Chapter 13

In the current industry, exploiting artists is a very common phenomenon. Most artist contracts are split 1:9, with the artist receiving 10%. It's easy to imagine that when an album is released, the artists only get 10% of the earnings, which they then have to share among the many members of their group. It's no wonder they start to complain when their wings get "hard." Li Yuhao's contract can be considered quite generous.

Li Yuhao nodded in satisfaction with the contract and then raised his own concerns, "President Lee, I have a question. If I create my own songs, how much will the company pay in copyright fees? Also, I didn't see any no-dating clause in the contract?"

"Ha ha, our company doesn't have a no-dating clause, especially for creators like you. Only by personally experiencing the sweetness or pain of love can one write better songs, right? However, if you do start dating, you should inform the company in advance to avoid any panic when the news breaks. Regarding copyright fees, we can offer over 10 million won per song. Of course, depending on the quality of the song, if it's a lead single you've created, we usually offer over 20 million won..."

"If an entire album is created by you, we will give you 40% of the total sales revenue after costs. I can add this to the contract."

The additional 10% share is quite significant. If you sell 1 billion won, you get an extra 100 million won; if you sell 10 billion won, you get an extra 1 billion won. This split is absolutely generous. For a creator, this is the best condition, of course, assuming you have confidence in your creations. If Li Yuhao lacks confidence in his plagiarism, he might as well jump into the Han River.

This contract is tailor-made for him. In his previous life, IU earned 1 billion won from the song "Good Day." If Li Yuhao were to do the same, he would earn an additional 100 million won.

Li Yuhao smiled and asked again, "If I create singles or albums for other artists in the company, can I also get a 10% share?" Lee Min-phil also smiled, "It seems you have a lot of confidence in your songs. Of course, you can."

"Alright, President Lee, as long as you add what we discussed to the contract, I can sign it. However, I have a small request."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Well, I have less than three months left to complete my studies. I want to wait until I graduate before starting my activities in the entertainment industry. However, during this time, I can record my songs in advance so that they can be released immediately after I graduate."

"Of course, no problem. We need to prepare for market promotion and other things... Your album will likely be released in 3 to 4 months. I hope you can create even better songs during this time. You can wait here while I have someone prepare a new contract."

Lee Min-phil left to talk to his assistant, and Li Yuhao smiled and sipped his coffee. He scratched his head and said, "Actually, I've already created five songs. I only released one yesterday, and I planned to release another today. But now that I'm signing the contract, I'll put them in my album. I can say that each one can rival 'Like Being Shot.'"

Hearing this, Lee Min-phil also smiled, "Really? That's great." After the excitement, he added, "But... won't it be a waste to put so many good songs in the same album?"

"Let's wait until tomorrow when I bring my songs over. We can have professional teachers and market strategists analyze them. After all, I haven't thought too much about it myself. Singing was just a sudden idea, and of course, I will follow the company's advice."

"Alright, bring your songs over tomorrow, and we'll discuss and plan together." Lee Min-phil was quite excited, feeling that he had found a gem. He was also looking forward to the next day.

At this point, Li Yuhao said awkwardly, "President, can you arrange a dorm for me? A small one is fine. I currently rent a place in Cheongbuk-dong, and it takes an hour to get to the company by bus."

"Oh, sure, I'll call and check if there are any single dorms available. By the way, I haven't asked where you're from or about your family. You can fill out your personal information later, and we'll put it on the company website."

"I am a Chinese-Korean, and I am from Seoul. I... I live alone now. My parents passed away in a car accident when I was in middle school."

Hearing Li Yuhao's story, Lee Min-phil felt that Li Yuhao had indeed had a tough time. The fact that Li Yuhao could live independently during middle school showed his resilience. Lee Min-phil smiled and said, "Yuhao, call me Uncle from now on. I won't let you down."

"Understood, thank you, Uncle Lee. Please take care of me in the future."

Soon, the assistant came in with the new contract. Li Yuhao quickly glanced through it and signed his name, pressed his fingerprint, and handed over his ID for photocopying. Then, Lee Min-phil gave him a personal information form to fill out and went to arrange the dorm.

Li Yuhao sat down and started filling out the form:

Name: Li Yuhao

Date of Birth: May 6, 1987

Height: 183 cm

Weight: 80 kg

Nationality: Chinese-Korean

Family: Parents passed away in middle school, currently living alone

Zodiac: Taurus

Blood Type: AB

Education: Seoul University, Finance

Languages: Fluent in Korean, Chinese, and English

Favorite Food: Meat

Favorite Color: White

Instruments: Piano, guitar, violin (a little)

Favorite Activity: Eating meat

Least Favorite Food: Ramen (because it's the cheapest and most common)

Dream: No time to think (because of working to support himself)

Li Yuhao handed the completed form to Lee Min-phil. Lee Min-phil smiled after looking at it, "Your dorm has been arranged. There's a small one available."

Li Yuhao smiled, "Even a small one is bigger than where I live now. My current place is only 3 square meters. When can I move in? My lease is about to expire, and I can't afford the rent."

Lee Min-phil smiled helplessly, "Ha ha... You can move in right away. The scout who brought you here will help you move. By the way, here's your signing bonus of 20 million won. Keep it safe and deposit it in the bank later." Lee Min-phil handed the check to Li Yuhao.

Li Yuhao smiled and took the check, "I'll treat myself to some barbecue tonight." He smiled contentedly. Lee Min-phil also laughed, "Ha ha... Eating barbecue is a treat?"

Li Yuhao wasn't embarrassed and said seriously, "Of course. I've been living on ramen for a while. I'm out of money and need to pay rent, so my life has been tight."

Hearing about Li Yuhao's difficult life, Lee Min-phil laughed, "Ha ha ha... You can eat at the company cafeteria in the future. Our cafeteria is much better than those of S.M. and JYP. At least we guarantee meat with every meal."

Li Yuhao also laughed, "Ha ha, I'll eat at the company cafeteria from now on. Even if I spend 2,000 won on transportation to school, I can still get meat. Why not?"

Soon, the scout who brought him in came up, "President." Lee Min-phil nodded with a smile, "Li Yuhao has signed with our company. Go to the后勤部 (后勤部 means后勤 department) to get the dorm key. Help Li Yuhao move his belongings. He doesn't have much, so help him out."

"Understood, President."

Li Yuhao also said to Lee Min-phil, "President, I'll leave now. I'll come back tomorrow morning." "Alright. We'll discuss your album tomorrow morning. Rest well today."

Li Yuhao nodded and left with the scout. He had a lot to do today, mainly to 'create' the songs for his album.

Li Yuhao first went to the bank with the scout to transfer his signing bonus of 20 million won. Seeing the many zeros on the text message, Li Yuhao sighed, "If these zeros represented not dollars but yuan, it would be even better." Li Yuhao put away his bank card and went home with the scout.

When the scout saw Li Yuhao's 9-square-meter room with only a desk, he smiled bitterly, "You've been living here all this time?"

"Yep... Even this place costs 200,000 won a month. I don't have much, just some clothes and textbooks. I can pack up and go. Please wait a moment."

The scout helped Li Yuhao pack, "Why don't you live in a dorm or a school dormitory?"

Li Yuhao smiled, "The school dorm costs 400,000 won a month, and a dorm also costs about 400,000 won. If I share, it's 200,000 won, but I sometimes work late and don't want to disturb my roommates. This place is not bad. It's close to the bus stop, so it's quite convenient."

The scout felt quite sympathetic after hearing Li Yuhao's story...

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