Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Girls and Dreams
It was not until 10 o'clock in the evening that Quan Xing Ai and his teammates returned to the dormitory. Generally speaking, everyone would choose to rent a house on their own in the third year of the group, but perhaps it was because the RD group had a bad fate. It was very popular in the first year but gradually became less popular in the second year. Therefore, after the third year, everyone often lived in the same dormitory and would only go home on weekends or when they had something to do.
Back at the dorm, the four of them were still feeling a bit down. The company was launching a new group, so wouldn't this single be their last? This was a shared worry. Quan Xing Ai, who had previously considered retirement and a quiet retreat, was now biting her nails, worried about losing her job.
She's no longer the second-generation star Sarah. She can no longer just do whatever she wants to gain traffic, get press, or achieve success by releasing songs like she did in her previous life. She only has $100,000 in her bank account! She can't even afford a big house in Seoul. Regardless of her inner thoughts, she now has to take her idol girl group career seriously.
"Hey, do you think the single will be successful?" Park Jinwen is the one among the four who takes her career most seriously and has the most dreams. Before joining neon, she submitted her videos to the three major media outlets. When she was a child, she decided to dream of becoming a star when she grew up.
"I was quite confident, but after today's meeting, I felt like I was given an ultimatum, and now I have no confidence at all." Kim Eun-mi fell on the sofa in the living room, looking at the ceiling.
"Just think of it as a re-debut. Now that Xing'ai is back, we should be even more confident! And after the meeting, Hyunho and I talked about giving the leadership position back to Xing'ai. I always think our group will be fine!"
Quan Xingai looked up at Lumi Yin Yanzhen.
"Yeonjin, you..."
"We became popular right after our debut in 2016 because of you, although a lot has happened since then. Actually, there was a time when I really had a grudge against you, but after I found out you were suffering from depression, I completely regretted it. I'm afraid none of the three of us can empathize with your situation. We've never experienced the pressure of being talked about and stared at by everyone, so...oh, actually I don't want to be sentimental. Anyway, Xing Ai You is my soul, you know?" Yin Yanzhen said seriously at first, but she became more and more embarrassed as she spoke, and finally ruffled her hair to cover her blushing cheeks.
"Yeah, actually I hated you last year, but when it was my turn to be abused for no reason by those boring people, I realized that you had endured it silently for so many years." Kim Eun-mi hugged her knees.
"I was always the least popular, but my popularity only rose after Sarah was attacked. Anyway, I've always had faith in Xing'ai. Luckily you were rescued! Otherwise, our group would be doomed." Park Jinwen said, holding the hands of all Xing'ai. "The fact that people still criticize you means they still remember you, and it also means that we are only one more chance to break out of this slump and prove ourselves."
Quan Xingai didn't expect that her three teammates would tell her their thoughts and concerns so seriously. The four of them were girls born in the same year. Although they had different growth backgrounds, they have been together for 7 years since they started as trainees. They have shared hardships from becoming famous to falling into obscurity. Looking at their expectant eyes, Quan Xingai's mind automatically emerged with memories of practicing and living with them in the past.
Those memories across the clouds seemed to gradually merge with myself, and the emotions in those memories were slowly blending into the blood of love all over the star.
"Even though the company is trying to cut costs and sign new artists, and they're even threatening us with the final single, we shouldn't be focusing on those last two words right now. If we're scared from the start, then what's the point of releasing a song for our comeback? I'll think about it carefully. Over the next couple of days, I plan to practice dancing while listening to our new songs. Since this is a crucial comeback, I think we should try something different, something a little more outrageous and daring."
"How is it different?" Jin Enmei asked curiously.
"Let me study our singles first. Are all our songs bought from other companies' music libraries?" Quan Xingai searched his memory. Neon is a small company and naturally there are no famous producers or arrangers.
The company's current producer was Mike, a music producer hired by the boss, Moon Eun-joo, from the United States at a significant expense. Well, Xingai had never heard of that name, so he probably wasn't a top-tier producer.
She just listened to the accompaniment while practicing dancing in the afternoon. How should she put it? It seemed that only the climax chorus part was catchy, and the whole song seemed to be just an expansion of the chorus. Before she died in her previous life, she knew that short videos seemed to be on the rise. This kind of song is very suitable for the spread of short videos. It may not become a classic, but it is suitable to become a popular trend.
"Yeah, we can't afford a production team like the Big Three," said Kim Eun-mi.
"Oh..." Park Jinwen sighed while hugging the other person.
"Don't be discouraged, let's take it slow. Waiji wasn't even one of the top three companies when it started, but it still managed to become a big company thanks to GD."
"Ah - you don't hate him anymore? Can you lift the ban on this name?" Kim Eun-mi started gossiping, and Yoon Yeon-jin looked at her jokingly.
"Originally, that scandal had nothing to do with him. He was just an unlucky guy. He happened to be pushed out by his company as a cannon that year... just to cover up other people's scandals." Quan Xingai sat cross-legged on the ground, supporting his chin and recalling, while sighing.
"It seems like GD senior is about to be discharged from the military." Yoon Yeon-jin is a rapper, so she obviously knows more about Kwon Ji-yong's movements.
"Yeah, the seniors had a miserable time too. After they came back, the group was gone..." Kim Eun-mi was talking about the uproar in the entertainment industry in the past two years. It was because of this storm that the entire K-pop industry was sluggish for a while.
"I heard that my senior's contract with Waiji is about to expire. I think he probably won't renew it." Park Jinwen is an active gossip fan, has good interpersonal relationships, and has connections in various companies.
"He's already a superstar, everyone is vying for him." Quan Xingai shrugged and sighed in his heart.
"It would be great if our company could have a senior like GD to support us." Park Jinwen couldn't help but fantasize. The girl group Waiji, which debuted in the same year and had a similar positioning, was promoted by the entire company and had all kinds of inherited resources... Look at them, they have a hard time finding advertising...
"Although our company is small, it is very humane. I don't yearn for a big company. I fully support President Wen!" Quan Xingai raised his hand and spoke.
"Me too. I like our company more too. Look, isn't Waiji on the verge of disbanding this year..." Yan felt really sympathetic.
"So we must give our all for the comeback single. It would be great if we could have a creative talent among us." Kim Eun-mi sighed.
Hearing the word "creation," Quan Xingai's heart skipped a beat. Writing songs used to be as commonplace as eating and drinking water in her life, but after three years, could she really pick it up again? Quan Xingai felt a lingering desire to escape, yet she hesitated.
"Is it so easy to find creative talent? ... The songs written by the so-called creative members of the boy and girl groups nowadays, let alone those at the level of GD Sunbae, are all just formulaic and clichéd."
Yin Yanzhen sighed. Who doesn’t want to create if they can?
"Is creation an easy thing? Many creators are pressured by companies to write songs. When they have no inspiration, many people begin to fall into depravity..." Quan Xingai smiled with a melancholy tone.
"Why do you sound like someone who's been through it all? As if you've been through it all." Park Jinwen came over with a giggle and pushed Xingai.
All Star Love fell to the ground and laughed together, then asked his three teammates, "What do you think of our comeback song? Although the composition is a bit far, I want to try to adapt it. I'm going to try to modify the song this time."
Then the three girls turned to look at Xingai at the same time.
"adaptation?"
"Don't you think the new songs are a bit boring? The same old girl group dances plus the rebellious concepts from the past are like castles in the air." Quan Xing Ai has a sympathetic attitude towards songwriting, but at least he can make some minor modifications based on his listening, musical sense and sensitivity to music.
“…Yeah, actually I feel a bit bored too.” Kim Eun-mi said frankly.
"Xing Ai You, do you really want to change the song yourself?! Relying on those creative courses we learned before?" Park Jinwen asked worriedly.
"Actually, I also think the song is just average. I've been trying to write songs for the past few years... but Mike never accepted. Hey, I also know that idol groups can't have long-term vitality. I've always felt that we should be like Big Bang, like those bands. The key is to write and produce good songs. Look at how resilient the Beatles and Queen were! And Big Bang seniors, even though it looked like they were going to disband this year, the public still separates the work from the people, and they still listen to the songs..."
Yin Yanzhen said with a heartfelt sigh.
Quan Xingai laughed after hearing this. She heard the Beatles. As the saying goes, your uncle is still your uncle, but John Lennon is really her uncle.
"But ideals are beautiful and reality is cruel." Kim Eun-mi shook her head.
"Don't pay attention to her. I support you. Yanzhen, let's try the adaptation in front of us first." Quan Xingai looked at Yin Yanzhen and spoke seriously.
"I want one too, I want one too!" Park Jinwen leaned over and hugged Yoon Yeonjin, while extending his other hand to hold Eunmi and Xingai.
Before Quan Xingai could react, the four girls had already hugged each other.
"It's great! I feel like I'm back to my debut days. I'm still nervous about releasing a comeback single, but I think I've regained my confidence!"
"Jin Wen, your confidence has grown too quickly."
"Of course. Xing Ai has gone through life and death trials, so there will be no problem. Let's work together to get the single done!"
"It's so crowded and hot, Park Jinwen, please let me go first." Yin Yanzhen shouted from the innermost layer.
"Hehe, no! I'm already looking forward to the new look."
It's rare for the four of them to happily gather in the dormitory to chat, gossip, and talk about the future like they did the year they debuted. It seems that the lows of those two years have passed like the wind, and the future will be a new beginning.
When it was time to sleep, Park Jin-moon and Kim Eun-mi even took their pillows and squeezed into the room of Jeon Seong-ae and Yoon Yeon-jin, and the four of them slept on two beds together. Jeon Seong-ae had never experienced such a girls' dormitory before, and she was very surprised. Most of the time, she just listened to her teammates talking about gossip in the circle.
"What did they mean by saying that GD's group is gone? Bigbang disbanded?" At midnight when the lights were turned off, the girls didn't want to sleep yet and were still lying down chatting. Quan Xingai couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, you have really been oblivious to what's happening outside the window in the past two years. You don't even care about such a big thing!" Park Jinwen chattered, spilling out all the gossip he knew.
After listening to her, Kim Eun-mi added: "But Waiji was lucky. It looked like they were doomed, but BLACKPINK's tour was very successful and saved them."
"Tour... Hey, I want to tour too! Can our group hold a concert?"
Everyone fell silent again, and Quan Xing Ai finally shifted their attention and thoughts away from Da Bang. As for the concert... Well, the RD team had held a small fan meeting in early 2017, and the first concert has not been held until now.
"Yes, this single has received good response, everything is possible!" Quan Xing Ai's voice sounded extremely firm.
It was rare to hear the captain sound as confident and energetic as she was at the beginning. They seemed to have a real hope in their hearts, that maybe they could really turn the tide this time.
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