Chapter 51 : Let’s Write a Contract First
“That might be a little difficult.”
“Why!?”
“Well, aside from the fact that we’re not professional models, my agency wouldn’t allow it.”
“…Agency?”
Lee Tae-ri turned to me as if to confirm whether that was true. But honestly, I didn’t have much to add.
‘I’m just as clueless as you are.’
This was the first I’d heard about Kang Bada being signed to an agency. But my instincts, sharpened from years of reading situations, told me one thing:
It’s a bluff.
In short, she was lying.
“Well, Bada does have over a million followers as an influencer. All her photos are carefully managed and supervised by her team.”
“…No way.”
Lee Tae-ri’s mouth hung open. She seemed genuinely intent on having us as her models, and it was clear she couldn’t even hide her disappointment.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a faint smile playing on Kang Bada’s lips.
‘You can’t fake blood ties.’
As expected from someone from the Daehan Group. In just a brief moment, she sized up Lee Tae-ri’s personality and used a simple lie to secure the upper hand.
She must’ve been confident I’d back her up. It was a perfect display of sharp judgment and bold decisiveness.
‘It’d be a rookie mistake to make the first move here.’
We weren’t the ones in a hurry.
It wasn’t as though Lee Tae-ri was our only option. Sure, it would be nice if she took on the illustrations, but she wasn’t irreplaceable.
Lee Tae-ri, on the other hand, didn’t have any alternatives. More specifically, she was fixated on Kang Bada.
As someone in the creative field myself, I knew exactly what that meant. When an artist gets fixated on a subject, nothing else matters.
“C-couldn’t we work something out somehow?”
There it is.
I calmly sipped my coffee and waited. Sure enough, the one who’s desperate always makes the first move.
‘Is it really that serious?’
I had a moment of doubt, but then I glanced at Kang Bada and understood immediately.
She really was a flawless subject for an artwork.
Even I was so inspired that I had drawn her nonstop for three days straight. For someone whose entire field of study revolves around this, the urge must be overwhelming.
“By the way, what kind of painting were you planning to create with us as your models?”
“…It’s for my graduation project.”
“Wait, are you a university student?”
“Yes, I’m attending Daehan.”
The Daehan Academy of Arts.
It’s commonly referred to as ‘Daehan’. Known for its practical courses and strong connections with industry professionals, it’s a prestigious school in the arts field.
It’s also one of the schools run by the Daehan Group. I could almost hear the smug twitch of Kang Bada’s lips.
‘…So she’s a university student.’
This was a bit of a surprise.
I had naturally assumed she was a professional freelancer. Her strong reaction made sense now—she hadn’t yet tasted the harsh realities of the professional world.
“What should we do?”
“Whatever Haneul thinks is best.”
I briefly exchanged glances with Kang Bada. They say couples start to resemble each other, and honestly, it felt good how we could communicate without needing to say much.
“Hoo—Even so, this puts me in a tough spot.”
“I’ll pay you as much as you want!”
“How much are we talking about here?”
“Uh… well…”
Lee Tae-ri hesitated before cautiously holding up one finger. Understanding what she meant, I sighed and hardened my expression.
“Ten million won?”
“What!?”
“Hmm. That doesn’t quite match the going rate. Do you know how much the average fee is for an influencer with a million followers?”
“…I’m not very familiar with this kind of thing.”
“At least two hundred million won.”
“T-Two hundred million…?”
Lee Tae-ri’s face went pale, and her shoulders started trembling. Well, no surprise there. She probably thought the cost would max out at a million won.
For regular amateur models, the typical fee ranges from 100,000 to 500,000 won. At most, Lee Tae-ri might have considered 2 million won.
But that’s the rate for regular people.
Kang Bada isn’t just anyone. With over a million followers, her influence is unmatched. On top of that, she’s never done a sponsored post before, which means her followers’ loyalty is exceptionally high.
If someone genuinely wanted her to represent their brand, two hundred million won would barely scratch the surface.
And most importantly—Kang Bada is rich.
Very, very rich.
‘She picked the wrong opponent.’
On the other hand, Lee Tae-ri was still just a university student.
Even if she’s one of the top illustrators in her field, the nature of her work makes it difficult to earn large sums of money. The time invested rarely matches the financial return.
And being a student makes it even harder. With classes, assignments, and other obligations, her maximum output is probably around six to seven pieces a month.
‘Even if she earns a generous 1.5 million won per piece, she’d barely make over ten million won in a month if she worked non-stop.’
After taxes, tuition fees, material costs, rent, food, utilities, transportation, and other living expenses, how much would she even have left?
Of course, she probably earns more than your average office worker, but there’s no way she can afford to spend tens of millions of won on a graduation project model.
“I’d love to help since you’re a university student, but…”
Hmm—
At that moment, Kang Bada let out a thoughtful groan. From her expression to her tone, her acting was flawless. She was playing the role of a negotiator perfectly.
“I-I’ll do anything!”
“Anything?”
“Yes! Just let me draw!”
“Hmm…”
Kang Bada looked at me as if asking, ‘What should we do?’ Following her gaze, Lee Tae-ri’s desperate eyes turned to me as well. Her eyes glistened, on the verge of tears.
“…I suppose we have no choice.”
“Are you going to help me?!”
“But we have conditions too.”
“Anything! Just say it!”
I immediately pulled out a pen and a blank sheet of paper. At the top, I wrote ‘Contract’ and then handed it over to Lee Tae-ri.
“Alright, let’s start by drafting a contract.”
“A contract?!”
“It’s just a formality.”
“Still…”
“If you’re uncomfortable, we can just forget the whole thing.”
“N-No!”
When I moved to take the paper back, Lee Tae-ri quickly glanced at Kang Bada’s face before hurriedly grabbing the contract.
Smirk—
As Lee Tae-ri focused on filling out the contract, Kang Bada and I exchanged a knowing smile.
—
After finalizing all the paperwork, Lee Tae-ri left first, mentioning she had to head to her part-time job. Kang Bada and I stayed behind, reviewing the contract together.
“That was easier than I thought.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Bada-ssi.”
“But don’t you think you were too generous? Judging by her reaction, she would’ve agreed to even half the amount.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
—
<Employment Contract>
Employer Kim Haneul (hereinafter referred to as ‘A’) and freelancer Lee Tae-ri (hereinafter referred to as ‘B’) hereby agree to the following terms:
- During the contract period, ‘B’ shall not accept commissions from third parties without ‘A’s consent.
- ‘A’ shall guarantee ‘B’ commissions or fees worth 7 million won per month.
- ‘A’ may assign tasks to ‘B’ in a way that accommodates her academic commitments. Details shall be agreed upon through mutual consultation.
- ‘B’ must meet all designated deadlines. If ‘A’ finds the quality of the delivered work unsatisfactory, they may raise objections…
—
The contract went on in further detail.
It was far too lengthy to write out by hand, so halfway through, we switched to a laptop, printed the document, and signed it.
“I think this is fair. Unless, of course, we’re planning to become a con-artist couple.”
Kim Haneul understood the struggles of poor university students better than anyone. He also knew how much damage a bad employer could inflict on someone’s life.
That’s why, even if the other party was a naïve university student, he had no intention of exploiting her. He was determined to compensate her fairly for her abilities.
“Honestly, this is still a bargain.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Because she’s worth it.”
Lee Tae-ri is one of the top illustrators currently active. Her work is high quality, and her speed makes her highly sought after.
With such talent, she must have a constant flow of reservations. If we could secure her exclusively, we’d have the chance to explore a variety of projects.
Rather than focusing on short-term gains, it’s far more efficient to build trust and keep her close in the long run.
“If you say so, Haneul, then I’ll trust you…”
“Don’t worry. I don’t need to cover all the costs myself.”
“Hmm?”
“As it happens, our proud CEO of Daehan Media is currently looking for a talented artist.”
Kang Bada’s eyes widened as she realized what he was getting at. With a small smile, Kim Haneul continued.
“I plan to entrust Lee Tae-ri with the webtoon adaptation of ‘Life Becomes Amazing After Marriage’.”
“Is that even possible? Webtoons and illustrations are completely different fields.”
“She majored in animation, so she has a solid foundation. Of course, we’ll need to observe her workload and speed for a while first.”
“And the funding will come from management and the platform?”
“They’ll welcome it with open arms.”
“Huh.”
Kang Bada shook her head in disbelief. She had only opened a small door for him, but Kim Haneul was already looking far ahead, presenting a bigger picture.
Through this plan, Lee Tae-ri would secure a stable income, and once she started the webtoon, she would also receive a share of the profits.
For management, hiring an illustrator with such a strong reputation was an obvious win. It was a contract where everyone benefited.
‘Whether she can truly seize this opportunity depends on her own abilities.’
According to the report from CEO Choi Jin-cheol, countless applicants had already lined up, eager to take on ‘Life Becomes Amazing After Marriage’.
Since the novel was a mega-hit, the webtoon was bound to attract attention. Many illustrators had applied, willing to lower their fees just to have their names attached to it.
Kim Haneul was fully aware of this situation. Yet, he still offered Lee Tae-ri incredibly generous terms.
‘…I really can’t hate him.’
Kang Bada understood that this wasn’t an act of favoritism towards Lee Tae-ri, but rather the generosity he showed to those he considered ‘his people.’
Before long, Lee Tae-ri would realize just how much consideration Kim Haneul had shown her.
Looking at his soft smile, Kang Bada made a quiet resolution.
‘I’ll protect him.’
She wanted to ensure that Kim Haneul could always remain this way. And she vowed to support him better by staying by his side.
“So you’re Yena?”
A few days later, we met again at the orphanage.
After briefly explaining to Lee Tae-ri how we came to work on a fairy tale, she asked to meet Yena in person, and that brought us here.
As always, Yena was hiding behind Kang Bada. But as if she had anticipated this, Lee Tae-ri pulled out a large bundle from under her arm.
It was a canvas—big enough to completely hide Yena behind it.
“This is a picture I drew. Do you want to see it?”
“…A picture?”
“Here, take a look.”
Yena perked up at the word “picture,” reacting instinctively. Lee Tae-ri smiled and unwrapped the bundle, revealing the painting to everyone.
“Wowwww—!!”
“What do you think? Do you like it?”
“…Yes!”
Not only Yena but also Kang Bada and I, who were watching from behind, let out sounds of admiration. The painting was very familiar to us.
“Isn’t this the Princess illustration?”
“That’s right. Even after finishing the digital version, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I ended up painting it with watercolors.”
“It feels so different like this.”
“Of course. The texture makes a huge difference.”
Lee Tae-ri had recreated the Princess illustration, originally used as a cover, in watercolor. The quality was so impressive that even I felt a pang of envy.
Yena, however, was completely captivated. She kept glancing back and forth between the painting and Kang Bada’s face, nodding repeatedly.
“You can touch it if you want.”
“…Really!?”
“Of course.”
With Lee Tae-ri’s immediate permission, Yena eagerly reached out to touch the painting. Lee Tae-ri, meanwhile, observed her carefully.
The smile that had been on Lee Tae-ri’s face earlier was now gone, replaced by a serious expression that made even us watching feel solemn.
“…I thought people were exaggerating.”
Tap. Tap.
Lee Tae-ri began biting her nails as if lost in thought. When I had first shown her Yena’s drawing, she had seemed skeptical, but now, she was finally realizing the depth of Yena’s talent.
“Can you tell something from this?”
“Absolutely. Most kids Yena’s age, when allowed to touch a painting, go straight for the face. They’re not usually careful, and the artwork often gets damaged. But if you look at Yena right now…”
“She’s touching the background first.”
“Exactly. More specifically, she’s feeling the parts I repainted. These areas aren’t easy to notice with the eyes, so she’s exploring them through touch. Where on earth did such a genius come from?”
Realizing what she had just said, Lee Tae-ri quickly bowed her head in apology. The word “genius” had slipped out without her meaning anything negative by it.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean anything bad by that. I was just so surprised…”
“It’s fine. You didn’t mean it in a bad way. Has this been helpful for your illustration work?”
“Absolutely. In fact, there’s something I’d like to ask you, President.”
Ever since we signed the contract, Lee Tae-ri had been calling me “President.” No matter how many times I asked her to stop, she never did, so I had long since given up.
“What is it?”
“Would it be okay if I worked with Yena?”
“…For the illustrations?”
“Yes. I have a feeling we could create something truly special together.”
At some point, a familiar spark of passion had returned to Lee Tae-ri’s eyes—a look that reminded me of the way Yena had gazed at the painting moments earlier.
‘I guess geniuses really do recognize each other.’
After a brief moment of thought, I nodded.
And just like that, the collaboration between two prodigies began.
