Genius Manager Who Hears Voices - Chapter 52



Only Noblemtl

Episode 52

“If you know it, you’ll do well, Inma. Your contract is about to end, and whether you renew it or not, we’ll have to continue together. Is there anyone else you can trust and rely on as much as me?”

“No, I’ve only relied on you since my debut. We’re like family. Without you, I can’t do anything.”

“Yeah, so just think of us as one body and trust me with everything. Even if you quit the entertainment industry, I want you to live well without worrying about money, and that’s all I want.”

‘You’re kidding. You’re probably only thinking about eating well and living well. As soon as this schedule is over, you’re going to get off this earth.’

This was clear gaslighting.

And Heesung also knew to some extent that this kind of thing happened a lot in the entertainment industry.

Most celebrities debut at a young age, and when they become successful early on, they earn a lot of money that they can’t handle.

Since you don’t have time to spend money, money just keeps piling up, and if you just work, you eventually don’t know how to spend money.

Popularity cannot last forever, so people naturally become interested in things like financial technology and investments, but there are many cases where people get scammed.

Why not?

Because I debuted too early, I lack social experience, and since my agency took care of everything from start to finish, I haven’t done anything properly on my own.

Even ordinary people with their minds set on it can fall victim to fraud if they rush in with determination, so how much worse must it be for celebrities who know nothing about the ways of the world?

There are many flies that stick to you, and you end up giving them all your liver and gall bladder because of all the sweet talk they spew.

As the amount of money earned by successful celebrities is beyond imagination, the scale of the damage is at least hundreds of millions to tens of billions.

In other words, one fraud can cause everything you have built up to now to collapse like a sand castle.

“But oppa, is it really right for us not to renew our contract? I talked to the kids and they all seem to be feeling uneasy… … It’s not like we have any particular complaints about GEM.”

Yong Han-soo let out a frustrated sigh at the mention of contract renewal that Su-ah brought up.

“Again, again. Again! You’re talking nonsense, Kim Soo Ah. Are you guys rookies right now? Are you so anxious that you can’t even sleep because you’re worried that no one will call you? You’re in your 6th year since debut, and you’re the best girl group in Korea, so what are you worried about?”

“No, that’s not what we’re talking about… … .”

“Hey, Su-ah. How many times do I have to tell you that agency stuff means nothing to you anymore? You’re all the same no matter which agency you go to, now? The systematic system of a big agency? That kind of thing only applies when you’re a trainee. You’re a brand in your own right. Why are you taking a loss by giving a percentage for no reason? Huh?”

Since Fiesta is now in its 6th year, they are probably already pushing for a contract renewal internally.

Maybe they’ve already met with the members and are discussing contract terms and such.

In the worst case scenario, we will negotiate to have the group continue its activities under GEM.

Because everyone may not want to renew their contract for their own reasons.

‘Why is a guy who’s about to leave saying something like that?’

But what’s strange is that Yong Han-soo is preventing the members from renewing their contracts.

There was absolutely no reason for that.

There is no reason for a guy who will completely disappear after this schedule to care about the members’ future. He probably won’t be that kind of guy.

So, that means there’s some kind of hidden agenda behind this.

“So, I’m going to tell the company that I won’t renew my contract and start looking at other companies for offers. Among them, I’m going to choose a place that gives me a good contract deposit or percentage. You know, the smaller the company, the higher the percentage? Like the new companies I recommended last time.”

“What about you? If we go somewhere else, you’ll come with us, right?”

“Oh, of course. If the needle moves, shouldn’t the thread follow? But if I take that position from now on, it won’t look good, so when you guys leave, I’ll naturally follow you. After all, I’m just a manager whose life is no more than a fly’s.”

“Hey, why are you talking like that? A fly’s life? If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have come this far. Thanks to you, we didn’t have to worry about anything else and could just focus on our activities. So don’t ever say anything like that again. Got it?”

“Haha. I appreciate you thinking that way. Oh, right, tomorrow is the settlement day, right? It’s almost time to pay your taxes, so send it to me as soon as you receive it. I’ll put the remaining money there after paying the taxes. The profit is quite good. If I just do a little more, I can buy a building, right?”

“Wow, really? Oh my, I’m really so, so grateful to you, oppa. I’ll never forget this favor! I’ll send it to you as soon as I get it tomorrow, oppa!”

“Haha, that’s right. Don’t forget this favor.”

Hee-sung also felt that the conversation was about to end and walked straight to his room.

After closing the door, I reviewed the conversation we had a little while ago.

‘At first I thought it was embezzlement, but it wasn’t. I thought something was strange.’

Since they were talking about billions, I naturally assumed it was embezzlement.

Yet, I wondered how the manager could embezzle that large sum of money.

Because the position of manager itself involves moving around outside the company more than within it.

But if it’s not embezzlement but fraud, then it’s a completely different story.

That is, if the target is a member you are in charge of.

“This will make things more serious… … .”

Just from the conversation between the two people, it was immediately clear what the situation was.

Yong Han-soo is currently handling all of Su-ah’s personal affairs.

He has been in charge of Su-ah’s contracts and financial matters on behalf of Su-ah, who debuted when she was a minor and knows nothing about anything.

Of course, that won’t be all of them.

Su-ah also has biological parents, and if she signed the contract while she was a minor, her parents would have done such things until she became an adult.

So, does that mean that the profits earned after becoming an adult were embezzled under the pretext of investment, financial management, or taxes?

“Wait a minute. Anyway, wasn’t the first settlement received after becoming an adult?”

Come to think of it, there probably wasn’t any settlement before that anyway.

The cost of creating a single idol group is at least several billion won, and that money is first deducted from the profits the group earns after debuting.

And only after all of those deductions are completed, the settlement is made according to each member’s contract terms.

That is, Yong Han-su may have taken all the money Su-ah had earned so far.

So, due to that shock, Su-ah had no choice but to consider an extreme choice.

“I wondered why I couldn’t renew my contract… … It was because of that.”

I plan on going anyway, but I still want to take at least some safety precautions.

If the members make it clear that they have no intention of renewing their contracts, GEM will continue to try to persuade them and eventually give up.

Then, even if a problem arises with the group or its members, only formal measures will be taken rather than a proactive stance.

I don’t know about my family, but I don’t want to waste a lot of energy on people who are going to leave soon.

That’s exactly what Yongsuhan was aiming for.

Making them express their intention to refuse to renew their contract early and taking proactive actions such as looking for a new agency.

After that, even if your fraudulent activities are discovered, if you’re lucky, it might be quietly buried.

‘There were actually a lot of things like that.’

It may be hard for the average person to believe, but it happens quite frequently among celebrities.

Even if hundreds of millions or billions of dollars are defrauded, it is completely unknown to the outside world, to the point that not a single article is published in the media.

That’s because celebrities who have been scammed simply accept the loss and try to protect their image.

The pain and shock are so great that I want to die, but I think that it’s better than the pain of my fans or the outside world knowing about it.

So, most of the fraud cases involving celebrities are largely unknown, and it is highly likely that this is what Yong Han-soo is targeting now.

If you’re lucky, it might just pass quietly, and even if you do take legal action, you think it’s easier to deal with a new company than a large agency.

That is, he meant to leave not only with financial extortion but also with the group’s future completely ruined.

‘If they are brainwashed to this extent, there is a higher chance that they will take your side.’

Gaslighting never happens overnight, so they must have been brainwashed ever since their debut.

As long as Yong Han-soo thinks he is sacrificing himself for himself, no matter what anyone says, it won’t be easy to convince him.

Strictly speaking, it is not yet the case that Yong Han-su has committed fraud or gone into hiding.

“Then there is only one way.”

Thinking that way, Hee-sung felt that his travel schedule would probably be extended.

***

“Huh? The Pierstar manager… …? Is that true, Manager?”

That evening, Hee-sung told Han Jeong-woo the truth about his real reason for coming to Jeju Island.

I told Han Jeong-woo to go on vacation, but it seemed like he wouldn’t have the time to do that.

Anyway, Han Jeong-woo and I are not friends, but rather a manager and an artist.

“Yes, it’s not easy to just ignore it as someone else’s business because I overheard the conversation. I also came here to learn more about what was really going on.”

“No, what kind of trash person is that… … If it’s a problem like that, why don’t you just contact GEM Entertainment directly? Someone at the level of the headquarters director or executive director?”

“That doesn’t mean the problem will be solved. Of course, measures will be taken internally, but that’s about it. In order to fundamentally solve this problem, we need to make Su-ah realize it. And the other members of Pierstar as well.”

“The other members? Then could it be that the other members are like Su-ah… …?”

Instead of answering, Heeseong slowly nodded his head.

He said that although Su-ah is the one who makes an extreme choice because of this incident, the lives of the other members are also greatly damaged.

Besides, the issue of contract renewal was absolutely not something that Su-ah could decide on her own.

In other words, Heesung’s judgment is that Yong Han-su is currently committing octopus-style gaslighting and fraud.

So, breaking that down will be the start of this work.

“So, Mr. Jungwoo… … . Have you ever done any night shifts in the military?”

“Night watch? Of course. Everyone does that regardless of class.”

“Then, how about we reminisce about those old memories and stand guard together for a while?”

“Today? No, why…? Where and how much?”

“I think the best place would be the swimming pool. Time, um… …to the pool without shifts?”

“……yes?”

“Haha, I heard you were in the Navy. I think it might be possible for you, Jeongwoo.”

I didn’t know then.

Who would have thought that I would actually be in that water until the sun came up in the morning.

And that night, everything went according to Heesung’s plan.

Genius Manager Who Hears Voices