Peninsula: Starting with the nation's first love, the white moonlight

Samseong-dong, Gangnam District.

At 1:30 p.m., Li Luran, wearing a gray casual suit and carrying a backpack, walked out of the subway station.

With half an hour to go before the interview, just as Li Luran was about to walk into the LOEN company gate, he found that the streets on both sides of the gate were crowded with people.

Looking around, almost all of them were teenagers or young adults in their twenties, and there were even quite a few high school students wearing school uniforms.

They held up various banners with photos of Lee Ji-eun from different periods of her life.

From time to time, a few unified cheers could be heard from the crowd. Many fans were carrying beautifully wrapped gift boxes, and some were even holding flower baskets.

They were stopped at the door by the building's security guards, but everyone stared excitedly at the garage entrance and glass doors, as if Lee Ji-eun might come out at any moment.

Li Luran can understand idol worship, as she has had similar experiences herself.

After all, he was quite popular during his years as a child star, and some fans would travel a long way to give him gifts.

However, the extent to which he had become a fan was still somewhat unexpected.

It has to be said that the fans on the Korean Peninsula are even more fanatical than those in China.

Second floor, interview waiting room.

There were already seven or eight young men and women sitting in the room, all dressed in suits and ties, holding resumes in their hands and muttering to themselves.

Li Luran found a corner to sit down and casually flipped through a magazine in his hand.

He applied for a joint internship in the artist and planning department/overseas business division.

This job sounds prestigious, but frankly, it's just doing odd jobs for the planning team and helping to handle business documents related to overseas markets, especially Greater China.

But for Li Luran, this was the quickest way to understand the operating model of Peninsula Entertainment, since he was already very familiar with the relevant business.

"Next, Li Luran." The staff member pushed open the door and called out a name.

"Please come in!"

Li Luran closed the magazine, stood up, and calmly walked into the interview room.

There were three people sitting in the interview room. In the middle was a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses, probably the HR manager.

On the left is a stylish young woman, while on the right is a somewhat tired-looking man, presumably the head of the planning department.

"Li Luran?"

The supervisor glanced at the resume in his hand and frowned slightly.

"Are you a Chinese student studying abroad? Only eighteen years old? A freshman at Seoul National University?"

The supervisor asked three questions in a row, clearly questioning the contents of Li Luran's resume.

"Yes," Li Luran nodded.

"I just enrolled this September in the Economics Department at Seoul National University."

"Li Luran, your Korean is very standard, without even a hint of accent."

The female interviewer on the left couldn't help but interject: "However, Ms. Li, we are recruiting interns for the planning department, which is a position that requires strong industry acumen and the ability to withstand pressure."

"And you're just a freshman in college. Where did you get all that planning, coordination, and market analysis experience listed on your resume?"

Li Luran had already thought about this question. Looking at the interviewer, he calmly replied, "My parents work behind the scenes in the film and television industry in China, and I've also spent a very long time on film sets. I do have some experience with what kind of content can capture the audience and what kind of artist projects can be implemented, but compared to some of my seniors, I'm still slightly lacking."

His words were half true and half false. The experience was real, but the identity was fake.

The three interviewers looked at Li Luran thoughtfully. Finally, the middle-aged man sitting on the right spoke up: "I only have one question. If you can answer it, our planning department will hire you."

He picked up a business plan from the table and threw it in front of Li Luran.

"Since you've come to LOEN for an interview, you must know that our company's core artist is IU. Since you have relevant experience in China, you're practically an insider. From a planning perspective, what's your view on IU's current situation?"

"Just a heads up, I want to hear the truth, not all that flattering nonsense."

The question startled both the supervisor and the female interviewer.

This question is way too advanced for a college student interviewing for an internship.

Li Luran didn't panic. He spent the last few days cramming on a lot of information about IU online.

He didn't think for long, but made a rather harsh assessment.

"Like cooking oil over a raging fire, one is caught in a dilemma."

As soon as Li Luran spoke, the three interviewers' expressions changed drastically.

Li Luran ignored their surprise and continued his analysis:

"Undeniably, the huge success of the song 'Good Days' made her the focus of the nation. With her pure and innocent image as the nation's little sister, coupled with her outstanding talent, it's no exaggeration to say that IUxi is incredibly popular."

He paused, and his tone gradually became sharper:

"But have you all considered whether IUxi's current capabilities can match this level of hype?"

"Her three-octave high notes are her killer weapon, but they can't be her regular weapon. The public's ears get tired of them too. If the next album is still in this style, once the novelty wears off, it may backfire. She has to gradually transform, but for more than two years since her debut, her 'national little sister' persona has been the biggest obstacle to her transformation."

"In summary, IU is currently in the eye of the storm. She seems to be enjoying endless glory, but if she takes one wrong step, or if she gets a little older and can no longer pretend to be innocent and cute, her popularity will plummet."

The interview room was deathly quiet.

The three interviewers looked at each other in disbelief. They had clearly not expected that an eighteen-year-old Chinese student would so bluntly expose the issue of company transformation, a topic that was usually only discussed in internal meetings.

Just then, a very light footstep sound came from outside the door.

Lee Ji-eun had just finished a photoshoot. She was just passing by when she heard people inside discussing her name, so she instinctively stopped.

As a result, she listened to Li Luran's entire speech.

Lee Ji-eun is a very proud person. She climbed to where she is today after countless failed auditions.

Despite having a busy schedule lately, she hasn't complained at all.

Sometimes, in order to maintain her form, she would practice until late at night.

Several times she felt a stinging sensation in her throat, but she gritted her teeth and endured it.

In order to transform her image and to perform well, she even spent the whole night memorizing her lines.

But the guy inside belittled all her efforts as worthless. What right did he have to do that?

Lee Ji-eun was trembling with anger. She wanted to rush in and give this arrogant guy a good scolding.

However, the guy inside wasn't entirely wrong in his analysis of her.

She wanted to prove herself. Her success was not accidental, nor was it simply because of her three high notes or her cute act, as that guy claimed. Lee Ji-eun had her own pride!

"Hmph, just you wait!"

Lee Ji-eun snorted coldly and quickened her pace, leaving the corridor.

Inside the interview room.

"Okay, very good." The interviewer stared at Li Luran. "Although what you said was harsh, and you would be torn to shreds if the artist's team heard it, I have to admit that you have very unique insights, which are nothing like those of an eighteen-year-old student."

He turned to look at his supervisor: "My team is short of a planning assistant. Although he is still a student, I want him."

The supervisor hesitated for a moment, glanced at Li Luran's resume, and finally nodded.

"Li Luran-xi".

The supervisor cleared his throat. "Congratulations. Although your words were sharp, your keen market sense impressed us. You're hired, with a three-month probationary period, and you may be dismissed at any time."

"Thank you, I will prove you were right."

Li Luran stood up, bowed slightly politely, and turned to walk out of the interview room.