Reboot the heyday

After entrusting the matter to Han Hyo-joo, Wang Tai-ka did not inquire about it further.

I'm sure Han Hyo-joo can handle this. As for the meaning Han Hyo-joo expressed, Wang Tai-ka's attitude this time was much more ambiguous.

It wasn't because I needed a favor, but simply because things that used to seem troublesome no longer were. It must be said, Han Hyo-joo truly possesses a unique charm.

Oh, that's alright.

After that incident, Wang Taika didn't have much to do for the next few days, and basically just followed his own life plan, taking care of everything equally.

These beauties are all lining up, none of them are neglected. They decide who to have breakfast with in the morning, lunch with at noon, dinner with in the evening, and finally a late-night snack. Four meals a day! If Wang Taika didn't remember to exercise every day, he would have gained weight long ago.

There's no way around it, this is the trouble of happiness. Let Wang Taika bear this trouble alone.

After a few rare days of peace, Duck King came to see Wang Taika again, asking him to come to the company to discuss something important. He seemed rather secretive, but Wang Taika didn't think much of it.

When I arrived at the company, everyone around me was a stranger. XB Entertainment is no longer a small company; it has hundreds of employees throughout the building, and I didn't recognize most of them.

Upon arriving at the Duck King's office, without any prior notice, Wang Taika very rudely pushed open the door and entered.

The Duck King was chatting and laughing with his secretary when he saw Wang Taika come in. He then pushed the person in his arms away and said, "Go on, I have something to discuss with you."

Wang Taika glanced at the female secretary, remembered seeing her before, and then took a step back to avoid her.

It's not to avoid suspicion, but as everyone knows, the gigolo king isn't a normal person. So this female secretary is actually, well, like that cult member, Ah Qiao, a man. In the most popular terms, he's a TS (transsexual).

Wang Taika had no intention of interfering with Duck King's personal preferences. He hadn't thought much of it before, but after meeting someone like Ah Qiao, he didn't want to associate with him anymore.

"Speak, what is it?" Wang Taika sat down. "The sooner you finish, the sooner you can continue."

The Duck King didn't care that what had just happened had been seen, and just said cheerfully, "This is the company's next plan. We originally wanted to start it directly, but there are some things that might require your involvement. It's about the 'music show'."

Wang Taika suddenly realized: "Oh, you want to create your own music show? That's really difficult. You also need resources from TV stations. It's impossible for XB Entertainment, a single company, to support it. Your idea is good, but it's too difficult."

The Duck King lowered his voice, but it sounded even sharper: "No, Albert, I have to remind you, aren't we here to cause trouble? Aren't we here to cause some kind of explosion in the Korean entertainment industry? Aren't we spies?"

Wang Taika grinned, "That's the gist of it, but your description is awful." "Anyway, you get the meaning right. We're not here to help, we're here to make money. What's the point of setting up a music show stage, to help them?" Duck King said righteously, "Albert, don't forget your original intention!"

Wang Taika was speechless, and grinned, "Okay, you're right. So what do you mean?"

Duck King said, "I've studied the current landscape carefully. Kakao owns Melon and a bunch of companies, with its foundation in streaming and distribution. CJ Group is entrenched in film and television production and television channels. Hybe is the most dynamic, with huge idol production and global ambitions, but they are not a monolithic entity internally, and their focus seems to be shifting more towards the internet and software."

Wang Taika nodded: "And then?"

Duck King continued, “No single company can take over the whole market. But if XB Entertainment takes the lead and brings together one or two of them, the goal is not to devour everyone, but to control the production, broadcast, or even the key selection process of one of the most influential music shows, such as Music Bank, Inkigayo, or The Show.”

"Monopolize the stage?" Wang Taika raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Look, you’re out of touch with the times. The word ‘monopoly’ doesn’t sound good. It should be more accurate to say ‘rule-making’,” the Duck King corrected. “Of course, that’s one aspect.”

Wang Taika is actually falling behind Duck King's thinking a bit now. After all, Duck King has been doing this work all along, while Wang Taika is just a hands-off boss. To put it nicely, he's controlling everything behind the scenes. To put it bluntly, he's just giving up.

That's how things are in this world; it's like rowing against the current—if you don't move forward, you fall behind. This is especially true when it comes to skills and expertise. Expecting to become a peerless master, disappear for years, and then return to sweep everything away is pure nonsense.

Wang Taika can now sense that his filming skills have declined somewhat. Although he's still at a high standard, it's not quite at the top level he used to be at. That's because he no longer makes a living through filming.

It's so sad to think about it like this. Wang Taika has nothing left but money and women! It's so tragic!
The "Duck King" continued rambling, "We don't need 100% ownership, but through capital linkages, resource exchanges, and joint productions, we can gain significant influence. We can transform music shows from public stages into showcases for our customized games. Who appears, when they appear, what kind of screen time and editing they get, and even who has the best chance of winning first place can all be more targeted. This isn't about squeezing out all the smaller companies, but about ensuring that our artists always start from the most advantageous position. Incidentally, it can also keep some unruly troublemakers out of mainstream exposure."

After a pause, Duck King added, "Of course, in the end, all the small companies will be squeezed out."

Wang Taika fell silent. The Duck King's plan was incredibly bold and aggressive, directly targeting the core interests of the industry. It was indeed a plan that could greatly solidify XB Entertainment's position within the industry. If successful, it could even transform XB Entertainment into a truly large company, upgrading it from a user of the rules to one of the rule-makers.

“A plan is a plan, but your idea is too ambitious.” Wang Taika shook his head. Other companies aren’t stupid either; doing something like this could easily backfire. Because it’s too greedy.

Duck King laughed: "I know, so let's break it down in a few steps. The first step is simple: I think there are too many music show stages now, so we can try to sabotage a few. That way, the remaining resources will become more important. The fewer resources there are, the only ones who can stand out will be groups from big companies, and small companies will have no exposure opportunities at all."

Wang Taika understood and said, "In this way, we've effectively created an industry monopoly. An industry with a monopoly might be more developed in the short term, but in the long run, its development is destined to stagnate. King Duck, you've really changed a lot in just a few days; this move of yours is truly insidious. But I think it's quite good. Where do you think we should start?"

"The Show is the first!" said the Duck King. (End of Chapter)