wavenovel Chapter 802 OST
Chapter 802 OST
Chapter 802 OST
The fish cake udon soup on the alcohol stove has been boiled, and the curling smoke continues to spread around, giving a hazy feeling under the light. The spicy fried pork ribs next to it are bright red, and the pleasing chili is sprinkled with a touch of emerald green onion, which looks particularly tempting.
These two excellent side dishes would definitely be a delicacy for wine lovers on normal days, but the people sitting opposite each other at this moment had no intention of picking up their chopsticks.
The original intention was to have a drink and chat together as they hadn't seen each other for a long time. Jung Eun-ji found a restaurant she often visited near the company. At first, they were chatting and laughing when they started eating, and they talked for a while about the hottest fashion week a few days ago.
After just two bottles of wine, when the topic unconsciously turned to recent affairs, the carefree Jung Eun-ji could no longer smile. She first sighed, then continued to pour wine and drink it in one gulp, occasionally inserting a few complaints in between, and it was obvious that she was in a low mood recently.
Although he knew her alcohol tolerance, but seeing the Busan girl drinking wine like water and obviously in a bad mood, and thinking of their recent situation, Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Apink's comeback at the end of last month after a year and two months did very poorly. The second week of the release should have been the time for them to promote their songs on music shows, but this week their title song "Only One" couldn't even beat "Russian Roulette" by Red Velvet, who had stopped promoting their songs for nearly a month after their comeback and hadn't even performed on stage. They couldn't even get a substitute spot on several music shows.
...But having said that, Red Velvet's comeback this time is actually quite successful. "Russian Roulette" performed well. Although the data did not show any obvious improvement compared to last year's peak period when they were the top girl group of the new generation, they made up for the failure of "July 7th" at the beginning of the year, and they have secured their position as a first-tier girl group.
But it's just stable... Compared with Gfriend and Twice, the two girl groups that became popular this year, they have opened up some gaps
Having said that, Apink's poor performance in music promotion is one thing. Apart from the first week sales which were the same as last year, the data and results in other aspects were not very ideal. In particular, the fans' evaluations and the market reaction were disappointing... In this situation where the overall market is constantly being driven up and the sales of all groups are increasing, standing still is actually a clear decline.
Although the song was only released half a month ago, the prospect of a dismal ending is basically foreseeable. It would be strange if Jung Eun-ji was in a good mood after her long-awaited comeback with such a result.
Seeing Jung Eun-ji slamming the table as if to vent her anger and drinking the wine in the glass, Ji Jingyuan silently took the initiative to fill her glass... One can imagine the pressure this friend has been under recently, and it is good for her to vent her anger.
"You may not know this, but before releasing the song, we were still discussing how many first place winners we could get this time in the dormitory. At that time, Xia Rong and I even had a quarrel because of our different opinions... If I tell you about it now, I'm afraid people will laugh at me."
Holding the wine glass, Jung Eun-ji laughed bitterly at herself, raised her head to look at the hazy chandelier, and recalled with complicated eyes: "Alas, I often think of the past two years these days. I am not used to it now..."
Hearing her say this, Ji Jingyuan couldn't help but think back to 14. The glorious days of Jung Eun-ji and the rest of Apink at that time flashed through his mind, and he sighed softly.
Each step of Apink's Pure Trilogy was a step up a notch, and it reached its peak in 14. With Girls' Generation's numerous romance scandals and a serious loss of fans, it became the flagship group of the new generation of girl groups.
The performance of "LUV" at the end of 14 was amazing. Even though it was head-on against Big Bang's GD Taeyang group and EXO's winter single, it still completely dominated the music scene that month and won 17 No. hits, a number that no girl group has surpassed so far.
Chi Jingyuan personally witnessed the glory of Apink at that time. Their song "Let It Be" was not comparable to others at that time...
No matter who looked at it, Apink's momentum at the time was like a new generation of TOP girl group that was about to rise to the top, and it was obvious that they were going to take over from the Love Era.
As a result, the upward momentum came to an abrupt halt in the following year. New generation girl groups emerged one after another, but they themselves encountered various problems such as company changes. In less than two years, it was as if they had suddenly died.
Of course, there are still many die-hard fans of Jung Eun-ji and her group. After all, they were once a girl group that almost reached the top... but the speed of their decline is a little too alarming.
From 14 to 16, they returned three times in three years. Without considering other achievements, the more intuitive data of the title songs that won the first place are:
17, 3, 0.
The glory of 17 first-place performances seemed like yesterday, but the transformation work is about to end in a dismal failure with zero first place. This speed of decline is really too cruel. No wonder they can't accept it.
"Did you listen to our song this time?"
Maybe because she drank too much, Jung Eun-ji finally took two bites of the food. She no longer cared about her image in front of her close friend Chi Jingyuan, and asked while chewing.
"Listen."
"what do you think?"
“…I think it’s pretty good, actually.”
Chi Jingyuan was honest. He even took the time to listen to the album. Apart from the other songs, their title song "Only One" was actually very well produced and the melody was also very nice...Except for the fact that the lyrics abused the word "baby" which made him feel a little uncomfortable, it was an above-average song.
Unfortunately, he thinks it’s OK, but fans and the market don’t like it…
He thought some of the songs were very rustic, but they were so popular that they left people speechless. This comparison made Chi Jingyuan question his own vision for girl group songs.
"In fact, the company was very cautious about this transformation, and chose the style and made the decision after conducting a detailed investigation and listening to many fans' suggestions."
I don't know what she remembered, but Jung Eun-ji's expression became interesting: "Many fans said they liked this before...but in the end, hehe..."
The reason why Apink's comeback this time has dropped so significantly is because this third regular album is their transitional work. In this album, they changed the youthful style they have adhered to since their debut and officially transformed into a light mature style.
After all, it has been six years since her debut in 11. It is really hard to put on pure makeup, act cute on the stage and keep shouting "MR.chu!"
Unfortunately, the market and fans’ reactions have made it clear that this transformation has failed.
"This kind of words is the most unacceptable..."
Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but roll his eyes speechlessly when he heard this: "You can't take fans' words too seriously, especially male fans. They get tired of the old and fall in love with the new very quickly. Many of the things they say are worse than those players, the Sea King..."
He stopped halfway through his speech, opened his mouth and didn't continue with the metaphor... He always felt like he had AOE'd someone for no apparent reason.
The support of fans is really a magical thing. When they like you, they are crazy about you, but this kind of feeling is difficult to last long and is very changeable. Maybe at some point because of a very ordinary thing, maybe having a meal, watching other groups' MVs and performances, your idol's style has changed, or even just taking a nap, the passion in your heart is gone.
But after thinking about it, Chi Jingyuan also added: "But...it is indeed time for transformation."
The people and male fans of the peninsula have a clear preference for the pure girl style.
But the youthful girlish style cannot be maintained for too long, and they will eventually face transformation after a few years of debut... As far as Chi Jingyuan knows, the group that has made the most successful transformation should be Girls' Generation, from holding lollipops to act cute when they debuted, to showing off their legs in navy uniforms, to being cool in their number one songs and avant-garde in their spliced songs, and even trying a retro style last year. They have tried various styles in almost every album, and they have digested them surprisingly well.
However, Girls' Generation is a rare breed, and the Waterloo of Apink, which has encountered a bottleneck in transformation, may be the future of most girl groups.
There are new girls every year, and every year a group of new girl groups with similar styles debut. Because there are too many choices, there will always be better-looking and younger ones to replace you. If you fail even once or are not careful, the speed at which all kinds of fans will quit following you is so ruthless that it's jaw-dropping.
Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but think of himself and EXO... SM still has its own characteristics and did not limit EXO to a single style. Since their debut, they have had a different style for each album, so the problem of transformation is not very serious.
And there are not so many restrictions on boy bands themselves.
"Forget it. I've been feeling a bit uncomfortable holding it in lately. I've made you listen to my complaints for such a long time..."
Although she had drunk a lot of wine and her face was obviously drunk, Jung Eun-ji was still sober. After talking for a long time and venting the pressure in her heart, she seemed to be relieved. While eating, she looked at Chi Jingyuan: "Are you a little long-winded?"
"Yes, a little bit... It's okay, just pay the bill later."
"Yeah, didn't we agree that you'd treat us?"
"You have to review it yourself."
"I just saw that the atmosphere was a bit depressing, so I just made a joke."
"You've already paid off your debts, why are you still so stingy?"
"You also know that I owe money... Do you think everyone earns as much as you, the number one male idol!"
"Ah……"
Jung Eun-ji still has the same personality. Although her appearance has become delicate and goddess-like, she is still so carefree in front of close friends. She quickly returned to normal after venting. At the same time, she might have felt that it was not easy to have a chat, and it was not good to let Chi Jingyuan complain for a long time, which made the atmosphere a little depressing. She also took the initiative to make jokes and change the subject.
However, Chi Jingyuan was thinking about something while chatting casually.
This friend's career development in recent years has not been very satisfactory. Both of them debuted as actors in "Reply 1997" and they were already popular young actors. As a result, the performance of this sister's recent dramas have been mediocre, and she is completely the second ratings poison.
Recently she has sung a lot of OSTs and released some collaborative songs, but they didn't make much of a splash.
The only album that can be considered good is the solo album in the first half of the year... and this album coincided with the huge explosion of Twice, which took away a lot of the popularity.
Overall, things are indeed not going very smoothly for Jung Eun-ji right now, and Apink will be in its seventh year since debut next year. Judging from this performance, the prospects are becoming a little bleak.
Ji Kyung-won doesn't have many good friends in the circle, but Jung Eun-ji has known him since shortly after his debut and has remained with him until now. She is one of his best friends in the circle. Although Jung Eun-ji never mentioned it when encountering this situation, he is very willing to help.
He is actually a very nostalgic person.
After thinking for a while, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind. Chi Jingyuan remembered that there was a piece of work that had been piled up for a while and it seemed that he could work on it with this good friend.
After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Chi Jingyuan made a decision. He chewed the spicy fried pork cartilage in his mouth, looked at her as if he remembered something, and pursed his lips: "By the way, I have a case here that needs someone to work with me. Are you interested?"
He had already finished the OST "Stay With Me" of "Goblin" a long time ago, and at the reminder of Kim Eun-sook, he changed the song into a duet between a man and a woman... But he was too busy before, and there was still some time before the TV series was released, so he didn't put it on the schedule.
But it's already October, and if we take into account the time for post-production and dubbing, it's about time.
Chi Jingyuan had considered who to sing this OST with before. Most of the male vocals are rap, which he can easily handle, but the female part of this song is still relatively difficult. It has certain requirements for singing skills and voice, and the requirements are not low.
Although the studio version can still be adjusted even if the singing skills are not good, but if there is a live stage, the true colors will be immediately exposed, so it is not something that can be done by just anyone.
He had a few goals in mind before but hadn't considered them carefully. Now he thought about it and found that Jung Eun-ji was actually pretty good. Although she had a big mouth, her singing skills were really good and there was definitely no problem with her singing level... although her voice was a little bit worse than the ethereal one he had originally imagined.
But in fact, it is not necessary for the voice to be so ethereal, and who knows how close they are...
But hearing him say that, Jung Eun-ji was not very happy. Instead, she frowned and looked at him: "Why? Are you pitying me?"
Of course she knew that Chi Jingyuan had a lot of resources, but she had just said so much simply to speak her mind and vent her stress, and she really had no intention of seeking help.
"Yeah, I think you're almost acting in a daily drama. Will I see you performing on a road show when I'm wandering the streets of Hongdae next year?"
Chi Jingyuan did not deny it at all, and looked over with contempt: "Let me think... I'm not going to talk about our friendship again on variety shows to get attention from me... It's too embarrassing to think about it. If you really do that, don't blame me for saying I don't know you."
He didn't avoid the issue at all and it was obvious that he just wanted to help her a little. They were all so familiar with each other and they were smart people. Beating around the bush for the sake of protecting their self-esteem would only hurt their self-esteem more. It was also a question of their friendship over the years.
"Ah Xi%…………&&*"
Hearing such sarcastic words, Zheng Endi immediately became angry and burst into a series of vulgar country dialects, completely losing her previous negative and lost look.
But after she finished cursing, she thought of Chi Jingyuan's invitation just now. Of course, she also understood the other party's intentions and loyalty. She rolled her eyes and looked over. She also pursed her lips without any pretense, and became interested: "What case?"
Although this was not her original intention, the recent situation is indeed not very good. Of course, she would not be hypocritical if her good friend asked her to help her... Anyone in the circle knows how popular and famous Chi Jingyuan is.
"The OST of the TV series "Goblin" that I'm filming now, the crew some time ago..." Chi Jingyuan took a sip of wine to moisten his throat, and then introduced it to her.
"OST..." Jung Eun-ji blinked after hearing it.
She has sung quite a few OSTs, but there are very few TV drama OSTs that are popular, and most of them fail to make any splash... So far this year, only the songs from "Descendants of the Sun" have been considered popular.
"Don't underestimate this OST. I'm very optimistic about this song."
Obviously aware of her thoughts, Chi Jingyuan suddenly felt unhappy about being questioned.
There’s something I haven’t said yet… It’s bound to be more popular than your title song this time!
"You wrote it?"
"Of course, it's a painstaking effort."
"Okay, I'll give you some face."
Chi Jingyuan hesitated for a moment after agreeing so directly, and asked tentatively: "Why don't you listen before making a decision?"
He is confident, but who can confirm the market? Normally, if you want to be a little more cautious, you should at least listen to the demo before making a decision.
"Didn't you say you have confidence?"
Shrugging, Jung Eun-ji raised her glass and took a sip, looking like she understood him very well: "Although your relationships with men and women are not that good, and you have a lot of shortcomings...but this aspect is still worthy of recognition, three men and one man."
In addition to this reason, the main reason is actually because Chi Jingyuan wanted to help her... her friend was so loyal, no matter what, even if it was a bad song, she would definitely accept it.
"The three male leads are a thing of the past. You are still too conservative. Now my fans are directly praising Shi's male lead..."
With a proud smile on his face, Chi Jingyuan unabashedly claimed the title, and then made a very proud expression, raised his glass and slammed it against her: "I'll send you the DEMO later when I get back... Ha, you're really getting a bargain."
"What's the bargain for me? Are you planning to harm some pretty female idol through this cooperation?"
"You know me so well? You figured this out?"
"You are just like that... But what you thought is not wrong. She is indeed a beautiful female idol, but it's a pity that you can't harm her!"
"Beautiful female idol, you? ...Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..."
"Ah, what the hell..."
Unbridled laughter and angry curses came together, and even the water vapor in the air was dispersed a lot.
"Are you going back to the company?"
After finishing their meal, the two walked out of the restaurant and came to the parking lot. Their cars were not parked together. Chi Jingyuan found his nanny car first, and stood in front of the car and asked Zheng Endi, who was two or three meters away.
"Yeah, my assistant just texted me saying there's something else."
"Should I ask my agent to send it back to you?"
"No, I just asked my assistant to pick me up."
"Okay, I'll leave first. I have things to do when I get home tonight."
"Bye~"
Chi Jingyuan didn't say anything more. Finally, he nodded and prepared to leave in the car. Zheng Endi just stood there and waved goodbye to him.
However, Chi Jingyuan opened the car door but did not get in directly. After stepping one foot in, he suddenly stopped, as if he remembered something, and turned around.
He half-closed his smiling eyes, looked at his friend a few meters away, chuckled, raised his right hand and shook it casually.
"Ah……"
Zheng Endi understood what he meant instantly, and rolled her eyes with an expression of disgust, but at the same time she took a few big steps forward, with a smile in her eyes, and slapped Chi Jingyuan's hand hard with her right hand.
"Crack~"
(End of this chapter)