A few months later.
There was a lot to do before establishing GO Entertainment.
But most of it went off without a hitch thanks to Chairman Lee Jungho of the KMD Group.
‘Among KMD Group affiliates right now, is there any business that shows a return this absurdly good relative to investment like Seonghyeon Production? And you all. When I said I would invest in films, you thought I had lost my mind, right? But look now! This happened because I believed in my son and Director Gyeong. Especially Director Gyeong! If that friend said beans are red beans, I would believe him. For now!’
The rumor that he left behind this quote at a KMD executive meeting spread quickly and reached my ears.
Within the KMD Group, the positions of Junseong and me were no longer just affiliate heads.
Of course, since Junseong was the chairman’s son, he naturally received the treatment of a young master, but I was not the attendant stuck to the young master’s side. Chairman Lee Jungho seemed to have marked me as a key entrepreneur, and he looked after me devotedly.
As I was thinking this, Junseong, who was walking with me to the GO Entertainment inauguration ceremony, spoke.
“Earning Father’s trust is no easy thing, yet here we are. It pushed through in one go without any risk.”
He looked at me with a pleased smile, as if he felt a fresh wave of emotion.
“Remember? When we first made a movie?”
“How could I not? Topping two and a half million admissions.”
“Man… just thinking about that still gets my heart racing. That tension. It was a moment that will never come again in my life.”
“How long have you lived to say that?”
“Come on. It was the moment that set the direction of my life. Your life cannot be set twice.”
“Why not? You could do this and then do something else.”
“No. I am only doing this.”
Sniping at each other, we carried on with silly talk, and before we knew it, we had arrived at the GO Entertainment building nearby.
The first to greet us was Go Jinhun.
“Uh… you guys are here.”
“Oh…?”
Staring at him, Junseong looked surprised for a moment.
The old Go Sangwoo was completely gone.
He had lost a lot of weight, ditched the unfashionable glasses, and even wore a suit. Now he was the Go Jinhun I knew.
But he still seemed to find me and Junseong intimidating. He scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly.
“You look the part now. You should have been like this from the start. You should have tossed those glasses ages ago.”
“Right. You inspire trust just by how you look. You seem more professional.”
“Th-thanks…”
A lot of people gathered for the GO Entertainment launch ceremony.
From Chairman Lee Jungho and KMD Group executives to Seonghyeon Production staff and acquaintances.
The more people arrived, the darker Go Jinhun’s expression grew.
“Loosen up. If you start like this, how will you act like a president?”
Joking, Junseong gave him a light tap, and Jinhun, his nerves still tight, managed only an awkward smile.
Even so, behind that awkward smile, the keen eyes once hidden by his glasses were alive.
“I-I have to do well! I brought in a lot of good people. Managers who are famous for being excellent at the job, and composers too… all thanks to Chanhyeon. He told me if I found good talent not to worry about the money and to go for it.”
“All right, then make sure your inaugural address goes well. Do not tremble. We will be right in front watching.”
At Junseong’s words, Go Jinhun clenched his fist and nodded several times.
Go Jinhun slowly mounted the podium.
The crowd overwhelmed him for a moment, but when he spotted Kwak Yeonji, he felt a little more at ease.
Smiling brightly, Yeonji waved while taking photos of him with a digital camera.
“Hello. I am Go Jinhun, president of GO Entertainment.”
When he began to speak, the murmuring in front quieted as everyone looked at him.
“I know many of you must be curious how I came to stand in this position right now. I did not graduate college, and I have only one year of manager experience.”
It was quite a provocative opening.
Camera flashes from the reporters in front began to pop without pause.
“However, I would like to say a few words about the misshapen way today’s Korean entertainment industry has developed.”
Re-reading the speech that Director Gyeong Chanhyeon had reviewed, Jinhun steadied his breath.
“Unethical behavior. Entertainment forces colluding with thugs like organized crime. And crimes committed by stars that have been hidden by popularity. GO Entertainment promises not to seek profit through such injustices.”
In the early 2000s, except for a few large companies, many entertainment businesses were run by organized crime.
But Jinhun hated the way things worked.
That culture was being exploited by gangsters.
The history of Korean entertainment that began with a gangster named Im Hwasoo in 1950.
Breaking that chain of history was also one of Go Jinhun’s goals.
“The entertainment business is a long game. For a pool not to stagnate, good water must continue to flow in. But right now, due to impure forces, the pool is not just stagnant, it is on the verge of rot. GO Entertainment has resolved to be a single ray of light in the present situation.”
Brightening his eyes, Jinhun looked straight at the reporters in front.
“If what we seek is achieved, we will be able to carry a culture we need not be ashamed of and head out to the world. This is the future that I, Director Gyeong Chanhyeon, and President Lee Junseong desire.”
With those final words, Go Jinhun bowed and stepped down.
[GO Entertainment launches. From the start it scouts new actors, and even idols!]
[Introducing sub-label concepts. Sharing equity with composers, accelerating idol development.]
[Is this overreaching… survival in the idol market will be difficult.]
After Jinhun’s impressive inaugural address, all sorts of articles poured out.
Doubts piled up about a man now in his second year as a manager, someone who had been managing a failing actor. But not even the slightest crack appeared in my trust in him.
In the entertainment business, what matters most to an operator is not effort or skill, but “instinct” and “luck.”
Knock, knock.
Someone at the office seemed to have come by; there was a knock at the door. Then Junseong answered.
“Yes! Come in!”
At his words, the door opened and one of GO Entertainment’s staff handed over two thick envelopes.
“President Go Jinhun sent this confidential list.”
“This many?”
“Yes…”
Thanks to the success of first-generation idols, there was a flood of kids who wanted to become idols.
And as being an idol came to have some social standing, there were increasingly many cases where parents did not oppose it and even pushed their children.
At this point, Jinhun’s inaugural address seemed to have an enormous effect.
A clean image, a professional image, and even the sense that a hero had appeared. Perhaps because of these, there were many applicants.
From elementary schoolers to high schoolers.
It weighed on me that these youngsters, practically still infants, would be unable to play and would run toward a dream with little chance of success from such a young age.
But the moment I saw the list Jinhun sent, that thought vanished completely.
Even I, with little knowledge of idols, recognized faces and names that would become stars.
Seeing them, I could not help exclaiming.
“Wow…”
Seeing me, Junseong asked from the side.
“What? What is it?”
“Oh, nothing.”
I did my best to hide my fluster and swallowed carefully.
His instinct was awe-inspiring.
Judging by seedlings alone, he had already marked future superstars, ranking them by importance.
And the kids he had marked with stars to indicate how much they stood out were the very ones who would become idols so famous that even I, no idol expert, knew them.
If we waited about three years, the results could be tremendous. The thought sent a thrill through my whole body.
“Think it will work out? I mean, what kind of ‘seedling’ can you see in kids who still have baby fat…”
“It is Go Jinhun. Trust him. Also, this does not strain our funds right now, does it? We even landed a big catch like Kwak Yeonji.”
“You talk like Jinhun has already shown you something.”
“I am saying he has good instincts…”
“How do you know instincts are good unless someone shows something.”
He wore a doubtful look, but I could see it.
The list that Jinhun had compiled was practically the core members of each idol group.
Singing, dancing, looks, proportions.
The thought of gathering only kids in whom all four lined up made my heart pound.
Ring.
My phone rang, and the name on the screen was Kim Seunghun.
It had been a while. I picked up, happy to hear from him.
“Seunghun?”
—I am hurt. I am hurt. Is our relationship only this deep?
The moment he heard my voice, he spoke like a pouting child.
“What is it? Did something happen…?”
—What. Are you really asking because you do not know? You… I am hurt… Is this all our friendship amounts to?
There was only one reason for Kim Seunghun to act like this.
“Is this about the agency?”
—Yes! Man! Do you know I am doing well in Japan? Do you not? Huh! If you launched an agency saying you would take the lead in the Korean Wave, should you not have reached out to me? I do well in Japan! I am a guy who has even held fan meetings there!
In a tone somewhere between scolding and self-promotion, he fired off a few more lines.
—Meet me! Man! We have a lot to talk about! Okay?! I kept trying to take you out to drink to congratulate you on the Cannes award, and you never pick up. I am really hurt.
“I really was busy…”
—Man. You think I am not busy? And what is with that Go Sangwoo, no, Go Jinhun guy? Is he not the president there? He said it would be faster to contact you directly?
Even though I had said I would leave the agency side wholly to Jinhun, he had asked me to weigh in on the actors.
He would completely filter out actors who should not be considered, but for good actors he wanted my direct opinion.
He said he trusted my eye for talent, the same eye that had recognized Junsik and Yeonji.
Since it had come to me, it seemed clear that Jinhun thought well of Kim Seunghun as an actor.
“Now that the big stuff is done, let us grab a drink soon.”
—Is Junseong coming too? I want to see him. It has been a while.
Beside me, Junseong was shaking his head.
“Come on, of course. It would feel wrong without him. How could we do without the life of the party?”
At my words, Junseong scowled and glared at me.
But I had no choice. I needed at least one more body to handle these heavy drinkers.
—Good, then let us drink until our noses bend! Oh, right. Jeongu says he is coming too. He told me to call him no matter what once you set a time with us.
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