star of the peninsula

"How did you get Im Siwan?"

After dinner, Bae Joo-hyun lay on the sofa and read the news.

Chen Chen did nothing. He had just finished his chores and sat next to his girlfriend, resting his head.

"That's how you get it. C headquarters should be the most attractive to actors of Im Siwan's level, right?" Chen Chen felt that there was nothing worth talking about, so he waved his hand and asked her to go and see for herself. "You are watching the news, and the comments below can also reflect some of the public's views. See what everyone is saying."

"Most people say it's a strong combination. Lim Siwan, combined with the good resources of C headquarters, will definitely produce good works." Bae Joo-hyun replied.

"What about the small portion?"

Chen Chen was a little curious.

"A small number of comments are worthless, they are just making fun of you." Bae Joo Hyun couldn't help but laugh, "It feels like they were hired by PLUM A&C, the comments are too sour."

"Of course, now you can see all that." Chen Chen was amused by her cute look of trying not to laugh, "But I can understand how painful it is for PLUM A&C. After all, their pillars were taken away by someone."

"Have you ever had the chance to experience this kind of heartache?" Bae Joo-hyun sat up, took an orange from the table and peeled it slowly, "Suzy and the others' contracts are all for five years, right? What are you going to do if they all leave after five years?"

"No big deal. C headquarters hasn't even celebrated its fifth anniversary yet. If you ask me to calculate what it will look like in five years, I'm a bit confused."

Chen Chen smacked his lips, feeling that this question was a bit too difficult for him.

"Oh, it's only been less than five years since C headquarters was established?!" Bae Joo-hyun's hand that was peeling an orange suddenly froze, "Oh my God, I thought it was a long time ago?!"

"Maybe it's because a lot of things have happened in the past few years." Chen Chen found an excuse from her perspective, "From your perspective, several strong new idol groups have suddenly emerged in the idol market, so of course you feel like a lot of time has passed."

"Yeah, there are so many juniors who suddenly appeared, and these juniors are quite influential and leave a deep impression on people." Bae Joo Hyun counted a few at random and didn't dare to count anymore. "(G)I-DLE in 2018, ITZY and Integrate in 2019, aespa in 2020, there are already quite a few first-tier ones, not to mention those with slightly lower popularity."

"Time really flies by so fast." Bae Joo-hyun sighed, "Before I knew it, I have become a senior to many people."

"That's perfect, it means you should enter the second stage of your career as an artist." Chen Chen continued, "Let SMART give you a solo, and then transform into an actor. Perfect!"

"Senior Seohyun?" Bae Joo Hyun asked.

"Ah?" Chen Chen was puzzled for half a second, then nodded quickly after realizing what was going on. "Yes, that's pretty much Xu Xian's style!"

"In fact, your senior Xu Xian is really someone worth learning from." Chen Chen continued, "She can almost be seen as a typical example of a common artist moving up."

"Tell me more about it. It may take me a long time to react." Bae Joo Hyun had a clear understanding of herself, but she was afraid that her boyfriend would think she was stupid, so she quickly added, "Of course, I know that Xu Xian's journey had to stop when she met you, because by then it was already a different journey."

"Actually, there's nothing much to say. Your senior Xu Xian is just a common artist." Chen Chen analyzed the matter bit by bit, "Let's first see what she has or doesn't have."

"She didn't inherit the super high popularity from Girls' Generation, nor did she accumulate popularity and status as an actor like Suzy did. She also doesn't have excellent connections and strong support from the company. From an actor's perspective, she is a complete mediocre person."

"Although I didn't inherit Girls' Generation's super popularity, I did inherit some of it. At least my starting point was high enough."

"The audience recognizes this face, which is quite important in film and television works."

"Then, we pay attention to her actions at the end of her idol career."

"She frequently appeared in variety shows. She may have appeared in more variety shows in the past six months than in the previous few years combined. She tried to get in on the film and television industry whenever she could to solidify her image as an actor. Opera is also a good way to solidify a person's image, but she gave up on it when she found the effect was average."

"In the end, she took away the most important thing to her from SM, and it was also the last thing SM could give her, a major role in a TV series."

"That's all. Is your senior Xu Xian very smart?" Chen Chen asked. "Her plan is very easy to understand, but also very practical."

"I can understand it, because it becomes very easy to understand after you put the things together." Bae Joo Hyun sighed, lowered her head and gave half of the peeled orange to her boyfriend. "Maybe I am too sentimental. What I feel most is actually heartache. How could the youngest member of Girls' Generation, an important member of TaeTiSeo, and a successful solo singer behave so humbly during that time?"

"Because it's an upgrade from idol to actor, in order to upgrade, of course you have to do a lot of humble preparations." Chen Chen put half of the orange into his mouth, and the juice burst out in one gulp. "You think your senior Xu Xian shouldn't be so humble because you met me very early. She didn't have such good luck as you."

"That's right." Bae Joo Hyun cleaned the white threads on the orange slices and put them into her mouth. "The topic involving luck has basically come to an end here. Luck plays a big part in life."

"Ah! Why didn't you tell me in advance that it was so sour!"

Pei Zhuxuan felt her teeth become sour after just one bite and glared at Chen Chen.

"If I tell you, will you still eat it? Won't the end result be that I will eat the half in your hand as well?" Chen Chen argued confidently, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

What he said made a lot of sense, and Bae Joo-hyun was speechless because there was a high probability that she would really do that.

"Didn't you say a while ago that you would re-prepare for Integrate's year-end work? How is the preparation going now?"

Bae Joo-hyun talked about another topic.

"I plan to start preparing from now on." Chen Chen replied, "I've been too busy with variety shows, movies, and acting recently. I finally have some free time today."

"Movies, I didn't hear you talking about movies." Pei Zhuxuan tilted her head, "Did I remember it wrong?"

"The movie was almost decided today, so of course you didn't know." Chen Chen held her hand, "Lee Jung-jae wrote the script himself and came to me and said he wanted to be a director, and hoped that C headquarters could invest."

"You finally agreed, didn't you?" Pei Zhuxuan said firmly, "Otherwise you wouldn't have said anything about handling the movie."

"There's no reason to disagree. I've read the script and I think it's good." Chen Chen responded with a smile, "Besides, C headquarters originally hoped to make more efforts and progress in the film industry. Now someone has brought the opportunity for improvement to my doorstep, so I will definitely agree."

"Do you dare to invest just because you think it's good?" Pei Zhuxuan asked doubtfully: "If it's a TV series, the script you are willing to invest in must at least be excellent, right?!"

"I have no choice, sister! Movies are not like TV dramas. The status of C is very low!" Chen Chen was a little excited. "Besides, with Lee Jung-jae and Jung Woo-sung here, as long as the script is of excellent level, it will be enough."

"With two movie kings, the acting is guaranteed, and it's hard to have any problems no matter how we shoot." "With C headquarters backing up the production, the production will definitely be good."

"Excellent acting, good production, and a good script. If I don't dare to invest in this script, there is nothing I dare to do." Chen Chen said proudly, "Aren't you right?"

"No, we also have to consider the issue of new director Lee Jung-jae." Bae Joo-hyun reminded: "If his ability is not up to standard, the quality of the film may drop by 50%."

"This requires some gambling, there's nothing we can do about it." Chen Chen spread his hands, "If even this part could be guaranteed, the investment opportunity wouldn't have appeared here at C headquarters, it would have been taken up by others long ago."

"Ha, that's right, no one will miss a chance to make money!" Pei Zhuxuan patted Chen Chen's shoulder fiercely, "As a newcomer in the film industry, C headquarters has to gamble on its own growth from this 50-50 opportunity!"

"Okay, let's not talk about this. I have to finish the work for Integrate in the next few days. I will be busy again soon." Chen Chen felt the pressure. "Starting from August, I have to take a look at the promotion of various TV dramas, and then the I branch will also restart the selection of trainees, not to mention that the S branch will also be on variety shows."

"What style of work do you want?"

Pei Zhuxuan asked curiously.

"Something a little noisier can be turned into a band." Chen Chen replied.

"Band format." Bae Joo Hyun repeated it twice in her mouth and asked, "You seem to be very persistent about this. Do you have any opinions?"

"It will help me improve the quality of my work." Chen Chen smiled bitterly and said, "This time we are going for the Billboard. You know it's hard for girl group works to get good results on the Billboard."

The United States also has some slightly more standard girl groups, but the quality of their songs is far inferior to those of regular singers. It's much greater than the gap between girl groups and singers in the South Korean entertainment industry.

"Well, I don't think I can help you with anything." Pei Zhuxuan shrank her neck. "The billboard is far away from me. I know nothing about the band. I have nothing to say."

"But a band of nine people is a bit too many people, and it will be very difficult for you," Bae Joo-hyun added.

"The number of people is really a problem." Chen Chen sighed, "I can't turn Integrate into the Twelve Girls Band. It feels like it's going to be blocked."

"It's not a problem. I just think it will be hard work for you, not a problem." Pei Zhuxuan pulled Chen Chen's collar to make him sit up straight. "Nine people, isn't this just the right number of people to split into two bands?"

"..."

Chen Chen was shocked.

Yes, why do we have to make Integrate into a band? Wouldn't it be better to split it into two groups of five and overlap the center position? !
Splitting into two bands, both lighting and venue layout will become simpler on stage, and the performance will definitely be outstanding!
Because these are two bands, there is a natural competitive atmosphere even if no one says anything!

Now that competition has come, excitement is naturally inevitable. This means that Chen Chen has everything he wants, and even choosing songs has become several times easier.

Before I figured it out, I had to choose songs from those with good Billboard performance and suitable for band adaptation. Now it is much easier to choose. Duets, collaborations, or borrowing from well-known foreign bands are all fine. Even if it's a 50-50 split, you don't even need the element of "noisiness"; it may not be necessary!

"Thanks for your help, Zhu Xuan!" Chen Chen kissed his girlfriend on the face, then quickly ran into the study, "I'll be alone for a while, you can go to sleep first if you're sleepy!"

"..."

Bae Joo-hyun didn't react much. She washed up and went to the bedroom.

Whether she sleeps or lies down and plays with her phone is up to her.

On the other hand, Chen Chen in the study was not making good progress in selecting songs. He got stuck right at the beginning.

The first song that popped into Chen Chen’s mind was “STAY”, the song that Justin Bieber collaborated with someone else.

It is absolutely useful and can definitely hold up a good show when shown out, but it's a pity that it cannot be used.

Because if nothing unexpected happens, the song "STAY" will be released by the original author soon, and Chen Chen cannot intercept it.

After excluding "STAY", the second song popped out quickly, but the moment it came out, Chen Chen felt it was ridiculous.

Isn’t it ridiculous that Park Chae-young collaborated with Martian Brother on “APT.”?

It is indeed related to the band, it is indeed a collaboration, and it does have excellent Billboard records. In fact, it is not only excellent on Billboard charts, it has become a viral pop song in many places!
But can Chen Chen use this song? Not at all!
Even though it can't be used, it's still okay to provide Chen Chen with some ideas.

This song reminded him that he could try to fleece Brother Mars. It would be quite amazing if he could grab a few handfuls of the wool from this great man.

Hey, okay, let’s end it here for today and think about it tomorrow.

After his mind was broadened, Chen Chen felt that there was a smooth road ahead and he would be able to get what he wanted soon, and the sense of urgency was greatly relieved.

……

"What kind of film and television work do you want to try?"

After washing up, Chen Chen lay on his girlfriend's belly and chatted with her casually.

"I am not an actor who can choose my own works, right?" Pei Zhuxuan thought it was a little funny, "And the works I choose by myself may not be the right ones. They may be a waste of time. So it is better for you, the amazing boss Chen, to help me."

"I'll do it if I want to, and you won't be the only one who can do it." Chen Chen began to think wildly, "But have you ever thought about what I would do if SM Entertainment rejected the script I submitted?"

"Impossible. The company is probably worried about how to arrange my schedule. Isn't it a solution for them if you hand over the script?" Pei Zhuxuan was even a little curious. "Besides, your face is not something that SMART can refuse to give if it wants to. What happened to make you have such doubts?"

"It's just emo time before going to bed." Chen Chen said casually, "Okay, rest!"

...(End of chapter)