Chapter 69 Chapter 69
Spring was drawing to a close when the photography club organized a field trip. This was the first collective activity for the Seoul National University Photography Club since the new students joined. The trip to Paju, originally scheduled for the first week of school, had been repeatedly postponed because two veteran members were caught up in schoolwork.
It wasn't until the end of April that we finally made the trip. Paju is located in the northwest of Gyeonggi Province, about an hour's drive from Seoul. It's known for its open river valleys and hilly plains. It's a day trip away, and it retains a natural landscape distinct from the city.
It's a great place to collect folk songs. At this moment, several people are staying on the open grassy field next to an abandoned train station in Paju. This is a location carefully selected by the agency. Nearby is the abandoned platform, the rails have long been rusted and swallowed by weeds.
Only a faded sign remained standing. Several red brick walls were severely damaged by wind and sun, with rusty metal pipes exposed in the peeling areas. On the slope not far away, there was a pine forest with new leaves of light green, with sparse and dense patches.
It spreads out along the undulating terrain, carrying the uniquely refreshing air of late spring. In the words of the company president, this is a rare location that combines both cultural flair and natural light and shadow. Someone has already spread out a picnic mat on a vacant lot beneath the brick wall.
Taking advantage of the shade cast by the half brick wall, I laid out the cut fruits and snacks I brought from home.
In just a moment's turn, Xia Qing slipped over and sat down on the mat. "It's only spring, and it's already so hot." She fanned herself with her hands and muttered softly. Seeing Xia Qing sit down,
Lia also put away her camera and followed. As for why Xia Qing had come along on this photography club trip... it was because the club was so small.
There are only five people in the photography club, including the new students who joined this year.
It's said that in its early years, the club had a fairly large membership, even having a dedicated person in charge of the darkroom and printing, and occasionally taking on small jobs shooting promotional photos for campus events. However, as several core members graduated or went abroad, only Choi Ji-eun and Park Dong-woo, who greeted Lia on orientation day, remain.
President Choi Ji-eun was a sophomore in the Fine Arts Department, majoring in sculpture. She was petite, soft-spoken, and had a smile that made her eyes curl. Park Dong-woo, a year older than her, was in the Department of Media Studies. Because of his round head and potato-like build, everyone called him "Potato Senior." Despite being a veteran, he disliked being in charge, so he simply held the title of Vice President.
This year's recruitment wasn't ideal. Initially, around ten people had signed up, but only three remained, including Lia. Park Dong-woo lamented the club's lack of successors and urged everyone to bring friends and family from outside the club, arguing that even a small van filled with five people wouldn't be full, which would be a rather bleak sight.
Xia Qing took out the spring rolls she had bought from the school cafeteria from her bag, invited everyone to try them, and handed one to Lia. Lia took it, sat down next to her, and took a big bite.
"Why didn't Xiao Yu come?" Xia Qing didn't bother to eat. She just pinched the spring roll in her hand and started gossiping with great interest.
She'd been holding it in all the way, hadn't been able to ask on the way here, and after getting off the bus, that "potato senior" had been dragging her around for photos. Now that she finally had a break, she was itching to hold Lia down and interrogate her. She hadn't been able to explain it over the phone, but now that they were face to face, she should at least give her an explanation, right?
Looking at Xia Qing's sparkling eyes, Lia's cheeks couldn't help but feel hot. While swallowing the spring roll in her mouth, she replied vaguely, "He's very busy and doesn't have time." "Even if he doesn't have time, are you two really in love?"
"...Yeah." Xia Qing slapped his thigh fiercely: "I guess they are in love!"
Her action drew the attention of Choi Ji-eun and a new club member, who were sitting on the other side of the mat. Xia Qing quickly waved her hand to indicate it was okay, then lowered her voice and asked, "So, how did Xiaoyu confess?"
"He...didn't confess?" "?" Xia Qing was puzzled - why was he questioning her? "How did they get together if he didn't confess?"
"...If I had to say it, it seems I was the one who said it." Lia hesitated. Xia Qing looked bewildered. Seeing that she couldn't react, Lia had to briefly recount the conversation when Yu Chenghao sent her back.
Especially when she said she would not go to social gatherings anymore.
After a while, Xia Qing couldn't help but sigh. Although she couldn't put her finger on what was strange about it, she had never expected Xiao Yu to be able to fall in love without confessing. She couldn't help but shake her head repeatedly in respect. "What happens next?"
"He went home after that." "Really?" "Really!" Lia looked up at the sky. Xia Qing clearly didn't believe it. But since this question wouldn't yield any results, she had to change the topic: "Did he later say he liked you?"
"Hmm?" Lia didn't expect her to ask this out of the blue. After a moment's thought, she said, "...No." He hadn't really said he liked her. Or rather, he had never directly said he liked her.
If anything, it seemed like the two of them had simply tacitly accepted this change in their relationship, contacting each other more frequently, that was all. In fact, because the other person had to start filming the next day, they only saw each other once in two or three weeks, when he rushed over from the set and they had a brief chat downstairs at the office.
Until now, she actually had no real feeling about the concept of "love". Xia Qing thought for a moment and said, "Based on my understanding of Xiao Yu, he is probably just shy." "Shy?"
"Yeah, didn't he keep silent when he first fell in love with you? He kept silent for three years unless you asked." Xia Qing counted on her fingers, her tone firm. "Anyway, if you really want to know, you can find a chance to ask him in person."
"Ask him...in person?" Lia stuttered. "Yes! Ask him in person—just ask 'Do you like me?' It's that easy!"
Lia couldn't help but look at Xia Qing carefully, her eyes complicated. Only she could say something like this so naturally! Although... she really wanted to hear it.
"By the way, what about Zhao Mingxi?" Lia was a little curious. "Why are you talking about him?" Xia Qing didn't care. "He doesn't like me." "Huh? How do you know he doesn't like you?"
"I asked him directly during the break. It happened to be a few days after the social gathering, and I was in the same large class with him, so I asked him casually. He even asked me to consider bringing him along the next social gathering." "..." Lia was speechless for a moment.
She immediately imagined Xia Qing asking in public, and the other party panicking and speaking without thinking... She sighed, but didn't say anything else. Anyway... this wasn't something she could worry about. She wished that classmate Zhao well.
At this time, Park Dongyou came over with one of the new members. Seeing them sitting on the mat from a distance, he waved and said hello: "Junior, how's the shooting going——"
"I just took a few pictures over there on the track. The sun is too strong right now, so let's take a break." Lia clapped her hands and moved aside to make room for him.
Park Dong-woo nodded and sat down. The new member said hello to them and walked over to Choi Ji-eun. Park Dong-woo had just returned from the pine forest and, panting, rested for a while before speaking to Lia, "Junior, can you lend me your camera...?"
His eyes were full of anticipation. Lia couldn't help but smile and took out her camera from her bag and handed it to him. She was carrying a Fuji Natura
The Classica was actually a birthday gift from Yoo Seung-ho. She had kept it at the bottom of a drawer ever since she received it, but she never expected it would come in handy in the photography club after she started college.
The photography club's activities are gear-agnostic. Since its founding, the club has championed the principle of "making the most of what you have." Therefore, both digital SLRs and film cameras have a place in the club. The former prioritizes practicality, emphasizing clarity and post-production quality, while the latter emphasizes aesthetics, pursuing the unique grain and flare of film.
Choi Ji-eun uses a Nikon D7000, a mid-range SLR camera with excellent image quality and control. Park Dong-woo, on the other hand, is a man who lives in the Communist Party but whose heart is in China. He uses a SLR and has a collection of film cameras at home.
Lia was not familiar with this camera, so she asked Choi Ji-eun to help check the shutter and film advance functions before using it. After hearing from her that there was already film loaded in it, she briefly studied it and started shooting.
Park Dong-woo had been thinking about it all morning, and now he finally got the chance to borrow it. After getting permission, he immediately took the camera and took pictures everywhere around the area, until he finished taking the last few frames of film, and then he returned to reunite with everyone with satisfaction.
After returning from Paju, Lia gave her camera to Park Dong-woo and asked him to help develop it. She had originally planned to follow him to learn, but on her way back, she received a message from Yang Hyun-seok.
After months of repeated revisions, the songs for Zheng Laicai were essentially finalized. Now it was just a matter of deciding on the singers and finalizing post-production. Although Zheng Laicai had asked her for a list of potential singers, it seemed there were some additional assignments to consider, so she didn't ask too much about the progress.
In this industry, where resources are exchanged frequently, she doesn't have the naive wishful thinking that her songs should only be presented to the public according to her wishes from beginning to end. This is a truth she knew a long time ago.
But after things here were finished, there was some interruption in the follow-up work.
Unlike mature producers like Teddy, who can oversee the overall production of an entire album, she's clearly not yet mature enough to be entrusted with such a significant responsibility. Currently, artists within the company occasionally approach her for songs, but the acceptance rate is low, and she's also unable to fully participate in the production process.
During this time, she'd been more of an on-call, temporary worker. She'd often taken over any unfinished arrangements or mixing tasks within the production team. Teddy and Kush, in particular, were more likely to delegate tasks to her, as they were more comfortable with her. Kwon Ji-yong used to be a big contributor, but with his recent comeback, it often took a while for her to get his second feedback on the post-production work she'd given him. Excluding this back-and-forth, she actually had the least work of the three.
This kind of situation, picking up other people's leftover work, is not uncommon in this industry. There are always only a few top performers, and the rest are just "technical workers." When she received Yang Xianshi's message, she was stunned for a moment.
Aside from occasional encounters when she first joined the company and participated in a program as a pre-debut member, she had little contact with the president. Given her current position, she couldn't imagine why he would contact her personally.
"Come to my office at 10 a.m. on Friday." Yang Hyun-seok's office was on the top floor. She had occasionally heard Kush mention it as a place frequented by company executives, core producers, and important artists.
Most artists would be scolded if they went in, but she... Lia recalled her recent work and really didn't think she had done anything wrong. In the end, she could only reply politely: "Okay."
She had no classes on Friday and had been planning to go to the company, so this time was just right.
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