Chapter 74

74

Wisu Entertainment.

It can be seen as a group of scammers who primarily lure minors or inexperienced young adults into exclusive contracts, then embezzle the signing bonus or extort money under the guise of investment.

The representative of Wisu Entertainment was quite proud of his organization.

'What a great world to take advantage of.'

He thought so, especially this time felt particularly good.

Jung Dajun, who had been set up with a trap in the form of an exclusive contract, was not expected to make it big at all, but he hit a home run. After waiting for the perfect timing, neither too early nor too late, to make him a discard, he threatened with the card of a dual exclusive contract.

While pondering how much to demand as a penalty, a paparazzo he knew well let slip a piece of information over drinks. In summary, it was this:

'Seo Hoyun is having frequent conflicts with Daepa Sung Planning and is looking for another agency.'

"Good luck."

It paid off to manage his connections. He even got the scoop from the valuable paparazzo first.

Unable to miss such a good opportunity, he casually threw out a bait to Seo Hoyun, who readily took it.

'But still, I need to be careful.'

The representative rubbed his hands together and made a resolution. Despite already planning to extort an enormous sum from Daepa Sung Planning with Seo Hoyun and Jung Dajun, he reminded himself to always be prepared.

Seo Hoyun seemed composed and worldly on TV.

"Hey, nice to meet you~."

But the moment he actually met Seo Hoyun, all his built-up caution crumbled.

"…Hello?"

"Wow, the office is really shabby. Can you even work in a place like this?"

Seo Hoyun, chewing gum and acting like a punk, casually glanced around and immediately plopped down on the sofa.

With his slicked-up bangs and a body wrapped in a single luxury brand, he looked like a typical punk.

'…What is this punk?'

"I'm thirsty, Mr. Representative."

"…W, would you like some water?"

He stuttered slightly, caught off guard by the unexpected gap.

Seo Hoyun buried himself in the sofa, crossed his legs on the table, yawned loudly, and complained about the slow water. However, when the representative handed him a bottle of water from the fridge, he scowled and ignored it.

"What? I don’t drink domestic water, you know?"

"…That's all we have."

"Ha, really… It’s so bad."

His voice trailed off as he opened the cap and sniffed the water, even shaking it like wine to smell it more.

"Not good."

'…What?'

The representative, utterly flabbergasted, counted the seagulls carved on the ceiling to calm himself. In the process, he missed Seo Hoyun dissolving white powder from between his fingers into the water.

Seo Hoyun, apparently still not satisfied, closed the cap and handed it back to the representative.

"Mr. Representative, you drink it. I’m good."

'F*ck… What is this kid?'

"Ha ha ha! Seo Hoyun, you’re so cheerful. I was a bit surprised by the gap between your TV persona and this…"

"Gap?"

Seo Hoyun tilted his head. The representative, caught off guard by his innocent appearance, answered without thinking.

"Yeah. On TV, you always seemed so competent and smart."

He immediately regretted his words. That made his current appearance seem less intelligent. However, instead of getting upset, Seo Hoyun burst out laughing.

"Oh, that?"

'That?'

"That’s all a concept. The company went crazy trying to manage my image. They even said to read from a script or not speak at all if I didn’t."

"But you did well on the college entrance exam…?"

"It’s all edited. I struggled to pretend I knew the answers. I only need to be good at singing and dancing, not be smart. I told them it was a bad move, but…"

'So, that’s what it was?'

His tension dropped. The lightness and stupidity in his tone were unmistakable.

Seo Hoyun, on the other hand, laughed.

"Wow, Mr. Representative, did you really believe that? You seem more naive than I thought."

"…Ha ha ha!"

He was slightly irritated, but such a haughty attitude would likely backfire on the kid.

The representative, with a friendly smile, suppressed his anger. After all, the one who would be fooled would be this kid.

"Thank you for coming today, Seo Hoyun. It must have been a big decision."

"Did I come to sign a contract? I just came for a consultation. There are many other places. Of course, this was the first one I visited."

"Why was this the first one?"

Something didn’t sit right. If Seo Hoyun knew about Jung Dajun’s situation and heard about his grievances, he wouldn’t have come here, no matter how stupid he was.

Wisu Entertainment was primarily a scam operation, not an idol management company.

"Our representative is completely crazy right now."

"Representative?"

"Yes. But I hate the representative. I came to Wisu to see him get what he deserves, since I’m going to sign with another agency anyway."

"What…?"

"Mr. Representative, think about it."

Seo Hoyun chuckled.

"If two people betray you and both go to the same agency, how bad would that be?"

'Wow, really clueless…'

The representative was amazed. Well, if that was the reason. It seemed Seo Hoyun wasn’t planning to sign a contract immediately but was trying to provoke Daepa Sung Planning.

This was the moment to put his well-honed persuasion skills to use. If he played his cards right, Seo Hoyun would sign the contract.

While heading to the mahogany desk he had bought for such occasions, the representative pondered. It was to his advantage to leave as little evidence as possible, so he hadn’t installed CCTV. However, he thought it might be useful to record the conversation for future manipulation.

But seeing Seo Hoyun chewing gum, blowing bubbles, and looking around, it seemed unnecessary. Once the contract was signed, everything would go smoothly. The representative returned to the sofa with the contract.

"Take a look, Seo Hoyun. We usually don’t do this, but we’ve offered very generous terms."

"Hmm…"

The representative handed the contract to Seo Hoyun, who flipped through it casually and asked:

"What’s a ‘cultural and artistic service’?"

"Ah, this refers to services related to entertainment in the cultural and artistic industry…"

"So, what’s a service?"

"…"

He was momentarily speechless. He thought Seo Hoyun was teasing him, but the way he furrowed his brows and read the words carefully seemed genuine.

"It’s like… providing labor in a production process…"

"What are you talking about?"

'Shit…'

Yeah, someone could not know what a 'service' is.

Yeah, someone could not understand what’s being said.

He held back his anger and answered patiently, but Seo Hoyun, still looking confused, continued to ask simple questions, making the representative struggle.

'This kid really did a great job with his image…'

The representative momentarily sympathized with the employees of Daepa Sung Planning. He couldn’t understand how they managed to maintain an intellectual concept with such a stupid idol.

After about ten questions, the representative, his throat dry from Seo Hoyun’s refusal of water, took a drink.

"Ha, s*it… Do you understand now?"

A glint of realization flashed in Seo Hoyun’s eyes, but the representative didn’t see it.

"Um, it seems to make sense…"

Seo Hoyun scratched his head, still looking stupid.

"The terms are good, and the contract period is reasonable. Honestly, it’s a very generous offer."

'It’s a scam, kid.'

"Shouldn’t you peel the carrot after you pull it out? I’ll sign."

'A knife should cut the radish after it’s pulled out.' The representative, now completely relaxed, nodded repeatedly.

"Here, here! Do you have a pen?"

"Thank you."

Seo Hoyun scribbled in the blank spaces with the pen. The representative, feeling relieved to finally be rid of this stupid kid and proud of his manipulation, felt good.

Then, Seo Hoyun, who had been quietly filling out the contract, spoke again.

"But are the terms for Jung Dajun better than mine?"

"Dajun? No, his terms are worse than yours. He signed when he was a trainee."

He’s trying to control the situation now. Seo Hoyun smiled, satisfied that his terms were better.

"Hmm… Is that so? Did he read and sign it? He wouldn’t have understood it."

'Are you saying you understood it?'

The representative, veins popping on his forehead, tried to maintain his smile.

"No, Dajun didn’t understand it either. But he signed it anyway, thinking it was a good opportunity."

"Didn’t his parents object?"

"His parents couldn’t read the contract. They were busy with their jobs… They only consulted."

"So, they didn’t get parental consent?"

"No, Dajun signed alone without parental consent."

"That’s strange. Our representative said he had a recording of parental consent."

"Ah, about that."

'What?'

The words flowed smoothly. He even revealed details he would never normally share. The representative, usually a smooth talker, felt as if he were drunk, spilling out the day’s events in detail.

"It was a fabricated conversation. They believed it because the call and contract dates were the same, so they didn’t suspect anything."

"Is that so?"

Seo Hoyun chuckled. The representative, for the first time, sensed a chill.

"Can I summarize?"

The tone that had been flat and lifeless moments ago now cut through the air clearly.

"Mr. Wisu representative, you fabricated parental consent and signed an exclusive contract with the minor, Jung Dajun."

The temperature around them seemed to drop suddenly. The representative, under the cold gaze, was asked again:

"Is that correct?"

"Y-Yes…"

The representative couldn’t believe his own words. As he opened his eyes wide, Seo Hoyun put his legs down from the table and ran his fingers through his hair. Suddenly, the punk was gone, leaving only a cold, serious man.

Click.

Seo Hoyun took out his phone from his pocket, stopped the recording, and put it back.

He had been recording.

The entire conversation, everything.

"Thank you."

Seo Hoyun said, sounding slightly annoyed but clear.

"If I have to go to court, this recording will be very useful."

"You…!"

The representative, enraged, stood up. He tried to grab the phone but found himself unable to move.

"Why…!"

"Ah."

Seo Hoyun chuckled, lifted his foot, and pushed the table.

Creak!

The table scraped against the floor, pushing the representative, who was standing on the opposite side, between the table and the sofa. Seo Hoyun, with a seemingly harmless smile, looked at him.

"I’m amazed by this too."

"…!!"

"Let’s not make a big deal out of this. Even if you delete the recording on this phone, it’s backed up in the cloud."

"You, what are you doing…! This is illegal recording, you know?!"

"Your statement is refreshing, considering you sent the recording file…"

"Hey!"

"As you know, if a party to the conversation records it, it’s not illegal and can be used as evidence."

The representative, though sorry for him, knew Seo Hoyun recorded everything as easily as eating a meal. This was a skill he learned early in his investigative program, making it easier for him than breathing.

"Ha, scammers. You were quite prepared, weren’t you?"

Seo Hoyun waved the contract he had been filling out. The personal information section read "Hong Gil-dong," the address was "East-West-North-South," and the age was "Ah, this is a bit confusing."

Moreover, instead of a signature, "Ah, ha ha" was scribbled across the contract.

"Wh-What…!"

Rip!

In front of the wide-eyed representative, Seo Hoyun tore the contract in half. The pieces fluttered to the floor.

"You… You f*cking…! Hey! Do you think you’ll get away with this?!"

"Ah! Are you recording or taking CCTV footage?"

"No, I’m not… Ah! No! That’s not it!"

"Hmm, what’s the safe’s password?"

"487194… No, no!"

"Thanks."

He wanted to stop him but couldn’t move. Something was definitely in that water. It was there, but…

"You’ll be tested! It will show drug components!"

"You have a vivid imagination."

"I’ll send you to the police like the Today guys! I’ll put you in jail!"

"Try it."

There’s nothing there. No matter where you search in this world, there’s no such thing as a tea leaf that makes you answer honestly.

Meanwhile, Seo Hoyun pressed the password and opened the safe. Inside, in addition to the termination agreement for Jung Dajun’s contract, a few more contracts were visible.

"Hey, you’re not giving that? Not letting me go?!!"

Seo Hoyun tucked the termination agreement for Jung Dajun under his arm, shredded the others, and stuffed them into his pocket. As he passed by the representative, he turned at the door.

"I’m just genuinely curious."

"Give it to me!"

"Wisu, is it named 'We Sue' because you sue people?"

We sue.

=We sue.

In other words, are you named after being a group of professional litigators?

Representative Kim Wisu (48, scammer), unable to move his body, could only grab the back of his neck. He was about to faint and couldn’t answer. Seo Hoyun, shrugging as if he didn’t need to hear the answer, nodded with a strangely satisfied look.

"Hmm… I thought so."

"Hey!!"

The representative shouted, but Seo Hoyun left the office without a second thought.

['Dual Exclusive Contract' Quest Completed!

You have resolved the dual exclusive contract issue for Jung Dajun!

Using an item meant to help people socialize as a threat…

10,000 points have been awarded.]