1novels Chapter 60 Bae Joo-hyun - Unremarkable
Chapter 60 Bae Joo-hyun - Unremarkable
Li Zhengyi didn't say anything more.
He waved his hand, opened the door, and stepped into the dimly lit corridor.
When he got home, he put down the things he bought at the supermarket, then drew back the curtains, opened the window, and looked at the tall building across the street.
It was that tall building that he and Xiaolan had noticed when those thugs came to smash up the shop.
At the time, he felt like someone was looking this way with binoculars.
It's unclear whether they were curious passersby or stalkers, but with things like this, it's better to be safe than sorry.
He stood by the window for a while, but the afternoon sunlight reflected off the windows of the building opposite, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
He silently made a mental note of it.
Then he dialed Uncle Cui's number.
"Uncle Cui, I've rested enough. I'll start work tonight."
"Oh, you can finally go to work. Where's Xiaolan?"
"She's been busy for the past two weeks and can't come."
Uncle Cui paused for a moment on the other end of the phone.
Li Zhengyi could imagine him frowning over there.
"Alright. My daughter will be overseeing the day shift for now. You can come to hand over the shift at nine o'clock tonight. If I'm not here, just hand over the shift to my daughter. You two have already met."
"OK."
After hanging up the phone, it was still early.
Li Zhengyi sat in front of his computer, opened his email, and began to process the work emails that had piled up for several days.
Most of them were routine reports, a few were confirmation letters from investment companies, and one was a statement of funds flowing into an overseas account.
He replied to each of them, and then opened his work schedule.
The most recent record was the minutes of a game company meeting.
Oh, right.
There's still something I haven't dealt with.
The theme song of PUBG.
He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.
He originally wanted to find an international singer, but given his current condition, he simply doesn't have the energy to contact any big names from Europe and America.
Moreover, he can't travel around much during this time, and arguing with foreigners on the phone is enough to drive anyone crazy just from the time difference.
Forget it, I'll just find a local one.
He immediately called a video conference.
On the other end of the network, the game company's president, Jeon Ji-an, and production director, Ahn Joon-hyuk, went online at the same time.
Quan Zhian still had that round face, but his receding hairline was starting to reflect light.
Ahn Joon-hyuk still wore those black-rimmed glasses and had that "I'm contemplating life" expression.
"The head office gave their feedback."
Li Zheng got straight to the point.
"We don't need to find an international singer for the theme song. Let's cut the budget and find a local one."
Jeon Ji-an and Ahn Joon-hyuk exchanged a glance and then nodded simultaneously.
"As for that direction, Director-nim, my personal suggestion is to find a girl group."
These words were spoken by Ahn Joon-hyuk.
It has that kind of enthusiasm that only comes from an otaku when they suddenly start talking about their professional field.
Li Zhengyi's eyebrows twitched.
Is this guy a fan of the fandom?
Explain your reasons.
Ahn Joon-hyuk explained.
"Our core users are men aged 18 to 30. This group highly overlaps with the core fan base of idol girl groups. Hiring a girl group to sing the theme song will definitely have a better promotional effect than hiring any big-name singer."
He sounded visibly excited when he mentioned the word "girl group".
Li Zhengyi strongly suspected that this guy spent a lot of his spare time promoting girl groups.
Quan Zhi'an chimed in from the side.
"Director An makes a good point. Since we're looking for a girl group, it's best to find a new girl group, one that debuted within the last two years. Older girl groups already have a fixed fan base, while new groups have strong momentum, high fan activity, and are young. But we can't find a washed-up group either; they must have a certain level of fame, otherwise it won't add any value to the game's promotion."
Ahn Joon-hyuk had already taken out his phone and started tapping the screen furiously.
"Director-nim, let me briefly list some of the most popular groups that debuted in the last two years."
"First, AOA. They debuted in 2012, and their song 'Miniskirt' became a huge hit this year. They have a sexy urban girl style, which is both hot and charming, and they have a lot of male fans. If we invite them to sing the theme song, and pair it with the visuals of a shooting game, the contrast will be very appealing."
Li Zheng nodded slightly, without any particular reaction.
"Secondly, EXID. They also debuted last year and became incredibly popular this year. All the members have long legs. If they wore tight leather pants and held guns, the effect would be similar to 'Charlie's Angels,' giving off a female spy vibe."
Li Zhengyi nodded again, still without much expression.
Then Ahn Joon-hyuk noticeably increased his volume.
"The third one is Red Velvet."
"SM Entertainment's new girl group, which debuted in August this year, has only been around for three and a half months and is still gaining popularity."
"Unlike the previous two, it follows a dreamy, fresh, and ever-changing girlish style, making it highly recognizable."
"Although their current popularity is not as high as AOA and EXID, they are from SM Entertainment after all. The resources of a top company are no joke, so their explosive growth next year is sure to be strong."
He paused halfway through his sentence, then emphasized something.
"And their visual center, Irene, my bias is Bae Joo-hyun."
"Seriously, Director-nim, you can find out about that girl just by searching her online. She's a universally acknowledged beauty in the industry; her face alone is worth a trending topic. If we use her as the center of a promotional poster, it will definitely attract a huge wave of casual fans."
"Director-nim might not know Irene, so I'll send you some photos."
"It's really beautiful."
An Jun-hyuk spoke with great enthusiasm, completely unaware that Lee Jung-il's expression had changed.
"Alright, alright."
Li Zheng interrupted him, his tone somewhat impatient.
Ahn Joon-hyuk stopped, and Jeon Ji-an stopped too.
Both of them looked at him, waiting for his instructions.
Li Zhengyi leaned back in his chair, his expression suggesting he was deep in thought.
In fact, those images from before were flashing rapidly through his mind.
Black lace, matching lingerie, her neck flushed red to her ears, and that line, "She's a girl, so you're definitely the one getting the better deal."
He blinked hard, trying to banish those images from his mind.
Then, looking at the two people on the screen who were still waiting for him to speak, he spoke expressionlessly.
"I've met that Bae Joo-hyun before."
Ahn Joon-hyuk and Jeon Ji-an were both stunned.
"The real person is... barely passable."
After those words were spoken, an eerie silence fell over the other end of the video call.
Ahn Joon-hyuk looked as if he had been punched.
Lee Jung-il actually saw the visual of SM's new girl group and said she was "barely passable"?
What kind of world is this?
It's unbelievable that some people think Bae Joo-hyun is barely passable.
Isn't this just the 'ordinary' Louis Koo?
Don't ask him why he knows Louis Koo.
Li Zhengyi didn't give him any more time to hesitate and made the decision immediately.
"Then choose from these three groups. You go and make the initial contact, and report back as the discussions go. You're in charge of the budget and other arrangements, but don't exceed the range I've given you."
"Yes, Director."
Quan Zhian nodded quickly.
The video conference has ended.
Li Zheng closed his laptop, leaned back in his chair, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Ahn Joon-hyuk must have watched a lot of girl group fancams in his office.
He closed his eyes.
Bae Joo-hyun's face popped up again.
This time, it wasn't an angry face, but rather the image of her wrapped in his old coat, sleeping soundly and unguarded in the moonlight.
Isn't it just barely passable?
He opened his eyes, took his phone out of his pocket, opened the photo album, and clicked on Bae Joo-hyun's photo.
A seaweed rice roll made from an old coat and a gray scarf.
Even when sleeping, their mouth is open.
It's really ugly.