Become A Star

Chapter 23

The CEO had rushed to resolve the matter since he did not want to give Woo-Jin any opportunity to save a backup copy of the voice recording; he did not know that Woo-Jin handing over his phone was a ruse from the get go to avoid further suspicion. TM's CEO had always thought of Woo-Jin as an innocent and kindhearted young lad. However, innocence did not equate to stupidity; people often got them mixed up. It was a mistake that was usually made by people who only saw schemes as either an act of conspiracy or an insidious act.

“Got it. However, what is the reason why you're telling me this? What if I did the same thing to you as TM's CEO did? Now that I know about it, I could be more crafty, right? Or are you telling me about it because you trust that I will never do that to you?”

Jang Su-Hwan would not do something like that, but he was curious about Woo-Jin's intentions.

“For the time being, I trust Song Jae-Hee's words, but I don't know what will happen in the future. That's why I told you about it. I want you to state it explicitly in the contract. I would like you to put it down in black and white that the contract would be automatically terminated if either the company or myself propose or consent to sponsorships.”

According to what Song Jae-Hee mentioned in passing, DS had zero tolerance when it came to their own artistes making any sponsorship agreements in private. She told him, somewhat pridefully, that if they were caught, they would be kicked out of the agency with immediate effect. She encouraged Woo-Jin to join DS, telling him to trust her and that joining DS would be good for him.

However, just like he hadn't known that TM would do something like that, he did not know what DS would do behind the scenes as well. Hence, by being upfront about it ahead of time, he was preventing it from happening entirely. He knew that not all celebrities had sponsorships, as well as the fact that not all agencies recommended sponsorships. Nonetheless, Woo-Jin's past experience made him want to err on the side of caution. Just in case DS proposed to their artistes to accept sponsorships, he needed a smokescreen to ensure they would not do it to him.

“If that's what you want, I'm more than happy to do that for you. I am someone who thinks that celebrities are artisets who represent the modern times. Artistes should be judged based on their work and talent, and make a name for themselves through that. I have no tolerance for anything else that degrades or cheapens them.”

When Jang Su-Hwan first entered the entertainment world and opened his agency, there were many businessmen and politicians who offered sponsorships to his artistes. If he had accepted their proposals, it would make him no different from a pimp. It was absurd. In a way, their actions could be seen as an insult to him, that was why, he had given it some time and gotten back at them one step at a time.

Fortunately, he had the resources, power and finances to pull it off. The businessmen who had made such a proposal had either become bankrupt or had lost management rights and authority, thus becoming insignificant people. Politicians and civil servants in high positions had also lost all power and authority, disappearing from the public eye.

According to Jang Su-Hwan, people who only see the arts as a tool for satisfying one's sexual desires, instead of appreciating it, were a menace to society.

“Sponsorships were not originally meant as a sexual transaction; the purpose behind them has been strangely distorted. In DS, I'm the only sponsor. As a lover of the arts, I started this agency because I wanted to genuinely support, protect and care for my artistes, helping them to bloom and reach their potential.”

Jang Su-Hwan chuckled out loud, and asked Woo-Jin, “There needs to be one or two other wealthy people who do the same thing as me, don't you think so?” Chae Woo-Jin agreed with him, making him feel very happy.