Shanghai Media & China Media's Visit to Korea (4)
Young-hoon and the Girin Entertainment party met at the Castle Hotel coffee shop at precisely 10:10, then moved into a business room.
Before long, the Shanghai Media Group delegation made their appearance.
There was Wang Mimi, CEO of Shanghai Music, and Chen Jianbang, CEO of Shanghai TV, along with Shi Xuan, Wang Mimi's chief secretary, someone who appeared to be a Shanghai Music staffer, and one more man who looked to be a lawyer.
Unusually, Chen Jianbang, president of Shanghai TV, had attended as well, but Young-hoon didn't raise any objection.
Wang Mimi of Shanghai Music not only spoke excellent English but her Korean was top-notch, so conversation proceeded without much difficulty.
Had Hye-in known that fact, she wouldn't have been able to contain her anxiety.
Coffee and tea that the hotel had prepared in advance were served.
Young-hoon asked for a moment of their patience, then blended the Magical Herb Powder into the coffee and tea and handed the cups around.
"You arrived in Korea just yesterday, and without a proper chance to rest, you stayed up late attending the banquet. That must have been exhausting. What I've mixed in for you now is a natural herbal powder that greatly enhances the flavor of coffee or tea and, above all, offers tremendous help with recovering from fatigue. It's perfectly safe for the body, so please give it a try."
Wang Mimi, perhaps thanks to the magic wine she'd drunk the night before, had felt not the least bit tired when she woke that morning—on the contrary, she was brimming with energy.
More than that, when she stood before the mirror to put on her makeup, she could feel how her skin had grown more beautiful.
And crucially, the makeup went on flawlessly.
Just as Young-hoon had said—the elixir was the real deal.
Then her father, who had slept in the next room, rose and immediately wore a face in full bloom with smiles, whatever could have pleased him so much.
So there was no room for doubt this time either.
Whatever tea Young-hoon brewed, she had to drink it—no questions asked.
The moment she took her first sip, the fragrance of the tea filled her mouth and swept her into an intoxication so overwhelming she could hardly keep her composure.
The tea the hotel had laid out was one she loved so much she'd gone out of her way to bring it along to Korea to drink.
Yet with Young-hoon's herb powder mixed in, it tasted a hundred times better than usual.
I need to add this to the must-acquire list too.
Out of sheer delight, her voice flowed out softer than she intended.
"CEO Kim Young-hoon, the tea tastes so much better now. And I feel like the fatigue is melting away completely."
All around the room, voices chimed in one after another praising the coffee and tea.
With the atmosphere grown far more amiable, the meeting flowed along as smoothly as water running downstream.
But the truth was, Young-hoon had no intention of signing anything just yet.
After all, he still had one more option on the table, so there was no reason to rush.
"We have received your company's proposal with thanks. However, we have a meeting scheduled with China Media Group as well, who have come to see us. We will hear their proposal before making our final decision. We ask for your understanding on this point."
Wang Mimi found the current situation a little disappointing.
It would have been so nice to simply sign on the spot—but unless Young-hoon were a fool, meeting that bitch Xu Linhong, her mortal enemy, was only to be expected.
"Not at all. We fully understand your position. What I can state with confidence right now, however, is this: we will offer you unquestionably better terms than China Music. We ask that you keep that firmly in mind."
"Yes. We will bear that in mind."
With negotiations over the songs settled for the moment, Young-hoon decided to sound out their thoughts on the drama he was planning.
"Incidentally... would it be all right to ask President Chen Jianbang a question?"
"Of course. Please, go ahead."
"We plan to produce TV dramas and films going forward. If our work proves to be of high quality, would you be interested in purchasing it?"
"Absolutely. As long as the work is good, we will purchase the broadcast rights at any price."
Wang Mimi added a remark of her own.
"Even if I have to persuade my father, I will make sure the rights get purchased—so please, don't worry about it in the slightest, CEO Kim."
"Is that so? Then thank you, truly."
Young-hoon wanted to gauge whether the business he was currently pursuing could actually succeed in China.
Looking at Wang Mimi's reactions now, it seemed he needn't have worried much.
She appeared utterly captivated not only by Five Girls' music but by the effects of the magic wine and the herb powder as well.
"Then this time, I'd like to ask President Wang Mimi a question. What if we were to sell the wine you drank and the coffee and tea you've had today to the Chinese market?"
Wang Mimi was grateful beyond words that Young-hoon had made the proposal first.
She'd been wanting to bring up that very subject, and with him raising it himself, her heart felt considerably lighter.
Though she'd only managed a single glass, yesterday's wine had offered the gourmand in her a taste more spectacular than anything she'd encountered in her life.
And the tea she'd just drunk had been superb as well.
They say everyone gets three great chances in life, and this was unmistakably one of them.
I have to seize this opportunity, no matter what.
"If you enter the Chinese market with yesterday's wine and the herb powder you've shown us today, please, you must join hands with us. If you do only that, I promise you great success. It's a bit embarrassing to say, but my uncle owns the largest distribution company in China. Through him, we can supply anywhere in all of China."
Wang Mimi's sparkling eyes shone as she continued in a voice so earnest it was practically pleading.
"If, heaven forbid, you were already considering China Media Group, then I suppose there's nothing I can do... but their distribution company is much smaller than ours. Please, I beg you—join hands with us."
"Understood. I'm very grateful to hear that. If we do enter China, we will consult with you, President Wang Mimi, first and foremost."
"Then when are you planning to begin selling to the general public?"
"Within a year at the earliest, and within two years at the latest."
"Then there's still time to spare. We'll make our preparations well in advance and be waiting."
"Thank you. By the way, where has Chairman Wang Chenchen gotten to?"
"Ah, he's gone out to play golf with the chairmen who attended the banquet yesterday."
"Excuse me? The weather is quite chilly today. Won't they be cold?"
"I was worried about that too, but he said the wine he drank yesterday has him feeling full of vim and vigor, and off he went."
"Ah... I see. That's good to hear."
Young-hoon swallowed a wry smile at the two chairmen's unstoppable momentum.
Chairman Wang Chenchen had been playing golf since early morning, losing all track of time with the two chairmen.
His energy, rarely so abundant, was coursing through him, and he couldn't feel the cold at all.
After completing a fair number of holes, the three men had retired to a rest area, where they were now deep in animated conversation.
Secretary Byun, who spoke Chinese, handled the interpreting.
"So you're telling me that wine we drank yesterday wasn't alcohol at all, but a miraculous elixir?"
"That's right. I'm in my mid-seventies, and last night I played six full rounds of the game. Yet when I got up this morning, my soldier was standing at attention, saluting straight up at the sky, wouldn't you know it?"
"So was yours too, Chairman Jang?"
"Of course. My birthday comes before Chairman Choi's, you know. I played first and second halves last night, and even overtime. In my heart I wanted to go all the way to penalty kicks, but the other side raised the white flag, so I gave up. How about you, Chairman Wang? How were you this morning?"
"I couldn't put it to use last night, which was a bit of a shame, but this morning the thing stood there stiff as a pole and I nearly died of embarrassment. If my daughter had seen it, she'd have called me a dirty old man. But here's the astonishing part—I'm not tired at all."
"When you go back to China, get a full medical checkup. Then you'll know exactly what the elixir can do."
"You can count on it. I'll be sure to get that checkup. But... if the elixir's effects are that remarkable, why only 30 billion won? I'd pay 100 billion just to keep drinking it myself."
"Ah, but the 30 billion price is for our members only. To anyone else, we wouldn't sell it even for 50 billion. The ingredients used to make the elixir are so rare that we can't produce even a hundred bottles a year. Would you like to join our little club too, Chairman Wang?"
"Of course. I was starting to worry you'd never make me the offer. How many bottles can members get per year?"
"We'll need to confirm with CEO Kim first, but I'd say about one bottle every six months."
"Two bottles a year, then. Won't that fall short for a man's nighttime duties?"
"Not at all. Drink a glass roughly once every two weeks, and you'll be an absolute seal in bed every single night for at least six months. Hehehehe."
"That would be wonderful. Lately my stamina has been flagging so much that my lover gives me no end of grief."
"You'll have no trouble at all from now on. If anything, your lover will probably start making excuses to go find herself another man."
"Haha, if only that happens, what more could I possibly ask for?"
At that moment, Chairman Jang and Chairman Choi were working in perfect tandem, busily fabricating one more hogu.
Watching them try to sell a 20-billion-won elixir for 30 billion, there was no doubt about it—Chairman Jang and Chairman Choi were truly seasoned merchants.
Chairman Wang had been melted down to the very marrow by the two men's sales strategy.
"Shall we head back out for another round?"
"Hehe, why not? With this much energy, it's no trouble at all."
Young-hoon and Wang Mimi, utterly unaware that Chairman Jang, Chairman Choi, and Chairman Wang were cheerfully making their rounds, carried their morning meeting through to its final stages.
They agreed to break for lunch and reconvene at 2 p.m., and parted for the time being.
Young-hoon's party grabbed a simple lunch and held a brief strategy meeting at the office.
"So if I'm hearing Mr. Min right, Shanghai Music's proposal isn't a bad one."
"That's correct. The consumer base is enormous, granted—but when Korean celebrities, singers in particular, enter China, they frequently sign unfair contracts. If we don't address those points from the very beginning, it becomes extremely difficult to renegotiate later. That said, President Wang Mimi seems to have a favorable opinion of us, so my sense is we could push a little harder."
"Then let's push only this far today. We'll hear China Media's proposal and make our final decision after that."
"What do the rest of you think?"
"I agree with CEO Kim. Leaving room for negotiation seems wise. President Wang Mimi in particular is coming on so enthusiastically that I believe we could sign with Shanghai Music without much difficulty. Though of course, we'll want to observe China Music's reaction as well."
"Exactly. As Head Director Kim says, let's see how China Music responds before negotiating further."
"And President Lee Jae-man—do you have any thoughts of your own?"
For President Lee Jae-man, this moment was pure bliss.
Five Girls entering China was a dream come true in itself, and the conditions the Chinese side had offered pleased him immensely.
Even the signing bonus alone would be the largest in history for a Korean singer—it felt as though the world was acknowledging that Five Girls had already ascended to the ranks of the top stars, and he felt as if he were soaring through the sky.
"Anywhere is fine with me. My only wish is for our girls to be treated properly in China and to perform under fair terms."
The group continued exchanging views for some time, refining their negotiation strategy, then hurried back to the Castle Hotel to make their appointed hour.
When Young-hoon's party stepped into the business room, Chairman Jang, Chairman Choi, and even Chairman Wang were already there, waiting for them.
"Chairmen, where did you all get off to this morning?"
"Mm? We went to get some exercise."
The two chairmen and Chairman Wang were close enough in age that they seemed to have spent the morning thoroughly enjoying one another's company.
"CEO Kim, Chairman Wang is asking us to serve him a cup of that tea with the herb powder in it. What's this about?"
"When the meeting started this morning, I mixed the herb powder into drinks for everyone present. It seems he heard about it from someone."
"Ah, that stuff we drank last time? Then pour a cup for each of us too."
"Right away."
Young-hoon asked the hotel for coffee and tea, mixed in the herb powder, and served everyone gathered in the conference room.
Those who had already tasted it that morning marveled once again at the astonishing flavor.
Chairman Wang, too, had never tasted tea like this.
He'd been drinking tea for seventy years, but never had a cup wrapped itself so perfectly around his tongue.
It was, without question, the finest.
Coming to Korea in person, he felt, was nothing short of the great opportunity of his life.
On the way back to the hotel after enjoying his exercise with the two chairmen, Chairman Wang had received a brief report on the meeting from Wang Mimi.
His daughter had thrown a tantrum—no, insisted—that no matter what conditions were offered, they absolutely had to land Young-hoon.
She had also urged her father to ask Young-hoon for a cup of that tea.
Drink it, she said, and his thinking would change completely.
She had even laid out her plan to import the tea without fail and sell it in China.
Chairman Wang had figured there was only so impressive a mere tea could be...
But the moment he took his first sip, there was no longer any need for deliberation.
He resolved then and there that he would secure the exclusive import rights to this tea, come what may.
And with that, he found himself looking at Wang Mimi with newfound pride.
No doubt because she took after him, her business instincts were superb.
From now on, he'd believe Wang Mimi if she told him she could brew soybean paste out of red beans.
The meeting that followed amounted to little more than organizing what had been discussed that morning.
The difference, one might say, was that the Chinese side had grown even more proactive.
Their interest now extended beyond Five Girls' music to the liquor, the coffee, and even the tea, and their determination to close the deal, no matter what, was palpable.
The meeting wrapped up around four o'clock.
Negotiations with China Music were scheduled for the next day, so they agreed to meet again the day after.
Wang Mimi earnestly begged Young-hoon to please save the chance for her until the very end.
Her eyes, for some reason, brimmed with an inexplicable heat.
Young-hoon and his party moved over to his Synergy Building.
Young-hoon spoke privately with the two chairmen in Chairman Jang's executive office.
Chairman Choi opened the conversation first.
"CEO Kim, this morning that rascal Jang and I had Chairman Wang completely melted in the palm of our hands. Hehehehe~"
"That we did. Just like old Choi said, we've pulled Chairman Wang into our membership too. When I told him the elixir went for 30 billion a bottle, he was over the moon. Should we have quoted him a higher price?"
"Honestly, Chairmen. 30 billion isn't your household's dog's name, you know."
"For those kinds of marks, you charge what they're worth. Isn't that right, Jang?"
"You know it. And did you see the look in Chairman Wang's eyes when he tasted that tea? They were practically sparkling. Breaking into China with the coffee and tea just got a whole lot easier."
"President Wang Mimi was already throwing herself at us, insisting we deal with her side no matter what."
"Hehe, looks like old Choi and I are about to get very busy. Let's get it all done within a year."
"You can say that again. Let's rest up a bit and then charge right back out tonight. Where was it again?"
"7 p.m., the banquet hall at the Hilton in Namsan. Though for some reason, it seems the two of you are enjoying yourselves even more than the guests?"
"It reminds me of when I worked this hard at business in my younger days—these mornings, I find myself wanting to wake up bright and early. Busy with work during the day, busy playing the night game after dark. I'm having the time of my life. Living really is a pleasure. What about you, Jang? You feel the same, don't you?"
"Meeting CEO Kim was the luckiest thing that ever happened to us. Damn right it was."
Then Chairman Jang suddenly smacked his knee as something occurred to him, and looked at Young-hoon.
"Oh, and one more thing—you know that drama script you wrote."
"Yes, Chairman."
"No more discussion needed. We're producing it, period. Executive Director Yoo tells me a 50 percent viewership rating is a sure thing. I've already ordered Yoo to begin preparations for production. Once the Chinese delegation heads home, let's hold a meeting. Consider it done, and head on back—your staff are waiting for you."
"Understood. Shall I prepare two bottles of the elixir for tonight as well?"
"Is that even a question?"
The two chairmen wore sly, wolfish grins.
Back in his own office, Young-hoon exchanged a few words with everyone who had attended the day's meetings.
"CEO Kim, the look in President Wang Mimi's eyes was no joke. I'd say she's made up her mind to seal the deal even if she has to throw her whole body into it."
"That works for me. Let's stoke the competition with China Music nice and hot—we don't know which side will offer better terms. By the way, Mr. Min, aren't you tired?"
"Between the coffee I had this morning and the tea just now, I feel like I could pull an all-nighter without blinking. Honestly, I'm enjoying this situation to death. Korean celebrities have always been in the position of the 'B-party' in China—utterly at the mercy of the other side. But Five Girls seems to be a super 'A-party' among A-parties."
Listening to everyone's remarks, the consensus was clear: things couldn't possibly be going better.
Well satisfied, Young-hoon suddenly found himself curious about how the other meeting was going.
"Is there anything we know about how the talks between Sinabro Production and China Media Group went?"
"As a matter of fact, I spoke with PD Shin Hye-yoon on the phone this morning, and she said there was nothing to show for it. Apparently, they were the ones showing interest in what our side had discussed?"
"Hmm. It seems China Media is more interested in Five Girls' music rights than in drama rights, then."
"Yes. That's the only conclusion I can draw either."
"All right, then—let's do it again tonight. Everyone get ready, and are Five Girls standing by?"
"Of course. We're ramping their condition up to full marks."
"Then take a short rest, and let's depart around six."
"Understood."
6:40 p.m., the Hilton Hotel.
Young-hoon's party waited at the entrance for Chairman Jang and Chairman Choi, then entered the banquet hall together.
Once again, five tables had been set up. Each table seated eight, for a total of forty, though it didn't look as if every seat would be filled.
As they had the day before, Chairman Jang, Chairman Choi, Young-hoon, and Head Director Kim, serving as interpreter, were assigned to the head table, while the rest of the party divided themselves between the other two tables.