tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’ broadcast capture
Illusionist Lee Eun-Gyeol opened up about a painful “slave contract” scam from his past and the grueling dark period it caused, which left viewers feeling deep sympathy.
On the tvN variety show ‘You Quiz on the Block’ aired on the 5th, Lee Eun-Gyeol, marking 30 years in magic, appeared and shared a range of behind-the-scenes stories. What weighed most heavily on viewers that day was the so-called “slave contract” incident he had gone through.
tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’ broadcast capture
Recalling the past, Lee said, “I set up a company with an older brother figure I trusted like family, and I even handed over my seal.” He continued, “One day I found there was a contract I knew nothing about. When I checked, it was a long-term ten-year contract on a ‘9-to-1’ split,” revealing the shocking scam.
The psychological shock from this was severe. When host Yoo Jae-Seok asked, “I heard the shock was so great that you did not even do the magic you love for a year,” Lee recalled, “Whenever I tried to perform, a content-certified letter would arrive, and when I tried to rent a venue, a notice was sent to the venue as well. It was a time when I felt utterly at a loss, thinking, ‘What should I do?’” Under suffocating pressure with no way out, he wandered like a shut-in for nearly two years.
tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’ broadcast capture
Ironically, what helped him endure that dark period was enlisting in the military. Assigned as a magician and beginning his service, he toured the country, performing at festivals big and small and across military units, and he was able to regain his hunger and passion for the stage.
The ordeal made him even more solid. Lee said, “After that, I made up my mind to try magic the world had never seen, and from then on my performance style and paradigm changed completely.”
tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’ broadcast capture
After his discharge and overcoming hardship, he successfully presented in Korea large-scale illusions that combined overwhelming scale and artistry, the kind once seen only in major Las Vegas venues. Turning painful betrayal and trials into his own artistic nourishment, Lee Eun-Gyeol raised the level of magic in South Korea and rose to the position of today’s ‘master’.
