Chapter 851: Answer (4)

That day.

News that Lemon Entertainment had relocated its headquarters began spreading rapidly through entertainment media.

Lemon Entertainment settles in Cheongdam-dong... CEO Park Gyuho: “We will become the definitive leading K-pop agency.”

[Weekly] How much is the ‘Lemon New Headquarters’ building worth?

[Photo] ‘TJ and Lemon’ — The story behind two agencies now facing each other in Cheongdam-dong

It wasn’t limited to entertainment articles.

There were economic reports analyzing the building’s real estate value, pieces discussing NewBlack’s economic ripple effects, even social news covering conflicts sparked by the relocation.

Interest was pouring in from every direction.

“Damn, that building looks nice.”

“NewBlack must have made insane money. How does a company build something that flashy?”

“Did you see? Lemon got a new headquarters.”

It was being mentioned in everyday conversations.

A company that had been called mid-sized just a few years ago had moved into a grand building in only four years.

It was more than enough to stimulate people’s imagination.

How much did they make off NewBlack?

Search terms like “Lemon Entertainment revenue,” “Lemon how much,” and “Park Gyuho net worth” flooded portals.

Then attention shifted again.

When are they going publicㅠㅠ hurry and list already

I feel like I should buy in now.. my 8 years of stock instinct is screaming

Let me invest tooㅠㅠ

Feels like if I invest now my money would double or triple

But they probably won’t list..

If you look at Lemon’s growth rate, crypto is nothing lol

For investors, it was the kind of asset that made mouths water.

In just four years they had grown this much, and there were no signs of slowing down.

[Yes! Next is Lemon Entertainment’s news. From the upcoming NetPlus drama The Faith to continued investments in K-content production! What do you think, Director Kim?]

[If they go public, it would be an enormous offering. Most importantly, their flagship product, NewBlack, has only been active for four years. And last year, Metro exploded in the US.]

Since the English single succeeded in America, NewBlack’s fandom had continued expanding globally.

[However, it doesn’t appear they will go public anytime soon. Lemon’s cash flow is strong. See that operating profit? It’s extremely solid. They don’t need outside capital.]

While stock discussion boards buzzed with posts like “I’ll switch the moment Lemon lists,” another annual tradition appeared in entertainment communities.

[Looks like we need to call them the New Big 4 — Major Agency Performance Rankings 2017]

Netizens who loved ranking and hierarchy debates were in their element.

Lemon stood out clearly.

1st: Lemon Entertainment – 348.7 billion KRW

Nearly double that of second-place MOP Entertainment.

Holy shit NewBlack’s spoon is insane..

Dirt spoon agency

Dirt spoon lmfaooooo

Who needs silver spoon or gold spoon, dirt spoon is the best

One group turned the whole company into a giant lol

And that’s before acquiring DNS as a label right??? This year it’s full acquisition

Yeah DNS is listed separately below

TJ is pushing rivalry PR over Lemon’s relocation lol 3rd place pfft

Taejun left a massive mess behind

I bet Youngjun is sweating right now

SNH revenue dropping every year.. management matters but idol planning matters moreㅠㅠ

SNH and DNS look pretty close though?? Street Boys’ overseas popularity is rising

If you cut by revenue it’s Lemon / MOP / TJ / KM

And immediately, arguments broke out.

Q. Is Lemon Entertainment a major agency?

Unlike last year’s massive fight, this time the “yes, they are” side won overwhelmingly.

Tradition and prestige my ass lol

So the US isn’t a superpower because it has short history?

Taejun and Mino combined barely match Gyuho’s revenue. That’s what we call a major agency lol

Of course it’s major

The logic is hilarious lol Industry revenue #1 but somehow still mid-sized

History and tradition in a 20-year-old industry lol

Among idol fans, Lemon was now firmly recognized as a major agency.

And the biggest factor influencing that perception was the new headquarters.

It was exactly what Park Gyuho had aimed for.

People believe what they see more than you think. What’s visible matters.

Looking at the imposing building, no one could joke about Lemon being “mid-sized.”

While Lemon rose to a new position, idol fans who had been enjoying the chaos began noticing something strange.

Why are they so quiet today?

Souffle, who should have been banging drums and celebrating wildly, were unusually calm, only posting things like “This is insaneㅠㅠ.”

Why?

While other fandoms wondered, Souffle were furiously refreshing NewBlack TV.

It’s not there. It’s really not there.

Why?

Where is it...?

Surely a grand “Ta-da!” headquarters reveal video should have been uploaded.

Nothing.

They began shedding tears.

How can there be no content like this...!

Like people rolling around in a field of grain complaining there were no fruits, Souffle wailed.

Spoiled brats...

Other fandoms’ veins bulged.

[Yes! And finally, number one! Lemon Entertainment’s headquarters.]

[The newly relocated building, three basement levels and eight floors above ground, ranked first in today’s ‘Entertainment Agency Wealth Rankings’...]

On the TV mounted in the hallway, commentators were dissecting Lemon’s headquarters on a cable program called Ranking Man.

Junghyun looked fascinated.

“People must be really curious.”

“Is it that interesting...?”

I understood Souffle, but even ordinary people were curious about the inside.

Ri Hyuk said,

“I kind of get it. There are places you just want to see inside. The White House. A nuclear bunker. NASA...”

“The White House, nuclear bunker, NASA... and Lemon Entertainment.”

We burst into laughter.

“Let’s head in. Meeting time.”

We tossed our ice cream sticks in the trash.

After eating hamburg steak in the cafeteria, we had bought ice cream from the company convenience store.

Jiho looked dazed.

“It feels like a dream. Eating hotel-level food at the company, then buying ice cream from the company convenience store... This feels like the big agency I used to imagine.”

“Yeah. It’s different from what I imagined... but it’s nice.”

Back when I was a trainee at TJ, I used to imagine debuting and eating in the company cafeteria.

Turns out it would happen like this.

Conclusion: new headquarters 최고.

We entered the empty meeting room.

It looked like something out of NetPlus.

World-class minds debating oil prices.

“So nice... Hyung, let’s take a photo here.”

While taking selfies by the window overlooking Cheongdam, staff began arriving.

“Whoa...”

They were drenched in sweat.

“What happened?”

“The first floor is insane. Your fans lined up. The café was a battlefield.”

Fans? Battlefield?

We leaned over the window.

A long line.

From above, it looked like ants swarming sugar.

“There’s even a truck.”

“They’re restocking constantly. Limited quantities, but everything’s selling out in real time.”

“Wow.”

“They’re intense. Your fans.”

“They were shouting Math Ghost at us.”

“...Sorry.”

“Not your fault.”

We sat down.

The meeting began.

“So when are we filming the headquarters reveal content?”

“Next month. We’ll tie it to the comeback.”

“Perfect.”

After discussing promotions, collaborations, stylists—

“By the way,” Seokhwan said.

“You heard Scarlet’s going to Pyongyang?”

“Yeah.”

“You guys were almost considered too.”

“What?”

“The government floated your name to the North. But after that, nothing.”

“...Why?”

Our eyes turned to Junghyun.

“Ah.”

“That Japan content where you mimicked the supreme leader.”

“And the anti-communist chant at Jusehan.”

“...Fair.”

We laughed.

Then—

“The news you’ve been waiting for.”

Seokhwan smiled.

“Your next concert venue.”

Click.

The screen displayed:

[Olympic Main Stadium]

We exploded in cheers.

The Olympic Main Stadium.

Only a handful of K-pop artists had stood there.

Gymnastics Arena is a realistic goal.

Main Stadium is a dream.

Even before stepping on stage, excitement burned.

“We’ll do three days. Five would be too much physically.”

“Okay.”

“Congratulations, Wooju.”

“Thanks. We made it here.”

As everyone filed out—

“Oh. Studio LM called. Director Deborah Kim’s script is complete.”

“Oh?”

“Frank Chow agreed after reading it.”

I clenched my fist.

“But Deborah Kim said there’s a small issue. She wants you to review it.”

Two scripts.

Korean translation and original English.

Title: Sound of the Sun.

Using my father’s surname.

We began reading.

It was excellent.

Then—

“Look at the orphanage scene.”

[You are truly troublesome, Myungju! As punishment, you are forbidden from leaving the premises starting today!]

“......”

We all rubbed our foreheads.

I smiled and picked up my phone.

“Seokhwan hyung. It’s me. Tell the director I’d like to talk.”