star of the peninsula

A person from Kakao joined the dinner with KakaoM Lee Hoon-hee temporarily. He was from Kakao itself.

"This is Mr. Jin, who is in charge of NFT business. Since we will meet frequently in the future, I took the initiative to bring him here as well. I hope you can forgive me."

"This is the president of C headquarters, Chen Chen. Director Jin must know him."

"This is President Zheng Bingji of MODHAUS, who will often work with you on NFT business operations in the future." Li Xunxi first briefly introduced everyone present, and then looked at Chen Chen, "Can we have dinner?"

"Let's sign the contract first." Chen Chen smiled and shook his head. "Eating before signing the contract is called socializing, and eating after signing the contract is just communication between partners. They are different."

As soon as Chen Chen said this, Li Xunxi's mouth almost broke with laughter. He quickly took out the contract and put it on the table, fearing that any slow movement would make Chen Chen change his mind.

"..."

After the contract was signed, the atmosphere between the four people became at least three levels warmer. At least Zheng Bingji and Mr. Kim from Kakao started to be close to each other.

"This Director Jin looks quite young, maybe less than 40 years old? Who is he?"

Chen Chen ate the side dishes bit by bit while chatting with Li Xunxi.

"He's a relative of a big shot above. I don't know who he is, but he's been in favor recently." Li Xunxi whispered, "He took on a few successful small projects to improve his qualifications, and now he's been assigned to cooperate with MODHAUS and provide technical support."

"Why would he be needed to provide technical support? The people below can do it. He is just trying to get credit for it."

"They say they are cooperating with MODHAUS, but everyone knows they are actually cooperating with C Headquarters." Li Xunxi spat secretly, "Everyone in South Korea knows that the cooperative project with C Headquarters will definitely be a success. They are too obvious in trying to take credit for it!"

"That's not something people like us should worry about. It's their own business and they can arrange it however they want." Chen Chen didn't react as strongly as Li Xunxi. "As long as it doesn't affect the overall situation, who wouldn't like to use their own people?"

"That's right. Leaders who don't interfere should get some credit. That's how social rules work." Li Xunxi took a sip of wine. "I just hope that leaders can take responsibility when it's time to do so, and not just pass the buck."

"Do you think that's possible?" Chen Chen glanced at him. "How can someone who comes here to earn credits take the blame? Wouldn't that be in vain?"

"Alas." Li Xunxi sighed, shook his glass and changed the subject to something happier. "Thanks to you, I will definitely be able to secure my position as minister this time!"

"How much is the specific contribution?" Chen Chen joked: "Tell me so that I can understand the position of C headquarters in KakaoM's heart."

"Do you want to hear the truth?" Li Xunxi raised it inexplicably, with a slightly arrogant expression.

"Of course." Chen Chen's expression remained unchanged. "I've heard so many lies that my ears are callused. Let me wash them away with some truth."

"KakaoM loves C Headquarters so much that we want to do everything with them!"

Chen Chen got goosebumps after hearing what Li Xunxi said, and he almost knocked over his plate.

"It sounds a bit like a horror story to me." Chen Chen gritted his teeth to prevent himself from showing his nervousness, "Explain it quickly."

"There's nothing to explain, it's just what it says." Li Xunxi just repeated, "KakaoM wants to work with C headquarters on all projects, and they want to become C headquarters themselves."

"..."

Chen Chen was stunned. He stood there for a long time before he roughly guessed why Li Xunxi said that.

"You mean KakaoM envies everything that C headquarters has done?" Chen Chen asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'm really envious. I'm so envious that I want to be part of C headquarters myself." Li Xunxi lowered his voice again, "KakaoM has its own mission within Kakao, and these missions have basically been accomplished very well by C headquarters. They are so envious."

Chen Chen understood what Li Xunxi said and felt relieved.

Kakao is called the Penguin of South Korea by some people because it does similar things to the Chinese company called Penguin.

How could such a company not reach out to the entertainment industry, and how could it not have a need for the entertainment industry? They must need this industry or certain artists to help them accomplish special things.

It’s just that KakaoM has been having a miserable time in recent years. Half of its record business has been taken away by the subsidiary of a neighboring company, and the artists produced by its own entertainment companies are not high enough. Even its lifeblood, Melon, has to face challenges and squeezes from various other music platforms.
Encountering difficulties is not a problem, Kakao will certainly understand, but the solutions given by KakaoM to the difficulties are definitely unsatisfactory.

All the senior executives of KakaoM are under pressure as the company's management is getting worse and worse with the huge resources provided by the headquarters.

Especially since the past few years when they were getting worse and worse happened to be the years when C headquarters was rising. There will be harm when there is comparison. KakaoM has been madly harmed by C headquarters for several years.

There are also enough types of damage. Not to mention mental attacks, taking away things that originally belonged to KakaoM is also a kind of damage.

With this kind of harm, it is not too outrageous that C headquarters has tamed KakaoM into its own fan.

"It seems that I can get closer to KakaoM in the future." After Chen Chen figured it out, he became more relaxed. "We both have our own advantages. If we can combine our efforts to do a good job, I think the result will be very shocking."

"Yes, yes, you are right, you are so wise!"

Li Xunxi agreed like a lackey for the sake of future benefits.

The cooperation between C headquarters and KakaoM is likely to be carried out through his strategic investment department. It would be abnormal if Li Xunxi could still hold it in.

Chen Chen's idea was much simpler, he wanted to take advantage. The future memory image in his head told him that KakaoM would soon receive super-large-scale support from Kakao, and if he could go over and take a bite at this time, he would definitely make himself rich.

KakaoM brought out a giant starship in 2022, so one can imagine the support it received. How could Chen Chen not be envious?

……

After dinner, Chen Chen went back to the company to hand over the contract to the archives, and then drove home slowly.

Once the contract with KakaoM is signed, there is no need to worry about the female trainees in the I division anymore, as MODHAUS will be the backup.

The arrangements for the male trainees have actually been almost completed. With the support of KakaoM, MODHAUS will be able to support both the male and female groups at the same time.

What's more, the internal talent show recently launched by the I Division will kill off a large number of male trainees. When the number is replenished, Chen Chen will find new workers to help him do the work. It's perfect. "Hiss~ Let's go to the I Division to watch the talent show. We're free anyway."

With a thought in mind, Chen Chen immediately turned the car around and headed towards Branch I.

"Why are you here instead of going to the scene? What's the point of coming to my office?" Lee Sunkyu was not very friendly to this uninvited guest, "Will the images displayed on the monitor be more exciting?

"Don't be so impulsive. I brought you some midnight snacks." Chen Chen put the food he bought from a roadside snack stand on the table. "Agent Li has been working hard recently. Eat something good to replenish your energy."

"Eating street food to nourish your body, right?" Lee Sun-kyu rolled her eyes.

"It's mainly my feelings." Chen Chen replied stiffly, "Food is secondary, feelings are the main thing."

"Come on, your feelings will stink if you eat them. I'm afraid I'll have diarrhea if I eat them." Lee Sunkyu's mouth was extremely poisonous. "I'd better just eat the food and leave the feelings to others."

"Whatever you say is fine, I don't care." Chen Chen turned his chair idly, "The screening has started for several days. Have you encountered any problems? Tell me and I will solve them."

"It's actually not bad. Although the I branch building is a little old, the facilities are very comprehensive and there is nothing missing." Lee Sun-kyu said seriously, "The only problem is that we don't have to take care of the program effects and post-production, so the progress is a bit fast. It may be completed earlier than two months."

"You mean, extend the battle line a little bit?" Chen Chen heard her voice-over.

"Two months is too short. Some members may not be able to keep up with their growth." Lee Sunkyu put down her chopsticks and said seriously, "We want to select the trainees with the highest level, not the trainees who grow the fastest, right?"

"That makes sense." Chen Chen nodded. "How long do you think it would be appropriate to extend it?"

"Six to eight months." Lee Sunkyu said what she had prepared in her heart, "This is not a show. There is no post-editing to help with the show effect. Everyone is practicing hard and showing themselves hard."

"The temporary group was not selected by themselves but a strong combination after research by the mentors, even the stage was the same."

"By extending the timeline, we can see more things and give everyone a relatively fair environment." Lee Sun-kyu talked about the most important point, "We are not in the training mode just for the show like talent shows. The trainees have to go to school and go home."

"..."

Chen Chen's breath choked when he heard this.

He forgot that he had never thought that his trainees were people who needed to learn from life. In his mind, he had always thought that he would follow the entire program process to conduct his own talent show, and he had never thought that the trainees were not here to participate in the program, but to participate in a particularly cruel selection.

"I'll give you full authority. Do what you want." Chen Chen immediately started to fix the mistake after realizing it. "You know Division I and these trainees better than I do. You should be able to make better judgments than I do."

"Between excellent judgment and better judgment, I think everyone will choose the better judgment." Chen Chen made a little humorous remark at the end.

"Since you can put aside your pride and admit your mistakes, I will say that what you did before was barely an excellent choice." Lee Sunkyu finally smiled. "I was prepared for you to not put aside your boss's face and admit your mistakes, and then I would argue with you. I am a little disappointed that you are so cooperative."

"Of course I have to admit such an obvious mistake. If I use my boss's face to suppress it, I will only be the boss in this matter. Who knows, I will only be the boss when I appear in front of you in the future." Chen Chen pouted, "I'm not stupid. I know which choice is better for me."

"As expected of you." Li Shungyu's eyes flickered. After staring at Chen Chen for a while, she finally spoke, "Actually, I have a question that I have been wanting to ask you for a long time. Can I ask it?"

"Ask me. I may not tell you everything I know, but at least I won't avoid the question." Chen Chen made a gesture of invitation.

"If you obviously have no passion, why do you want to set up a trainee department?" Lee Sun-kyu asked.

"Wow, you actually asked this question. It really caught me off guard." Chen Chen was a little surprised, but he still corrected his attitude and planned to answer it properly, "Because every entertainment company needs to train its own trainees, that's all."

"It's understandable. The trainee department is indeed very important to every entertainment company. It's not an exaggeration to say that it is one of the most important cornerstones." Lee Sunkyu was not surprised. "Since it's not something you want to do, you can only be forced to do it by something. What forces you is the market and the long-standing operating rules of the Korean entertainment industry."

"Can I ask you a question?" Chen Chen took the initiative, "How did you know that I have no interest in training these trainees?"

"It's not that you have no interest in training trainees, you just have no interest in training trainees for Division I."

Lee Soon-kyu corrected the question raised by Chen Chen, and neither of them thought there was anything wrong with it.

"Yeah, how did you know that?" Chen Chen asked.

"I've known you for a long time. I've known you since you made your debut. Of course I can see some things." Lee Sunkyu, "Then there's my feeling as the acting director of Division I and my basic understanding of reality."

"I don't think I need to go into detail. Your generosity and some of my personal thoughts are enough to make this conclusion."

"The basic understanding of reality also helped a lot. Think about it, as the boss of an entertainment company, isn't it a bit too much to not care about the trainee department?"

"Even if I can't be here often, I don't have to just take the information back to look at it every time."

"Is that right?" Lee Sun-kyu complained, "These are the first batch of trainees in the true sense of the word at C headquarters!"

"Hey, is it possible that I'm busy with something more important?" Chen Chen scratched his head awkwardly, "Or maybe I trust you guys enough?"

"Just lie to yourself, don't use it to deceive others." Lee Sunkyu was too lazy to argue with him, "If you're fine, go back. I've already gotten the result I wanted, and now I want to see you off."

"Okay, I'm leaving now." Chen Chen patted his butt and stood up. "Thank you for your hard work, Agent Li. I'll give you a bonus later."

……

In fact, the reason why Chen Chen ignored Division I was even more cruel.

Chen Chen doesn’t have much “time”, so he can only choose to do things with the greatest benefits and impact within the scope that he can see.

The trainees who started training in 2021 may have already exceeded Chen Chen's "vision" when they debut, so it is both out of scope and something with low returns, so Chen Chen certainly won't care about it.

...(End of chapter)