The New Contract

After Seven Years

The boys can't believe that it's been seven years. Even though they have changed so much, it seems like yesterday they had just debuted. And so it feels surreal walking into the meeting to discuss the renewal of their contract with BigHit Entertainment. 

The boys sit down around the long conference table with nervous, yet excited, butterflies swirling in their stomachs. All of them know their decision. They'd been talking about spending many more years together long before this meeting. Nonetheless, binding themselves to the stage for another seven years was a sobering thought. Would army stay by their side for that long? Could they sustain this unimaginable level of success in the years to come?

"Okay, good morning everyone," the Chairman starts. "Firstly, I'd like to formally congratulate Bangtan Sonyeondan on reaching their 7th anniversary and with an unprecedented level of success in the industry. It has been an unbelievable journey for everyone involved. BTS has undeniably become synonymous with the prestige of BigHit, propelling the company to greater heights. I want to thank you all for your hard work and your trust in the company," he reflects with a genuine smile directed at the members, inspiring a round of applause. 

As I'm sure it's no surprise," the Chairman speaks up again, commanding the room's attention, "BigHit hopes to renew all seven of your contracts for another seven years of achieving new feats if each of you is willing to do so," he pauses waiting to hear from the boys. 

"I think I speak for all of the members when I say that we're eager to continue on this path together," Namjoon speaks up, smiling at his friends of upwards of seven years who all nod in agreement, grinning brightly.

"Good men," the Chairman says, grinning ear-to-ear as he stands and reaches across the table to shake Namjoon's hand. "The company is thrilled to be working with such dedicated artists. We will work harder to support each of you in your careers as Korea's leading artists and in whatever else you may choose to pursue. Speaking of which, we have the proposed contracts here to discuss. A large majority of the terms of this contract are identical to your previous contract. However, the company has determined that as esteemed and decorated artists, you deserve a greater degree of freedom than we have previously afforded." 

The Chairman gestures for an assistant to provide each of the members with a copy of the contract. The boys' postures had changed, leaning in as they wondered what kind of freedom the Chairman was alluding to. 

"Before we give you a chance to thoroughly review the terms of the contract on your own, I'd like to explain some of these new terms. To start, we would like to give you greater creative autonomy. Under this new contract, you will be able to work with a wider range of producers outside of BigHit if it pleases you to do so. Similarly, you will be allowed to collaborate with other artists with minimal intervention by the company," the man explained, causing the members to nod appreciatively. 

"Additionally, we will no longer restrict you from working on public projects outside of your music for profit. That means, Namjoon, you can publish the novel you have been working on when it's complete. And Jin, you can consider franchising Osu seiromushi with your brother if you wish to do so. On top of this, we would like to offer any assistance we are capable of providing to ensure the success of any such projects you embark on."

This caused many of the boys jaws to drop open in incredulous smiles while the others displayed toothy grins, all verbalising their pleasant surprise. This kind of support is unheard of in the Kpop industry, and they couldn't be more grateful to be backed by such a company.

"Now there is one last new term that sparked much debate among the company directors," the Chairman continued, signalling for the members to pull themselves together. "We're full of remorse that it has taken us this long to offer you such a basic and important freedom. As you know, when you signed your first contract, we had many concerns regarding how BTS would be received by the public and gain a favourable reputation coming from an unknown company. That's why we agreed on a dating ban for the duration of your contract while other companies only mandated a few years of no dating for their new groups."