Hollywood Zenith

Chapter 545 The plan-2

On the other hand, Siwon was the new addition to the team, but he was paid the most because of his unique vocals. SK had invested a lot to poach him from their rival agency, so he still had money left.

But the same couldn't be said about others; they never thought about quitting, and with this mess cropping up overnight, they didn't even have liquid funds to pay as a penalty. Unlike the two, they were from poor backgrounds, so most of their money went to their families. With them living a good life, it was hard to step away, knowing how hard it would be to establish themselves again.

There was also the problem with the SK's past behaviors. Everyone knew about horror stories of artists who had tried to cut ties with them. They wanted to be independent without the agency putting shackles on them, but ultimately, they were all blackballed out of the industry.

They were talented, but without anyone willing to back them up, which would surely upset the SK Corporation, they soon faded into obscurity. It was only now, with the rise of the internet, that people started getting famous without any prior background, but it was still rare.

The situation with the Grace generation was the same; Mi Sun, the leader, was famous for appearing in advertisements. She was also born into a wealthy family, which meant she could easily walk away without many repercussions.

Yoona, who was at the center of the scandal, had no choice. She couldn't even get out much without people swarming her, much less making any public appearances for the company. If nothing was done, she would retire prematurely.

Leeteuk and Mi Sun were in a dilemma; they didn't want to leave their co-idols but didn't want to work for SK. For the whole day, they tried everything but still couldn't figure a way out.

When they were about to lose all hope, Park's men visited their place. There was a small hiccup when they tried to explain their visit, but everything cleared up when they heard Samuel's name.

He was their last hope, and they were willing to follow strangers to keep the dream alive! They didn't tell anyone and quietly got into the vehicle parked at the back of their apartment building.

They were later told they were being followed, which didn't surprise them. After driving for half an hour, they arrived at the location where Park and Kim were. It looked like a haunted house because of the abandoned factory right beside the shady building, but once they saw Kim, they breathed a sigh of relief.

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" Mr Leeteuk, Miss Sun, I am glad you can make it." Park motioned them to sit down. They were hesitant to see a stranger speak warmly to them, but Kim nodded that it was all right.

Everyone took their seat, and the guards left the room to give them some privacy. Their job was to protect them, and since they completed their mission, they needed to regroup and figure out their next move.

" I am sorry, but this had to happen this way. You are well aware of people following you, but that's not important; what we are about to discuss shouldn't leave this room until everything is over, alright?"

Three of them nodded, " Good. First, my or Mr. Rothschild's involvement shouldn't be divulged to anyone other than people you trust with your life. It is vital that others didn't know that you had outside help for the next few days." Park laid out the ground rules first. They need to understand the severity of the situation and how slim their chances of success are.

" So what's this great plan?" Mi Sun asked.

" Alright, here's what we are going to do..." Park started speaking. He also pulled out several documents about the plan and laid it out before them.

They weren't amused at first, but they felt that it could work by the end. Manager Kim was excited thinking about it, same as the others. If they really pull this off, they would be off the hook and could get away with the masters of their previous albums.

Artists that signed with any label had to give the rights away for their songs. It was a common practice that hadn't really been challenged in the industry. It was an unspoken rule and the corporation's collateral for future profits.

It was one of the reasons why when an artist died suddenly while fans mourned their death, the company affiliated with them would celebrate because death meant a lot of sudden traffic, which translated to immense short-term profit! Many artists didn't even get to witness their success because it was posthumous fame that only benefited the company!

It was one of the reasons why SK Corporation was prepping for a big reveal after the band decided to split up. With no new songs coming out, it meant that their old catalog would become an overnight success if they marketed it right.

With their latest tour video going viral, they already had a good catalyst for it! They were only waiting for them to make a move! Even the Grace Generation, riddled with controversy, saw a spike in search engines.

Most of it was negative publicity, but that didn't matter if they had enough eyes on it. New people would flood in to look more into the scandal, while the established fan base would lament the fact that their favorite idol would never appear in public.

Either way, it was a win-win situation for them; they only needed to quell the frenzy by making up a few lies. With their reach, they could easily turn the negative public sentiment toward their company with a few online articles and paying off a few media personals.

This was the only reason they had people following the band members; no one thought they could make a comeback! It was practically impossible!