Genius Manager Who Hears Voices - Chapter 15



Only Noblemtl

Episode 15

‘You already have a contract with a place?’

This was a development that wasn’t in the scenario at all.

It was only two weeks ago that Kim Ye-seul auditioned, and she clearly said that she was not doing any other activities outside of the theater troupe.

She has never appeared in any dramas or movies, so how on earth did she end up joining hands with an agency?

Heesung couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the future that went against his expectations for the first time.

“Oh, I see. When I auditioned, I thought you didn’t have a company because you were a part of a theater company. So you were already under contract when you auditioned?”

“Oh, no! That’s not it… … Actually, I got a call right after the audition. They said it seemed like there was a lot of potential, and if you didn’t have a contract, would you like to work together? Just like the manager suggested.”

“Right after the audition? How did you know that Kim Ye-seul was an aspiring actress… … .”

“Ah! I posted it on SNS. The PD and writer at the audition site gave me so many compliments that I hoped for a good result. I think they contacted me after seeing that. They also said they saw other photos and posts on my feed.”

You said you offered me a contract just by looking at the pictures and posts on SNS?

Of course, I’ve heard that street casting is done that way these days, but how can they offer a contract without even seeing the performance?

We’re not simply recruiting advertising models or influencers for promotional purposes.

“So, the contract was signed right away without any tests or acting skills verification? You must have met the person in charge in person to sign the contract.”

“Oh, there was nothing like that. Since I said I was from an extreme background, he said there was no need to look at it. He just told me the contract terms and deposit and asked me to sign on the spot.”

“You signed right away without even seeing the performance? That’s why you accepted?”

Kim Ye-seul nodded slowly to Hee-sung’s question.

“Yes… … . I’m really sorry. If I had known you were coming for something like this, I should have called you in advance. I just wanted to meet with you because the PD said it would be helpful… … .”

“No, it’s not. It’s my fault for not doing the research beforehand. You don’t have to feel sorry at all.”

Even though he said that, Heeseong had tens of thousands of thoughts going through his mind.

I clearly spoke as if I had a special connection with her.

If this happens, the link itself will disappear.

‘If it’s an exclusive contract, it would be for at least 3 to 5 years. So, are you telling me something that will happen in the very distant future already?’

Even if there were other reasons, there was nothing I could do about it since there was already a contract with the company.

Since I signed an exclusive contract, I had to complete the contract period, and only after that could my relationship with her be realized.

But in her acceptance speech, she clearly called Hee-sung her ‘manager’.

Heeseong asked Kim Yeseul, hiding his emotions as much as possible.

“Was there a reason why you had to rush the contract so much? Since it was an exclusive contract, you would have chosen it carefully.”

She was the one who suspected Heeseong the moment she saw him.

Even though it was a position I was introduced to by the PD in charge of the audition.

Hee-sung suddenly wondered why she so easily decided to sign an exclusive contract, one of the most important things in her acting career.

As expected, the reason came out of Kim Ye-seul’s mouth.

“That’s… … Actually, it was because they said they would give me a large deposit. At first, I suspected that he was a scammer, but instead of asking me for money, he said he would give me a deposit right after signing the contract. And by my standards, it was a very, very large amount. The reason I wanted to debut on TV quickly was because of money… … .”

I knew roughly about her personal circumstances because I heard about them from Kim Jae-han.

So, if it was because of money, it would be completely understandable.

“Well, they don’t usually offer a large signing bonus to new actors. It seems like this is a pretty big company. They said they’d pay the signing bonus right away when the contract is signed.”

“Yes. My father is battling cancer. Fortunately, the chemotherapy is going well and there is no metastasis, so he is recovering quickly. However, my older sister has to pay all the considerable hospital bills on her own… … When I heard the deposit amount, I didn’t even have to think about it. Tens of millions of won is a huge amount of money to me right now.”

“… … Tens of millions of won?”

As soon as I heard the amount of the deposit I was supposedly receiving, I couldn’t help but question it.

The process up to this point was unusual and raised many doubts, but the amount of the contract fee that Kim Ye-seul received was so outrageous.

‘They’re giving tens of millions of won as a signing bonus to a new actress? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a case.’

It’s not an advance payment, it’s a contract deposit.

Moreover, she is an unknown actress with no filmography whatsoever.

I thought it would be at most a few hundred.

It was too much for a deposit.

“If you don’t mind, could you tell me the exact amount? And the specific terms of the contract?”

Just because they don’t ask for money doesn’t mean it’s not a scam.

As is the case with any market, there are various types of scams on this market as well.

Because for those who have a dream and are desperately pursuing it, it can be a sweet temptation that is even harder to resist.

Kim Ye-seul carefully opened her mouth and answered Hee-sung’s question.

“It’s 30 million won. He said he’d pay me some of it up front when the contract was signed and the rest would be paid out all at once when full-scale production began. Until then, he said I had to work hard to promote it… … .”

“PR? If it’s PR, then what kind of… …?”

“He said it wouldn’t be difficult. He said that since I don’t have anything to show for my profile, I’ll have to go around looking for people here and there. He said that he’ll personally arrange the seats for me, so I should just be ready to come out whenever he calls me.”

The more I listened, the stranger it felt.

Not only did they not check his acting skills during the contract process, but even after signing the contract, they tried to promote him in other ways than auditions.

Besides, how did you arrange the position so that your actor is ready to come out whenever you call him?

I’ve heard countless stories from advertising companies over the years, but this type of management was something I’ve never heard of or seen before.

Hee-sung looked at Kim Ye-seul and asked, thinking that he probably had to look into it himself.

“Can I see the contract? And if there are any messages exchanged with that representative, please include those as well.”

***

– This is a total scam. Putting everything else aside, the contract itself is so flimsy. There’s nothing that’s included in a standard contract, and it’s all about profit distribution. And those are all toxic clauses. Does it make sense that an exclusive contract is just one sheet of A4 paper?

My suspicions were confirmed through a phone call with Kang Se-ra.

After sending a photo of the contract I received from Kim Ye-seul to Kang Se-ra and asking her to confirm it, the first thing she said in return was that it was a ‘fraud.’

-When I asked the CEO, he said that this type of scam is rampant these days. In the entertainment industry, when they are looking for women to work, they often approach aspiring celebrities. They say that if you sign a contract, you will receive a deposit right away, so people don’t suspect it’s a scam at all. It’s normal to ask for money.

“So there are a lot of victims like this?”

– That’s right. The contract here also states that if you breach the contract or unilaterally notify termination, you will be charged five times the deposit received. That’s why you’re giving that much deposit from the beginning. It’s a kind of miking concept.

“Are you a mike?”

– It’s like a loan that business owners in the entertainment industry receive. It’s a kind of private loan concept. You receive a large sum of money before you start working, and then you deduct it as you work. Of course, the interest is bound to be considerable.

After hearing the story, it was even more evil than I thought.

The entertainment world.

They are dragging these people, who are only pursuing their dreams and are full of hope that they can get one step closer to that dream, to an entertainment establishment of all places.

Then, they tie you up and make you unable to go anywhere until you pay back several times the amount of money you gave.

If there is a devil, I thought it would be someone like this.

“I looked it up and it has a homepage and it looks like a typical entertainment site. So is this all fake?”

– It could be real, or it could be something that was created for fraud. In fact, there are cases where they approach you after being connected to an entertainment agency. It is actually harder for aspiring artists to avoid being scammed.

What would those who have just become adults know?

If you’re a minor, you should have parental consent, so there’s at least one barrier.

Friends of Kim Ye-seul’s age would have been much more likely to make decisions and take action on their own.

-But what is this contract, Heesung? Surely you weren’t the one who got hurt by it?

“No way. Where are you going to use me? Anyway, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to check this out, Kang Sera. It was a great help.”

-What help? I can do this kind of thing! Anyway, they say it’s hard to catch this kind of thing. It’s a contract where money was paid legitimately, and there was no threat or force involved in the contract process. Above all, they say it’s hard to find such people because they’re brokers.

We can’t just leave it like this because it’s difficult.

Catching one of these guys won’t completely eliminate the victims, but at least Kim Ye-seul’s life will change.

That’s the reason he came to see Kim Ye-seul in the first place.

Heeseong ended the call with Kang Se-ra after expressing his thanks again.

Then he approached Kim Ye-seul again, who was sitting alone by the window.

“What… … did you say? I was really scammed, Manager… … ?”

Instead of answering, Kim Ye-seul quickly took out her cell phone and handed it to Hee-seong as he only looked at her.

“I didn’t use any of the deposit I received! Can’t I just return it and cancel the contract?”

Heeseong shook his head.

“There’s a penalty clause in the contract. From the moment you sign, you’re trapped. A trap you can never escape from.”

Then, Kim Ye-seul’s expression became blank. Hee-seong added words of comfort to Kim Ye-seul.

“It’s not Yesul’s fault, so you don’t have to blame yourself so much. Whether it’s a conglomerate or the president, there’s no way someone who’s determined to commit fraud can survive. The important thing is how quickly you can get things back to square one.”

“Sob, sob, how? How do I return it… … After all, I signed it with my own hand.”

Kim Ye-seul ends up shedding tears at the thought that everything has gone wrong.

I haven’t even mentioned the word ‘glorious world’ to her yet.

Hee-sung opened his mouth while looking at her, thinking that it would probably be better to put that story on hold until this matter was resolved.

“Yesul, can you do as I say? Then I guess there is a way.”

“How? Oh, what… …! I can do anything! I will do it, Manager!”

“Then let’s do just one act, Yesul, which you do the best in the world.”

Genius Manager Who Hears Voices