Chapter 9

9,

When Han Ji-hyuk said that the contract would be difficult, Lee Ha-gyun looked at him with a face that showed he couldn't understand.

IX Entertainment is one of the top management agencies in South Korea.

And yet, he says he can't sign the contract?

For Lee Ha-gyun, it was hard to comprehend.

Isn't the most likely way for a new singer to succeed to join a major agency?

No matter how much talent one has, the difference between what one person can do and what a company can do is vast.

"Can I... hear the reason?"

Lee Ha-gyun asked, looking at Han Ji-hyuk.

Han Ji-hyuk, who seemed to be considering the request, awkwardly laughed and scratched his cheek.

"Everything else is great, but the contract terms are lower than what I expected..."

Han Ji-hyuk trailed off.

While the contract terms were exactly as he had expected, he couldn't sign a contract with such terms.

'I can't work under these terms for five years.'

Because he knew exactly how the agency operates, Han Ji-hyuk understood that he didn't need to give up half of his earnings to IX Entertainment.

Of course, he understands that he will receive a lot of help from IX Entertainment, so it makes sense to give up a certain percentage.

'But not half.'

Moreover, the contract period was too long.

After analyzing his situation and judging his growth potential,

he concluded that maintaining the same contract terms for five years would be foolish.

'In the end, it's beneficial to work with an entertainment company.'

But not under these terms.

This was the conclusion Han Ji-hyuk reached after considering numerous scenarios and weighing the pros and cons.

Lee Ha-gyun still looked confused.

"The contract terms are very standard compared to other new artists. There's nothing particularly disadvantageous..."

As he spoke, Lee Ha-gyun narrowed his eyes and looked at Han Ji-hyuk for a moment before continuing.

He realized that Han Ji-hyuk was valuing himself higher than Lee Ha-gyun thought.

"We don't feel the need to raise the contract terms. After all, Han Ji-hyuk is a new artist with no foundation."

"Yes, I understand."

Han Ji-hyuk also understood.

At the moment, from IX Entertainment's perspective, there wasn't enough merit to raise the contract terms to keep Han Ji-hyuk.

Because he knew this, he expressed his intention not to sign the contract with IX Entertainment.

"Hmm...

Lee Ha-gyun looked down at the contract, pondering for a moment.

As a team leader, he had the authority to make some adjustments to the contract.

He could shorten the contract period or adjust the percentage.

And Han Ji-hyuk knew that Lee Ha-gyun wouldn't do that.

The contract terms offered to new artists are a matter of pride.

'After all, we are IX!'

In the end, Lee Ha-gyun took out his business card and handed it to Han Ji-hyuk.

"Then there's nothing we can do. If you change your mind, please contact me anytime."

The contract terms didn't change.

Han Ji-hyuk didn't sign the contract.

But Lee Ha-gyun, still interested in Han Ji-hyuk, handed him the business card, suggesting that he could contact him if he changed his mind.

Meaning that he would be willing to sign the contract under the current terms at any time.

"Thank you. If you change your mind, please contact me as well."

Han Ji-hyuk said with a faint smile.

Let's see who changes their mind first.

Han Ji-hyuk sat at the piano with a notebook in hand.

While a table might be more convenient for writing in a notebook, he felt more comfortable at the piano.

"IX Entertainment has wrapped things up well...

Now it's time to move on to the next plan.

There was no time to rest.

Even if he pushed himself to the limit from now on, Han Ji-hyuk judged that it would take at least three months before he would have a small opportunity.

If he took a break now, three months would turn into six, and six months would turn into a year.

Han Ji-hyuk looked at what he had written in the notebook, lost in thought.

"MiTube is still the most promising method...

MiTube.

The current top video site.

At least for the next eight years, no video site will surpass MiTube.

All kinds of videos are uploaded, and Han Ji-hyuk knew how the trends in music would flow.

He planned to use this knowledge actively.

While MiTube is smaller now than it will be in eight years, it still has the power to create a trend.

He judged that using MiTube was the most promising, but he hadn't decided what kind of videos to upload and how to build a foundation.

"Given the current popular music, MiTube... naturally, music videos. And stage performances from open auditions or music programs."

As he muttered this, Han Ji-hyuk wrote it down in his notebook, then shook his head.

Realistically, Han Ji-hyuk didn't have the environment to shoot music videos, and he hadn't appeared on any broadcasts, so he couldn't do those things.

He crossed out what he had just written and rolled his pen, continuing to think.

"Live camera recordings are also gaining popularity."

As he said this, he wrote "live camera" and, without realizing it, added "Lee Ji-hyun" next to it.

"Ah."

Han Ji-hyuk's brows furrowed when he saw the name.

After returning to the past, he had tried not to think about it, but it seemed to have remained in his subconscious.

The scene of Lee Ji-hyun being spotlighted and him rushing to her kept coming to mind.

Now that he felt no strong emotion, it seemed he had become accustomed to the accident and the return to the past.

"Come to think of it, I discovered Ji-hyun through live camera recordings."

Han Ji-hyuk muttered.

He first saw Lee Ji-hyun in a video on MiTube.

Someone had filmed her singing and uploaded it.

Han Ji-hyuk, captivated by it, went to find her.

Thinking about it, Han Ji-hyuk smiled.

At the time, he couldn't see anything else.

He only thought about bringing her in and nurturing her.

Her talent was truly outstanding.

'She must be twenty now.'

Once he had settled his affairs, he thought it would be fine to go find her.

While he was sitting at the piano, a voice came from behind him.

"What are you doing there?"

"Ah, Mr. Jung."

"Did you stay here all night?"

"No, I came in a bit early."

Han Ji-hyuk bowed his head and answered.

Jung Seon-woo scratched his head and approached Han Ji-hyuk.

"You said you were going to an audition. How did it go?"

He remembered that Han Ji-hyuk had taken a day off from his part-time job for the audition.

Han Ji-hyuk thought for a moment but just shrugged.

"It didn't go well."

What more was there to say?

He just needed to let him know that he didn't sign the contract.

"What? Your singing was amazing, why didn't it work out?"

Jung Seon-woo said, puzzled.

His face was slightly scrunched, as if he was more upset about Han Ji-hyuk's failed audition than Han Ji-hyuk himself.

Seeing this, Han Ji-hyuk felt he had to explain.

"Actually, I refused."

"What? Are you crazy?"

Jung Seon-woo's eyes widened as he asked, almost accusingly.

"The contract terms weren't to my liking. They said it would be a 50-50 split for five years."

"No, that's the average for new artists..."

Jung Seon-woo, who runs a music café, had some knowledge.

Feeling frustrated, he stopped speaking when he saw Han Ji-hyuk's expression.

He sighed deeply.

"I don't know. You do what you think is best. You're a smart kid."

Jung Seon-woo shook his head and changed his expression.

"Anyway, you're going to have a tough week."

"Tough?"

"Yeah. Since yesterday, Jeon Tae-chan has quit. He said he would only perform until the end of this month, but then he texted saying he can't perform from today..."

Jung Seon-woo ran his fingers through his hair.

Han Ji-hyuk, seeing this, couldn't say anything.

After all, this situation was partly his fault.

"Anyway, you'll have to perform on stage for a week."

"...First set, right?"

"Yeah. But in a week, we should be able to find someone to replace Jeon Tae-chan, so I'm counting on you."

As he said this, Jung Seon-woo scrunched his face.

"Actually, thinking about it, this is partly your fault. You have some responsibility, so it's only fair that you cover for him."

Did Jung Seon-woo think that Han Ji-hyuk might feel embarrassed or say he wasn't ready to perform on stage?

He felt that Jung Seon-woo was exaggerating his frustration to get Han Ji-hyuk to perform.

"Got it. I'll do it."

Han Ji-hyuk laughed and answered.

At that moment, a light bulb seemed to go off in his head.

Jung Seon-woo said it was only fair for Han Ji-hyuk to cover for Jeon Tae-chan.

Through this, Han Ji-hyuk got an idea.

'Cover... '

Covering means reinterpreting and performing a famous song in one's own style.

Cover videos are already popular on MiTube, but in the future, they will have even more impact.

This means that cover videos have strong potential.

Some MiTubers have even gained over ten million subscribers just by uploading cover videos.

'This could work.'

After quickly making his decision, Han Ji-hyuk looked at Jung Seon-woo and spoke.

"But, I have a condition."

"What condition, man?"

Jung Seon-woo spoke brusquely but nodded, encouraging him to speak.

"Let me film my performances on stage."

"I thought it was something big... You can handle that yourself."

"Thank you, Mr. Jung."

Han Ji-hyuk said with a smile.

Jung Seon-woo tapped his shoulder and turned around.

Neither of them could have imagined how much this moment would impact Han Ji-hyuk's life.