Chapter 925: Standing Alone (3)
"Ms. Se-Na, if we make your diagnosis known to the public, you can easily get out of the contract."
Every contract included an exemption clause that allowed you to avoid penalties. It usually stated that if the contract cannot be fulfilled due to force majeure[1] or other unavoidable circumstances, liability is waived. So if we could prove that Yoo Se-Na is unable to participate in the audition due to her illness, she wouldn't have to pay any penalty under that clause.
That was why I planned to properly reveal Yoo Se-Na's condition to the public. Of course, Director Hong Ah-Yoon would likely dispatch HK Inc.'s legal team and try to cling on no matter what, but I was confident I could win.
On top of that, the 3 billion won contract Yoo Se-Na signed to appear up to episode 10 of Again, Idol! was an entirely under-the-table agreement. So there was even less reason for her to pay a 10 billion won penalty.
Yoo Se-Na blinked and asked again, "You're saying if my illness becomes public, I can terminate the contract without paying any penalty?"
"Yes. But it has to be handled properly so that it earns public sympathy. That way, neither HK Entertainment nor KNET would even dare to push a sick person onto a broadcast."
President Ahn Yung-Hee, who was sitting on the sofa in the VIP room peeling apples for Yoo Se-Na and Ju Yung-In, nodded. "That's right, Se-Na. Mr. Jung is unmatched when it comes to shaping public opinion, so you can trust him."
At that moment, Yoo Se-Na's phone lit up again. It was a series of calls and messages from her mother.
"Then what about my mom and dad? Don't they bear any responsibility?"
Since Yoo Se-Na didn't belong to an agency, the contract had been signed under her own name. That meant all the responsibility fell solely on her.
I shook my head. "Since the contract is in your name, the responsibility won't extend to them. However, if they secretly took money on the side, they won't be able to avoid accountability for that."
At that moment, Yoo Se-Na clutched the blanket tightly and spoke to me. "Could you... do something about that too?"