Chapter 95 Chapter 95

The commotion caused by Quan Zhilong's appearance quickly died down. He was wearing a baseball cap with the brim pulled down very low, completely obscuring most of his face. Only a small area of ​​the audience at the side of the stage saw his brief appearance.

He quickly disappeared backstage before anyone else realized what had happened. Yoo Hee-yeol and Lia also noticed the figure. But if an artist's sudden appearance is not part of a public schedule,

Program organizers don't usually actively direct audience attention. Yoo Hee-yeol remained calm as he continued the interview. After a few well-placed jokes, the audience's attention was drawn back to the center of the stage.

After the interview, Lia left the stage and quickly scanned the backstage, looking around. But the familiar figure was gone. She casually grabbed a staff member leaning against the side stage,

I whispered, "Where did that guy go?" The man was startled, then realized, "Ah, you mean GDnim? He just left, right after your performance." The person who spoke was an intern photography assistant.

It's been less than a month since I joined the station, but I can't contain my excitement. Although I've met many artists, big and small, it was G-Dragon! Because of his musical philosophy,

YG artists have rarely appeared on KBS programs in recent years, so being able to see them in person today is a truly incredible workplace benefit. Lia nodded, smiled, and thanked them. She took back her backpack and pulled out her phone.

She sent a text message to Quan Zhilong. She didn't leave the scene, but sat back down in the audience and continued watching the show.

There were two more interviews with guests, each lasting about twenty minutes. She could have left immediately, but decided to wait until all the recordings were finished before going to greet Yoo Hee-yeol. He was a senior producer, so etiquette was expected.

After a while, the phone screen silently lit up. Quan Zhilong didn't reply to the text message, but called back directly. She stood up and walked back to the backstage, pressing the answer button. "Hello?" "Why did you come and leave?" She asked in a low voice.

"I'm recording a show nearby. Baoheng Nuna said you're on 'Sketchbook' today, so I stopped by to see you." The other person's tone was as lazy as ever, with a hint of complaint. "It's been a while, and there's been no news in the group."

Lia laughed: "Then why don't you wait for me?" "I have other plans and I'm worried about traffic jams." He sighed. "That's how it is," Lia flattered him, "The more popular you are, the busier you are."

"Really?" Kwon Ji-yong raised his voice slightly with a hint of pride, like a cat whose fur had been stroked. "I think you'll be famous soon, Producer Lia." She couldn't help laughing out loud, and the smile was faintly reflected in her tone.

"Oh right," he seemed to remember something, "Kush asked me to ask you if you were free to have dinner together." "Why didn't he ask it himself?"

The other person choked, as if feeling guilty, and dodged the question: "Anyway, before May." Lia replied, "Okay." "But why before May?" "After that, I have to go on tour. I'm very busy."

She laughed and agreed again. There wasn't anything important on the phone; they just chatted for a few minutes. As the call was about to end, Lia suddenly whispered a thank you.

Kwon Ji-yong knew what she meant immediately, without needing further explanation. "I knew you'd do well," he said, "just like today." He'd always known. She didn't need to be saved.

She was like a wild seed, silently taking root in the barren soil. The wind and rain failed to crush her, but instead gave birth to more resilient branches. And he was the first person to discover this seed.

Watching her gradually climb upward, closer to the light, it was like some kind of miracle, quietly fulfilled within her. He was mesmerized by that bright, powerful vitality. The stronger it grew, the more reassuring it felt, even exhilarating. So he gladly accepted the thank you.

It was as if they had once stood side by side, tacitly understanding each other, fighting the world together. ... The call ended. Quan Zhilong was in a good mood.

Outside the car window, the neon lights of the city receded, and the dark, luxurious nanny car drove silently on the road. He leaned against the car window, eyes slightly closed, ready to catch up on some sleep.

Since their comeback with "Alive," Bigbang's schedule has been incredibly tight, with everyone averaging less than three hours of sleep a night. They'd just finished filming a commercial in the afternoon and had a radio recording in the evening, so he had to race against time in the car to catch some shut-eye.

Dasheng, who was in the car with him, secretly opened his eyes. He hadn't gone to the TV station earlier, but had taken advantage of that time to catch up on some sleep. Now he was feeling quite alert. After hearing what Quan Zhilong said on the phone, he probably guessed it all. On the way?

If he hadn't followed the almost two-hour detour, he would have almost believed it. * The elimination round of "KPOP STAR" was broadcast on April 1st, and the four-month selection process finally came to an end.

The champion was contestant Park Ji-min, who signed with JYP Entertainment after the competition and plans to debut as a solo female singer.

The runner-up was Lee Hi, whom Lia had been eyeing from the start. Yang Hyun-seok showed a special fondness for her and eventually signed her to YG Entertainment.

Five days after the finals were broadcast, "Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook" recorded by Lia was launched as scheduled.

The production team clearly didn't shy away from their desire to capitalize on the popularity of the show, having done extensive publicity in advance. Although it was a group interview special, the footage in the trailer revolved almost entirely around her.

The arrangement she performed quickly became a trending song on Naver that night. Meanwhile, the live performance also became the highest-rated segment of "Sketchbook" that night, ranking first among all programs in its time slot.

The comments section was quickly flooded with messages like: "This adaptation is amazing! Please release the source material!" and "By the way... is she implying that her song was copied?"

"Oh my god... I'm tired. Didn't YG respond? Why is she jumping out again?" "YG is just saying nice things, and she is looking for opportunities to secretly oppose it." "YG's PR has been pouring oil on them for a long time, kkk"

"Didn't the forum say before that 'Lover' had a first-rate melody but a third-rate arrangement? Now there's a comparison." "To be precise, it's Lia's 'Before Ends'! Neither the new name nor the lyrics have anything to do with lovers, kk"

"I read that forum, too. Didn't they say she'd be on 'Strong Heart'? Why isn't she on the show?" "It's hard to tell if the news is true or not." "Audio source, audio source, audio source! I've heard it on repeat several times." "I heard GD went to visit the set?"

"Fake news...Bigbang is on a crazy schedule right now, you let him fly?" "But my friend said he saw him at the scene..." "Whatever, I got it~~~"

"I saw it, I was there, but I only showed up for a few minutes and left quickly." "Make it up, make it up." "I'll say it again, it's hard to tell true from false~~" "Nothing else matters, the source of the sound!!!" "Lia in the same period

Kim has the best production ability, right? "I feel like she's better than anyone else in her generation..." "She has her own YouTube account, and the content is very thoughtful." "Seoul... I love TT."

"Isn't she a foreigner? It's much easier for foreigners to get in than for us." "You're just jealous. I heard she got in through a proper exam." ...

Regardless of what the comments section thinks, on the day "Sketchbook" was broadcast, Lia uploaded the behind-the-scenes production of this adapted song, which was renamed "Before Ends", on the Youtube platform.

Less than half an hour after the video was released, it was recommended to the official interview page of Sketchbook, and the number of clicks and reposts increased rapidly.

In South Korea, even though names like Teddy, Yoo Hee-yeol, and Bang Si-hyuk are widely known, the role of "producer" still has difficulty forming a concrete impression in the public's mind.

The public usually only remembers the singer. When a song becomes popular, the audience often only remembers the person standing on the stage.

Even for a special case like Kwon Ji-yong, it took years of accumulation for some people to gradually realize that he was also responsible for the production, but most people still find it hard to imagine how many rounds of overturning and polishing are behind an album.

The video Lia uploaded to YouTube is different from most music content in the K-pop context. She filmed the entire process, from melody motivation to musical structure, from harmony arrangement to timbre selection.

She recorded the narration herself and spent a long time communicating with the editor, striving to retain enough technical details without being obscure. This attempt to fully visualize the "production" is rare.

K-pop excels at packaging its idols, but its exposure to the music itself is often superficial. Songs don't appear out of thin air; those memorable melodies, rhythms, and arrangements are the product of countless iterations and refinements.

This video is undoubtedly a good start. Once it was released, it quickly broke the viewing record of all previous works on her channel.

Some viewers found her through the "Sketchbook" tag, while others clicked in from recommendations on the YouTube homepage. Some, inspired by the video, also looked up her back catalog and works. The listenership of her songs, which she had registered with the Composers' Guild, also skyrocketed.

YouTube, Sketchbook, forums, and news platforms quickly formed a synergistic effect across multiple platforms, and Lia Kim's name spread again in a nearly snowballing manner. Yang Hyun-seok's vision was indeed sharp.

There are too many topics about her.

Whether it's the past voyeurism incidents, withdrawal controversy, current plagiarism allegations, public appearances, or her own appearance, talent, and academic qualifications... In short, she arouses people's desire to spy and discuss.

In just one month, Lia Kim's name became known throughout South Korea, both for good and ill. Meanwhile, after the show's filming concluded, Lia finally found time to return to school.

Apart from her weekly YouTube updates, she hasn't scheduled any new work for herself for the time being.

When Xia Qing called her to ask her out, she realized that they hadn't seen each other for almost two months since their last meeting near the TV station a few months ago.

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