Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 36

Mount Villain – Episode 36

Kim Hye-ryung sat in her office, her heart pounding.

Her secretary, Lee Soo-jin, asked, “Are you that nervous?”

“Of course. He’s the biggest client we’ve had since the company was founded.”

“He’s just a rookie who debuted in the major leagues, right? He’s not that big of a deal yet. Why are you so nervous?”

“His career may be short, but his star power is extraordinary.”

“Star power?”

“Yeah. He made a name for himself with baseball fans even before his major league debut. And he’s attracted a lot of attention from fans, even after returning to Korea.”

Lee Soo-jin looked puzzled. “Wasn’t it more of a controversy than interest after he returned to Korea? It was the first time I saw someone flip the bird at a press conference.”

“It’s the second time. The first was when Baek Young-ho flipped off the reporters on his way back to Korea. But the situation is different this time.”

“Is it different?”

“Baek Young-ho also had his reasons, but doing that in a public place was largely because he couldn’t control his anger. But Jung Ha-sung has more calculated reasons. He’s almost…recreating the situation for effect.”

“Hmm…”

“Jung Ha-sung causes incidents, but he causes them after preparing all the ways to get out of them. That’s the difference.”

Lee Soo-jin nodded. “So that’s why it doesn’t become such a big controversy?”

“Yeah. He’s young but shrewd. And he has the skills to match. Because this kind of person is good at tightrope walking, public attention can continue to be focused on him.”

“But isn’t it dangerous? If he slips on the tightrope, he’ll fall hard.”

“That could happen, but my gut is telling me this person is going to be even bigger.”

There was a feeling that couldn’t be expressed in words.

And she knew through experience that this feeling was surprisingly accurate.

Beep-!

Just then, the phone rang.

[Jung Ha-sung has arrived.]

“Really? Escort him to my office. With as much courtesy as possible.”

As Kim Hye-ryung put down the phone, Lee Soo-jin went outside.

After a bit of commotion, the door opened, and Ha-sung entered.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Hye-ryung.”

“I’m Jung Ha-sung.”

The two shook hands.

* * *

Of the two people sitting face to face, Ha-sung took the lead in the conversation.

“Can we get straight to the point?”

“Ah, yes.”

“What I want from a management company isn’t about the major league contract. I’m looking for a company to support me with contracts that happen in Korea.”

“You’re talking about contracts for advertisements or modeling.”

“Yes. For the major league contract, my service time is tied up for the time being, so there’s not much to get involved in.”

Ha-sung started by making his intentions clear from the beginning.

He didn’t want the conversation to go around in circles for no reason.

“So what you want from us is support when you’re active in Korea.”

“That’s right. I also want support when I do external activities.”

“For example, you mean things like airport pickups and drop-offs?”

“Yes.”

What Ha-sung was asking for was simple.

‘It’s a shame it’s limited to Korea…’

The management company’s profits would increase even more if they bundled overseas deals together.

But it was difficult to be greedy here.

‘Just having this person is enough for now. If we show our capabilities, there’s a possibility that he’ll entrust us with overseas deals as well.’

Considering Ha-sung’s potential for growth, his demands had to be accommodated as much as possible.

“We can tailor the contract to your needs. The role of management is to help you do your job as comfortably as possible.”

“I see. Can I hear what kind of advertisements you think I should do?”

“Of course. We’ve discussed it internally, and we think you’d be suitable for advertisements targeting young people.”

Kim Hye-ryung looked at Lee Soo-jin.

Then she handed over the prepared materials.

“There are quite a few companies that want to use Ha-sung as a model right now. Among them, the ones we’ve identified are…”

The advertising industry is surprisingly small.

And Kim Hye-ryung had a wide network of contacts in that small world.

Thanks to that, she had a rough idea of the companies that wanted Ha-sung.

‘Small companies like us have to highlight our strengths as much as possible.’

Highlight the strengths and downplay the weaknesses.

It was the most basic part of sales.

Looking at the data, Ha-sung nodded and said, “Nice. I didn’t know you’d already prepared these things.”

“Hehe, we’re originally very well-prepared. If you work with us, we’ll prepare thoroughly and do our best to support you.”

Like someone with a lot of experience, Kim Hye-ryung continued to speak fluently.

Ha-sung also knew that this woman was someone who would succeed in the future.

She had talent, and if given time, she would grow globally.

But the important thing wasn’t that.

“Then can I add some content to the contract?”

“Yes?”

“Can I add all the details of the support you’ll provide to the contract?”

The most important thing was to write the details in the contract.

Verbal agreements that are made without being written down are unlikely to be recognized in the event of a legal dispute.

In fact, Ha-sung had suffered such damage before.

‘The head office said they would compensate for the damage, but after the person in charge changed, they changed their tune as if nothing had happened.’

He suffered enormous damage as a result.

He didn’t want to experience that again.

“Ho… Hoho, o… of course.”

Ha-sung’s smile deepened at Kim Hye-ryung’s answer.

* * *

The contract was not concluded immediately, because Ha-sung wanted a lot of conditions.

They asked for time because they had to review it internally.

Ha-sung left the office, saying that he would be meeting with other places as well.

It was to gain a complete advantage in the negotiation.

More than anything, he wanted to compare offers from other companies.

‘Kim Hye-ryung will succeed in the future, but it’s true that she’s small now.’

If he signed a contract with a large management company, it would be helpful right now.

But.

“You want to put the conditions you want in the contract?”

“Yes. The director just said that he would listen to me, so wouldn’t it be possible?”

“Th… that might be a little difficult.”

As expected, he was rejected.

It wasn’t just one place that rejected him.

“That’s difficult.”

“It’s not customary.”

“Verbal agreements are also a type of contract. Don’t worry, it’s legally binding.”

The places he was meeting with expressed their disapproval.

Some even lectured Ha-sung.

“I think it’s because you’re still young. This industry doesn’t work that way. Support? Of course, we’ll do it. But where do they put that in the contract? Just sign the contract, and we’ll take care of it.”

Ha-sung’s face contorted at the words of Kim Chul-ho, the section chief from TJ Management.

“You’ll take care of it, so can’t you write it in the contract?”

“Hey, hey, man. Why are you being so harsh? I’ll take care of everything for you. If you sign the contract, you can shoot an advertisement tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Of course! You’re young, so you don’t know, but sports stars are only popular for a moment. You have to shoot as many advertisements as possible at that timing.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah. You know that Korean player who played for the LA Dodgers? That guy was doing well for a while, but when his performance plummeted, he couldn’t even show his face on TV, let alone in advertisements.”

“I guess that’s true.”

Kim Chul-ho thought this was the right moment and handed over the contract.

“So, take advantage of your good performance and quickly shoot an advertisement to get some money. Just sign here and here.”

He handed over a pen as if he had no intention of letting the opportunity pass.

“You’re an elite athlete, so you know very well that it’s very good to entrust work to experts in the field. You can focus on your training, and we’ll take care of the rest and make you a lot of money.”

He was saying that while flattering him until the end.

Someone who is young or lacks social experience could be fooled.

But not Ha-sung.

“Then you can guarantee that too?”

“Huh?”

“You said you’d make me a lot of money. Can’t you give me a minimum contract fee?”

“What? Contract fee? Where does that exist in management? You don’t know because you don’t have much social life, but in this industry, a contract fee is…”

“I don’t know the situation in this industry. I’m the only Korean playing in the major leagues.”

Ha-sung sat up straight.

It was a confident posture that might seem a bit arrogant.

“And isn’t a contract an agreement between the parties? Just because it didn’t exist before doesn’t mean it shouldn’t exist in the future.”

“But there’s a custom…”

“There are also customs in baseball. But those will be broken someday. Oh, and I see some toxic clauses in the contract.”

“Toxic clauses?”

“Why should I be responsible for all the damages when I break the contract?”

“That’s because you’re the contracting party, of course.”

“What about the reasons for termination due to the management’s fault?”

“What fault would we, who are not the parties involved, commit?”

Ha-sung smirked.

“If I refuse when you bring me a contract that doesn’t match my image, does that mean I have to pay compensation for that too?”

“Th… that’s…”

“What is this if it’s not a toxic clause?”

“Ahem! There’s nothing wrong with this contract. This is a standard contract!”

Kim Chul-ho was insisting that there was nothing wrong until the end.

“So there’s nothing really wrong with this contract?”

“Of course! I’ve been in this industry for over 10 years! Are you saying that I’m cheating?”

“It’s not a scam, but I think these clauses need to be fixed. What do you think?”

“Hmm, it’s a bit of a strange contract.”

Then another voice was heard.

Kim Chul-ho was surprised and turned his head, and there was a man in rather shabby clothes.

“Who are you? This is an important place…!”

“Ah, I’m late for the introduction. My name is Baek Joon-gi.”

That man was Baek Joon-gi.

“I’m not interested in your name! Why are you in an important place…!”

“My job is a reporter.”

“…Re… Reporter?”

“Yes. I have an interview appointment with Jung Ha-sung here today. But can I see this contract?”

“I’m… I’m sorry. The contract is a confidential document, so it’s difficult to leak it carelessly.”

Kim Chul-ho hurriedly took the contract.

Then he got up from his seat and looked at Ha-sung.

“W… Well, Jung Ha-sung, please think carefully about the contract and contact us again.”

Ha-sung smirked as he watched him change his tone to polite language and run away.

Baek Joon-gi sat in the seat where Kim Chul-ho had been sitting and asked, “Did I interrupt you?”

“No. The contract discussion was almost finished.”

“Contract?”

“Yes. I need a place to take care of my work in Korea.”

“Ah~ You’re getting a lot of advertisements?”

“I’m getting a little contact.”

“Then that person must be from the management side?”

“He was Kim Chul-ho, the section chief of TJ Management.”

“Ah… TJ Management…”

Baek Joon-gi chewed on the name.

A smile played on Ha-sung’s lips as he watched the scene.

‘Now that you know, you’ll do your own reporting.’

TJ Management was one of the largest management companies in Korea.

That was until now.

‘It’ll be completely shattered in five years.’

At that time, internal corruption was exposed, and TJ Management quickly collapsed.

Among the issues were the contracts.

There were clauses that were almost like slave contracts, and the standard contract was rewritten due to the incident.

‘If this explodes, it will be easier to negotiate with management companies.’

Meeting TJ Management was purely for the purpose of steering the contract in a direction that was favorable to him.

‘There’s no legal problem for me either.’

In addition, he was free from all responsibility, because he wouldn’t provide any data to Baek Joon-gi.

If Baek Joon-gi was a reporter with a strong sense of duty, he would be able to quickly uncover the corruption of TJ Management.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Shall we proceed with the interview right away?”

At Baek Joon-gi’s words, Ha-sung smiled and nodded.

“Yes, let’s do that.”

The two began their interview.