““The comments are no joke, huh?”
“Right. There are more comments from people who couldn’t buy it.”
“Everyone’s writing that they hope the pre-orders increase.”
“We can make more pre-orders available, right?”
“You mentioned that last time.”
“But CEO, can’t we do the same for the hip-hop group ‘Double’ that I like? I want to be the first to pre-order their next album.”
The last comment was Yoo Jin-young slipping in a personal request.
Since he was in a good mood, how could he not respond?
“Of course, we can do that. But since Han Se-jin works for their agency, you should ask him.”
Han Se-jin was the only one not present at the moment.
He was currently at 【Nine Sound】 to check the progress of the live album.
Lee Hyun-woo was momentarily lost in thought amid the celebration, excluding Han Se-jin.
‘This must be a stroke of luck.’
Even though 【Jungle】 was already thriving,
With coverage in newspapers and broadcasts, it felt like a celestial higher-up he revived before death was looking out for him, he mused.
Around this time, Han Se-jin returned from 【Nine Sound】.
And the news that the head of the promotion team, Hong Dong-wook, delivered was astonishing: ten thousand pre-orders had already been sold.
“When will the album be released?”
“It will take another week or two, but they said they’ll try to speed it up.”
Demand usually accelerates all supply.
Especially in our country, this speed is at a world-class level.
It’s not because the country is small, but perhaps it’s a cultural trait.
Of course, not being a scholar, he didn’t know where this cultural trait originated, but a culture that makes things happen quickly, and even faster, was deeply reflected in business.
Isn’t this the background behind the exceptionally developed information and communication sectors emphasizing ‘speed’?
‘Then I should push harder.’
The next day, Lee Hyun-woo visited 【Nine Sound】 again.
Seeing Lee Hyun-woo visit two days in a row, Hong Dong-wook showed a curious expression.
“I came because I’m in a hurry. The servers are about to explode.”
“The servers are about to explode? Why?”
“There are an enormous amount of comments asking to add more pre-orders for Shin Sung-hoon’s live album. Have you checked them out?”
“Oh, yes. I’m well aware.”
It seemed Hong Dong-wook frequently checked 【Jungle】 now.
Lee Hyun-woo spoke with more emphasis in his voice.
“The response is better than I expected. It seems like the album is selling well online because he’s such a popular singer.”
“I also didn’t expect such a hot online response. The CEO is also paying close attention every day.”
“So, when will the album be released?”
“The CEO has already gone to the record production company. He’ll probably bring back good news.”
“That’s good to hear. I was worried about what to tell the customers, but now I can set the date for a week later.”
“Let’s decide that after the CEO comes back.”
“Alright. By the way, I think we need to place an additional order for 10,000 copies. I think we can easily sell an additional 10,000 copies at this rate.”
“Probably.”
“Then, about the verbal agreement we made last time…”
Lee Hyun-woo reminded Hong Dong-wook about their previous verbal agreement.
It was about delivering the additional 10,000 copies to 【Jungle】 at 5,900 won instead of 6,000 won.
Although the price drop could reduce profits, from 【Nine Sound】’s perspective, selling 10,000 copies before the album was even released was a welcome situation.
Hong Dong-wook nodded.
“Of course, we’ll do that.”
“Thank you.”
“We should be thanking you. Honestly, it’s beyond our expectations. We should definitely release the next album through 【Jungle】.”
“Who do you mean by the next album? If it’s Kim Geun-mo, that would be great.”
“Oh, he won’t be working with us on the next album.”
“Really?”
“Instead, a rookie singer’s album will be released.”
Hearing the term “rookie singer,” Lee Hyun-woo’s intuition tingled.
At this time, 【Nine Sound】 was on par with the future Big 3 entertainment companies.
So he couldn’t help but ask immediately.
“Who is this rookie singer, if I may ask?”
“You probably wouldn’t know even if I told you…”
“Since I don’t know, we can promote them.”
“True. I should get closer to the CEO.”
Hong Dong-wook’s eyes sparkled.
With limited channels to promote rookie singers in this era, Hong Dong-wook thought that as 【Jungle】 continued to gain power, it would become indispensable.
For rookie singers, 100,000 copies were the break-even point.
Thus, to be helpful, he quickly mentioned the singer’s name and asked for promotion.
“They used to help choreograph for famous singers. Their name is ‘Clones.’”
“…!”
This time, Lee Hyun-woo was surprised.
‘Just as I thought…’
Clones’ debut song was a mega-hit that even dogs and cows could follow along to.
Having sung it often at early company gatherings after joining 【Deokseong Trading】, he could hum it as soon as he heard it.
‘Kungddari Shabara… Papapa!’
How could he not secure an album with guaranteed success?
It was like ignoring a large bill found on the street.
So, Lee Hyun-woo calmed himself and made the following request.
“Could I listen to the song later?”
“The song… it will be released soon, so you can listen to it now.”
“Really?”
“Do you really want to hear it?”
“Of course. It’s a rookie singer from 【Nine Sound】. I have a strong desire to promote and sell it because success is guaranteed. But I need to check it out…”
“If that’s the case…”
Wanting to maintain a good relationship with 【Jungle】, Hong Dong-wook easily cooperated.
For popular singers, it might be different, but there was no need to keep rookie singers a secret.
Moreover, since the album’s release was imminent, they needed to start exposing it gradually.
‘This is a good chance to promote.’
On the other hand, Lee Hyun-woo only needed to confirm whether it was the song from his previous life.
So, shortly after, he could listen to the song he anticipated,
Kungddari~ Shabara~ Papapa!
‘It’s the right song.’
Lee Hyun-woo’s expression brightened.
There was no more reason to hesitate, and he boldly stated,
“100,000 copies.”
“Excuse me?”
“Please give us 100,000 copies for 【Jungle】.”
“Mr. Lee, don’t you think you’re being overly confident? Shin Sung-hoon sold that many because he’s a very popular singer.”
“I’ll handle the sales, so please give us 100,000 copies. How about a price of 5,000 won?”
Initially, when they ordered an additional 10,000 copies, Hong Dong-wook was pleased, but now he frowned and tried to dissuade him.
“If I sell 100,000 copies at 5,000 won each, it would be beneficial for the company and I’d gain more recognition. But since I have a connection with you, I’m advising you against it. Just stick to 10,000 copies. Even that might be difficult.”
“It’s alright, so please give us 100,000 copies. I felt it the moment I heard it. It’s indescribable.”
Naturally, he couldn’t explain reincarnation or knowing the future.
Lee Hyun-woo’s confident smile filled his face again.
‘Just trust that I’ll sell 100,000 copies.’
However, unlike Lee Hyun-woo, Hong Dong-wook frowned.
He saw a young man potentially getting into trouble due to excessive ambition.
‘This could lead to a disaster.’
Discovering a new sales route for albums was lucky for Hong Dong-wook too.
Therefore, he wanted the 【Jungle】 website to thrive, and with life experience, he advised Lee Hyun-woo,
“I have a younger brother around your age at home. Don’t take this as nagging…”
“……”
“No matter how returnable the goods are, ordering in bulk can lead to big trouble. Think it over.”
“Thank you for the concern, but there’s no way we’ll need to return them. We can sell all 100,000 copies.”
“Hmm…”
As Lee Hyun-woo didn’t budge, Hong Dong-wook sighed.
‘Was I like this back then?’
People who haven’t experienced major failures often exhibit such excessive ambition.
Hong Dong-wook recalled the singers he pushed when he was initially successful.
What was the result?
He learned the bitterness of life back then.
It was something that couldn’t be explained without experiencing it.
Thinking this far, Hong Dong-wook nodded knowingly.
“Then I’ll set a returnable quantity. Is that alright?”
“Sure.”
“Half. 50,000 copies.”
“Alright, let’s do that.”
5,000 won for 50,000 copies amounted to 250 million won.
Seeing Lee Hyun-woo readily accept this, Hong Dong-wook frowned again.
He thought he could negotiate more, but seeing Lee Hyun-woo accept so easily, he felt Lee Hyun-woo was setting himself up for a big fall.
“Sigh, there’s no helping it. Alright, just don’t regret it later.”
“Sure. But if we sell all 100,000 copies, please give us exclusive rights to sell concerts and albums through the 【Jungle】 website.”
“Well… we’ll have to discuss that later, but in this industry, the one who sells the most is king. Your voice will carry more weight then.”
Whether Lee Hyun-woo noticed or not, he implied that it was unlikely.
Given Lee Hyun-woo’s sharp perception, he must have figured out his intentions.
‘It must seem absurd. But when all these sell out, it will be even more absurd then.’
However, when leaving 【Nine Sound】, Han Se-jin also had the same expression as Hong Dong-wook.
They hesitantly tried to dissuade him since they were relatively new to the company.
“It… it seems a bit too much…”
With no way to explain, Lee Hyun-woo quietly smiled.
‘Jung-woo and Yoo-cheol will be thrilled.’
Not surprisingly, shortly after, they looked shocked and speechless, more so than Hong Dong-wook.
“Hyung… I mean, boss, 100,000 copies at 5,000 won each is 500 million won.”
“I made the down payment 10 million won. We had over 10 million won in the account.”
“What if they don’t sell?”
“They will. And faster than expected.”
“I’m really worried.”
“I’m worried too, but fortunately, they agreed to take returns if they don’t sell well initially, so I’m somewhat reassured.”
“Whew.”
As Han Se-jin added this, Lee Jung-woo sighed in relief,
“Not the entire quantity, just 50,000 copies.”
“What? No, CEO!”
“Trust me, Lee Jung-woo. Don’t worry. Got it?”
“But how can we sell 50,000 copies?”
“Lee Jung-woo, you don’t know, but I’ve always had a high success rate predicting hit songs for singers. The songs I said would be hits always were.”
“I’ve never heard you mention this while living together.”
“I said it to myself.”
“……”
It was an incredulous expression.
Since he was a younger brother, he was more actively trying to dissuade him.
Knowing this, Lee Hyun-woo was busy calculating in his head.
‘If we sell the CDs like Shin Sung-hoon’s at 8,000 won, that’s a revenue of 800 million won. After deducting delivery and labor costs, we should net at least 100 million won in profit.’
