“Don’t look at me like that. They’re all old now, their thinking is a bit outdated. Even though they know there’s considerable profit in the entertainment industry, they just can’t bring themselves to make money that way.” Brandon Bennett took a sip of tea and said leisurely, “But I can’t think like that. Sooner or later, I’ll have to take over the family business. Even though the An family dominates in Korea, we can’t just live off our past achievements. If I don’t look a few steps ahead, it won’t work. You’ve been interested in music since you were a child, and you made quite a splash in America this time. Plus, you’ve been hanging out with a lot of celebrities… hmm… you’ve had a lot of exposure, so it’s clear you know the entertainment industry well. Tell me your thoughts.”

Brian Bennett ignored his older brother’s teasing and said seriously, “The country has been vigorously developing Hallyu culture in recent years. Actually, everyone can see there’s huge profit to be made here. From what I know about some entertainment companies, they either have chaebols involved or political backing. For example, the Lee family of Samsung, and also Kim Dae-jung. SM Entertainment has deep ties to Kim Dae-jung, and much of its profit is used as political donations. Plus, the social influence that celebrities and idols can wield—nowadays, in Korea, both politics and the economy are increasingly influenced by the entertainment industry. For the An family to give up on this sector would be unwise.”

Brandon Bennett clapped his hands and laughed, “Great minds think alike! Let me be honest with you—as a matter of fact, I started making some secret moves in the entertainment industry a few years ago. It’s just that there’s a lot of resistance from the family, so all my arrangements have been under the table. I’ve never been able to operate these things openly, and honestly, I’m not very good at it either. I always felt it was a pity, but now you’re back…”

Brian Bennett rolled his eyes. “And I can operate things openly?”

Brandon Bennett laughed, “You’re different from me. I’m the heir, after all. If the head of the An family got involved in singing, dancing, or pimping, and people found out, I’d never be able to show my face again. So the family would never agree. But you’re different. You’ve always been the playboy second son, and you even won a big award in America. If you do these things, everyone will think it’s only natural. Who would care? Even the old man would probably just spoil you and think you’re just having fun.”

Brian Bennett was a little tempted. This time, he’d only planned to take over part of the family business to help his brother out, but he really wasn’t interested. The entertainment industry, though—that was a different story! He was very interested in that!

“So, tell me, what have you set up?”

“There are a few small shareholders in KBS who seem completely unrelated on the surface, but together they hold 12% of the shares…”

“Shameless…”

“There’s a low-key company called LOEN, you know it, right? Everyone thinks it’s a subsidiary of YMB, but actually the biggest shareholder is Ethan Miller—yeah, my assistant. YMB took a small stake from me to help divert the family’s attention…”

Brian Bennett suddenly sat up straight. “LOEN?”

Brandon Bennett was a bit surprised. “You didn’t react to KBS, but you’re so worked up about LOEN?”

Brian Bennett was very interested. “Anyone could guess you’d do something with a TV station, so what’s the big deal? But I didn’t expect you’d get involved with a distribution company… If I remember right, LOEN also manages artists. You must know who they have under their wing, right?”

“Hmm… I think they have a few artists, let me think… a few singers who are somewhat popular but not really big. For example, last year there was a solo artist—my people said she was pretty talented, but she never really made it big.” Brandon Bennett stroked his chin and thought for a moment. “Oh right, a few days ago Ethan Miller gave me a proposal. He said his people are very optimistic about a young girl who’s about to debut as a solo artist. I forgot her name—you know I don’t pay attention to this stuff, so I didn’t bother to remember.”

Brian Bennett clapped his hands. “Is her name Olivia Thompson?”

Brandon Bennett was stunned. “You know even that? Have your tastes shifted to trainees who haven’t debuted yet?”

Brian Bennett burst out laughing and didn’t explain. “I’ll take care of this. Ethan Miller can go play with mud now.”

Chapter Four: The Bizarre Fans Club

Leaving his brother’s study, Brian Bennett still had a smile on his lips. Olivia!

With his head full of politics and economics, Brandon Bennett naturally didn’t understand what kind of benefits this little girl could bring them. Not to mention the efficiency of making money—honestly, the An family didn’t care about such small change. What Brian Bennett truly valued was the enormous influence the company could gain after launching such a breakout star.

That was the real foundation for the development of the entertainment industry.

But, what’s the best way to go about it?

If he remembered correctly, Olivia originally debuted in September, but the song choice was a bit off and didn’t suit her. Plus, in September, Wonder Girls’ legendary song “Nobody” came out. The song, just like the group’s name, swept all the charts as if they were cheating, and Wonder Girls’ momentum was unstoppable all the way to the end of the year. To debut at that time was basically suicide. Brian Bennett didn’t believe that releasing “Good Day” early or something like that could turn the tide—it just wasn’t realistic.

What about next year? Brian Bennett was momentarily lost in thought. Next year… a dazzling phoenix would be reborn from the black ocean, soaring through the dark waves straight into the sky. Its brilliant flames would ignite the entire Korean idol scene, and its nine consecutive wins would make all the gods and Buddhas retreat in awe. Its name was Girls’ Generation.