“If we knew with certainty how they would operate, then it would allow us to prepare,” said Jang Su-Hwan.

DS was better than TM when it came to utilizing the media. If TM's CEO was smart, the wisest thing for him to do would be to leave Chae Woo-Jin, who was now a DS artist, alone. Truthfully, Jang Su-Hwan thought it was highly likely that things would pan out that way. He wanted to believe that TM's CEO was not foolish enough to do anything reckless to DS.

“Most importantly, I have clear evidence,” said Woo-Jin.

“That’s right, you really did a good job with the voice recordings. Nothing can top that. However, what are we going to do about the discord among your former group members? There are five people on their side, so we’re at a disadvantage.”

Even though they had already secured the evidence, Jang Su-Hwan wanted to know what Woo-Jin thought.

“Do you think that I only recorded my conversations with TM's CEO? Besides those recordings, I also have videos.”

Jang Su-Hwan stared blankly at Woo-Jin, who was smiling, for a moment. He knew that Woo-Jin was smart, but he had assumed that was only the case when it came to academics. He did not expect Woo-Jin to be able to adapt to circumstances that well.

As a matter of fact, it was Woo-Jin’s friend, Hyun-Min, who suggested that he take video and audio recordings. When Hyun-Min found out that he was being bullied by the other members, Hyun-Min had told him that he needed to collect evidence first. Hyun-Min taught him how to secretly record videos and gave him all kinds of recording equipment. Hyun-Min also added that he should take multiple recordings at the same time, because if the members were to find one of the recordings, he would still have the remaining ones as a backup. Thanks to that, he had been able to capture the conversation where the CEO proposed a sponsorship deal to him as well, which happened around the same time.

When Hyun-Min saw the video of Woo-Jin being beaten up by the other members, he lost his cool and went all the way to his dorm to kick up a fuss about the matter. However, neither one of them revealed the existence of the video. Even though it was not guaranteed when he would use it, Woo-Jin kept the videos as an insurance since nobody knew what would happen in the future.

When Jang Su-Hwan met Woo-Jin’s eye for a moment, they laughed at the same time. Jang Su-Hwan liked how Chae Woo-Jin was unpredictable in this manner. He was not bad at all. Woo-Jin was a very charming actor on screen, and in reality, he was bright and wise. There was no one else this perfect.

“So now, it’s time to discuss our contract.”

With the last obstacle out of their way, there was no need to hold off on it any further or reassess anything.

***

While preparing dinner for his mother who had just gotten off work, Woo-Jin told her about what happened today.

“Mother, I signed a contract with DS today.”

“DS? What’s that?”

“DS is an entertainment agency and it’s very well-known. I’ve just signed a contract with them today.”

“Did you look through the contract thoroughly? It’s not a slave contract or an unfair one, right? Your uncle[1] said to look for him if you have to sign any contract. You’ve already signed it?”

While Park Eun-Soo was not interested in the entertainment industry, she closely followed the news about it. She was very concerned about the chronic problem pertaining to contracts within the entertainment industry. Likewise, his uncle seemed to be very concerned too. Woo-Jin laughed when the image of his mother and uncle putting their heads together, worrying about him, came to mind.

“I’ve looked at every single word carefully, so please do not worry. And please help me thank Uncle for being concerned about me.”

“But still, what happened the last time…”

“Although I was young back then, I nitpicked so much to the point that their lawyer got fed up with me; there was nothing wrong with the contract itself. That was why there wasn’t any scandal when I left the agency. It’s no different this time. I caused the lawyer to get fed up again this time and made sure to get the maximum benefits possible.”

Even though they had severed ties with Woo-Jin’s grandfather, his mother was still from a family of legal professionals. While it was still kept under wraps, Woo-Jin was also preparing for the bar exam to fulfill his mother’s wishes. Naturally, he was different from ordinary people who did not know anything about the law, especially since he now possessed memories of his past lives.

Although they were very different from the law in the present day, his jobs in his past lives had been related to the law. That’s why he was well-versed in the principles and ways of living in this world. Not to mention, Woo-Jin had been an Italian mafia boss based in New York in the life just before this current one. He had been forced to take over as the boss because it was a family business, but he had still made a name for himself in the world as a remarkable mafia boss. The fact he had been able to survive in the dark world of that era and die of old age instead of an unnatural death was proof of his competence. He had been so notorious that if one were to search his name on the internet, they would be able to find a lot of information about him.

Although he had been a person who wanted to become an artist, as an avid collector of famous paintings and old books, he had lived a life where he was above the law, dominating over others. He had mastered the ways of escaping the law and illegalities, which were known as the evils of the world.

However, despite all the knowledge he possessed, as well as his memories, Woo-Jin’s core was so firm and strong that his character and nature did not change. There was no way for someone like Woo-Jin to sign a contract with a mere agency when that contract was unfavorable to him.

“First, we are splitting the earnings evenly at the start. Thereafter, we will be allocating the earnings using the sliding scale instead based on the amount of money I earn, which will cause the ratio to change at all times.”

“If you’re using the sliding scale, it means that the more you earn, the bigger the share you get, right?” asked Woo-Jin’s mother.

“Yeah, originally, the contract pertaining to the distribution of earnings would only be renewed every one to two years depending on the circumstances, but I managed to change it to once every six months.”

Right now, it was fifty-fifty, but after he had hit a certain level of income and fame, he would eventually be able to adjust it to twenty-eighty at best, in favor of Woo-Jin of course.

“Is that a good thing?” asked Woo-Jin’s mother.

“It is bad if I don’t get any jobs or am unable to become successful, but it would be very beneficial for me if I suddenly become famous within a short period of time, and if my earnings suddenly increase because of commercial films or other projects. If the ratio changes only every one or two years, the agency would get more money during that period while I end up getting less,” explained Woo-Jin.

“Will that day ever come?” asked Park Eun-Soo seriously. She did not sound like she was joking. Because of that, Woo-Jin avoided her gaze and looked like he was about to cry.

“Don’t say that. I’ll be sad,” said Woo-Jin.

One of the reasons why Park Eun-Soo did not want her son to enter the entertainment industry was because his odds of becoming successful were very low. Although she thought he looked very handsome from all angles, she thought it was because she was blinded by her motherly love to a certain extent. She had always underestimated her children’s looks.

Undoubtedly, whenever she compared her children to other people’s children, she thought her children were certainly considered to be good-looking. However, that was the same for all the other parents. They would always think that their children were the most precious and beautiful people in the world.

Instead of trusting biased sentiments and reckless bravado, Park Eun-soo had always taught her children how to be humble and pragmatic. Because of how their mother brought them up, both Woo-Jin and Woo-Hee had a tendency to be critical when it came to their own appearances. They spent their entire lives with the mindset that they had to work hard and increase their skill sets in order to survive in the difficult present era where looks were highly valued, as people who lacked in many areas.

“I will work hard instead,” added Woo-Jin.

One’s efforts would never betray them, but it was not guaranteed that they would lead to success. Even so, Woo-Jin had always lived his life trying his best every time. That was Woo-Jin’s way of loving himself and his family.

“Yeah, I trust my son. If you are happy doing what you’re doing, I will be happy too.”

Park Eun-Soo hugged her son and patted him on the back. She was worried that she might have been too cold by reminding him to be realistic. However, just as always, Woo-Jin remained resolute and did not waver at all.

“That’s the same for me. So Mother, you should take the path that will make you happy, without worrying so much about what other people think.”

“...!”

“I heard from Woo-Hee that Uncle Choi proposed to you. It’s good to think it through carefully, considering all the different factors, but I don’t want you to worry about what we think. I hope that you won’t walk on eggshells. We’re both grown up and we’ll find our own way to make ourselves happy in the future. Similarly, you should find your own happiness. It would be very sad if we’re the obstacles obstructing you from making the choice you want.”

Park Eun-Soo burst into tears when she heard her son’s words. Looking at her son who was smiling as he wiped her tears tenderly, she gently nodded.

Her first marriage had been decided by her family. They had not considered her feelings or opinions at all. It was an arranged marriage; in any case, she did not have the power to say no from the get go. She had believed that her father would find the right person for her. It had been a marriage that checked off all the boxes, in terms of family, educational background etc. And although it had been a loveless marriage, she had still tried her best to make it work.

After their children were born and grew older, she had started to fall for her husband. But, it had been nothing more than her own delusion. Even her father resented him after they saw his true colors. That’s why, she did not have any regrets getting a divorce and severing ties with both her husband and her father.

On the other hand, she had been elated when Choi Min-Woo, the man she was currently dating, proposed to her. Imagining their breakup alone was enough to make her sad and gloomy. However, she could not help but hesitate when it came to accepting his proposal. That was because fulfilling her duties as a mother of two children was more important to her than being a woman in love. However, her children were telling her to live as a woman instead of a mother from now on.

“Your decision has always been right. That’s why, Woo-Hee and I have always trusted any choice you made, and we have always been happy with it. So don’t worry about anything at all. We will continue to live happily like we always have.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

Seeing his mother, who was smiling brightly and looking more at ease, Woo-Jin smiled too. Even if she made the wrong choice, there was nothing to worry about. It might be difficult and painful at that moment, but as long as they were together as a family, she could always start over.

After their conversation ended, Woo-Jin went into his room and sat down at the desk. He was determined to study hard even if he had debuted as an actor. Nowadays, celebrities with a good educational background had received a lot of attention on their own because of the great synergy effect. Even though there were not many of them, there were a few of them from Woo-Jin’s college whose value increased and became more popular. Since Woo-Jin had given up on using his looks, he was going to do everything, apart from his skills, that allowed him to catch the attention of the public. If he had a good educational background on top of good grades, people would be interested in him twice as much.

“Is this what people call attention-seekers?”

As Woo-Jin thought about doing everything he could for the sake of getting attention, he took out the civil law book. Although he had no intention of entering the legal industry, his mother’s greatest wish was for him to pass the bar exam. He wanted to prove to everyone, especially his grandfather, that it wasn’t that he couldn’t do it, he simply had not done it.

He felt bad for his mother instead of being annoyed by his mother’s desire to prove to everyone that she was able to raise her children well on her own after getting a divorce. His mother was still kept in the dark, but as soon as Woo-Jin had entered college, he had already started preparing for the LEET. If he managed to enroll in all the classes he wanted in the spring semester, he would be able to take all the prerequisite law classes. If that went well, he was planning to give the LEET a try next year.

Comparing all 999 lives, Woo-Jin had never loved his family as much as he loved his mother and younger sister. That’s why, he wanted to do his best to achieve what both of them wanted. Doing one’s best for their beloved family was a token of affection, not sacrifice.

“Well, even if I only get through the first round, it will help my fame.”

There was nothing wrong with using that as a stepping stone to help him get closer to achieving his dream. What he had come to realize after living several lives was that studying was always useful.

***

Woo-Jin’s manager looked muscular and fierce enough to be a bodyguard. Nevertheless, he had a pretty name.

“My name is Kang Ho-Soo. I am 30 this year.”

“I am Chae Woo-Jin. I am 23, so please speak to me casually. How should I address you?”

If he were to add ‘Mr.’ before Kang Ho-Soo’s name as a young man, It would be rather distant and disrespectful. However, if he were to directly address Kang Ho-Soo ‘hyung’ without asking for consent, he was worried he might come across as being rude. Woo-Jin was wary of that.

“If you’re okay with it, you can just call me ‘hyung’.”

“In that case, I will call you Ho-Soo hyung from now on. Please feel free to call me Woo-Jin as well.”

“I am uncomfortable speaking casually from the beginning because I’m rather introverted, but I will try my best.”

Contrary to his appearance, Kang Ho-Soo smiled coyly. It was evident that he was a shy person, but he still had a somewhat scary look on his face. Woo-Jin shook Kang Ho-Soo’s massive hand, but his hand was trembling without realizing it. He had expected Kang Ho-Soo to be a former athlete or soldier, however, he was trained professionally as a manager.

Kang Ho-Soo also revealed that it had always been his dream to become an executive at DS in the future. When Woo-Jin asked him if his goal was to start his own agency, he said that since he developed good judgment because of DS, he wanted to stay in DS and work his way all the way up, such that the CEO was his only superior.

“Are you ambitious?” asked Woo-Jin.

“Yes, I am,” asserted Kang Ho-Soo with confidence.

He was as meticulous in his work as he was when it came to his aspirations. Woo-Jin could easily tell how considerate he was.

“Tomorrow, you will do a health checkup first. The only thing you have to do is start fasting from this evening onwards, and follow the instructions written here. We will meet with a stylist the day after tomorrow, who will get a feel of your overall style. If you have a favorite brand, color, or style, please write it here. I plan to take a picture for your profile after you’re done with styling. Is there any photographer in particular that you want?”

Kang Ho-Soo passed to Woo-Jin several sheets of paper containing questions. Within the questionnaire, there were many questions about his date of birth, family relations, detailed information about his educational background up until now, as well as several questions about Woo-Jin’s personal preferences, etc. Basically, they were information that would be very useful to a manager.

1. This time, it’s blood-related uncle — mother’s brother