Kim Seo-jun looked at the three of them. Tiffany only had slight bruises on her arm however, Hyoyeon had a slight laceration on her forearm due to the impact of the glass bottles. Nichkun was fine with no injury so Seo-jun obviously knew which party had fought courageously.
Kim Hyoyeon leaned against the sofa holding her lacerated forearm where as Tiffany was nearly crying seeing her lacerations. She was crying seeing her friend suffer, not because of the pain she went through.
Just as Seo-jun was about to speak, his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and glanced at the name of Jin-young. JYP and SM are quite close in location. So, when he left JYP for whisper bar, he called Lee soo-man and proposed to go together as the case involved Nichkun and Seo-jun. Seo-jun told him the room number through the phone and minutes later, there were three more people in this room.
Lee soo-man and Park Jin-young both frowned when they saw the messed up scene of the room. Broken glass shards lingered everywhere. They could see Jae-ho unconscious in the floor, his head slightly swelled. Manager of Girl's Generation was overseeing the wounds on Tiffany and Hyoyeon's face.
Lee soo-man calmly looked at Seo-jun, "What just happened? I heard you were asked to stay away?"
Seo-jun looked at Lee soo-man, even though he seemed calm, he knew he was super angry just from his face. Without wasting time, he slowly explained what had happened, from recording to Sulli running and facing Jae-ho- everything.
Hearing that, Jin-young was in a dilemma. On one hand, he was glad that his artist had strong moral line and character. On the other hand, he was worried about him. He knew Nichkun was a coward from the 'without harmed' look on Nichkun.
He soon became quite excited thinking about the new promotion strategy he could pull through for Seo-jun. A hero. A savior for woman. Girls loved their knights and dreamt for it. Seo-jun, with proper public relations could be positioned as such.
He quickly proposed, " Let's go somewhere else." They all nodded, quickly left the bar. The manager went to the hospital for getting Tiffany and Hyoyeon treated. Sulli, Seo-jun and Nichkun went with Jin-young and Soo-man to SM for further clarification.
In the private room of SM, Lee Soo-man, Kim Young-min, Park Jin-young, and the legal, public relations from SM and JYP Entertainment were present along with the three of them. Seo-jun pulled out Jae-ho's phone as well as his phone and played out the contents.
Sulli was nearly drugged. Jae-ho's phone was filled with contents of victims of same cases. Kim Young-min adjusted his glasses, his expression somber, silently pondering how to handle this matter in a way that would minimize the impact on SM Entertainment, and what SM Entertainment could gain from this situation.
Lee Soo-man closed his eyes, took a deep breath, calmed down, and looked at the people standing against the wall.
Lee Soo-man turned his gaze to Kim Young-min and Park Jin-young: "What are your thoughts, Presidents?"
Kim Young-min adjusted his glasses: "SM Entertainment will always prioritize and protect their artists. The company will absolutely not stand idly by while Sulli is going through something like this."
His tone became quite stern suddenly, "Legal Department, call the police right now, compile all the evidences and submit it to the police, and formally indict Choi Jae-ho! Use every connection and sources you have to ensure this bastard receives the punishment he deserves! SM entertainment will not let this go."
The president of the legal department immediately stood up and replied with a serious expression, "Yes, president, it shall be done."
Park Jin-young spoke up rigorously," This matter will have significant impact on two companies. Both our companies need to carefully consider how to release the announcement. However, Seo-jun deserves a reward, don't you think?"
Hearing his cunning remark at the end, both soo-man and young-min looked at the two of them. SM entertainment had to bear good will towards him otherwise, media might tear them apart. Seo-jun saved Sulli after all.
"Our public relation team will cooperate. You need not to worry. Seeing how you coddle him, he might be a debut candidate right?" Kim young-min frowned and spoke.
Park Jin-young smirked and excitedly spoke, "Hmm. I have a plan to make him debut in May. So, I will release the announcement mentioning him, the future idol as a hero."
Lee soo-man gasped. 'Solo.' It has been a while JYP launched a solo male artist. Rain was the only popular solo artist they had and he didn't sign the contract anymore. 'He must be talented for Jin-young to fawn over him so much.'
Kim young-min thought of several situations. EXO will soon make its debut on April, Girl's Generation- TTS will be in May. This matter with the proper public relation, will boost their popularity and Stock price significantly. 'SM artists know how to protect each other.' He could already think of a headline.
He looked at Sulli and softened up, " Sulli. The company will not let you suffer anymore. You can take a break, visit a psychologist. Visit your family, friends. The company will back you up."
With that, Seo-jun and Nichkun left with Jin-young.
The next day, at 7 am, the South Korean entertainment industry was thrown into turmoil by two sudden announcements.
[SM Entertainment Official Announcement]
Date: March 14, 2012
Title: Statement Regarding the Illegal Harm Suffered by Our Artists.
SM Entertainment learned yesterday night that its exclusive contract artist, Sulli from F(x), was allegedly attacked at a private party by Choi Jae-ho (affiliated with Amoeba Culture) who attempted to sexually assault her through illegal means (drugs). Fortunately, the criminal act was discovered, recorded stopped in time by JYP Entertainment trainee and debut (May) candidate Kim Seo-jun, who was working as a resident singer, thus preventing the irreparable impact.
Meanwhile, during the course of events, our artists Tiffany and Hyoyeon (SNSD) suffered injuries while protecting Sulli. They have been sent to the hospital for examination and treatment, and the company will do its utmost to assist them in their recovery.
Preliminary investigation and evidence gathering indicate that the suspect, Choi Jae-ho, possessed a large amount of videos of crimes committed against other women. Our company expresses its strongest anger and condemnation of this inhumane crime.
SM Entertainment hereby solemnly declares the following:
We are determined to protect our rights: Yesterday night, the company accompanied the victimized artist to file a formal police report and submitted all the evidence we have. We will use all legal means to pursue the criminal liability of Choi Jae-ho and resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and safety of our artists.
We are offering full support: The company has arranged highest order medical support and psychological counseling for the artists involved in this matter, and will suspend some of their schedules in the near future to ensure that they gets enough rest and recovery.
Safety Commitment: SM Entertainment always prioritizes the safety and health of its artists. We will comprehensively review and strengthen our artists' security measures and privacy protection processes to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Clarification: It has been confirmed that JYP trainee, Kim Seo-jun demonstrated a high degree of justice and courage in this incident. His actions were entirely legal, and the company expresses its high gratitude to him. May he have a great debut in the near future and SM wishes him well for success.
We call on all sectors of society to work together to maintain a safe and healthy environment and have zero tolerance for all criminal activities. Thank you for your concerns.
President - Kim Young-min.
SM Entertainment
[JYP Entertainment Official Announcement]
Date: March 14, 2012
Title: Announcement Regarding the Involvement of Our Company's Artist Nichkun (2PM) and Debut Candidate (Kim Seo-jun) in Whisper Bar incident.
JYP Entertainment has confirmed that its artist Nichkhun (2PM) attended a private party for the first time on the evening of March 13th. An unfortunate incident occurred at the party, when one of the attendees, Choi Jae-ho, attempted to drug Sulli from F(x), a serious criminal activity.
This was the first time our artist Nichkhun had met with Choi Jae-ho. He did not participate in any illegal activities during the incident and, upon realizing the situation was unusual, took appropriate measures to address the circumstances. Following the incident, he actively cooperated with SM Entertainment personnel to protect the victimized artist and fully assisted in the investigation.
Kim Seo-jun, a young hero, not only found the activities of Choi Jae-ho but also protected the victim Sulli and informed authorities. He has been one of our brightest trainees and is soon to make his debut on May 10. He is a one in a generation prodigy JYP entertainment has ever seen. JYP entertainment will work alongside Kim Seo-jun to create his first album for his debut.
JYP Entertainment's position is as follows:
JYP Entertainment strongly condemns the alleged criminal acts that occurred at the party and firmly supports the lawful punishment of the criminal.
We will fully cooperate with the police and relevant companies in their investigation and provide necessary assistance.
we will focus on health: Considering the impact of the incident, the company decided to allow Nichkhun to temporarily adjust his schedule and get sufficient rest and mental well-being.
JYP Entertainment emphasizes its principles: It strictly requires its artists to abide by laws and social ethics, and will continue to strengthen artist education and management in the future. So that there can be more people like Kim Seo-jun.
President Park Jin-young
JYP Entertainment.
These two announcements threw a stone in the pond creating ripples everywhere. Fans were busy weeping for justice. They were rushing to the scene for the protection and health status of their idols. Media was already trying to find information on the topic, searching for proper coverage.
Soon, they started to make reports on this issue and made Kim Seo-jun a hero. Sadly, media can easily create a hero or destroy one.