Chapter 1286: First Encounter

"Zhao Fusheng."

The simple and elegant business card had no superfluous embellishments or patterns, not even the name of Future Group. On the front was Zhao Fusheng's name, and on the back, a phone number and an email address.

That was the message Kim Young-min received.

When the front desk called, he happened to be discussing matters with several directors of the company. He casually sent someone down, and that person quickly returned, bringing him this business card.

It was not only extremely simple but also carried an undeniable arrogance.

Without flashy prefixes or titles, nor dazzling designs and colors, generally, most people would cram all their positions and titles onto their business cards, eager to let others know their status. But in fact, the more someone does that, the more ridiculous they appear in the eyes of true superiors.

A truly capable person, even with just a name, can inspire awe, without needing a business card to flaunt their identity.

To those with no discernment, even if you print a thousand titles on your card, they still won't see your value; instead, they'll think you're all show. Worse, some might look at a card like Zhao Fusheng's and think, "This guy is doing so poorly that his card doesn't even have a title."

"Does anyone know what this Future Group is, and who this Zhao Fusheng is?" Kim Young-min raised the card in his hand and asked the directors before him.

After the turmoil at SM Entertainment a few years ago, Kim Young-min had gradually taken control of the company over four years. Although he hadn't managed to oust Lee Soo-man, he was now clearly the company's decision-maker.

"Representative, we could call our partners in China to find out if this is a scam," said a middle-aged man in a suit, flattering Kim Young-min.

The hierarchy in Korean workplaces is strict; even though the man was older than Kim Young-min, he had to be respectful and ingratiating.

Kim Young-min frowned slightly. "A scam? Do you think a scammer would bring dozens of people from China all the way here to pull a con? What I want to know is what this Future Group is and who this Zhao Fusheng is. Understand?"

The directors were taken aback, clearly not expecting Kim Young-min to take such an interest in this unknown Chinese company.

Exchanging glances, they suddenly felt that perhaps they should pay a bit more attention to this Chinese company.

Zhao Fusheng, of course, didn't know this. Or rather, he knew better than anyone how strong SM's desire for the Chinese market was, whether under Kim Young-min's or Lee Soo-man's control.

The reasons were complex, involving economic interests, political aspirations, and cultural exports. Overall, as long as Zhao Fusheng and his team's identity was confirmed, SM would certainly not miss this deal.

Soon, Zhao Fusheng and his group were led by a director named Park Seung-woo into a meeting room.

"Mr. Zhao, hello." As soon as he entered, Kim Young-min smiled and extended his hand to Zhao Fusheng, full of enthusiasm.

Zhao Fusheng smiled lightly. "Hello, President Kim."

"No, no, I'm not the president of SM yet, Mr. Zhao. I am the representative director of SM," Kim Young-min explained with a smile.

At first glance, he seemed easy to get along with.

But in reality?

Over an hour later, the group that had initially taken a liking to Kim Young-min had completely changed their minds.

This guy was a complete old fox.

Indeed, though he appeared young, only in his thirties, his speech and actions felt like those of a seasoned veteran.

Watertight and impenetrable.

These eight words described Kim Young-min perfectly.

Even Zhao Fusheng, who had lived two lives, had to admit that this man had indeed managed to suppress the old fox Lee Soo-man for years, making it hard for him to recover—he certainly had some skills.

From start to finish, Kim Young-min was very polite to Zhao Fusheng and his team, but when it came to specifics, he wouldn't say a word, only probing their background.

Zhao Fusheng wasn't in a hurry either; he chatted with a smile, looking completely unconcerned.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was nearly noon.

"Chairman Zhao, thank you for your interest in SM. How about we tour our company and have a casual meal, chatting as we eat?" Kim Young-min said with a smile.

Regardless of who these people were, since they had come to him voluntarily and were from China, Kim Young-min felt they were worth cultivating.

Even if no cooperation ultimately materialized, it wouldn't hurt.

Although he really disliked his predecessor Lee Soo-man, Kim Young-min had to admit that Lee Soo-man was right about one thing: the Korean market was simply too small.

The entire population of South Korea is only fifty million, yet the number of people working in the entertainment industry is a good several hundred thousand.

What kind of terrifying statistic is that?

To put it in perspective, in South Korea, roughly one out of every hundred people is involved in the entertainment industry. You might even run into a celebrity while walking down the street.

Under these circumstances, one can only imagine how fierce the competition is in the entire Korean entertainment industry.

SM Entertainment was well aware that their artists were assembly-line products with no distinctive features, but the problem was that for the sake of the market and profitability, they had no choice. In such a situation, they could only sacrifice uniqueness to ensure profits.

Of course, Kim Young-min certainly wouldn't tell Zhao Fusheng about this.

"There's no need for a meal. We've just arrived in Seoul and mainly came to see your company's situation. We can chat another time if there's an opportunity." Zhao Fusheng, however, did not do as Kim Young-min wished. He simply smiled faintly, stood up, and took his leave.

Kim Young-min was taken aback for a moment, then laughed quite freely: "Alright, I won't insist on keeping you all."

In fact, communication between the two was impossible. Zhao Fusheng didn't understand Korean, and Kim Young-min couldn't speak Mandarin. Fortunately, both sides had interpreters.

But Kim Young-min's interpreter surprised Zhao Fusheng a bit; he glanced at him several times in astonishment.

"Han Geng is a trainee our SM Company recruited from your country. He has a chance to debut this year," Kim Young-min said with a smile upon seeing this. Liang Jingyu quickly translated.

Zhao Fusheng nodded and looked at Han Geng: "From the Northeast?"

Han Geng was startled and quickly replied: "From Dancheng."

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "I'm from Ninghai. We're practically fellow townsmen."

He didn't know much about this person; his impression was that he came from a poor background. As for the things that happened after he became famous and returned to China, Zhao Fusheng thought it was normal—if it were him, he would have made the same choice.

"Ah, hello," Han Geng said, a bit bewildered. Although meeting a fellow countryman from China in a foreign land stirred his emotions, the problem was that this person clearly looked like a big shot.

Han Geng certainly didn't think he was qualified to strike up a friendship with someone like that.

Several years of trainee life had already made him more mature than his peers. Facing so many company executives, Han Geng felt it was better to behave himself.

Zhao Fusheng smiled gently. Having lived two lives, he naturally understood why Han Geng was so cautious. In fact, Zhao Fusheng could imagine how many hardships a trainee from China had to endure to survive and debut in a Korean agency like this.

With that in mind, Zhao Fusheng turned to Kim Young-min: "Director Kim, how about this: next time I come, I hope your company's interpreter will be this fellow townsman of mine. Oh, by the way, if he interprets for us, do I need to pay him?"

Kim Young-min was a smart man; he immediately understood Zhao Fusheng's intention. It seemed this person wanted to look after his fellow townsman Han Geng.

This was very common in South Korea.

Koreans place great importance on relationships with fellow townsmen and alumni. For example, if three or four people in a workplace come from the same school or the same place, they naturally form an alliance regardless of their positions. They help, take care of, and even cover for each other.

It sounds a bit exaggerated, but that's how it is.

If in a Korean workplace you suddenly encounter a senior or boss who graduated from the same school as you, or even had the same homeroom teacher, congratulations—you'll have someone looking out for you from now on.

It sounds quite absurd, but that's the reality of Korean workplaces.

Thinking this, Kim Young-min smiled at Zhao Fusheng: "Chairman Zhao, rest assured, our SM Company highly values trainees from China."

Whether sincere or not, it was just a trainee. Doing him a favor and building a good relationship wouldn't hurt. If there was a chance to cooperate, it would be a good start. Even if there was no chance, he wouldn't lose anything.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, said nothing more, patted Han Geng on the shoulder, and walked out with Dong Chenxi and the others.

Han Geng was stunned, watching the large group disappear from his sight, feeling as if he were dreaming. If he wasn't mistaken, that person just now was probably only a few years older than him.

How could he be the chairman of a company?

Future Group?

Why did that sound so familiar?

Han Geng muttered to himself, feeling like he had heard that name somewhere before. Maybe his mother had mentioned it during a phone call?

After thinking it over, Han Geng still couldn't remember. He shook his head with a bitter smile and decided not to dwell on it. He had many more things to worry about. At the very least, if he couldn't make it into the company's new boy group this year, all his hard work over the past few years would have been wasted.