The number one playboy on the Peninsula!

Chapter 244 Jisoo's Cool and Clear Voice
The next day, Gong Cheng and the members went to the Galaxy Macau Arena to familiarize themselves with the venue. The stands surrounding the main stage were arranged in a tiered manner, with each level offering a good view.

Although there were fewer seats, to be fair, the facilities and services at the venue were excellent. In addition to the free shuttle bus for fans, the seats were much more comfortable than those in a movie theater.

One hour later, at noon...

Macau was sunny with a warm glow.

Gong Cheng and Wu Sehun went out through the back door and bought some coffee at a nearby cafe. A lot of fans had already gathered outside the venue, waiting for the afternoon's entry time.

……

"So, this singing technique that's on the verge of cracking, but not quite, is called a 'clear and cold' voice by your fans?"

In the audience section of the Galaxy Macau Arena, Gong Cheng casually found a seat to rest. Sweat beaded on his forehead beneath his tousled hair, white earphones dangling from either side of his face, and his handsome features were etched with speechlessness as he muttered something to himself…

During our video call, the four members of BLACKPINK were crammed together in the practice room, their pale faces close together...

Upon hearing Gong Cheng's comments, Kim Jisoo's delicate features stiffened slightly, but she didn't know how to refute them. The problem was that what he said was quite accurate. In terms of vocals, her voice was not as good as her teammates', and her singing and dancing skills were inferior to her teammates'...

"..." Gong Cheng didn't dwell on the issue. He only brought it up because he found it strange, and he didn't mean to mock Xiu Xiu. After all, in a group, everyone has a different position. Even if someone's singing and dancing skills are not as good as their teammates, being better looking than their teammates is also an advantage.

He really wanted to know who Jisoo learned her vocal techniques from. BLACKPINK sent him the audio of their comeback title track, "DDU-DU DDU-DU," which he produced. While the other singers' parts had some issues, Jisoo's part sounded a bit out of place... so he found it strange...

"But it's okay, we can fix the audio. Jisoo, practice your part some more, you can improve it."

Gong Cheng didn't dwell too much on Kim Ji-soo's vocal timbre; some things are innate, but her singing skills definitely need improvement.
“JENNIE, your timbre is good, but your singing is too sharp. You need to find a better balance between sharpness and a grainy, husky quality, and you also need to be a bit more assertive.”

"Hmm, be as cool as Kim Jisoo..." he chuckled, "And also, pronounce words crisply and clearly, especially consonants, make them clear and forceful, don't drag it out, all four of you have this problem."

"For Chaeyoung, pay attention to the offbeat. There are a few beats that you didn't hit accurately enough. You need to hit the weak beat to start the sound. This sound source doesn't bring out the charm of the offbeat at all, so you need to layer the low-frequency bass and high-frequency percussion in the drum beats and then hit the beat."

"Lisa, your rap part before the chorus is very important. You could say it's the 'rhythm engine' of this song, mainly in the mid-to-low range, with a rap-oriented vocal range. If your tone changes aren't quite there and you don't know how to be 'cool,' you should learn from Jisoo. This fast-paced rap is mainly about creating a strong auditory impact, so bring out your vibe..."

"For Jisoo, with her cool and clear voice, we don't really need to worry too much about whether her voice cracks or not. The soul of this song isn't perfection, but an arrogant and domineering feeling, cool! Understand? So even if her voice cracks or her breath is unstable, as long as her presence is there, the recording won't be bad..."

Gong Cheng recalled the audio of BLACKPINK's "DDU-DU DDU-DU" and pointed out the problems of the four members.

Just like what I told Jisoo, whether her voice cracks or not isn't important. Each of them has a very distinctive and unique timbre, not to mention their singing skills. The percussion and heavy drums in this song are mainly for conveying emotions and establishing their style...

Singing ability? It's nothing special in a group. In live performances, many groups can't even reach that level with half-live vocals. Our Yoona had very few parts during Girls' Generation's comeback, but so what? Her acting career is still going smoothly, isn't it?
Although it's called "ratings poison," the title "ratings poison" requires a huge amount of resources to achieve. If you only make one flop, that's just a flop, and it doesn't unlock the true value of the term "ratings poison."

"Alaso, the world-renowned beauty Tarot with milky skin."

In the video, Kim Jisoo said with a forced smile, "Is this person sick?" I was listening carefully, so why did she keep bringing up the "cool and aloof voice" that fans affectionately call her, and then bring it up herself?

The rest of the group burst into laughter in the practice room... "hahaha~"

Gong Cheng took a sip of coffee, squinted at Kim Jisoo's small face, and thought she looked quite pleasing to the eye. "Kenchana~ I love to hear more compliments."

"You're so shameless..."

……

As evening approached, fans began to enter the Galaxy Entertainment Center...

The Bombardment Meteor "Star Trek" Asia Tour kicked off in Macau – the 16000-seat venue was packed, with the colors of glow sticks and the rising and falling Korean, Cantonese and English creating a wave of excitement.

The circular seating area transformed into a colorful nebula. Fans in the front row carefully placed custom-made light sticks on the railings and adjusted their support lights, which could change seven colors. Suddenly, a giant banner was unfurled on the second-floor stands, with the gold-embossed words "Meeting You Across Galaxy" sweeping overhead, eliciting gasps and applause from the entire area...

Suddenly, the LED screen in the center of the venue lit up with a countdown, and the mechanical synthesized sound of rusty gears grinding against eardrums: "Bombardment Meteor!"

The combined sounds of mechanical shouting, crackling with electrical static, tore through the air. The venue plunged into absolute darkness… the audience's rapid breathing was clearly audible. Suddenly, spotlights illuminated the stage, and on the large projection screen…

Seven silhouettes, each with a straight posture, stood in a six-pointed star formation, outlined by the interplay of black and white light and shadow. Each of the six figures stood at one corner, while at the very center of the six-pointed star formation, Gong Cheng's upright figure stood out, appearing and disappearing in the misty dry ice fog...

"Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

"Bombardment Meteor!!!"

"A world-class combination!!!"

Amidst deafening screams, seven tall black-and-white silhouettes appeared on the big screen. Gong Cheng, standing in the center, picked up the microphone and called out in a clear voice with a smile, "One, two, Let's go..."

As soon as the words were spoken, the dry ice mist on the stage dissipated, and the scene on the big screen switched to a special effect: colorful meteorites crashing down from the Milky Way... The spheres that stopped the meteorites filled the entire screen, and the light curtain refracted by the colorful meteorites on the screen made the fans in the audience instinctively raise their hands to shield their eyes...

As the blinding light faded, the spotlights and moving head lights on the dome of the venue shone with colorful beams, illuminating the figures of the seven members of Bombardment Meteor on stage. Behind them, the screen projected the music video for "Love 119"—a sunlit amusement park bathed in golden hues…

"1 2 Let's go~" The neon lights suddenly turned a soft pink hue, and in the instant the rhythm of the drums suddenly quickened, Gong Cheng's slender figure weaved through the dappled light and shadow. His loose cherry blossom pink T-shirt was lifted up at the corner during the singing and dancing, vaguely revealing the waistline of his abs and his long legs in ripped jeans, dancing lightly...

His pink baseball cap was turned backwards, and the sunglasses under the brim reflected the shimmering sea of ​​lights below the stage, creating a "galaxy" effect... He walked confidently to the edge of the stage, pointed to his heart, and then to the girls waving light sticks reflected in his sunglasses...

"That girl who stole my heart is like a deadly killer."

"Love is such a wonderful feeling, as thrilling as a horror movie~"

……

On April 15th, the final day of Bombardment Meteor's Macau concert, the recording of "PRODUCE 48" continued. The three-day theme song, "It's Mine," will begin a new round of trainee evaluations today. At the filming location in Yonggyu Resort, Gyeonggi Province, mentors Bae Yoon-jung and Lee Hong-ki sat in a conference room. Surrounded by a dense array of cameras, the television screen displayed the submissions of 96 trainees.

"Teachers, let's begin recording. Tarot will not be participating in this evaluation." Director Li Huanzhi of the production team reminded them with a smile. Gong Cheng would be absent from today's video evaluation due to scheduling conflicts, which was unavoidable, as they had anticipated this before the program was recorded.

After turning on the TV, Bae Yoon-jung stared at the screen as it began playing. This re-evaluation was being conducted via video. She tilted her head and thought, "It seems like video evaluations aren't a big deal for the trainees from the Korean Peninsula. But for many trainees from Japan, this is probably the first time they've encountered this format."

Trainees under various entertainment agencies in the Korean Peninsula often undergo music evaluations via video recordings, with assessments conducted by the company's dedicated mentors. Meanwhile, in Japan…

……

The time difference in China is one hour behind that in Seoul. At midnight that night, Gong Cheng collapsed on the sofa in the bar's private room, exhausted and numb. He was so damn tired!
He could have participated in today's rankings for the "PRODUCE 48" program. He could have watched the trainee training videos sent by the program team in the hotel before the concert, but he declined after thinking about it. In addition to the tour these past two days, he has also been receiving audio tracks from BLACKPINK from time to time and finding fault with them...

It's clear that Jisoo and the others are really invested in Summer's comeback this time, not minding bothering him at all, and completely lacking any sense of boundaries...

"Aigoo, we have to fly to Taipei tomorrow to check out the shows. The 18th, 19th, and 20th should be the last tour this month." Park Chanyeol and the others were exhausted, and they poured themselves a few drinks and took a couple of gulps.

Jay Park patted Gong Cheng on the shoulder and said with a smile, "You guys go to Taipei first, I have to go back to Seoul with the maknae."

"The maknae is recording a show, what are you doing there, Dae-Park hyung?" Oh Sehun asked curiously. This hyung hasn't had many activities in the past two years. Everyone knows that he's been on hiatus for a long time, releasing singles, busy with group matters, or dating...

"Just taking care of some company business," Jay Park said, taking a sip of his drink. "I guess I'll be going back to Seoul with the maknae, and then to Taipei in a couple of days... It's really busy. I also have to fly to the US at the end of the month for an awards ceremony..."

"..."

Amidst clinking glasses and exchanging pleasantries, the members chatted about their schedules...

Zhang Yixing clinked glasses with Gong Cheng, and he suddenly remembered the match he had played two years ago, asking curiously, "How are things going between you and Irene?" At first, when he was trying to set them up, he wasn't quite sure this youngest member was so unrestrained and lawless…

Sly and mischievous...

After learning that the maknae (youngest member) was dating so many people at the same time, Zhang Yixing stopped talking about Irene and his affairs. He couldn't just push someone into a fire, could he? He genuinely thought Irene was a pretty good person…

But then I thought, the maknae is already so bad, how can we let Irene off the hook?

“Not so great.” Gong Cheng took a sip of his drink. “...But she seems to have a lot of free time lately…no, that’s not quite right. Since I’ve known her until now, she hasn’t been particularly busy…”

Zhang Yixing's face twitched slightly. "You really have feelings for her?"

The other members could hear their conversation clearly. Wu Shixun stared at Gong Cheng with a strange look. He had never seen such a shameless person before. Not content with provoking one or two, he was expanding his reach. "Just how many do you want to date?"

“One? Two? Three? Four? Five…” Gong Cheng bit his finger and shrugged. “…”

……

The following day, at 10 a.m., Gong Cheng and Park Jae-beom, both still hungover, arrived at Macau International Airport and boarded a plane to return to Seoul.

After takeoff, the flight soared smoothly through the clouds. Park Jae-beom, who had drunk coffee that morning, was too excited to sleep. He picked up the VJ's handheld camera and started wandering around the first-class cabin. "Macau stop has successfully concluded..."

"Next stop Taipei~"

"The maknae was so tired he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow..." Jay Park pointed the camera at Gong Cheng, who was lying on his side in a chair. His tall figure seemed a little cramped in the airport. His face, which was lying on the back of the chair, was covered by a black eye mask, and his breathing was even...

……

At 2 PM, the flight landed in Seoul, and Jay Park and his manager went straight to the underground parking garage and drove back to the company...

"..."

Gong Cheng arrived at JYP, but he wasn't in a hurry to participate in the recording of "PRODUCE 48." He just needed to go there in the afternoon to continue teaching his courses. He was dedicated, but there was no need for him to be a workaholic...

"God's Plan will be released globally tonight." Park Jin-young sat on the sofa and mentioned the recent arrangements for Gong Cheng. Originally, the company wanted to wait until summer or during his world tour to release the song, at which time the company would also invest resources and money in filming the music video...

After all, the song had already gone viral online the night it was performed as a single at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium...

She asked me if I loved her, and I said, "So-so."

"I only love my bed and my momma I'm sorry~"

The few lyrics have already caused a sensation in Europe and America. Since the beginning of this year, many rap songs have topped the Billboard charts, with a style that leans more towards melodic rap. However, Gong Cheng's pop and trap style rap stands out among the rapidly rising trend of melodic rap.

However, Gong Cheng rejected the suggestion of filming a music video, firstly due to scheduling conflicts, and secondly because his numerous activities, world tour, and comeback this year are all concentrated in the second half of the year...

He has a rough outline of his return in the second half of the year...

Park Jin-young changed the subject, asking with a smile, "How's the recording of 'PRODUCE 48' going? Are there any promising trainees?"

"So-so... I feel like a lot of them are just actors and models that are put in by the agencies to make up the numbers..." Gong Cheng took a sip of coffee and said, expressing his opinion on the trainees. Their levels varied. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but wonder if any of the students in Class F had been promoted in yesterday's video evaluation.
That first-class pure girl, if she works hard, she should be able to move up to D, after all, she only had one song, and I practically taught her the dance and singing myself... As for Yabuki Nako, judging from the theme song for the ranking, she has a very good chance of moving up to A class.

As for Zhang Yuanying, she was in Class B that day. Actually, her strength wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either; her skills weren't outstanding... Miyawaki Sakura...

At present, Gong Cheng has a deep impression of these trainees, but he doesn't think it's because of their outstanding strength. They are just some random interactions, or they are the kind of trainees who are "first-class pure". He doesn't know why this guy came to the talent show.
He'd be better off as an actor, but his eyes look so silly...

(End of this chapter)