Chapter 111: Should I Switch Phones?

out privately, helped each other out, and that's how our relationship grew closer. There's no secret to it.""Um..."Bian Berhyen was at a loss for words. He felt like Ji Jingyuan's words were boastful,..."Another simultaneous broadcast with South Korea before it even airs"

Hearing Ji Jingyuan's somewhat surprised tone, Pei Xiuzhi tilted her head and asked, "Do you know this drama"

I've heard of it, but I don't understand it. It's mainly this pattern...

Ji Jingyuan shook his head, drawing his attention away from the stage performance playing on the television. He leaned back on the sofa and looked up at the yellowish ceiling, unable to help but think back to a private conversation he had with Kim Eunsook some time ago.

It might be because the collaboration on "The Heirs" was very successful, both in terms of ratings and reception. It could also be because Park Seo-joon's appearance and personality really appealed to the screenwriter. There might be some other factors at play as well. After that collaboration, Kim Eun-sook developed a strong admiration for Park Seo-joon. It seems like she transferred the positive impression she had of Lee Min-ho to him, even hinting at having a sort of half-fan feeling towards him.

So even though the drama collaboration ended, the connection and relationships afterwards never broke. Besides greeting each other on festivals and holidays, Kim Eun-sook sometimes exchanges with him about matters concerning television dramas.

This kind of treatment is something that many young actors envy, especially those idol actors who lack resources. If they knew about it, I bet they would be insanely jealous.

Although Chi Jingyuan doesn't have big ambitions for acting, since he has worked with well-known screenwriters who highly recommend him, he naturally agrees. After all, maintaining social connections and networking is still very important.

Before this, Chi Jingyuan had heard from the other party that they had been preparing a new drama recently. It was a script that he had conceived many years ago, but it could not be realized because of the high investment. However, this year, the project could finally be put into practice.

Originally, Kim Eun-sook said she was very optimistic about Ji Chang-wook and specifically mentioned that when she was refining the male lead's character and appearance, he was her blueprint. She also said she would try to recommend him for the role of the male lead.

And it specifically mentioned that this drama will be simulcast in China and South Korea. Due to the censorship policies there, this time it's not a model of shooting and broadcasting simultaneously, but rather filming all at once. This is also the first time KBS has tried this production model when purchasing a script.

Although Chik Ching-yuan didn't receive the script and wasn't aware of the specifics, he didn't have any desire to take on the role. Nonetheless, he sincerely expressed his gratitude.

No matter how you say it, being admired and taken care of like this makes people feel happy and touched.

But during our coffee shop meeting a while back, Jin Eun-suk dropped some rather unfortunate news:

"This male lead, in some aspects, I designed him based on you. Originally, I was already going to use your name, but..."

Kim Eun-sook still has that slightly plump and round appearance, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Although her face isn't particularly outstanding, the aura and confidence of a top screenwriter, coupled with well-maintained skin thanks to medical aesthetics, make her look much younger.

She paused, looking at Chi Jingyuan who was smiling and listening attentively. Then she continued, “Because this is a military drama, the protagonist is set as a special forces soldier, there will be many war scenes in it. In order to seek support and shooting convenience, the TV station and the crew even got the intention of cooperation from the army and the recruitment department.”

"Especially the recruitment department, after reading the script and plan, showed great interest, to some extent even viewing this drama as a promotional film for the peninsula's military recruitment."

But then, if we were to play the role of our country's soldiers, both television stations and military service departments would have some requirements for the nationality of the actors, after all... You know what I mean.

Kim Eun-sook seems a little embarrassed, and perhaps a bit regretful. It's unclear if it's because she made promises before and didn't deliver, or if it's because she missed another opportunity to work with her favorite actors this time around.

Although she didn't finish her sentence, Ji Jingyuan of course understood what the other person meant.

TV dramas involving members of the national military often have implicit requirements, and this is even more so if they are presented as 'military recruitment promotional films'. As soon as he heard the theme, Ji-seong knew that this highly invested drama by Kim Eun-sook was likely not for him.

Because he is not a citizen of the peninsula and does not have to serve in the military.

If the drama flops, it's fine. But if it becomes a hit, the irony and contrast of having a foreign actor play a role meant to promote the military, boost national image, and encourage recruitment on the peninsula could backfire. It might anger viewers and become a target for criticism, creating negative publicity.

Although nothing has happened, this is just a guess, but after all, the investment in this drama is so high, even as the screenwriter Kim Eun-sook's right to speak is very big, whether it's the TV station or the crew, they wouldn't risk taking such a wind direction and letting Park Seo-joon play the male lead.

Even Kim Eun-sook herself, although she may truly believe in him deep down, probably places more emphasis on the success of the television drama.

"It's okay, Nana."

Chi Jingyuan smiled, pursed his lips and nodded, his expression seemed to be a little regretful: "Although it's definitely a pity, after all, there's no way around it."

He certainly couldn't say something like, "Actually, I wasn't really interested and didn't have any expectations. I'm going to be super busy with work for the next few months, so I probably won't have much time anyway."

At this point, it's enough to simply express gratitude to the other party and a suitable amount of regret for the unfulfilled expectations.

"Oh, this time it really is..."

Seeing Ji Jingyuan's expression, Kim Eunsook also sighed, feeling even more awkward in her heart.

She had been talking about it for so long, using confident and unwavering words, chatting about it several times with conviction. Yet, the result turned out to be like this.

“This time, there's really no way…” Kim Eun-suk repeated, her expression seeming even more regretful than Ji Kyeong-won. She looked at the coffee in front of her, hesitated for a moment, as if she remembered something. After pondering for several tens of seconds, she raised her head, as if she had made up her mind: “Here's what I think, I still have a script that I've been preparing for a long time here. After this shoot is over, it’s about to start…”

She paused for a second, then said, "This play isn't about real-life issues, so there aren't as many limitations. I'll try to modify the plot and setting of the main characters. This time, we definitely have a chance..."

Ji-yeong shook his head, pulling himself out of the memory. Even though Kim Eun-suk had spoken with conviction, seeming truly determined, Ji-yeong, despite expressing gratitude and anticipation, hadn't taken it too seriously.

After all, no one knows when Nana's next drama will be released. Just shooting this military-themed drama is estimated to take several months. If she takes a break after finishing it, her new drama probably won't make any noise for another year or two.

So much time has passed, and things in the industry have been changing so rapidly. Who knows what it will be like by then.

But no matter if the other party will really modify the script for him in the end, being seen this highly and promised like this, Ji Jingyuan is actually quite grateful in his heart.

Turning his attention back, Ji-yeong glanced at the fluffy white legs rubbing against his own and then at Bae Suzy who clearly wanted to say something. “How’s ‘Any Voluntary Love’ ”

Although he didn't have the script, he had actually heard about this television drama that was in preparation. The Korean entertainment circle is so small; any production with a high investment or a good cast of famous directors and editors would cause fierce competition among agencies and actors. It was impossible not to know about it.

I've only heard about it, and I don't know much about it.

Not hearing Pei Suzy say this, this drama "Anyoung Iyeon" is surprisingly similar to Kim Eun-sook's military drama. It was also a simultaneous release between China and Korea, with all episodes filmed in advance.

This kind of pattern is actually very uncommon here in the peninsula. Live broadcasting while shooting is the mainstream.

In just a short amount of time, two films in a row have been released. It seems that the massive Chinese market is truly coveted by many in the Korean film industry.

"Also Oh, you're talking about that military drama, the one written by Kim Eun-sook, right"

"Pei Suzy seemed to have heard something from Ji Kyeong's words. She obviously knew a lot about the recent film and television news: "But that project has already finished casting and is about to start filming. The one I'm talking about, *Anying Elian*, is also a KBS TV production. It follows the same model as targeting the Xia Guo market, with substantial investment. It's considered one of the most promising projects currently being prepared in the industry."

"Huh"

Pool Jingyuan nodded slightly, indicating that he was listening.

Because the investment is substantial and the core team is also very good, the competition for several roles is quite fierce.

She leaned up slightly, crossing her legs and tilting her head to look at Ji Jingyuan: "I'm currently competing for the lead female role, but... I've run into some problems..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Chi Jingyuan, looking at her pale face and smiling eyes, immediately understood what she meant.

She wanted to compete for the role but encountered difficulties and obstacles. Since she knew some of Chi Jingyuan's connections and network, it was natural for her to seek help.

"Where's JYP"

Chi Jingyuan blinked his eyes.

"Hehehe~ Don't mention it."

She heard this and snorted disdainfully, her body slumping back down as if deflated after having just sat up.

He nodded knowingly and let out a chuckle. Pool Jingyuan had a pretty good understanding of JYP's company.

The past two years have been the company's lowest point, and even the music industry is struggling to survive. There aren't many reliable connections in the film and television industry either. The company's artists have always had unequal access to film and television resources. It can't provide much assistance with things like this for Suzy being given a role.

Judging from her expression, she probably tried it before, but apparently the company didn't satisfy her.

Speaking of Pei Suzy, although she debuted as an actress in 2011 and unexpectedly became popular with the drama "Architecture 101," earning the title of "National First Love" and significantly increasing her popularity, she has been highly sought after by advertisers.

But her film and television resources have never been particularly good.

Since "Nine Houses" in 2013, although she has been taking on commercials and her fame has been rising, she hasn't starred in another decent television series.

This just goes to show that her film and television resources aren't exactly great. Television drama casting isn't about your fame or popularity, program teams and TV stations won't necessarily pick you just because of that, because too many people have those qualities. Every role can attract a large number of candidates with similar qualifications. The competition in the Peninsula entertainment circle is even fiercer than in the music industry.

Even acting isn't the most important thing; it's more about networking and building relationships.

But on this side, JYP couldn't offer any help.

The company's support has been minimal, and she often relies on her own efforts and fanbase to keep going.

And Pei Xiu Zhi's acting skills are actually just average, not bad, but not particularly outstanding either.

She seemed to want to break into the film industry last year, but her collaboration with Liu Chenglong, "Peach and Plum Blossom Song," hasn't been released yet, and no one knows how it's doing at the box office or with critics.

"The company is unreliable..."

After a slight pause of a few seconds, seeing that Ji Jingyuan didn't reply, Pei Suzy suddenly laughed, spreading her long white legs and swaying over. Her toes reached out, slowly sliding across Ji Jingyuan's calf for a few times. When he looked at her, she casually brushed the strands of hair that fell from her forehead to her nose bridge behind her ears, slightly curled the rosy red lips, and shrugged lightly: "I can only rely on men, after all."

Her eyes were clear and held a mysterious smile, not the slightest bit coy, as if it were perfectly natural.

A persistent, fine, and rhythmic itch traveled up her calves. It was subtle yet captivating, teasingly so. A cool sensation spread from her skin to her very core. Ji Jingyuan met her gaze, looking at her open smile and eyes widened playfully, and couldn't help but grin back.

He didn't say much either, thought about it for a moment, then asked directly, "What company produced this"

Seeing Ji Chang-wook's expression and reply, Bae Suzy seemed to relax as well, her eyes crinkling at the corners. Her two legs were directly draped over Ji Chang-wook's, stacked together, with her pointed toes and bright red nail polish very noticeable: "Sandae, and IHQ."

"What about the PD and the writer"

"PD is Park Hyun-sook, and the writer's name is Lee Kyung-hee."

"Lee Kyung-hee The author of "Sorry, I Love You"... I got it. Tomorrow, I'll have Jin-hyun go check into it."

Ji Jingyuan nodded in agreement. He thought it was perfectly normal for Pei Suzy to seek his help. After all, that's what connections and relationships were for. Friends were connections, and romantic partners were connections too.

There's no sense of discomfort, on the contrary, I feel pretty good.

Just like Bae Suzy said earlier, if the company can't be relied on, then we can only rely on men.

However, Chi Jingyuan couldn't promise he could definitely help her, after all, there was no guarantee he could make that happen.

Pei Suzy didn't seem to care about looking at the expression on her face, it seemed like as long as Ji Kyung-won agreed, whether they could pull it off in the end or not, she was already very satisfied.

She used Chi Jingyuan's thigh as a support point, moved closer to him several times, leaned against him, her gaze swept across Chi Jingyuan's profile for a circle, and then followed his gaze back to the television.

Now that the stage performance is over, several people, including Minami Namie who performed on stage, are receiving feedback from Park Jin-young. Bae Suzy casually watches the somewhat youthful face on TV, smiling without a word.

Although she occasionally brought up the name of this girl who clearly had a special feeling for Chi Jingyuan, it was just a joke, a kind of teasing humor. To be honest, she didn't really take this girl seriously at all.

As his thigh made contact with hers, the initially cool feeling gradually became warm. Still looking at the TV, Ji Jingyuan asked nonchalantly, "Is the competition among the female leads very fierce"

"Well, many film and television companies have recently targeted the Xia Guo market. These are currently the only two dramas that were directly simulcast in China and Korea, just like "The Heirs" and "My Love From the Star" did two years ago. The impact they created was evident, so both economic companies and actresses are very interested."

Pei Xiuzhi nodded and simply recounted the difficulties she had encountered before. Then, as if suddenly remembering something: "By the way, your company seems to be very interested too, and it seems that you are trying to win audition opportunities for your actors."

"Who are we Our company"

This message piqued Chi Jingyuan's interest. He looked at her and asked.

"So your agent said it was Girls' Generation's Lim Yoona... How are you two I heard you and Taeyeon from SNSD were really close"

"Um..."

Hearing this familiar name, the usually nonchalant Ji Jingyuan couldn't help but pause. After a few seconds, he turned to look at Bae Suzy, pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment before kindly reminding her: "Are you sure the script for 'Any Love' is alright Or perhaps you should reconsider the probability of this drama being successful"

"Should we... get a new one"

…………

It's impossible to change, after all, Bae Suzy has already done so much preparation. Recently, there aren't many productions that are starting casting at the same time and look promising.

Moreover, using Yoona senior as a reverse role model is something only a loyal fan like Ji-seong would do. He wouldn't say anything about it because others wouldn't believe him anyway.

But even their ** agency is also trying to get this role for Yuri sunbae, which makes things a lot more interesting.

Wasn't it just recently that Yoona unnie finished filming "The God of War Zhao Zilong" She's already started looking into her next drama

As expected from senior YoonA, her resources are truly amazing.

But, is the drama "Any Willing Attachment" really that good

With a strong sense of suspicion, Ji-yeong and Soo-ji bid farewell to each other, and Ji-yeong returned to the EXO dormitory.

Let's tell him after he knows about it.

The next day, besides the overwhelming news reports and updates about the overnight refresh of the B-list chart, online discussions were also buzzing with the hot topic of EXO's "boywithluv" jumping four places on the chart.

Although it's clear that the song's momentum is nearing its peak, it's difficult to live up to the expectations of some fans and overly enthusiastic passersby who hope it will break into the top ten or even surpass PSY's achievements. After all, K-pop is still a niche genre in America, and ** and EXO haven't been promoting there recently. It relies on a core fanbase spreading the word through word of mouth.

But entering the top 30 or even having a chance to climb higher is still possible. Moreover, the performance in the top 3 for three weeks now is still very impressive.

At least they have distanced themselves from other boy groups in more than one way. In the eyes of many people, their level is already different.

And on the other hand, last night's live broadcast of "sixteen" episode eight also caused quite a stir. After the third episode went viral, this audition program has greatly improved from its initial obscurity. Although it's not a top-rated variety show, it has gained a considerable audience, and there are plenty of discussions online after each episode airs.

Unlike the beginning, it's like it wasn't played at all.

What disappointed both Ji Jingyuan and many viewers was that at the end of the eighth episode, Park Jin-young was about to announce the eliminated contestants when he suddenly stopped. The production team very disgustingly left the suspense for the next episode, shamelessly dangling a carrot.

So this morning, many people have been discussing this. Aside from the heated debate about who will be eliminated, there's also a lot of anger and criticism directed at the "SIXTEEN" production team.

And even Chi Jingyuan was getting a little annoyed by this situation, because Zhou Tzuyu's group just happened to be one of the two losing groups, and were also within the elimination range.

Although he knew the probability was actually very small, after all, it was a pre-recorded show, if this girl were eliminated, she would have probably collapsed and cried to him about it.

However, it's also possible that pride got in the way and prevented them from speaking up.

On the way to the TV station with the members, Ji-sung saw many fans on his phone expressing their heartfelt wishes for Lim Nayoung's elimination and couldn't help but send a message to Tzuyu:

"Have you heard that you were eliminated"

(The End)

First release by Traditional Chinese Novel Network Jingyuan, there's no need to say more. Kim Tan swept through half of Asia like a storm, and he remembered the itinerary for China and Southeast Asia that Park Bo-gum had shown him last time, making h...