The Gods of the East Awaken
Around the same time the gods of the East rose, one of the buildings in UN Village, Hannam-dong, Seoul, grew lively. Large moving trucks and ladder trucks were ferrying carefully packaged belongings up to the top floor of a luxurious villa. What made the scene unusual was that the new residents were clearly not an ordinary family.
“Who on earth is moving in?”
Curious onlookers had gathered to watch the furniture being carried inside. None of them could guess the identity of their new neighbors. That was understandable—UN Village had originally been built to house the families of foreign ambassadors stationed in Seoul. Access was tightly controlled, and moving in was no simple matter.
“You know, the ones from HT or whatever that idol group is called.”
One of the security guards seemed to know the story and spoke up.
“HT? You mean HxT? From Dream Entertainment?”
“Yes, HxT! Looks like the agency is debuting another idol group. They’re moving into their dorm today.”
“An idol group, huh? I hope it’s a girl group!”
The man watching the movers with the security guard showed no displeasure. In fact, he seemed to be hoping for a female idol group—perhaps one of those so-called “uncle fans” people talked about. Unfortunately for him, it was not a girl group.
The people receiving the luggage from the ladder truck on the top floor of the villa were from a packing company hired by Dream Entertainment. Alongside them were five young men busy organizing their belongings. All of them were in their late teens or early twenties, tall and strikingly handsome. Even while carrying heavy boxes, their faces were filled with smiles.
“Yunho hyung, we’re really debuting, right?”
The youngest member, Junsu, asked as if he still couldn’t believe it.
“Of course, you idiot! Starting today, this is our dorm!”
Yunho, the reliable-looking young man, answered confidently. Yet even as he spoke, his own expression betrayed disbelief. After all, they had only been notified of their debut less than a week ago. Though he had answered Junsu boldly, he himself still hadn’t fully processed it. But leaving the trainee dorm behind and moving into this proper villa with a dedicated living space made it clear the company was steadily preparing for their debut.
“We’re with Dream Entertainment now! You’re not doubting the company, are you?”
Their current agency, Dream Entertainment, was a company that inspired trust in everything it did. Back when they were trainees under LSM, every day had been filled with uncertainty. Being a trainee never guaranteed a future. They had to take part-time jobs because they had no income, and LSM demanded a lot from them. There had been no promise of when—or if—they would ever debut.
Then a major incident had broken out, and thanks to that, the company had become Dream Entertainment. Their situation changed dramatically. Though they remained trainees, a dedicated training team was formed and professional instructors were assigned. Systematic training courses were created on monthly, quarterly, and yearly bases, along with fair evaluations. Competition among trainees grew fiercer, but at least they now knew exactly what they needed to do. The biggest difference from the past was the trainee allowance.
Under LSM, they had only received pocket money when the president was in a good mood. It had been irregular and never very generous. At Dream Entertainment, however, they received 1.2 million won. It wasn’t a salary, nor was it money they would have to repay after signing a formal contract. It was provided under the name of “dignity maintenance expenses,” paid according to each trainee’s tier. The 1.2 million won Yunho received was the amount given to those who reached the highest tier; it had started at 500,000 won. Even though they lived eight to a room in a dormitory-style trainee dorm, and even though the company cafeteria provided three meals a day, the 500,000 won still allowed them to live more comfortably than most kids their age.
Dream Entertainment treated its trainees exceptionally well, but the most dramatic change came at the moment of debut, when their dorms were upgraded. The dorms assigned to debuted teams represented a truly eye-popping leap in quality. The best option was UN Village in Hannam-dong. It had a security system capable of completely blocking sasaeng fans, and the spacious homes with Han River views provided a comfortable space to rest.
If no units were available in Hannam-dong, they were given comparable apartments elsewhere. That was the case for the girl group S.O.S, whose dorm was located in the ID Global Headquarters building—the first mixed-use residential and commercial complex in Korea. The building housed commercial facilities on floors 1 through 12, office spaces from floors 13 to 80, and residential areas from floors 81 to 99. Floor 101 contained Yoo Jae-won’s famous penthouse, while floor 100 featured a sky lounge. Just below that were residences luxurious enough to rival the penthouse itself. Though usually reserved for ID Group executives, some units were provided for Dream Entertainment’s idols and artists.
In truth, Yunho had secretly hoped they would be assigned to the ID Global Headquarters building rather than UN Village—not because of S.O.S, but because of Chairman Yoo Jae-won. Even though Yoo Jae-won was only a few years older than him, the man had built an enormous conglomerate. He was Yunho’s role model. Yunho knew the chairman spent most of his time in the United States, but he still stayed in Korea for several weeks each year. If they lived in the ID Global Headquarters building, there was a chance they might run into him.
Ring ring!
The ringtone was old-fashioned, but the device producing it was an Android smartphone. The phone lying on the living room table belonged to the manager in charge of Yunho’s team.
“Seokhyun hyung! Phone call!”
Yunho immediately called for the manager. The man, who had been helping the moving company staff, rushed over and answered. From the way his eyes widened in surprise as he said “Yes,” something major seemed to have happened.
“Everyone, gather around. We’ll finish unpacking later. We need to head to the company right now.”
“What? Why?”
“The chairman is coming to the agency this afternoon.”
“The chairman?”
The title left Yunho and the other members looking puzzled. The highest-ranking person they had ever met at Dream Entertainment was Representative Han Sang-soo.
“I mean Chairman Yoo Jae-won.”
While Han Sang-soo was the representative of Dream Entertainment, Yoo Jae-won owned 100% of the shares. That was how Dream Entertainment had been incorporated as a subsidiary of ID Entertainment under the ID Group umbrella. However, since Yoo Jae-won was rarely seen in person, the members hadn’t immediately connected the title “chairman” with him.
“He’s coming to finalize your official idol contracts. Adult members, make sure you bring your personal seals. Everyone, contact your parents. The company will send cars for them, so a phone call is enough. Oh, and if you want to bring a lawyer, that’s fine too.”
The manager relayed the instructions he had just received from the company. ID Group placed the utmost importance on contracts. Across all affiliates, contract drafting was required to proceed without a single point of ambiguity. Dream Entertainment’s idol contracts were no exception. Although the Fair Trade Commission’s standard entertainment industry contract had been in circulation for some time, many agencies still faced problems due to unfair contracts or secret side agreements. Dream Entertainment, however, had arranged from the beginning for parents—and even lawyers—to be present so that no suspicion could arise.
At the mention of “idol contract,” even the oldest member, Yunho, let out a loud cheer. After the grueling trainee life, signing an idol contract had been their greatest wish—and now that moment was right in front of them. What made it even more exciting was that they wouldn’t be signing with Representative Han Sang-soo, but directly with Chairman Yoo Jae-won himself. Their anticipation soared.
“Let’s go, quickly!”
Not just Yunho—every member was buzzing with excitement. In an instant, they rushed outside together. The manager chuckled and followed after them.
That afternoon, Yoo Jae-won arrived at the Dream Entertainment building after finishing his schedule with the Unified National Party. It was past three o’clock.
Kyaaah!
The first thing Yoo Jae-won heard upon arriving was a high-pitched scream. Even though it was early winter with a chilly wind blowing, a crowd of high school girls had gathered in front of the building—proof of Dream Entertainment’s current status. Things could get worse with sasaeng fans, who would relentlessly follow idols and, in the worst cases, even break into their homes. Fortunately, the number of sasaeng fans had decreased significantly thanks to Dream Entertainment’s firm response. Anyone confirmed as a sasaeng had their official fan club membership suspended and was blacklisted from all events. On top of that, lawsuits for damages were filed. Within the fandom itself, sasaeng behavior was strictly prohibited. Being blacklisted by Dream Entertainment, which offered an entirely new level of fan club service through its online-offline integration, was devastating, so most fans exercised self-restraint. Even the most passionate fans now limited themselves to gathering in front of the company to watch the idols come and go.
“Huh? The high school girls are approaching. We’ll stop them.”
The enthusiastic fans had mistaken Yoo Jae-won’s convoy for an idol’s car and were moving closer. Though the security team had a busy day ahead, they moved without complaint, forming a screen. Their actions only seemed to fuel the girls’ curiosity, and more of them kept coming forward.
At that moment, Yoo Jae-won stepped out of the car.
“It’s Yoo Jae-won!”
“Whoa!”
“Chairman! I’m a fan! Please give me your autograph!”
These were clearly fans of male idol groups like HxT or Epix under Dream Entertainment, yet they were calling themselves his fans? Yoo Jae-won had expected them to be disappointed once they saw him and return to their original spots, but the girls only cheered more enthusiastically. During his mid-to-late teens, Yoo Jae-won had occasionally appeared on television and enjoyed some popularity as a teen star. But now that he was married and rarely appeared on TV, he had assumed that popularity had faded. Apparently, that wasn’t the case—at least not today, judging by the reactions at the airport and here at the Dream Entertainment building.
“All right. As long as you keep order, I’ll sign for you.”
Yoo Jae-won took out a fountain pen from his inner pocket and began signing autographs. Kim Dae-seok handed out clean A4 sheets to those who didn’t have paper.
“Who are you a fan of? HxT? This person? Oh, S.O.S? Whoa, there’s even a Bobo fan from Epix.”
Most of the fans gathered in front of the company were HxT fans. There were also a few who claimed to be fans of the girl group S.O.S or the solo female singer Bobo—minority elites, it seemed.
“It’s cold out here. You must be freezing. Secretary Kim, hand out some merchandise to these fans.”
In a good mood, Yoo Jae-won was generous. He even took out his wallet and handed Kim Dae-seok a black card. While Kim Dae-seok had a corporate card for official business and activity expenses, this situation called for using personal funds.
“Whoa! That’s so charismatic!”
What was nothing special to Yoo Jae-won seemed extraordinary to the enthusiastic fans around him, and their reactions were heated. Moments later, Kim Dae-seok returned with Dream Entertainment staff carrying various merchandise—from HxT to Bobo—and began distributing them. The fans’ attention immediately shifted to the goods, allowing Yoo Jae-won to slip away safely.
Among those who came out with Kim Dae-seok was Representative Han Sang-soo. He had rushed out in shock upon hearing that Yoo Jae-won had been swarmed by enthusiastic fans outside the building. Now he was stunned to see how effortlessly the chairman handled the passionate fans—something even veteran managers struggled with.
“Chairman, please come inside.”
Taking advantage of the fans being distracted by the merchandise, Representative Han Sang-soo led Yoo Jae-won and Kim Dae-seok into the Dream Entertainment building. They took a prepared elevator to the conference room, where Yoo Jae-won finally laid eyes on the five shining idols who were about to debut.