Core of Hoop Entertainment
Click.
As soon as I opened the door to the operations director's office, Lee Ki-Chul's sharp voice filled the room.
"What took you so long to get here!? I called you long ago!"
"It took them a while because I was talking to them."
The moment Lee Ki-Chul heard Kang Gam-Chan's voice, he flinched.
"M-Mr. Kang? You came with them?"
"What's up with that look? Am I not allowed to come?"
"N-not at all, sir. Of course you can come. Please, take a seat here."
"Alright."
Kang Gam-Chan made his way to the sofa with a stern look.
As Lee Ki-Chul stepped to the side, Han Myung-Ho and I could sense his piercing stare, but we averted our eyes, refusing to meet his gaze.
"Now…go ahead and talk as if I'm not here. I heard there's an urgent matter that needs to be discussed," Kang Gam-Chan said as he leaned back on the sofa.
Lee Ki-Chul tried to read Kang Gam-Chan's mood for a moment. However, he soon turned his attention to Han Myung-Ho and began to pressure him.
"Team Lead Han, you do realize that Cherry Blossom's second album completely flopped, right?"
Han Myung-Ho nodded with a heavy expression on his face.
"Yes, sir."
'Well, it is an undeniable fact.'
"As you know, the losses from Singer Division 2 are substantial. Just for Cherry Blossom alone, we are dealing with a monthly deficit of 30 million won! 30 million!"
Han Myung-Ho nodded once again without saying a single word. His forlorn expression made it seem as if he had committed a sin of some sort.
"That's why, with a heavy heart, I must inform you that in order to meet the production costs for Golden Road's upcoming album, we may need to reduce the budget for Cherry Blossom's third album and..."
At that moment, Kang Gam-Chan interrupted Lee Ki-Chul.
"Hold on a second, Director Lee."
"Yes, Mr. Kang?"
"What are you talking about right now?"
"Um, as you just heard, Singer Division 2 is running at a deficit and…"
"Yes, I heard you. What do you mean Singer Division 2 is running at a deficit?"
Despite Kang Gam-Chan's stern expression, Lee Ki-Chul continued speaking confidently.
"We're trying to reduce the deficit from next year. It doesn't make sense to keep pouring money into these groups when we can't even be sure of their success, does it? Any other company would have already disbanded them."
Kang Gam-Chan remained silent.
"For your information, we have a total monthly deficit of 100 million won if we combine all of Singer Division 2. 100 million!"
"Go on."
"On the other hand, Singer Division 1 consistently makes a profit of over 200 million won every month. Isn't it only natural to allocate more of the production budget to the more successful division?"
Kang Gam-Chan responded with a faint chuckle at Lee Ki-Chul's reasoning. Then, he leaned forward as he uncrossed his arms.
"Lee Ki-Chul. What the heck are you thinking?"
"Pardon? I mean…to run a company, we obviously need to consider our financial situation too…"
But Kang Gam-Chan snorted and cut Lee Ki-Chul off.
"You are suggesting we run our company like any other now that it's starting to grow? Cut out all the unsuccessful groups and only focus on the successful ones? What do you think we are? Stockbrokers? Bankers?"
"M-Mr. Kang. I am the operations director. Your words are a bit harsh…"
It seemed Lee Ki-Chul's pride was hurt when Kang Gam-Chan addressed him by his name rather than his title.
However, anger was evident on Kang Gam-Chan's face.
"Did you just say I'm harsh? And what you're doing isn't? Taking away from the ones who are struggling just so that you can promote and help those who are raking in profit is what's harsh. Since when did this business only focus on profit?"
Bang!
When Kang Gam-Chan slammed the table and gave a fierce glare, Lee Ki-Chul quickly shut his mouth. It was impossible for Kang Gam-Chan, with thirty years of experience in the industry, not to understand the idol business. While the idol business might run at a loss and require hefty investments, it was a jackpot once they were successful.
It was a business where one success could not only recover all past deficits but also have enough money left over to build a new building.
"...And has everyone forgotten the reason I divided the company into separate divisions? I appointed division chiefs and gave them full authority so they could operate independently. If you're going to merge every division and wield control as you please, why do we even need separate divisions? Why have teams, huh!?"
Kang Gam-Chan berated Lee Ki-Chul relentlessly. Observing his charisma, I couldn't help but think that if it weren't for Kang Gam-Chan's health issues, Hoop Entertainment wouldn't have collapsed so easily.
Lee Ki-Chul's confidence seemed to shrink under the fierce aura of Kang Gam-Chan.
"Hey, Lee Ki-Chul. No, Director Lee. Let me ask you one more thing since we're on the subject. Are you aware that Cherry Blossom is trending on live search rankings?"
"Live search rankings, sir?"
"Tsk. What did I expect? Of course you wouldn't know when you just rely on the reports being brought to your desk. When was the last time you personally checked with the publicity team?"
"It was two days ago, but…"
"Two days? Jeez! If only I were ten years younger, I wouldn't have been this easy on you!"
As Kang Gam-Chan stepped forward, Lee Ki-Chul flinched. After glaring at Lee Ki-Chul for a moment, Kang Gam-Chan called in the team lead of the publicity division through the intercom.
Beep.
"Team Lead Sung. Come up."
"Yes, Mr. Kang."
A moment later, Team Lead Sung Min-Suk of the publicity division rushed in holding a tablet.
"Give me a briefing on the current situation of Singer Division 2."
"Yes, sir."
"And the financial status as well. Oh, if you don't have the information, call in the team leads of the planning division and finance division."
"There's no need, sir. I've brought all the necessary data with me."
"Is that so? Great. Then go ahead and begin."