Chapter 86 Chapter 86
Lee Soo Hyuk rested his chin on the table, watching Kwon Ji Yong teasing Jia Hu leisurely.
Ever since Kush dragged him into that so-called "support group," he'd been coming a few times according to his schedule. Since he hadn't had any recent schedules, it wouldn't be a bad idea to spend some time with the "down-and-out superstar."
Quan Zhilong moved almost all of his daily necessities and creative equipment into the penthouse in Cheongdam-dong, bringing Jiahu with him. The security in the community was strict, and the residents were either wealthy or noble. Although he could not go out freely,
But it's no problem to take Jiahu downstairs for a walk after dark. This house, which was deserted and uninhabited not long ago, is now gradually showing signs of life.
Light pours in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, flowing along the marble floor. Soft pillows are scattered on the sofa, a toy ball belonging to Jiahu rolls in the corner, and the air is filled with the faint aroma of coffee...
——It seemed to be no longer just a shelter. Along with the living space, his work status also changed slowly. In just two months,
He has almost finished most of the preparations for the group's next album. He has written a lot of songs. In the past few years, even just in the intervals between tours,
He has never stopped writing songs. This accident has given him a complete and closed-off period of time to reorganize his creative ideas. Last week, he met with Yang Hyun-suk, who, although not entirely in favor of his immediate return,
But he didn't reject the album proposal—Big Bang was a cash cow, and he was a top-tier money-printing machine. As long as there was a sliver of opportunity, Yang Hyun-seok wouldn't give up on the possibility of a comeback. It was just a matter of time.
"How are the album preparations going?" Lee Soo Hyuk asked casually. "We're getting ready to record." "It'll go smoothly." Lee Soo Hyuk nodded, saying soothingly, "The public opinion is almost over."
To be more precise, the public's attention had shifted. Two months was enough time for the entertainment industry to see several rounds of new events. "Yeah, I read the news." The two chatted about work, the topic loosely.
Killing time. Lee Soo Hyuk paused, tapping the table lightly with his fingertips. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking casually. "So, are we really breaking up this time?"
Quan Zhilong looked up, glanced at him, was silent for a moment, and hummed softly, looking unhappy.
After the breakup, guilt was like a small thorn, always causing a dull pain at certain times. Of course, he wasn't as indifferent as he seemed on the surface. The time we spent together in the past was real and undeniable; the fact that it was over now didn't mean that the love we once had was fake.
Lee Soo Hyuk tsk-tsk-tsk. Curious as he was, he didn't intend to comment further after asking, and quickly changed the subject. "So, are there really other people joining the 'support group'?"
Quan Zhilong looked up and gave him a strange look, not understanding why he asked this. "No, Kush came once, and turned down all the subsequent ones."
If Kush hadn't let on, he wasn't actually opposed to people coming over. Most of the time, he enjoyed the hustle and bustle. It was just that the term "support group" made him feel a little awkward. He didn't like being in a vulnerable position, and he was also afraid that visitors would have to be careful with his emotions.
There's nothing wrong with being alone, since Jiahu is always there. "Lia isn't here either?" Lee Soo Hyuk raised an eyebrow. Kwon Ji Yong choked.
He'd deliberately neglected to inform her not to come. She'd only been there for a token hour each time, never staying much longer. It shouldn't be too much of a bother...
"Just the two of you are enough. Too many people are giving me a headache." He threw the Frisbee across the living room, and Jiahu immediately ran after it on his short legs. "She can adapt to your schedule?" Li Zhuhe was a little surprised.
When he wasn't on a schedule, Kwon Ji-yong always had a reversed circadian rhythm, practically staying active only at night and sleeping all day. Whenever Lee Soo-hyuk came over at night, he'd have to reset his body clock again when he returned. "Ani, I get up early on Sundays," Kwon Ji-yong said confidently.
"..." It was Lee Soo Hyuk's turn to choke. He stood up from the table and slowly sauntered over to Kwon Ji Yong. "She has a boyfriend." He leaned over, his eyes level with Kwon Ji Yong's, as if trying to read something from his face.
Quan Zhilong remained silent. His eyes flickered, and he raised his hand to touch the tip of his nose, his movements carrying a hint of impatience and concealment. "I know," he said in a dry voice. "What's the problem?" ??? What kind of problem was this?
Having a boyfriend is the biggest problem. Jiahu came running back with a small Frisbee in his mouth. Quan Zhilong reached out and patted his head, then took the Frisbee and fiddled with it casually.
"We'll see." He lowered his eyes, looking a little more confident. "Nothing lasts forever." They are not suitable. And he will always be by her side.
"But they seem to have a good relationship." Lee Soo Hyuk took the Frisbee and spun it gently between his fingertips. Kwon Ji Yong couldn't help but think of the little felt figure.
He deliberately put the manuscript back into the figurine's belly, hoping to test her reaction. Unexpectedly, when Kush brought the sewn figurine back later, he touched it again and it was gone. He didn't want to dwell on the implications of this, and simply pretended nothing had happened.
"What are you going to do if we don't break up?" Lee Soo Hyuk said with a smile, kindly throwing the Frisbee out. Jia Hu ran out again, his paws making a "clacking" sound on the ground, and his short tail wagging rapidly.
Upon hearing this, Quan Zhilong's face darkened. "Hmm... maybe she likes younger men now, and her current boyfriend is younger than her." He added another blow. —The ultimate killer. Lee Soo Hyuk swore that he had never seen Quan Zhilong's face look so ugly in his life.
* Lia was busy helping Kim Woo-chan plan the stage for the elimination round.
Unlike previous competition systems, the elimination rounds will be conducted live. In this phase, the judges will no longer be the only factor in determining the contestants' stays or departures. Live text message voting and pre-contest online voting will also be incorporated into the program's scoring system.
With less than a month until the elimination rounds, Kim Woo-chan's anxiety was almost palpable. He'd barely managed to secure a spot in the top ten, and he had no confidence in the upcoming audience vote. In contrast, Lee Hi remained much calmer.
She rarely needed Lia's help, always handling practice plans and repertoire ideas independently. Although her high-pitched voice skills were still lacking, her natural vocal quality and strong audience appeal made her almost unstoppable on the show. The judges' preference for her was even more obvious.
Lia almost suspected that before the show ended, Yang Hyun-seok would suddenly call Lee Hi alone and whispered to her that she must sign with YG. But Kim Woo-chan was different.
His reliance on Lia went beyond the normal boundaries between a music instructor and a contestant. He would immediately consult her for confirmation on every subtle arrangement or performance design, even repeatedly asking for her opinion on costumes and stage positioning. While the other contestants didn't express this outright, they were beginning to express their dissatisfaction.
Lia knew full well that such dependence was unhealthy. A growing player should become more independent day by day, rather than being gradually consumed by anxiety and timidity.
But she has never been good at rejecting others, and coupled with that almost unconscious partiality, she always couldn't help but give him more help within her ability.
That afternoon, she and Jin Yucan were in a small cubicle at the TV station, discussing the stage plan for the elimination round. The room was small, and the desk was scattered with documents, markers, a few cans of energy drinks, and her laptop.
"I'm still worried... I feel like this song isn't strong enough." Jin Yucan's voice was low, with an unconscious frustration in his tone.
Lia tapped the mouse lightly and played the audio file he sent her again, but didn't respond immediately. With the elimination rounds approaching, he had already changed the music several times, but he still wasn't satisfied.
He entered the show as a "singer-songwriter," so the judges and the audience naturally expected more from him. Under these circumstances, he was not forced to continue showcasing his own compositions, not out of his own will. Thus, the problem that Lia had been vaguely aware of from the beginning finally came to light:
His creative ability was not enough to sustain the subsequent competition. She agreed with his assessment, but she couldn't bear to deal him any more damage.
Positive feedback can nourish a player's confidence, but negative feedback can instantly destroy the self-system they have built over a decade. Jin Yucan is now on the verge of collapse.
"Let's revise it a little more," Lia said softly, letting out a breath. "Just relax for a couple of days and try to find some new inspiration." She couldn't create for him. Otherwise, all the problems would be solved.
Jin Yucan stared at her fingers, his Adam's apple moved, as if he wanted to say something, but swallowed it back. Lia was about to continue speaking when someone suddenly knocked on the door outside the corridor.
"Are you free?" the stage director poked his head in. "We need to confirm the accompaniment." Lia responded and turned off the audio. "I'll be back soon. Wait for me."
Jin Yucan nodded obediently, suppressing his inner irritation and staring blankly into space. The laptop screen was still on, and after exiting the audio playback interface, the files on the desktop were neatly arranged.
This is Lia's personal computer. She bought one after entering university and uses it to handle simple work and study tasks. In addition to a few regular work files such as "accompaniment modification", there is a separate folder labeled "Inspiration" in the upper right corner, which seems to be where she records her inspiration.
Jin Yucan stared at the folder, his fingertips slowly stroking the table.
Reason told him not to click on it, but the seed of admiration and jealousy, quietly planted long ago, finally grew wildly in this silence. He was too curious and desperately needed something to distract himself from the bad mood.
He took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, then lightly tapped the touchpad. It wasn't as complicated as he'd imagined. The folders were mostly filled with casually recorded demos. He randomly clicked on an audio file.
For the first few seconds, she tentatively played a few arpeggios on the piano, with occasional pauses. Soon, the melody became smooth and flowed slowly through the computer speakers.
The other audio was more casual, consisting almost entirely of her humming a scale, with a faint noise in the background. It must have been recorded in a public place. Jin Yucan listened quietly, the light from the screen reflected on his face, pale and empty.
Those correct answers that he had revised, pondered, and tried to grasp countless times were just a fleeting inspiration that she recorded casually.
At this moment, he once again realized with realism and despair that there was an unbridgeable gap between every piece of work he had painstakingly pieced together and these casually recorded audios.
He stared at the timer on the player. Finally, her soft laugh was recorded, and then the audio stopped abruptly. It was as if she was mocking his overestimation of his own abilities. The harder he tried, the sadder he became.
He suddenly reached out to turn off the audio, his breathing became disordered, and his fingertips couldn't stop trembling. There was the sound of a door being pushed open outside, and Lia walked back quickly, bringing a gust of wind.
"Okay, let's continue chatting." She said casually, while naturally pulling the computer back to the middle of the table. Jin Yucan lowered his eyes, quickly retracting the naked expression when looking at the screen, his back stiffened, and his lips tightly pursed. "Yeah, okay."
He heard himself respond. Something shattered.
----------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
