030 A Chance Encounter with Wendy
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Do television stations abuse their power over entertainment agencies?
After the shareholders’ meeting, Yoon Yun-hui returned to SBS’s Prism Tower in Sangam-dong.
In the elevator lobby, he ran into a friend—or, well, someone who probably counted as a friend—and the question suddenly occurred to him.
“Wendy, how have you been lately?”
“Oh, oh, it’s you! Yun-hui, long time no see.”
Son Seung-wan recognized him at once, evidently having been deeply impressed by his image in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses.
Her expressions were lively, with no trace of stiffness.
Half a year had passed since the stage-collapse accident.
“I’ve recovered really well. I have you to thank for that, Yun-hui. You can just call me by my name. You don’t have to use my stage name, Wendy.”
Son Seung-wan flashed a broad grin, as though demonstrating that she truly had recovered well.
“Why thank me? I’d be happy enough if you didn’t hold a grudge against me, Seung-wan.”
Yoon Yun-hui took off his gold-rimmed glasses to make himself appear less distant. Was this his old Yoon-taek persona? The legitimate heir to the Songdo Memorial Foundation.
“Why would I resent you? It had nothing to do with you.”
Son Seung-wan laughed.
The accident had occurred at the Sky Gocheok Dome in Guro District, so she had received emergency treatment at Korea University Hospital nearby.
Afterward, she had been transferred to Songdo Hospital in Incheon to recuperate.
It was only when Yun-hui came to visit her that Seung-wan learned the transfer had been arranged by him.
She still remembered that executive director of Yonsei University’s student council. The previous year, Red Velvet had attended Yonsei’s university festival.
Actually, by the time he visited her in the hospital, he had already become student council president.
During their conversation, Seung-wan learned about Yun-hui’s connection to SBS. He had turned away everyone SBS sent over and questioned her in detail about what had happened during the rehearsal that day.
Strange, wasn’t it? Wasn’t he an SBS shareholder?
“Because I really did use you, Seung-wan.”
Yun-hui pressed the elevator button for her.
She was fine while standing still, but the moment she started walking, the weakness became obvious. Her assistant hurried over to support her.
“If the public sentiment at the time had gone wrong, it could have harmed you too.”
Conscience, where are you?
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After the accident, Yoon Yun-hui had seized the opportunity with remarkable precision. He had forcibly convened an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting, attacked the Taeyoung Group over the stage-collapse accident, and secretly encouraged Seung-wan’s fans to petition the Blue House.
Arranging for her to be protected at Songdo Hospital in Incheon had all happened simultaneously.
In fact, Yun-hui had already been preparing to contact the people he had met while organizing street activities during his freshman year, turning SBS into the target of another round of public protests.
He had even considered letting the flames spread to Taeyoung Construction itself. That company was even less able to withstand an investigation; one only had to look around a little to find a mountain of scandals.
Under the pressure, the Taeyoung Group suspended all plans to restructure SBS.
Yoon Seok-min, the second-generation successor, had only recently taken over and did not want to see the violent fluctuations in the stock price that might follow.
His grandfather was dead, and he no longer had any direct blood relatives. What did the fate of Taeyoung Construction have to do with him? No matter how far the stock fell, it was only his own money that would be lost. It would not hurt the interests of ordinary bystanders.
Yoon Seok-min was afraid—afraid of Yun-hui’s strategy of inflicting a thousand casualties on the enemy while suffering eight hundred himself.
There was a traitor in our midst!
In that respect, Yoon Yun-hui was somewhat dependent on a familiar way of doing things, displaying all the hallmarks of the left wing of Gangnam.
His only goal was to preserve the existing separation between SBS’s ownership and management, maintain its public stance of neutrality, and, ideally, make a few changes to SBS.
“How could that be? I don’t know what you did, but if it really helped you, then I’m happy too.”
Son Seung-wan truly was a little angel among human beings.
Yun-hui had realized that completely after learning that, while still recovering from her injuries, she had donated one hundred million won to Songdo Hospital’s Children’s Future Center.
As part of her rehabilitation training, Seung-wan had passed by the center. Curious, she went inside for a look, then sincerely offered to make a donation because she wanted to help the children.
She was still limping herself.
And no one yet knew how much the injuries to her face could be repaired.
Son Seung-wan had to be an angel of the Lord.
“By the way, did you come here for work?”
“Me? I’m about to become your junior.”
“What?”
Seung-wan was stunned. Was this really happening?
“I’m an actor now. Once my movie comes out and my drama airs, you have to support me, Seung-wan.”
“Of course, of course.”
Her expression was still struggling to digest the news, but she had already nodded in response.
“So, Seung-wan, what are you here for today? Have you resumed your activities already? That can’t be right—it hasn’t been long enough. You should still be resting.”
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Yoon Yun-hui had only seen Son Seung-wan. The other four members of Red Velvet were nowhere to be found, nor was Park Soo-young.
“No, no. The company secured an opportunity for me to work as a radio DJ. The program team thought it would be best if I came in person to meet them and discuss things.”
Seung-wan explained patiently.
So SM Entertainment had pulled some strings. This was probably a resource they had obtained in exchange for the accident...
Yun-hui had no comment.
At the beginning of the year, SBS had apologized, but its first apology had consisted of only two short lines. The second had been equally arrogant. Anyone who did not know better might have thought Seung-wan herself had wanted to cosplay as a flying woman.
Yun-hui had been dumbfounded when he saw the apology notice. He had initially worried that SM Entertainment would be placated by SBS and cooperate in sweeping the matter under the rug.
That would have made it difficult for him to build momentum.
Instead, those two utterly insincere letters of apology had completely shut down any possibility of an immediate reconciliation between SBS and SM Entertainment.
Where was Lee Soo-man supposed to put that old face of his?
“Radio? Is it Young Street?”
Young Street had been SBS Radio’s flagship entertainment program since it first aired in 1996.
Today, with radio audiences shrinking year by year, the program still retained a certain vitality and occasionally topped its time slot.
Part of that was certainly due to its frequent changes of DJ. The position was usually given to a celebrity entertainer rather than a professional broadcaster.
Could this really be considered a good opportunity?
The current DJ was Lee Joon, while the previous one had been Jung So-min. Both were actors who had never quite made it to the top, so it did not seem like a particularly valuable opportunity.
Could SM Entertainment be fobbing Seung-wan off?
Yun-hui was about to say something, but Seung-wan stopped him first.
“I’ve never been a radio DJ before. And being given a special time that belongs to me alone, a time when I can communicate with my fans—I’m already very happy.”
Since the person involved had put it that way, Yun-hui decided not to interfere. Otherwise, she might accuse him of meddling where he was not wanted.
“If it gets finalized, you’ll probably start next year, right? Until then, Seung-wan, you still need to get plenty of rest. I’m not a doctor, but I trust the doctors at our Songdo Hospital. The next time I see you, I hope you’ll be energetic and bouncing around.”
The two of them were heading to different floors. Yun-hui said goodbye to her in the elevator, amusing Seung-wan.
“Then thank you for the good wishes, Yun-hui~”
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