2pm. The official start of the press conference.
Just before Hwang Hyunjin entered the hall, Jisoo pulled him aside and reconfirmed, "Are you sure President Kim will get rid of Jong-In today? If that's the case, then why didn't she cancel the press conference?"
"She already confirmed with me that she will be announcing something else, so there is no reason to cancel it. Plus...shouldn't we give Jong-In a glimmer of hope?" Hyunjin was dressed in a black handmade cropped suit which made him appear tall and handsome like a British gentleman.
Jisoo looked around the hall and nodded in agreement, "Of course, I want to see him be stripped of his pride..."
Hyunjin smiled as he strode over to the entrance of the hall and waited for Jennie's arrival.
HYPE's huge conference hall, at this moment, was packed with curious reporters as Hyunjin escorted Jennie to her seat at the front of the stage.
In reality, the reason for the huge response from the media was not only because Jennie had promoted the press conference well, but also because everyone was curious about Kim Jong-In and Lee Jieun's scandal a few years back. To this day, no one had found out what truly happened.
Dressed in a classy and professional suit, Jennie appeared smart and competent. On her left sat some of HYPE's higher-ups and on her right sat Hwang Hyunjin. As for Jisoo, she was currently standing below the stage, watching as things developed.
"Friends of the media, I hope you are well," Jennie greeted through the microphone. "Firstly, I would like to welcome you all here. HYP Entertainment has decided to hold this press conference today because of...3 pieces of great news which we would like to share with you all."
"Number one: HYP Entertainment has been making preparations to enter the film industry. We are currently raising funds for our first film and hope that you can show some support. Number two: HYP Entertainment's subsidiary company will be officially in operation at the end of this month. We are currently on a recruitment drive, if there are any capable professionals out there, we would love to have you join our family."
After listening to two consecutive announcements from Jennie, Jisoo began to relax a little. She was confident...since Jennie had not mentioned Jong-In yet, she must have decided not to mention him at all and cover up the news of his homecoming with something else. So, she subconsciously glanced at Hyunjin; their plan seemed to have worked.
However, at this time, Jennie suddenly announced the third piece of good news.
"The third piece of good news, which I am extremely proud to announce, is that our most capable manager, Mr. Kim Jong-In, will be returning to our embrace as a top manager and continuing to assist us with his skills," while saying this, Jennie stood up out of her seat and gestured towards the entrance with her right hand...
The media's attention was directed over. There, standing in the doorway, was Jong-In wearing a white suit. He looked like a poised royal prince that had stepped out of a painting.
Jisoo and Hyunjin's expressions suddenly flushed with red. Or should we say,J ennie's move was like a fiery hot slap across the two's face.
Hyunjin looked down like he was deep in thought. Meanwhile, Jisoo glared resentfully at Jennie...
Was she really not afraid that she would run off with her resources?
Impossible...
Jisoo was flustered as she watched Jong-In take one step at a time towards the stage. In fact, if one took the slightest notice of her, they would have realized Jisoo was currently trembling.
Jennie glared at her coldly like she was looking at a clown. It was not until Jong-In reached the stage that she finally continued speaking, "I'll now hand the microphone over to Manager Kim so he can continue announcing the good news."
He looked at everyone and gave a bow before straightening up his body and speaking in high spirits, "Being able to return to HYPE and President Kim's side is an extremely heartwarming and touching thing. So...I have brought along a gift for President Kim."
After speaking, it was Jong-In's turn to gesture towards the entrance as everyone's attention was once again turned towards the doorway...
A tall figure appeared at the end of the red carpet. She appeared stylishly elegant and possessed her own unique beauty; unlike her usual plain style.
"Oh God...Y/N!"
"What is this? Why is Y/N here?" the reporters were in a frenzy. Y/N was like a legend; there were traces of her everywhere even when she wasn't around.
She didn't even make an appearance during the entire Sunmi incident, yet, at this moment, why was she at HYPE's press conference?
"That's right, it's Lee Y/N. Seoul's former top model, the winner of the Special Contribution Award at this year's Annual Model Awards and currently the hottest trend. Today, I will officially announce that she is signing on with HYP Entertainment," Jong-In's words were charismatic as he hyped up the atmosphere.
"As for me, my first mission upon returning to HYPE, is to be Y/N's personal manager. I have faith in her. She is still a superstar on the runway and she will only get better," as Jong-In spoke these words he looked mockingly at Jisoo and Hyunjin.
A look of shame and reluctance appeared on their faces.
Jong-In thought he heard them say, how dare he bring Y/N!
How dare he sign Y/N behind our backs!
How could Jennie trick us like this?
But, was this already too much for them? The Climax was yet to come!
Y/N had actually signed on with HYPE; this was something no one expected.
After leaving GC, multiple companies had sent over their offers. Amongst them were companies like Star Age and Creative Century. But, who would of thought, Y/N had actually bypassed all second-grade companies and become a signed model at one of the biggest agencies.
Most surprising of all was that Kim Jong-In had become her personal manager!
Was it because they had similar experiences? Or was it because they had both been through a slump in their lives?
One was an ex-top-model, the other was an ex-top-manager, paired up together, they would make an extremely strong team. The media already began predicting that HYP Entertainment were about to stir up the entire industry.
Jisoo watched as Y/N approached the stage; this was the woman she had racked her brains trying to prevent from entering HYPE. Through her glasses, her eyes were ablaze with a fiery anger.
She had told herself so many times to show people, it was impossible for Y/N to join HYPE...
But, was this the impossible she was talking about?
Jisoo's hands clenched into fists. She could feel a sense of shame seeping through her limbs.
In front of the sea of cameras, Y/N approached the stage confidently. Afterwards, she turned to the media and bowed politely.
"Hello, I am Lee Y/N..."
From the time she announced her comeback to now, whether it was the Oriental Trend or TQ, as a model, she used her abilities to convince the public. And as a celebrity, her low-profile and aloofness from the world made several attempts at framing her go to waste. The media were afraid to defame her anymore because she had previously face-slapped too many people.
Especially after the Sunmi incident where she made no excuses, she received a loud applause from the public for her high degree of tolerance. In the eyes of everyone, Y/N was a refreshing change for the modeling industry...
"Y/N, tell us a bit about your thoughts..." the reporters encouraged.
She smiled slightly and nodded as she retrieved the microphone from Jong-In, "I trust in my decision."
"Does that mean you are willing to battle it out on the same stage with HYPE's other capable models? For example, Lisa and Danni."
Lisa was the last trump card Jisoo had in her hands, in fact, she was the only useful card. So hearing Lisa being mentioned, Jisoo looked provokingly at Y/N.
Lisa was an international supermodel at just 21-years-old. Did Y/N really want to catch up?
She must be dreaming!
Y/N glanced at Jisoo subconsciously as the corners of her lips curved upwards. She then responded, "Each of us have our own unique beauty and stand-out feature. However, I still have a long way to go..."
What she meant by this was that she wanted to be left to peacefully walk her own path; could the media please stop comparing?
"Y/N, I have a question I want to ask. From what I know, you've previously handed your portfolio to HYP Entertainment, but you were rejected because of your age. How did you get them to change their mind?"
Hearing this, all the reporters were stunned. So it turned out, there was an inside story behind Y/N joining HYPE.
Y/N had remained calm the entire time, but at this moment, her gaze suddenly landed on Jisoo.
Jennie also looked at Jisoo. Even Hyunjin...found himself lifting his head and looking into Jisoo's eyes.
She suddenly fell into a panic; what was the meaning of this?
"Y/N, can you answer this question?"
The media did not give up. But, this question was much too difficult to answer. So, Jennie grabbed the microphone from Y/N's hands and responded, "Actually, there's one more thing I want to announce to everyone today."
The reporter's turned to Jennie questioningly; unsure of her motives.
A moment later, she pulled out an envelope. The word 'resignation' was written on the top.
As soon as Jisoo saw this, her heart began to race as she panicked...
"HYPE's long-serving employee, Miss Kim Jisoo, has handed in her resignation today. I am extremely thankful for her years of hard work and contribution. I wish you all the best. So, here...I will officially approve of your resignation."
This was a public event, but Jennie approved of Jisoo's resignation in front of everyone.
She felt her legs get weak as she almost fell on the floor.
She had placed all her bets on this to threaten Jennie. Never did she imagine, she would end up using it to her advantage and kick her out of HYPE...
Kicking her out of HYPE?
This was something she suggested herself. She personally burned her own bridges and got fired just like that.
Jisoo never expected Jennie to be so ruthless as to kick her out in front of everyone.
"Jisoo, come up here, say a few words," Jennie waved at her.
She had obviously handed in her resignation along with Hyunjin, but for some reason, Jennie only kicked her out...
Jisoo sneered. Although her body felt limp, her pride wouldn't allow her to act out of line. So, she walked onto the stage and faced the media.
"Firstly, I would like to thank HYP Entertainment for helping me grow over the years and President Kim for taking care of me. But...I have nothing to say about my resignation. I just hope that from now on things will run smoothly! It's correct that I will be officially leaving HYPE. But, before I leave, I will make sure I follow handover procedures properly. President Kim can be rest-assured."
"After Miss Kim leaves HYPE, will you take some models with you?" the media went straight for her weakness. She began to suspect Jennie had organized all this.
Under such circumstances, she couldn't possibly say that she'd be taking Lisa with her. So, she gritted her teeth and shook her head, " Of course not."
Jisoo did not know when she had finished speaking and how she returned to her spot below the stage. The career she had spent so many years growing and the years she spent planning ahead, had all been destroyed, just like that!
Did she just dig her own grave?
And what about Hyunjin? Didn't he say he would help? What did he do in the end?
Only she could be so silly and stupid to think of herself as someone special that he would help.
Y/N watched as Jisoo left. She had a complicated look in her eyes...
Does it feel good to lose everything?
Not long after, the press conference neared its end. After Y/N and Jisoo gave their farewells, they left HYP Entertainment with Jong-In. However, Jisoo was unexpectedly waiting for her at the main entrance.
"Y/N, we need to talk!"