In the presidential suite of Hotel R in City X, a young woman dressed in a black stockings and bodycon dress, put on a mask and large sunglasses, and carried a limited edition LV bag on her arm. She took the VIP elevator to the underground parking lot and got into a van.
"Xiuyan, you have to do your best today! That important person is very satisfied with you. If things go smoothly, you will make a great contribution to the company. The company will not treat you unfairly." In the van, a middle-aged woman in a business suit held a glass of champagne and excitedly raised her glass as she looked at the woman getting into the car.
The woman didn't say anything after getting on the bus, but took out her phone as if she was expecting something.
…………
My name is Yoon Soo-yeon, and I'm from Incheon, H country.
When I was in university in Seoul, I was discovered by a talent scout, who is now sitting in the same car as me, the middle-aged woman, my manager, Kim Ji-ah.
I met her by chance. After we got to know each other, she told me that my looks and voice gave me the potential to be a star.
She stated that she is a professional talent scout and agent at YM Company, and many big stars have emerged from her purview.
At that time, I had just entered society and did not know what being a celebrity in H country meant.
I often see glamorous singers and actors on TV driving luxury cars, wearing designer clothes, and frequenting high-end venues.
I am just an ordinary person from Incheon. Although I am somewhat good-looking, I have no dreams of becoming a star.
Until Kim Ji-ah appeared.
At first, I had doubts about her identity.
She immediately took me to the headquarters of Ym Company Group and showed me her office, confirming her identity.
Lured by her high salary, I joined Ym Company after completing my studies and became an intern.
It was then that I realized there were countless interns like me in H country. And YM Company, the second largest entertainment company in H country, had interns making up 30% of the entire company.
I originally wanted to give up, but when I saw the exorbitant penalty for breach of contract, I gave in.
Thus began my three-year trainee period.
During our three years as trainees, we had no time to rest. We got up at six in the morning and went to bed at midnight every day.
Over the past three years, under Kim Ji-ah's deliberate arrangement, I have learned to sing, dance, act, play musical instruments, and host.
Three years later, the company carefully selected five of us from our batch of trainees to form the TC girl group and officially debut.
I am one of those five people.
I originally thought I could end my trainee life and officially start my path to stardom, becoming a figure in the public eye.
However, to my surprise, this was just the beginning of my nightmare.
Before our debut, the company arranged for all of us to undergo cosmetic surgery.
This is something that almost every trainee goes through.
Unless one is naturally beautiful and has a perfect appearance, they can avoid plastic surgery.
The five of us are clearly not.
The surgery fee was paid by the individual, with the company covering the initial cost. It was then deducted from the individual's income.
Therefore, when our income was meager, we were burdened with huge costs for cosmetic surgery.
I was the oldest among them, and because I am an all-around entertainer, and with Kim Ji-ah's help, I became the leader of the TC girl group and debuted as the center.
It wasn't until after my debut that I truly understood how intense the competition is for celebrities in H country.
This is not just a competition between celebrities, but also a competition between companies.
Although YM Company is the second largest entertainment company in H country, there is an MG Company above it.
mG has a top-notch team in the industry, with each team having its own operations and production teams.
In the first two years after our debut, we had no competitive strength at all. We were suppressed by our opponents in every aspect and could not breathe.
It was during those two years that disgusting things happened.
It turns out our job isn't just about being a celebrity.
And then there's the unspeakable...female public relations...
When Kim Ji-ah told the five of us about this, I was the first to refuse.
However, Kim Ji-ah produced the contract.
The exorbitant penalty for breach of contract was suffocating the five of us.
I only regret that I didn't read the contract carefully back then, and signed it without fully understanding what was going on, lured by Kim Ji-ah's high salary offer.
But things have come to this point. All our efforts over the past three years have been invested in this business, and we are just ordinary people from humble backgrounds. Even if we were to go bankrupt, it wouldn't be enough to cover a fraction of the penalty for breach of contract.
So we began our humiliating public relations efforts.
Things finally took a turn for the better in our third year since debut.
Kim Ji-ah didn't want us to never get ahead, so she brought in a top international producer to create an album tailored for the five of us.
Thanks to the company's efforts, the album quickly became a hit across Asia, and the five of us finally had the money to pay for our plastic surgery.
The company was unwilling to let go of our popularity, so they struck while the iron was hot and invested heavily in producing three albums for us.
At the urging of our fans, we launched our official Asian tour and appeared on various variety shows.
At the same time, I also admire Kim Ji-ah's resources.
After the TC girl group became popular, we were inundated with gigs and announcements, with our schedules packed every day.
However, with three years of training, we can still persevere.
I have also become one of the brightest stars in the Asian entertainment industry.
With this leverage, I also gained the ability to negotiate with Kim Ji-ah.
That means we must stop our public relations efforts.
Kim Ji-ah readily agreed.
For her, the income from our group of five performances was far greater than the revenue from public relations.
Just when I thought everything was about to go perfectly, misfortune struck.
Three years ago, we held a tour in Japan and were invited to participate in a Japanese variety show.
However, one night during the recording of the show, the other four members of the team privately accepted public relations work arrangements from Kim Ji-ah.
Without my knowledge, they were arranged to go to the home of the head of a Japanese conglomerate.
Even worse, they were photographed by paparazzi from a rival company and the photos were posted online.
Subsequently, under the control of the rival company, the matter quickly escalated.
In an instant, all our past shady dealings from those years in public relations were dug up. A once-popular girl group became pariahs in a flash.
We were also urgently summoned back to headquarters by the company.
After this incident, all the products we endorsed were terminated, and all our performances and variety shows were canceled.
What followed was an exorbitant penalty for breach of contract.
The total amount of liquidated damages is over 100 billion Korean won. The money our team has earned over the years is simply not enough to cover the losses; it's not even a fraction of what we've earned.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com