Chapter Eighty-Four: 1.9

lar album directly, or to pursue a two-version plan, definitely shows the company's emphasis on, expectations for, and confidence in EXO.Albums released by returning singers in the Peninsula music ind..."What are you looking at that makes you so happy"

At a square table, Wu Shixun, seated opposite, was chewing something with a furrowed brow, glancing over several times. Seeing Ji Kyengwon staring at his phone with an uncontrollable smile on his face, he finally couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Yesterday was the premiere of "The Untamed," but Park Ji-won wasn't able to stay with the drama's cast on the peninsula due to his schedule. He flew to Shanghai, China with his company's team yesterday afternoon. He is scheduled to perform at an ** Town family concert there tonight.

Since the TV drama was premiering at the same time, the company had considered letting Ji Jingyuan skip the family concert and stay at the set to film.

However, since Tao has already withdrawn and is unable to perform, if Kai doesn't go then EXO can only perform as a group of nine. To begin with, several of their stages have choreographies that are designed in the form of a battle between KM Team 1 and Team 2. With only nine people, it would look very strange. Frankly speaking, they haven't practiced formations for nine people at all. They have rehearsed formations for ten and eleven people many times, though.

Besides, the crew still had some footage from previous shoots left over and weren't very busy. So, Chi Jingyuan decided to join in on the performance as well. Anyway, this was **ton's last performance of 2014.

After resting early yesterday since they didn't go out after arriving at the hotel, they got up very early this morning. Right now, they are all having breakfast together in the hotel restaurant.

Most people ordered more traditional Xia Guo dishes. Each person had a bowl of porridge, several baskets of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), steamed buns, and some small side dishes. Eating it was really satisfying.

"Yesterday evening, the premiere of 'The Uncanny Counter' aired. He must have been reading online reviews," Doh Kyung Soo swallowed what he had in his mouth and said slowly, as if understanding everything perfectly.

He put a piece of burnt toast in his bowl, and then looked at Chi Jingyuan with a curious expression: "By the way, has the viewership rating for the first episode come out yet"

"Not yet, I think it'll be soon." With a slurp, Chi Jingyuan drank his congee and shook his head with puffed cheeks.

I haven't seen it yet, what's the review like

"He must be really happy, otherwise he wouldn't be laughing like that," Wu Shixun said with a chuckle, throwing in a few odd remarks.

"Not bad," Chi Jingyuan nodded without denying it.

Most of the online reviews he just read were pretty positive, both about the plot and his acting. There was a lot of praise, even some over-the-top compliments that made Ji-seong blush a little bit.

However, Zhang Klai's several close-up shots of his facial expressions in the first episode were really well done, very expressive. A lot of takes were filmed at the time, and every take was emotionally invested. I still remember the director Kim Yonsuk praising him heavily back then.

Of course, some people were disappointed and dissatisfied after watching it. They also left comments online criticizing the show. Based on the first episode, the main complaints focused on "the protagonist keeps getting beaten and it's hard to watch" and "the pace is really too slow."

This is also a problem with the plot setup in the early stages. The production team was aware of this, but after discussion and consideration, they decided not to make any changes.

After all, no TV series can please everyone. The most important thing is to find your niche and target audience and, within that framework, strive to showcase the best of your work.

Although "The Uncanny Counter" has only aired its first episode, it has already shown a unique charm. At least the overwhelming positive response gave Park Ji-hwan a lot of motivation, making him feel that the crew's two months of hard work was very rewarding.

"Buzz…" Just as he was halfway through his meal, the phone in his hand suddenly vibrated and rang. Seeing that it was Jin Yuance calling, Ji Jingyuan quickly swallowed the half-eaten bun in his mouth and answered the call without dodging the other members sitting beside him.

“Inside, PDni…”

"Haha good morning good morning."

"I should be able to go back tomorrow morning…"

"The ratings are out How many..."

"Alas, I understand... Khonsu,"

After hanging up the phone, Chi Jingyuan looked at

The phone screen paused for a moment as if thinking, then seemed to sense the questioning glances from the two people in front of it. It didn't beat around the bush, letting out a chuckle and blurting out: "1.899 percent."

"That high" Doh Kyung-soo was taken aback after hearing that, and despite still having food in his mouth, he couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

Just now, Kim Gyeol-seok told on TV that the viewership rating for the first episode has been tallied. The highest was 2.4%, and the average was 1.899%.

Judging by their tone and demeanor, they seem quite satisfied.

To be honest, Ji Jingyuan also thinks that the ratings for this premiere are already very good.

Cable TV stations cannot be compared vertically with free-to-air television stations due to the cost factor and viewership ratings are not comparable. A premiere viewership of 1.899, nearly 1.9%, is already very good.

In terms of this year's Golden Soil drama lineup, "Nineteen Boys," which followed "The Youngest Son", ended with an average viewership rate of less than 1%, which can only be described as a failure. Even before that, "Don't Fall in Love, Get Married" only managed an average rating of 1.9 by the end of its run.

Also airing in April, "The Fiery Priest" starring Yoon Sang-hyun, Kim Jong-il, and Jin Ji-yoon also scored 1.9.

This year, the only K-drama that can be said to have excellent viewership ratings is the medical romance drama "Emergency Couple" which aired at the beginning of the year. Starring Choi Jung-hun and Song Ji-hyo, this drama achieved an average viewership rating of 5%. Although the discussion and buzz it generated wasn't particularly high, it's still considered a success.

The drama "Reply 1997," which marked the first collaboration between actor and director Kim Jung-hoon, premiered to a 1.5 viewership rating but steadily grew in popularity, ultimately setting a new record for cable television viewership at the time.

Compared to this, the pace is slower, and "Unborn," a workplace drama that wasn't favored from the start, has gotten off to a pretty good start.

Both Do Kyung-Soo and Woo Se-Hoon are insiders who are very interested in the film and television industry. Naturally, they know what this premiere rating means. After chewing on the number for a bit, Woo Se-Hoon looked over and asked, "It's off to such a good start, doesn't that mean your drama is going to be popular again"

"

We can't say that yet...

"

With a heart full of joy, Ji Jingyuan felt that the sky outside seemed a little bluer. In front of him, Wu Shixun's eyes

He slurped down the remaining porridge in his bowl and shook his head cautiously: "We'll have to wait and see if tonight's second episode ratings go up or down."

"It is." Although they were already quite sure in their hearts, the two still nodded in agreement. Viewership ratings are hard to predict after all. No matter how good the first episode starts, there's a high chance it could rise or fall later on.

There are many TV dramas where the first episode has the highest viewership of the entire series, for example.

Doh Kyung-soo and Woo Shi-hun also quickened their eating pace, clearing the table of food. After that, the three stood up, greeted a few members who were still eating, and left the restaurant first, heading towards the elevator to return to their rooms for a few minutes of rest. In a while, they would estimate to go to the venue for rehearsals.

They just walked out of the restaurant when they ran into all four members of Red Velvet walking towards them. Judging by their expressions, they had probably just finished eating breakfast too.

She didn't seem to have done much makeup, probably just some foundation or BB cream and ran down. The hotel's several floors were also booked by ** so there was no need to worry about being photographed by outsiders.

Without the cover of makeup, all four looked visibly unwell. Their complexion and skin were not at their best. For example, Park Soo-hyeon, who was walking in second place, had a yellowish complexion with dark circles under her eyes. She also had a small pimple on the left side of her cheek.

The others weren't much better either. It's just that Park Soo-young, because she was young, looked slightly better than the rest, but her dark circles were quite noticeable as well.

"This early"

At the front, Jiang Shibaqi saw three people and took the initiative to smile and greet them.

Then, when Bae Joo-hyun was about to greet them, she suddenly remembered something. She quickly stretched out her left hand and put it in front of her forehead, just like shielding herself from the strong sun.

Few people had much makeup on, she guessed they all knew their own

The color isn't very good, it didn't matter before, walking in the corridor was pretty natural. But when I saw Ji Jingyuan, I suddenly reacted and reflexively wanted to block it.

This action was quite noticeable to Chi Jingyuan, and he found this sister rather interesting.

During her trainee period, she didn't usually wear much makeup. She met with Ji Jingyuan several times and never seemed to care about it that much.

Sun Shengwan also waved her hand. Usually energetic, she seemed listless and somewhat drained this time.

After Red Velvet's official comeback on the 13th, almost a week has passed and their performance results are starting to show.

Since it's a digital single comeback without a physical album release, overall results shouldn't be judged by sales figures alone. Just focus on the streaming numbers, reception, and buzz instead.

Since the source material is a cover song, besides the initial day of release when it garnered high attention and saw a decent surge in popularity, its ranking on various charts has been rapidly declining since the next day. In less than a week, it's almost about to drop off the charts.

As for the response, needless to say, those who want to criticize continue to criticize, and those who want to attack continue to attack. The fans haven't grown much either, as if their return never happened at all.

KDB is still a target of online ridicule, and even with his return performance being almost nonexistent in the first week, his haters are having a field day and are criticizing him even more harshly.

It feels like even going back to being ineffective would be better than how they are now.

Last month when I ran into her at the company, I could still see how energetic and spirited she was, fist-pumping herself to motivate. She seemed full of anticipation. But I imagine this cruel reality has left everyone who poured their all into this comeback feeling a little disappointed and hopeless.

It is estimated that a feeling of hopelessness, no matter how hard one tries, will arise.

But I heard that the company recently gave Red Velvet several variety shows to promote, and I don't know if it will be any better after it airs.

After realizing her complexion wasn't looking good, Bae Ju-hyeon gave a quiet greeting before retreating to the back of the group and keeping her head bowed. Her long, straight black hair cascaded down from her forehead and cheeks, obscuring much of her face, making it difficult to see clearly.

Seeing them like this, Chi Jingyuan and his group didn't say much. They just said a word or two to Jiang Seqi and Sun Shengwan before preparing to leave.

This time he didn't say "come on" like he used to. In Debébé's current situation, saying that wouldn't help much, and might even have a negative effect.

At this moment, I think everyone in Pei Zhuxuan's heart should be very sensitive.

However, as he was about to step aside, Ji Jingyuan thought for a moment and called back a few people with a smile:

"By the way, the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and 皮蛋瘦肉粥 (century egg and lean meat porridge) here are both very good, you should give them a try."

Several others chuckled and nodded in agreement, but only Pei Zhuxuan seemed to sense something else. She quietly lifted her head to glance at Ji Jingyuan, then quickly lowered it again before his gaze met hers.

After saying goodbye, both Wu Shixun and Do Kyung Soo entered the elevator. Several people thought of the current situation of their junior group Red Velvet. They looked at each other knowingly and shrugged without speaking.

Today's family concert EXO is still those few stages, but because there are only ten people, and M team is left with only four, leading to Ji-seongwon and D.O going to fill in the position during transitions.

At the same time, Tao's absence led to a lack of backflips. XO's choreography still includes many parts with backflips, including in "Addiction" and "".

Before this, all actions like this belonged to Tao. His position in EXO was the first one, which is "martial arts responsible".

The company had originally planned to find a replacement member, but the other members weren't really good at this kind of thing. After some consideration, they were worried about getting hurt, so they decided to cancel the plan.

After the completion of the family concert, Ji Jingyuan hadn't returned to the hotel yet. At 10 o'clock, also N began broadcasting its second episode.

After yesterday's premiere, the online reviews were very positive. Today, it's airing again.

Afterward, the TV station's various data indicators were all significantly higher than those of the same period yesterday.

Just like Nan Dongjian, he didn't comfort himself with the excuse of "Anyway, I'm free," today. Instead, he went home and sat in front of the TV half an hour early, waiting for the start of "Undying."

Thanks to the fact that the section chief didn't call for drinks today, he had enough time to come back and watch the urban workplace drama he discovered yesterday. He really liked it and even found a lot of resonance with it.

Yesterday, Zhang Keling, who faced setbacks and scorn in the first episode, also touched the hearts of many viewers. Many people are very concerned about how he will develop in "All International" afterwards, and there is a lot of discussion on the internet.

Continuing from the first episode, Zhang Kelai politely declined Chief Wu Shangzhi's suggestion to go home and rest. He returned to the company and worked all night, completing the task of organizing the files given to him by the other party.

It's a pity that his labor results were not recognized the next day. The sorting articles and methods he used only applied to him, and others were unfamiliar with them and couldn't understand them.

Wu Shangzhi also directly criticized Kim Daemin who tried to take care of Zhang Kelai by giving him some work to practice: "What are you doing"

"Who are you making do what Don't you get your act together yet"

"Let him try Is this his practice ground"

Jin Daming, upon hearing the reprimand, immediately rose to apologize. Zhang Kelai, who stood beside him, however, fell into a heavy silence.

These few criticisms weren't a single insult directed at Zhang Kelai, but each one struck powerfully at his pride.

Although I've been working very hard, as the team leader said, everyone here is putting in a lot of effort.

Today's experience made him realize that some things can't be accomplished just by hard work and relying on oneself.

Recently, rumors began circulating in the company about Zhang Kelai having a powerful background. It was strange that he managed to land an internship position despite having no work experience and only a high school diploma, so many people immediately believed these rumors. As a result, Zhang Kelai's popularity within the company suddenly surged. Some who had previously ignored him or treated him coldly now became more enthusiastic towards him.

Afterward, in order to complete the internship presentations, interns needed to work in pairs. At this point, Zhang Ke, who had previously been overlooked and whose work progress was not significant, suddenly became a popular choice. Many people who had previously looked down on him came forward enthusiastically to ask him to form a team with them.

And because An Yingyi was too strong and also a woman, she was somewhat envied and ostracized by some of her peers at the same time. Zhang Kelai, on the other hand, who had been hesitant and unsure and hadn't found a partner, was invited for coffee by An Yingyi. Surprisingly, the other party took the initiative to propose partnering with him.

"I also have many shortcomings."

Let's work together and do a great job.

Remembering the encouragement and support he had received from the other person when they had coffee together before, Zhang Ke felt a surge of strength in his heart, along with a faint sense of something different.

But just as he was feeling very grateful towards An Yingyi, Jin Daming, who had been scolded before for trying to take care of him, suddenly pulled Zhang Keli into the conference room and, in his elder's tone, gave him a few words of advice.

"Have you chosen your presentation partner yet"

Zhang Keli recalled that just now, An Yinger had taken the initiative to invite him, and he felt a little embarrassed for a moment.

"Everyone come find you…" Jin Daming instantly saw through Zhang Kelai's thoughts, chuckled softly at the document in his hand, but didn't mention it.

"That... I don't know how it suddenly became like this..." Zhang Kele was also quite puzzled. He didn't understand how he had suddenly become so popular, even An Yingyi, who he had always considered to be very capable and who he had been studying with before, would now take the initiative to invite him.

"What about you You have qualities that other trainees like."

Jin Daming's expression remained calm as he looked at him and said without reservation, "You lack confidence, you don't understand the business, and your skills are insufficient."

"Why are all of you coming to find me"

It's best for you if both people in the same group get good results, but if that's not possible

"To do it, to be grouped with obvious bombs would look better."

"Bomb"

"Yes, the sacrifice of someone holding a bomb would be more prominent…at least in front of the jury, they would stand out more…that's why they came to you."

“Choose carefully the people who make the first move towards you…” Feeling like he had said too much, Kim Da-ming tidied up his files and gave one last reminder before leaving the small conference room. He left Zhang Ke alone, silently staring into space, his mind in turmoil.

Originally, in the workplace, people who smile at you and treat you well may not be as friendly as they appear on the surface.

Jin Daming's words immediately erased the last trace of pride he had felt, leaving him with an indescribable feeling that brewed within him but couldn't be released.

Although these very timely reminders made Zhang Kele grow quite a bit, the representative Jin Daming, who was very dissatisfied with him on his first day of work, also showed a warm side of himself in this way.

Even though Jin Daming's words may seem blunt and his usual attitude towards Zhang Kelai isn't good, his actions of helping and giving advice are undeniable.

Then, the three business teams encountered an accident one after another. Due to a mistake made by Jin Xihao, an intern from Team Two, a draft document that was supposed to be shredded and discarded was dropped on the hallway floor and picked up by a passing company executive.

This kind of data leak is no small matter. The manager personally went to Business Group 3 and handed the draft book to Chief Wu Shangzhi. The entire group instantly fell silent with apprehension.

And Zhang Kelai just happened to be in charge of taking a bunch of data to be scrapped. After seeing the draft, he thought it was his mistake and that he had missed a page.

"Yes, it was me..." He was about to admit his mistake and apologize when Wu Shangzhi, who had always been critical of him, suddenly spoke up and interrupted him.

"My apologies, Mr. President," Wu Shangzhi bowed deeply to the executive director, repeatedly apologizing.

The executive didn't say anything, just smiled and left. His arrival here already proved his attitude; there was no need to say much.

"Get the hell out of here!"

And after the general left, Wu Shangzhi immediately lashed out, berating Zhang Kele and telling him to get out. He also looked at him with disappointment and anger: "You now clearly know...the reason why I didn't even want to give you a chance."

Zhang Ke came, who was overcome with remorse and dejection, to the rooftop on his own accord to punish himself. He ran circles around the rooftop and did frog jumps, sweating profusely while chanting words like "focus," "be serious," and "concentrate" to remind and encourage himself.

He is really very disappointed in himself.

But at this time, Wu Shangzhi discovered that the leak of the Grass Text was not Zhang Kelai's fault, but a mistake by Jin Xihao, an intern from the Business Department II.

Wu Shangzhi's mood became very complicated. As a section chief, he couldn't apologize to Zhang Kelei, but because of his misunderstanding, he publicly scolded Zhang Kelei and said some harsh words, which made him feel guilty. He was absent-minded all night.

After Zhang Keli punished himself and returned, Wu Shangzhi proactively invited Kim Da-ming and Zhang Keli to have a drink and dinner. He had something on his mind and quickly got drunk. He was carried by his two subordinates, swaying unsteadily in the street.

At that moment, they ran into the Business Department Two celebrating. Faced with Department Head Two, who was showing off after drinking too much, Wu Shangzhi finally spoke the truth under the influence of alcohol: "Don't talk about preparing glue here... Because your interns threw the glued documents around, which made my employees get scolded!"

He reeked of alcohol, his expressions were exaggerated, and he even slobbered when he spoke. He looked like a drunkard who had had one too many.

But what he said made Zhang Ke beside him stunned.

Even back home, Zhang Kele sat there in a daze for a long time, Wu Shangzhi's words from earlier still echoing in his mind.

"My employees got scolded!"

My employees!

This sentence, "My employees," made Zhang Ke, who had always felt like an outsider since starting his job, being ignored and looked down upon by everyone, suddenly feel a strong sense of belonging and recognition.

It turns out that I've already been recognized as a staff member of the Business Group 3, not just someone who filled a quota, someone whose name didn't even need to be known.

Staring blankly at the table, the bitterness of work life flooded his mind after work. This afternoon's disappointment and distress over believing he had made a mistake, along with various complex emotions, choked him up for a moment.

But soon, Zhang Kelai suddenly burst into laughter, even though his eyes were red-rimmed, his nostrils narrowed, and his lips pressed together tightly. He looked like he was about to cry.

But still, it felt like he was genuinely happy.

The scene freezes, a pleasant BGM begins to play, and the second episode of "Unborn" comes to an end.

But at this moment, countless viewers in front of the television were still immersed in this final scene. They watched Zhang Keli on the screen, his face seemingly crying and laughing, as if they could truly feel his emotions at that time. The stirring feelings in their hearts did not subside but rather deepened into empathy.

First published on the Traditional Chinese Novels Network Ryu Hee-ryeol followed up."Hmm..."Several members looked at each other, then unanimously pointed to Chi Jingyuan sitting beside the second row. Facing the camera, Chi Jingyuan did not deny it, squint...