Peninsula's Life Begins in 2016

Chapter 101 Lim Yoon-a: So-so

An hour later, in an inconspicuous narrow alley next to the tree-lined road in Sinsa-dong.

There is an independent coffee shop on the second floor of an old villa. The wooden tables and chairs inside have a warm luster, and the air is filled with the aroma of roasted coffee beans.

Lim Yoona sat by the window with a latte in front of her.

The woman opposite her raised her head, revealing a beautiful and refined face.

Lee Ji-eun, stage name IU.

By 2016, she was already the undisputed pinnacle of solo female singers on the peninsula, with hits like "Good Days" and "You and Me" already in hand.

He has sung several national hit songs and is recognized as a musical genius in the entire entertainment industry.

"What brings you out today, unnie?"

Lee Ji-eun picked up her caramel macchiato, took a sip, and smiled with her eyes crinkling, "Just a few days ago you said you'd been working non-stop for half a month and were so busy you couldn't get enough sleep."

"Just taking a break from my busy schedule," Yoona smiled, then straightened her expression slightly. "Jie-eun, I'm here today to ask you for a favor."

Lee Ji-eun put down her cup, lightly scraping her fingers along the inside, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.

She had known Yoona for so long, and this was the first time she had ever seen her speak to her in such a serious tone.

"Unnie, if you say so, I'll definitely help if I can."

"Don't worry, it's nothing difficult, just a piece of cake for you."

As she spoke, Lim Yoona took out a light purple USB drive from her beige canvas bag and gently pushed it in front of Lee Ji-eun.

"There are two songs here, written by a new producer. I'd like you to listen to them first. If you think they're okay, please pass them on to senior Teddy. I heard he's currently preparing for a new girl group and is lacking both good songs and members. These two songs might be able to help him."

Lee Ji-eun's gaze fell on the small USB drive, but she didn't immediately reach out to take it.

She looked up at Yoona again, the soft smile in her eyes fading slightly, replaced by a hint of caution.

"Unnie, when did you start submitting demos to the producer?"

"It's not about helping him, it's about helping myself." Lim Yoona shook her head, picked up her latte, took a sip, and looked out the window at the ginkgo branches swaying in the wind.

"He used to be a producer at our company. He was in charge of my teammate's solo album a while ago, and later he worked for Red..."

Velvet and EXO wrote several title tracks, and we all had a great time working with him.

She paused, turned to look at Lee Ji-eun, and said helplessly, "But the company fired him."

"6

"It's open?" Lee Ji-eun's hand holding the cup suddenly stopped in mid-air, her brows furrowing instantly. "How could this be?"

Didn't he just write title tracks for two top groups? He was riding high, has SM gone mad?

Yoona's eyes flickered slightly.

For a fleeting moment, she almost blurted out Choi Sulli's name.

She knew that as long as she mentioned this name, Lee Ji-eun would help her no matter what; the two of them were well-known best friends in the industry.

But she swallowed the words back.

If that were done, the nature of the matter would change.

After thinking for a moment, she still didn't mention Choi Sulli's name, and simply explained, "He helped one of the company's artists avoid a bad movie, which completely ruined his relationship with the film and television department. Although he won in the end, the company can no longer tolerate him."

After hearing this, Lee Ji-eun was speechless.

She understood the nature of SM Entertainment; in that company, talent was never the most important thing, obedience was.

"So, is Unnie trying to find him a new partner?"

"Yes." Im Yoona did not deny it, and gently tapped the USB drive with her finger. "Jie Eun, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart."

"There are two songs in this song, one is called 'As If It's Your Last,' and the other is called 'Kill This.'"

Love.

"I dare say that if the right people sing these two songs, they would definitely be gold record winners, let alone songs of the year."

Upon hearing this, Lee Ji-eun's pupils contracted slightly.

Gold Record Award.

These words, spoken by someone else, might just be a casual compliment.

But when spoken by Yoona, it carries a completely different weight.

Having spent so many years at SM, she's listened to at least eight or ten thousand demos, and her ears have long been spoiled by top-tier music.

A work that can elicit the words "Golden Record Award" from her must be an absolute phenomenon and a blockbuster.

Lee Ji-eun reached out and picked up the light purple USB drive. She saw that the names of two songs were written on the back with a black marker. The handwriting was neat and powerful, carrying a sharp, youthful spirit.

"What's his name?" Lee Ji-eun looked at Im Yoon-a curiously. "Unnie, I've known you for so long, and I've never seen you so interested in any guy before."

"It's not that I care, it's that I owe him." Lim Yoona tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "This matter originally had nothing to do with him. If I hadn't insisted on bringing him in, he would still be working peacefully at SM. I have an unshirkable responsibility for his dismissal."

Lee Ji-eun's gaze darted back and forth between Im Yoon-ah and the USB drive before she slowly spoke, "Unnie, I have to remind you, Teddy oppa has very high standards. What if he doesn't like you?"

"Then I guess my friend was just unlucky." Lim Yoona spread out one hand. "That's all I can do. The path has been paved for him. Whether he can make it through depends entirely on the work he prepares."

Lee Ji-eun noticed her state and suddenly burst out laughing, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Unnie, did you notice that you kept tapping the rim of your glass with your right hand while you were talking?"

Yoona's hand suddenly stopped moving, then she pretended to be calm and said, "I'm used to it."

"Have you gotten used to it?" Lee Ji-eun drawled out her words, laughing even more happily. "That's really strange. How come I never noticed before? Unnie, did you only get used to it after meeting this friend?"

Lim Yoona: "*————, she glared at Lee Ji-eun, then put her hand back on the table and continued to slowly tap the rim of her glass.

"Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore." Lee Ji-eun waved her hand with a smile and put the USB drive into her hoodie pocket. "I'll hand it to you, but let me make this clear beforehand: I'm only responsible for playing the song for him. I won't say a word more. Whether it works or not depends entirely on the quality of the song."

"Okay." Yoona's tense shoulders finally relaxed, and she visibly breathed a sigh of relief, a genuine smile appearing on her face. "Jie-eun, thank you."

"Why are you being so polite with me?" Lee Ji-eun waved her hand, then leaned closer, lowered her voice, and asked with a gossipy look, "But unnie, isn't this new producer incredibly handsome?"

Yoona was taken aback by the question, then casually looked away: "It's alright, just average, average-looking."

O

"Oh~ so-so. I've never heard of a so-so guy who would make our Yoona unnie go to such lengths and even tap her cup in nervousness before."

"I can't be bothered to talk to you." Lim Yoona rolled her eyes at her, picked up her bag from the sofa and stood up. "Here's the USB drive. I'll wait for your message. I'm leaving now, I have an appointment to attend later."

"So eager? Won't you sit a little longer?"

"No, I can't sit for too long anyway." Yoona waved her hand and walked briskly downstairs.

Lee Ji-eun sat by the window, watching her get into the black van at the alley entrance, and only looked away when the car slowly drove out of sight.

She pulled the light purple USB drive out of her pocket again, a hint of curiosity and anticipation flashing in her eyes.

What kind of person is this that Yoona values ​​so much, even though she hasn't revealed his name?