Peninsula: I can steal the luck of disgraced celebrities

Cui Hao flipped through a few pages, his gaze sweeping over the income distribution clauses, breach of contract clauses, portrait rights authorization clauses, and non-compete clauses.

With each page turned, his brow furrowed a little more.

When he turned to the last page, he put the contract on the table, leaned back in his booth, and looked as if he was enduring some kind of physical discomfort.

Regarding income distribution—the trainee period resulted in zero income, while income from activities after debut was split with the company.

"The profit-sharing ratio wasn't specified in the contract; there was a blank space in Appendix Two. It means that after you sign this contract, they'll use Appendix Two to have you sign a specific profit-sharing agreement."

"When you signed the first contract, you had no idea what the second contract would look like. The penalty for breach of contract is approximately 500 million Korean won. Permanent authorization of your image rights."

The booth was quiet for a moment.

Lu Han looked down at the contract, which had several folded corners, and twirled the pen in his hand several times.

Cui Hao and Lin Zhixun knew that Lu Han was hesitating.

He is now facing a major crossroads in his life.

Ha Joo-hee walked over at some point and stopped beside the two of them.

She glanced down at the stack of contracts on the table and asked casually, "Which company's contracts are these?"

"An internship contract with SM Entertainment," Lim Ji-hoon replied.

Ha Joo-hee picked up the contract from the table, flipped through a few pages, and her gaze lingered on the penalty clause.

She read quickly, page after page, her expression remaining calm until she turned to the portrait rights clause, at which point she let out a soft hum.

That hum was neither surprised nor angry; it was more like a knowing "I knew it."

"SM's trainee contracts have improved significantly compared to two years ago."

She put the contract back on the table and picked up her coffee cup.

Last year, 2009.

Kim Jaejoong, Park Yoochun, and Kim Junsu sued SM Entertainment, revealing that their contracts were for 13 years and that their military service had been extended to more than 15 years, with breach of contract penalties amounting to hundreds of billions of Korean won.

Furthermore, the income distribution was extremely unfair. With 50 albums sold, each person only received about 5.6 RMB, and the revenue from the album accounted for only 0.4%-1%.

The intense workload also took a toll on his health. In the five years since his debut, he only took one week off each year and slept only 3-4 hours a day. As a result, Kim Jaejoong developed gastrointestinal and kidney diseases.

The court ultimately ruled the contract invalid due to excessive infringement on the artists' rights, and the three artists won the case to terminate the contract.

Upon hearing Ha Joo-hee's words, Lim Ji-hoon asked curiously, "You also know about idol contracts in the entertainment industry?"

Ha Joo-hee rubbed her fingers together. "Knowledge comes at a price."

"Can I repay you with my body?"

"Get lost! You shameless bastard!"

After joking around, Lin Zhixun looked at Lu Han, who had been deep in thought, and asked:

"So, do you still want to sign this contract?"

In his past life, Lin Zhixun didn't know why Lu Han, a high-ranking official in the HD district, would give up his luxurious life and run to South Korea to become a minor idol.

What's wrong? Are you tired of the abalone and lobster at home and want to suffer a little?

Lu Han did not answer immediately.

He flipped the contract back to the first page, his fingertip pointing at the SM logo.

Outside the window, the November wind swirled a few withered leaves, which twirled against the glass of the French windows.

"I have a dream."

He pressed down the folded corner on the contract cover.

"I've wanted to be a singer since I was a child."

Lu Han flipped to the first fold of the contract, which revealed the pitfalls of the SM contract's term.

He folded it back, smoothed it out with his hand, and turned to the next page.

"But I never dared to tell my parents."

"My dad chose which school I went to. My mom made the decision about studying abroad."

"My dad said that Korean has potential in the Asian market, so I came here."

He continued flipping through the contracts, smoothing out any problematic or folded corners he came across with his hand.

"It seems like I'm living all for others."

"So two years ago, when I was shopping in Myeongdong, I was stopped by an SM Entertainment scout, and he asked me if I was interested in becoming a trainee."

"My first reaction wasn't 'Do I want to go?' but 'What will my dad say when he hears this?'"

Lu Han has already flipped to the last fold of the contract.

"I only realized it when I went back to my dorm and called my dad."

"Damn it! What about me? Do I even want to go?"

Lu Han smoothed out the last fold of the contract and closed it.

"I want to do something I choose, even if it doesn't seem right or even unconventional."

He looked down at the contract in front of him.

"Moreover, as I just heard from you, this contract is much better than it was two years ago."

"Overseas income is negotiable. The achievements made by our predecessors at the cost of their futures are valid."

He pressed his palm on the cover, as if he wanted to shove the entire contract into the table.

"If I give up just because this contract isn't perfect enough, then all their previous legal battles would have been for nothing, wouldn't they?"

No one responded.

"My dad told me that mistakes made at twenty can still be corrected at thirty."

He picked up his pen, turned to the last page of the contract, and paused in the blank space next to the signature column.

The pen tip was only one centimeter away from the paper, and his hand was very steady, without any tremors.

Then he turned to look at Lin Zhixun, revealing a slightly shy smile, as if he was a little embarrassed in such a serious occasion.

"Lin Zhixun, you just asked me—whether I still want to sign, I'll answer you now."

He picked up a pen and carefully wrote his name in the signature column.

Lu Han.

The two Chinese characters were written neatly and with the same force as the exercises he wrote at the bottom of his Korean textbook, almost penetrating the paper.

"sign."

……

After signing the contract, Lu Han left.

His figure disappeared at the entrance of Murakami Coffee Shop, holding a takeout iced Americano in his hand.

Cui Hao stared at the seat Lu Han had just been sitting in and remained silent for three or four seconds.

But he didn't let this feeling linger for too long. Instead, he bent down, opened his rabbit-bear bag, and pulled out several neatly bound scripts, placing them one by one on the table.

The sound of the paper falling onto the wooden table was not loud, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet coffee shop.

Five books.

"What is this?" Lin Zhixun asked.

"What you got in return for filming two dramas."

Cui Hao placed the rabbit-bear, who had just spat out five scripts, on the table and said:

"The male lead in 'Bad Guy' and the second male lead in 'Sungkyunkwan Scandal,' both dramas aired back-to-back and had good ratings. Your name has changed from 'that newcomer' to 'an actor worth considering.'"

"These are the interview invitations sent by major production companies in the past week."

He laid out the five scripts from left to right, and tapped the titles on the covers with his fingertips.

A historical drama, airing in the Monday-Tuesday slot following "Sungkyunkwan Scandal," cast Lim Chi-hoon for the second male lead role, a tragic assassin.

He played the third male lead in an urban romance drama, portraying the female lead's younger brother.

The villainous supporting character in a workplace drama has limited screen time but a brilliant character design; the screenwriter even hand-wrote a line on the invitation.

—"This role requires a pair of unfathomable eyes."

There are also two youth campus dramas that will take over KBS's Wednesday-Thursday slot, and they are both looking for male leads.