Chapter 63 Definitely

ean popularity charts are all here.After Kai's solo dance ended to cheers, he exited the stage. The South Korean band, Purple Rain, ascended from a lift and the performance officially began.(**) Let m..., Peninsula asteroid

"You are my aim, my aim..."

Humming a tune, Ji Jingyuan walked into the building. He was so familiar with the place that he easily made his way to the Music Bank recording studio. By now, dozens of people had already trickled in: idol performers, staff members, and fan support team representatives were all present.

He was in the third row. After a quick glance around, he walked straight over and sat in his designated seat. At this time, there were no people on either side of Chi Jingyuan, but two girls who looked like fans sat behind him. It's unclear how they managed to get in so early.

Ordinary viewers can watch "Music Bank" without buying tickets. They just need to apply on the KBS website one to two weeks in advance. Each episode's participating artists and idol group fans are also allocated dozens to hundreds of spots to enter, allowing them to cheer for their idols.

The company also had some internal backstage passes. This time, Chi Jingyuan came in by asking his manager for one. The recording of officially began at 5 p.m., and ordinary viewers had to wait until around 4 p.m. to enter. However, with an internal pass like Chi Jingyuan's, there was no need to wait that long; he could just go in directly.

Right now, it's the time when idol is rehearsing and recording. c is still practicing lyrics and doing interviews. The fan groups haven't entered yet, and there's no cheering or supportive atmosphere. Honestly, there's not much to see.

But tonight, at 7 PM, EXO is leaving for their Summer Nation tour. A little after 4 PM, he needs to head back to the company to meet up with the members. Ji-sung doesn't have time to watch the live performance, so seeing a preview of Ji-ssi and the others' rehearsal or pre-recorded stage would be like witnessing their significant debut moment firsthand.

Pool Kyungwon has participated in countless singing program recordings and is very familiar with the process. This time, it seems like a round of rehearsals will be conducted soon. Currently, s' staff are setting up the stage backdrop. The color of this backdrop clearly indicates that it belongs to Red Velvet.

And the colorful big mouth already built in the background left a deep impression on Chi Jingyuan.

He was wearing a mask and a hat, sitting and watching the crew setting up the scene above, waiting for the appearance of IU and her group.

Although there weren't many people present, when he entered, his conspicuous physique and aura did attract quite a bit of attention. However, after he sat down, most of his figure was obscured by the chair, and those who were watching him gave up.

It seemed like two fans from other fandoms, who had somehow gotten to the back, kept staring at him when Ji Jingyuan came in. When they saw that he was sitting right in front of them, they even had the idea of going up to chat with him. They wanted to know who this handsome guy with such a great physique belonged to.

After hesitating for a moment, they realized that the handsome guy in front of them had no intention of interacting with anyone, so they gave up. However, one of the girls kept glancing at him from behind, even though she was wearing a mask and a hat, she always felt that this handsome guy looked familiar.

But they didn't really take action. The two looked away and began to chat about the idols who had participated today and recent news in the industry. They were clearly very experienced fans, talking about idol-related things like reciting them from memory.

"Have you heard what happened with Bo YG cleared things up recently, saying she only had someone deliver medicine for her treatment unknowingly. "

Bo is Pu Chun's stage name.

“She must have smoked, everyone knows YG’s culture. You believe their clarification Don't worry, even if she didn't smoke, she definitely broke the law. We anti her, we are absolutely right.”

And at that moment, they were both free and their voices weren't quiet. Chi Jingyuan heard them from the front and thought it was quite interesting.

"Oh, I still really like 2NE1, after this happened, I guess things will be tough for them in the future... Oh yeah, did you know that s's new girl group officially debuted on Music Bank today"

Of course I know, those four parrots are now super popular. I saw it on s's official fan cafe the other day.

"Parrot"

“Because the opening of their music video trailer has a parrot, and everyone's hair color is also very funny looking, like four parrots. Now a lot of people call them... Honestly, the makeup of several people in the video is really ugly, this time the girl group released by s is much worse than before.”

"I also think they're ugly. If they hadn't insisted on debuting and stealing resources, Han Oppa wouldn't have left."

Aren't you a B1A4 fan Do you like XO too

Of course…

At the front, Chi Jingyuan listened to the two people's comments on Red Velvet and didn't know what to say. One of the two girls seemed to be a fan of their EXO as well.

Fans are sustained by their admiration and love for their idols, and the overall age group is relatively young. Therefore, this group of people tends to be more naive, believing only what they are willing to believe, and easily get excited. To protect their idols, they frequently engage in conflicts online.

Even though Red Velvet has been attacked by some EXO fans, as a member, Park Chanyeol can't blame them because these fans actually care about EXO.

Even though some of their actions may not really benefit Ji Jingyuan and the others.

One can only say that the timing of S's debut, pushing them directly into the limelight, was incredibly well-chosen. It's like throwing them onto a hot grill.

Ji Jingyuan listened to the two female diners behind him complaining about various idols while waiting. After a while, the dance stage set was complete. He hadn't waited five minutes when he saw Pei Zhuxuan and her team of four led by assistants walk out from backstage and onto the stage.

At this time, the first row had a photographer who was probably there to film their debut behind-the-scenes footage. He started filming them nonstop with his camera.

Contrary to Ji-yeong's expectations, when the four members of Jennie appeared, there was actually a burst of cheers from the audience. Although there weren't many people, the fact that someone was supporting them was already pretty good.

It's unclear if it's really just fans, or the company hired hype groups.

Chi Jingyuan looked at the four Red Velvet members on stage and found it very interesting.

At this point, they were already in their stage outfits and makeup. Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, and Joy lined up one after the other, their hair dyed with pink, green, blue, and orange at the ends, which was very eye-catching.

They stood there, listening to the not-so-loud cheers, feeling the gazes of so many eyes on them. Every person, whether in their expression, movement, or even their eyes, showed the undeniable tension hidden in their hearts.

After getting on stage, Pei Zhuxuan kept smoothing her hair on both sides. She would smooth it every now and then, and when she wasn't touching her hair, her hands seemed to not know where to go, stiffly placed in front of her. Her own eyes were dazed and she almost didn't dare to look at the audience in front of her.

Park Soo-young stood there motionless, covering her face with one hand and constantly glancing at the person in front of her from the corner of her eye.

Sun Shengwan clenched his hands tightly in front of him, his mouth slightly agape, and his eyes constantly darting back and forth.

Finally, Ginger Shiqi started laughing nonstop as soon as she got on stage. She puffed out her cheeks and mumbled cutely, making Ji Jingyuan want to laugh.

Even though the four of them had participated in many showcases and performed countless times on public stages before, when they stood on the debut stage of their dreams, every one of them appeared incredibly dignified. That feeling of being out of place was palpable to anyone who looked at them.

They just stood there on stage for almost a minute, their expressions stiffening to the point where they could barely move. Finally, the PD signaled the start of filming. The four quickly shuffled over and struck their opening poses.

The debut song "happess" started playing, and the stage performance they had practiced countless times was presented to the audience.

"Happiness!"

"I want it!"

"Go ahead and dream."

Sitting in the audience, Ji Jingyuan tilted his head, his clear eyes intently watching the four people performing on stage.

To be honest, I've been using WildReader to read and catch up on books lately. It has multiple sources, switching is easy, and the narration voices are great. It works on both Android and Apple devices.

He found that when the music started, a few people's expressions and youthful vibes immediately changed. The dance and singing they had practiced countless times for this stage were now presented to everyone.

Years of trainees' hard work, sweat and harvest seem to have all been integrated into every move and smile at this moment.

Actually, it was obvious that they were all still quite nervous. Everyone's movements were exaggerated, and Ji Jingyuan even heard a slight tremble in Jiang Sheqi's voice.

But the way they freely radiate their charm on stage is already like a debuted idol.

Of the entire performance, what impressed him most was Sun Shengwan's last part.

She stood in the center, dancing and singing in a high voice, "shisheonyeah~". Her bright and steady voice made Ji Jingyuan's eyes light up. Although he didn't make any outward movements, he secretly gave a clap of applause in his heart.

He hadn't really heard Sun Shengwan sing before, so he knew she was chosen for the group mainly because of her good singing voice and tone. Unexpectedly, hearing her perform live this time gave him a little bit of a surprise.

And in terms of aesthetics, Ji-won thinks Sun Seong-wan is the best looking among Red Velvet's debut looks. She carries even a very ordinary makeup look really well.

Jennie's eyeliner looks a bit awkward.

The first take was not used due to some minor mistakes. After a short break, recording continued quickly.

And the second time it also appeared a problem, and began the third.

Even for important pre-recorded stages, if there are no mistakes, several takes will usually be recorded. The best take will then be compiled and played. EXO's most challenging recording was last year when they were filming the stage for "Wolf." Because the dance was so difficult, they kept making various mistakes, and they ended up recording six or seven times. Everyone was exhausted after finally finishing it.

By the third take, during the last chorus, Bae Joo-hyun extended her hands and danced to her part with a bright smile. She looked at the camera and the audience below, her gaze sweeping across them before suddenly stopping abruptly.

In the middle of the empty third row, that person wearing a mask and a baseball cap instantly recognized by her to be Ji Jingyuan.

Even with a mask on, she knew Chi Jingyuan too well. She could recognize him just by looking at the upper half of his face. Plus, the prominent spirit ball emblem in the middle of his white hat made it 100% certain that this was the person she had been mentioning backstage just moments ago—the one who unfortunately didn't have time to come and witness their debut today.

Ji Jingyuan's eyes, filled with a smile, met Pei Zhuxu's gaze. He felt the surprise that flashed in her eyes.

Then, Bae Joo-hyun quickly retracted her gaze, pretending not to have seen anything and swiftly moved away. However, Park Ji-won noticed that her dance rhythm was slightly off.

Unable to hold back, he grinned mischievously at Park Soo-hyun. Even as she shot him a withering glare, Ji-yeong blinked innocently at her.

This recording session went alright, but for a better effect I've decided to record it again.

By the time they were doing their final run-through, the earlier surprise mixed with joy on Bae Joohyun's face had subsided. Aside from occasionally stealing glances at him during the performance before looking away again, she didn't display any other unusual behavior.

This recording session went really well. After discussions between the hosts and the stage PDs, they decided to finalize the stage pre-recording. They danced four times in a row, and the four exhausted girls, drenched in sweat, finally let out a sigh of relief. They stood together and bowed to the staff and audience as a gesture of gratitude.

Ji Jingyuan watched as Pei Zhuxuan bowed and then casually shot him a glance. He raised his hand to make a fist in encouragement, then lightly clapped as they walked off the stage.

While Pool Jingyuan also tightened his mask and hat after the Red Velvet recording ended, stood up, carrying his bag and walked out, leaving the Music Bank studio. Two female fans behind him frowned and stared at his back until they couldn't see him anymore.

I have a feeling I've seen this person before...

"Oh my goodness, when I first got on stage, I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest."

"Me too, I practiced for so long beforehand, but when I got up there, I was completely lost."

As soon as they got back to the backstage lounge, Jiang Sheqi was panting heavily, patting her chest repeatedly. The others chimed in with similar expressions of relief.

They really understand now, the difference between their debut stage and things like past month-end evaluations or showcase stages.

From now on, they are officially debuted idols. From this moment on, they will start their idol journey in the Korean entertainment industry under their individual names, Irene, Wendy, Seulgi, and Joy, and as a group called Red Velvet.

"Oni, why are you smiling" Jiang Seqi looked at Pei Zhuxuan for a while and found that this sister had not said much. She sat there in a daze, staring straight ahead with a faint smile on her face. She didn't know what she was thinking.

"Ah." Pei Joo-Hyun was startled awake with a small cry, quickly recovering herself and smoothing down the hair around her left ear. She smiled casually and said, "No, just thinking about our performance a moment ago."

Except for her, the other three members didn't seem to have noticed that Ji-yeong had come to watch their pre-recording... Bae Joo-hyun suddenly felt a strange sense of unspoken understanding.

Maybe tell them about it after we go back home tonight.

At that moment, Park Soo-ryung suddenly remembered something and let out a sigh, her face turning considerably darker: "I wonder if things will improve online after our performance airs... I'm not sure..."

At that, several people fell silent.

They are not blind or deaf. Even though cell phones are controlled during the event, there are always opportunities and channels to see those comments online.

And newly debuted idols generally care a lot about their online reputation. That fresh feeling of just debuting, and the desire for fame and popularity, makes them even more concerned about current opinions. They almost constantly want to check if there are new fans supporting them.

It's a pity that the only things on the internet these days are insults and profanity.

Seeing that several of her sisters were feeling down, Park Soo-hyeon, whose heart was also heavy, gave a wry smile and mustered her spirits. She proactively puffed up her fists and cheered them on, her voice filled with determination and anticipation:

"Definitely!"

………………

"Aren't you dizzy today"

The plane ascended from the airport and plunged into the clouds. Wu Shixun, who was originally reading a book, casually glanced to his right and saw Chi Jingyuan, who usually wore an eye mask to avoid acrophobia at this time, was actually looking at several documents intently. He couldn't help but curiously asked, leaning over slightly: "What are you looking at"

A few recently received scripts.

Chi Jingyuan kept his eyes fixed on the documents in his hand, responding without turning his head: “It’s actually quite sad… but it’s not a big deal to take a quick look.”

"A script Oh, is it time to prepare for acting again" Hearing the script, Wu Shixun immediately lost interest. Currently, the company's plan and positioning for him had nothing to do with acting. Now, in EXO, only Park Kyung-soo and Do Kyungsoo have such arrangements from the company, and even Do Kyungsoo has just started."

He was very interested but the company wouldn't give him resources. For a year, Chi Jingyuan was too lazy to take on any roles. He kept sending scripts to the company one by one. Thinking about this, he felt a little indignant and sarcastically retorted.

"Yeah." A distinct hint of sourness laced his words. Chi Jingyuan glanced at him, then retracted his gaze and nodded. "Marvel intends to fire Robert Downey Jr. and asked me to play Stark in Iron Man 4. They said I was born for this role. If I refuse, Marvel will shelve the series and permanently seal off the character."

Seeing Ji Jingyuan's serious and nonsensical ramblings, Wu Shixun twitched the corner of his mouth in amusement. The sourness he had been feeling vanished without a trace. He let out a snort with displeasure: "Then I'll be waiting to see your Iron Man 4, Ji Tak."

"Sounds good."

Chi Jingyuan nodded slightly, showing no abnormality. This made Wu Shixun purse his lips again, clearly indicating that he was now preoccupied and unwilling to bother him. He sat back down and started reading a book himself.

Chi Jingyuan isn't really making things up; he is indeed researching a script right now.

A few days ago, the company gave him several scripts. Afterward, he also asked Park In-hwan to inquire about them, filling in some content and insider information that wasn't originally recorded in the materials.

However, the company has also been doing quite well. In the next few months, they'll be filming projects with a complete cast and resources, and most of the production materials have already been gathered in the data that Lee Seung Hwan gave him.

After several days of deliberation, the unsuitable ones have been passed by Chi Jingyuan. Now only two screenplays, "Pinocchio" and "The Untamed," remain for him to choose from.

Both TV dramas are in Ji Jingyuan's mind with some impressions, according to his previous experience, there shouldn't be a risk of failure.

No matter what choice is made, it won't end up like someone else with a disastrously low viewership.

Moreover, both of them have already submitted the script and invitations to the company, proactively inviting Chi Jingyuan to star in their productions. They are also very sincere in their intentions.

The main creative team behind *Pinocchio* is very strong. The director and writer are Zhao Xiu-yuan and Park Hye-ryeon, respectively. The two collaborated last year on the hit drama *Heard It Through the Grapevine*. Their collaboration this time around is undoubtedly filled with confidence, and because of the success of their previous project, SBS will certainly invest sufficient resources and production costs this time.

It is rumored that the female lead has already been confirmed as Park Shin Hye. If池景源(Lee Jong Suk) participates in the drama as the male lead, it would be a great selling point for the former "The Heirs" leads to reunite on screen. The production team must have considered this aspect when inviting him.

"Pinocchio" is scheduled to air in November, and is currently in the early stages of preparation.

The screenwriter, Chi Jingyuan, only skimmed through the script for this drama. Overall, it's still classified as an idol romance drama. However, the writer added many other elements that he doesn't particularly like.

On the other hand, the creative team behind "The Uncanny Counter," director Kim Won-suk and writer Jung Yoon-jung, are also old friends. The two collaborated on the TV series last year, a music-themed drama co-produced by OCN and tvN that received average ratings and was far from the success of "I Can Hear Your Voice."

However, the drama "The Uncanny Counter" is a special project for TVN's 8th anniversary. It definitely has strong support in terms of investment and promotion, and the script is adapted from a very popular webtoon on the Korean peninsula, so it already comes with its own popularity and hype.

The script received deviates from traditional romantic dramas. It's a story set in a white-collar workplace, focusing on the experiences of a rookie entering the company and transitioning from confusion to maturity. It also features various colleagues and superiors with distinct personalities, making it a typical workplace drama.

Chi Jingyuan has never tried this kind of play before, and he is quite interested in this type.

But he found out that last year "The Unseen" had filmed a 10-minute short film, and this TV series is the sequel to the short film. Park Bo Gum told him that the original crew was planning to directly use the male lead from the short film, Ren Jun-seo (a member of the idol group Imperial Sons). He doesn't know what happened that changed things and led the crew to send invitations to S and Ji Chang Wook instead.

According to the information, this drama is scheduled to air in October. Currently, the crew has been assembled, and several main supporting roles have also been finalized.

If he had to choose between the two, Ki-seong preferred the latter one, "Unsung". He found the script, setting, and workplace drama genre quite appealing.

But Ci Jingyuan was prepared to wait until this concert ended before returning to the peninsula, and he would proactively communicate with the crew to make a decision later.

Having made up his mind, as the dizziness kept surging over him, Chi Jingyuan collected the data, put on an eye mask and began to rest, trying to get through this torturous flight.

The Seoul District Court formally received the termination lawsuit submitted by Han’s attorney yesterday, and announced that a court hearing will be scheduled soon. Currently, the case is still in the mediation stage.

The heat on the news about that thing over there on the peninsula has started to cool down. After all, for fans of the peninsula, han is just one member of exo's popular upper circle, quite far from the cliff-edge Ji-sung Lee.

Although his departure was saddening, it's something that can be accepted with the passage of time.

Or maybe it can only accept.

But in Xia Country, things are still chaotic. All sorts of rumors and gossip are circulating online, with stories both true and false coming out non-stop. There's talk about “Han accepting an overseas media interview and crying about being exploited,” and "serious discord within EXO," which has certainly kept the masses entertained.

However, Han issued a clarification statement yesterday through someone else, stating that neither he nor his family and friends have ever accepted interviews from any overseas media. The statements about him in these reports are not true, and he hopes the media will not spread misinformation.

It's a bit responsible, though.

Although the heat surrounding this side of the peninsula has subsided somewhat, it's still a topic of much attention among fans and passersby. Several variety shows have also jumped on board, producing special features on han and exo, unearthing many real and eye-catching behind-the-scenes stories.

For example, three Xia Guo entertainers who ran away through lawsuits to break contracts are Han Gan, Wu Saike, and Han. They all coincidentally entrusted the same law firm.

No one would believe an estimate saying there was no connection.

For example, media reports revealed that Han earned less than 800 million Korean won last year, which is equivalent to less than half a million US dollars. Compared to the revenue EXO has generated for ** Entertainment, it's insignificant.

Seeing the news of the return, many Xia Guo fans and media also expressed that the number was too low: "This is not as much as two youth idol dramas starring a third-line actor in Xia Guo."

I have my reasons, and he has his.

At this point, it's a real muddle. It's hard to say who's right or wrong anymore.

The concert on August 2nd concluded successfully at the provincial stadium in Ho-si City. On the morning of August 3rd, after returning to the Peninsula with his team, Ji Jingyuan immediately contacted the production team of "Mr. Sunshine" through his agency and set up a meeting time with director Kim Won Suk, who had been eagerly awaiting Ji Jingyuan's response for a long time.

First release on Traditional Novel Network. She walked around the car for most of the circle and hesitated to open the door. She tried to look inside from the window, but her vision was blocked by the dark tinted film. When she reached the pa...