Chapter 50 Chapter 50
At four o'clock in the afternoon, when the studio door opened, Lia was hunched over her computer, doing her homework. She didn't look back. Her pen scratched across the paper, densely packed with numbers and derivations.
It was obvious that she was halfway through solving a number sequence problem. A thick stack of study materials lay spread out on the desk, and an unsaved engineering file was on the computer screen—clearly, she was trying to juggle work and study.
Even the sound of footsteps failed to attract attention. Until a familiar voice rang in her ears: "Abandoning?" Lia looked up suddenly. Quan Zhilong was wearing casual clothes and a red baseball cap.
A thin jacket was draped loosely over his shoulders, and he looked like he had just returned from outside. She was slightly startled: "Why did you come back so suddenly?" Bigbang had been performing in Japan for most of the first half of the year, and according to the schedule, he should be back tomorrow.
"The event in Japan ended early." He shook his phone. "I came to confirm some things with the visual department and check on you."
The visual design part shouldn't concern her. It's just that he's been letting her sit in on meetings lately—partly because she's genuinely curious, and partly because he wants her to get more exposure to the workflows of different departments. His thinking is very advanced. To catch up,
She also puts in a lot of effort to learn about the art world, including paintings and literature. After all, art is always interconnected. Production on the new album is already midway through.
The title song and most of the included tracks have been basically finalized, and the focus is currently on refining the arrangement and confirming the overall sound direction. Kwon Ji-yong's habit is to get involved in the overall concept construction early. Although he is in Japan during this period,
They still frequently connected remotely late at night. Previously, Lia mostly worked with Teddy on basic engineering projects, so she could clearly sense that his instructions had recently become more frequent, sometimes even bypassing everyone else and handing the changes directly to her.
She knew what this meant. He was handing her more core content. However, because of this, she had rarely found the time to focus on reviewing recently. Today was a rare free day, so she simply brought some exercises to the office and worked on a few during her free time.
She quickly put away the paper beside her and said apologetically, "I'm sorry..." Quan Zhilong laughed and took a few steps closer, nonchalantly, "Mathematics?" "Yes, it's a sophomore course, and it's almost the end of the semester."
He looked down at the problem on her desk with interest. "Sequence?" Lia nodded. "Let's have a competition?" he said. "I'll solve it too. The winner gets a prize."
He casually pulled out a sheet of music, flipped it over, found a pencil, and began writing on it. "???" "Oh, right, you start in two minutes. I'll be here later," he added without even looking up. —The competition begins.
Ten minutes later, Lia finished first and paused. She tilted her head to look at his page. She'd expected it to be blank, but she'd actually made it to the final step, stuck on a variable substitution.
Although the handwriting was illegible, the steps were clear and the logic was rigorous. Even the formulas retained traces of standardized training. "Wow..." she exclaimed unconsciously.
"What? I studied hard." Quan Zhilong casually put down his pen and sat up straight. "Oops, I lost." He shrugged. He didn't seem to care much about winning or losing, more like he was using it as an excuse to lighten the mood.
Lia smiled, took the manuscript in front of him, and carefully revised the last step. "I respect you very much now, Oppa." Not only is he a Hexagon artist, but he also hasn't fallen behind in his studies. Quan Zhilong raised an eyebrow proudly: "Let's go."
"Where are you going?" "Here's your reward." * Forty minutes later, the two arrived at a secluded Western-style restaurant. It was a common stand-alone courtyard restaurant in Gangnam District. The interior furnishings were retro and exquisite, and the speakers played soothing jazz.
"Lee Joo Hyuk, my childhood friend. Today's his birthday," Kwon Ji Yong introduced her as he led her inside. He walked in front, his steps brisk, and it was clear that he was in a good mood. As they entered, the party had already begun.
There were about twenty or thirty people in the restaurant, sitting in groups of three or four around sofas or high tables, chatting and drinking. Most of them were well-dressed, their styles varying, but all quite refined.
Lia could barely make out a few faces; they seemed to be models and designers of some note in the fashion world. The birthday girl was sitting on the sofa in the middle. She was tall, with a calm expression and a distinct face.
When he saw Kwon Ji-yong, he stood up and greeted him with a smile. The two of them briefly bumped fists. "You're here?" Lee Joo-hyuk nodded, his eyes falling on Lia. Kwon Ji-yong leaned over and introduced Lia, "Lee Joo-hyuk, model."
Lia waited, and seeing that he had no intention of introducing herself, she had to add: "Hello, I'm Lia, currently studying album production at YG." Lee Joo Hyuk chuckled softly: "Yeah, I know."
He seemed about to say something else, but before he could, Quan Zhilong glanced at him. "Come on, I'll take you to meet some people," he said, his tone natural, but he pushed Lia in the other direction without saying anything.
Lia was a little confused and could only nod to him hurriedly, following Kwon Ji-yong's force and moving forward. Lee Joo-hyuk stood there, his expression casual, as if he had seen something interesting, with an interested smile on his face.
Next, Kwon Ji-yong took Lia to greet a few friends. One of them was Yohann, an up-and-coming designer who had recently become the visual lead for a brand collaboration. He seemed cheerful and always had a smile on his face.
The other was a well-known model, Soojoo, with light-dyed hair, a flat face and sharp features, but she spoke surprisingly quietly and only nodded politely at Lia.
Kento, a well-known party DJ who frequents a club in Hongdae, is a familiar figure in the scene. It's clear that Kwon Ji-yong is quite familiar with the others.
He was noticeably more relaxed among them, speaking a bit faster than usual, occasionally cracking a joke that drew laughter. In a corner not far away, Treta sat at the bar. He also noticed Lia and raised his eyebrows, but remained silent.
After saying hello, someone else came to clink glasses with Quan Zhilong. He turned back to look at Lia. "Wait for me there?" He patted her head and pointed to the sofa not far away. "I'll be back soon." Lia nodded.
He didn't return quickly. The socializing continued. Lia sat on the edge of the sofa, a glass of apple juice in her hand, quietly observing the people at the party. Kwon Ji-yong seemed in a good mood.
He seemed particularly natural among the crowd, probably because he was surrounded by close friends. He put on a relaxed look that was rare on his normal days, chatting, clinking glasses, occasionally lowering his head to whisper to someone, and occasionally glancing over at her.
Lee Joo-hyuk, on the other hand, didn't seem like the center of attention. He sat quietly on the sofa, watching the conversation, occasionally meeting her gaze and offering a polite smile. Besides him, Lia was keenly aware of the occasional curious glances from others.
She tried her best to ignore the stares and concentrated on drinking the juice in her hand. "Hello, Lia." A clear voice suddenly sounded. She looked up.
Standing before him was a young man in his early twenties, wearing a hat. He had gentle features, simple clothing, and a mild demeanor. "My name is Yoo Kwon-taek, and I'm Joo-hyuk's friend." He extended his hand politely. "You probably don't know me, but I make independent films."
Lia was startled, then returned his outstretched hand. "Hello." He sat down across from her, politely asking for her opinion before taking his seat.
"I'm not actually here to say hello to you." He went straight to the point, "I want to contact actor Yoo Seung-ho through you." "...Yu Seung-ho?" Lia didn't expect to hear his name here.
Liu Quanze smiled and said, "Yes, I'm thinking of making a low-budget independent film recently, and the script is almost finished. There's a role I'd really like him to play, but I don't have the resources—the agency won't even look at our proposal."
He took a sip of water, his tone calm. "I know you're friends. I saw you in an MBC interview." Lia didn't respond immediately. The other party was unusually frank and directly stated his purpose.
But this was not something she could interfere with at will. She was speechless for a moment and didn't know how to respond.
"If possible, I just want to find an opportunity to let him take a look at the book himself." Seeing Lia's hesitation, he added, "You don't need to act as a lobbyist for me. I am very confident in my book."
Although this movie may not make much of a splash in terms of commercial value, he is confident that the artistic value of this movie will definitely be seen by others.
"This is a list of the movies I've filmed so far," he said, taking out a document from his bag. "Although they're not very famous yet, I still try to do each one seriously." Lia was a little surprised.
He was so well prepared that it felt more like a job interview than a birthday party. "I usually carry these things with me because I might run into people from my circle," Liu Quanze explained a little sheepishly.
Lia nodded, took the list, and glanced down at it. The paper listed the titles and basic information of the three works—filming year, content, actors, and release channels—with a website link at the end.
He didn't say anything else, just quietly waiting for her to finish. Lia raised her head and looked at him for a moment, as if she was re-assessing him. His tone was calm and his words were decent. Intuitively, he didn't seem like an unreliable person.
She thought for a moment before saying, "I can't promise you anything. But if you're willing, I can help you pass on the script." "Thank you, thank you so much." He breathed a sigh of relief, with a hint of genuine relief in his expression.
"I'm just helping to transfer it. What happens next is up to him," she added. "Of course," he said. "That's more than enough." As they finished talking, Quan Zhilong's eyes swept over from a distance.
He said a few words to the person in front of him, raised his glass and clinked it with his, then walked towards this side.
Liu Quanze noticed his movements and didn't linger. He handed the script, which was in a brown folder, to Lia with both hands, thanked her calmly, and politely stood up to take his leave.
"What did he say?" Quan Zhilong walked over to her and asked in a low voice. Lia hesitated for a moment, but still recounted the conversation truthfully, including the other party's identity, the purpose of their visit, and her promise to hand over the script.
He didn't immediately express his opinion after hearing this. His expression remained unchanged, and he simply swirled the liquid in his glass. "I don't know him," he said in a calm tone. "Lee Joo Hyuk always brings people he doesn't know here."
He said it lightly, like he was just complaining, but Lia was keenly aware of a slight awkwardness. She didn't respond and gently changed the subject: "What were you talking about just now?"
"Oh." He seemed to think about it, "Kento's dog is about to give birth, and they're talking about this." "What breed?" "Shar Pei, I guess." He took a sip of wine, his tone a little disgusted, "It's pretty ugly."
"Hey, it's cute," Lia said with a serious laugh. When she lived in the US, her neighbor had a Shar-Pei, and as a child, she often visited it to bathe and let it air out. Over time, she'd grown accustomed to the wrinkled little thing.
"You like them?" He glanced at her, regaining some of his spirits. "Yes, I like dogs. I'm a staunch dog fan!" She nodded. Compared to cats, dogs are generally more affectionate, making people feel needed and dependent.
Quan Zhilong chuckled softly. "You can go check it out when you have time," he said. "Kento is quite welcoming." "Yeah," Lia replied cheerfully. "Is it a bit boring?" he asked.
"No, it's a rare chance to get out and about, it's quite fun." Lia shook her head. She honestly thought it was okay. Although these kinds of gatherings weren't what she was used to, she wasn't averse to them—especially when he was around.
Quan Zhilong tilted his head, as if trying to determine the authenticity. "That's good." He said, raising his hand to tidy up her drooping hair. Lia was stunned for a moment, but did not avoid it.
The noise around them continued: the clinking of glasses, laughter, music, all rippled around his ears like water. He glanced down at her, as if about to say something, but in the end, he just smiled. "Let's go," he said, "and have something sweet."
"And dessert?" "Of course," he said, raising his chin to point forward. "Today is a birthday party." He took a few steps first, then, as if suddenly remembering something, turned back and held out his hand to her. "Let's go, little dog-pie."
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