Reboot the heyday

"reason?"

Wang Taika isn't very familiar with The Show; he's more familiar with programs like Music Bank and Inkigayo.

Because the idols Wang Taika works with are mostly artists from major companies. Even if they are from smaller companies, they are very famous groups from those smaller companies, which is why they can appear on such top music show stages.

The Show, a music performance stage, often favors groups with fewer resources, such as those from smaller companies.

Many groups from smaller companies, who weren't qualified for other music show stages, achieved their first place through The Show, and even gained public recognition through their performances on this stage, ultimately turning their fortunes around from failure to explosive popularity.

In fact, this is precisely why the Duck King chose this program.

“This stage favors smaller groups,” said Duck King. “XB Entertainment is now on par with traditional giants like SM, JYP, and YG, and could easily be called one of the ‘Big Four.’ But this shouldn’t be the end. And this is only from the perspective of the idol industry. From the perspective of the entertainment industry, the real giants in South Korea should be CJ Group, Kakao Group, and HB Group. That’s the next goal.”

Wang Taika said, "I remember, the company already had a partnership with them, right?"

A long time ago, XB Entertainment received investment from CJ Group. Wang Taika remembers it clearly because he really pocketed a lot of that investment. Kakao must also have a partnership, because it's like Tencent in China, controlling South Korean social media and having huge ambitions for the future.

As for HB Group, it actually has a more well-known nickname: Big Hit Entertainment. Its most famous artists are BTS.

Of the three, XB Entertainment has the deepest connection with CJ Group. This is because CJ Group is essentially part of Samsung Group, or rather, originated from Samsung Group.

The chairman of CJ Group is Lee Jae-hyun, the eldest grandson of the first-generation founder of Samsung Group, and the cousin of the current chairman, Lee Jae-yong. CJ Group was formed because his father lost the competition to the deceased chairman.

Although CJ Group is much smaller than Samsung Group, it is still the thirteenth largest conglomerate in South Korea and has been listed in the Fortune Global 500 several times. Its main businesses are food and entertainment.

Before XB Entertainment was acquired, during the Pandora I era, CJ Group actually had a clandestine relationship with XB Entertainment. At that time, it indirectly controlled XB Entertainment through Hanjiang Holdings Group.

Wang Taika only had a vague understanding of many things back then, but now he actually knows them all. Back then, several large conglomerates secretly controlled Hanjiang Holdings Group, which in turn controlled numerous other companies, involved in various aspects of the business. They used this method to conduct some shady dealings.

For example, CJ Group used this method to establish connections with the former XB Entertainment. XB Entertainment would then select attractive idols, models, or trainees and send them to important figures within CJ Group through various means.
Of course, this is only a part of it. After all, the bigwigs of these conglomerates can enjoy various privileges even without going through Hanjiang Holdings Group.

The true objective of Hanjiang Holdings Group is actually to engage in political bribery. Because some high-ranking officials cannot do what tycoons can do. Therefore, controlling Hanjiang Holdings and related resources to transfer benefits is much more discreet.

All of Li Chenglong's actions back then were actually aimed at investigating the people involved. But the waters were too deep, and he could only infiltrate little by little by controlling various violent organizations.

Don't forget, back then, Hanjiang Holdings Group owned more than just the predecessor of XB Entertainment. There was also Guardian Dog Security and Bodyguard Company, where Bao Liuxiang worked, which was responsible for settling shady debts and dealing with violent threats.

In addition, Hanjiang Holdings also owns organizations such as Nan'an Financial Co., Ltd., Quanfu Charity Development Foundation, and Quanfu Children's Welfare Institute. These activities involve issues such as sex, violence, money, sectarianism, human trafficking, and minors.

This shows just how huge a mess it was.

However, by the time Wang Taika witnessed these true colors, the structure of Hanjiang Holdings had already been destroyed by Li Chenglong. Bao Liuxiang was the last powerful interest representative of Hanjiang Holdings Group.

Now, you can't see any of these people anymore.

Thinking of this, Wang Taika felt a pang of loss, and his diaphragm seemed to ache slightly. "Are you still listening?" Duck King asked, noticing Wang Taika's blank expression.

Wang Taika snapped out of his daze and perked up: "Continue."

Without asking further questions, Duck King continued, "Partnering with these large companies is like asking a tiger for its skin. But conversely, that's precisely where the opportunity lies. They each have their strengths and weaknesses; they are not invincible."

"Whom do you want to team up with?" Wang Taika asked.

"Big Hit Entertainment is the biggest variable and also the best springboard. They have money, a top-notch idol production system, and global channels, but their foundation in traditional television networks and music show production is not as strong as that of CJ Group and Kakao. Moreover, there are many internal factions, and there is considerable friction between the newly acquired labels and the original system. They urgently need stable external allies and new sources of profit growth to balance things out."

Duck King's analysis was quite logical: "We can provide them with the stable support and extra leverage they need. Of course, CJ Group's television network resources and Kakao's distribution and streaming channels are also valuable pieces that can be negotiated separately. In any case, it's beneficial for everyone to work together to take down a few smaller music show stages."

Wang Taika nodded. He didn't care about the little idol's life or death. In any case, becoming the one who sets the rules might allow him to better protect those he wants to protect and face many so-called background issues more calmly.

“I’ll only say one thing, Duck King.” Wang Taika’s tone suddenly turned cold, carrying an undeniable authority: “What we need to be are the players, not the most conspicuous piece on the board. Every move must be clean, with layers of separation. Even if someone notices things are going wrong in the future, the first thing they should see is the competition between CJ Group and Kakao, not us stirring up trouble behind the scenes. If necessary, we can abandon XB Entertainment, understand?”

The Duck King nodded: "I understand, safety first."

"Okay, that's fine then." Wang Taika was actually a little absent-minded. That's just how he is; random thoughts can distract him for a long time.

This is an old problem of Wang Taika's; he can always make very decisive, even cruel, decisions in a very short time. But if given more time to consider, he becomes soft-hearted and loses his ruthlessness.

So Wang Taika seems to be very contradictory. He is ruthless to his enemies, but when he meets the people who are by his side, he seems to be a kind-hearted person who is always laughing and joking.

He dared to beat up Noona when they first met, but that didn't stop him from standing up and saying "Okay, I'll get out right away" as soon as they got to know each other.

Humans are never perfect, and are even excessively flawed.

His personality flaws lead him to sometimes feel regret after destroying someone he himself had destroyed. So sometimes he fantasizes about getting back together with relationships that have already ended.

To put it bluntly, it's just being pretentious, and I'll never be able to change it in this lifetime.

Sigh, fine, even if Baekhyun really wants to call me "Dad" from now on, I'll reluctantly accept it. But I can't give him my daughter! I'll only be soft-hearted this once.

Wang Taika left the Duck King's office, went downstairs to his car, tossed his phone onto the passenger seat, leaned back, and stared blankly.

There's nothing much to think about, he just feels a bit weary of the mundane routine of life. He used to be someone who couldn't stay in one place for more than a month, but now he's been in South Korea for several years.

The city continued its high-speed operation, with countless people rushing about in a lively atmosphere. Only Wang Taika felt as if he were watching from afar.

"Knock knock knock!" There was a knock on the car window. Wang Taika opened his eyes and heard a muffled sound coming from through the window.

"Oppa? You're at the company!" (End of Chapter)