Chapter 12

There are thousands of companies engaged in the entertainment industry in South Korea. Apart from a few dozen large and medium-sized entertainment companies that earn substantial profits, the rest can only play a supporting role, barely managing to survive, and this is only possible under the severe exploitation of their artists. Therefore, a newly established entertainment company may be founded today and hurriedly go bankrupt in two or three months, with the competition far more intense than in any other industry in South Korea.

The lives of the artists are not much better. Even high-level artists with a star aura, who are fully booked every day, cannot guarantee buying an ordinary apartment after working for four or five years. Most ordinary-level artists do not even reach the average income of South Koreans. Therefore, although Zhang Chengyuan had the idea of making big money by shooting advertisements, he could not afford to be careless. If Park Byung-ryul's contract was as harsh as most agencies, he would have to refuse it.

Park Byung-ryul's Logosfilm advertising agency is located on the fifth floor of the Seohong Building in Dongjak District, with only seven or eight full-time employees and some temporary staff. They do not have any outstanding models, clearly indicating it is a small company. Otherwise, how could Park Byung-ryul, as the head of the company, have the leisure to scout for models on the streets? However, in Seoul, there are many companies even worse than Park Byung-ryul's, and Zhang Chengyuan did not mind this. As long as Park Byung-ryul's contract could satisfy him, it would be fine.

Sitting on the sofa in Park Byung-ryul's office, Zhang Chengyuan took a sip of water and said, "Mr. Park, I want to know about your company's strength and your sincerity."

Park Byung-ryul replied, "Although our company has been established for less than a year and is far from the strength of large companies, this does not mean we lack the ability to make you a star. You should know that I and the members of the company were originally employees of KBS National Television or other large advertising companies, and we have deep connections in the entertainment industry, especially in the advertising and television sectors. If it weren't for the lack of a 'thousand-mile horse,' our company would have already achieved great success. And you are the 'thousand-mile horse' I have discovered. We can not only turn you into an advertising star but also make you a television or even a film star. Believe me! As long as you follow the company's plans and work hard, I guarantee that you will become a national superstar in the future." When recruiting talent, one always has to exaggerate a bit, and Park Byung-ryul was no exception.

Zhang Chengyuan smiled wryly, not taking Park Byung-ryul's words entirely seriously. While Park Byung-ryul was speaking, he had observed his every subtle gesture, knowing that his words were clearly exaggerated. However, he could at least determine that Park Byung-ryul was not a fraudster. He said, "I hope so, but I value how much money I can earn more."

Park Byung-ryul said, "When you become a big star, will you be afraid of not earning a lot of money?"

Zhang Chengyuan replied, "Becoming a big star is indeed great, but it is too far from me. I am more concerned about immediate benefits. I don't want to work hard for a year and not even be able to afford barbecue, nor do I want to be restricted when eating with friends. So I want to see your sincerity in this regard."

In the entertainment industry, the contracts signed between artists and agencies are mostly 'slave treaties.' Not only is the work extremely hard and busy, but the money earned must be mostly handed over to the agency, with artists receiving only one-fifth or even one-tenth. There are also various contracts that infringe on the rights of artists, such as not being allowed to date, having to report to the company wherever they go, and having to inform the company if their family members have any scandals like high-interest loans. Over time, if the company finds any leverage, the artists become slaves to the company, and some female artists are forced to entertain and even commit suicide.

Although most companies are not so unscrupulous, the dark secrets of the entertainment industry do exist, and Zhang Chengyuan had to be cautious. Although he was very capable, he could not ignore the legal binding nature of the contract.

Faced with Zhang Chengyuan's seemingly reasonable but unconventional demands, Park Byung-ryul was somewhat unhappy, but he did not show it. After all, a talent like Zhang Chengyuan was hard to come by, and if he scared him away, he might never find another. Although Park Byung-ryul's ambitions were not huge, he was not content to remain the head of a small company. He knew that Zhang Chengyuan was his biggest opportunity, both now and in the future. Therefore, giving him better treatment than ordinary newcomers was not out of the question.

After much consideration, Park Byung-ryul finally nodded and said, "I believe you will see our company's greatest sincerity." He took out a contract from a drawer, made several modifications, and handed it to Zhang Chengyuan, saying, "This is the contract I just drafted. Please take a look and let me know if there are any points that need to be renegotiated. Once we agree, I will have it reprinted."

Zhang Chengyuan did not start reading from the beginning but first looked at the clauses Park Byung-ryul had just modified, and he nodded. Originally, the profit-sharing ratio was 7:3, but Park Byung-ryul had changed it to "7:3 in the first year, 6:4 in the second year, and 5:5 from the third year until the contract expires." The original ratio was already much better than the contracts for new artists at major companies like SM, and now it was equivalent to the treatment of a star actor. One of the main reasons Park Byung-ryul was so generous was that the cost of training a qualified model is much lower than training a successful singer or actor. However, regardless, this showed that Park Byung-ryul was not a heartless businessman but a person with vision and courage. Other company heads might have tried to deceive Zhang Chengyuan with sweet talk.

Continuing to read, Zhang Chengyuan noticed that several clauses that were detrimental to the artist's privacy had been deleted or modified to be more favorable to the artist. For example, "The agency cannot arrange the artist's school schedule without the artist's consent," "The agency cannot disclose the artist's personal and family information without the artist's consent," and "The agency cannot prevent the artist from interacting with the opposite sex during non-working hours."

Finally, the contract duration was reduced from ten years to five years. Models are not singers; singers may need to practice for several years before performing, while models usually only need a few months of training. Given Zhang Chengyuan's conditions, if he encountered a suitable shooting environment, he could start working even without training. Park Byung-ryul was concerned that a long contract period might deter Zhang Chengyuan, so he proactively modified this clause.

After reading through these changes, Zhang Chengyuan carefully reviewed the entire contract again. Seeing no issues, he said, "I generally agree with these terms, but I am young and inexperienced, so I need to take the contract home and discuss it with my family. It might take some time."

Park Byung-ryul replied, "That is reasonable. I see that you are still a minor. Without your guardian's consent, even if you sign now, it will not be legally binding. Chengyuan, I look forward to you becoming our company's exclusive artist soon."

Zhang Chengyuan said, "I usually make my own decisions, and my father will agree. However, my father is currently abroad and may not return for some time, so the contract signing will have to be delayed by about half a month. If you are not afraid of me backing out, you can start arranging training or work for me now, following this contract. How about that?" Eager to earn money, Zhang Chengyuan was already impatient.

Park Byung-ryul said, "With such a favorable contract, I don't believe your guardian will refuse, so I agree to your request. I wish us a pleasant cooperation." After a few hours of interaction over the past two days, Park Byung-ryul recognized Zhang Chengyuan's maturity and composure beyond his age and no longer treated him as a minor. To foster a good relationship, he generously agreed to Zhang Chengyuan's request.