Angel Smile 222 Scene 222

Yeo Ri had gone to Hope Entertainment's building along with Gun to discuss about the contract.

They had arranged for a time slot to meet the president herself that matched with Gun's longest free period in-between his classes.

Yeo Ri felt sorry about taking his time away when he was already so busy, but the young man himself did not mind it. Gun was happy that Yeo Ri wanted to do things for herself.

When they arrived at the building, Park Soo Yeon was already waiting at the lobby area to welcome them.

"Yeo Ri-ah, Gun, you're here!" She jovially walked over to the siblings with a huge grin on her face. Ever since Yeo Ri told her that she was willing to sign with her company, Park Soo Yeon had been extremely overjoyed. Her over-the-top reaction had caused the other employees to shake their heads helplessly with a smile.

"Let's go; I already have the contract laid out in my office," the woman spoke as she ushered the two to the elevator. She swiped her staff card over the sensor inside the elevator and pressed the fifth floor button while making small talk.

The Hope Entertainment building had five floors altogether, and the topmost floor was reserved for the president's office and meeting rooms.

Ding!

The elevator stopped at the second floor. A group of people who had been waiting for the elevator looked surprised upon noticing the trio. Half a beat later, they all smiled and entered the elevator.

"Congratulations, President, you finally got your wish."

"It's a done deal, huh? No wonder you were so happy yesterday, President."

"Good for you, President Park!"

They all congratulated the woman, glancing curiously at the pair of siblings. Their eyes lingered on Yeo Ri, who had taken off her disguise when she came into the building earlier. However, they did not freak out over her; they were all familiar with celebrities and had worked with them on many occasions.

The group of four or five people greeted the Lee duo calmly. They were in the presence of the company's president as well, so they kept their composure. Since the two probably came to the company to sign the contract, the insiders had already regarded Yeo Ri as a part of the company, and thus treated her warmly.

The elevator was not big, so a lot of noise was made despite their attempt to keep quiet.

"Hello, everyone. Please take care of me in the future," Yeo Ri felt suffocated by the attention, but she kept a polite smile as she returned their greetings with a slight tilt of her head. There was not enough room for her to bow properly so the seniors from the company did not mind her half-hearted bow. After exchanging greetings, they all kept to themselves.

Finally, after several moments, the elevator stopped at the fifth floor. Park Soo Yeon and the Lee duo walked out, bidding their farewells to the crowd in the elevator with another head-bow.

Park Soo Yeon's office was at the end of the corridor.

Inside the room, Park Soo Yeon's secretary stood next to the coffee table, arranging snacks on top of an ornate plate. Seeing the trio come in, he moved away from the sitting area and greeted them with a smile.

"Welcome, president. Welcome, Miss Lee Yeo Ri, Mr. Lee Gun. Please, take a seat. I've already prepared the contract on the table. Take a look," he gestured at the table, pulling out a black fountain pen from his blazer and placing it next to the maroon-coloured hardcover folder which contained the paperworks.

"Thank you for the hard work."

Park Soo Yeon invited the siblings to sit on the couch as she sat across them.

Gun exchanged glances with Yeo Ri before he picked up the contract. Carefully, he read every single one of the clauses.

Yeo Ri watched her brother as he scrutinised the pieces of paper within the folder. She didn't understand much about contracts so she left everything to Gun.

"Since Yeo Ri is still new to all of this, I recommended a two-year contract. Of course, we are not planning to work her like a mule in these two years," Park Soo Yeon began explaining. "I've already arranged several projects for Yeo Ri, but as stated in the contract, it's up to her whether she wants to do them or not."

"The profits earned from her works would be 80:20, with 20% of the cut given to the company and Yeo Ri will retain 80% of what she earns."

Gun nodded in understanding. He had done his research beforehand; 80% was a normal and reasonable rate in the industry.

"I also signed her up for several classes. It's company policy to have our trainees complete at least 30 hours' worth of acting or modelling training depending on which career path they take. Of course, the best way to learn is still by gaining hands-on experience, so Yeo Ri only needs to attend the lessons to get her basics down. Aside from that, it's important for an actor to be multi-skilled, so I've signed Yeo Ri up for dance, piano, etiquette, tea ceremony, vocal, and English lessons. If you find it too heavy, you can do them one at a time as well, so don't worry."

Yeo Ri perked up at the explanation. "Is it alright if I request for other types of classes? Like... martial arts?"

Mrs. Choi nodded happily. Seeing Yeo Ri's interest made her more excited. "There's a gym that we've been working with. They teach taekwondo and also stage-fighting. Would you like to sign up?"

"If I can," Yeo Ri agreed instantly. She had always wanted to learn some sort of self-defence technique. If she could start learning taekwondo, it would make her feel much safer.

"Are you sure? Won't it be too hard?" Gun's brows creased anxiously. Yeo Ri's body was too weak; he was worried that she might get hurt. However, he also somewhat agreed with her decision; Gun couldn't be with his sister to protect her 24/7, so he would feel more reassured if Yeo Ri knew how to defend herself from the creeps who would surely aim for her in the future.

"Alright then," Park Soo Yeon nodded. "Next, Yeo Ri will be given an allowance of 600 dollars every month. It's not much, but this is the amount that the company is freely able to give out for you to spend. There's no cafeteria here, but there are several shops where you can eat for free, since the expenses have already been paid by the company. A company vehicle will also be prepared for you, and I'll assign a road manager and an assistant for you soon."

Yeo Ri's eyes widened with every bonus Mrs. Choi had listed. "An allowance? I can get paid too?"

"Of course. Being a trainee is similar to being an intern, after all. It's only right for us to fork out some money in exchange for your time and effort. This amount wouldn't mean much, though, once you start working and earning your keep," the lady laughed. A good company would pay their talents properly, and only a scam company would demand payment from their talents. Besides, Yeo Ri was already good enough to debut anyways, and once she becomes active, the allowance would barely be pocket change for her.

"What about the penalty fee? Isn't this too high?" Gun interjected. He glanced at the clause which had contained the details of how much they would owe the company if Yeo Ri decided to terminate the contract, which was a whopping 180 thousand dollars. For young adults like them, that kind of money was too much.

Park Soo Yeon made a helpless expression. "It's a lot, but it's much less than the usual amount we usually put out. All expenses, including the minimum potential loss, was included in the calculations. I hope you'll cut me some slack, Gun-ah."

"It's fine, Oppa. I'll properly work hard so I won't burden you," Yeo Ri promised.

"I didn't mean it like that, Yeo Ri-ah. I don't want you to feel pressured to work. It's okay; if you don't want to do this anymore, we can always find some ways to pay it off. It'll take time, but it's definitely doable," Gun quickly assured.

"The contract is still being negotiated, after all, so feel free to make a counteroffer, Gun-ah," Park Soo Yeon remarked, trying to ease the kids' worries.

Gun glanced at the contract once more. Re-reading everything, he finally said, "There's a few things I'd like to change, but other than that, I'm fine with it. What about you, Yeo Ri-ah?" He turned to his sister. He had to ask for her opinion, since she was the one who was signing it.

"I'm okay with whatever you choose, Oppa," she said, putting her complete trust in Gun.

"Okay," Gun smiled, feeling warmth in his heart over Yeo Ri's apparent faith in him.
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Going back to the contract, Gun and President Park spent over an hour revising the terms again until both parties were satisfied. After engaging in countless passive arguments, they finally settled.

Glancing at the two tired parties with a wry smile, Yeo Ri picked up the pen and signed her name on the dotted line.

Park Soo Yeon's shoulders slacked once Yeo Ri signed the papers. She motioned for her secretary to put away the folder as she stood up.

"It's official now. Welcome to Hope Entertainment, Yeo Ri-ah."

"Thank you, President."

President Park's phone suddenly rang. She made an apologetic look to the Lee siblings as she answered the call.

"What? You need me—then? Okay. I'll be right there—" Park Soo Yeon smiled apologetically at Yeo Ri and Gun, "—Sorry, something came up. Why don't you two go tour the building with my assistant over here before you go home?"

The two siblings exchanged glances. Gun shrugged, as if implying that the decision was up to Yeo Ri.

The girl thought briefly before nodding, "Okay."

Chapter end