outside was very noisy, with intermittent shouts of "EXO" coming through. They passed by the entrance before going backstage, there were many audience members, and the area under the stage was basic..., the Peninsula asteroid
"You... are you trying to get her killed"
Such a blunt rebuttal left the head of the department speechless. At the same time, the various glances thrown his way made him feel that he might have considered things a little less.
"Yuan is the member of all EXO with the most fans. His popularity and fame also lead the team. Moreover, because of many aspects including his outstanding appearance, personality charm, and successful acting career, his fans are not only loyal but also very crazy."
“If it were just random, baseless rumors online, fans could just scold them and that would be the end of it. However, if the company personally gets involved, subjectively promotes it while releasing some ambiguous materials, the consequences and reactions are very difficult to predict and control. It is very likely to have a huge negative impact on Seulgi herself and Red Velvet.”
Although the publicity staff member thought the head's suggestion was silly, they patiently explained it and even made a serious joke: "Yuan can't be viewed with the same eyes as an ordinary member, whether in terms of status or popularity, within EXO. If it had been him instead of Baekhyun who was rumored to be dating recently, I doubt we'd have the mood to be discussing Red Velvet's promotions so casually right now."
Because they might debut in June...
"Hee hee hee..."
This joke lightened the mood in the meeting room, and several people from different departments couldn't help but chuckle.
Although it wasn't explicitly mentioned, everyone present understood that aside from the points already discussed, the practical implementation of this matter also required taking Chi Jingyuan's own opinion into consideration. They needed to know if he was comfortable with the company arranging for him to spread rumors with the other person, and whether he was willing to use his popularity to bring heat and attention to others.
Just like he said a moment ago, yuan is not an ordinary member.
Apart from the original plan, in terms of promotion, as we discussed before, let's put in more effort and add some fire.
A group of company elites discussed heatedly for a while, and finally Jin Min made the decision:
As for the rumors about me and Chi Jingyuan's collaboration... just release some materials casually, and don't have the company actively promote it.
"Understood."
…………
"Anihaseyo..."
Sun Seung-wan, who quickly bowed and greeted him as soon as he entered, was met with a smile from Ji Kyung-won, who also stood up to return the bow.
It was already evening, he had just been waiting in the music room inside company s for a while to practice with Sun Seungwan for the 15th town's collaboration stage. After arriving, less than ten minutes later, Red Velvet's manager, Choi Hyoung-eun, came over with Sun Seungwan.
Even if they are artists from the same company, their managers still have to follow them during backstage rehearsals, at least for the first few times.
It's clear that she's still getting used to them. Sun Seowon is genuinely quite afraid of these business people. Even though there were only Jiyeong and Park Jaehyun in the music room, with Whee-young around, she immediately bowed politely as soon as she entered, unlike her usual energetic self when meeting friends before.
And Hye-young and Seonghwan had already greeted each other. After a few casual words, Ji-gyeong turned his head and gave Park Jae-hyun a knowing look.
Park Jae-hyun understood instantly and enthusiastically found an excuse to take Jeon Hwi-yeong away from the music room for a chat, leaving the space for Ji Eon-gyu and Son Seong-wan.
Before leaving, Quan Huiying smiled and nodded at Chi Jingyuan. It was obvious she had also seen who was behind this, but she still gave him face and followed him out.
"Ugh…" After seeing her manager leave, Sun Shengwan dramatically opened her mouth and let out a huge sigh of relief, continuously patting her chest as if she had just survived a harrowing ordeal.
"Are you that afraid of your agent" Pool Jingyuan looked at him speechless.
“Of course I’m scared! Don’t look at how Huiying Unnie looks so friendly and approachable when she faces you. She’s actually very strict in private. When she criticizes or disciplines people, she’s especially serious. Now, whenever I see her face turn stern, my heart races. And she controls everything…”
Sun Sheng finished her reply with a reasonable response, then frowned and began to grumble about how strict and unfeeling their manager was. She went on and on, sounding like a husky tied up by its neck who was complaining bitterly.
Seeing her like this, Chi Jingyuan also shook his head helplessly and smiled.
When a manager takes over a group, they usually start off very strict in order to establish their authority and make management easier later on. This is especially true for new groups who are just debuting and encounter many problems that require close supervision.
Just like when EXO first debuted, both Lee Seong-hwan and Kim Hyun-jun were very strict, often scolding the members. Even though Choi Kyung-won wasn't directly involved, as a bystander, he saw this many times. And after all this time, it still stands out in his memory.
However, as time goes by and the artist has been debuting for a while, most normal-tempered managers will also restrain their temper and methods. Unless they make a serious mistake, Lee Seunghwan rarely gives such strict reprimands anymore.
These two days Red Velvet has been cyberbullied online, turning black and you can't see a hint of red. However, seeing Sun Seungwan so spirited now, it feels like she hasn't been affected much.
Of course, it could also just be that it hasn't been shown yet.
Kedebebe's debut wasn't smooth, and the internet was full of mockery. Of course, Chi Jingyuan wouldn't bring up this kind of thing that was both hurtful and embarrassing, even though both parties were actually quite aware of it.
After a few days of not seeing Chi Jingyuan, he wasn't in a hurry to practice. Instead, he went to the small refrigerator next to him and took out two cans of coffee. He opened them and handed one to Chi Jingyuan, then sat down on the sofa and chatted casually. "Have you eaten dinner yet"
"I ate, I had salad and fruit." Saying thanks, he took the coffee and Sun Shengwan also sat down, taking a sip with relish.
"Aren't you hungry"
"Being mindful of your figure has been a requirement since the beginning, my manager said that other groups also had this rule when they debuted, didn't XO's seniors have to do the same"
"I guess so..." Chi Jingyuan raised his eyes and thought for a moment, then said uncertainly: "Maybe the other members are like that, but not me. I can't gain weight."
"Can't gain weight jjia Ahhh...." Hearing that Ji Jingyuan had the coveted physique of being able to eat without gaining weight, Sun Shengwan was consumed by jealousy and madness. While muttering angrily, she covered her face with her hands and rubbed it vigorously a few times.
After venting her frustration, she seemed to suddenly remember something. Her expression changed, and she winked mischievously at Chi Jingyuan. "Although our manager makes us keep in shape and restricts a lot of things, even forbidding us from entering convenience stores, I'll let you in on a secret. The day before yesterday, Qiqi and I snuck out and bought two big bags of snacks at the convenience store. We were so happy eating them last night when we were hungry."
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"As she spoke, she suddenly laughed: "The funniest thing is about Joohyun unnie. She said we shouldn't eat too much because it's easy to gain weight, but when we were halfway through our meal, while we weren't paying attention, she opened a bag herself and quietly ate a few bites while looking at us, with her chewing movements being particularly small. It killed me laughing hahaha..."
"Ji Jingyuan imagined that scene and couldn't help but laugh: "You bought so many things, where did you hide them in the dorm without being discovered by the manager"
Hearing this, Sun Shengwan proudly raised an eyebrow at him and said: "Secret!"
After chatting for a while, Chi Jingyuan got to know their recent situation. After about ten minutes, he took the initiative to stand up and took the sheet music: "That's about it, let's start practicing."
Sun Shengwan looked around curiously and asked, “Don’t we need a teacher to guide us during our practice”
"No need, I can just listen."
Ji Jingyuan pursed his lips and said, "Sometimes our recordings now depend on me to guide them."
It was a very plain sentence, but it showed that Ji Jingyuan was different from an ordinary idol. Sun Shengwan blinked in surprise and gave a thumbs up with admiration: "zzzang!"
Try the sound first.
"Wow, I don't know why I feel so nervous performing on stage with Jingyuan. It feels like taking an exam..."
Chi Jingyuan opened the accompaniment for "All For You", and after Sun Shengwan sighed in admiration, she walked into the soundproof room and began to sing into the microphone.
As soon as she started singing, she became very immersed. Her hands were constantly covering her ears as if during a formal recording session. This was a stark contrast to her cheerful and playful demeanor just moments ago. It was evident that she had practiced this song before, as both her rhythm and pitch were flawless.
After listening, facing Sun Shengwan's seemingly reserved expression, but actually full of hopeful eyes seeking praise, Chi Jingyuan cooperated very well and clapped his hands: "Very good... I feel like you don't need to practice this song specifically. Let's just rehearse a few times casually to get familiar with it and we can go on stage directly."
"Really" she blinked her eyes in surprise, her excited face practically screaming "Tell me more!"
"Well," Li Jingyuan smiled. "You should know I went to watch your debut stage rehearsal, right"
"Well, Ju-Hyun unnie told us."
"After watching your stage performance, the part that impressed me the most was Jjia's part, especially the high note section. It was really well sung..."
Chi Jingyuan's sincere praise clearly delighted Sun Shengwan. Before he could finish speaking, his words were interrupted by a burst of singing.
Hearing him say that, Sun Shengwan directly shook her head and sang out a high note: "shisheonyeah~".
Hearing that familiar high note, Chi Jingyuan laughed and clapped while watching her strut and prance inside.
Although I don't know what will happen in the future, it's good that Son Seungwan can still maintain this bright state despite Red Velvet's current situation.
……
Over the next few days, Ji Jingyuan practiced several times for the Town family concert with Sun Shengwan, as well as Na and Henry's collaboration stage.
This kind of stage without dancing, only chorus, is relatively the easiest. The songs are all classic ones that have been sung many times before and are already very familiar. Just a few people get together to divide the parts, rehearse a few times and it's almost okay.
Besides Sun Shengwan who is just making her debut, the other members are all relatively experienced seniors. For this kind of easy chorus stage, they are naturally very familiar with it.
Meanwhile, Ji-yeong was also arranged by the program team to film their new variety show "exo90:2014"'s first episode's cover song "hope" v. It's called a v, but it's actually just singing in a set house, playing the piano facing the camera, and then posing a few cool poses. The overall process is very simple.
After all, it's just a variety show, it's impossible to be as formal and polished as shooting an album.
In addition, after several rounds of communication and negotiation, Company S also officially signed a contract for the role in "The Untamed" on behalf of Chi Jingyuan, confirming that he will be playing the male lead, Zhang Klai, in this TV series.
After signing the contract, the production team of "The Untamed" will also send the completed and revised detailed script to Chi Jingyuan and inform him that the crew assembly is about to be ready. The first script reading meeting is scheduled for August 18th. After the reading meeting, the official filming will begin. The first scene will be filmed on location in Jordan. Currently, the crew members have gone to Jordan in advance to scout locations and apply for filming permits.
This time slot is really great. According to the production team's notice, their filming in Jordan will last about five days. If everything goes smoothly, it won't delay EXO's concert on August 27th in Xia Guo Sha City. It seems that this kind of non-conflicting schedule must be the result of communication and negotiation between S company and the production team.
Although the drama "The Untamed" was well-known in the industry and favored by television stations, due to the fact that most of the cast were powerful actors with strong acting skills, the entire crew lacked some attention and hype. Before its premiere, the publicity aspect still relied heavily on Cheng Yi's own popularity and fame.
Currently, there's no official news about his role in the drama. The production team and company have decided to announce it right before filming starts, which will generate the best publicity effect and boost viewership for the premiere.
Since he received the script, Jingyuan has been making preparations. Besides his free time, he studies the script every day, analyzes the characters and recites lines. He also found a medium-sized foreign trade company through his family connections and went in as a temporary employee to personally experience the true face of the Peninsula Company's workplace. At the same time, he observes the living habits and some characteristics of this white-collar class.
From the day after I got the script, to today, it's been several days already.
After all, he had never been a white-collar worker nor worked in any workplace. He didn't even know many friends of this profession. His understanding of this social class was very superficial. Therefore, going to shoot a realistic workplace drama like "Unborn" would be difficult to grasp.
Of course, as him, he definitely couldn't see the most realistic things. But it has to be said that this kind of experience truly helped Pool Jingyuan in understanding the characters and the script, giving him a deeper understanding of the plot depicted in "The Untamed," as well as the personality and image of the male protagonist, Zhang Kexing.
Chi Jingyuan feels that the help is quite significant, so this kind of workplace real experience, as long as he has time, will continue until the official shooting begins.
Although he is indeed talented in acting, several directors he has worked with have nothing but praise for him, but Park Kyung-won is not arrogant at all. In order to do his best, all these preparations that are helpful to him are also very necessary.
Today is August 11th. Although they sleep together every day, Exo-K, who haven't done any activities together for several days, finally reunited to film a new ad for the company. Right now, they are sitting in the chauffeur-driven van that keeps stopping and going, some members playing with their phones, some sleeping, and some chatting.
While Chi Jingyuan was lazily leaning back in his chair, looking at some news and gossip about Red Velvet on his phone.
Red Velvet officially released their debut song "Happiness" on August 4th. Due to their high level of discussion and the immense attention that comes with being a new girl group, their music release achieved impressive results. It immediately topped several real-time charts and performed well on iTunes charts in several countries.
But unfortunately, "happess" is only average in quality and has nothing to do with a hit song, so the sound source lacks power.
And not many people on this side of the peninsula really pay attention to Red Velvet's music. Most people are following the online boycott trend and bashing them, while the rest are just watching the drama unfold.
The amount of support from fans may exist, but it is practically negligible.
In recent days, the online wave of insults and smear campaigns against Red Velvet has not subsided with time, but rather intensified.
Because recently, there have been many rumors, both true and false, appearing on many online forums. These so-called insider information spread rapidly online, and some of the gossip directly angered fans after they read it.
"The royal family of Red Velvet is really amazing. It's said that they have snatched a lot of resources from f(x) and EXO, do you know why Because the one with green hair named Joy is Kim Young-min's niece. Amazing, right Reliable insider revealed."
“Not only that, I heard from a friend who used to be a trainee at s, that there are several members in this girl group whose lifestyle is particularly bad. During their trainee days, they changed boyfriends frequently with no breaks, simply shameless. That ugly woman named Seqi supposedly cheated on Baekhyun and Sehun of EXO, and even boasted about it as capital in the practice room.”
I also know about this. Ginger She Qi, you son of a bitch, I'll be against her for life. Just thinking about her makes me so angry. ...
"The captain Irene is the same, she's so old and still debuted. I checked the data and it says she's from 1991 kkkk, looking at her there isn't anything special about her either. Thinking about it, I know there has to be something wrong, maybe she's s some high-level official's ..."
"I really wish these four parrots would disband tomorrow and give us fx back."
"What a disgusting girl group. If you're going to die, just go ahead and do it already."
"... "
" Let me know if you have any other text you'd like translated!
Looking at all these various "insider leaks" and countless insults, Chi Jingyuan sighed.
He thought it was fine that she had scolded him for two days after his debut, but he didn't expect the situation to get worse and worse.
If these appalling comments are directed at EXO or himself, even someone like Park Kyung who doesn't care much about other people's opinions would probably feel some resentment and discomfort after seeing them. Let alone the four girls of Red Velvet who just debuted.
Suddenly, he remembered something. He turned to look at Wu Shixun beside him and asked with a curious expression: "When were you cheated on by Seqi"
While Wu Shixun was happily chatting with a girl, he was interrupted. He frowned and looked over, confused: "What are you talking about"
"So, this... it says that Seqi cheated on you with Byunghyun." Ji Jingyuan moved his phone closer and pointed to one of the 'very reliable, insider info from trainees in s' leaks.
"This Hahaha, you actually believe this" Wu Shixun burst out laughing, looking at Ji Jingyuan with a condescending gaze. "Use your own brain and think about how that's even possible."
"What he said sounds so real…" Qi Jingyuan also felt a little absurd, but still stubbornly replied.
“I also saw rumors that you and Irene dated, wait for me to find it…” Woo Se-hoon got interested, his fingers quickly slid and tapped on the screen. After ten seconds, he opened a page and pointed at a comment to Park Gyeong-won, while smirking, “Look, this one, I saw it the other day, it’s so believable… Did you two date”
Chi Jingyuan walked over and took a look.
“I have relatives who work in the trainee management department, and they gave me reliable information. Red Velvet's leader Irene dated EXO's Yuan during their trainee days, reportedly she was the one who pursued him. The two were often seen together at the company back then, and many people knew about it. It is said that they broke up for a while because EXO was too busy with their schedules, but apparently, they are back together now.”
It's another piece of insider news that sounds so real. Ji-yeong Park couldn't help but be speechless. He, along with Jeon Somi, were involved in a relationship, yet he, as one of the main characters, was hearing about it for the first time through rumors...
Suddenly, he paused because after reading it his gaze landed on this post.
"Go die! Does she even deserve to be mentioned Our Yuan Oppa is the hottest male idol group EXO from the peninsula, a top-notch actor who successfully transitioned from idol to acting, and undeniably recognized as 'the god of visuals' by even his haters. What is this Irene The leader of some mediocre girl group that probably disbanded ages ago She’s ugly, short, how could Oppa possibly be interested in her Get real! They are not on the same level, please stop trying to cling onto him."
Seeing this obviously from an EXO or their fan's remark, full of contempt and insults, Ji Kyoung-won paused for a moment, pursed his lips, and sat back down.
Although this meal is meant to be a maintenance of self-promotion, he still felt awkward after seeing it.
I wonder what kind of mood IU would be in if she saw these comments.
And Wu Shih-hsien also saw this comment, and the smile on his face faded somewhat.
After a moment of silence, Chi Jingyuan sighed and said, "They're really pitiful. They seem to be having it worse than we did when we first debuted."
Wu Shixun nodded: "From our debut until we were put on hiatus, we still had a lot of schedules. It seems like Seqi and the others didn't have many other activities besides promoting songs. They weren't on variety shows very often and were even scolded online like that... it was really harsh..."
"Oh..."
After a sigh, Chi Jingyuan said nothing more, staring out the window in silence.
Traffic in Seoul has always been a problem, and traffic jams are commonplace.
Today was the same as usual, a journey that should have taken 20 minutes took almost twice as long to reach the destination. After getting off the car, the members of Team K were led by their manager and hurried into the office building. They took the elevator to the fourth floor and entered a large photography studio. This was where they would be filming the advertisement today.
As soon as walked in behind the group, Ji Jingyuan saw at once the person they had just been discussing in the car.
This advertisement was a collaboration between Red Velvet and EXO-K. Or, to be more precise, they were arranged by the company to work on this ad campaign with EXO.
To put it bluntly, it's like taking advantage of someone, but it's a tradition within s, and it's normal for seniors to look after juniors. The rest of k team didn't have any objections, so Ji Jingyuan naturally wouldn't say anything either.
While the four members of Comeback Bebe were standing a bit awkwardly nearby, it seemed like they had just arrived as well. They probably only just finished greeting the advertising producer and the on-site staff.
While Pei Zhuxuan stood against the wall on the far left of the four, her head was slightly lowered, her eyes staring blankly at her fingers intertwined in front of her, her attention obviously not on them.
First Release on the Traditional Chinese Novel Networke Ming Yinan, bending down to pick up a glass of wine from the table with one hand while holding a bottle of cocktail in the other and pouring it into the glass. After hearing Li Zhongxian's roar, he...