The Uncrowned King of the Peninsula

Chapter 165 Kakao's Grand Plan

Kakao Building, Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
In the office, Pei Yongjun looked at Yu Qinghao in front of him and said in a surprised tone, "I didn't expect that you would have this in your office."

Next to the two of them was a pool table, an ebony table with a green velvet tabletop.

Yu Qinghao lay on the edge of the table, holding his breath and concentrating. He gently pushed the pool cue in his hand. With a light click, the round white billiard ball rolled up, hit a green ball, and fell into the pocket with a thud.

"Ha," Yu Qinghao raised his eyebrows, stood up, and looked at Pei Yongjun, "How is it? The conditions here are pretty good, right?"

"We at Kakao will never treat anyone unfairly in this regard."

"Look, look here," he said, turning his head around and pointing at the various furnishings in the spacious office. "Are you really not going to consider coming to our place?"

"I can also give you two pool tables."

Pei Yongjun's eyes followed his movements.

Yu Qinghao's office is really amazingly large. It not only has a large desk, a separate meeting area, and a lounge, but it can even fit a pool table without appearing crowded.

In the land-scarce Gangnam district, such an area can be considered a luxury, and this is just an executive of Kakao Entertainment.

Kakao, which monopolizes the instant messaging software on the peninsula, has astonishing financial strength revealed in the details.

"I don't really like playing billiards that much." Pei Yongjun leaned on the billiard cue in his hand and shook his head slowly.

Bae Young-jun came to Kakao as agreed, ready to discuss how to promote the 500 million contract they had signed. However, he didn't expect that Woo Kyung-ho didn't mention this at all. After just a few words, he took Bae Young-jun to play billiards.

"Hahaha, billiards is very interesting. Look, it's just like this..." Yu Qinghao laughed, then bent down again, narrowed his eyes slightly, held his breath, and with another shot, the yellow ball fell into the pocket.

"With one push, the fate of these balls changed."

"It's pretty good, isn't it?"

Woo Kyung-ho seems to enjoy the feeling of controlling other people's fate through playing billiards.

"But, no matter what, these balls are just balls." Pei Yongjun leaned over, took out the yellow ball from the bag, and put it back on the table. "You can put it down and take it up again."

"It's like..."

"Like you and me?" Yu Qinghao continued. He stood up and smiled. "Don't worry, it's just a game. I'm not that arrogant."

"However, even if you want to come to Kakao now, I won't agree anymore."

"Hmm? Are you afraid that I won't let you play?" Pei Yongjun asked.

"Yeah, that's not the case. It's just..." Yu Qinghao paused, "I thought about it and decided that being a reporter is more suitable for you."

“A real journalist.”

"A real reporter?" Pei Yongjun asked.

"Yeah, being an entertainment reporter is a bit unfair to you, isn't it? Secretly filming celebrities kissing secretly by the Han River in the middle of the night? Ha~" He laughed twice, "It would be boring to do this all the time, right?"

"Besides, you probably don't want to do this, right?" Yu Qinghao looked at Pei Yongjun with a questioning look in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Pei Yongjun continued to ask.

"If you want to be an entertainment reporter, you should stay as far away from things like Lee Seung-ri. Paparazzi care about gossip, not justice."

Woo Kyung-ho walked up to Bae Yong-jun.

"I'm not doing this for justice. I just want to find out the truth and tell everyone." Pei Yongjun shook his head slowly.

"The truth, tsk tsk, these two words are so special, they are a luxury. Only those with power and influence are qualified to speak the truth. Otherwise, who would care?"

Yu Qinghao's words seemed to carry a deeper meaning. "Director Yu, what exactly do you mean?" Pei Yongjun asked.

Beneath Yu Qinghao's cynical exterior, his extraordinary inner self finally emerged today.

"I can help you get back to KBS," he said.

Pei Yongjun blinked. This sentence was really familiar, too familiar.

However, compared to the arrogant Cho Kuk and Lee Dong-hoon who is more like his teacher and elder, Bae Young-jun is qualified to ask Woo Kyung-ho for clarification.

"Do you want to? If so, let's work together, how about that?" Yu Qinghao held out his hand. "Editor-in-Chief Pei, don't play house in a place like Hanjiang Sports. What's the point?"

"Why? Director Yu, I feel like you're too nice to me." Pei Yongjun didn't reach out his hand.

"I'm a kind person, is that not okay?" Yu Qinghao winked cunningly.

"No, you just look kind." Pei Yongjun denied it straightforwardly.

"Ahhhh, that's so sad. I thought we were already friends."

"We are friends, so I should tell you the truth." Pei Yongjun continued to ask, looking into his eyes and waiting for his answer.

"Hmm..." Yu Qinghao exhaled, "Then I'll just say it straight."

"please."

"Kakao is the king of communications in the internet age. Aside from the aging SK, it has no rivals. Do you agree?"

Pei Yongjun nodded.

"What about Kakao Entertainment?"

Pei Yongjun didn't move.

"It's just Ji-eun, right? As for the others, haha, there's nothing much to say." Yu Kyung-ho shook his head. "Do you know why?"

"Appreciate further details."

"Because we are outsiders, the entertainment industry is resisting us, either overtly or covertly, consciously or unconsciously."

"Even though they are taking our advertising fees, they are still boycotting us."

"When the fish in the pond see a crocodile approaching, they fight back desperately, fearing they will be eaten whole."

"Four years have passed, and besides Jieun, we at Kakao Entertainment have gained nothing. Even Jieun, we finally bought her original company because of the right timing, location, and people. Otherwise, we would never have been able to secure her financial contract."

Pei Yongjun nodded slowly. With Kakao's financial resources and status, it was indeed strange that his own agency couldn't even name a famous artist that it had trained.

Yu Qinghao gave a look that said, "You're really smart." "Got it? We need an insider who can work with us from a higher position to wipe out these old guys who only know how to huddle together for warmth and have no other skills except sucking blood from the artists."

"Clear them all? Doesn't Kakao need to make money?"

"No need. The telecommunications business is Kakao's cash pool. What Kakao Entertainment needs to do is conquer the entire entertainment industry."

"Let all artists engrave the words 'Kakao Talk' into the deepest part of their hearts, word for word."

"SK Telecom?" Yu Qinghao smiled disdainfully. "Ah, only old men who like to keep mistresses would use it. The future belongs to us, Kakao."

He stretched out his arms as if embracing the future.

"must!"

(End of this chapter)