Chapter 98: What a nuisance

featuring members like Park Chanyeol. Basically, all idols go through this.Whether it's Pei Zhuhyun, Jiang Seqi, or Sun Seungwan and the others, they have all worked hard for their debut for so long,..."Just listen and you'll know What do you mean"

Lying in bed, curled up under the covers, feeling warm and cozy, Bae Joo-hyun was stunned when she saw the message. Her eyes blinked, and a hint of confusion appeared on her plain face.

Just as I was about to send a message, Chi Jingyuan sent another one: "No need to say anything, going on set."

Pei Zhuxuan paused her typing, retracting the two or three characters she had already written. She stared at the screen for a few seconds before selecting a "cheer up" emoji and sending it.

After sending it, she glanced at the time, then casually tossed her phone aside. She knew that Pool Jingyuan wouldn't reply for a while.

She curled her legs under the blanket, rubbing her feet gently against the soft back of it. The plush feeling made her close her eyes and enjoy the moment.

After two minutes, Pei Zhuxuan opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. Her dark eyes blinked twice.

She was originally interested in the song title. Coupled with Jiang Bian's mention of winter specials during their last chat by the river, she casually asked about it just now. Unexpectedly, after seeing the reply, her interest was unintentionally piqued.

Just like MMA a few days ago, Red Velvet didn't attend MAMA this time because their achievements and status weren't enough, and ** didn't do any PR or campaigning. They didn't win the rookie award, so they didn't even perform on stage. There were too many artists attending, and groups that debuted later than them got to perform instead. Red Velvet is just not popular enough these days.

This bloody reality left several members, including Park Jimin, feeling a bit stifled and gloomy. Even with the participation of Ji Sung-won and EXO, Park Jimin had no desire to watch this year's MAMA.

But now that she's heard it, it feels a little different. She can't help but feel some anticipation for the special stage performance of "Just Flow" at MAMA.

Qi Jingyuan was the same, he intentionally piqued her curiosity and then just walked away after a pat on the butt, going to film. Now she can't sleep, her mind constantly replaying what Qi Jingyuan had just said.

This person is so annoying!

…………

As expected, Chi Jingyuan's workload was hectic. His participation in consecutive concerts caused his acting schedule to fall behind, leading him to work overtime until 2 or 3 am.

After work, he rushed to a photography studio in the Jiangnan district to film the MV. The other members had already arrived and started filming their individual shots. When he got there, Ji Chang-wook quickly put on makeup and changed clothes to join in.

Because they want to ride the wave of MAMA and with the release of "Let it Be" MV scheduled for December 4th, the production team has been working hard to finalize the music video. After all, post-production takes a few days too, which has kept EXO busy these past couple of days. Especially, Park Kyung, due to his ongoing filming schedule, often finds himself shooting the MV at night.

But luckily the MV didn't require dancing, it was mostly running and close-ups of facial expressions. Compared to dance music MVs, this one was still pretty easy to film. After working overtime for two or three days, it was finally finished.

Even after finally getting a good night's sleep, Kishiki was called back to the company for a meeting the next day.

“Following the comeback pattern of synthesizing a regular second album from four single albums, the title track of the first single album "E" to be released in March or April next year must be “sprgday”, after all, most people on the peninsula listen to songs seasonally. Spring is just right to listen to "Spring Day", so what about the included tracks “Golden Nation”, or “butterfly”, “yanswer”

"The song 《sprgday》 is actually pretty good, the melody is catchy and conforms to popular preferences. The lyrics are also healing and warm, a bit like 《Follow the Flow》, both express in some way warm feelings towards fans..."

But this song is ultimately a ballad, even if some simple choreography can be done, it will not stray from this category. Judging by EXO's current situation and our observations of the XO fan base, as well as the attitude of passersby, they are all very much looking forward to their comeback next year, and fans have been waiting for so long for the first main track of this return, will they be disappointed that it is a ballad

Therefore, if “sprgday” is to be the title track of the first single album, it would be best not to include any more ballad-style songs in the B-side tracks.

At this moment, in the conference room on the fourth floor of the company, department heads and staff from several departments involved, including record production, planning, and artist management, are passionately discussing the plan for EXO's comeback next year.

A rectangular conference table was packed with attendees. People on both sides were constantly sharing their opinions and ideas. Li Xiuman and several representatives sat at the head, listening intently while scribbling something in their notebooks.

Meanwhile, Chi Jingyuan sat quietly on the side, holding a stack of documents and listening intently. The heater was on too high, making him feel a little warm. He occasionally tugged at his collar, and while doing so, glanced up at the speaking staff members, finding that most of them were familiar faces.

After he submitted his comeback plan proposal to Lee Soo Man a few days ago, after several meetings and discussions at the company, it has now been basically decided that EXO will return next year in the form of 'returning with a single album every month, and the last four singles will be combined into a regular second album'.

The album title also adopted his suggestion, and the four EPs are tentatively named 《E》, 《X》, 《O》, and 《L》.

The details for Da Fang Mian are already set, but there are still many points of contention. The main disagreements center around the choice of title track and which songs to include, as well as balancing the return timeline.

As the proposer of this suggestion and a designated producer, both the company and Lee Soo-man requested that Park Kyung-won attend and offer his input. This is the second meeting Park Kyung-won has attended in the last two days.

Including last time, he has basically listened throughout the whole process without offering any opinions.

Because his suggestions are already clearly written in the draft report, I believe both Lee Soo-man and many staff members are very clear.

Although he didn't speak, Pool Jingyuan honestly felt quite a harvest listening to their intense discussion. Regarding the matter of his group's comeback, the company, idols, and fans had completely different perspectives. Hearing this made him feel very interesting.

Based on our judgment and understanding of the market, the two candidate lead singles with the most potential for popularity are "callbaby" and "boywithv". I suggest these two songs be used as the lead singles for the first "E" release and the fourth "L" release. This way, both the beginning and the end will have the biggest impact.

"And the song "boywithv" and the EP "L" are very fitting, one is the fan name and the other is a message to the fans. This combination will definitely touch EXO's fans, and it will be very helpful for online buzz and sales promotion."

Hearing the head of the department's suggestion, Ji Jingyuan glanced at him and nodded lightly. The first song they were going to feature was different from what he had in mind, but the fourth one was exactly what he had thought of.

This time back to EXO's music pool, besides the few songs provided by Ji-yeong's song library, the company had prepared dozens of songs for EXO's comeback in advance. There were six or seven songs that reached the level of the main song, and resources from all aspects were really invested a lot. 《callbaby》was one of his most optimistic choices among them.

Speaking of it, the Korean version of the music video for "Call Baby" was actually recorded by Ji-sung. This song was created by a well-known musician from Europe and America and then purchased by **. At that time, when he was recording the music video, Ji-sung was stunned for a while.

Because the original English version of the song is called "calldady", both the song title and lyrics are very explicit, directly pointing to the vulgar aspects without any disguise. It's completely a Huang song.

But thankfully, the company found someone to rewrite the Korean version, and they did a really great job. Ji-seong even liked it quite a bit after recording it, so the company definitely put in some effort.

As for "boywithv", it's the main track he provided for EXO's comeback, and it's also his most optimistic song out of all the ones he submitted.

"I think it's a good idea for "Golden Country" to be a non-lead song and included in "[E]". It can help balance the styles of the songs."

“The main song for the third album of 《O》 uses what I think "lht", which was originally planned as one of the main songs, is quite suitable. However, the style of "MYTYPE" is also very unique and can be considered a characteristic addition to the album.”

"There is also 'EXODUS'."

The key to the song inclusion issue is still to grasp the changes in the market. Has the latest market assessment report come out

"The specific time for the comeback still needs to be discussed. If we start returning once a month from March, then EXO's return schedule would clash with several idol groups under our label, creating a situation where we fight each other...

"

"Especially Red Velvet, our plan for them is to make a comeback around mid-March with a new album. Given their current situation, they really need to change public opinion, so this album is extremely important for them. Plus, there's a new member joining this time. If it overlaps with EXO..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present could naturally understand. Given Red Velvet's current situation and public perception, if they were to make a comeback next year with full force, equipped with so many company resources, against EXO, who was returning strongly, they would probably be crushed, not even leaving any scraps.

Hearing this, Chi Jingyuan's pen spinning in his hand involuntarily stopped. This was the first time he had heard about Red Velvet's comeback next year.

And what was ** thinking, adding new members Is Lee Soo Man really going to continue with the "infinite expansion" strategy that failed with Girls' Generation and SJ before

Even after two failures, don't you give up

Neither had they mentioned these things to Pei Zhuxuan and the others before. It's clear that the members of LEDEBEBE themselves haven't been notified yet. They just see from the expressions on the faces of others at the meeting that Red Velvet's addition decision and this comeback plan should have already been decided.

Pool Jingyuan is still quite curious about who will become the fifth member of Red Velvet. Given the group's current state, it's hard to say whether this new member is lucky or unlucky.

After a meeting that lasted more than an hour, there was still no decision on which songs to include. However, at least the ideas were much clearer than last time and the range of song choices had narrowed down considerably.

At least under market analysis, several songs with the potential to be hits have already been singled out and reserved for the lead single position. The rest mainly consists of B-sides and other considerations.

Lee Hyo-mol had a brief private conversation with Lee Jong-seok, sharing her opinions. Afterward, he got back into the van and returned to the set to resume filming.

During the break, he suddenly remembered the news he had heard during the meeting earlier. He immediately took out his phone and sent a message to Jennie.

"Vibration..."

Red Velvet's Irene, who was sitting in the practice room wiping sweat with a towel while drinking water after having practiced hard, heard her phone, which she had placed beside her to charge, ring. She stood up and walked over to pick it up, and upon looking at the screen, her eyes widened:

"Your comeback plan seems to be finalized, around March next year. You'll probably be notified soon… Also, Red Velvet might add another member, but who it will be, I have no idea."

The text message that Chi Jingyuan sent her caused her originally calm mood to become agitated instantly. After being stunned for two seconds, she put down her water glass and hurriedly asked, "Have you confirmed it How did you know"

The other party replied quickly: “During the morning meeting, I heard what the head of the planning department and the record department said. It should be almost decided.”

Given Red Velvet's current situation of being on hiatus with no resource investment, their next comeback is truly the most important and crucial thing right now. Seeing Ji-seong say that, Seulgi's heart skipped a beat, and her fingers flew across her phone as she quickly typed:

"Next March Then they should be notifying us soon, right Have they said how they're coming back, or if it's a digital single If they're adding new members, who would it be Areum, or Ga Eun Oh, I..."

She hadn't finished typing her message yet when a reply from Chi Jingyuan popped up on the screen:

"That's all, I'm off to filming."

"Ai... you shoot you..."

Seeing the message that popped up, Bae Ju-Hyun almost blurted out a curse. Her eyes blazed with anger as she couldn't help but stomp her right foot hard on the wooden floor, making a dull thud. Her finger tapped furiously on the screen where 'Ji Kyeong-Won's' name was displayed, as if she could hit him directly through it.

This person is so annoying! They always leave mid-conversation and disappear. Acting is such a big deal, huh

If you're busy filming, why are you telling me these things that matter most to me at this time You've piqued my intense curiosity and now you're doing this.

If Ji-yeong was in front of her right now, Bae Joo-hyun swore she would kick him twice and bite him a few times to barely feel relieved.

Cut it out, you're still playing tricks on me Do you think I don't know you're intentionally stringing me along I'm not going to ask!

Pei Zhuhyun angrily retracted the message she had already input, glared at the sender's name, gritted her teeth and fiercely took her phone a few steps back to her original position, ignoring the puzzled glances from Jiang Seqi and the others.

He just sat there for a few seconds, pretending to be composed, but Pei Zhuxuan's heart ached with longing. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

Oh, darn it! I really want to know.

……

"How is it, our new song's not bad, right"

Ji Chang-wook was sitting on the sofa in a private room at a restaurant in Cheongdam-dong, with his legs crossed, texting Jung Eun-ji.

Apart from him, the other 8 members of EXO were sitting in groups of three or four in a private room. Some were chatting and playing on their phones, while others huddled together gossiping about industry news. The atmosphere was quite lively.

Today is November 27th, which is also Park Chan-yeol's birthday. To celebrate his birthday and reward the EXO members who have been busy for almost a month preparing for their winter single comeback, the nine members went out together in the evening to have a meal to celebrate.池景源 even took a short break from his drama set to join them, but he didn't stay long; after dinner, he had to rush back to continue filming.

The company had originally considered throwing a birthday party for Park Chan-wook to show their appreciation and comfort the fans who are currently going through a difficult time. However, considering that it wasn't his significant birthday this year and the current negative online sentiment, they decided to postpone the party. Instead, they will film a birthday celebration VCR after dinner and post it online as a way of showing their support.

He had just sat down in the private room for not long when he received a text message from Jung Eun-ji. It was quite a coincidence that just as he walked into the restaurant, they were playing Apink's new title song "Luv" in the lobby, and Ji-won even sang along to two lines.

"Do you remember the time we spent together"

"L.O.V.E.v."

Even now, the sound of the song can still be faintly heard outside the door, which made him hum it twice again without being able to help himself.

After performing their comeback stage on Music Bank on the 21st, Apk released both the audio and MV on the 24th through their company and officially released their fifth mini album, "pkv".

It's not surprising that Zheng Eun-ji's previous boast about a powerful comeback was true. This time around, the response to her new music release has been very positive. The title track "Luv" quickly became a hot song and in just a few days, it's already become a new trend across the peninsula. You can hear it in music stores, restaurants, and everywhere else.

And the source performance is exploding very strongly, and the afterglow looks very good too. Judging by this trend, it's estimated that there is a high probability of getting this week's Melon Weekly Crown.

Speaking of which, Apk hasn't won the weekly championship on Guabing yet.

"It does sound quite good, actor Jung didn't exaggerate this time." Ji Kyeong-won didn't mock, instead he genuinely expressed his blessing. He really has a lot of acquaintances in the apk world. Besides his close friend Jung Eun-ji, there's also an ex-girlfriend, and several other members are also familiar with him.

He was actually quite happy for them that their return could be so successful.

Chi Jingyuan even took the time to watch Apk's main song MV and stage performance of "Luv" the day before yesterday. The song is really good, with catchy verses and a chorus that's quite addictive. It definitely has the potential to be a hit.

Especially this time, the style of the APK comeback has been greatly adjusted. The past pure style in this album has shifted towards a more mature style, and it's absorbed very well. In the MV of "Luv," almost every member's makeup is very good-looking. Sun Naeun with a mature style looks very eye-catching, and even Jung Eunji put away her big mouth and started acting like a lady.

If you compare them, their overall makeup look is much better than Red Velvet's comeback styling this time.

The song and styling are very good, but Ji Kyeong-won believes the choreography is a weakness. He thinks the dance for "Luv" is too simple, like gymnastics on the radio, and there are many repetitive movements in the middle, which doesn't feel very thoughtful.

Although there are some imperfections, judging from the momentum of the first two days since their return, Apink's performance this time is even more impressive than before. As Jung Eunji predicted earlier, they are very likely to become a major force.

"kkkkk, you said I've been bragging When did I ever brag By the way, isn't Naeun's new look for her comeback really pretty (Raises eyebrow)"

It can be seen that because this comeback received a good response, Jung Eon-ji's mood was very good and she took the initiative to attack. After seeing her hint, Ji Kyeong-won also had Sun Na-eun's comeback image appear in his eyes.

It's really quite beautiful, I feel like you've matured a lot.

"Look, who are you comparing yourself to Of course you're prettier than them."

"Damn it, you really are %…"

Jeon Ji-yeon always gets flustered by a single line from Ji-young, leaving her speechless and tongue-tied. She thought she was teasing him through Sun Na-eun, but ended up getting choked on her own words.

He couldn't help but laugh out loud. Pool Jingyuan sent another message: "By the way, how come you guys didn't go to MAMA this year"

The guest list for the MAMA Awards on December 3rd, including performers, has been released online, but it was quickly followed by widespread controversy.

On the male group side, because in early November during the Newcomer Award voting, Ner's votes suddenly increased abnormally while other groups like GOT7 saw a overall decrease, online speculation arose that the organizer was secretly manipulating and rigging the votes. Even though M responded directly stating there was no vote manipulation, the heated discussions couldn't be contained.

Anyway, MAMA's reputation here isn't good either, so there's no shortage of lice.

While the top female idol groups from the past, such as Girls' Generation and 2NE1, were largely absent due to scheduling conflicts, this year’s awards ceremony also lacked NewJeans, the hottest girl group of the current generation. This absence left many fans puzzled.

"Don't even mention it, there's no point in going if you don't win. I'm telling you, the organizer of MAMA is really disgusting..."

"Our Apk did so well this year, these few are particularly the best female group hasn't been won..."

"We won't get the Grand Prize anyway, whoever wants to go can go, I won't bother."

As soon as she mentioned this, Jeong Eun Ji immediately got upset. She started complaining to Park Kyung and was full of complaints about the organizers.

Of course, she wasn't worried about Chi Jingyuan's confidentiality either. She sent him a long message full of complaints.

However, what she said also makes sense. This year, there's a clear decline in Girls' Generation's popularity, 2NE1 had a major scandal, and overall, second-generation girl groups are struggling. Under these circumstances, the most prominent girl groups among the third generation are Sistar and Apink. While Sistar has much better digital scores, Apink excels in album sales and devoted fans. The girl group awards likely will be born from these two groups.

At most, add one girl group that became popular at the beginning of the year.

I didn't expect the Apk wouldn't be shortlisted, or even publicized for a heavyweight award

Since the probability of winning isn't high, it's fine to just not go.

Although EXO is highly valued by the organizers and a strong contender for the grand prize at this MAMA, as a close friend of Ji-young, Park is naturally on Zheng's side this time. He indignantly followed Jeong Eun-ji and muttered two "M" words, his yin-yang strange mannerisms were immediately seen through by Jeong Eun-ji, who couldn't hold back and directly scolded him along with her.

"Jǐngyuán, come here quickly, let's take your ID photo."

After chatting for a while, Chi Jingyuan smiled and shook his head. At that moment, Jin Junmian called out to him from over there.

He put his phone back in his bag, stood up and ran quickly towards

"Here I am."

For idol groups, taking a certification photo on a member's birthday is way more important than eating.

After taking the pictures, the gathering began. Park Chan-yeol, who was celebrating his birthday today, was in high spirits. Coupled with the upcoming MAMA and official comeback, all the members were feeling great. The atmosphere in the private room was lively as they clinked glasses.

……

On December 2nd, all nine members of EXO boarded a plane with their team, heading towards Hong Kong International Airport. This officially marks the beginning of their journey for this year's MAMA Awards ceremony.

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First published on the Traditional Chinese Novel Networkting to look forward to seeing their names on the B list update next time.Next week...……Even just paparazzi photos of EXO arriving in Seoul at the airport made headlines, showing how incredible their...