Chapter 118 Chapter 118

Lia quickly threw herself into the production of Lee Hi's album. For this purpose, Yang Hyun-seok even set aside a special recording studio.

The album's prototype had already taken shape; all that was left was to consider Lee Hi's opinions and make the final selections. To her surprise, Yang Hyun-seok attached great importance to Lee Hi—he didn't directly make the final decision on the proposal she submitted.

Instead, it was Lee Hi herself who selected the demo. "The boss gave me several different demos and asked me to pick my favorite," Lee Hi recalled. "I liked Ouni's demo the moment I heard it.

I chose it without hesitation. After systematic training, Lee Hi's temperament has changed noticeably. Her facial features aren't stunning, but weight loss and repeated training have sharpened her facial lines, and her demeanor has lost some of the awkwardness of youth.

Compared to her "Kpop Star" days, she is now closer to being a celebrity. She is still the introverted and slow-talking girl, but her external modifications have given her a bit more stage presence. Even though her vocal condition is good enough to stand on her own,

She was still very concerned about the changes in her appearance. Lia spent several days with Lee Hi, repeatedly listening to the potential songs. With some songs, Hi immediately showed a clear preference; with others, she was hesitant and needed to compare them.

She didn't jump to conclusions. Rather than immediately deciding on a production direction, she focused on exploring the most natural aspects of Lee Hi's voice and personality through these choices.

For idols, music is not just about melody and tone, but a way to communicate with the public. Even the slightest expression will affect the audience's first impression of her. Since Lee Hi does not compose her own songs,

This aspect could only be handled by Lia. While she screened and adjusted the repertoire for Xia Yi, she also consciously guided her to participate—even if it was just suggesting simple phrases or expressing preferences.

"These ideas are all part of you. Only by putting them into the album can others believe that this music is yours." Lee Hi is a quick learner. She has an almost intuitive understanding of music. Lia even reminded her to learn as much English as possible.

This wasn't just for future overseas development, but also to broaden her horizons and free herself from the constraints of the company's established framework. In her vision, Xia Yi couldn't just be a "product of the show," but rather a vibrant artist with lasting vitality.

An album is just the starting point. In contrast, the real headache for her is the coordination between various departments.

Although the visuals and marketing are handed over to a dedicated team, all these achievements will eventually be combined into the same album, so she still needs to be involved.

Sometimes she thinks back to when Kwon Ji-yong was producing "Heartbreaker" a few years ago. That was the first time she realized that music production wasn't just about melody and arrangement, but a complete concept and worldview.

In a way, she was recreating the "training" she had received back then. ... When Ha Ji-hye pushed open the door to the recording studio, Lia was bent over revising the lyrics. "Ouni is here?" Lia looked up quickly. "Well, you go ahead."

He Zhihui was in no rush. She simply placed the documents on the table and sat on the sofa in the back, quietly waiting. Lia nodded and quickly finished her work without hesitation.

Since becoming responsible for Lia's affairs full-time, Ha Ji-hye's work has become much easier - at least she no longer has to be assigned tasks by the company. Her entire focus now revolves around Lia.

External invitations and YouTube channel updates have gradually become a regular process. All she has to do is sort and filter, and convey the most important parts to Lia. What she really needs to pay attention to is Sony

Publishing contacts. This part hadn't been finalized yet, but she instinctively understood that it might be the key to Lia's future. She was smart.

The rapid development in just a few months made her realize that if she could seize this opportunity, this might be a "shortcut" that is faster than the conventional promotion path.

Because both her studies and production took up a lot of her time, Lia would occasionally ask her to meet in the studio. Soon, the two of them compared the documents and briefly reviewed the recent progress.

Most of the external collaboration invitations have been confirmed, and the update schedule for the YouTube channel has been arranged. Recently, Lia has begun to try new content directions - interviewing some independent musicians from abroad, or recording small collaborations.

Short-term interviews are easy to shoot and can be put online quickly; long-term collaborations need to be recorded in batches, and then slowly edited and released after enough material has been accumulated.

On the surface, it is just a new attempt for the channel, but in fact it means that she has used YouTube to build a window for herself to enter the overseas music circle.

As for Sony, Isaac had already arranged a meeting for her at the end of the year. After the semester was over, she would fly back to the United States to discuss the details.

After finishing her work report, Ha Ji-hye didn't get up immediately. Her fingers traced the edge of her folder, as if she was about to speak. Lia noticed her hesitation: "What's wrong?" "...Have you been watching the news these days?" Ha Ji-hye lowered her voice.

Lia couldn't help but complain: "Ouni, there are only two of us here." After spending a long time together, Ha Ji-hye would occasionally show some off-key behavior outside of work, just like now.

Ha Ji-hye stuck out her tongue sheepishly and glanced at the camera above the recording studio. "I haven't had much time lately. What happened?" Ha Ji-hye pulled out her phone, fiddled with it for a moment, and handed it to Lia.

The latest news report on the screen was "G-Dragon and YG producer Lia Kim are dating." "Huh?!" Lia couldn't help but exclaim.

Even within the company, few people knew about their relationship. Aside from a few close staff members, even someone as careless as Kush was completely unaware. "It's all in the tabloids. Haven't you noticed a lot more people hanging around downstairs lately?"

There was no substantial evidence, and no idea where the rumor came from. "No wonder..." Lia frowned. She always felt like someone was secretly filming her when she entered and exited the company.

"Thankfully, no major media outlets are picking up on this. It's just the tabloids jumping on the bandwagon right now," Ha Ji-hye consoled. "Okay, I see. Thanks, unnie." Lia nodded. She'd actually had a premonition, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

Even without evidence, such rumors, appearing on the eve of his return, still seemed particularly subtle. There's no smoke without fire. After Ha Ji-hye left, she simply read through all the news reports.

They were indeed little-known tabloids. Lacking hard evidence, their content was nothing more than repetitive, occasionally regurgitating forum gossip. It wasn't something to worry about, yet it was vaguely irritating. Lia frowned slightly, closing her eyes in thought.

----------