Chapter 8 Chapter 8

For Lia, this performance was over. Because some of the trainees in this batch will participate in the future new girl group project, this performance was additionally recorded to reserve the images of the practice period for the future debut.

She thought that this video would be quietly stored in the company's database until it was cut into the promotional video for their official debut. However, somehow, Kush got hold of Lia's video.

At this moment, in the [YG's Slave Producer] group, this video is being uploaded in real time. K-Flow: The performance video of the treasure trainee is here! Guess who changed this song? "Tell Me" by-Lia-

Kim.mp4 (Uploading…) BigT: …isn’t it written in the name? NeonL: ???! JiYo: Wow, our Lia, when was this?

NeonL: ...last week's performance, [@K-Flow] oppa, how come he has this? K-Flow: Haha, what do you think the company recorded this for? Of course it's for internal distribution~

BigT: Internal information = Kush distributing it everywhere. Lia looked at the messages in the group chat, and her vision went dark. She had a bad feeling... This video definitely appeared in more than just this group.

She held her forehead and sent a fainting emoji to the group. NeonL: Oppa, please don't spread this, it's too embarrassing! [tears.jpg] JiYo: Watching carefully~

K-Flow: Don't worry! I only gave it to a few people, it's an exclusive secret! JiYo: [thumb.jpg] [thumb.jpg] [thumb.jpg] ...

Quan Zhilong clicked on this video while rushing to catch up on his schedule. He was just watching it casually at first, but when the video ended, he couldn't help but click on the replay.

If you think about it carefully, even though they communicate frequently on MSN because they often need each other's help, it has been a while since they last met.

Teenagers are a time of rapid growth, and her stature has grown taller, and her features have begun to lose their childishness. In the video, the girl quietly sings the adapted song, her expression focused and her voice soft.

Compared with the previous period, her arrangements began to have some personal style. For example, her favorite drum arrangement was cleverly used in the chorus.

Although his style hadn't fully taken shape yet, she had often helped him with the basic editing of the segments during this period, so he easily recognized the familiarity. Yongpei, who was standing next to him, noticed his expression and came over.

"A trainee from the company?" Quan Zhilong nodded, his finger still lingering on the video progress bar. "Yes, the apprentice I mentioned before."

Yongpei watched along for a while and seemed quite interested in the adaptation. He pointed at the video and casually asked, "This version is really good. Can you send it to me?"

Hearing this, Quan Zhilong paused for a moment, then locked his phone and casually put it in his pocket. "No." Yongpei: "?" He was stunned for two seconds, staring at Quan Zhilong suspiciously, "Have you ever been so stingy before?"

Quan Zhilong leaned back in his chair, slowly turning the ring in his hand, and said lazily, "Yeah, it was like this before." Yongpei narrowed his eyes, feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. But... never mind.

He didn't bother to ask any more questions. * After the groups were divided, Lia began training according to the schedule of Group B. In the dormitory, Bo Eun and Chae Rin were assigned to Group A, while Min Ji and Park Sandara were assigned to Group B, just like Lia.

While it's unclear how Group A's training is going, Group B's schedule hasn't been relaxed just because they're reserve trainees; it's even more rigorous than before. Compared to previous arrangements, the current curriculum is more focused on enhancing individual characteristics.

The most important thing for an artist is not to have no flaws, but to have outstanding strengths. Only in this way can you be remembered by the audience.

Lia's daily training still includes vocal music and dance, but what's different from the past is that an arrangement training has been officially added to her schedule.

If before, the company's attitude was just to let her "give it a try", now, this course has become a key point in her schedule that she must take seriously, and she has to be fully prepared to deal with it.

Every week, she needs to submit a work of at least one and a half minutes: it can be to write lyrics on the existing accompaniment, or to select the company's discarded demo and adapt it.

At first, she was worried that her inspiration would be drained by the high-intensity homework, but it turned out that as long as she gritted her teeth, she actually submitted one song after another.

Regardless of the quality, the speed of production alone is quite astonishing. * Meanwhile, Kwon Ji-yong is in "extreme survival mode" for the popular variety show "10,000 Yuan Happiness."

This variety show is a popular one these days, with two artists competing against each other in each episode. His opponent is Kim Junsu from TVXQ.

TVXQ is currently the most popular idol group in Korea. Perhaps because they value their inherent popularity, YG Entertainment managed to schedule Bigbang on this show. The rules are also very cruel.

The program team only gives each artist 10,000 won, which is enough to cover all their expenses for a week, including meals, phone bills, transportation, and penalties for failed tasks.

More importantly, the production crew arranged cameras to follow the show 24 hours a day, so during this period, the artists could hardly get any extra free food.

If the final bill exceeds 10,000 yuan, there will be a penalty, and the one who spends the least will win the grand prize of a free trip for his parents. When the program crew arrived at YG company, it was already the fourth day of recording.

Kwon Ji-yong had been starving for four days. To win, he'd used his incredible willpower to eat less and work harder, and now he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. When he opened the door to YG, he was in a state of euphoria and hallucination.

Two cameras followed, one in front and one behind, as the group walked into the YG building. "Check check! Everyone! This is the 10,000 Yuan Happiness YG Special—"

He walked and spoke to the camera, his voice rapid and lively, almost frightening. "We're almost here at YG Entertainment! This temple of music! The cradle of hip-hop! The place where dreams are born!"

The PD who was following him tilted his head silently: "...Is he starving? Is he crazy?" The cameraman's scalp tightened and he hurriedly followed.

The recording crew continued their tour, visiting YG's practice rooms and cafeteria, before finally stopping at Teddy's studio. As soon as the door opened, Kwon Ji-yong excitedly peeked inside—and found Lia alone in the studio.

He excitedly raised his voice, "Ah! I accidentally revealed our YG trainee, everyone!" The camera immediately followed his gaze and focused on Lia, who turned back at the console, giving her a close-up. Lia: "?"

She looked up at the film crew pouring in, her fingers still on the keyboard, a bit bewildered. She probably knew that Quan Zhilong was going to film "10,000 Yuan Happiness" recently, because he had excitedly announced the news a month ago.

But she'd been so caught up in her music arrangement work recently that she hadn't noticed. It turned out to be today. Her mind raced, Lia quickly stood up, bowed to the camera and greeted the production team.

Kwon Ji-yong excitedly jumped over to her side and introduced her to the camera, "This is our trainee Lia Kim. She may become a junior member of Bigbang in the future. Please pay attention to her!"

He made a welcoming gesture beside her, then peeked at the computer screen and turned his back to cover it. "It's a very talented friend. He's writing songs. What songs... It's still a secret, shh..."

Lia didn't know what to do with him for a moment, so she could only stand aside, smiling, a little overwhelmed. It wasn't just because of the sudden photoshoot, but she also felt that Kwon Ji-yong was a little off today. Like he was completely overexcited.

To enhance the performance, or perhaps out of genuine concern that he might faint from hunger, the recording crew assigned him a game. The rules were simple: guess the sound effect.

The PDs took turns playing five sound effects. Whoever answered three correctly first would win a cup of hot soy milk. "This is a survival game..." he muttered, staring at the cup of soy milk with shining eyes.

Lia sat across from Quan Zhilong, looking at him with her chin propped up, her eyes calm, as if she didn't care about the competition at all. "Oppa, if you lose, I can help you drink this cup of soy milk."

Quan Zhilong suddenly turned his head and stared at her, shocked. "How could you be so heartless?!" Lia smiled but said nothing. The PD clapped his hands, signaling the start of the game. [Question 1: Piano Chords] Lia: "Amaj7."

PD: "Correct!" Kwon Ji-yong: "???" He looked at Lia in disbelief, "Did you just answer without even listening?"

Lia smiled slightly and shook her head at him: "Because I had a full meal at night, my brain is working very fast, Oppa." Kwon Ji-yong: "..." [Question 2: The sound of the door handle turning] Lia slowly opened her mouth, pretending to speak.

But just as she was about to speak, Kwon Ji-yong suddenly shouted, "The studio door?!" PD: "Correct!" Lia sighed, looking somewhat regretful. [Question 3: The sound of a lighter]

Kwon Ji-yong didn't hesitate: "Lighter!" PD: "Correct!" Kwon Ji-yong was instantly proud, "Didn't you even open your mouth just now?" Lia blinked and complimented him, "Because you reacted so quickly, Oppa."

Kwon Ji-yong: I suddenly feel like something is wrong... [Question 4: Countdown on the recording screen] Lia: “Countdown!” PD: “Correct!”

Quan Zhilong slapped his head in annoyance, "Isn't this the sound I am most familiar with...!!" [Question 5: The sound of plastic wrapping being torn] Quan Zhilong looked conflicted.

Lia coughed and whispered, "Oppa, if you want to win, you must answer this question correctly." Kwon Ji-yong frowned and thought for a second, then said with difficulty: "...Instant noodles packaging?" PD: "Correct!"

——The soy milk reward was successfully obtained. Quan Zhilong excitedly picked up the soy milk, holding it as if it were a treasure, his eyes full of gratitude. He took a deep breath and looked at Lia with tears in his eyes, "Thank you, NeonL senior."

Lia smiled softly, and while the camera wasn't paying attention, she quickly pulled a piece of chocolate from her pocket and slipped it into his hand. Quan Zhilong blinked, then quickly shoved his hand back into his pocket. His favorite! Chocolate!

Off-camera, Lia raised her index finger, silencing him with a slight smile. Quan Zhilong winked at her, as if they had tacitly reached some kind of underground agreement.

The filming PD and cameraman were watching closely: they saw nothing. Starving the artists to death wasn't the intention of their show. * After the show aired, a wave of online discussion quickly erupted.

Of course, most viewers initially came for TVXQ's Junsu and only watched Kwon Ji-yong's segment in passing. However, YG took advantage of the situation and bought a wave of publicity, causing the discussion on the forums about the two to become almost equal.

As expected, fans started bickering with each other: "YG is so shameless. Not only are debuted artists using our kids' popularity, but they're also using their trainees???" "Who above is using their popularity? Can't everyone just look after their own business?"

"They're scheduled on the same episode. Who would believe me if they said I wasn't piggybacking on them? Hhh" There are also ordinary viewers who simply care about the show: "This episode is so funny. Kwon Ji-yong looks like he's about to faint from hunger. Hahaha." "Who's that trainee? She's pretty good-looking."

"I beg you to go and see how miserable Quan Zhilong is. He really is the one who spends the least money this season." "The girl's little tricks... are you secretly feeding him food??"

There were also a few Bigbang fans who began to keenly sense that something was amiss: "Are the trainees and artists so familiar with each other? Are they secretly dating?"

"Zhilong Oppa, don't get close to other girls, hajima..." "Am I the only one who thinks there's something going on with them?" "The guy upstairs, are you the only one who thinks [smile.jpg]" ...

Lia silently sipped her iced Americano as she scrolled through the forums. Although she'd known appearing on camera meant potential criticism, she hadn't anticipated the sheer volume of people discussing the topic.

Of course, this was partly thanks to Kim Junsu. If he hadn't been there, this episode probably wouldn't have had so many viewers. She scrolled through the comments section, picking out the parts about Kwon Ji-yong and herself.

Some praised her, some scolded her, and some were obsessed with her little actions, trying to figure out whether she had secretly given food to Quan Zhilong.

She had indeed stuffed it in, but the group spent a lot of time analyzing the screenshots and still couldn't find any conclusive evidence. Lia couldn't help but curl her lips. This heated discussion, like an unsolved case, actually made her a little amused.

Just as she was about to exit the page, an MSN message popped up. From JiYo: Sorry, Lia, you got scolded because of me. From JiYo: I was so hungry that day, I didn't think too much about it...

Lia opened her phone, read the sentence, and blinked. She hadn't expected Quan Zhilong to take this matter upon herself. Honestly, for her, as long as she could get the attention, the benefits outweighed the disadvantages.

If she had to say it, she should thank him for giving her such an opportunity to appear on camera. But now, he actually apologized first? Lia sighed.

The more she interacted with him, the more she felt that Kwon Ji-yong had an idealism that contradicted his intelligence. Sometimes, he was even a bit naive. Whether it was casually handing her the unreleased audio source or this time, sincerely apologizing for a few negative comments.

He always subconsciously considers other people's situations first, but...she's actually not that fragile. Lia put down her coffee and lowered her head to type a few lines: It's okay, exposure is good for me and the company.

She thought about it, went back to the forum, took a screenshot of the comment praising her beauty, and attached it: [screenshot.jpg] Oppa, look, I still have fans^^ Kwon Ji-yong stared at the screenshot for several seconds, and the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.

From JiYo: [Touched.jpg] When our Lia debuts, I will definitely stand in the center position to cheer for her!

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