Chapter Eighty-Six: Which One Do You Like?
en fill every inch of space, their voices blending together like a symphony. The lively and boisterous atmosphere can be felt even from a distance down this side street.Hongdae shopping district is al..."Annyeonghaseyo... YoonA sunbaenim."
When Ji Jingyuan faced Lin Yun'er who walked in front of him, smiling and beckoning to him, he felt a strange feeling for no reason. However, he quickly recovered his composure and showed a polite smile.
IU wore a light blue sweater today.
It had irregular red mosquito coil patterns on it, which was quite eye-catching.
Her hair was tousled and tied up in a bun at the back of her head, exposing her forehead and ears. The earrings on her earlobes glittered, giving her an overall impression that was both bright and innocent.
As expected of Girls' Generation's visual center, the person beside her seems to pale in comparison.
Of course, sunny also has some advantages, for example.
"What a coincidence, Jingyuan xi."
After seeing Ji Kyeong-won, Lim Yoon-ah was quite enthusiastic. She smiled happily and waved her hand. Her manager behind her also smiled and greeted Ji Kyeong-won.
But then, she didn't continue talking. As Lim Yoona had just arrived, she would definitely want to greet the other guests and crew members first. Sunny gestured towards Ji Seongwon and then took Lim Yoona to introduce her to the rest of the people on "Rooate," just like how she had introduced Ji Seongwon earlier.
Chi Jingyuan didn't go with them. Instead, he stayed put and took out his phone to browse it.
While Im Yoon-ah took longer to greet people than Park Ji-sung, her social habits meant she would always chat with guests regardless of their popularity.
After a while, the two returned. Sunny let out a long sigh and sat down beside her, looking a little tired. Her eyes were half-closed, her expression languid, and her legs kept bouncing up and down.
While IU sat gracefully beside Sunny, drawing much attention from onlookers. She placed her bag gently aside, seemingly mindful of every move she made.
Two members of Girls' Generation were huddled together, laughing softly and whispering to each other. Meanwhile, Ji-won, who had been playfully bickering with Sunny just moments ago, became noticeably quieter after Yuri arrived. He sat quietly beside her, listening intently, seeming a bit out of place.
And Senior Yoon, being the perceptive person she is, naturally noticed Ji-yeong's discomfort beside her. She turned her head and smiled softly at him: "Ji-yeong xi."
"Senior Naeun." When called out, Ji-seong reacted, smiling back at her. Both his manners and expression were perfect, but there wasn't too much of a close feeling.
"I heard from Eonni that you're usually quite talkative in private, but after I arrived, you haven't said a word" Lim Yoona gracefully brushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Ji-seong. Her bright gaze held a mixture of curiosity and a hint of displeasure, which was undeniably charming. If someone else were being looked at like that, they'd probably surrender instantly."
Before Pool Jingyuan could reply, Lim Yoona continued, "We first met at Sunny unnie's birthday party, it's been over two years since we met. It feels like we just met. I think you are quite close to Sunny unnie and Taeyeon unnie, right"
She said with a smirk and an endearingly playful expression: "Besides, I remember that when Jingyuan was filming 'Reply 1997', I think I also sent a support truck, right"
Ji Jingyuan, who boasts about being a foodie, actually felt a bit embarrassed when asked with a smile like that by Yuri.
What people say is right, from the time we met until now, all the proper etiquette and greetings that should be given have never been missed by Lim Yoon-ah. Whether it's filming, or when Ji Chang-wook celebrated his birthday, or whenever there was something worth celebrating, Lim Yoon-ah would always send a timely message to express her congratulations.
But this meticulous and airtight approach made it somewhat difficult for Chi Jingyuan to feel too close to him.
And he couldn't say that he often praised her privately, and suddenly seeing her face would be a little embarrassed...
"It's probably because we haven't met much..." Ki-won chuckled with a wry smile, his eyes twinkling. Hearing this, he curiously asked, "Senior Yoona also watched "
What the other party just said is obviously about the reason why Park Ji-won and Kim Tae-yeon are familiar with each other, as mentioned in that episode of 《thetaetiseo》.
"Of course, I watch Taeyeon unni and the others' variety shows when I have time." Lim YoonA nodded matter-of-factly and then looked at him in surprise. "You haven't watched it"
"I've only seen the 20 minutes I was on stage, the rest was too boring. There wasn't anything else to do except eat and shop."
Because of IU's attitude just now, Ji Kyeong-won seems more casual this time and his complaints come out casually.
"Haha..." Upon hearing this, Lim Yoona immediately covered her mouth and laughed. Looking at the expression on Jiyeongwon's face beside her, she felt a little curious: "Taeyeon unni will definitely be angry if she knows you said that."
Ji-young blinked, suddenly feeling as if YoonA's words were familiar. It was as if Taeyeon had said the same thing to him before, only the person who should be angry had changed.
"Why is Taeyeon angry" Sunny burst into laughter and immediately pouted when she heard this, saying: "That variety show of theirs is boring anyway! They don't even let you talk about it!"
Saying that, Sunny squinted at Ji Chang-wook and Lim Yoona, letting out a sly laugh before starting the fire: "Ji Chang-wook, I remember you always mention our Yoona, saying you're her fan, right"
Chi Jingyuan saw Sunny's expression and felt something was wrong. After hearing what she said, he realized it was true.
He wouldn't believe Sunny couldn't hear that he was speaking ironically.
Betrayal!
"jia Jingyuan xi is my meal" After hearing this, Lin Yoona was indeed very surprised. She turned her head to look at Ji Jingyuan and blinked her eyes, her face clearly showing some surprise and anticipation.
Chi Jingyuan is a very popular and promising idol and actor with excellent personal conditions. As someone already in the industry, he knows many insider secrets and isn't as easily swayed by the filters that ordinary fans have when looking at celebrities. It's quite difficult for him to become a fan of a female celebrity, even Lin Yun'er was pleasantly surprised to hear about it.
Even if she and Chi Jingyuan were just ordinary friends, it was still a good proof and reward for her charm.
Looking into Yoona's shining eyes seeking confirmation, Ji-sung opened his mouth not knowing what to say. He glanced at Sunny who was desperately trying to suppress a smile beside him, pursed his lips and still nodded, his voice hesitant: "Um... well, I've been a fan of Yoona unni for a long time."
After getting confirmation, IU was obviously very happy and covered her mouth with laughter. Then she looked at him with twinkling eyes, showing great interest as she continued to ask: “So that means Jingyuan is our childhood fan then A sone Or…”
IU's image is getting stronger and stronger. Although she wasn't very conscious of her image when she first debuted, in recent years, she always covers her mouth when she laughs, showing that she pays more attention to her appearance now.
"Ani, I'm not a sone..." Seeing that Sunny was about to burst, facing Unnie who clearly misunderstood, Ji-yeong sighed and decided to tell the truth: "I'm Unnie's... acting fan."
“Hahaha…” The troublemaker, Lee Seon-gyu, finally couldn't help but burst into exaggerated laughter. She directly flopped onto the sofa and lay down, covering her stomach with her hands as her body convulsed and trembled. Her somewhat jarringly boisterous smile immediately caught the attention of several people nearby.
That's too much!
And when SunYe senior heard this answer, the bright and happy smile on her face just froze. The corners of her mouth twitched noticeably.
She was very smart. After noticing Sunny and Ji-seong's expressions and tone, she immediately understood that she had misunderstood what they meant earlier.
As one of the most dedicated actresses to transition from being a member of Girls' Generation and within ** Entertainment, Lim Yoona always takes acting very seriously.
But because besides the first Japanese drama "You Are My Destiny" which was quite successful, all other dramas have failed without exception, becoming worse and worse. This has led to her becoming, in a way, a famous ratings poison, and her acting is also widely criticized online. Some extreme black fans even believe that she doesn't have any acting skills at all.
Now, Chi Jingyuan, this promising young actor with a bright future and highly acclaimed acting skills, is about to see his new drama become a huge hit. People are saying that it's all thanks to his acting prowess.
"Hee hee..."
After weathering the storm, Lim Yoona quickly regained her composure. The frozen smile from just moments ago softened and seemed to return to normal.
It was only her eyebrows that trembled slightly, a mix of embarrassment and annoyance in her heart. Pushing the fringe of her hair to the side, Yoona looked at Ji-seong, her eyes still shining but now with a hint of aggression: "An acting newbie... Then Ji-seong xi, which one of my dramas do you like best"
"Um…" Feeling a slightly disapproving look from unnie, Ji-yeong hesitated a little.
To be honest, I've known IU for a long time, and every time we meet, she's always smiling and polite to everyone. She seems never to get angry. Although she's beautiful, there's an unintentional sense of distance between us.
This moment clearly showed a more lively Lim Yoona, who was visibly showing dissatisfaction and slight anger.
After some thought, Chi Jingyuan replied sincerely, "Besides 'You Are My Destiny,' I like all the others very much."
In other words, I like all of them as long as they aren't super low-rated flops.
"Hahaha…" Sunny, who hadn't even sat down on the couch yet, burst into another fit of laughter upon hearing this. She rolled between Seohyun and Kyung-won, her body bumping against them provocatively several times.
Chi Jingyuan really wanted to kick her hard so she would stop laughing, that laugh was truly awful.
Is it really appropriate for an idol to smile like that
Do you know that idols cover their mouths when they laugh Take a look at senior YoonA.
"Ah...x..." IU almost let out a curse when she heard that, but she stopped halfway through because of her good upbringing and concern for her image. She swallowed the rest of the words. Looking at Park Jeong-won beside her with a sincere expression, she took several deep breaths, her eyes sharp and strangely scrutinizing him for a few moments. Her expression was fascinatingly silent for a while before she sighed and burst into laughter, shaking her head helplessly, not knowing what to say.
If it were someone she wasn't close to, she probably would have smiled on the surface while being furious inside. However, at this moment, Lim Yoona didn't feel much anger. Looking at the expressions of Ji-seong and Lee Sun-gyu, she even found herself feeling a little ridiculous.
"Unnie, stop laughing, Unnie!" She bumped into the laughing Lee Soon Kyu, finally pulling this troublemaker out of her own world. Lim Yoona glared at Lee Soon Kyu with displeasure and pointed her mouth: "Unnie, is this what you said was my meal"
“Isn’t that so” Sunny pointed at Ji Jingyuan with a smirk, while Ji Jingyuan, facing the menacing gaze Lin Yuner threw at him, innocently shrank his head. Then he reached out and placed his hand beside his chin, gently shaking it towards Lin Yuner as if greeting her but a little embarrassed.
After looking at each other for a moment, they both blinked in unison and inexplicably burst into laughter together. Their two sets of pearly white teeth flashed at each other.
Their smiles didn't seem as standard and polite as before, but they looked much more comfortable.
IU, who has gained a loyal fanbase of acting enthusiasts, doesn't seem to know how she feels about it.
He should be pretty happy.
After chatting for a while, the production team was ready to wrap up. The script for this variety show wasn't very detailed; they only gave a general outline of the process. The specific execution still depends on the guests themselves and their individual personalities.
Soon into the filming, sunny walks out to greet lin yoon-er and ji chang-wook who are pretending they just arrived. The recording officially begins.
Upon seeing themselves and IU walk in, the group of regular guests also looked surprised and delighted as if they just found out about their arrival.
Especially Ja, she rushed up immediately and stood in front of him like a fan, covering the lower half of her face with both hands and making an expression of disbelief. Her wide eyes and body trembling slightly from excitement made Ji Jingyuan couldn't help but sigh, every person's acting skills were so good, one better than the other.
Although the program crew gave a warm introduction and the guests were very enthusiastic when they saw Ji Chang Wook arrive, his performance during the subsequent filming was fairly average, with nothing particularly special.
Compared to the socially adept senior Unnie, Ji-yeong seems a bit uncomfortable with this variety show format where a group of strangers who just met each other recently are shown acting close and intimate.
To be honest, Ji-won is not very interested in a reality show like 《rooate》. He finds it rather boring. If it wasn't for Sunny, he probably wouldn't have participated.
The two guests didn't have much screen time in total. After filming for a few hours, they wrapped up and entered their break time. Park Kyung-won and Lim Yoona's managers went to communicate with the production team to check if there were any inappropriate shots in the footage, while they waited and chatted on the spot where they had just been.
After the previous "fan verification" pool, Jingyuan and Yoona now seem more familiar with each other. Although they aren't particularly close, they are at least no longer as distant and superficially social as before.
This time sunny didn't sit in the middle, but sat beside and crossed her legs listening.
After a few casual exchanges, she brought up the topic that most interested her. With curiosity and a hint of asking for advice, she looked at Ji-won and asked:
"Jǐngyuán, how do you choose your scripts Since the actors' debut from "Answer Me 1997" to "The Heirs," all of them have become successful. Now, "Misaeng" also looks like it will be a hit. Do you have any secret"
The company isn't that big, and the agents all know each other. Just chatting casually can reveal a lot of insider information. Among idols in s who are aspiring actors, Chi Jingyuan's script selection is quite renowned.
Lin Yun'er knew that these three dramas were all chosen by himself, and at the time she gave him suggestions and recommended scripts which he rejected.
"When choosing a script... besides looking at the director and writer's abilities, I mostly go with my gut feeling," said Ji Kyoung-won after some thought.
"How are you feeling" Lim Yoon-ah sounded a little surprised.
"Inside, some scripts look bad at a glance and I'll just pass them directly. Some that look really good will keep me reading and make me want to participate."
"Don't you look at the cast" IU sounded a little puzzled, because looking at the cast list was a pretty mainstream way to choose scripts. Whether it was her or s company when selecting, they both paid close attention to the status and popularity of the lead actors. Besides her debut work, every TV drama she started from the second one had a very famous popular male actor as her co-star."
Facing this question, Chi Jingyuan tilted his head and smiled: "When I first debuted as an actor, I didn't have the qualifications to look at the cast list. Being able to participate was already a success. Now...I don't really look at it anymore because even if the previous cast was average, wouldn't it be better if I joined"
Her tone was casual, but what she said made IU pause for a moment. She pursed her lips and looked at the younger brother in front of her with complex eyes. Besides some bittersweet feelings, there was also a hint of envy in her heart.
Even though she was a senior to him, he couldn't believe how confidently and domineeringly she could say such things.
Even with her personality, she probably wouldn't say it so bluntly. But it's nice to secretly feel proud of oneself anyway.
She suppressed the turmoil in her heart. Seeing that her manager was almost done, Lim Yoona hesitated and looked at Ji Jingyuan, tentatively asking: "Jingyuan, do you know I'm going to shoot a movie in Xia Guo called…"
"The God of War, Zhao Zilong," Chi Jingyuan initiated the conversation.
"Did you know"
"Of course I know, didn't I just say it I'm a fan of senior Unnie." He winked lightly at Im Yoona and smiled beautifully.
"Still" Lim Yoona glanced at Ji Jingyuan, pursing her lips. Although she looked displeased, she found it rather interesting in her heart.
She continued, "I know you studied in Xia Guo and are familiar with that place. What do you think of this drama"
"Really"
Of course!
"Um…" Chi Jingyuan hesitated for a moment before deciding to be honest: “I haven't read the script, but just from the title, I think it's average.”
After a moment of hesitation, he continued, “Zhuge Liang was a military general during the Three Kingdoms period. Although very famous, his stories are not particularly strong. Adapting him into a script would require significant changes and a certain level of skill from the writer… Moreover, I can't figure out how he came to be called the God of War. It just sounds strange.”
"Like that..." Upon hearing this, Lim Yoona hesitated for a second and gently nodded her head.
She had hoped to gain some confidence from the other party, but to her surprise, Chi Jingyuan bluntly expressed his complete lack of optimism.
The drama has already been decided by the company, and there is no room for selection anymore.
"But I was just rambling, after all, I haven't seen the script. Unnie, don't take it to heart. Besides, filming a TV drama in Xia Guo itself is a big step forward."
Ji Jingyuan waved his hand to tell Lin Yoona not to mind, and when he saw Park Jae-hyun walking over, he stood up and greeted the two of them before leaving. He gave Lin Yoona a fist pump with a fan's look and said, "Yoona senior fighting, I'm still waiting to die for the broadcast."
IU also smiled and shook her hair, recovering her previous composure and cheerfulness. "That's right," she said.
"Bye bye..."
…………
After finishing the variety show, Ji Jingyuan returned to the drama set and plunged back into his daily hard work.
But the next day, on October 27th, the artist Shin Hae-chul passed away due to illness.
Shin Hae-chul was a senior figure in the Peninsula's music industry, having served as band frontman, host, and music producer. He had a wide network of connections within the industry and wielded considerable influence. For example, PSY has a close relationship with him and visited him multiple times during his hospitalization.
After the news broke, it caused a huge stir among his fans and in the music industry. Many people expressed their condolences online, and even the mayor of Seoul posted on Twitter saying he was also a fan of Shin Hae-chul before, expressing his deep sorrow.
However, Exo seemed unaffected by it. To be honest, if not for hearing the news and checking Naver specifically, Ji-seung hadn't even heard of this senior's name. He didn't even know what he did or sang.
Of course, you can't say that out loud.
Lee Seung-hwan also specifically instructed them to check the materials, so that if a reporter asked about this, they wouldn't say the wrong thing.
In a blink of an eye, it was October 30th. Ji Jingyuan woke up early and, accompanied by his manager and assistant, arrived at Seoul Square to meet with the crew members. After collecting the prepared items, they immediately headed to a main street in Jung-gu nearby, which was also a bustling thoroughfare for commuters.
Because the viewership agreement of 3% viewership set before had been achieved when the third episode aired on the 24th, the production team expressed their gratitude to the viewers on that day and released a preview. Several of the actors' promised tasks will be completed on October 30th.
Chi Jingyuan's pledge is highfive, which means high-fiving 100 people while giving out coffee and fried chicken or similar food to express gratitude for the audience's support of "The Untamed."
The food being given away is freshly baked and just came out of the oven, picked up by Jian from the shop. This kind of fan appreciation event wouldn't pull any tricks on top of that.
When he arrived at the designated spot, Chi Jingyuan was taken aback.
It's still early morning, the sky hasn't fully brightened yet, and it's not even during the peak commute hours. They came so early because they need to do some preparations. The official start time for the viewership agreement is still over an hour away.
But unexpectedly, even though the sky was still dim and not a single bird had woken up yet, there was already a massive crowd of fans gathered here. In front of the pre-arranged tables and small stage, a long queue snaked out, stretching for what seemed like miles, almost piercing through the entire street. It was clear that there were far more than 100 people here.
There were still many people lingering around the team and watching, but they weren't in line. I guess they arrived a little late. Seeing so many people lined up so far, they knew they probably wouldn't get their turn, so they didn't bother queuing.
"Dude, there are way too many people here. We don't even have enough stuff we prepared."
After getting off the car, surrounded by staff, Ji Jingyuan walked around while whispering to Park Jaehyun.
“It's totally normal for you to be this popular. Besides the fans from "Unborn," there must be a lot of your other fans who came here after hearing the news. After all, getting to talk to you and high-five is such a rare opportunity for xo's fans, not to mention receiving something you personally made.”
Park Jae-hyun's face was full of self-assurance. As his manager, he knew better than anyone how popular Ji Kyeong-won was.
Whether it's the audience of "The Untamed" or the fans of the original novel (Yuan), just picking any one out could easily gather hundreds or even thousands of people. Even better, both sides came together this time.
“Once the number of people is fixed at 100, we absolutely can’t add any more. If we do, you won't be able to leave today because no matter how we choose, those who aren't selected will be dissatisfied, and it could even lead to conflict.”Park Jae-hyun whispered a reminder: “If fans are unhappy after dealing with 100 people, I’ll take on the role of the bad guy later. That’s what managers do.”
"I understand." Chi Jingyuan nodded.
Just as Chi Jingyuan arrived and walked closer, his fans also became excited. The long queue swayed like a winding serpent, visibly shifting a few steps toward him.
Meanwhile, the two girls in the team were very nervous at this time. They stood in the queue and stretched their bodies outward, pointing from the front of the team all the way to the back, counting them one by one:
"50, 51... 77, 77, 78..."
"85, 86, ah, we are 8586, we're in the top 100, don't worry we made it."
"Are you sure Want to count again"
First published on the Traditional Chinese Novel Network first step is considered successful."It's still the same process as before. Later, Jun-Myeon will take us to visit our seniors and give them our album. This season of MC has some big senior guests l...