Chapter 418: Vice President Bae Joo-hyun?
Seoul, a prison, visitation room.
Jiang Shu and Bae Joo-hyun entered one after another, sitting down at the table.
Jiang Shu sat there motionless, staring at the tabletop, lost in thought.
Bae Joo-hyun, sitting beside him, shifted uncomfortably.
This was her first time in a prison in her entire life.
Unless one is a legal professional or a criminal, most people rarely visit a prison in their lifetime.
Today, Jiang Shu had taken her to S.M, JYP, and several other places, with this being their final stop.
Bae Joo-hyun didn't know what Jiang Shu was going to do, but she chose to keep quiet and follow him.
Soon, footsteps approached.
Bae Joo-hyun's spirits lifted, and she looked towards the iron door opposite her.
The iron door creaked open, and Yang Hyun-suk's figure appeared.
Bae Joo-hyun instinctively moved to stand up, but Jiang Shu, who had already come back to his senses, grabbed her, preventing her from standing and keeping her seated in the chair.
"Why are you coming to see me at this hour?" Yang Hyun-suk glanced at Bae Joo-hyun, not asking why Jiang Shu brought someone along, and went straight to the point.
"It's safer to talk here than outside," Jiang Shu said, looking at Yang Hyun-suk.
"That's true," Yang Hyun-suk nodded, then smiled, "But this safe environment will only last until today."
Tomorrow, he, Yang Hyun-suk, would be released from prison.
"I've already prepared Park Hongjun's information; you'll receive it once you're out," Jiang Shu said indifferently.
Yang Hyun-suk's eyes lit up.
Bae Joo-hyun, however, was stunned.
"Chairman Jiang's actions are truly swift."
Bae Joo-hyun looked at the smiling Yang Hyun-suk, her brows slightly furrowed.
She remembered the documents she saw in Jiang Shu's office that afternoon.
Those were documents about YG Entertainment's iKON member B.I, including information about Yang Hyun-suk's concealment and failure to report on the matter, as well as other issues.
She had initially thought Jiang Shu was going to target Yang Hyun-suk, but now it sounded like the target was someone else?
But if the target was Park Hongjun, why show her Yang Hyun-suk's materials?
And why were these materials shown to her?
Numerous questions swirled in Bae Joo-hyun's mind.
"Regarding the media, I've already contacted a reporter from Dispatch, and the information can be released once President Yang is out of prison," Jiang Shu continued.
"Dispatch?" Yang Hyun-suk paused, a hint of gloom flashing in his eyes.
This fleeting emotion was noticed by Jiang Shu.
Did Yang Hyun-suk know that Li Mingjiu had compromising information on him?
In an instant, Jiang Shu connected it to the materials Li Mingjiu had given him.
The authenticity of those materials was certainly not an issue, but perhaps it wasn't as Li Mingjiu claimed, that Yang Hyun-suk was completely unaware.
Even though Yang Hyun-suk was severely outmaneuvered by Jiang Shu, it was because his information was simply not on the same level as Jiang Shu's. When you have far more information than another person, outmaneuvering him is as simple as eating.
This wasn't a matter of intelligence, but an overwhelming advantage in information.
How could Yang Hyun-suk, a boss of one of the Big Four, be that incompetent?
Did Li Mingjiu not tell him the truth?
Or did Li Mingjiu himself not know that Yang Hyun-suk was actually aware of the compromising information he held?
Jiang Shu leaned towards the former.
Yang Hyun-suk might have already made a deal with Li Mingjiu, but the confidentiality period had expired, or perhaps, Li Mingjiu believed Yang Hyun-suk had already exited the historical stage, so he sold him for a good price, making use of him as a discarded asset.
After all, besides Jiang Shu and Yang Hyun-suk, no one else knew about their cooperation.
From the outcome, this direction was still beneficial for DM Entertainment.
Thinking this, Jiang Shu turned to look at Bae Joo-hyun.
"This is Irene, President Yang, you should know her, right?"
"Of course, the leader of Red Velvet," Yang Hyun-suk said, raising his head and smiling at Bae Joo-hyun.
Bae Joo-hyun politely returned Yang Hyun-suk's greeting.
"She will become DM Entertainment's first artist in management," Jiang Shu said with a smile, revealing a shocking piece of news.
Yang Hyun-suk raised an eyebrow.
Bae Joo-hyun looked at Jiang Shu in shock.
It's not uncommon for artists to hold management positions in small to medium-sized companies, but it's rare in companies of the Big Four's caliber, and DM Entertainment was a groundbreaking first.
"Looking at Irene's expression, it seems she just heard this news as well," Yang Hyun-suk looked at Jiang Shu with some surprise, "Chairman Jiang, announcing this news in front of me, what do you intend to do?"
"The shares you promised me, give them to her."
The smile on Yang Hyun-suk's face froze.
Bae Joo-hyun's pupils constricted.
Shares?
YG shares?
To me?
Bae Joo-hyun was bewildered.
"Why?" Yang Hyun-suk asked, frowning.
It wasn't that he disagreed; giving them to Bae Joo-hyun would prevent Jiang Shu's shares from reaching the fourth largest shareholder's portion, which would actually be a good thing for Yang Hyun-suk.
He was simply curious when he asked.
Why would Jiang Shu give YG's shares to Bae Joo-hyun?
Even if Bae Joo-hyun was his kept woman, there was no need to give her shares, right?
"No reason," Jiang Shu shook his head.
Seeing that he was unwilling to elaborate, Yang Hyun-suk realized he wouldn't get the gossip.
"Alright, anyway, I only have this many shares, you can give them to whoever you want," Yang Hyun-suk said, spreading his hands.
"Chairman, I—" Bae Joo-hyun wanted to say something, but Jiang Shu stopped her with a look.
Seeing this, Bae Joo-hyun could only close her mouth.
"After you're released tomorrow, I'll arrange for someone to contact you. You can decide how and when to deal with Park Hongjun."
"Understood."
Jiang Shu pulled Bae Joo-hyun to her feet and turned to leave.
Yang Hyun-suk looked at their retreating figures in confusion, muttering, "What are these two up to?"
On the other side.
Bae Joo-hyun silently followed Jiang Shu's steps, returning to the car with the uncommunicative Jiang Shu.
Watching Jiang Shu fasten his seatbelt, Bae Joo-hyun could no longer hold back and asked, "Chairman, why do you want to give me YG's shares?"
"I need a trusted confidant to take over the Vice President position, and you are very suitable."
"Vice... No! Chairman, I can't!" Bae Joo-hyun waved her hands in fright, "How can I handle such a position? I can't do it!"
"I'm not asking you to take over right now," Jiang Shu glanced at her, "Artists need a role model, and you are very suitable."
"Role model?" Bae Joo-hyun was surprised.
"The upward mobility for artists has actually been blocked, especially for idols. Even if they are lucky enough to transition into singers or actors, their ultimate ceiling is still within the artist realm."
"And by promoting you to the Vice President position, I'm sending a signal to all artists."
"At our DM Entertainment, your ceiling won't stop at being an artist; you can become true management once you reach a certain level!"
"Even if the opportunity is extremely slim, it's better than having the ceiling completely locked. At least, a role model like this can show everyone the path forward."
Bae Joo-hyun felt that what he said made a lot of sense.
But the question was, why her?
And, wasn't this role model position a bit too high?
