star of the peninsula

"You don't go to MMA, you don't go to MAMA, you are a pretty interesting idol."

After returning home and lying in his girlfriend's arms, Chen Chen poked his girlfriend's soft chin from bottom to top, feeling very happy.

"There's nothing we can do. This year, Red Velvet is more focused on individual activities and has relaxed a lot as a group. It's useless even if we go." Bae Joo Hyun didn't care. "Besides, they didn't even give us a nomination, so we can't go even if we want to."

"You can go by yourself." Pei Zhuxuan lowered her head and pinched Chen Chen's cheek, "Go and see if other boy and girl groups have any new operating strategies."

"I'm too lazy to watch. In the end, the winners are still those familiar names." Chen Chen smacked his lips and sat up abruptly. "Do you think the idol market is declining recently?!"

"Do you want to hear the truth?"

Bae Joo-hyun blinked coquettishly.

"Why would I listen to nice lies at this time?" Chen Chen rolled his eyes, "Tell me quickly!"

"The market for girl groups is okay, but the market for boy groups is a bit bad." Bae Joo Hyun gave the answer, "As for boy groups, there haven't been any truly powerful groups for a while."

"Well, it seems to be true." Chen Chen briefly reviewed his impressions in his mind. "Now when we talk about the top boy bands, it seems that they are still BTS, SEVENTEEN, EXO and the like. The boy bands that came out later have made relatively ordinary noises."

"Well, the girl groups are different." Bae Joo Hyun counted the girl groups. "Tuvas, BLACKPINK, and Integrate, these three names are scary when they are mentioned."

"Then aespa, ITZY, and the girl group, these three are not bad in level and have a lot of attention."

"Finally, there are two new girl groups from C Headquarters and Hybe. No one would think that these two girl groups can't grow." Bae Joo Hyun's momentum was still a little weak at the end. "It may be an illusion caused by my almost only paying attention to girl groups, but the girl groups are obviously more lively."

"It may also be that BTS and SEVENTEEN are too popular, making it difficult for other boy bands to stand out." Chen Chen pursed his lips. "No matter how strong BLACKPINK and TUVA are, they are not as far ahead of the girl bands as those two are in the boy bands."

"Why, does C headquarters feel pressured by the upcoming boy band?" Bae Joo Hyun joked, "It's rare to see you with this expression!"

"There is indeed pressure. How can there not be pressure?!" Chen Chen said with a wry smile: "C headquarters will definitely form a boy band in the next few years. Don't let the boy band be formed and there are only the same few people when you look up. How can we live like that?!"

"Haha, that kind of life does seem a bit sad." Pei Zhuxuan began to imagine, "Maybe you will have to lead the boy band yourself at that time."

"I'm old now, I can't jump around on the stage anymore. Wait a minute." Chen Chen suddenly thought of something, his pupils dilated, "I think I still have to prepare a show for MAMA!"

"The main act who will appear at the end?" Pei Zhuxuan's eyes lit up, "Okay, how about I help you with the show?!"

"How can you help me with the show?" Chen Chen looked at her with suspicion. "Also, isn't your production team of 'There's Tomorrow' busy?"

"Not busy, MBC TV station plans to start filming later." Bae Joo-hyun replied.

"Why?" Chen Chen asked in confusion, "Because of the epidemic? Or is there another strike over there?"

"Because of funds." Bae Joo Hyun said realistically, "It costs a lot to hold various activities at the end of the year, and a TV series that hasn't even started filming can be stopped for a while."

"Okay, that's fine, let's talk about how you plan to help me design the stage." Chen Chen's eyes rolled, and he made all kinds of requests without asking for money. "Let me tell you first, I want a medley of two or three songs, not a solo."

"In addition, I have a designated partner, and that is Lee Young-ji, the rapper from C Headquarters, who is currently doing the popular YouTube show "Although I Didn't Prepare Any Dishes."

"I can't be assigned difficult passages. It's too late for me to do rehabilitation. I can only do some simpler parts to help me out so that I don't embarrass myself on stage."

"If possible, please help me add some new ideas to my performance or work. The MAMA stage is a place for fun and to show off myself, and the same is true for me."

"As for the stage lighting effects, background wall, dancers, etc., you can do whatever you want. I don't have high requirements for this."

"That's all for now." Chen Chen stopped talking, "I'll contact you again if I remember anything else."

"..."

"I went to cook."

Bae Joo-hyun turned around and left, as if she had made up her mind.

"Don't! I'm just kidding!" Chen Chen stretched out his hand and held her in his arms. "I know how difficult these things are. If I leave everything to you, you will be exhausted. I can't bear it."

"If you want to help me, just choose one of these and leave the rest to others."

"Or if you feel a little tired and want to take a rest, that's fine. There will always be someone to help me with these things." Chen Chen shook his girlfriend's body. "What do you choose? Do you want to continue eating the script?"

"Let me help you with your makeup." Pei Zhuxuan said seriously: "Although you didn't mention this, costumes and makeup are very important for stage performances. I think it needs to be handed over to someone you can trust."

"Who can make you feel most at ease? After thinking about it, it's only me now, right?" Pei Zhuxuan patted Chen Chen's shoulder in a pretentious manner, "Then I'll help you with your makeup, no need to thank me."

"That makes sense. I'll leave it to you then." Chen Chen changed the subject. "That's all for today. Let's think about what to eat."

"Let's order takeout. Alin's Canteen has some new dishes recently." Pei Zhuxuan suggested, "Have you tried them? If not, we can order one of each."

"I haven't really paid attention to the update of the menu at Alin Canteen." Chen Chen was a little tempted. "Try it. Put the leftovers in the refrigerator. You can also save breakfast tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll order directly then." Pei Zhuxuan asked casually while operating her phone, "Speaking of which, Alin's Restaurant has opened many branches without us noticing. How many branches do you plan to open in the end?"

"Open ten, perfect?" Chen Chen answered casually, "I don't know how many I can open. If I have money now, I will open one. If I don't have money, I will open one later. I will take my time."

"Do you want to open one in Daegu, my hometown?" asked Bae Joo-hyun.

"So you were waiting for me here." Chen Chen suddenly realized, "You want to open one in your hometown? No problem! In fact, it should have been opened a long time ago. Alin Canteen doesn't have a branch in Alin's hometown, and it doesn't sound good to say it out."

"How about you choose the site?" Chen Chen smiled dotingly, "Is it okay to leave this task to you?"

Bae Joo-hyun puffed out her chest proudly.

"Don't worry, I'm familiar with Daegu!"

……

The MMA awards ceremony was held on December 4th, and IU swept five major awards, reminding everyone that she is Melon's biological daughter.

Integrate also did well, winning Song of the Year and Best Female Group, and fans cheered loudly.

To be honest, Chen Chen originally thought that the Best Girl Group award would not go to Integrate.

Forget about the song of the year, the data and everything are all there, "Love Dive" deserves the title.

The Best Female Group award was a bit surprising. After all, this award is not without competition. If the organizer wanted to give it to aespa, it would be easy to do. It would just be a matter of some criticism.

"What do you mean, KakaoM is going to ease the relationship with me?"

Chen Chen was a little confused, but he was still looking forward to it.

……

"Oppa, I'm here. Do you have something to talk to me about?" When Li Yongzhi learned that Chen Chen was calling him, he got up and hurried to the president's office of C headquarters.

"What do you think of your musical talent?"

Chen Chen asked an irrelevant question.

"Me?" Li Yongzhi pointed at himself, not knowing what was going on. "I think I'm OK. I have a few ideas of my own when it comes to rap."

"Of course, compared to you, I am completely inferior!" Li Yongzhi added excitedly, "Whether it is the various previous works or the currently popular "Enemy", they are all god-level works that far exceed my own. No one can compare with you!"

“Enemy.”

When Chen Chen heard the name, he was stunned for a moment, and then he realized that Riot's "Battle of Two Cities" had been airing for some time.

"How about giving you a task?"

Chen Chen was only affected for a moment, and then he explained the main matter to Li Yongzhi very well.

"..."

"I understand what you mean." Li Yongzhi looked at Chen Chen, "I will pick two or three of your songs and make a stage for them. I will ensure that you are responsible for the relatively easy part while I can perform freely, right?"

"Yes, you only need to be responsible for the song part, and others will be responsible for the rest." Chen Chen gave an affirmative answer.

"Wow~ I'm a little sweaty, Oppa." Li Yongzhi subconsciously rubbed his palms on his pants twice, "If I don't revise your works well, public opinion will be hard to support."

"Are you afraid?" Chen Chen asked with a squint.

"I'm not afraid, I'm actually a little excited." Li Yongzhi answered without hesitation, "I'm more excited than afraid to sing "Enemy" and "Old Town Road" with you."

"Then do it. Anyway, the worst-case scenario is that we each take on a part. You take care of the rap and I take care of the chorus." Chen Chen waved his hand. "It's okay if you don't adapt it. We don't have to do it."

"I'll think about it carefully." Li Yongzhi nodded seriously and said goodbye, "Oppa, do you have anything else to say?"

"No, please go."

Chen Chen allowed her to leave.

"..."

After talking to Li Yongzhi, Chen Chen sat alone in the chair for a while, and finally accepted his own changes.

He, Chen Chen, has now become a person who has no interest in the stage. When it comes to stage performances, they are more of a formulaic process. He no longer has any excitement or thrill, and even his inspiration for the stage is disappearing.

"It would be hard for me now to understand that I wanted to be an artist so much, but now I have lost my passion."

This sounded a bit depressing, but the depression only lasted for twenty seconds.

So those who want to be artists should stop being artists. If they are not oppressed by life, they will definitely do what they want to do. What is there to be depressed about? !

……

"I'd like to borrow the practice room for a while."

Chen Chen went to Branch I.

"What? What are you doing?" Lee Sun-kyu looked at him suspiciously.

"Practice, rehabilitation." Chen Chen said honestly, "MAMA will require me to perform on stage soon, and I plan to find a practice room now to make my final effort."

"It's OK to just lip-sync." Lee Sunkyu said nonchalantly, "There are many people lip-syncing at award ceremonies, and you are not the only one."

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Chen Chen widened his eyes, trying to make his words sound less funny. "I am now a benchmark singer in the South Korean entertainment industry. If I lip-sync, everyone will definitely be disappointed in this industry!"

As a benchmark for singers, lip-syncing will disappoint everyone. This statement is unreliable one after another. In fact, people have been disappointed for a long time, right?

"Okay, okay, I'll lend it to you." Lee Sunkyu took the opportunity to put forward a condition, "But you have to tell me about the audition. Sulli won't tell me everything."

"It's essentially a screening program for male trainees."

"..."

Chen Chen thought that it was impossible to get the job done without telling the actual person in charge of Branch I, so he just told him everything.

"It seems OK." Li Shungui nodded after thinking for a while, and helped Chen Chen figure out a problem, "But if this is the case, the trainees we deliberately left behind may suffer a psychological blow."

"It's a blow if you can't bear it. If you can't bear this kind of blow, then you'd better not get involved in the entertainment industry." Chen Chen snorted coldly, "That's the Korean entertainment industry, not a place for children to play house!"

"That's fine with me. I'll do my best to cooperate." Lee Sunkyu was a little excited. "When will it start?"

"When M-net TV announces the next talent show." Chen Chen tilted his head to look at her and asked, "Why are you so excited? Do you want to play?"

"I want to give it a try." Lee Sunkyu laughed, "It seems interesting to be a mentor in a serious talent show like this, but I haven't tried it."

"This is not a formal program. It's something the company organized itself. You should understand this clearly!" Chen Chen emphasized this to her in a more serious tone.

"And didn't Tiffany tell you how it felt to be a mentor?" Chen Chen added, "It wasn't a very good feeling."

"Oh, how did you know?" Li Shungyu looked at Chen Chen unconvincedly, "Did she tell you in person?"

"..."

"Forget it, just imagine it as you like." Chen Chen was too lazy to argue with her, "Anyway, you will know what it feels like soon."

"We'll talk about it later." Li Shungyu suddenly looked at Chen Chen with ill intentions and asked, "Do you need a rehabilitation doctor? I have been a trainee for so many years and an idol for so many years. I think I am good at helping people with rehabilitation."

"can."

Chen Chen agreed without thinking, it would definitely be a good thing to have one more person to help.

……

Is it really a good thing?

Chen Chen suddenly realized that Lee Soon-kyu seemed a little abnormal. Her words and actions, including her guidance in practice, were all quite abnormal. She was not a woman he could handle.

She is very sharp-tongued, very good at pretending, and her coquettishness is annoying. You can't bring yourself to beat her up, she is particularly cruel to people, and she will deliberately tease people in various ways.
Hiss~pervert!
...(End of chapter)