Kang Ji-Yung was currently in discussions with CEO Hiroshi at AMOSE's headquarters to switch Japanese partners. However, just as the negotiation was progressing well, Hiroshi apparently said to continue the discussion once I arrived. "You mean he won't keep negotiating unless I go?" -No. When we mentioned a joint concert centered around Cherry Blossom, he said further talks must happen with you, Chief Jung. From what I remembered, Hiroshi was a master negotiator. That meant something we proposed didn't sit well with him. "Understood. I'll head over immediately. Oh, by the way, would it be alright if I brought Mrs. Suzuki of A1 Entertainment with me?" "And just a moment ago, I informed Aris Production of the termination of our business partnership. But I think there might be some loose ends to tie up." I told Kang Ji-Yung what had happened with Tanaka and Choi Man-Sik. Since the contract with Aris Production had already been decided for termination, she simply responded that she understood. -Got it. Let's finish up here first before handling the rest. "Okay. Then I'll leave right away." Kang Ji-Yung returned to the meeting room to gauge Hiroshi's stance further and hung up. Then I left the club with Suzuki. I wondered if Cha Sang-Jin might be waiting at the entrance, but he had already left with Choi Man-Sik. I got into the car driven by Suzuki and headed to AMOSE, located in the same Shibuya area. Choi Man-Sik and Tanaka, who had just left club SIBUYA55, moved to one of Tanaka's regular clubs nearby with Cha Sang-Jin and Chief Secretary Yang Ji-Hoon. It was an exclusive members-only club called South Wind. After being guided by the manager to a VIP room, Choi Man-Sik asked Cha Sang-Jin, who had come in with him, about his observations on Jung Yoon-Ho. Cha Sang-Jin replied that Jung Yoon-Ho seemed very familiar with Japan as if he had visited dozens of times. "I watched him closely on the way here, and it didn't seem like it was his first or second time in Japan. He knew the roads well and spoke decent Japanese," Cha Sang-Jin shared. Choi Man-Sik frowned. "That guy. Since joining our company, the only time he's been abroad was to Bohol. Before that, he probably couldn't even afford to leave Korea. So how's that possible?" "Exactly... That's what I'm wondering." Tanaka echoed a similar thought. "Chief Jung's Japanese was a bit rough, but it sounded more like something he picked up from locals than from a language school." Choi Man-Sik's mind grew increasingly muddled. He couldn't understand how someone who had supposedly never been to Japan could know so much about the local entertainment scene. "Just what the hell is that guy's true identity?" Having worked with Japanese savings banks frequently, Tokyo was a familiar place to Choi Man-Sik. So before Jung Yoon-Ho could make his move in Japan, he had to clear his schedule and come in person. Yet once again, Jung Yoon-Ho was standing in his way—As always. However, Choi Man-Sik couldn't afford to fall back now. Once the partnership with Aris Production ended, his entire Japanese network built over time would be shaken. Though Aris Production was just a mid-sized entertainment company, behind it stood Bunnies Production, a major influence in the Japanese entertainment world. And Chairman Yamamoto of Bunnies Production held significant sway over Japan's savings bank industry. So there was no way he could back down. At that moment, Choi Man-Sik glanced at Yang Ji-Hoon. Yang Ji-Hoon lightly nudged Cha Sang-Jin, and the two stood up together. "Then we'll wait outside the club." Once Yang Ji-Hoon and Cha Sang-Jin stepped out and the door closed, Choi Man-Sik immediately turned to Tanaka. "CEO Tanaka. You're not planning to back down , are you?" Tanaka ruffled his hair in frustration. "Well... What more can I even do? It's all over, everything!! All I can do now is hope our company's legal team helps me. Damn it! Son of a—!" Choi Man-Sik found Tanaka's behavior laughable. He acted all tough like a former yakuza, but the moment things got tough, he showed nothing but weakness. "No. I'm not ending it . Please arrange a meeting for me to speak with Chairman Yamamoto privately. I have a good plan to turn this situation around." Tanaka waved his hands in protest. "President Choi, you must not know our chairman's personality... If this goes wrong, you and I are both done for." "If we just sit here, we're as good as dead anyway. What, are you planning to rot in prison and end your life that way?" "If we get on Chairman Yamamoto's bad side, we won't even make it to prison. We'll be finished before that!" Choi Man-Sik let out a vague smile. Before he caught the eye of Choi Eun-Tae, he had survived on nothing but sheer grit on the streets. That venomous drive from his younger days was surfacing again now that he was cornered. "Well, you never know until you try, right?" Tanaka flinched at Choi Man-Sik's chilling gaze. "Do you have a plan?" "Just get me in front of the chairman. I'll handle the rest." After a moment of hesitation, Tanaka clenched his eyes shut and shouted. "Fine. Let's go. Damn it. You only die once anyway!" Tanaka rose from his seat. At that moment, the door opened and servers came in with trays of luxurious dishes. Choi Man-Sik raised a hand to stop them. "Wait, we're leaving right away. Pack all this food and hand it to the chief secretary outside." With those words, Choi Man-Sik handed the server ten of the ten thousand yen bills, a total of a hundred thousand yen. Even as a tip, it was an excessive amount. The server's face lit up with joy. "I'll pack it as bentos for you." Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥 "Good. Pack the bentos well and give them to my secretary outside. And prepare two of this club's most expensive bottles of liquor, and also the best snacks you have. It's a gift for someone important, so put care into it." The servers quickly contacted the madam via intercom. "They say everything will be ready in three minutes if you come out then." Once the servers took the food out, Choi Man-Sik and Tanaka waited briefly and then exited. As they arrived in the lobby, a madam in a kimono came rushing out from the kitchen. In her hands were two bottles of elegantly wrapped premium sake and an assortment of high-end snacks. "This is the 2013 vintage of Sake Muni. And the snacks are wagashi, prepared by a master artisan we work with. They should be quite delicious. If you need anything else, just say the word, and I'll have the kitchen prepare it right away." Sake Muni 2013 was sold for two million yen per bottle at this club, making it the most expensive liquor. Since there were two bottles, it totalled four million yet with snacks worth another million yen "This is enough. We just need to show the proper courtesy." When Choi Man-Sik handed over his card, the madam politely swiped it and returned it to him. Holding the gift in both hands, Choi Man-Sik took a deep breath. This would be his first time meeting Yamamoto in private. "Let's go, CEO Tanaka." As the two left the club, the pressure of meeting Yamamoto slowly faded from their minds. All they could think about was erasing the sting of defeat left behind by that rookie chief, Jung Yoon-Ho. We arrived at the main meeting room at AMOSE headquarters, located right in the heart of Tokyo, Shibuya. I opened the door to the meeting room with Suzuki. Seated next to Kang Ji-Yung was Kang Gam-Chan, who had just arrived in Japan. And beside them were the judges for Project I.O.A: Ahn Ye-Eum, Han Myung-Ho, Yoo Eun-Ah, Kang Ha-Na, along with Sae-Ri, Seo Yeon-Woo, and Bang Seon-Woo. Sae-Ri, Seo Yeon-Woo, and Bang Seon-Woo were scheduled to return to Korea after attending the Tokyo auditions for Project I.O.A over the next two days. Across from them sat CEO Ito Hiroshi of AMOSE. Wearing horn-rimmed glasses, the sixty-year-old Hiroshi was formerly a producer at Fuji TV, Japan's top private broadcaster. Since his active days, he had been such a competent producer that even now that he was known for having strong connections with influential figures in various broadcasting and newspaper companies. Seated beside him were the executive director and managing director of AMOSE, as well as Managing Director Tetsuya—his pride and successor, his thirty-year-old eldest son. As Suzuki and I entered the meeting room and greeted everyone, Ito Hiroshi welcomed us warmly. "You've arrived." "Nice to meet you, sir. I'm Chief Jung Yoon-Ho." "I know. I'm Ito Hiroshi. Just call me Hiroshi." His wife was a Korean-Japanese former celebrity fluent in Korean, so he himself could speak a bit of rough Korean. "I can speak Japanese, so please feel free to speak comfortably," I said. Wiping his sweat, Hiroshi switched to Japanese. "Haha. That's a relief. Korean is too difficult. And your Japanese is better than my Korean." Suzuki and I greeted AMOSE's executives and sat with the Hoop Entertainment team. Then Kang Gam-Chan, seated next to me, leaned in and whispered. "I heard you canceled the contract with Tanaka." "The situation was urgent. I had no choice. But did something else happen while I was away?" "No. Not at all. We just got here too and exchanged brief greetings. And ending the contract? That was the right call. Let's talk later." Just then, Hiroshi opened the discussion. "Now that everyone's here, let's get started again." At that moment, Kang Ji-Yung interjected. "Before that, answer my question first. Why did you insist that Chief Jung had to be here before continuing negotiations?" Hiroshi looked at me and smiled. "There's a part of Chief Jung's Japan expansion plan that I'd like to request a revision for." Kang Ji-Yung had already briefed on the Japan activities for Project I.O.A as well as Cherry Blossom, Kang Ha-Na, Seo Yeon-Woo's debut plans, and the joint concert schedule. However, now Hiroshi was saying he wanted to revise those plans. Kang Ji-Yung tilted her head in confusion. "What kind of revision are you talking about that required bringing in Mr. Jung?" Hiroshi smiled slyly as he answered. "I know Mr. Jung has significant influence over Cherry Blossom. Whatever deal we strike, I figured nothing would be decided without him. That's why I asked for him to be here." Kang Ji-Yung showed a slightly displeased expression. She was the director overseeing all negotiations, and him saying he would only talk if I came was a dismissive attitude toward our side. But I realized then that Hiroshi was trying to shake up Kang Ji-Yung as a negotiation tactic. After all, deliberately causing delays and frustration was one of his signature moves. I was about to warn Kang Ji-Yung not to be shaken. Right then, Kang Ji-Yung read through Hiroshi's mind and countered before I could. "Oh~ If that's all, you should've just said so. I thought you were trying to cancel the entire contract. I almost left." Hiroshi had thrown a jab, but Kang Ji-Yung returned it with a smile and a counterpunch. She was basically saying if he overplayed his hand, she would flip the whole table. Hiroshi laughed, impressed by her response. "Hahaha. We worked hard to set this up, so there's no need to let it go to waste. Haha." As Hiroshi stepped back, so did Kang Ji-Yung. "Since you apologized, we'll move on from that." Round 1 in the negotiation ring was finished. "Anyway, let's get to the point. Our president and celebrities came straight from the airport, and they're all very tired," Kang Ji-Yung said. Having lost the upper hand in the power play, Hiroshi cleared his throat and spoke. "We'd like to change the plan from a joint concert in Japan to a solo concert." "Yes. Even in a joint concert, Cherry Blossom is the main attraction, right? So we'd prefer just a solo concert. In return, we'll offer an upfront payment of five billion yen and a 60:40 revenue split with the 60 going to Hoop Entertainment. The contract term would be three years." Thanks to their popularity in Korea, Cherry Blossom was already widely known among K-POP fans in Japan. However, Kang Ha-Na, another joint concert member, only had a niche following due to her unique vocal tone. Seo Yeon-Woo had just topped charts with 'Hwayeonga,' but was only known in a few small Japanese communities. For this reason, it was clear Hiroshi was trying to take the core and discard the rest. 'This guy hasn't changed.' It sounded like a good offer on the surface, but he was clearly trying to scoop all the benefits. However, the proposal had a major blind spot. Just as I was about to point it out, Kang Ji-Yung and Kang Gam-Chan both looked at me. They had caught it too. Kang Ji-Yung signaled me to make a move. 'This is right up my alley.' I nodded to say I would take it from here. Kang Ji-Yung cheerfully said to Hiroshi, "In that case, it would be best if you discussed it with Chief Jung." Hiroshi looked at me with a pleased expression. "Haha. Well, I suppose Chief Jung was the one who drafted the initial plan. Alright then." Hiroshi then asked with confidence, "So, what do you think of my offer? It must be top-tier, right?" Looking straight at the pleased Hiroshi, I replied, "I'm afraid not." No one knew better than me that a solo concert could earn more money and was what the fans wanted. Even so, the reason I planned a joint concert was very simple: Cherry Blossom had risen to fame so quickly that they didn't have enough songs for a full concert. So I designed a joint concert with Cherry Blossom as the main act, filling the setlist with guests like Kang Ha-Na, Seo Yeon-Woo, and Kim Jong-Hoon. Of course, even now, if we trained Cherry Blossom without letting them sleep, we could manage a solo concert within six months. Yet I had no intention of doing that. I didn't want to squeeze money out of my precious artists at the cost of shortening their careers. Moreover, to succeed with a solo concert in Japan, we would have to release a Japanese-language album and abandon Korean activities to focus solely on Japan. In short, Hiroshi's offer meant receiving five billion yen upfront in exchange for the risk of losing popularity in Korea. However, Hiroshi clearly hadn't expected that I would reject such a large offer so easily. "What!? Chief Jung. Do you not understand how big the Japanese music market is? A group like Cherry Blossom could hit number one on the Oricon chart. If that happens, they'll rake in money from all across Japan." "I don't doubt Cherry Blossom's success in Japan either, but it will take time. And during that time, we'd have to give up our income in Korea." Hiroshi responded, sounding a bit offended. "Still, Japan's profits would more than make up for it. Japan is the second-largest market in the world. It's on a completely different scale from Korea." I gave a slight chuckle and replied, "If you knew how much Cherry Blossom alone is expected to make this year, you wouldn't say that." "How much are we talking about?" "Estimated at over thirty five billion won, plus additional income." Hiroshi's mouth dropped open again. "N-Nani?" Of course, there was a time when Japan was a highly attractive market. But now, we couldn't afford to abandon our home base in Korea. While it was true Korea's music market was small, advertising and event income had skyrocketed compared to the past. And more importantly, with Korean variety shows spreading throughout Asia, Cherry Blossom's featured songs were gaining attention as well. In other words, when it came to expanding into the Asian market, Korea now had the advantage over Japan. Eventually, Hiroshi whispered with the executives sitting next to him, working out an alternative. After a long whispering session, he nodded. Finishing the discussion with the executives, he took a deep breath. Then, as if fully prepared, he began presenting a massive second offer. "Alright then. In that case..."