The elevator doors opened on the floor where SM Entertainment's management team was located, and Ou Yangguang charged out like an enraged cheetah.
The leather shoes made a rapid and clear echo on the polished marble floor, sounding particularly jarring in the empty corridor late at night.
Lee Seung-hwan followed behind, panting, his attempts to dissuade him in vain.
"Xiaoguang! Calm down! Let's go talk to Zhenxu first, don't act impulsively!"
Ou Yangguang ignored the warnings; his goal was clear—
The office of the head of the Artist Management Department.
At this moment, the phrases "VOGUE solo cover" and "the company might not agree" kept echoing in his mind, and he was filled with anger that he wanted to unleash.
Why? Why should the opportunities he worked so hard for have to be given way to so-called "team balance" time and time again?
Just because he's popular, does that mean he has to sacrifice himself for others time and time again?
He didn't even knock; he simply turned the handle and pushed the door open.
In the office, Director Ahn Soo-wook seemed to be getting ready to leave work, holding his coat in his hand. When he saw Ou Yangguang suddenly barging in with an angry expression and Lee Seung-hwan looking anxious behind him, he paused for a moment, then frowned slightly.
“SUN? Shouldn’t you be filming at this time? What’s going on?” Ahn Soo-wook’s voice was stern and displeased.
"Filming?" Ou Yangguang twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a cold smile. He walked to the desk, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and looked directly at Ahn Soo-wook. "Director, before discussing my filming schedule, shouldn't we talk about why the company even turned down the invitation for a solo cover shoot for VOGUE?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an extremely suppressed questioning tone, each word like an ice bead hitting the ground.
The black leather jacket with a white fur collar made him look more like the fearless Choi Young-do in the drama, with a sharp and reckless edge.
Ahn Soo-wook's face darkened. He put down his coat, sat back in his chair, and his tone became firm: "Ou Yangguang, watch your attitude! The company's decisions are made from a holistic perspective! EXO is a team, and excessive exposure by any individual can disrupt the team's harmony and development! I thought you understood that long ago!"
"Overall considerations? Harmonious development?" Ou Yangguang repeated these two words, his eyes blazing with anger. "So, I have to sacrifice my personal opportunities time and time again? From personal endorsements to movie scripts, and now even a solo cover for VOGUE has to give way? Director, I want to ask, what position do I have to reach before I deserve to have the resources that belong to me, Ou Yangguang, personally?!"
His voice finally rose, filled with barely suppressed emotion.
Li Chenghuan, who was listening from the side, was terrified and wanted to go forward to pull him away, but was stopped by Ou Yangguang with a look.
"Your position?" Ahn Soo-wook slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. "Ou Yangguang, don't forget how you got to where you are today! It was the company, it was EXO, that gave you the opportunity! Without SM, where would you, Ou Yangguang, be now?! Do you think one drama like 'The Heirs' will make you so powerful that you can ignore the company's plans?"
“I haven’t forgotten!” Ouyang met his gaze without flinching, her eyes reddening with emotion. “I cherish EXO and my members more than anyone else! But I also cherish my future as an actor and as an artist! I’m not asking for special privileges, I’m just asking for a fair opportunity! A normal opportunity for me to develop myself while doing my job well with the team! Is that too much to ask?”
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his voice, but his determination remained unwavering: "A solo cover for VOGUE is more than just a photoshoot; it represents the highest recognition in the fashion industry and affirms my current influence! Doesn't this benefit the team's image? Why must we use 'rejection' to maintain that false balance? Are the members of EXO destined to have no outstanding individual development?"
A barrage of questions rained down on Lee Jin-wook.
The atmosphere in the office plummeted to freezing point.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
