to continue cooperating. Four million US dollars—this is our greatest sincerity."

*New World* grossed 31 million US dollars in South Korea. As the sole distributor, CJ Entertainment took in at least 5 million US dollars. That was secondary; the most important thing was to widen the gap with competitors. Therefore, this time, seeing the box office results *Brotherhood of Blades* achieved in Nanyang, CJ Entertainment had high hopes.

"Five million US dollars, final price."

"Mr. Wei, this is truly too high. A pleasant cooperation should be a win-win for both sides."

Executive Director Park of CJ Entertainment had already furrowed his brows. At this price, including promotional expenses, it would take nearly 3 million admissions just to turn a profit.

South Korea, Japan, and even many European countries adopted the method of calculating box office based on the number of admissions. Depending on the film's different screenings or theaters, there would be a fixed price; this could be considered a local specialty.

Furthermore, South Korea also used the tiered box office revenue sharing system from Hollywood. Generally speaking, the distributor's share was higher than in Huaxia, reaching about 50% of the total box office.

"No, I believe that at this price, your company will definitely make a profit. Besides, Showbox probably wouldn't refuse."

Wei Jin naturally knew this, so he believed the other party could accept the price of 5 million US dollars.

Sure enough, after the other party pondered for a while, they finally agreed.

Including the remake rights fee, Wei Jin took in 10 million US dollars that night; it couldn't be more profitable. —— On the other side, inside a business van, Lee Soo-man was conducting ideological work on the two artists.

"You must know that Mr. Wei has very deep resources in Huaxia. He is not only an Oscar Director but also a famous screenwriter and music producer. If you can gain his favor, even if this debut fails, you will have a chance to make a comeback."

In South Korea, if a debut failed, few companies would give a second chance, which almost meant the end of one's career and the complete waste of a long trainee life.

"I have already found out Mr. Wei's room number. Seize the opportunity well and do not let me down."

Although Im Yoon-ah and Jessica had not officially debuted, they were not unfamiliar with the rules of the South Korean entertainment industry. Knowing that the president had made up his mind, they had no right to refuse.

"Understood, President."

Thinking that they could not escape such a fate after all, the two young women felt a touch of bitterness at the corners of their mouths, but recalling Wei Jin's handsome appearance and gentlemanly demeanor, they did not feel as much resistance in their hearts as they had imagined.

"Take this with you; I heard Mr. Wei likes it very much."

Lee Soo-man wanted to seek cooperation, so naturally, he had inquired clearly about Wei Jin's preferences; watching his artists enter the hotel, his heart remained calm, as this was truly too common in South Korea.

Instead, he was a bit uncertain about whether the two could win Wei Jin's favor, as he was certainly not someone who had never seen the world. — Returning to the hotel room to prepare, the expected knock on the door sounded, and Wei Jin knew the main course had arrived.

Opening the door, he indeed saw Im Yoon-ah and Zheng Xiuyan standing prettily before it.

Wei Jin welcomed them in with great gentlemanly grace, not rushing to enjoy them, as the night was still long.

"YoonA, Jessica, may I call you that?"

Wei Jin sat on the sofa, holding a little beauty in each arm, and noticing their nervousness, he spoke to break the deadlock.

"Mm, Mr. Wei, please feel free to do as you wish."

Hearing Wei Jin's nickname, the two were indeed less nervous, and the slightly older Zheng Xiuyan spoke up: "Still calling me Mr. Wei?"

Although they knew what would happen tonight, their faces still flushed with shyness: "Oppa."

"Mm, very good. Tonight, the moonlight in Seoul is so charming, and your beauty surpasses the moonlight. With such beauties and such scenery, how could there be no fine wine? Jessica, please trouble yourself to bring the red wine from the table over."

Zheng Xiuyan looked at the wine glasses prepared on the table; how could she not understand that Wei Jin had planned this long ago? A blush appeared on her face.

"To be able to meet two such beautiful young women in a foreign land is my honor. To our meeting, cheers!"

As the red wine went down, the flush on their faces deepened, and seeing that the timing was just about right, Wei Jin pulled them toward the bathroom.

It must be said that the aesthetic of a chaebol is absolutely on point; although the two were petite, their proportions were excellent, and their young bodies were full of vitality.

The long years of trainee training also made their flexibility truly stunning, bringing Wei Jin an unparalleled experience.

This night, Wei Jin truly experienced the joy of a chaebol. The second update of the day; I humbly request all readers to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up readings, and collections. Please flip to the very last page for the follow-up reading, thank you everyone! Wishing everyone that all your wishes come true in the new year, may everything go as you wish, and may you achieve great things in 2024! (End of chapter)