Chapter 48: Signing with LOEN

The next day, the early winter sun gradually rose, and the number of pedestrians on the road slowly increased. Everyone wrapped themselves tightly, as the cold winter air mercilessly swept over each person.

Inside the room, it was pitch black, and one could not see their hand in front of their face.朴素妍 slowly woke up. When she opened her eyes, all she saw was darkness, which made her a bit panicked. There was someone next to her, but feeling the familiar aura emanating from him, she calmed down.

Turning on the bedside lamp, everything became familiar. She glanced at the alarm clock, which read 9:00 AM.

"Lazy pig... always sleeping in!"朴素妍 tried to wake up Lee Yunjae rudely, but when she saw his face, she was startled.

At that moment, Lee Yunjae's face looked pale, abnormally so.朴素妍's first thought was that he had a fever, but when she touched his forehead, it felt normal, with no signs of a fever.

What朴素妍 didn't know was that every time Lee Yunjae took that medication, it was like he was fighting a battle with himself. He would always feel exhausted, his face would look terrible, and he would need sleep to recover his energy. In the past, Lee Yunjae found the days of recuperation too boring, so he would get up early every day to go to the café. Now, he decided to close the café and return to his old habit—sleeping in to recover his energy.

"Yunjae, wake up quickly, are you okay?"朴素妍 asked worriedly, pushing him a few times.

Lee Yunjae slowly woke up. Apart from his pale face, everything else was normal, and朴素妍 let out a sigh of relief.

"You scared me to death... why is your face so pale?"

"Oh... maybe it's because you had a bad sleeping posture last night, which kept me awake all night... you know, when you sleep in the same bed, I'm probably the only one who can avoid being kicked off in the morning!" Lee Yunjae made up an excuse to get out of it.

"Go to hell..." saying this,朴素妍 grabbed a pillow and threw it at Lee Yunjae, and the two started a pillow fight on the bed. Eventually, Lee Yunjae used his ultimate move, tickling朴素妍 under her arms, making her beg for mercy.

Although朴素妍 and Lee Yunjae were already adults, they had not grown apart due to their age. They still slept in the same bed, kissed each other, and did things that others found incomprehensible, which had become a normal part of their relationship.朴素妍 even swore to possess Lee Yunjae until he found a girlfriend. Their relationship was hundreds of times better than that of blood-related siblings...

"Big sister... do you want to eat sweet potato porridge? I'll cook it for you!" Lee Yunjae, holding a spoon, shouted to朴素妍, who was washing up in the bathroom.朴素妍 kicked the door a few times in response.

After breakfast, Lee Yunjae first dropped朴素妍 off at her residence. Since朴素妍 left S.M, she had become a "freelancer," going to interviews at various agencies or staying at home, or visiting Lee Yunjae.

After saying goodbye to朴素妍, Lee Yunjae headed straight to LOEN. After two days of rest, he was ready.

...

In Samsung-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, there was a building that resembled a bank, with a large, square structure and a big steel and glass canopy at the entrance. At the front of the canopy, the four large, artistic, fiery red letters "LOEN" were prominently displayed, with "Entertainment" in gray letters at the bottom right of the "N." This bank-like building was the headquarters of LOEN.

If one observed carefully, the headquarters of various entertainment agencies were quite ordinary. LOEN looked like a bank, S.M like a community office, YG like a financial company, JYP like a theater, DSP like a single-family home, and Dearm-T like a row house. Compared to the former two, StarShip was like an apartment building.

Lee Yunjae got off the car at the intersection and walked towards LOEN. Along the way, there were many office buildings. Lee Yunjae kept looking up, nodding or shaking his head, and soon approached LOEN.

Other agency headquarters were always bustling with fans, either waiting at the entrance or on the streets. However, at LOEN, there were hardly any fans at the entrance, making it look somewhat desolate.

Lee Yunjae shook his head. It seemed that LOEN was indeed as rumored, with no notable artists...

Entering LOEN, Lee Yunjae first went to the reception desk. The receptionist was dressed in a professional OL outfit, which made Lee Yunjae feel much better about LOEN.

"Hello! I'm here to see President Bae Song-in. My name is Lee Yunjae!"

"Oh... you must be Lee Yunjae. President Bae has already instructed me to take you up if you come. Please follow me!" The receptionist stood up and led Lee Yunjae to the elevator.

Soon, they reached the top floor, and with the receptionist's guidance, Lee Yunjae smoothly arrived at President Bae Song-in's office.

"I'm sorry, President Bae, I'm late!" Lee Yunjae apologized.

President Bae Song-in chuckled and waved his hand, gesturing for Lee Yunjae to sit down. "It's fine... I was just finishing up some work. So, have you made up your mind?"

Lee Yunjae nodded. "I'm very willing to cooperate with your company! And with you, President Bae... I believe our cooperation will be mutually beneficial!"

Although Lee Yunjae was only 21, President Bae Song-in always felt like he was negotiating with a 26- or 27-year-old experienced adult.

Lee Yunjae's ambition, his composure, and his calm and confident demeanor when speaking made him very likable. He had strength but was not arrogant or restless, and he had his own ideas. Such a young person was rare. President Bae Song-in sighed inwardly, am I really getting old?!

"Alright, I hope so!" Saying this, President Bae Song-in handed a stack of documents to Lee Yunjae. The front page prominently displayed the LOEN logo and the word "Contract." "Please review the contract. It outlines the obligations you need to fulfill, the profit-sharing terms, and other clauses."

Lee Yunjae flipped through the first page, which mainly listed the obligations he needed to fulfill. For example, he could not have a girlfriend within two years, and if he did, he had to report it to the company to avoid any issues. He had to participate in all company-arranged activities, which were not particularly important... LOEN's obligations included releasing an album for Lee Yunjae each year, promoting his songs, and managing his endorsements, TV shows, commercials, and advertisements. The profit-sharing was 60% for the company and 40% for Lee Yunjae...

It took Lee Yunjae an hour to read through the entire contract, carefully reviewing each clause. After all, once he signed, the contract would be legally binding. If LOEN had any hidden clauses, he would have no place to cry.

President Bae Song-in accompanied Lee Yunjae for the entire hour. Time passed quickly, and finally, Lee Yunjae picked up the Parker pen on the table and signed his name in the "Party B" section—Lee Yunjae.

This was a moment worth commemorating. After four years, Lee Yunjae was finally about to make his comeback. His friends and fans who had waited for four years would finally be reunited.

"Looking forward to working with you!"

"Welcome to LOEN! You are now a part of the LOEN family!" President Bae Song-in was somewhat excited. Among the many agencies, he had successfully signed Lee Yunjae to LOEN, which made him feel very satisfied.

President Bae Song-in took the contract, signed his name in the "Party A" section, and stamped it with the LOEN company seal, making the contract officially effective.

At this moment, Lee Yunjae also breathed a sigh of relief. After many twists and turns, he finally signed with LOEN. Over the past four years, he had experienced a lot and missed even more. The stage, the applause, and the cheers that should have been his, he would now reclaim.

At this point, President Bae Song-in took out a cash check from the drawer and handed it to Lee Yunjae. "This is your signing bonus!"

Lee Yunjae took the check and glanced at it. The signing bonus was only 20 million won. However, given his current value, 20 million won was already quite high, especially since he was a trainee who had almost debuted but never did. Getting a signing bonus was already a good deal.

Three years later, on a certain program, President Bae Song-in recalled signing Lee Yunjae to LOEN for just 20 million won and felt extremely proud. He said it was the most worthwhile business deal he had ever made. He remarked that if it were now, even 20 billion won might not be enough to sign Lee Yunjae.

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End of Chapter 48