13 Magic Shop

Min-soo left his Father's office still a little shocked at how easily he had just been given 25 million US dollars. He felt it was more than enough to start his own company and put it down the path to success.

His Father had even generously ordered Secretary Cho to give him a list of prominent names in what was left of the entertainment industry in Korea. There were a few familiar names, Lee Soo-man, Yang Hyun-suk and Park Jin-young among others. However, he was disappointed not to see the infamous Bang Si-hyuk aka 'Hitman' Bang among the list.

Min-soo decided to go find this Uncle Sun his Grandfather had told him to seek out. Apparently, he was an industry insider and had been around during the early days of the original project and had seen its rise and fall. However, he was an academic now as a guest lecturer at Hongik University.

Although Min-soo had not read nor heard anything about it, he was almost certain that his

Grandfather had tried to get into the entertainment industry in those days, he could guess from the tone of his voice. There was a slight frustration and his demand that Min-soo needed to be at the top was an obvious cue.

This Uncle Sun was more likely than not, the one who had managed his Grandfather's plans during those days. He was probably the face of it, then again, his Grandfather must have seen something during those days for him to not announce publicly his intentions. In hindsight it had been the right thing to do, as it kept the bad smell in the collapsing entertainment industry away from Antares.

His Grandfather had arranged for the two of them to meet at a coffee shop in Hongdae.

Walking into the coffee shop that was nothing unique with nearly a carbon copy dotting every corner. He recognised the older gentleman sipping his coffee by the window, from a photo he had been sent. Min-soo walked over and greeted him.

"Uncle Sun, I am Lee Min-soo, Grandfather has said much about you."

The older gentleman turned around and with a sparkle in his eye responded with the tone of an academic.

"Ahh… so you are the future of the Lee family, haha, Sun-ho is lucky to have such a handsome and diligent grandson like you. Come have a seat, order something to drink. They have really nice pastries here, my granddaughter always pesters me to get her some."

Min-soo took a seat and ordered a hot chocolate and a slice of cheesecake. He had never been a coffee drinker, he simply did not like the taste.

"The cheesecake is a good choice. So, what brings you here today, Min-soo?"

Getting right down to business, Min-soo told him about his plans. If his Grandfather had recommended him, then undoubtedly, he was someone he could trust, but then again, his plans were not some top-level secret anyway.

Listening patiently as Min-soo finished speaking, Uncle Sun then asked a simple question.

"Why?"

Min-soo was a little thrown off by the question, but on second thoughts the reasons were clear.

"Because I love K-pop." He responded passionately.

Uncle Sun's brows were raised in confusion, "K-pop?" It was then that Min-soo realised that he was speaking of something that did not exist.

"Uh, Korean pop music, I want to develop, produce, no, cultivate an environment where we can take the best of sounds from across the world and bring it together here in Korea, add our experiences, our culture, our traditions, our feelings and turn them into something bigger. Music that transcends the language barrier. That is my ambition."

Uncle Sun felt Min-soo's passion and was unable to remain unaffected, "Only music?" he asked.

"Maybe, one day it will be more, but for now. I want to create music and see those shining stars burn brightly across the sky all over the world."

"Well, since your Grandfather has already asked me to help you out, then I shall do the best that I can. But I must warn you, the path will be long and treacherous, it will not be easy. Even though we are essentially starting from nothing, the expectations placed upon you are no laughing matter. You need to be aware of your responsibilities." Uncle Sun lectured good naturedly.

Min-soo and Uncle Sun continued to chat as they exchanged ideas on where to start. They both agreed they needed to find an office, recruit staff and find talented arrangers, composers, lyricists, producers and most importantly the future idols.

"Min-soo, what are you planning on calling the company?"

Min-soo had given it a great deal of thought these past couple of days, but he knew without a doubt that there was only one appropriate name.

"Magic Shop Entertainment. I want to call it that."

"Strange name but I can see the allure in it, still I must ask, why?"

Naturally, Min-soo could not talk about the fact it was the best fan song from BTS and the meaning behind why they had chosen to call it that. So, he came up with the next best reason.

"Well, I want our company to be like a magic shop, we will pull trick after trick, success after success, miracle after miracle, it would be like we knew magic." Min-soo could not help but cringe inwardly as it sounded rather lame, but he felt that his performance was worthy of an Oscar.

Uncle Sun only laughed and played it off as the ambitions of youth.

"Very well then, CEO Lee, let's meet tomorrow and go find an office."

Min-soo paid the bill and bid Uncle Sun goodbye, "President Sun, I will see you tomorrow."

Min-soo returned home and ate something before going to bed early. His dream to bring K-pop to this world would officially begin the next day.