Chapter 52: Supporting Na-So-Yeon

Spending 400 million won to buy the copyright of a song is already an astronomical price, and Lee Soo-man actually added another 100 million on top of that, making it a total of 500 million won. If the news that 500 million won was spent to buy the copyright of "Gee" were to spread, it would surely shock the entire music industry and the lyricists' association, setting an unprecedented and unbreakable record for song copyright sales.

Yoo Yong-jin absolutely did not believe that Lee Soo-man was a generous person. On the contrary, based on his understanding of Lee Soo-man over the past decade, he knew that Lee Soo-man was very stingy (in terms of business). He had countless ways to make money, but the core of all his methods was to maximize the value of his artists to earn money, while the artists themselves received very little in return.

For example, with TVXQ, each member only received 50 million won in profit after selling 500,000 albums. To put this into perspective, if the most ordinary genuine album costs around 20,000 won per copy, and 500,000 copies are sold, after deducting various expenses and taxes, S.M. would at least profit 700 million won. However, each member of TVXQ only received 0.7143% of the wealth they created (according to online sources, S.M.'s slave contract stipulates that TVXQ only receives 50 million won after selling 500,000 albums, and no income if they sell less).

From this, it can be seen that Lee Soo-man was a shrewd person to the core. However, when Yoo Yong-jin conveyed Lee Yun-jae's intentions to Lee Soo-man, the scene of Lee Soo-man jumping up and down in anger that Yoo Yong-jin had anticipated did not happen. Instead, Lee Soo-man was willing to pay 500 million won, 100 million more than the 400 million Lee Yun-jae had asked for. This was very different from his usual behavior. Lee Yun-jae was just a former trainee who had been advised to leave S.M., and he was far from being as valuable as TVXQ and other artists. For Lee Soo-man to treat him so well was simply unbelievable, and something strange was definitely going on.

"Yun-jae, I don't know what kind of relationship you have with the president, but I advise you not to go against him. In the end, the one who will suffer will be you!" Yoo Yong-jin earnestly warned.

Yoo Yong-jin was a smart person and knew Lee Soo-man very well. He would never be so good to someone with no connection to him. Although "Gee" by Lee Yun-jae had made Girls' Generation skyrocket to become the most popular girl group at the time, this was not solely due to Lee Yun-jae. It was also the result of Girls' Generation's own efforts and S.M.'s bombastic promotional strategies. Lee Soo-man should have been furious at Lee Yun-jae's request for 400 million won, not quietly adding another 100 million.

However, Lee Yun-jae insisted on only 400 million, refusing the additional 100 million from Lee Soo-man. This indicated that there was some unknown story between the two. Who would turn down money, especially when Lee Soo-man was in the wrong and wanted to compensate Lee Yun-jae, but Lee Yun-jae refused to accept it.

"Teacher, there's nothing much between me and the president. How could I go against him? 400 million is what I should receive, so I must insist on it. Even if he gives me one less won, I won't sell, but I won't take the extra either!"

Yoo Yong-jin shook his head. After four years, Lee Yun-jae's stubbornness had only increased, like a bull.

In the end, Yoo Yong-jin reluctantly gave in and wrote a check for Lee Yun-jae, saying, "With this check, you can withdraw money from any bank!"

"Teacher, can you write me two checks, each for 200 million?"

Although Yoo Yong-jin did not understand why Lee Yun-jae made such a request, he still wrote two checks as requested and put away the previous one.

"Yun-jae, remember my words, don't go against the president..." Yoo Yong-jin repeatedly warned earnestly.

...

When they parted ways, it was already 2 PM. Lee Yun-jae did not linger and went directly to Samcheong-dong to meet the landlord. After contacting the landlord, they agreed to meet at a café in Samcheong-dong.

The landlord was a middle-aged man with curly long hair and glasses, looking like an artist.

In the end, Lee Yun-jae and the landlord went to see the studio for rent. The studio was located in an office building next to LOEN. The first three floors were food and beverage stores, and the floors above were office spaces. The studio was on the eighth floor.

The landlord had already moved out all the furniture, making the room look very spacious. Lee Yun-jae was very satisfied with the place. Standing by the large window, he could see the bustling Samcheong-dong. Since there were no tall buildings in front, the sunlight easily streamed in, providing excellent natural light.

In the end, Lee Yun-jae rented the studio for 2.5 million won per month, which was above his budget, for one year. He originally wanted to rent it for two years, but the landlord was also a shrewd person and might raise the rent next year. If he still charged 2.5 million won, he would be at a loss.

With a third party as a witness, Lee Yun-jae paid one year's rent and a 20 million won deposit, totaling 50 million won. The landlord handed over the keys without hesitation.

In the 300-square-meter room, Lee Yun-jae lay on the floor in a star shape. Although his assets had decreased by 50 million won, leaving him with 470 million won, he felt it was worth it. In this 300-square-meter room, he would create even more wealth, 50 million, 500 million, 5 billion, or even 50 billion, as long as he was outstanding.

As the sky gradually darkened, the day had been fulfilling. He had signed a contract with LOEN and received 400 million won in copyright fees. Although selling the copyright of "Gee" made him feel a bit reluctant, he knew that to gain something, one must first give up something. By giving up the copyright of "Gee," he had rented his dream home, and now only the final renovation was left.

"Hey, Na-So-Yeon, I'll be waiting for you at Restaurant A tonight. You can order whatever you want; I'm treating you!" The two hadn't had a big meal in a long time, and today was a good day, so Lee Yun-jae decided to splurge and let Na-So-Yeon have a good time.

Restaurant A was a Chinese restaurant. Compared to the hassle of eating Korean food, Lee Yun-jae preferred the delicious Chinese cuisine.

...

As night fell, the number of customers at Restaurant A increased. Lee Yun-jae and Na-So-Yeon sat by a window, with five dishes in front of them: garlic pepper ribs, sour cabbage fish, Kung Pao chicken, bamboo shoot braised pork, and Nami silver ear soup. The last dish was for beauty, specifically ordered for Na-So-Yeon.

"Did you find some money today? LOEN didn't give you much signing bonus, right... At this rate, you'll spend it all in no time!" Na-So-Yeon took a bite of the spicy sour cabbage, which she found so delicious that she almost fell in love with it.

"Na-So-Yeon, give this check to Uncle!" Lee Yun-jae took out two checks from his wallet and handed them to Na-So-Yeon. "The other one is for you. You don't have much income in Seoul, and Uncle doesn't give you much pocket money. From now on, I'll take care of you!"

Na-So-Yeon took the check and gasped in surprise, drawing the attention of the other diners. Lee Yun-jae apologized a few times to ease the situation, and the diners returned to their meals.

"Where did you get so much money? 210 million won in one go, are you crazy..." Na-So-Yeon had never seen so much money before, and the two thin pieces of paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in her hands.

Lee Yun-jae took a sip of his drink and explained the high price he had received for the copyright. Na-So-Yeon's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Can you accept it now?" Lee Yun-jae said lightly.

Na-So-Yeon took the 200 million won check and returned the 10 million won cash check to Lee Yun-jae. However, Lee Yun-jae took her wallet and stuffed the check inside.

"I remember when you were a kid, you told me that my money was your money. Now you're being so formal with me..." Lee Yun-jae smiled. "You have a lot of expenses in Seoul, and it's my duty to take care of you... Besides, this money is half extorted from Lee Soo-man, so why not use it?"

Persuaded by Lee Yun-jae, Na-So-Yeon finally accepted his kindness and jokingly asked, "Does this mean I'm being supported by you?"

Lee Yun-jae laughed and said, "If you want to think of it that way, it's fine..."

In the following days, Lee Yun-jae began selecting songs. Over the past four years, he had composed 30 songs. With these songs, he was confident that he could produce three 10-song regular albums or six 5-song mini-albums in a short time. Generally, to maximize profits, record companies would first release a mini-album, followed by a regular 10-song album, which would include the 5 songs from the mini-album. This was a common strategy, as mini-albums were cheaper, while regular albums were much more expensive, allowing them to make money twice.

Of course, Lee Yun-jae would not release all 30 songs. He would only select 8 songs for his first album.

However, while Lee Yun-jae wanted to live a peaceful life, someone else had other plans. Scouts began to visit him one after another, which made him very frustrated and determined to move.