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

In late December, Seoul's first snowfall arrived right on time.

Li Luran walked into Li Zhi'en's studio with two cups of coffee in his hand.

It has to be said that the company really spoils this girl rotten, generously allocating the entire fifth floor to her.

It not only has a dedicated creative studio and recording studio, but also a lounge and fitness area.

Lee Ji-eun was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, wearing a purple and yellow patchwork sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.

With a small bun in her hair and a phone in her hand, she was rhythmically shaking her head, looking quite happy.

Looking at her outfit, Li Luran sighed inwardly.

This girl's personal style is all about being carefree and comfortable.

Her outfits are so outrageous they're almost unbearable to look at; she's only managing to pull them off thanks to her innocent charm and cute face.

However, he could only keep these complaints to himself; he would never dare to criticize her taste on the surface.

A few days ago, he couldn't help but subtly suggest to her that her fluorescent pink sneakers were a bit too eye-catching.

Instead of reflecting on her actions, this grateful younger sister brazenly opened her palm to him.

"You don't like them? Then buy me a nice pair! Li Luran, where are my shoes? I need them tomorrow!"

Please! She's a super-rich woman who earns billions of Korean won for her company every year, and she's actually asking an intern for shoes?

From then on, he kept quiet for good.

Li Luran placed the coffee on the table and then pulled up a chair to sit down.

"Is the official demo out?"

"uh-huh!"

Lee Ji-eun's eyes lit up instantly when the new song was mentioned.

She excitedly pulled a USB drive out of her pocket, plugged it into the computer, and urged Li Luran to put on his headphones.

"Listen up! You're the first audience member to listen besides me!"

Li Luran put on her headphones.

Lee Ji-eun pressed the play button.

The ethereal music box prelude, combined with the orchestral and drum kit introductions, made everything perfectly fitting.

Lee Ji-eun's voice is clear and bright, conveying the girl's anticipation for the future in a gentle and detailed way.

Call my name...

"Just wait for the clock to turn, until the day I become an adult..."

Three and a half minutes later, the music stopped.

Lee Ji-eun couldn't wait to hear Lee Lu-ran's opinion.

"How is it? How is it?"

She leaned over the edge of the coffee table, looking on with anticipation.

Li Luran nodded and said with a smile:

"Absolutely perfect."

"The atmosphere of the music is just right, and most importantly, your singing has soul, and the emotions you express are very much in line with the theme of the song."

Upon hearing this compliment, Lee Ji-eun's lips practically curled into a wide smile.

This is Li Luran! This guy is so picky about voices, yet this time he praised her without reservation! This is truly unprecedented!

"but."

Li Luran added cautiously, "The bass in the first two seconds of the chorus is a bit too loud. You could lower it a few decibels to make your vocals stand out more."

"Okay! I'll write it down right away and have Lao Li revise it!"

Lee Ji-eun picked up her notebook and wrote down what Lee Lu-ran had just said.

She now has complete faith in Li Luran's sense of pitch and is also full of confidence in her album.

Because this title track was written by herself, or rather, it was the result of her joint efforts with Li Luran.

After finishing her notes, Lee Ji-eun picked up her coffee and took a small sip. She seemed to remember something, and her brows furrowed slightly.

"Oh, right, I heard Sooyoung unnie say today..."

Lee Ji-eun glanced at Lee Lu-ran stealthily and tentatively asked, "You went to SM Entertainment last weekend?"

She naturally knew that SM had held a public audition last weekend.

"You...you don't actually want to become a trainee at SM Entertainment, do you?"

Lee Ji-eun put down her coffee cup, her tone somewhat hurried.

"What's so great about SM Entertainment!"

Lee Ji-eun was so anxious she almost jumped off the sofa.

"If you want to debut, just debut with LOEN!"

"Don't worry, from now on, Nuna will protect you at the company! She'll make sure you get the best resources!"

Lee Ji-eun rattled off a whole bunch of things, which basically boiled down to this: Lee Lu-ran, you belong to LOEN, you can't go to SM.

"What are you thinking about?"

Li Luran felt a headache coming on and sighed helplessly. He quickly interrupted her spellcasting, "I was just accompanying a friend. I must have been out of my mind to become a trainee."

"I have no interest in the stage either," Li Luran added firmly.

"real?"

Lee Ji-eun stared at him suspiciously.

"More real than pearls!" Li Luran replied irritably. "Also, don't take advantage of me and call yourself 'Nuna' without permission. I've never admitted to that."

Hearing his assurance, Lee Ji-eun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You scared me to death! I thought you were going to run away."

As for the "angry" thing, it was just to tease Li Luran; she didn't have that kind of perverted liking for younger men.

With the crisis averted, Lee Ji-eun leaned back on the sofa and relaxed, swinging her legs.

"Let's get back to the main topic. Now that the music is fine, all that's left is the visuals." She analyzed seriously, "The planning department said that since this song has a fantasy theme, the music video must also have a cinematic quality. Not only do we need set design, but we also need a male lead who fits the setting."

At this point, Lee Ji-eun suddenly sat up straight and looked at Lee Lu-ran.

"Hey, Mr. Lee, what are your thoughts on the music video? Who would be a suitable candidate for the male lead?"

Li Luran didn't notice the strange look in her eyes and honestly shook his head:

"I don't know much about music video shooting. You should ask the publicity department and the directing team about this."

"Is that so..."

Lee Ji-eun trailed off in disappointment.

She rested her chin on one hand, her gaze fixed on Li Luran's face.

To be honest, there are plenty of good-looking male celebrities in the Korean entertainment industry.

If the company wanted to, they could easily find a whole bunch of good-looking young actors to act alongside her.

However, none of these people were the one she had in mind.

Lee Ji-eun vaguely remembered that half a month ago, Lee Lu-ran guided her step by step in this room, giving her the inspiration to write this song.

If the soul of this song is herself, then Li Luran is the source of inspiration.

She felt awkward just thinking about singing this song to any random man.

Lee Ji-eun scrutinized Lee Lu-ran's face, wondering what kind of effect it would have if this face were placed in a music video.

It will absolutely amaze everyone and dominate the scene!

Suddenly, a bold idea popped into Ji-eun's mind.

"Li Luran".

Lee Ji-eun's voice carried a hint of excitement and anticipation.

"How about... you be my male lead?"

The room suddenly fell silent, and Li Luran stopped turning the pages of the book.

He looked at Lee Ji-eun with disbelief.

"What did you say?"

"I'll say it!" Lee Ji-eun jumped off the sofa and excitedly approached him.

"Dedicate your screen debut to me, Noona!"

"Li Luran, you'll be my male lead!"