novellhall 46. Lee Soo-man's Admonition
46. Lee Soo-man's Admonition
Just as Bae Joo-hyun and Kang Seul-gi were chatting, the door to the practice room was pushed open, and the noise stopped abruptly.
Lee So-rin arrived. She walked in expressionlessly, her gaze sweeping over the now quiet trainees before finally settling on Bae Joo-hyun in the corner.
She nodded slightly, tilting her chin towards the door, "Joohyun, come out for a moment."
Bae Joo-hyun suppressed her earlier excitement, quickly adopting her usual cool and calm demeanor, nodded in response, and followed them out.
Kang Seulgi watched her retreating figure, her eyes filled with worry.
Outside the door, Lee So-rin looked Bae Joo-hyun up and down again. As a trainee that the company was focusing on developing, Bae Joo-hyun was one of the oldest trainees, and they saw each other almost every day.
She naturally noticed the subtle changes in her, but simply pressed the elevator button for the 8th floor without saying anything more.
Seeing the number 8 on the elevator sign, Bae Joo-hyun's heart leaped into her throat. That was the top floor, Chairman Lee Soo-man's office floor.
"Don't worry, it's not a bad thing." Lee So-rin gently patted Bae Joo-hyun's tense shoulder, and even showed a rare smile.
Although she received some comfort, Bae Joo-hyun's heart remained heavy, her legs felt like lead, and she followed behind like a robot.
Li Sulin stopped in front of the door with the sign for the president's office and knocked three times gently.
"Please come in."
A gentle voice came from inside.
Lee Soo-rin pushed open the door, bowed slightly, and said, "Joohyun is here." After saying that, she left and closed the door behind her.
The office was dimly lit, and the atmosphere was so tense that one dared not breathe loudly.
Sixty-year-old Lee Soo-man sat upright in the main seat, his eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses carrying a knowing smile. His short, graying hair was neatly combed, and his dark turtleneck sweater accentuated his composed demeanor. He gestured as if greeting a younger family member, "Please sit down, don't be shy."
Bae Joo-hyun sat down nervously, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.
"Do you know why I asked you to come?" Lee Soo-man asked casually, as if he were having a casual chat.
Bae Joo-hyun knew perfectly well why, and she lowered her head and nodded gently.
Lee Soo-man smiled nonchalantly and began to recount, "You joined the company in 09, right? Over the years, the company has always valued you highly. Your original plan was to place you in the next girl group project as one of the main vocalists and visuals."
Upon hearing about the girl group project and its specific positioning, Bae Joo-hyun suddenly raised her head, her eyes gleaming with undisguised excitement.
Lee Soo-man was satisfied with her reaction and continued to patiently guide her, "Actually, why does the company oppose trainees dating? It's very simple. Dating can only satisfy your personal emotional needs, but it cannot satisfy the company's interests. You should know very well what kind of money you're making as idols."
"Before you've earned enough money for yourself and brought sufficient returns to the company, being in a relationship can definitely hinder your progress."
Although Bae Joo-hyun fully understood rationally—after all, everyone had worked hard for years to debut, and every resource was hard-won—emotionally, she couldn't refute it and could only listen obediently.
"However," Lee Soo-man changed the subject, a smile appearing in his eyes behind his glasses, "if the other party is the nation's most popular and talked-about male god, then the outcome will be different."
Bae Joo-hyun was completely stunned.
How did he know about Lee Kyung-sung? Could it be from Kyung-sung's side...? No, Kyung-sung wouldn't harm her. In a flash, she suddenly understood—no wonder Lee Soo-rin didn't pursue the matter, no wonder Lee Soo-man summoned her personally but spoke gently.
The panic in my heart was instantly overwhelmed by a huge, indescribable sweetness and surprise.
Lee Soo-man, observing the dramatic change in her expression, didn't point it out. Looking at Bae Joo-hyun, he felt a surge of emotions. When CJ contacted them, they only thought Bae Joo-hyun was an older trainee and even planned to poach her and let her train on her own.
However, he had already included Bae Joo-hyun in the core list of the next generation of girl groups. She was SM's trump card in betting on the future girl group market, so naturally he couldn't let her go. He also understood that she was worried that the risks of having trainees were too high and would affect Lee Kyung-sung's development.
The top executives of both companies tacitly agreed that romance was never a core taboo; what they really needed to control were only three things: career pace, public reputation, and the order of cooperation within their respective circles.
They have also held private offline talks with CJ executives to finalize all cooperation details. They have cooperated tacitly throughout the process, without interfering in each other's private affairs, and only working together to control public opinion and risk.
Lee Soo-man already had a much bigger plan in mind. He had long noticed Lee Kyung-sung's meteoric rise to stardom; his looks, physique, and acting skills were all top-notch, and he was leading in both public image and professional reputation within the industry—a clearly promising actor for the future.
Earlier, he even personally ordered all the company's talent scouts to mobilize and scour the internet to secure Lee Kyung-sung's signature and bring him into SM Entertainment.
Unfortunately, CJ was more powerful and beat them to the punch, signing Lee Kyung-sung to a contract immediately. This was no secret among the industry's upper echelons.
Especially in the recent competition for the male lead role in the MBC drama "Lee Hwon," even though it hasn't been officially announced yet, it's impossible to keep it from people in the industry. Lee Kyung-sung won by a landslide against Kim Soo-hyun based on his acting skills, and with CJ's backing, MBC and CJ will probably make it public soon.
This further solidified Lee Soo-man's conviction in his thoughts.
According to the current schedule, when Bae Joo-hyun officially debuts with the new girl group, Lee Kyung-sung will most likely become a top star in both Chungmuro and television. With the support of CJ's full-channel resources, his connections, capital, and national popularity are all combined, making his strength unshakeable.
As long as Bae Joo-hyun maintains this private relationship steadily, without deliberately binding her, relying solely on the warmth of their pillow talk and their private affection,
Lee Kyung-sung can easily boost Bae Joo-hyun's individual popularity by simply providing resources and generating buzz. Her peak popularity is likely to surpass Girls' Generation's Yoona, which will also help the new girl group as a whole to break out of the mainstream and reach the top, thus revitalizing SM's entire strategy for the next generation of girl groups.
There's no need to worry about CJ's attitude.
That was a perfect time to use Girls' Generation to pave the way for a new girl group.
"You must keep a low profile and keep this confidential from now on. Strictly control your private meetings and absolutely do not allow paparazzi to take photos or expose it to the media. Once the dating scandal spreads widely, it will not only completely ruin your debut project and affect Lee Kyung-sung's future in the entertainment industry, but also, given your current advanced age as a trainee, you simply cannot afford to wait in the gap. You will no longer be qualified to join SM's next round of girl group selections, and all your years of hard work will have been in vain."
"Do you understand, Joohyun?" Lee Soo-man said earnestly, which was why he had specifically asked Bae Joohyun to come.
Bae Joo-hyun listened attentively with her eyes lowered, her heart filled with genuine joy and peace. Not only was she no longer forced to separate from her beloved, but her debut position was also completely secured. The future was bright; all she needed to do was diligently practice her stage performances and maintain her daily routine to calmly await the official debut announcement.
"As for debut spots, you've already been reserved for the lead vocalist and one of the visual members." Lee Soo-man gave him a final reassurance, "As long as you don't mess things up."
Bae Joo-hyun nodded vigorously, her voice trembling slightly with excitement, "Yes! I understand, thank you, Chairman!"
"Go on, practice hard." Lee Soo-man waved his hand, his tone softening, and finally reminded him again, "Remember, before your debut, you must keep your secret relationship a secret. At your age, you don't have time to wait for the next girl group project."