How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 221 Not an Inch of Land Will Be Yielded
KT's current revenue relies entirely on advertising income, but it can barely cover staff salaries and cannot support technology upgrades and research and development. He has been thinking about how to increase revenue.

At the same time, Wang Yao's investment in the entertainment and e-commerce sectors is also aimed at providing a stable cash flow.

“GIFT service,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

“GIFT?” Kim Bum-joo was taken aback. This word meant a free gift or present, and for a moment he couldn’t recall any connection to KT.

The so-called GIFT service is a future WeChat gift card service. A can directly purchase a gift for B, and B can simply fill in the shipping address and the gift will be shipped online.

This service won't be available on WeChat for another 23 years, but KT has actually been using it to make a profit since 2010. The main reason is that Korea is too small and its e-commerce development is not as fast as China's. After all, you can get to a shopping mall in ten minutes by subway, so there is no need to wait for home delivery.

Therefore, gift cards in small countries are specifically used for daily consumption and group buying.

"That's why we acquired a group-buying team," Wang Yao explained. "You should be familiar with the group-buying redemption model. This system can be directly applied to KT, just like issuing online group-buying coupons."
I see you Koreans drink coffee every day. We've partnered with several large coffee chain stores, taking a 10% commission. Imagine, a couple regularly sends each other a coffee every day. Assuming 100 million users use this feature daily, and the average price is $4 (4000 won) per cup, that's $4 in commissions every day.

Besides everyday beverages, they also sell movie tickets, restaurant vouchers, and even e-commerce gifts, making their revenue scale considerable.

Kim Bum-joo was shocked. For an app with extremely high daily usage, if it were linked to everyday consumer goods, the stickiness would be self-evident. Moreover, KT is currently mainly used by three groups: office workers, students, and housewives. These are the groups with the highest frequency of daily consumption!

"However, the reimbursement issue is a problem," Jin Fanzhu said, suppressing his excitement.

The group-buying industry is a hot sector globally, and he naturally knew about it. However, the biggest problem at present is that group-buying verification relies on two methods: SMS verification codes and electronic voucher barcodes.

If we integrate with the KT system, we will not only need to develop new technologies, but we may also need to bear the cost of terminal equipment such as barcode scanners for merchants, with an average cost of more than 2000 yuan per device.

“My team has developed a mobile phone QR code scanning technology.” Wang Yao handed Jin Fanzhu a US version iPhone 4 and demonstrated the 'QR code scanning technology' that Xingyou Company had just developed and matured.

QR code technology and mobile phone scanning technology are two different fields.

The former was invented by Masahiro Hara of Japan in 1994. He initially registered a patent, but later found it was not conducive to promotion, so he shared it for free. However, he registered patents for all QR code scanning tools, which is also his way of making a profit.

The mobile phone scanning technology bypasses the scanning tool patent of the original Changhong. Xingyou uses the "method, device and mobile terminal for communication using barcode images" to complete the "scanning" practical technology of a closed-loop transaction system from server encoding (dynamic code) - terminal scanning - decoding - execution.

Furthermore, using the iPhone 4 as a prototype for testing, they obtained intellectual property rights in more than 100 countries around the world, waiting only for the iPhone 4 to become popular globally before reaping the benefits of the patents.

The technology of scanning QR codes with mobile phones requires three things: a QR code standard, a decoding chip, and smartphone hardware. In fact, the technology is not difficult. Jin Fanzhu understood the principle after just one use.

"This is an invention that will impact the very foundation of mobile commerce." Jin Fanzhu's expression became somewhat complicated. Once mobile devices experience a major boom, the value of this patent will be a stable revenue chain.

"Do you think that GIFT services, which rely on scanning with a mobile phone, can solve the terminal cost problem?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.

"Is KT going to start making a profit and go public right after its Series A funding round?" Kim Bum-jokingly remarked.

"With this scan function, the speed of group buying promotion will increase significantly. KT has the advantage of user stickiness. If we can directly achieve the level of 'interoperable scanning of everything' using KT, then once online payment is integrated, users won't even need to carry cash when they go out in the future."
KT needs to secure this trading hub position early to ensure user loyalty, so e-commerce group buying must be planned in advance. The promotional role of entertainment is self-evident, so this investment is better done later than earlier.
"If you think 2500 million is too much, you can take out 1500 million to invest directly in e-commerce and group buying, and then turn around to invest in culture and entertainment. However, now is indeed a good time to buy cultural assets at rock-bottom prices." Wang Yao explained the situation to Jin Fanzhu.

Because of the recent controversy surrounding Jang Ja-yeon and the current buzz surrounding Jun Ji-hyun, the entire entertainment sector in Korea is bound to experience significant volatility and a sharp decline; this is beyond doubt.

“I’ll think about it.” Kim Bum-joo hesitated for a moment, then turned the conversation back to other details of the GIFT service.

After Wang Yao made a brief visit to KT Company, he left. By then, the "Jun Ji-hyun wiretapping scandal" had dominated social media, with netizens condemning the agency for supporting Jun Ji-hyun and even many celebrities speaking out.

Later that evening, the well-known Japanese gossip media outlet Bunshunsha revealed on its MS and MLS platforms that the man in Jun Ji-hyun's scandal was actually her boyfriend of 13 years, who was also an executive at SK Entertainment. The reason for their breakup was that Jun Ji-hyun cheated on her boyfriend with a wealthy young man last year, which led to the exposure of a flirtatious recording and text messages, once again turning the topic of the scandal around.

Suddenly, major Korean media outlets began reporting numerous stories about Jun Ji-hyun's past behavior, such as being arrogant, replacing male leads, and snatching endorsements, causing public opinion to shift again.

In the morning, she was a pitiful "beautiful, strong, and tragic" woman exploited and monitored by the company like a tool; by evening, she had transformed into a "scheming bitch" who used her looks to gain resources, bullied her peers, rose to prominence, and then climbed the social ladder to go solo.

After all, the news was reported by Japanese media, so Korean netizens can no longer label the conglomerates.

However, the official statement from "Snow Secret" followed, stating that due to the controversy and negative comments surrounding Jun Ji-hyun, the production team had canceled her role and was now casting a new, more suitable actress.

"Snow Secret" is one of the most discussed films in Korea, because it is a film in which a Korean actress makes her way back into Hollywood, and she is even a co-lead actress. With the added influence of Jun Ji-hyun, it is naturally highly anticipated.

Now, due to the sudden shift in public opinion, many people have turned their expectations into resentment and have gone on to criticize Jun Ji-hyun for being disappointing and failing to seize such a good opportunity.

However, Jun Ji-hyun's side quickly clarified that the change of role was not due to public opinion, but because of the influence of the "investor" Huaxia in the production team, and mentioned the comments made about "Mount Baekdu" at the dinner party.

The comments took another turn, with Korean netizens blindly supporting Jun Ji-hyun, but this was quickly ridiculed by netizens from Japan.

The Goryeo side insists that their ancestors, Goguryeo, once conquered as far as the interior of China, and that Mount Baekdu has belonged to Goryeo since ancient times.

The Japanese side presented documents proving that Goryeo and Goguryeo had no relation whatsoever. Goryeo was originally a tributary state of China. Back then, Goryeo was still a group of savages called the Three Hans. Besides, Goryeo was thousands of miles away from Mount Baekdu and had never even seen it. If they really wanted to steal it, they should at least have notified their northern neighbors and seen if they were willing to help them.

The two sides engaged in a second round of attacks, this time with the Japanese side putting in a great deal of effort, citing numerous sources and using various academic papers to refute the claims and popularize scientific knowledge.

The Korean internet is buzzing with activity, with netizens engaging in a lively debate between their left and right brains.

On Chinese social media, however, the response was overwhelmingly sarcastic and supportive. After all, Li Bingbing was the only representative from the Chinese side in "The Snow Secret," and many people went to her comment section to express their support.

Li Bingbing also publicly stated that the controversy was indeed real, and that it was necessary to stand firm against any challenge. He also thanked Deng Wendi, the investor of the "Snow Secret" production team, and director Wang Ying for their support, and announced that the production team had officially become a subsidiary of Tianhuo Entertainment.

"The Secret of Snow" would most likely lose the Korean market, so Deng Wendi decisively followed Wang Yao's arrangement and shifted the publicity focus back to China.

Recently, there have been two hot topics in China: Alibaba and Tianhuo.

Then everyone suddenly realized that after half a month of restructuring, Tianhuo Entertainment (formerly Chengtian Entertainment) had quietly resumed trading today, but the stock price fell directly below 2 yuan, which was somewhat disappointing.

It's normal for Li Bingbing to promote "Snow Secret" when she's at the peak of her popularity, since she's the female lead and a beneficiary. But what's with her suddenly announcing her joining Skyfire Entertainment?
Then, while everyone was criticizing the "stealing" and supporting the "Snow Secret" production team, suddenly many "on-site weirdos" appeared on various social media forums, claiming to be staff members of "Snow Secret" and vividly describing the argument between Li Bingbing and Jun Ji-hyun, and revealing...

At the time, the CEO of a domestic media company happened to be having dinner with Deng Wendi. After hearing Li Bingbing's complaints, he publicly stated that the role had to be replaced and that he would compensate for all losses. He also stated that China Film Group would not allow any artist with such a bad reputation to participate.

These revelations undoubtedly point directly to Tianhuo Entertainment, which Li Bingbing has joined.

The following day, before the Hong Kong stock market opened, Tianhuo Media released two announcements on its official accounts across various platforms.

1. Tianhuo Media will participate in the post-production and distribution of "Snow Secret". 2. Tianhuo Media sold a portion of its shares in its Korean branch to KT Entertainment, which was then renamed KT Entertainment.

The first point undoubtedly confirms the rumors that were circulating widely last night.

The second point is interpreted as follows: Tianhuo was targeted by the Korean market for refusing to concede an inch of territory, forcing Tianhuo to relinquish its branch offices. As a result of this incident, Tianhuo Online Media may lose the Korean market and suffer huge losses.

The public was immediately outraged, and netizens immediately labeled Wang Yao as someone who would "not yield an inch of ground." For a company CEO with such a firm stance, Chinese netizens have never hesitated to support him.

However, Wang Yao does not have a social media account, so everyone can only go to the Tianhuo-affiliated artists' accounts to comment and follow.

Some even declared, "I owe Tianhuo a movie ticket. With Tianhuo's backbone, I'll support him even if his future movies are garbage."

Rumors even circulated in investment circles that Tianhuo Media's acquisition of Tianhuo Entertainment might be a backdoor listing, which immediately sparked the interest of many stock investors.

When the stock market opened this morning, Tianhuo immediately surged with a single positive candlestick.

The same news was naturally reprinted by Korean media.

After a night of fermentation and the tireless guidance of various media outlets, the public finally accepted the fact that Mount Baekdu may not have any connection with Korea, but Jun Ji-hyun is indeed a bitch who rose to the top through unspoken rules!

Many child actors and staff members have spoken ill of Jun Ji-hyun, saying that she has a bad temper, is disrespectful, and acts like a diva. All of her works have also been dug up and re-analyzed.

The main source of these leaked materials is naturally within SK Entertainment; they have both solid evidence and the right people to contact them.

Even if Jun Ji-hyun's true nature is not like that, no one is perfect and everyone has moments of emotional instability. Especially for celebrities who enjoy emperor-like treatment every day, even if they are humble, it is difficult for them to treat their staff as human beings over time.

Moreover, Korea itself is a place with a clear class system, so there are countless examples of 'disrespect' and 'workplace bullying' to find.

Subsequently, national brands such as CJ, Three Stars, Lineage, and LG also suspended their endorsement deals with Jun Ji-hyun.

SK and CJ reached a tacit understanding to temporarily put aside their dispute and resolutely prevent these actors from causing chaos. The artists who originally wanted to stand on their own with Jun Ji-hyun also fell silent and dared not show their faces again.

After all, when a whale falls, many things are born. If a top-tier actress like Jun Ji-hyun collapses, her resources will inevitably be taken over by others. For their own benefit, these related artists dare not say much.

Netizens are just onlookers, viewers who only believe the 'truth' they learn from the information disclosed by the media. Overnight, Jun Ji-hyun's reputation and public image collapsed.

The nation's first love has become the nation's newborn.

The speed was so fast that even Wang Yao was a little astonished. Right now, the Korean conglomerate's control over the entertainment industry was stronger than he had imagined. No wonder the CJ CEO's selection of a concubine cost less than 10 RMB.

Korea is definitely the best value for money.

Jun Ji-hyun lost everything overnight.

Even though the lawyer clearly told her that Zheng Xun would inevitably be punished for the wiretapping incident, and that their chances of winning the case were as high as 95%.

But Jun Ji-hyun's face was already deathly pale.

You won the case, but what happens next?

SK Entertainment has already broken ties, and CJ Entertainment, which had previously agreed to cooperate, has suddenly stopped. Even her current boyfriend, Choi Joon-ha, flew back to the United States yesterday to avoid the storm, fearing that he would be implicated. His grandmother also came forward immediately to clarify that her grandson was not dating Jun Ji-hyun, nor did he interfere in her relationship; the two were just childhood friends.

Jun Ji-hyun felt like she was in a dream.

She still had several messages of condolence from friends on her phone, but she was no longer in the mood to read them.

I was clearly the victim, and I was the one being monitored and restricted, so why did it end up like this?

After much thought, Jun Ji-hyun conjured up a series of repulsive faces in her mind, including Jung Hoon, Choi Joon-ha, Lee Bing-bing, Noh Suk-young, and Lee Boo-jung, before finally settling on a strange yet young face.

Wang Yao.

Although it was the first time they met yesterday, Jun Ji-hyun still knew a little about him. After all, given her age and status, if she wanted to find a suitable partner, she would naturally prioritize young, promising men from around the world.

Wang Yao wasn't very famous in Korea. The only time he made it to the trending topics was when he was photographed attending a banquet with Girls' Generation's Jessica Jung.

But in their circle, Wang Yao is quite famous. After all, he is a foreign company that produced "Superman" and also worked with three stars to prepare three major films: "Melting," "Plain," and "Play." Any female artist with a brain would pay attention to him.

Putting money aside for now, he's undeniably handsome. With his potential, even if he ends up living off a woman after marriage, many older actresses would still be willing to date him.

Why do female celebrities around the world often have to pay off their husbands' debts?
The reason is that their criteria for choosing a partner is not based on wealth, but on potential potential disguised as wealth. If the investment fails, they will naturally accept it.

When Wang Yao said he wanted to replace her, she was somewhat dismissive, not believing that an outsider could really have the influence to make SK and CJ shake hands and make peace. But, ironically, he seemed to have actually done it.

She didn't think that Lee Boo-jung's decision affected CJ. After all, it was common knowledge that the CJ CEO harbored resentment towards Lee Boo-jung's lineage, not to mention that Lee Boo-jung was just a family member without real power.

From any perspective, CJ's actions in helping Jun Ji-hyun win this victory maximized his own interests.

Putting all other factors aside, the only variable might really be this young Chinese man.

Jun Ji-hyun deeply regretted it; she shouldn't have used the topic of Mount Baekdu as a pretext.

She used to not believe that a person's fate could be changed by a chance encounter.

But now she suddenly remembered the senior who introduced her to the modeling job in her first year of high school.

That moment felt just like yesterday when I unintentionally offended Wang Yao.

She was unwilling to accept such an ending and wanted to try again.

(End of this chapter)