ng, was abruptly interrupted. He felt a lump of air stuck in his throat, making it hard to breathe. Muttering under his breath, he turned his head and glared at the person who had interrupted him, his...When "Infinite Challenge Song Festival" aired and the sound source skyrocketed in popularity, Ji-sung, being one of the main characters, was not even on the peninsula. EXO, who had just returned two days prior, went straight to Chang'an, China, for their second round of concerts on the 22nd. They flew back to Seoul the day after the concert ended.
"Ah~~"
In the conference room on the fourth floor of ** Company, Park Chan-wook let out a big sigh and rubbed his eyes, squeezing out tears. He slumped against the chair back, utterly drained and looking utterly distraught.
He let out a big, noisy yawn. The few people sitting next to him, including Ji Jingyuan, couldn't help but glance over. Seeing his tired face and rather prominent dark circles, they started thinking some mischievous things.
Today is August 25th, and at this moment, the EXO group is in the meeting room preparing for a meeting.
After the concert yesterday, the company gave all the members without schedules a day off. The members who got the holiday instantly dispersed, and they only reunited this morning.
Ki-chan went home for a visit first during his vacation, then had dinner with Suzy Bae, whom he had made plans with before, and accepted her thanks.
It's said to be thanks, but there isn't really anything special about it. After all, they are already so familiar with each other. Pei Suzy's tricks and Cha Tea-chi Jingyuan's pool landscape are actually things they have long understood very clearly.
When he returned to the dorm full of energy the next morning, he saw the other members who had returned around the same time, looking exhausted. Among them, Park Chan-yeol was the most obvious, yawning all the way from the dorm to the company's meeting room. He looked like he hadn't slept all night.
Not all attendees had arrived for the meeting yet. Lee Seong-hwan, the manager of the agency, hadn't come either. XO members were sitting on one side, some dozing off, others whispering softly or playing with their phones.
"Why don't you just take a nap, brother We'll call you when the meeting is over."
Ji Jingyuan looked at this guy, who let out another sigh, and with a chuckle, he proactively showed concern.
He knew what Park Chan-hyeok did last night. Who doesn't know who
"Hahaha…"
As soon as he said that, a few people beside Wu Shixun couldn't help but laugh out loud. They had been observing Park Chan-wook for a long time.
"Damn it..."
Park Chan-lyeok, who was so sleepy he could fall asleep just by closing his eyes, let out a snort. He looked up at Ji Seong-won and shook his head helplessly before letting out a chuckle.
Sleeping is impossible. If he were to fall asleep during a meeting, Lee Seonghwan would surely see through his pretense and reprimand him for it, no matter how hard he tried to stay awake. He had to endure the meeting no matter what.
After making a couple of jokes, Ji Jingyuan didn't say anything more. He took a sip of water and lowered his head to play with his phone. He saw the text message that Zhou Tzuyu had sent him a few minutes ago.
"Your cup is still in use (smiling face)"
This girl clearly watched the Girls' Generation variety show and recent hot topics, but she still pretended to be innocent with a question to test Park Kyung-won. After seeing it, he shook his head in disdain.
"Nonsense, don't bother, throw it away"
After casually replying to one, Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but think back to the unexpected heat he had been feeling these past two days.
His brand endorsement ability, or his ability to bring traffic to brands, has always been very strong. This has been the case since his debut. Under the influence of a very positive image and an increasingly large influence and national recognition, almost all the brands he endorsed have seen significant increases in sales and many other aspects. Among them, brands like LG have seen particularly significant improvements. This is also the fundamental reason why Park Seo-joon is so welcomed and favored by brand manufacturers and advertising companies. Many brands are seeking to renew their contracts every year, and the contracts offered are generous as well.
Like LG, they have basically set their sights on Park Ji-won. Their entire line of electronic products has had the same spokesperson for two years and is expected to continue renewing the contract.
But those were all regular endorsements, conducted through advertisements to promote products and boost sales. However, this time, the appearance of this accidental cup suddenly became a hit product, directly selling out of stock for the brand, which was truly unexpected.
Even Ji Chang-wook himself found it strange. He initially had no idea about this, but he later learned about it from Kim Tae-yeon. The actress asked her manager to buy the same cup, but was unsuccessful. She then texted him asking where he bought it, which made him realize that even though he wasn't in the Peninsula, he had become a hot topic.
To be honest, he's almost forgotten that he participated in that Girls' Generation variety show.
Although it was somewhat unexpected and sudden, this also reflects Chi Jingyuan's popularity and carrying capacity. At least after this water cup incident went viral, he will be more sought after by numerous brands, and it will also give his company more leverage when negotiating contract terms with him.
For example, after this water cup brand sold out of its products, it first expressed gratitude on SNS and then directly contacted ** company's detail pool Jingyuan to be their spokesperson.
But it's estimated that they probably won't come to an agreement, this brand feels a bit small for him right now.
"Hee hee, would you dare..."
Chou Tzu-yu probably felt good, she wasn't annoyed at all by Ji-yeong's complaints.
"What's there not to let go of with just a cup... However, the manufacturer of that cup should thank you."
"Haha, I feel the same way too"
"The meeting has started, I'll talk to you later."
Seeing Lee Seung-hwan walk into the meeting room with several managers and close the door, Ji Kyeong-won replied one last time before putting his phone on silent.
"Jingyuan, because of the great success of "House on the Hill," MBC has sent over a performance invitation. They want you, IU, and Jung Hyung-don to perform a special stage together on next week's Music Center. What are your thoughts"
Lee Seong-hwan took a notepad and, as soon as he came up, looked at Ji Kyeong-won and asked.
Several songs from "House Tower Room" and "No-Pick Song Festival" became popular after the show aired, topping the charts and enjoying high popularity. However, since they were only variety show songs, the singers did not participate in music broadcasts.
Other TV stations might be a bit less keen, but as the production house of "Unfiltered," MBC is clearly eyeing up this wave of popularity.
"A special stage for "Rooftop House" Ji-yeong thought for a moment: "What about Hyo-deok and IU sunbae"
"I reached out yesterday, and they didn't seem very interested. However, they said to hear your thoughts."
"Are there any other songs besides "Rooftop House" for the Ceremony of Songs"
"Well, only "The Tower House".
Well, forget it then.
After considering for a few seconds, Chi Jingyuan pursed his lips and replied.
He didn't have any intention of participating in a music show performance this time. Variety songs are not very suitable for music shows anyway. If all the songs were performed at the song festival, he wouldn't be able to push back easily. Only if it was just the song "Rooftop" that he would have no interest and it wouldn't be appropriate either.
Even if the performance is exceptionally special, with impressive stage effects and enthusiastic audience response, it will never surpass the impact of the inaugural Song Festival. It also won't generate any further significant hype or benefits.
"Well, I actually thought the same thing, so let's just go with it."
Lee Seung-hwan raised an eyebrow, as if池's reply was exactly what he expected. After writing two points on his notepad, he looked back and added, "By the way, Kyungwon, your song is really popular. The company is considering adding "Rooftop" as a special stage to **ton or XO concerts. Remember to make some time to design the stage flow. As for the internal collaboration artists, the company should arrange them. If you have any suitable suggestions, feel free to bring them up."
"Okay, bro, I got it."
Qi Jingyuan nodded, indicating that he remembered.
Although it was a collaboration variety show song, IU and Jung Hyung-don only collaborated once, and the copyright is in his hands. ** probably didn't care much at first, but seeing that "Rooftop" has become a hit song, adding stage performances was to be expected.
"... , "Pure Love" is estimated to wrap up around mid-September. The company has gotten you a screen test opportunity for the comedy film "Brother". You should prepare for it these days." Lee Seung Hwan then looked at Do Kyung Soo: "Although this drama doesn't have a large investment, if you can participate in it, it should be a good exercise for your acting skills."
"Okay, brother," said the called-out Doh Kyungsoo, immediately nodding in response.
Since his acting debut in last year's "It's Okay to Not Be Okay," Do Kyung-Soo has been cast in and made guest appearances in several TV dramas and films under the company's arrangement. Although his roles have generally been small and the productions were not large-scale, they have provided him with valuable experience and connections, paving the way for his successful journey as an actor.
Although not as lucky as Park Bo Gum with several consecutive hits, D.O. is considered, besides Park Bo Gum, the only EXO member who has successfully transitioned into acting so far.
Originally, there were several actors with high ambitions among the EXO members, such as Park Chan-yeol, Baekhyun, and even Wu Se-hun. Although they were criticized by the industry for their over-the-top and greasy acting in "My Neighbor is EXO" at the beginning of the year, after all, EXO's popularity is skyrocketing, and the company still hasn't given up on their plan to transform them into actors. They have been given many opportunities to audition. It is said that Park Chan-yeol is auditioning for the male lead role in a Sino-Korean co-produced film. When they were in the dormitory, he mentioned that Seo Hyun from her younger days would also be participating. It is rumored that there will even be a kiss scene...
It has to be said, ** really gives EXO members generous individual resources, whether it's in songs, variety shows, or even film and television. Not even a certain Starbucks company can compare.
Then there's the "Aimer" a-nation Summer Festival on August 30th. The special stage instructors have already designed it, so after going back I'll start practicing hard...
He then continued to explain, and finally Li Chenghuan got to the point. As he gestured for his assistant to distribute the documents in his hand, he looked at the materials in front of him and said: "Finally, as mentioned before, on September 1st, we will be holding a live broadcast event on Naver's Vlive. We have already agreed that it will be a three-day consecutive livestream, with each day's combined duration being no less than one hour. The general process is written above, please take a look first…"
Chi Jingyuan took the materials handed down by his assistant and seriously read them with the others.
This three-day consecutive livestream project was named "Three Days Together". According to the company's arrangement, all nine members of EXO will appear together and participate in some small activities and games.
Vlive's sudden live streaming format is still a relatively new way for idol groups to spread their content. Compared to previous events like EXO's 3rd anniversary livestream, which involved a fully scripted program with a host guiding the performance, this approach is quite different. Therefore, both EXO and ** Entertainment itself lacked sufficient reference experience in this regard.
What kind of appearance and demeanor should be used for this live broadcast, like a formal program or a more casual one What content has high traffic and is popular with viewers What can be done to gain audience favor and easily attract fans These questions are still in the exploration stage.
Given the long-term partnership between ** and Naver, as well as the significant resources Naver has invested in promoting Vlive APP this time, it is estimated that in the future, many idols, including EXO, will frequently use this APP to livestream and interact with fans and promote themselves. Therefore, these questions remain quite important.
After about ten minutes, when the members had finished reading through the material, everyone began to share their opinions. Since they had been given a heads-up last month, EXO had clearly done a lot of preparation beforehand. Even Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and even Park Chan-yeol, who looked exhausted, all shared their thoughts, clearly showing how much they valued this.
"What are your thoughts, Kyung-won" After the others had spoken their pieces, Lee Seung-hwant and everyone's attention turned to the last person, Ji Kyung-won.
"I think that for this type of livestream, it's best to be natural and different from how we usually do our shows."
Ji Jingyuan had also seriously prepared and thought about it, and without much hesitation, he directly said, "We are making a program. On stage and in front of the camera, we present one way, but during private live broadcasts, we should show another side. The location shouldn't be limited to practice rooms and prepared studios as written in our information. Places like the nanny car, hotel, or even dormitories could be tried... As for the content, members can chat with each other, read comments, play small games, sing, or even eat, all of which are okay."
"You guys have probably seen a lot of us on stage, I think what fans really want to see is our more natural side off-stage. Even just sitting there and chatting casually would be interesting to them."
"You think it's important to be more relaxed and natural, different from the show" Lee Seung-hwan looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"Well, you don't have to be so formal, but it's still important to maintain your image and keep a certain distance. Don't get too close."
He nodded, but then added.
Even if you chat with fans like friends, keeping a certain level of mystery and distance is still important. For idols, the aura and filter around them are very important. You can be natural, cute, or funny, but if you get too close and let that aura and the fans' filter disappear, letting them see that you're just an ordinary person like them, it could lead to losing fans and easily becoming a comedic character or variety show regular. This wouldn't be worth it.
Based on experience, idols in a group who have a variety show persona or comedic positioning might be more likely to win over passersby's favor, but it's often harder for them to get fans to spend real money on them.
"I agree, and the suggestions for the live stream location are really good. Based on your ideas, places like a nanny van or a dormitory would be suitable. I think we could add those in..."
"If we were at the dorm, wouldn't it be easy to expose our location" Kim Jun Myeon interjected with some concern. "And besides, the conditions of our dorm... are comparatively too good. Both the renovation and the quality of appliances are very high-end. Wouldn't it have a somewhat negative impact if fans saw it"
"This is simple, just tidy up beforehand and don't shoot a full panorama."
Lee Seung-hwan considered it for a moment and didn't think there was a problem: "As for the latter, with EXO's current popularity, it wouldn't have much of an impact. Both fans and the general public would understand. However, just be careful not to take too many."
I think live-streaming while eating is pretty good, you can chat while eating. Ah, just thinking about it feels great.
"Singing is a great idea…"
"Could we live stream playing games, like League of Legends..."
Others also chimed in with suggestions, especially the idea of playing games together which received the most approval.
"OK, your ideas are all good and very feasible. The company will have a meeting later to discuss changing the plan for the first live broadcast and adding some new content... I think Jingyuan's suggestion of food broadcasts and dorm room livestreams is really great."
At the very end, after discussing everything, Lee Seung Hwan nodded with satisfaction and started summarizing: “Our cooperation with Naver is long-term, and everyone will be using VLive a lot in the future. This time we did a joint live stream, and we will adjust the content and process based on audience feedback afterwards. The next step for the group is individual surprise live streams by members. The company is very optimistic about this app, and it will definitely become an important channel for increasing exposure and promotion in the future.”
"This time, it's not just us. Groups like Shinee and Red Velvet from other companies will also be launching their own live broadcast projects successively. Artists from other companies will definitely follow suit. You must pay attention to this."
"Most importantly, no matter what content you're livestreaming, remember the countless warnings we've given before: you absolutely cannot say or express anything sensitive. This isn't a show with post-production editing, so keep that in mind. Understand"
"Got it."
Everyone agreed.
** Entertainment places great importance on this matter, constantly reminding all of its artists to be careful whenever there is a potential problem.
"Okay, just remember that and we're done here."d smacked his lips: "I feel like the lyrics of this song are really super suitable for our current situation, they're really well written... Changwook, how did you come up with these words""The tranqu...