National Tide 1980.

These little tricks that Suho Ikuo carried out behind the scenes really caught Mist Studio off guard.

Neither Ning Weimin nor Matsumoto Keiko had ever imagined that the crew, which had already suffered severe reductions in staff, would face even greater uncertainties.

It is clear that the actors who should be added have not yet been recruited, and the issue of whether several main actors in the crew will stay or go has become an unresolved issue again.

Things like Yasuko Sawaguchi's sudden resignation seriously affected the morale of the crew and the confidence of the behind-the-scenes staff.

However, not all scripts are written according to what Ikuo Suho planned.

Some people's choices deviated from Suho Ikuo's plan, resulting in results that he was not happy to see.

Just like Utsui Ken and Miura Tomokazu, their demands are contrary to those of Sawaguchi Yasuko who wants to quit.

So when they found Keiko Matsumoto to discuss this matter, she was completely stunned. She was stunned for a while before she confirmed it with them in surprise.

"You...you all are going to terminate your contracts with your respective entertainment agencies? Just...just to continue staying in the crew?"

Utsui Ken and Miura Tomokazu, who were sitting in front of her, nodded together.

"Yes, we all cannot accept the agency's order for us to quit. That is an order of arbitrariness. We cannot do such an immoral thing, and we don't want to be manipulated by certain people and become a tool to hurt others. A company that can make such unreasonable demands is no longer worth our nostalgia, so it is better to be independent as soon as possible. Moreover, we have always had a good relationship with your company during the cooperation process. We have worked together for so long, and we naturally hope that the crew can restart the filming as soon as possible and complete these two film and television dramas well."

Following Utsui Ken's explanation, Miura Tomokazu also said, "Credit is something that can never be rebuilt once it is destroyed! The agency's order to force us to quit has touched our bottom line. Neither of us wants to do something that will make us regret for the rest of our lives. So leaving is the choice that Utsui-san and I made. We also look down on those who manipulate artists and the media to bully, so in this matter, we will always stand on your side. If you need us to clarify the relevant news to the media, we are happy to state the facts."

To be honest, this was something Keiko Matsumoto had not expected.

She originally thought that the two of them came to her because they saw that the situation was not good, had lost confidence in the crew, and wanted to protect themselves.

Who would have thought that they would be so strong-willed and stand firmly on their side for the sake of morality.

In particular, she was very clear that making such a choice would put these two people under tremendous pressure and even cause them to suffer considerable financial losses. It was definitely not a cost-effective thing.

So she was grateful and moved, and could not help but bow deeply to them.

"Thank you so much for your consideration. I'm so sorry. I didn't expect this matter would involve you and cause you so much trouble. I'm so sorry."

In addition to returning a salute each, Ken Utsui also responded with a serious expression.

"Don't say that. The fault lies with the Burning Department, not you. We just did the right thing, what men should do."

These words are full of heroism, and therefore make the person's character more noble.

Matsumoto Keiko couldn't help but say it sincerely.

"No way, this is something that not everyone can do. I will always remember your friendship. I have no way to repay you right now, so I can only do my best not to let you down, find ways to overcome difficulties, and try to complete our work with the best production standards."

Her gratitude really touched Miura Tomokazu's heart.

Now that he has made such a decision, the two film and television dramas produced by Fog Studio, especially "Black Leather Notebook" in which he plays the leading role, have become his biggest hopes in his career.

Can he successfully transform this time?

Will I be able to get a good job in the future?

Are there any advertisements or endorsements?

The future life of the whole family...

To be honest, it all depends on this one-time deal.

How could he remain indifferent and not pay attention to the progress of the crew, so he couldn't help but take the opportunity to ask about the details.

"Yes, I am now looking forward to the casting of Black Leather Notebook being selected and restarted. Matsumoto-san, excuse me for asking, are you sure about this matter? Are you still having any difficulties? If there is anything I can help you with, please feel free to do so."

His meaning was very clear, it was a question of casting, if they really couldn't find anyone.

He can also introduce a few people to fill the gap, even if it means relying on personal connections.

Keiko Matsumoto felt relieved again and bowed her head to express her gratitude again.

"Yes, don't worry, it's okay. We already have a specific plan. We should be able to select the roles and resume filming in a month at most."

"Oh, that's great. I'm really looking forward to it."

When Tomokazu Miura heard this assurance, his expression finally showed some joy.

Utsui Kenya looked relaxed.

That’s not all. Relationships between people are mutual. Since you have chosen to be partners, you should work hard together.

Just as Utsui Ken and Miura Tomokazu are concerned about Matsumoto Keiko's difficulties, Matsumoto Keiko cannot ignore their current difficulties in return.

"Sorry, I would like to ask you something. If you terminate the contract with the agency, you will probably have to face considerable financial compensation, right? Have you negotiated with the agency about this matter?"

This question is of course a very practical one.

Because no entertainment agency runs a charity.

Especially in Japan, the entertainment industry is basically a monopoly, so it is normal for major companies and platforms to work together to exploit artists.

In order to restrain artists, agencies will sign a relatively strict contract with them when they accept them.

In particular, restrictive clauses that prevent artists from terminating their contracts early are the most important part of the contract.

If the artist wants to leave on his own or is poached by someone else, the penalty for breach of contract is usually very heavy, the kind that will hurt the artist to the core.

As expected, Utsui Ken said, "I have indeed discussed it with the agency. The contract I signed was for five years, and I still have one year and two months until it expires. The penalty is calculated based on the year, and I will probably have to pay around 40 million yen..."

The numbers reported by Tomokazu Miura are even more frightening.

"I'm afraid I'll have to pay the agency 100 million yen. But the good thing is that this matter was decided by Momoe and the former president, Mr. Hori Takeo. After paying this money, I can terminate the contract peacefully. Hori Production should not cause me any trouble in the future..."

Yes, Ken Utsui is no longer the leading actor in Daiei. Now over 50 years old, he is just relying on his seniority to make a living.

Therefore, his pay has already dropped from the first-tier to the middle of the second-tier, and his penalty for breach of contract is much less than that of the first-tier actors for the same reason.

But even so, this amount of money is equivalent to his income for half a year.

You know, Mist Studios hired him to play a supporting role in "Crazy Rich Asians" and his salary was only 6 million yen.

The characters in "Black Leather Notebook" are more important, but each episode only makes 1 million yen.

All in all, his total remuneration for the two films and TV series was only 17 million yen.

Moreover, the firm also has to take a commission, and given his current situation, he can only get half of the money at most.

In other words, he decided to stay in acting for the sake of justice, but he personally lost a lot of money. As for Miura Tomokazu, although his current career is declining, there are still many media reporters who follow him all day long.

Moreover, Japanese candy giant Glico has always chosen him as its spokesperson and has never changed.

With his many years of accumulated fans as a young actor in art films, although he is now over 30 years old, he can still make some money from his old career. He is at the bottom of the first-line actors, so the price he pays will of course be much higher than that of Ken Utsui.

In comparison, Kirigaya Studios paid him 10 million yen for a supporting role in Crazy Rich Asians and 1.8 million yen per episode for his lead role in The Black Leather Notebook.

So if you calculate it this way, excluding the share from the firm, his personal income is at most 15 million yen, but the compensation is as high as 100 million yen. I'm afraid that the past two or three years have been wasted.

In particular, the shutdown of the Fog Studio delayed the production for at least more than a month, during which time neither of them could take on other work. If you calculate it this way, the intangible losses would be even greater.

So after learning about this, Matsumoto Keiko felt even more guilty and couldn't bear it.

"I'm so sorry. You've lost so much money. If you have any financial difficulties, I'd like to do my best to help you."

Matsumoto Keiko was not being polite. She currently has more than 15 billion yen in her account.

She had never had so much money before, and she felt anxious looking at so much money every day.

She was free anyway, so if the other party needed money, she would be happy to lend them the money without charging any interest.

However, she didn't expect that the more she feared something, the more it would happen.

"It's okay, don't worry about me. I've already figured out a way to deal with it. I plan to sell a small apartment in Roppongi. That way, there will be a lot of surplus, enough for me to live a stable life for a few years."

Utsui Ken actually said so.

"Yes, I also plan to sell the apartment in Takanawa. Baihui said that she hopes to move to Tachikawa City, and the current house should be easy to sell. After selling the apartment, the financial aspect will not be a problem."

Needless to say, Matsumoto Keiko was furious when she heard this, "How can this be? There is no need to do this."

Although both of them said it easily, and the decision to terminate the contract with the agency and regain their freedom was also their personal spontaneous behavior.

But Keiko Matsumoto knew clearly that if her studio had not made enemies, they would have no reason to do so.

They are the truly innocent people who were accidentally implicated.

Therefore, even for the other party's persistence in justice, Matsumoto Keiko hopes to minimize the side effects as much as possible.

She absolutely did not want to affect the originally stable lives of two people or bring difficulties to their families because of her own reasons.

So, without caring about being rash, she immediately offered to lend money to the two of them, without them having to actually sell their house to raise the money.

But then again, even if she means well, other people have to be happy about it.

But with the personalities of Ken Utsui and Tomokazu Miura, they are the kind of people who have traditional mindsets and only focus on acting, and don't know how to speculate.

Not to mention that neither of them invests in stocks, they would not buy a house if they didn't have the urgent need to buy a house after getting married.

To put it bluntly, the two of them had a natural aversion to the idea of ​​borrowing money, so they all shook their heads and politely declined Matsumoto Keiko's help.

At this moment, Matsumoto Keiko became more and more anxious. After thinking silently for a while, she still had no idea. She just felt too guilty about the current situation.

She simply asked Utsui Ken and Miura Tomokazu to sit for a while, and she ran to another room to call Ning Weimin and ask him what she should do.

This time he asked the right person. With Ning Weimin's intelligence, there was no problem that could not be solved. He did not hesitate at all on the phone and gave Matsumoto Keiko some advice.

"Hey, let me tell you, why don't we try to solve the problem in a different way? For example... can we sign them to your office?"

"What? You want me to sign them as an artist of the agency?"

"Yes, why can't Mist Studio have its own actors? Although the big studio system is collapsing, Mist Studio should still have a few exclusive core actors besides you. Like this time, we have already suffered a loss in this regard. You see, if they are willing, then we don't have to worry about the main roles in any future movies. The key is that Utsu-san and Miura-san are really reliable. Actors like them are not only experienced and dedicated, but also will not easily cause trouble for the agency. There is no need to worry about negative news. If we can really invite them to join, it will be a great deal. I even want to go to the door to thank Ikuo Suho for this. Without him, how can we have the opportunity to sign them? What do you think?"

"You're exaggerating. But if that's the case, then it would be reasonable for us to pay for their termination fee from their previous agency. Right?"

"Yeah, it's only 140 million yen, not much, not enough to make a low-budget movie. Since they are willing to help us, we should pay for them. In any case, such good character is worth our investment. So if possible, try to sign a longer contract with them. As for the house, try to persuade them not to sell it, otherwise they will regret it."

"Okay, I'll try to negotiate. But how should we set the specific conditions for signing them? To be honest, their careers are currently declining, and offering bad conditions would seem mean. But if the conditions are too good, I'm afraid... I'm a little unsure."

"Don't be afraid. Listen to me, just sign them as first-line stars. We can repay them a favor and show our sincerity. As for the return, don't worry. Considering their dedication to acting, they just need a good script to become popular again. Even Yujin-san will have the opportunity to be the protagonist again. Moreover, they are very well-known in China. Just relying on this point, we will not make a loss. Don't worry, trust me."

"Okay. I listen to you."

Matsumoto Keiko actually does what she says, and no one trusts Ning Weimin's judgment more than her.

So when she appeared in front of Utsui Ken and Miura Tomokazu again, she was like a different person.

All worries were gone, and the smile became even more pleasing to the eye.

…………

On this day, both Ken Utsui and Tomokazu Miura experienced a roller coaster-like excitement.

After leaving Kiri Studios, Tomokazu Miura didn't even go for a drink with Ken Utsui, but hurried back home.

He was in a very good mood, completely different from when he left in the morning. As soon as he entered the door, he shouted loudly, "I'm back."

He also brought back a lot of things he bought on the road for his wife and children.

Western snacks, drinks, and a large piece of wagyu beef.

Baihui, who ran out in an apron, was stunned. Seeing these things worth at least hundreds of thousands of yen, she asked in surprise, "What's going on?"

The meaning is very complicated. I am a little surprised that he came back so early today, surprised that he bought so many luxury things, and even more surprised at his drastic change in mood.

Tomokazu Miura immediately understood, and then he did something rare. He picked up his wife and walked around the entrance.

Baihui was almost confused, but she knew it was a good thing.

She hugged her husband's neck a little dizzy and asked, "What's wrong? Has the situation changed? We don't have to cancel the contract."

"No, it's not. I got a new agency. I joined Matsumoto Agency. No, not just me, but Utsu-san as well. And the contract terms are excellent."

Miura Tomokazu became happier and happier as he spoke, and he even impulsively kissed Baihui on the face.

"You won't believe that Matsumoto-san is so bold that she intends to transform her personal firm into a commercial firm. We are the first batch of artists she signed. Not only did she pay us the termination fee, but she also treated us like first-line actors, promising to produce no less than two movies and two TV series every year. Matsumoto-san is such a good person. She won't ask me to go on variety shows or sing, as long as I can focus on acting. And because she knows you want to move, she will arrange accommodation for us in Tachikawa City, so we don't have to sell the house anymore. According to her, it's too much of a loss to sell it now, so it's more cost-effective to collect rent and live in Tachikawa City. What do you think?"

"I..." Looking at her smiling husband, Baihui was really touched, even though she didn't understand what was going on.

This is the husband she hopes to see, this is happiness. (End of this chapter)