Chapter 49: Relief

Holding the contract, Pei Songren felt particularly reassured, as this matter was finally accomplished. According to his investigation, with Li Yunzai's capabilities, there was no need for any further training; he could debut directly. S.M.'s trainees were famous, especially those trained before 2000, who were all versatile talents, having undergone comprehensive training. The mediocre were eliminated, leaving only the elite. Li Yunzai joined S.M. in 1997 and left at the end of 2003, spending seven years in training. Pei Songren absolutely believed that Li Yunzai was the elite of the elite trained by S.M.

Moreover, Pei Songren had shown the videos Li Yunzai uploaded to the teachers in the company, all of whom praised him and marveled at S.M.'s ability to train trainees, describing it with just one word—strong!

"By the way, there's something I need to tell you... Since you signed the contract with the company today, from tomorrow on, you must fully commit to songwriting, recording, and MV shooting. Your studio plans will have to be postponed!"

In company matters, Pei Songren was strict. Even the smallest company matters were significant, while personal matters, no matter how big, were trivial. Establishing his own studio was far less important than releasing an album.

"President, I've already found a place to rent as a studio. I'll sign the lease tomorrow. Please help me contact a professional renovation team to start work the day after tomorrow. We'll handle the album and the studio simultaneously! I'll take a two-day leave first," Li Yunzai said firmly.

Pei Songren was taken aback, not expecting Li Yunzai to move so quickly. He blurted out, "Where do you plan to set up your studio?"

"I walked past the intersection and saw a 300-square-meter art studio for rent in the second building to the right of this one. With a little renovation and soundproofing, it can be transformed into a recording studio and a practice room!"

"Wow... You're pretty quick!" Pei Songren couldn't help but laugh. "Do you know how much the rent for office buildings in this area is? 300 square meters costs 2 million won (10,000 RMB) per month, and you need to rent it for at least a year, paying a 20 million won (100,000 RMB) deposit in advance... The 20 million won you have is just enough for the deposit!"

Although Li Yunzai knew that Samcheong-dong had many wealthy areas, he didn't expect it to be this expensive.

Pei Songren continued to educate Li Yunzai about the financial aspects: "Apart from the rent and deposit totaling 44 million won, there's also the renovation cost. To renovate a recording studio and a practice room in an office building, you'll need high-quality soundproofing materials, which will cost no less than 70 million won (400,000 RMB)."

"Besides the renovation and rent, you'll need to equip the recording studio. Since you'll be using this studio long-term, you'll need top-notch recording equipment, which will cost around 80 million won (450,000 RMB). Do you have nearly 200 million won (1.12 million RMB) for the initial investment?"

Pei Songren calculated the initial investment of 200 million won, which was an amount that most people couldn't afford. He had also investigated Li Yunzai's background, believing that his father, Park Sang-hae, was a baker and his mother a housewife, making it impossible for them to provide 200 million won to open a studio. The only path Pei Songren saw for Li Yunzai was to release an album quickly and earn his first pot of gold.

200 million won?!

Li Yunzai indeed couldn't come up with that much money immediately, and he still had external debts (when he went abroad for treatment, Park Sang-hae gave him the two bank cards without telling him the truth, so Li Yunzai thought he owed the Park family 1 billion won). He currently had about 100 million won, plus the 20 million won signing bonus, totaling 120 million won. However, he still had ways to get the money; 200 million won wasn't a problem for him.

"President, don't worry... I'll handle the money. I won't ask you for a loan! Please help me contact the best construction team and reserve a set of high-end professional recording equipment!" Li Yunzai spoke with confidence.

Pei Songren looked at him in surprise, unable to figure out where Li Yunzai's confidence came from. Was he planning to borrow from friends in groups like TVXQ, HOT, Super Junior, S.E.S., and H.O.T.? If Li Yunzai really asked, Pei Songren believed they would lend him even more.

H.O.T. alone could easily come up with 400 million won. TVXQ was doing well, though their income was meager under S.M.'s slave contract. However, raising 200 million won among the five of them wouldn't be a problem. If Li Yunzai borrowed a little from each, the amount each would have to contribute would be even less.

Although Pei Songren had calculated the costs clearly, he was now mistaken.

Since Li Yunzai had spoken so confidently, Pei Songren couldn't refuse his request. As long as it didn't delay the album's progress, he was willing to help Li Yunzai, making him owe him a favor, which was hard to repay.

"Alright, as long as you don't delay the album's production, I can help you!" Pei Songren said generously. "Just wait for your studio to be completed!"

Li Yunzai's face showed a hint of excitement. "Thank you, President!"

"Alright, now that you're part of LOEN, there's no need to be formal. Take a tour of the company today and get familiar... Oh, it's lunchtime. Go to the first-floor cafeteria and start getting familiar there!" Pei Songren checked his watch; it was already 12:30.

Li Yunzai nodded and left Pei Songren's office with the two copies of the contract. He became interested in LOEN, wondering how it differed from S.M.

Following Pei Songren's instructions, Li Yunzai took the elevator to the first floor. He first sent a text to Park So-yeon, telling her he had successfully signed the contract and they would celebrate in the evening. Park So-yeon quickly replied with a text containing only a smiley face.

At 12:30, the first floor of LOEN was noticeably noisier, with many trainees coming and going. Li Yunzai followed a few trainees, turning left and right, and soon saw the sign for the cafeteria. Along the way, he passed several practice rooms, including B and C classes, but not A class, which was probably on the second floor.

At the cafeteria entrance, he saw nearly a hundred people inside, surprised by the number of trainees at LOEN. This wasn't surprising, as when he joined S.M., it was a different era, and S.M. was far less powerful than LOEN now, naturally having fewer trainees.

"Net fishing!" Li Yunzai muttered. Clearly, not all these trainees had exceptional talent; they were just a bit better than average children. After a period of training and multiple rounds of selection, the true elite would emerge.

Li Yunzai's entrance caught the attention of many trainees. The cafeteria was rarely visited by company executives; only trainees came here. However, from Li Yunzai's height and appearance, he didn't look like a trainee. Who would be in their twenties and still be a trainee? Most debuting artists were around 17 years old.

The trainees glanced at Li Yunzai briefly and quickly returned to their meals. Li Yunzai joined the queue, watching trainees with trays pass by. The food on their trays was much better than what he had at S.M, with a large pork chop, a dish of vegetables, and kimchi. At S.M., a small piece of pork chop was already a treat.

At that moment, a frail figure passed by Li Yunzai, peering at the window to see what was being served today.

Just then, Li Yunzai saw a foot extend from the shadows, blocking the little girl's path. This scene reminded him of his first days at S.M., where he had bumped into Liu Menglong. In a brief moment of distraction, he heard a clatter, and the little girl fell to the ground, along with a tray.

"Can't be... This is too similar!" Li Yunzai felt as if he was reliving the moment he bumped into Liu Menglong, except this time, it was two girls, one a new trainee, the other an older, more advanced trainee.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Senior, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to, someone tripped me, I swear I didn't mean to!" The little girl bowed repeatedly, trembling with fear.

"Hmph... Can't you watch where you're going? What a lame excuse. Who would trip you on purpose? You just started and you're already bumping into seniors... Do you think I'm a joke?"

"I'm telling the truth... I'm sorry, senior!" The little girl bowed, her body trembling, clearly terrified.

Li Yunzai shook his head. The first part of the scene reminded him of his past, but this girl was too weak. She didn't know how to stand up for herself, only to accept mistreatment, lacking the boldness he had when he first joined S.M.

Shaking his head again, Li Yunzai took a step forward...