Chapter 93 Chapter 93
Yang Hyun-seok was right. After the announcement, she indeed regained her prominence. Her newly registered social media accounts saw their followers increase by tens of thousands daily, and her company was flooded with collaboration offers.
She hadn't changed, at least in terms of her abilities. She was no different from who she was a few days ago. The only difference was that she was "seen," even with the unbearable compromise behind it. Under the "KPOP STAR" related entry,
Her search volume firmly held the top spot. Whether driven by the buzz generated by the controversy or the resources she has from YG, variety shows, interviews, magazine features, and even cross-industry collaborations have all begun to flock to her.
Lia couldn't quite articulate what she was thinking. It was like she was torn in two. One half of her was angry and aggrieved at having to give in; the other half was watching with aloof eyes, as if it were a show that had nothing to do with her.
In the end, this plagiarism case had nothing to do with her or Jin Yucan. And it took her so long to truly understand the rules of the game. She should have understood it back at that PR meeting.
Under what circumstances can people maintain their ideals and innocence? The joint statement was a resounding slap in the face, reminding her that everything she had worked hard to build over the years could be easily overturned in the face of resources and positions.
She went to the company. Ever since her time at the station, the SBS office seemed to have briefly replaced the YG building, becoming a more familiar place for her. Stepping into the lobby again, she felt as if everything had changed.
Baoheng was waiting for her in the office.
The company didn't have much experience managing "non-celebrity" people like her, and couldn't find a suitable agent to coordinate with her, so Bao Heng temporarily took over management. Bao Heng assigned newcomer Ha Ji-hye as her direct contact to assist with basic scheduling.
She wasn't sure if Baoheng knew the whole story. During their conversation, they both intentionally or unintentionally avoided discussing the cause of the incident. A proposal was placed before her. "These are some recent offers the company has received. I've briefly screened them.
Take a look at the rest and pick one or two." She nodded and looked down at the list sealed in a transparent folder.
The proposals were clearly categorized and ranked in order of type and importance - special guests on "Strong Heart", guests on "Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook", special photo shoots for a magazine's spring issue, and cooperation intentions from multiple brands such as perfumes and headphones were densely packed.
Apart from the first few proposals, most of them are still unknown new brands, or general entertainment columns with vague content positioning that just want to take advantage of the popularity - for them, it doesn’t matter whether it is Lia or Lila, the most important thing is the short-lived popularity attached to her.
"'Strong Heart' starts filming next week, and it happens to be a YG special. Adding you on the show won't be too awkward. The production team has already informed them," Bao Heng suggested softly. Lia didn't answer immediately, her fingertips gently rubbing the edge of the paper.
This proposal seemed more like the schedule of a small-time artist. But she knew deep down that she didn't want to completely relinquish her core identity as a "creator." She wanted to either stay relevant to the music, or... not be constrained by the platform at all.
"Sister Baoheng, I won't be going to Strong Heart." She spoke carefully, a hint of fatigue in her tone, "There's nothing much to say."
Bao Heng frowned slightly: "Are you sure? This show has a lot of exposure and good ratings. And Zhilong and the others will be on it this time, so we can look after them." Lia shook her head: "Even if we go, we can only talk about trivial things."
She'd watched a few episodes of the variety show. The guests talked about everyday life, bantering with each other. Her presence would only add to the conversation. "'Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook,' put me on this one," she pointed to the next line. "I have something to say."
Bao Heng nodded. "I think that's a good idea, too. We'll work out the schedule later." The phone on the table vibrated. It was a message from Yu Chenghao, briefly answering her inquiry from last night.
"When will you join the crew?" "Yeah." That was a rather irrelevant answer. Her temples, already aching from lack of rest, began to throb again. She put away her phone, closed her folder, and let out a shallow breath.
"Let's forget about the rest. I want to start a YouTube channel." Bao Heng was a little surprised and looked up at her: "How do you want to do it?"
"I mainly want to do music analysis and creation sharing, and maybe occasionally record some daily life. I haven't fully planned it yet. I need a place where I can say what I want to say." Bao Heng was silent for a moment, and keenly heard the implied meaning.
She didn't know the full story; Yang Hyun-seok only told her to "follow the artist model." But judging by Lia's attitude, it seems she's not going through anything good.
"If you want to maintain the independence of your account," she said slowly, "try not to be overly tied to the company." "Without YG's resources, it will be more difficult to get started, but correspondingly, you will have much greater flexibility later on. It depends on your perspective."
This wasn't really her advice, but she felt a little partial to Lia. Lia nodded. This was exactly what she had intended.
"I want to register under my own name. The content of the channel will not be related to YG, and it won't be commercial promotion." She thought for a moment, "I will decide the channel planning and content myself, but I may be too busy with the editing part."
"If you don't use the company's name, then YG's editing and content teams won't be able to get involved," Baoheng said. "I'll have Ha Ji-hye contact a few external editors for you, and you can negotiate the fees yourself. Or you can try using some basic templates first, and then build a small team when you've reached scale."
"Okay, thank you, Sister Baoheng." She didn't know if this was a form of confrontation. She clearly wanted to do nothing but create, yet she had to divert her energy to worry about other things. She'd made that choice once. Now, it looked like the result had been disastrous.
Every inch of concession made away from the poker table will eventually become a sharp blade piercing oneself. ——Only by becoming strong enough can one truly be qualified to make choices. * After saying goodbye to Baoheng, Lia went to the rooftop to catch some fresh air. She didn't dare return to the studio.
She was afraid of running into someone familiar, Teddy, Kush…or him. She could still respond normally through the screen, but she didn't dare look them in the eye. The company had already reposted the statement in her name—that was her position.
She had betrayed her own work. She even secretly hoped that leaking the demo was an accident, because otherwise she would feel even more despicable. The wind on the rooftop was strong. It seemed like it always was this way all year round.
Winter in Seoul drags on. Even in March, the air remains bone-chillingly cold. She stands by the railing, hands tucked into her coat pockets, shoulders hunched slightly from the chill. She stares blankly into the distance for a moment.
Pedestrians, cars, fallen leaves...none of it had anything to do with her, yet everything seemed to weigh heavily on her shoulders. After a while, she bent down and dialed the familiar number.
"I..." she began, her voice raspy from the wind. "I arrived at the office today." "Yeah," Yu Seungho replied. His voice was distorted, and she suddenly felt unfamiliar. The line fell silent for a moment. Only his even breathing could be heard.
She lowered her head, her fingertips gripping the cold edge of the railing, and lowered her voice, "Are you angry?" The replies became shorter and later. She couldn't tell when their relationship began to deteriorate.
"Why did you come to see me on set that day?" he asked. "...Because we wrapped, it was an important day."
"But you had an accident that day." He paused, his tone filled with confusion that she couldn't answer. "I found out about it on the news. What about the next time?" "I often feel that you don't need me, Lia."
The words weren't accusatory, but they weighed heavier than reproach. It was like a self-affirmation that had been pent up for far too long, finally collapsing at a certain point. She remained silent for a long time.
On TV, lovers argue and break up over inexplicable misunderstandings, and she always thinks, "Just talk it out, won't it be better?" But she became that character. Maybe it wasn't a misunderstanding—did she need him?
She needed him. But it was only a small part of her life, not as big as he hoped. She herself was often confused. Was love based on mutual dependence based on specific needs, or was it a pure desire to be close that transcended needs?
Is it "I need you, so I love you" or "Even if I don't need you, I still want to be with you"? Most people seem to be more likely to accept the former because it is more specific and easier to perceive and respond to.
Even if it wasn't exclusive. "I'll be more careful next time," she said softly. On the other end of the line, he even let out a somewhat helpless laugh. She also found it somewhat ridiculous.
What should I pay attention to? Did I pay attention to telling him while I was solving the problem myself? Their problem was misplaced from the very beginning.
He confirmed his love by being "needed", but she was used to solving problems on her own from the beginning and never thought that dependence could be a way of expression.
"I'm very tired," she said, trying to recall her thoughts at the time and deciding to try to change herself. "At that time, I was also mentally confused. Maybe I was thinking that even if I told you, you wouldn't be able to help, or maybe I was thinking that you were in a good mood that day."
"It could also be because we've never had the habit of asking each other for help... I can't really explain." "But it's not that I don't care about you."
"I went to Busan not only because the filming was finished, but also because... I felt relieved to see you." "If it can comfort you, I didn't ask anyone for help." "It was an intuitive choice."
She finished her words in one breath, then fell silent again. She felt clumsy. She was so bad at speaking, she couldn't comfort, she couldn't lie, her honesty bordered on cruelty. After a long pause, he sighed and whispered, "Let's both calm down a bit."
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