Chapter 22

Everyone was pleased to reach a consensus. After hiring a lawyer to notarize the agreement, the contract was signed, and Son Ye-jin officially became a part of Empire Entertainment.

Hehe, this marked the first step of the superstar development plan, and Lee Jung-hui was delighted inside. However, he wouldn't be happy for long, as signing the contract also meant taking on responsibilities.

The primary responsibility now was for Son Ye-jin to move to Seoul for systematic training in acting, dancing, and other areas. This meant, in addition to the training fees, they had to provide her with accommodation.

Buying a house was out of the question. For renting, there were two options in Korea: Jeonse (전세) and Wolse (월세). Jeonse involves paying a deposit of 50-70% of the house value, with no additional rent, utilities, or management fees. The deposit is fully refunded after a minimum of two years. Of course, the landlord isn't foolish; they use the deposit to earn interest or invest it, which is a common practice in Korea. However, this wasn't an option for Lee Jung-hui, as the deposit could easily reach hundreds of millions of won.

The other option was Wolse, which also requires a deposit, followed by monthly rent payments.

This seemed feasible, but it depended on the type of housing. For guesthouses, dormitories, and exam halls, the deposit is relatively low, usually under one million won. However, guesthouses and dormitories often have several people per room, and even exam halls lack private bathrooms. Asking an artist to live in such places would be insulting.

Then there were one-room apartments and regular apartments. One-room apartments include a kitchen and bathroom, and newly debuted artists typically live in these. However, even for a decent one-room apartment, the deposit is around five million won, and for regular apartments, the deposit can be as high as ten to twenty million won.

Thus, the problem arose. Empire Entertainment was poor, and Lee Jung-hui had only borrowed one billion won from his father. This money had to cover the company's rent, the monthly salaries of the new employees, the down payment for a nanny car, and the monthly loan payments.

These were ongoing expenses, and they expected no other income in the next few months.

So, when dreams meet reality, reality is always pale! But there's another saying: desperate situations can激发人的潜能，让人发生奇迹般的变化。

At that moment, when Jang Dong-guk saw Lee Jung-hui's dilemma, Lee Jung-hui smiled again. To Jang Dong-guk's surprise, he turned to look at Son Ye-jin and said cheerfully, "I think our artists should at least live in an apartment, and it should be a luxurious one. Those one-room apartments are too low-class!"

Son Ye-jin was confused, and Jang Dong-guk almost jumped up to strangle him. However, Lee Jung-hui shrugged, "But I have a place even better than a luxury apartment, like a mansion in Cheongnyangni. Miss Son Ye-jin, what do you think of that?"

Crazy! Son Ye-jin's eyes clearly expressed this thought, and Jang Dong-guk looked at Lee Jung-hui in shock. After a moment, he closed his wide-open mouth and said, "Are you really crazy?"

"No, it's just sitting there empty!" Lee Jung-hui shrugged and then smiled at Son Ye-jin, "Well, to be honest, it's my home," as Son Ye-jin's eyes widened in surprise, he quickly waved his hands, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not living there for now, but of course, this is already enough to make people, well, how to say it..."

At this point, Son Ye-jin suddenly giggled and continued, "It looks like you have ulterior motives!"

Bingo! Lee Jung-hui snapped his fingers and, with a smile at Son Ye-jin's playful eye roll, said, "If you don't mind, you can go take a look first. Of course, if you're not satisfied, I promise to rent you an apartment you like!"

Then, when Jang Dong-guk frowned again, Lee Jung-hui pulled him to another office and said with a smile, "We're actually quite stupid, or maybe I didn't learn economics well. When we have one billion won, we should use it to get a loan from a Korean bank and then spend it. This is the game of capital..."

Jang Dong-guk wasn't as optimistic, frowning, "Although this amount of money isn't much for your family, your approach is wrong and the risk is too high, like a gambler..."

Lee Jung-hui understood his concern and, moved by it, patted his shoulder, "Brother, trust me this time, maybe by September it will be better!" Then he firmly said, "It's not too late now. Go to the banks immediately and find out the maximum loan amount you can get, then proceed with the formalities..."

Being broke and wanting a loan is just a dream, but if you have money in the bank and want a loan, they'll love you. This is reality, of course, the most important thing is that Lee Jung-hui is only short of money now, not in the future, otherwise, it would be suicidal.

Jang Dong-guk eventually agreed, and with his approval, Lee Jung-hui happily took the equally excited Son Ye-jin to Cheongnyangni.

Cheongnyangni is the most coveted rich neighborhood in the hearts of Koreans. Compared to the nouveau riche areas like Gangnam's Cheongdam-dong, Cheongnyangni has a deeper and more prestigious history, which commands more respect.

However, if you go back thirty years, this place was just a good area. Even more so because, during the turbulent years, it was a safe area due to the concentration of embassies, which made it more appealing to people.

Lee Jung-hui's grandfather was one of those who moved here from Mapo-gu and lived here until he passed away.

Before immigrating, Lee Jung-hui's father sold most of the family's possessions but kept this ancestral home, which was never rented out. The Lee family didn't need the money; it was just a place for them to stay during their summer or Christmas holidays.

"Are you sure the house is in Cheongnyangni?" On the way, Son Ye-jin still looked at Lee Jung-hui with some doubt, teasing, "You're not really planning to sell me, are you!"

Lee Jung-hui understood her meaning; he didn't look like a rich person, "It's my family's, not mine. I'll earn it back bit by bit!"

Son Ye-jin pouted, looking at him with curiosity and doubt, but being young, she quickly fell back into excited fantasies, "A mansion in Cheongnyangni, wow..."

Lee Jung-hui rolled his eyes. Perhaps he should be more straightforward and just rent a one-room apartment for her, now that he had thought about getting a loan.

Turning right ahead, a large bookstore flashed by in Lee Jung-hui's view. His mind paused for a few seconds, then he suddenly stopped the car by the roadside.

Son Ye-jin was taken aback, looking at him with confusion, "What are you doing?"

"Oh!" Lee Jung-hui smiled and pointed to the bookstore, "I'll check if there are any reference books I need..." This idea came to him when he thought about loans and economics at the company.

Although he told his mother he wouldn't give up his studies, who knows what the future holds? What if he doesn't have time? Now, his mind is still clear with all the knowledge he learned, but what about later, when he might forget it gradually?

So, while "Blue生死恋" (Blue生死恋) is still a few months away from filming and "凶咒" (凶咒) isn't busy, why not take the opportunity to complete his thesis and defense? He's not a guy who hasn't experienced social practice; he has over a decade of experience and knowledge in this industry.

With this experience, plus his talent and a few months of effort, he might just succeed! And revisiting economics could also be beneficial in other areas.

"Preparing for a doctoral thesis!" Son Ye-jin listened to Lee Jung-hui's detailed explanation, following him into the bookstore, and turned to look at