Continuing from where I left off.
Who was actually the true “executive”? I previously mentioned [H] and [R], but here I’ll share some insight into [R]’s lavish spending habits and trace a portion of the ¥2.1 billion in question.
[R] even started his own entertainment company on a whim, playing CEO in a bogus talent agency with a bunch of scammers. Over a two-year span, he blew through a sum probably three times what an average Japanese salaryman would earn in a lifetime. Many people tried to talk him out of it, but [R] refused to stop until every last yen was gone. This absurd spending spree eventually disrupted payroll for the payment processing staff and brought everything crashing down.
The tragedy is that I somehow ended up as the company’s representative director. Some say I was “too nice for my own good,” but I could hear what they were really thinking:
“Becoming the head of such a sham company? You’re a fool.”
They weren’t wrong. Now, having been released, I’m still tangled up in sorting out these companies’ debts. These two pseudo-entertainment companies are deeply in the red, with liabilities running in the tens of millions. And for serving as their representative, I didn’t receive a single yen—just a massive headache.
There’s another tragedy to mention. The young K-pop artists signed to this sham agency had their lives thrown off track. They were pulled into sketchy auditions, scouted as young hopefuls, and left with minimal guidance and low pay, only to be abandoned when the agency went under.
With plenty of funds to throw around, they ran an aggressive, cash-driven operation, ruining countless young people’s lives in the process. Personally, I feel no responsibility here, since I was never involved in managing the agency and actively tried to stop [R] from this mess.
[R] was constantly egged on by shady “producers” talking big about projects like “becoming the next EXILE,” leading to millions wasted and some of it likely pocketed by those associates.
I’ve never experienced anything as ridiculous in my life, and I don’t think I ever will. From a Japanese perspective, it’s astounding how unbelievably reckless people can be overseas.
Returning to the main topic: a large portion of that ¥2.1 billion went to fund this business. [H] was furious, resulting in the deal’s suspension, and [R] had blown every yen without a single cent saved. I had warned him time and time again not to dip into future earnings…but here we are. Had it not been for that, maybe I’d have a few million yen to my name. With that money, I probably wouldn’t even be writing these words of resentment.
It might seem shameless, but I honestly consider myself the biggest victim of this entire SumoPay ordeal.
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