Chapter 2025: Hearing Your Voice

Song Qian took Seolhyun to the office of the department head. She didn't let her enter but went in alone first.

At SM Entertainment, she was now someone who had made a mark among the higher-ups.

After all, Zhao Fusheng had a good impression of her, and Fan Beibei liked her too. Before leaving Korea, he had specifically instructed that next time he had the chance, he would treat her to a meal in Korea.

With just that remark, Park Sun-young of Hanxing Investment had personally notified SM Entertainment.

What status did Park Sun-young hold?

She was a director of Hanxing Investment, a figure with real power.

Her contacts included major conglomerates like CJ and Samsung. Although SM Entertainment claimed to be Korea's top agency, in reality, apart from Lee Soo-man and Kim Young-min, it had no strong figures.

Even those two might put on airs in front of others, but before a behemoth like Hanxing Investment, they knew they were nothing.

The reason was simple: the other side had money.

Ordinary investment firms were just moderately wealthy, but Hanxing Investment was undoubtedly immensely rich.

Offending a giant like Hanxing Investment over a trainee was definitely not worth it.

Moreover, this was a matter personally instructed by the super-rich backer behind Hanxing Investment.

That was someone who could go toe-to-toe with Lee Kun-hee, the emperor of the Samsung empire. SM Entertainment couldn't afford to provoke them.

Although the department head didn't know the details, he knew how to treat someone the higher-ups had instructed to be taken care of. So getting Song Qian leave approved was no trouble at all.

Of course, Song Qian's reason was that a family member from home had come to see her and she needed two or three days off.

She thought Zhao Fusheng was just passing through Korea and didn't think much of it.

"Eonni, where are we going?"

Seolhyun looked at Song Qian curiously as she walked out of the department head's office, holding her hand and heading out.

"The Shilla Hotel."

Song Qian said with a smile.

This kid, though called SM's little princess, was actually quite lonely.

Her former roommates had all debuted and were busy as dogs. Not long ago, they had faced fan backlash and had to hide away to lick their wounds.

Internally, the company planned to have her debut next year along with three other girls, so recently she had been hanging out with Song Qian a lot.

Although she acted relaxed today, Song Qian, who knew her well, could sense that she wasn't really happy.

A teenage girl, trying hard to hide her emotions, but not succeeding at all.

This girl joined the company in 2005 and started playing child roles in TV dramas. Earlier this year, she even co-starred with two big-name actors in the hit movie *The Fool*. But after all, she was from SM.

Being accepted by the mainstream film and TV industry wasn't easy.

Korea's film and TV industry and the music scene had clear boundaries. Actors were actors, idols were idols. Although SM was top in the music world, it had no say in the film and TV industry.

Those production companies wouldn't give them any chance.

Idol-turned-artists could sing and appear on variety shows without issue, but starring in movies or dramas came with immense pressure.

If they performed well, no one praised them—they'd say it was because of the script or the director's skill. But if ratings were low, the idols would be the first to be blamed.

For example, their company's senior group Girls' Generation's visual, Im Yoona, starred in *You Are My Destiny*. Although the ratings were extremely high, no one praised her acting; all the acclaim went to others.

As for her, she just benefited from the role and gained recognition.

Of course, this result was normal, since in Korea, actors indeed had higher status than idols.

Legitimate actors underwent systematic training and graduated from professional programs. Idols, on the other hand, trained as trainees from a young age, had lower education levels, and aside from singing and dancing on stage, had no other special skills, so they were naturally looked down upon.

...

...

"Eonni, what are we going to the Shilla Hotel for?"

Sitting in the subway, Snowball asked Song Qian with some confusion.

After leaving the company, Song Qian had dragged her onto the subway.

"To meet a friend." Song Qian smiled. "That person is the most impressive among the people I know. If there's a chance, I'll recommend you to him, so you might get a chance to act."

She naturally knew Zhao Fusheng's personality—that guy had zero resistance to little girls.

Besides, with Snowball following her, even if Zhao Fusheng didn't look after her, as long as she brought Snowball when meeting others, at the very least, Snowball could become a familiar face.

She remembered that when Zhao Fusheng first came to Korea, even big-name actors like Ahn Sung-ki and Sol Kyung-gu treated him with respect.

"Oh."

Snowball was a bit puzzled. She knew that this eonni had a special status in the company. Although she had only been there for two years, it seemed someone above was looking out for her.

At first, everyone thought it was for some unsavory reason, but later, when they saw Lee Soo-man and Kim Young-min speaking to her kindly, they realized something was unusual.

That was Kim Young-min.

Lee Soo-man was one thing—he was usually stern in public, but he was generally kind to artists and trainees.

Even when scolding artists, it was for their own good, and everyone knew that.

But Representative Kim Young-min was a notorious smiling tiger, usually serious and taciturn, yet he always had a smile on his face when dealing with Song Qian.

That was intriguing.

The trainee kids, though young, had started their careers early and were all very sharp.

Fans thought their idols were pure and flawless, but that was all nonsense.

Idols sold a persona, showing their best side to fans; they never revealed their dark side.

Once exposed, except for delusional fans, no one would continue to like them.

Just like years later, that upright Lee Seung-gi—he openly showed his true self, revealing the darkest side of the Korean entertainment industry, and still had delusional fans defending him.

Could it be that the person Song Qian eonni was taking her to meet was her backer?

Little Snowball had that thought flash through her mind.

...

...

Song Qian didn't know that her whim would change someone's fate.

When she led Little Snowball into the Shilla Hotel, though it wasn't her first time, she was still awed by the luxurious decor.

She sent a text to Zhao Fusheng, telling him she was in the lobby with a friend, then took Snowball to sit on a nearby sofa.

"It's really magnificent."

Song Qian whispered to Little Snowball.

"Yeah." Snowball, also there for the first time, looked around in surprise.

But the next moment, her body trembled slightly, and her face turned pale.

"What's wrong, Snowball?" Song Qian asked curiously.

Clearly, the little girl had seen something.

"N-nothing."

Snowball, pale, quickly lowered her head as if avoiding something.

Song Qian frowned slightly and looked around.

If nothing unexpected happened, the person who made Snowball's expression change should be nearby.

Just then, a somewhat surprised voice sounded in their ears: "Choi Jin-ri?"

At the sound of that voice, Snowball's body trembled, and she felt terrible.