Chapter 548 The trap!-1
The following morning, as soon as Kim woke up, he went to the bank to discuss his mortgage. He only had a few months left before owning the whole thing, but he needed to raise funds as soon as possible in these pressing times.
It was the same for Leeteuk and Mi Sun; they also gathered and tallied their assets to pay the incoming penalty. The fee was a whopping one billion won, which roughly came up to a million dollars for each person.
Everyone knew the label contract always favoured the corporation so the artists wouldn't switch when they became famous. The more well-known they were, the heavier the fee was for breaking the contract.
Grace Generation and SK Boys hadn't reached their full potential, so one billion won was a little low by industry standards. Most of them hadn't seen this type of money in their entire life; only Leeteuk and Mi Sun could cough up that much if they sold a substantial amount of their assets.
But they also needed to raise money for their fellow band members, so everyone was running around financing whatever they had. Cars? Jewelry? Apartment? None of that matters!
Their movement didn't go unnoticed by people following them, and soon Jung heard about what they were up to. He didn't think they would sacrifice so much for their band of brothers, but it was not out of his calculation.
" Are you sure?"
" Yes, sir, I have been on his tail for several hours. I even sat beside him pretending to look for homes and clearly heard that he was selling most of his stuff."
" Why would he go to a newly established bank for that? Shouldn't he get better prices at local banks?" Jung didn't want to be careless at the last minute. He tried to cover every base so that his prey wouldn't have anywhere to escape!
" That's exactly why, apparently, they are holding an event. Customers could borrow money at a minimal fee if the collateral property is undervalued. One could put up anything as long as it has some value. I received news that others are also rushing here as we speak."
" Isn't that a blatant scam? Why would they be giving away money without any profit?" Jung asked and thought about it for a while. Why was he worried for his enemy? Wasn't it better if he was scammed out of his belongings?
" Should I investigate-"
" Leave it. Keep tailing him; I want hourly reports without any delay!"
Jung thought and knew he was overreacting; they might be able to raise the capital, but what after that? He had already issued an industry-wise ban on each of them. It didn't mean they couldn't work in the industry, but none of the significant corporations would dare defy his instructions.
It's not because he had power over them; instead, it was a typical industry deal, " You scratch my back, I will scratch yours." Everyone had to think about their profit; with them being established, they only needed to band together and keep any new competitors out of the game to hold a firm grip on the market!
Jung sat down and pulled out the documents that he had prepared for them. He went through them for one last time, after which he nodded in satisfaction.
" The stage was set; now I just need them to come to me." He proclaimed arrogantly, stretching his chair to sit comfortably.
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Kim, Leeteuk and Mi Sun met at the same bank; each had a stack of papers in their hand. Before arriving here, Leeteuk and Mi Sun collected whatever they could from their band members. It was not much, but every dollar helped.
They also wanted to accompany them, but Kim strictly forbade anyone from leaving the house for a few days. If they were to be seen in public together right now, the matter would blow over to the next level. They only needed to weather the storm and stick to the 'plan'.
They promptly entered the bank and handed everything to the two people already waiting for them. They began going through with everything; with how urgently Kim needed capital, he didn't forget to call beforehand.
Even then, the paperwork took hours; by the time they were done, the sun was starting to set, signalling that it was almost evening.
" Is it enough?" Mi Sun asked.
" Probably. Should we go now or-"
" We will go now." Kim was determined. He wanted it to be over as soon as possible.
" I should call everyone, especially Yoona. She was freaking out that I left her alone in my house." Mi Sun stepped aside to make some calls.
" I should do the same. Since everyone has already decided, let's get this over with." Leeteuk also decided to inform others.
Everyone needed to be present because the document would require their signature and few witnesses. After all, it was such a significant transaction. Within an hour, they travelled to the headquarters to meet with Jung.
Everyone, even Yoona, showed up wearing a full mask and cap to hide her face. She didn't want to be here but knew how important it was for the plan.
When they entered the office, everyone began whispering, but no one came to talk to any of them. Kim completely ignored their prying gazes and entered Jung's office, where he found him waiting for him.
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" Welcome everyone, oh, even Miss Yoona is here. I didn't expect you to show up today." Jung didn't lie when he said it. How fast were these scammers that they had gathered the capital in a day? He commended Kim's tenacity in his mind, but that was it. He didn't get a fair deal with how impatient they were to get out of the contract.
Yoona looked at him with hateful eyes; he was why public sentiment was so distorted. Park did inform everyone about how their agency hired people just to harass them online.
" That's enough pleasantries; shouldn't we get to business?" Kim said coldly.
" Look at you, you used to call me boss, but now you are speaking informality to me as soon as you got fired. Well, it doesn't matter. How can I help you today?" Jung asked coyly.
" You already know why we are here. Isn't that stack of documents for us?"
" Maybe, but first, did everyone think this through clearly? I don't know about you, but I bet it will be hard knowing that you are simply giving everything away to the company." Jung looked at everyone's down faces, simply relishing the feeling.
" Shindong? Ningning? Don't tell me you are returning to the countryside to help your family with farms? Because I know how tough you are, I will give you one last chance to back away. You can enjoy a few more years of fame on accord that I will transfer you to a band of my choice. Knowing that you guys are just collateral damage isn't the right decision?" Jung singled out those who came from the poorest backgrounds.
He didn't like how Kim was taking charge; some in-fighting would be a bit more spicy, right? He could see it in their faces with how defeated they were just to accompany their so-called friend to their career 'grave'.
" Stop joking around; everyone here has already decided." Mi Sun exclaimed.
" We won't be bullied by you ever again!" Siwon added.
" Whether you will have a smooth sailing career or a disaster waiting to unfold, it's all up for debate now. Before everything, did you bring the money? If so, I can call the lawyers-"
" Since you had me followed, don't you know that already?" Kim said sarcastically.
" I see that you haven't lost your edge. It's not called being followed; those men are put there for your protection and a safeguard so that you don't flee the country or something. Since Yoona had that..what do they call it? Mishap right? With a foreigner that you refused to identify, I have to protect my investment." Jung said in a condescending tone, fully showing what he actually felt inside.
" You bastard, here is your fucking cheque! Now give us our release contract, so I know you are not messing around here." Kim slammed the cheque on his table.
" Now, now, no need to get so worked up. I have to see if this thing is even legit. You can never be too precautious, right?" He took the cheque and frailed it around. He already knew that it was a real deal, but just to rub more salt in their wound, he began putting it up against the light like that would show something.
After messing around for a few minutes, he called the lawyers to his office so that they could finalize the deal. Everything was going according to his plan; that's why Kim interjected and made an outrageous request that turned his mood sour!
He didn't even want to answer him but him being this close to his goal he didn't want to let it go!
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