Chapter 47: Cooperation

Li Yunzai actually refused! The president of LOEN personally came to his door, and he still refused. Bae Song-jin was stunned for a few seconds, and Na Soo-yeon was also taken aback.

"Yunzai, are you crazy? What a great opportunity... LOEN is a very good agency, not just in terms of connections; even S.M. can't compete with it. Moreover, today President Bae came to invite you personally. How could you refuse? Why don't you reconsider?" Na Soo-yeon, fearing that Li Yunzai might make a wrong decision, grabbed his arms and whispered in his ear.

But Li Yunzai, as if he had made up his mind, still shook his head.

Bae Song-jin tried one last time, offering a high-level contract in the current music industry, hoping to persuade Li Yunzai, but Li Yunzai still shook his head.

Sigh... Bae Song-jin sighed deeply and said, "Since you don't want to join LOEN, I won't force you. I've disturbed you today, so I'll take my leave!"

Just as Bae Song-jin was about to take a step, Li Yunzai suddenly spoke, "President Bae... don't you want to hear the reason why I don't want to join LOEN?"

Bae Song-jin was taken aback, stopped his step, and sat back on the sofa.

"Actually, President Bae's sincerity is greater than that of any other agency. If I wanted to join an agency, I would choose LOEN because of your sincerity. However, I don't plan to join any agency. I've decided to open my own studio!" Li Yunzai said firmly.

Wow... Na Soo-yeon and Bae Song-jin were stunned by Li Yunzai's idea. Open your own studio? Do you think you're a big-name singer? Even big-name singers still work under agencies. You want to open your own studio? That's just a dream, too unrealistic. At this moment, Bae Song-jin's impression of Li Yunzai dropped significantly. A person who wants to become a fat man in one breath will eventually fall flat.

"Young man, it's better to be down-to-earth!" Bae Song-jin said mildly, as an elder advising a junior.

Li Yunzai chuckled and said, "I think President Bae has misunderstood! I don't have such grand ambitions. I'm just afraid of joining an agency. Being under someone else's roof feels like being a pawn. After my incident, Lee Soo-man threw me away like a useless pawn. I no longer have a good impression of agencies!"

Bae Song-jin's mood eased slightly, thinking that he had misunderstood Li Yunzai earlier. However, Lee Soo-man's actions were indeed too unscrupulous.

Li Yunzai spoke calmly, but Na Soo-yeon could still hear the pain in his words. Being forced to leave must have been very painful. Na Soo-yeon reached out and put her arm around Li Yunzai's neck, gently resting her head on his shoulder to comfort him. Li Yunzai reached back and patted her shoulder, indicating that he was fine.

"I just want to make my own music and sing for my fans! I don't want anyone to interfere with my work. If I join an agency, I can't avoid such situations. So I don't want to join an agency; I want to open my own studio!" Li Yunzai explained.

Bae Song-jin frowned and said, "This... seems to have nothing to do with us at LOEN!"

In fact, Bae Song-jin was still quite unhappy. He had originally wanted to recruit Li Yunzai, but now he had just added a competitor for LOEN.

Li Yunzai grinned and said, "Of course it does! President Bae, you want me to join LOEN, right? Don't you want it anymore?"

This time, Bae Song-jin was confused by Li Yunzai's words. He didn't want to join an agency, but now he wanted to join? Li Yunzai's contradictory statements left Bae Song-jin completely puzzled.

"What do you mean? I'm getting more and more confused!" Bae Song-jin frowned deeply.

"It's actually very simple! We cooperate!" Li Yunzai clenched his fist and said firmly.

Cooperate?! The confusion in Bae Song-jin's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a realization. His gaze toward Li Yunzai changed, becoming more surprised.

"You mean, you want to open a studio and then cooperate with us at LOEN?" Bae Song-jin tentatively voiced his guess.

Li Yunzai stroked his chin, thought for a few seconds, and then said, "You're only half right. For me, LOEN is a big tree. I don't have the strength to cooperate yet; I can only grow under this tree.

My idea is to open a studio and then merge it into LOEN, similar to a subsidiary but independent. LOEN won't manage my studio.

LOEN will manage me, produce my albums, handle my promotions, and take advertisements. Whether it's album revenue or revenue from merchandise, I will take 40%, and 60% will go to LOEN.

If my studio signs artists in the future, LOEN will also manage them, and I will give LOEN 10% of the revenue. I will cover all the costs for producing and promoting their albums, but I will use LOEN's name, like hanging a sheep's head to sell dog meat. LOEN will get 10% of the revenue just by granting the naming rights!"

(Here it's a bit vague... I'm frustrated, deleting and rewriting, not sure how to express it clearly...)

Li Yunzai only outlined his general idea to Bae Song-jin. Bae Song-jin, not a novice in business, naturally understood what Li Yunzai was saying. It was like a large construction group with many construction companies under its name, each paying an annual fee and using the group's credentials to secure projects.

"Ha, interesting!" Bae Song-jin, whose face had been somewhat gloomy due to Li Yunzai's refusal, now smiled. He asked, "Why don't you want to cooperate with other agencies and choose LOEN?"

Li Yunzai shrugged and said, "First, President Bae is a very sincere person, and I think working with you will be pleasant. Second, LOEN's connections are unmatched by other agencies!"

Bae Song-jin nodded. In terms of connections, LOEN was indeed unmatched by other agencies. After a half-hour of silence, although it deviated from his original purpose, Bae Song-jin finally agreed to Li Yunzai's request. This cooperation was not a loss for LOEN; it could be considered a win-win. Moreover, the 40-60 revenue split proposed by Li Yunzai was not unacceptable.

Many current agency contracts are 30-70 splits, and there are many additional conditions. Li Yunzai's 40-60 split showed some confidence, and Bae Song-jin wanted to see what miracles Li Yunzai could create.

"Come to LOEN tomorrow and sign the contract. You will officially become an artist under LOEN!" Bae Song-jin said bluntly.

Li Yunzai sighed inwardly but finally nodded in agreement. Signing with LOEN was probably Bae Song-jin's last line.

"Yunzai, are you really going to open a studio? Do you have the money? Do you know how much it costs to open a studio? You need to rent a place, not too far away, and it needs to be renovated. With your personality, you won't use a regular recording studio, right? The cost of a high-end studio could bankrupt you!"

After Li Yunzai saw Bae Song-jin off and sat back on the sofa, Na Soo-yeon couldn't hold back. Opening a studio was something she had never even dared to dream about, but Li Yunzai was going to make it happen.

"Sister... do you really look down on your brother so much? Money will come, and bread will come!" Li Yunzai stretched and chuckled.

"Bullshit... what money do you have?! Even if you sell your small coffee shop, it won't be worth 30 million won. Haven't you spent all your money on treatment?" Na Soo-yeon frowned deeply.

Li Yunzai gently rubbed Na Soo-yeon's furrowed brow and said softly, "Men's affairs, women shouldn't meddle in!"

Na Soo-yeon immediately exploded, "I'm your sister... I have to meddle! If you don't tell me today, I won't leave!"

"Whatever... you've stayed here many times before, I don't mind... even if you sleep in the same bed, it's not the first time!" Li Yunzai shrugged.

"Hey, Li Yunzai... you're dead!" Na Soo-yeon pounced like a little tiger, hammering Li Yunzai's back with her fists, but Li Yunzai remained silent. Eventually, she got tired and actually fell asleep on the sofa.

Looking at Na Soo-yeon's sleeping face, Li Yunzai shook his head helplessly, carried her into the bedroom, and placed her on the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed, smoothed out her messy hair, and murmured, "Sister... you really need to fall in love. When you find someone who loves you and you love them, only then can I feel at ease entrusting you to them!"

Sighing inwardly, Li Yunzai opened the bedside drawer, took out a brown bottle from the back, and then went into the bathroom.

After locking the bathroom door, Li Yunzai took two pills and swallowed them with water. Soon, a strong, intense sensation spread throughout his body. Li Yunzai trembled, curled up in the corner, veins bulging on his forehead, and tightly clamped his mouth to prevent Na Soo-yeon from hearing anything.

In the bedroom, Na Soo-yeon, lying on the bed, turned over, a faint smile on her lips, a gentle smile...

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