"And I didn't share it with outsiders."
Seeing a few familiar Chinese characters on the phone screen, Zhou Ziyu was a little dazed after understanding the meaning. She just felt a warm current gathering from her chest and instantly immersed into her whole body. After the warm surge in her heart, There was a refreshing fragrance and coolness, along with some other indescribable emotions.
It may be the feeling of closeness with friends, the joy of being recognized, or other indescribable feelings.
Anyway, I was very happy and in a good mood, even more so than when I was praised by the teacher during the afternoon shooting.
"..." Zhou Ziyu looked at the screen and smiled softly. The fingers holding the phone trembled twice but did not touch the screen. She seemed to be hesitating on what to send.
I had held back a lot of words just now, but now I suddenly didn't know what to do.
Just when she was a little confused, Chi Jingyuan suddenly came over with another message:
"Already working."
The somewhat mechanical and cold reply made Zhou Ziyu suppress the emotions brewing in her heart, and she couldn't help but curl her lips slightly.
However, she knew very well that Chi Jingyuan was very busy. She had encountered this situation countless times when chatting. Her small dissatisfaction came and went quickly. Soon she seemed to remember the conversation just now, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up. He smiled brightly and hummed a song unconsciously.
…
After sending the last text message, Chi Jingyuan put away his phone, drank two more sips of water, and continued filming the MV with the members.
He didn't lie, he really started working, and he was really busy these days.
In the past few days, I go to the TV station early in the day to shoot songs. After finishing, I have to work overtime in the evening to shoot the MV. If I get off work early, I have to go back to the company to practice the concert process and stage. It can be said that every day is fully booked. It seems like it's back to the busiest time every time I come back.
Because the MV shooting time and progress are very tight, I didn't participate in the live broadcast of "Inkigayo" today on the 12th. I just went to SBS to pre-record a stage in the morning and then left directly and rushed to the studio to shoot "love me right" MV.
Although they were not present, EXO still firmly suppressed MissA and won today's first place trophy. There was not much suspense.
However, the second week of April is over. Today is also the last day for EXO to release songs for their single album "X". After that, they can focus on the concert and the MV for the "O" album. and prep above.
"O"'s title song "love me right" is a song specially selected by the company to serve as the title song. It is very distinctive in terms of style, rhythm and melody. It is similar to the previous "Call Me Baby", "Addicted" 》These music have completely different colors, and they appear more fresh and cheerful.
At the same time, excluding the lyrical "Spring Day", XO's previous title song MVs mostly focused on group dances. This time, it is a bit different. Most of the shots were of individual and group images.
Several sets of clothes were used in the MV shooting, and many of them had some American campus style. For example, the standard rugby uniforms worn by Ji Jingyuan and EXO members at the moment were one of them.
The rugby jerseys this time are not just for casual wear. They also wear breastplates and shoulder protectors underneath to make everyone feel very strong. They are completely dressed up for the game. The promotional photos on the album cover are all in this style. At the same time, the back number setting of the baseball jerseys worn during the "Roar" period was specially enabled. Each member has his or her name written on the back of the clothes. For example, Chi Jingyuan still uses the number 5. He looks no different from a regular player.
When Chi Jingyuan just changed his clothes, he felt it was very novel. Although rugby was very popular in school when he was in LA, he had no interest in it. He had never played on the field and only barely knew the rules after studying for a few years. degree.
At this time, when I put on the protective gear and helmet, I really felt like I was wearing a suit of armor. I felt that my whole body was full of strength and destructive desire, and I wanted to knock Wu Shixun in front of me straight away.
This studio had already been shooting for a whole night before, and just for another afternoon, and after a short break, we were busy for more than an hour. The scene here has come to an end, and Chi Jingyuan followed all the members to change clothes. , went to have something to eat first, and then got in the nanny car to go to another photo studio.
"...The momentum of the Asidi group seems to be really unstoppable. The two consecutive single albums can be said to be hits. I originally thought that this time using lyrical themes would definitely be a hit, but I didn't expect that "Haruhi" "The sound source actually counterattacked, and maybe it can win the weekly crown this week or next week. I'm really mad at Xiba... Aren't Di Chou and Di Chou fighting among themselves a few days ago? The short Wei fan quickly jumped out and started to fight with the Di Guang fan. He has so few main parts, so he is not angry at being bullied like this by the royal family..."
When they arrived at the new studio, all the members changed into new clothes and sat on stools in the corner to wait for the staff who were still repairing and setting up the scene, and the PD who was checking the lighting and shooting positions. Chi Jingyuan crossed his legs and held his mobile phone. I was browsing a forum where EXO anti-fans often gather, and clicked on a post above. I was stunned when I saw a few of the titles.
He glanced left and right, then poked Wu Shixun who was staring at the field next to him. When the other person looked over, he leaned over and asked softly: "Who are Di Chou and Di Dwarf?"
He remembered that EXO's black names were all a group with superpowers. Why didn't he pay attention for a few days, but some members' black names changed. He looked at them for a long time and didn't know who they were talking about.
"Oh, you said this..."
After hearing this, Wu Shixun glanced at the screen of his mobile phone and nodded clearly. He also moved closer to cover his mouth with his hand and said in a small voice: "The ugly one is Jongin, and the short one is Minxi hyung."
His voice was so low that you had to hold it close to your ear to hear him. When he spoke, he even glanced at Kim Jong-in and Kim Min-seok, who were sitting not far away, for fear that they might hear him. After a quick glance, he continued to explain. After a while: "The group of haters said that Jongin is not good-looking, so he is called Ji Chou, and that Min Seok has no sense of presence in the team, and the only impression he has is that he is short, so he is called Ji Short."
"Recently, our comeback performance has been very good, and our music source has also been counterattacked. Many online fans are very unhappy, but the results are irrefutable and they can't criticize them, so they have some bad-sounding reputations. I can only vent in this aspect.”
After hearing this explanation, Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but blinked and glanced at Wu Shixun in surprise, feeling a little amused that he understood him so well.
Do you usually pay so much attention to these aspects?
"...What about this one, Ji Chun?"
Chi Jingyuan nodded slightly to express his understanding. He looked down a little on the web page and saw an unfamiliar title and couldn't help but ask.
"This... is Brother Baekhyun."
Wu Shixun glanced at Baekhyun next to him, raised an eyebrow at him after saying his name, and didn't explain much.
Seeing this look in his eyes, Chi Jingyuan immediately knew that he was referring to Byun Baekhyun's previous joke about "not falling in love at the age of 35". This sentence has been played by anti-fans ever since it appeared and their relationship with him was exposed. .
A grown man who doesn't fall in love before the age of 35 is indeed quite pure.
Chi Jingyuan looked at it for a while. From his point of view, these were obviously much weaker. Some of the black fans in the forum found it very interesting. They kept flipping through the posts with great interest. When they saw the last name that appeared, they couldn't help but He asked again: "What about this ground cannon?"
"..." Wu Shixun didn't say anything this time, but glanced at him: "What do you think?"
"..." After thinking for a very short two seconds, Chi Jingyuan pouted at the seat on the right where Park Chanyeol was sitting, and then looked at Wu Shixun with questioning eyes, and Wu Shixun immediately nodded lightly, telling him his guess with his eyes. That’s right, bingo!
"ha……"
Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but laugh twice. He felt that these black fans were really talented and their nicknames were so interesting.
After thinking for a while, he looked over and asked curiously: "Then what is your name?"
"I am the earth wind." Wu Shixun shook his shoulders and replied naturally: "You are still the earth light."
After working on it for a long time, it turns out that using superpowers to name black names is already the most minor level.
Nodding, Chi Jingyuan seemed a little disappointed that his nickname had not evolved, and then he seemed to think of something: "By the way, isn't it your birthday today? You didn't even say you would take us out to play, so you took the photo." Just take a certified photo to fool the fans?"
"Who knows what time we will be filming today."
Wu Shixun felt a little unhappy when he heard this. Although the company just held a small celebration ceremony for him and took certification photos, and it was not a very meaningful birthday, he has been busy with work from the afternoon until now. Watch it in the evening The situation probably leaves no time to even go out for a meal to celebrate.
He thought for a few seconds and curled his lips: "Let's buy some midnight snacks after returning to the dormitory in the evening."
After chatting for a while, everything was ready to start shooting. After several group shots were taken, the PD pulled Chi Jingyuan over: "The sentence 'just love me right', here is a close-up, very simple, hear After the command, Jingyuan, just quickly turn around and face the camera, raise your chin a little and make a mouth shape."
"You decide your own expression. Follow a cool direction. This shot will look great after it's shot and edited. It can be considered a killing part."
"Okay PD nim, I understand." Chi Jingyuan nodded and said there was no problem.
At this time, he had changed from his previous rugby jersey to a pure white shirt. The black bangs on his forehead were slightly messy, and he looked like a strong college boy.
This is also one of the themes of the song "Love Me Right".
As expected, the shoot didn't end until after one o'clock in the morning.
However, this time is not too late for artists. After bowing and thanking the staff, the nine members of EXO took the time to return to the dormitory and ordered a large table of late-night takeaways to celebrate Wu Shixun's birthday today.
…
On the afternoon of the 13th, in the conference room on the fourth floor of SM Company, representatives and heads of several relevant departments of the company were meeting to discuss matters related to EXO in recent times.
"We have already issued a press release announcing that EXO has officially ended its singing career, but now it seems that the response from fans is not very good."
"This is secondary. No matter how the fans react, it will definitely end. Everyone knows the reason... How are the preparations for the XO concert? When will the ticket reservations be postponed?"
"The specially prepared "Happy Family" seats were sold out in less than 0.4 seconds after they went on sale. It was only the tickets for the 13 and 14 performances originally scheduled to be sold online at 8 pm on April 10, because there were more than 2 million at that time. People logged in at the same time. As a result, the ticket sales website YES24 was not prepared enough and was completely paralyzed. Therefore, after negotiating with us, the website postponed the ticket sales time to 14 and 15 days, which is also 8 p.m. start. "
The "Happy Family" seats are a special area set up by SM to allow fans and their families to enjoy EXO's concerts together. There are two types of seats: 3-person seats and 4-person seats. The requirements must be real family relationships, and there will be special performances on site. confirm.
The price of a three-person family seat is 297,000 won, the four-person family seat is 396,000 won, and the rest of the seats in all areas of the venue are all 99,000 won.
"I know, please remember to follow up."
"The response from fans and passersby to EXO's second world tour has been very enthusiastic. According to the data provided by the website, the original 60,000 tickets for the Seoul concert may not be enough. Are you considering adding an additional concert?"
"The company has made plans for this matter in advance, and the venue's lease contract also has flexible extension clauses. The specific decision will depend on the situation after the tickets are officially sold."
"..."
Chi Jingyuan sat at the corner of the conference table and listened silently.
As one of the main producers of EXO's comeback album, he still attended the meeting, but what he said now had nothing to do with him, or that these were not things that the album producer should consider. Chi Jingyuan, who was too lazy to overstep his authority, did not do it at all. I wanted to participate in the discussion, so I listened carefully with both ears.
But of course he didn't come here just for show. After a while, it was time for him to take charge.
"As for the recording of "Boy With Luv", has it been discussed whether a feat is required?"
"Well, the company's record department has discussed with several producers and decided that because of the style of the entire song, adding a female voice to the chorus will have a better effect, so we must find someone to do the feat. We can’t really let the members play female vocals.”
"Has the candidate been decided?"
"This kind of thing must be selected within the company. Jingyuan has been responsible for the production of the song "Boy with Luv", let him choose."
"Um……"
Chi Jingyuan, who was cueed, spoke for the first time since the meeting. He pursed his lips and pondered for a while without much hesitation.
This matter had been decided by him during the company meeting a few days ago, and the candidate had been selected after a few days of consideration.
In fact, there is no need to think too much, because the female part is in English, and if you only choose within the company, there will only be a few people who can sing in English up to the standard.
Facing everyone's gaze, he nodded and said, "Wendy."
"Wendy? It's quite suitable, but why don't you consider letting Taeyeon do it? If she comes, the reaction and popularity may be higher, or BOA can also do it."
"Or alternatively, don't be selected by the company, and simply choose a female singer from Neon to be a feature. According to the company's plan, EXO will officially debut in Neon in the second half of the year, so that we can use her reputation to promote it. "
Chi Jingyuan smiled and spread his hands: "That will happen in the second half of the year. If there is a need for this, we will consider it when we record the Japanese version of the album."
"Similarly, it is the same when there is demand from the U.S. market."
"Then let's go to Wendy. Anyway, I'm just a feat and don't participate in singing..." Li Xiuman nodded and said OK, then looked at Chi Jingyuan with a solemn expression: "The company has high hopes for the song "Boy with Luv" There is great hope, and a lot of resources have been invested in related production, so we must pay attention to it.”
"Of course, Teacher Li Xiuman." Chi Jingyuan put away some of his smile and nodded seriously.
“How is the progress of this song and the album as a whole now?”
"The songs are almost practiced, but the dance is still in the teaching and practice stage."
"Speed up the progress. We need to perform a shortened preview version of the stage for the first concert in May. Time is running out."
"Okay, I know."
Taking a gentle breath, Chi Jingyuan nodded again.
The schedule for this monthly comeback is very tight. I have been busy with the first few single albums for a while, and the preparation progress for the last "L" has just begun. Even the dance Not yet practiced yet.
It’s time to work overtime again.
…
"Jingyuan, this is the "sixteen" program information that JYP sent yesterday. You can read it when you have free time in the past two days. But if you are too busy, you don't have to watch it. Anyway, it is JYP's program. …”
The meeting ended for more than an hour, and relevant arrangements for EXO's recent period, including concerts, were made. Just when Chi Jingyuan was getting off the elevator with his notebook and preparing to return to the practice room, it happened that He bumped into his manager Li Chenghuan. As soon as he saw him, he waved and took the initiative to come over. He handed over a bound folder and said with a smile: "The specific shooting time has been determined, April. The 21st happens to be the second day after we return from Neon, so there is no time conflict and there is no need to make special adjustments."
He took the folder and briefly looked at the cover without opening it. After hearing what the other party said, Chi Jingyuan also smiled: "Thank you, brother... I'd better take a look at it when I have time."
"Okay, you can handle this yourself." Li Chenghuan didn't seem to pay much attention to it. After chatting casually for a few words, he strode away. It seemed that there were other things going on.
Chi Jingyuan returned to the practice room with the documents. At this time, Jin Junmian and Jin Zhong were doing their own things sporadically, and no one else was there.
After saying hello to the members, Chi Jingyuan took a bottle of drink and sat on the sofa. As he had nothing to do now, he opened the file he just got and started reading.
But before he even glanced at it, the phone in his pocket vibrated. He turned it out and saw another text message from Zhou Ziyu.
"We have the first person eliminated."
The text was unremarkable, but Chi Jingyuan felt a surge of sentimentality from it, but he took a casual sip of water while operating his phone with one hand:
"It can't be you, can it?"
"Of course not. Didn't I tell you that my results this time were very good and I have been promoted to the major group." Zhou Ziyu was obviously dissatisfied with his doubts and replied quickly: "I am the one who was eliminated. I know my friends, but I didn’t cry backstage.”
"Aren't you competitors? Why are you crying?"
"Because a lot of other people were crying... I just couldn't cry."
Seeing this, Chi Jingyuan paused, seeming to feel some of Zhou Ziyu's sadness and confusion from the words.
Although they are competitors in the debut battle, there must be a lot of discord and selfishness among these little girls. However, when they actually see the people who participated in the show with them being eliminated, they still have many complicated emotions in their hearts.
Even if there is a conflict, there will still be some feeling of sadness between the rabbit and the fox.
Although he understood, Chi Jingyuan was too lazy to comfort him. This was an inevitable experience for him to grow up. After thinking about it, he casually replied:
"It doesn't matter if you don't cry, just don't laugh in front of the camera on that occasion."
"come on!"
…
After the end of "Inkigayo" on the 12th, SM issued a press release explaining that EXO has ended its "Spring Day" singing activity and will focus on the preparation of the next album and the concert.
As soon as the news came out, some fans were very dissatisfied. Although the sales volume of "X" was slightly less than that of "E", it was still a crushing figure compared to other idols, and the sound source of "Haruhi" had just reversed. After reaching the top spot, fans were preparing to follow XO and win all the next top trophies with great momentum just like in March, when SM suddenly announced that they would not have any more songs.
It really made people spit out their blood. Many Aili left messages on SM accounts angrily complaining about the company's retardation. It's a bit similar to last year when FX ended its comeback period early, but because of the results and there will be a comeback in the future, no The scolding was so harsh and extreme.
Fans don't think about other issues. They all want EXO to take over all the top songs and headlines in the five months of March, April, May, June and July.
Unfortunately, SM needs to be considered.
After the singing session ended, Chi Jingyuan and the others were not idle, and were even more tired than before.
When I was participating in singing shows, I stayed at the TV station for a whole day. Apart from rehearsals and live broadcasts, I could also laze in the backstage lounge for a long time. But now I am focusing on shooting the MV and preparing for the concert every day. It feels much harder than before.
While being busy privately, EXO also participated in more important events. They performed at a Kpop concert held in Jeju Island on the 14th. The stage of five consecutive songs directly ignited the atmosphere of the entire venue, as if it was a platter attended by many idols. The concert became like their own private concert.
Immediately after the 16th, the EXO group flew to Neon Yokohama. Starting from tomorrow the 17th, they will hold fan meetings at the Yokohama Arena for three consecutive days.
This event is considered a Fanclub Event, a fan event belonging to the EXO-L official fan club. Each event includes stage performances, chats and game sessions. It is specially organized to give back and thank Neon fans.
The EXO-L official club APP has been gaining popularity since it was launched in August last year. The number of members exceeded one million in three days and exceeded two million in one month.
With EXO's two consecutive successful comebacks, the number of EXO-L fans finally exceeded the four million mark at the end of last month.
Although there is no charge to become a fan member on the APP, registration also requires a mobile phone number and email address, which is not easy. The number of four million is really shocking and unbelievable.
In order to thank the fans for their support, SM will hold club fan activities every once in a while, which not only builds fans but also sells a wave of tickets. It really kills two birds with one stone.
In addition to these reasons, the reason why five fan meetings were held in Yokohama for three consecutive days this time is that more importantly, SM has begun to adjust the focus of EXO's activities.
EXO has been a boy band active in both countries on the Xia peninsula since their debut. Team M simply debuted directly in Xia peninsula. This model has also played a very good role in the past, allowing XO to successfully have a presence in both countries. With the huge popularity and popularity, with the support of fans in both places, it has directly opened up a big position with other boy groups.
It's a pity that after the continuous launch of Xia Guo members last year, Team M existed in name only, and this model could no longer continue.
After a long period of discussion and preparation, the company finally made a decision. Although the album will still be released in Chinese to stabilize fans and the market, it has begun to significantly reduce EXO's activities in mainland China and shift some of its focus to It has been placed on Neon, and it has been determined that it will officially debut in Neon in the second half of the year to seize the market there.
For this reason, all members are busy every day. I have to start taking Japanese classes again.
It can only be said that the foundation for EXO's survival and prosperity as a group has been destroyed by the withdrawal of Xia Guo members. Whether they can maintain such a transcendent leading position among the Peninsula men's groups in the future, in addition to their local comeback results, can they Whether to expand into more other markets is also very critical.
After the two fan meetings on the 19th, EXO stayed one night and took a flight back to Seoul the next day.
After Chi Kyung-won prepared for the concert for a day, he also arrived at Mnet in a nanny car on the morning of the 21st.
(End of chapter)
