Chapter 134: Recruiting Kang Ha-Na (4)
In the external meeting room of Eyestone Music on the first floor, Yang Eun-Cheol's expression immediately changed as soon as Kang Ha-Na expressed her reluctance to renew the contract with Eyestone.
"What about Produce 47 then? This is how you repay us after the company went to great lengths to get you on the show?"
Kang Ha-Na replied with a firm expression, "I'll drop out of the show."
Yang Eun-Cheol burst out in anger. "Hey, Kang Ha-Na! Are you out of your mind? Do you realize what an opportunity you're throwing away?"
However, Kang Ha-Na didn't even blink. Since Hoop Entertainment had agreed to take her in, she had no reason to fear the company's tyranny anymore.
"You know as well as I do that I have no chance of making it into the debut group anyway."
"Who, who said that?"
Kang Ha-Na sighed. "Mr. Yang. Everyone at the company knows I'm just a stepping stone for Ye-Seul and So-Yung. You've always turned a blind eye to how badly they treat me."
Yang Eun-Cheol scratched his head. It seemed he was at a loss for words with Kang Ha-Na's direct confrontation.
"N-no. That's a misunderstanding. It's not like that..."
"Mr. Yang, I've done all I can. I don't want to be tortured with false hope anymore when I know I won't debut. So please let me go."
Yang Eun-Cheol frowned upon Kang Ha-Na's plea. "Why not switch to trot music even now? The directors said they would release an album for you right away if you did trot."
"I've told you several times, I'm not doing trot!"
"Hey! I'm telling you, you're perfect for trot!"
When Yang Eun-Cheol raised his voice, Lee Dong-Min, who had been silent until then, stepped in.
"Director Yang, that's enough. She's already decided to come to our side, so stop pestering her. Besides, didn't you hear her saying she doesn't like trot?"
"Mr. Lee! Are you really going to go this far?"
"Do you want to settle this legally then? Do you think you can win against our legal division?"
Yang Eun-Cheol's expression turned fierce as he responded.
"Mr. Lee, you should adhere to the ethical standards of this industry. What is this nonsense? After all the trouble we went through to get her on the show, you're trying to take advantage of us?"
"Hey. We know you intended to use her as a stepping stone, so don't be too righteous. In exchange for canceling the remaining contract period, we'll make sure to pay the transfer fee."
Yang Eun-Cheol's eyes widened at the mention of the transfer fee.
"Transfer... fee?"
"Yes. Money is the best way to solve complicated situations, and it won't be embarrassing for you or your president."
Yang Eun-Cheol cleared his throat. If Kang Ha-Na stubbornly refused to do trot, they couldn't even get their investment back. But the thought of being able to profit through another means seemed to have sparked his greed.
"If you don't like that, you can deal with the fallout from abandoning her in Sangam-dong. Park Ye-Seul and Choi So-Yong, who appeared on Produce 47 with her, seem likely to make it into the debut group. If this issue comes to light, do you think you can protect them?"
"I-I told you it's not like that! I already explained it was due to an urgent schedule, but you keep saying that we abandoned her on purpose."
"Drop the ridiculous excuses and make a decision already. Either you hand over Ha-Na, or prepare for the other two to be on the front page of tomorrow's news."
Unable to see a way out, Yang Eun-Cheol reluctantly retreated. "This isn't something I can decide on my own. I'll make a call to the higher-ups and come back."
Being outmaneuvered by Lee Dong-Min, Yang Eun-Cheol hastily left the meeting room.
Finally, a sigh of relief escaped our group. But we couldn't let our guard down because the negotiation wasn't over yet. After all, Na Woon-Seok, the president of Eyestone Entertainment, was known to be even more ruthless than Yang Eun-Cheol.
***
The door to the external meeting room opened.
"Chief Lee, long time no see."
Na Woon-Seok, the president of Eyestone, appeared at almost midnight. He seemed to have come from a drinking session as a strong scent of alcohol emanated from him.
"I was just relaxing with a drink after a long time, but what's all this about?"
Lee Dong-Min scratched his cheek. Na Woon-Seok, who had seen it all in this industry with 18 years of experience, was not an easy man to deal with.
"I'm sorry things turned out this way," Lee Dong-Min uttered.
Na Woon-Seok sat down on the sofa with an understanding look.
"I heard about what was going on from Chief Yang. I did hear that Cherry Blossom is doing well, but you must have made a lot more money than I expected, huh? Even considering paying a transfer fee to take Ha-Na?"
"We are far from making a lot, actually. We're just about covering our past investments. Let's not beat around the bush and get straight to the contract."
"Ha ha ha. In a hurry, I see?"
Na Woon-Seok looked down at Kang Ha-Na, who was keeping her head lowered, and asked. "Ha-Na, do you really want to leave?"
Kang Ha-Na lifted her head. "Yes, sir. I'm grateful for everything you have done for me up until now, but I want to move on."
"Do you think leaving will solve everything? Think about your age."
"What does age have to do with singing?"
Na Woon-Seok smirked. "Of course, it matters. Our suggestion to switch to trot wasn't made lightly. In the trot scene, you'd be considered fresh and young until your 30s. You could easily go on for another 20 years."
Kang Ha-Na shook her head. "I've made it very clear that I won't do trot."
Na Woon-Seok stared at Kang Ha-Na for a moment before raising his hands in resignation.
"Well, it's your loss. Alright, I'll let you go."
As Na Woon-Seok nodded, a flicker of hope appeared on Kang Ha-Na's face. She was finally about to be free. However, that hope turned to despair in less than a second.
"Let's settle this with 300 million won."
Kang Ha-Na's face turned pale. "Excuse me?"
Lee Dong-Min stood up abruptly, incredulous at what he had just heard.
"300 million for a trainee with just six months left in her contract? Are you joking right now?"
Despite Lee Dong-Min's vehement protest, Na Woon-Seok remained unfazed.
"Chief Lee, let's be accurate here. She's not just a trainee anymore after appearing on Produce 47, is she? She's currently active on television, so shouldn't we calculate it accordingly?"
'What kind of shit logic is this? Is this an attempt to squeeze out money for the investment they made in Kang Ha-Na?'
Although the money Kang Ha-Na could earn from releasing music might cover it in just a few days, we couldn't just hand over that much money without a second thought. Not only did Hoop Entertainment lack the funds, but Lee Gi-Cheol would seize the opportunity to use it against us.
Lee Dong-Min glared at Na Woon-Seok with a stern face.
"Mr. Na, are you sure about the amount you just mentioned?"
Na Woon-Seok wore a smug expression. "Of course~."
"Then you wouldn't mind if we blew today's incident wide open?"
"Go ahead! We are not going to stop you. It might be a bit of a headache, but KNET will cover for us. Besides, Ye-Seul and So-Yung are masters at shedding tears in front of the cameras. It's not hard to generate public sympathy. It's rather good for us if we become a topic of discussion."
Lee Dong-Min's expression hardened even more at Na Woon-Seok's brazen attitude.
"Leaving so soon?" asked Na Woon-Seok sarcastically.
"Yes. I've got to distribute the story to the reporters tonight, so it's going to be a busy evening."
As Lee Dong-Min shot back, Kang Ha-Na grabbed my arm urgently as if she couldn't bear to stay here a moment longer.
She desperately held onto my arm with a sorrowful look in her eyes and whispered, 'Mr. Jung.'
'Don't worry.'
I patted her hand to calm her down. Then I decided to use the weapon I had.
"Mr. Na."
Na Woon-Seok glanced at me with a look that said, 'Who are you now?'
"Don't bother trying to persuade me any longer and just piss off already. I'm only going this far because I'm considering Chief Lee's face. If not for that, I wouldn't have even come here. We won't deal for less than 300 million won—so if you're going to spout nonsense, don't even bother," said Na Woon-Seok in a dismissive tone.
"It's not 300 million won in cash, but I'm willing to pay the equivalent in information. Let's settle it with that."
Na Woon-Seok's face lit up with amusement. "Information worth 300 million won? You're a funny guy. Do you even have anything like that?"
"It won't seem funny once you hear it."
At the same time, I recalled a record I had seen in the planner before coming here—it was the record I intended to use to get Kang Ha-Na on our side.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: November 13th, 2020]
- 05:30 PM Singer Division 1 regular meeting. 2F meeting room. (Report) Entertainment Everywhere broadcast. Eyestone Entertainment's President Na Woon-Seok. Affair with the trainee Kim Jin-Yung.
"Wouldn't the story about your friend from Gwacheon be worth about 300 million won?"
The moment he heard my words, Na Woon-Seok's face turned pale with his prior confidence instantly vanishing.
The 'friend from Gwacheon' was none other than Kim Jin-Yung—a trainee being trained for debut at Eyestone and entangled in an affair with Na Woon-Seok.
"G-Gwacheon?"
At Na Woon-Seok's loud exclamation, Yang Eun-Cheol next to him asked in surprise. "Mr. Na, what's wrong?"
Na Woon-Seok didn't respond to Yang Eun-Cheol's question but instead started to stare at me intently.
I could tell from looking at his parched lips how tense he had become.
"Who, who's from Gwacheon? I-I don't know anyone in Gwacheon..."
"Kim Jin..."
Unable to endure my threat any longer, Na Woon-Seok hurriedly covered my mouth.
"Alright, fine!"
What seemed like a bluff that would never work was shattered in just a few seconds.
When I tapped Na Woon-Seok's hand covering my mouth, he finally withdrew it, and repeatedly and earnestly implored me not to say anything more.
"My information is indeed worth 300 million won, don't you think?"
Na Woon-Seok nodded weakly in agreement.
Yang Eun-Cheol looked completely bewildered by the situation, but it wasn't his place to intervene.
"Damn it! So, what do you want me to do?"
"Write us a contract termination confirmation right now, and we'll take Miss Kang Ha-Na with us immediately."
"Fine, let's do that."
Na Woon-Seok instructed Yang Eun-Cheol to release Kang Ha-Na immediately.
"But Mr. Na, what on earth is going on?"
Na Woon-Seok snapped back in anger. "Hey! Don't you start being a nuisance too, and just do as you're told!"
With an unpleasant expression, Yang Eun-Cheol soon disappeared to prepare the documents.
Then, Na Woon-Seok leaned back on the sofa and glared at me.
"You said your name was Jung Yoon-Ho, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"I'll remember this incident."
Na Woon-Seok chewed over my name and ground his teeth. It seemed our relationship would become quite hostile after today, but it didn't concern me much. After all, what I knew about him wasn't limited to just this one incident involving his affair.
"You've paid for the information. But remember, if you change your mind and spill it later, you will be in huge trouble. Got it?"
"I have no intention of doing that."
Soon after, Yang Eun-Cheol returned with the contract termination confirmation.
"Here! Take this."
I caught the paper he tossed and handed it to Kang Ha-Na beside me. She hugged the paper to her chest with a relieved smile spreading across her face.
Looking at Kang Ha-Na's bright expression, I told Na Woon-Seok, "Our legal division team lead will reconfirm the notarization documents tomorrow morning and send them over to you. Please respond accordingly."
"Just make sure you explain things to the PD of Produce 47 yourself!"
Leaving a grumbling Na Woon-Seok behind, we promptly left Eyestone Entertainment.
Our steps were light and carefree as we left, unlike when we entered.
***
While waiting for Kang Ha-Na to pack her belongings at her dorm, Lee Dong-Min, who was seated in the passenger seat, asked me a question. "How did you know?"
"About what?"
"About that friend from Gwacheon, Kim Jin... whatever her name is."
"Oh, the trainee involved in an affair with President Na? A reporter friend of mine mentioned it. I never thought it would actually be true."
Lee Dong-Min looked at me with a mix of disbelief and astonishment, scolding me and asking what I would have done if things hadn't gone as planned.
"Then we would have gone back, done more research, and come again. President Na seems to have a lot of skeletons in his closet."
Lee Dong-Min looked puzzled. "How do you seem to know President Na better than I do?"
"Knowing the enemy as well as oneself ensures victory in a hundred battles, doesn't it?"
Lee Dong-Min kept asking endless questions, but I calmly dodged and weaved through them.
In the meantime, Kang Ha-Na came out with her belongings. All she brought from her dormitory were her wallet, phone, and a single suitcase of belongings—quite modest for someone who had lived there for six years.
"Miss Ha-Na, is that all your luggage? Just one suitcase? If there's anything left, we can come back tomorrow even if it's inconvenient."
"There's no need. This is everything I have."
Kang Ha-Na didn't even look back at the dormitory as if she had no more attachments there.
"Let's go, Mr. Jung."
"Thinking about it now, I'm a year older than you. I'll call you by your name from now on, if that's okay with you?"
Kang Ha-Na smiled and nodded. "Of course. I was wondering when you would start speaking to me informally."
"Alright, Ha-Na. Let's do our best from here on out."
"Okay, Yoon-Ho oppa. And...thank you so much. Really."
Kang Ha-Na, who had experienced both hell and heaven in just one day, kept expressing her gratitude with a bright face.
"Thank me? We're the ones who should be grateful. We have high hopes for you."
A smile naturally appeared on my face. Before even a few months passed, Na Woon-Seok would realize how little he valued the information fee he set.
'300 million won? Hah.'
If it were up to me, I wouldn't have traded Kang Ha-Na for even 30 billion won.
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