The entertainment industry is a fast-paced ecosystem that moves swiftly with public opinion, sometimes even leading trends.
That’s why there were so many chances to catch the latest information before anyone else.
“Huh? What’s this?”
The rookie at ST Entertainment’s marketing team raised an eyebrow while looking at a freshly surfaced article.
“Kim Donghu’s contract is ending soon…?”
Before Gil Gil-dong’s article flooded the trending searches.
Having seen the article first, the rookie blinked in surprise and immediately threw a question at his senior, who was busy with work next to him.
“Hyung, do you know how many years Kim Donghu’s contract is for?”
“How would I know? Nothing has been released. But I guess it’s usually over five years?”
“But what if it’s a one-year contract?”
“What?”
“What if Kim Donghu isn’t typical and is considering other activities elsewhere after just one year?”
“Where the heck did that come from? Did you eat rat poison for lunch?”
The senior got annoyed, and instead of responding, the rookie copied the article link and sent it via message.
“…Where’s the next nest for Veritas?”
As soon as he read the article title, an understanding that comes from years in the industry hit like lightning.
“Kim Donghu said he’s taking a break this year.”
It’s a well-known story.
He had already announced that he wouldn’t work on any projects, excluding commercials.
But what if the reason wasn’t just for a simple break?
“Is he planning to take it easy in order to find a new nest?”
That wasn’t entirely nonsensical.
In fact, it was a thought one could easily entertain.
“The reason for signing multi-year contracts with newbies is that they need to be nurtured.”
Idol trainees, aspiring actors, etc.
They usually sign long contracts to train and get a return on investment.
But Kim Donghu?
“No need for cultivation time.”
He got through the HYDRIM audition just with his talent.
Of course, having good skills and being a box-office hit are different stories, but Kim Donghu proved this perfectly as well.
Results? Any drama he’s in hits at least a 30% rating.
He won four awards at the Mise-en-scène, and his commercial film debuted with over ten million admissions.
So what’s the probability that Kim Donghu would sign a long-term contract?
“0%.”
The estimation was made.
The calculations finished quickly.
“Hey, you did well. Contact the person who wrote this article to fact-check and gather materials.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I’m going to report to the higher-ups, so get ready for some hustle.”
Whoooosh.
It was the sound of a bomb dropping in the entertainment industry.
+++++
Five hours after the article about Kim Donghu’s contract surfaced.
The real-time search rankings were already flooded, and follow-up articles were pouring in nonstop.
Ding ding ding.
Ding ding ding.
Ding ding ding ding!
Gil Gil-dong quietly watched as the phone and mobile device in front of him rang like crazy.
“You… can you really handle this?”
It was so bad that even his supervisor came over, looking worried.
But Gil Gil-dong’s expression was incredibly calm.
“I’m not touching politics, I haven’t buried anyone, and I didn’t write it with any malice. What do I have to handle?”
“Touching Kim Donghu and that’s your reaction?! He’s a minor!”
“I know he’s a minor. But I didn’t write anything bad, did I?”
“…”
His supervisor couldn’t respond to Gil Gil-dong’s words.
Because it was true.
“Besides, it’s just a light one-liner article. The content is a bit vague.”
“That’s not wrong, but… it might not be a one-year contract.”
“I initially thought the same, so I wanted to poke around and quickly pull the article if it was wrong, you know?”
But that wasn’t the case.
As he said that, Gil Gil-dong quickly showed a few articles in succession.
“…Could Kim Donghu’s recent break be due to his contract? Looking for a new nest?”
“At first glance, you might think it’s just trash tabloids, but the follow-up actions in the entertainment sector are very strange.”
“What do you mean by strange?”
“Don’t look at me, look at the screen. You’ll see the estimates.”
“…”
His supervisor stared at the screen with a strange expression.
“The article Gil Gil-dong sent out was… just about the contract ending, right? But the follow-up articles are definitely doing something.”
There were no question marks.
Moreover, what gave the strongest certainty was Veritas’s actions.
It’s a one-person agency, and news of the only actor’s contract spreading as false?
Naturally, they should respond strongly.
“They haven’t taken any action at all.”
In this situation, staying silent was probably the best choice.
If you don’t throw in any more fuel, the flames will quickly die out.
It could be seen as good management.
But conversely, it was also a response that provided solid grounds.
“Kim Donghu really did sign a one-year contract.”
Nothing was certain.
“To be 100% accurate, we need to hear from Veritas’s agency, but would they really say they are ending a contract with an actor?”
But every situation was pointing to Kim Donghu’s contract ending.
With things turning out this way, there wouldn’t be a need to issue a correction article.
“Other guys might just be guessing based on the situation, but I’m different.”
“What’s so different about you?”
“I roughly know when Kim Donghu signed his contract.”
“What?”
“My senior wasn’t on site at that time.”
Gil Gil-dong still remembers that moment.
On a cold winter day, when Kim Donghu always came alone to the filming site, appearing in a van.
“If the contract started from there, it should already be over, and if not…”
Gil Gil-dong quickly wrote a confident one-liner article right on the spot.
“Where is Kim Donghu’s new nest, the freed beast?”
A somewhat cringy article.
But it didn’t matter; the views would still pour in.
Originally, the more primitive and emotionally stimulating the word, the more it triggers instincts.
Of course, it was natural to be curious.
And as more articles like this came out…
“Ugh… Huh…”
Choi Seok-ho showed signs of anxiety, tearing at his hair.
Drrrrrring.
Drrrrrring.
Ding ding ding ding.
Ding ding ding ding.
Just like Gil Gil-dong, all devices that could connect to Choi Seok-ho were ringing like crazy.
Even though he knew that the best option right now was to remain unresponsive, his heart was pounding.
‘I have no choice but to bring up the re-contracting issue now.’
Shudder shudder shudder.
How should I say it? No, would they even agree to re-contract in the first place?
How many people are sending emails to Kim Donghu even now?
Amid such worries, the person involved in this incident, Kim Donghu, was currently…
“Oh, I’ve realized it.”
He was witnessing an enormous truth before his eyes.
++++++
Why did [Sims – The Real Life] recommend a one-person agency?
With a major corporation’s infrastructure right in front of him, why did he end up joining a newly established agency?
This concern that had arisen for some time was now neatly resolved by the flurry of articles.
‘There’s no autonomy.’
Major corporate infrastructure? Of course, it was undeniably great.
What they could use and what they had was definitely solid due to the years they had built up.
But.
‘I can’t do as I please.’
No matter how good the profit distribution was, once you entered such a big entity, you had no choice but to move to generate maximum profit.
‘And in terms of models, I can’t just call whoever I want.’
The bigger it is, the more strange statements were bound to come up.
But Veritas had no such constraints at all.
Just looking at Seok-ho hyung’s response about investing in Shin Ye-rim as a model was enough.
‘First, he said to have a meeting.’
As the situation developed like this, Kim Donghu’s perspective on Veritas began to change.
It was no longer just an agency that handled complicated matters.
What should I say.
‘It’s like having a professional manager in my company.’
Even just looking at profit distribution, it was evident.
Of course, if a re-contract occurred, the ratio would change for the company’s sake.
But the current ratio was 9:1.
Even if Seok-ho hyung was a puppet CEO, it was a level that could be understood.
‘It’s a perfect place to nurture Ye-rim as a model and invest in Kang Sik’s game funds.’
Being a new agency, there were fewer people, so there was no worry about information leaking out.
It was truly an agency that I could grow according to my tastes.
Since the conclusion was reached clearly, should I go meet them cleanly?
“Shall we take a look, babe?”
Calls and messages from unknown numbers.
I ignored all the emails sent without any clue how they got my address.
My own agency that I manage.
Veritas.
“I’m going for a re-contract.”
Suddenly, I remembered the comments on the very first article.
“Was it something like ‘If you want to sign with me, come and catch me?'”
Adding a slightly cringy sentiment, if I had to respond,
“What are you going to do if you catch me? I’m the one making the choice here.”
Ugh.
After saying that, I barely managed to uncramp my awkward hands and feet and headed to the agency.
As soon as I opened the office door, I jumped straight to the point.
“Seok-ho hyung, shall we go for the re-contract right away?”
“Uh, uh? E-eh?”
Was he deep in thought?
I could see hair strands falling onto Seok-ho hyung’s desk.
I was even worried he might be going bald or something.
But regardless, Seok-ho hyung asked back with a look of disbelief.
“What, what did you say?”
“I said let’s re-sign, and this time let’s make it a long one, not just a year.”
Hearing that, Seok-ho hyung…
“Boohoo!”
He cried.
“Why are all these grown-ups crying like this, including Director Lee Seong-deok?”
It’s really something I’d never understand.
+++++
While the internet was hot with Kim Donghu’s contract issues, his fans were blissfully unaware.
“…This is insane.”
Especially Ji Eun-bi, the ardent 18-year-old fan who supported Kim Dong-hu since his Hidedream days.
She was dumbstruck watching him on TV.
He looked stunning in a hanbok.
That heartfelt gaze was ridiculous.
And to prove how amazing his acting skills were,
The viewership rating for the sixth episode hit a whopping 32.6%.
There was a program PD keenly observing this rise.
“Just a bit more, once Kim Donghu gets a little bigger… let’s try to recruit him then.”
“Huh?”
“For a special episode featuring child actors… Kim Donghu’s good at sports too, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Not using that face for a variety show would be a crime.”
A program with a concept of “Run like crazy!” PD Joo Ho-jin’s sharp eyes were fixated on Kim Donghu.
And he wasn’t the only one thinking like that.
“They said this year is a break? Okay, got it.”
Then next year, the year after, or even the year after that.
I’ll keep in touch and make sure to get him on a variety show.
All the variety show PDs were starting to covet Kim Donghu.
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