novellhall Chapter 50 Taeyeon: Only divorced 7 times~
Chapter 50 Taeyeon: Only divorced 7 times~
The next day, on the set of "IRIS".
During a break while the crew was setting up the set, director Kim Kyu-tae opened a bottle of water to moisturize his dry throat.
"Director Kyutae"
Li Zhixing walked over and greeted him with a smile, "You mentioned before that our drama seems to be missing an OST?"
Kim Kyu-tae assumed he was feeling guilty about the casting change and waved his hand dismissively: "Yes, that's true, but don't worry about it. Let Jung Tae-won worry about it. He was the one who put the person in there, so it's his own fault for having a headache now that there's a problem."
It's clear that Kim Kyu-tae has a lot of complaints about that domineering producer, and his tone is always sarcastic when he mentions him.
Li Zhixing smiled and said, "But no matter what, this matter was caused by the change of actors, so I still want to make amends."
Kim Kyu-tae was completely confused: "Make amends? You mean...?"
Li Zhixing didn't explain much, but instead took an iPod out of his pocket and handed it over.
"Director, listen to this song."
"What are you up to, kid?"
Kim Kyu-tae put on the headphones with suspicion and pressed play.
At first he was somewhat indifferent, but as the soothing melody and the warm, sorrowful male voice began to play, his expression suddenly turned serious.
The astonishment in his eyes grew stronger, and even his habitually droopy eyelids opened completely.
Kim Kyu-tae reluctantly took off his headphones only after the song ended.
He took a deep breath, unable to hide his excitement, and exclaimed, "This song is great! Where did you find it? Who's the singer? The emotion is perfectly captured!"
Then it suddenly dawned on him: "You're planning to recommend this song as the OST for this drama?"
Li Zhixing nodded with a smile: "Yes, what does the director think?"
Just as Kim Kyu-tae was about to nod in approval, Lee Ji-haeng spoke up again.
"This is something I wrote last night when I was thinking about the character. I also recorded the demo myself. Do you think it's appropriate?"
"What?" Kim Kyu-tae stared at him like he was a monster. "How come you can write songs?"
Li Zhixing shrugged and explained in a relaxed tone, "I was a trainee for a while before, so I learned a bit about it on the side. Besides, songwriting isn't that complicated. It's just a matter of having a feeling and humming a few melodies, right?"
Kim Kyu-tae was choked by the words.
It's not difficult to hum a few melodies, but can an average person write a great song that can be used as an OST for a big production?
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes: "I personally really like your song. It perfectly captures the sense of destiny in our drama, where characters face life-and-death betrayals and unrequited love."
"But as you know, the only person in our production team who can make decisions is Jung Tae-won."
"That unscrupulous businessman wants to control everything, big or small," Kim Kyu-tae frowned. "I can only try to put in a good word for you, but he's been worried about this for the past few days. Your song is of such high quality, it shouldn't be a problem to get past him."
After thinking for a moment, Kim Kyu-tae waved his hand and said, "Let's go, let's go right now. You can tell that unscrupulous merchant your thoughts in person!"
……
Inside the film crew's temporary office.
Jung Tae-won was dozing off on the sofa, his elbow propping up his cheek, his breathing deep and even.
"Bang!"
The office door was flung open, and Kim Kyu-tae's booming voice rang out: "Representative Jung, come on in, let me play you a good song!"
Startled from his sleep by the shout, Jung Tae-won's elbow slipped, and his face nearly hit the sofa armrest.
He instantly flew into a rage, straightened up, and roared, "Kim Kyu-tae! How many times have I told you to knock before you come in! Don't you know how to knock?"
Kim Kyu-tae rolled his eyes and replied insincerely, "I know, I know, I'll be more careful next time."
As he spoke, he handed over the iPod in his hand: "Representative Zheng, come on, listen to this quickly."
"What are you listening to?" Zheng Taiyuan took it with a disgruntled look, glancing suspiciously at Li Zhixing who had come in with him. He had a feeling that the two of them together were up to no good.
Kim Kyu-tae didn't explain, but pulled Lee Ji-haeng down to sit, crossed his legs, and raised his chin, indicating that Jung Tae-won should listen to him himself.
Zheng Taiyuan felt utterly powerless.
His identity as a representative and producer seemed to have no deterrent effect on Kim Kyu-tae, the reckless director.
As for Li Zhixing standing next to him...
Not to mention a newcomer who dares to talk about adding scenes and engaging in psychological warfare right in front of me.
Left with no other choice, Jung Tae-won put on his headphones and pressed play.
As the melody progressed, his still somewhat sleepy eyes gradually brightened.
As the song ended, Jung Tae-won took off his headphones, his face beaming with delight: "Not bad! Where did you get this song?"
These past few days, Choi Seung-hyun's departure from the show has been giving him a major headache, and the songs the music director has found are not satisfactory either.
With an investment of 20 billion, IRIS has no intention of compromising on any detail, especially the OST, a key element that can greatly enhance the quality and ratings of a TV series.
So when he heard this song that perfectly matched the theme of the TV series, he immediately decided that he had to get the song no matter what.
Kim Kyu-tae gestured towards Lee Ji-haeng with his lip: "The song was written by our crew's 'assassin'! Boss, I don't need to say more about the quality, right? Hehe, calling this kid back was absolutely the right decision, I was truly brilliant!"
Ignoring Kim Kyu-tae, who was lost in his own inexplicable reverie, Jung Tae-won looked at Lee Ji-haeng with some surprise: "You can write songs?"
Li Zhixing smiled modestly: "Yes, I know a little."
Zheng Taiyuan did not delve into this issue in detail.
Faced with this difficult newcomer, he subconsciously perked up and mentally calculated his bargaining chips, determined not to be led by the nose again.
"It seems you sang the demo yourself too."
Li Zhixing nodded.
Zheng Taiyuan stared at Li Zhixing and probed subtly, "Your singing skills are good, but the emotional flow of this song is too delicate. It always feels a bit lacking when sung by a male voice. If a female singer were to interpret it, the poignant sense of tragedy would be even stronger."
He thought Li Zhixing wanted to sing the OST himself, so he planned to block the road in advance.
However, Li Zhixing nodded in agreement: "Indeed, I completely agree with Representative Zheng's view."
Zheng Taiyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Since they're not insisting on the right to perform, that makes things easier.
Jung Tae-won leaned back on the sofa, adopting a negotiating stance: "Tell me your terms. This song is indeed of good quality, but you are, after all, a new composer, so the copyright fee I can offer won't be too high."
Li Zhixing smiled and nodded: "I understand, just go with the normal market price."
Just as Zheng Taiyuan was wondering why this guy hadn't taken the opportunity to make an exorbitant demand, Li Zhixing immediately added, "However..."
Zheng Taiyuan's heart skipped a beat, and his mind instantly tensed.
Here he comes! This kid is definitely not so easy to deal with!
Li Zhixing's smile faded, and he said seriously, "I would like to recommend a singer to perform this song."
Zheng Taiyuan frowned, thinking he had guessed what he was thinking: "Your sister?"
Jung Tae-won shook his head: "I'm afraid that won't work. IU's popularity isn't high enough yet. She can sing some minor insert songs, but not this one. I'm planning to find a singer with high national recognition and a mature voice to sing it. How about Baek Ji-young? She's the OST queen."
Li Zhixing chuckled and leaned forward slightly: "It seems that Representative Zheng highly approves of the quality of this song, even bringing up senior Baek Ji-young."
Zheng Taiyuan's expression froze; this kid had actually caught him off guard.
Li Zhixing did not dwell on the issue, but instead earnestly explained: "Representative Zheng misunderstood. I did not intend for my sister to sing this song. I do not want to involve her in any way in this drama. After all, when the production team officially announces that I have replaced Choi Seung-hyun, BIGBANG fans will definitely launch a wave of online bullying. There is no need to drag her into it."
Zheng Taiyuan paused for a moment, then looked at Li Zhixing with a hint of admiration: "You've thought of everything. Stop beating around the bush and just tell me who you want to recommend?"
Li Zhixing smiled slightly and uttered three words: "Kim Tae-yeon".
Zheng Taiyuan raised an eyebrow and leaned back on the sofa to begin assessing the weight of the name.
Kim Kyu-tae, standing nearby, looked completely bewildered: "Kim Tae-yeon? Who's that?"
Li Zhixing was taken aback for a moment, then explained helplessly, "Director, it's Girls' Generation's leader, Kim Tae-yeon."
Kim Kyu-tae suddenly realized and slapped his forehead: "Oh, right, right! I knew it when you said Girls' Generation. There are so many idol groups, how could I possibly remember all their names?"
Then, he frowned with some hesitation: "An idol again? Is she up to the task?"
Clearly, Choi Seung-hyun's departure from the show has caused Kim Kyu-tae to develop a serious distrust of the word "idol."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Taiyuan, who had been deep in thought, also raised his eyelids to look at Li Zhixing, seemingly wanting to hear his explanation as well.
Li Zhixing explained with a smile, "Her talent is absolutely unquestionable. She sang the OST 'If' for 'Hong Gil-dong, the Quick-Knife,' which was the number one song on the OST chart in 08. You must remember it."
""if"?"
Kim Kyu-tae stroked his chin, trying to recall, then suddenly slapped his thigh, his eyes lighting up instantly: "Oh! I remember! It's that female idol nicknamed 'Seven-Time Divorced,' right? Hey, that song is really good!"
Li Zhixing's smile froze on his face.
He rubbed his temples, both amused and exasperated. "What?! Seven divorces? I'm only twenty!"
Kim Kyu-tae waved his hand dismissively: "Who cares if she's been married or not, as long as she can sing with that feeling! Representative Jung, I think this girl is good!"
Watching the two of them sing in harmony, Jung Tae-won shook his head helplessly: "Kim Tae-yeon is indeed suitable. She has enough fame, and her style matches. The OSTs she sang before all did well."
"However, as you said before, idol fans are generally younger and don't appreciate spy dramas very much. So why don't I choose Baek Ji-young, whose fan base is relatively more mature and whose viewership conversion rate is higher?"
Faced with Zheng Taiyuan's questions, Li Zhixing appeared confident.
He suppressed his smile and began to analyze seriously: "Sir, that's definitely the case with boy band idols. For example, most of BIGBANG's fans are young girls, and they naturally dislike dull spy dramas."
"Even if they are attracted to the show, they will mostly go online to watch individual clips of their idols, which is unlikely to contribute any real viewership to the TV station."
At this point, Li Zhixing changed the subject: "But Girls' Generation is different."
"A significant portion of their fanbase consists of male fans, and a large portion of them are 'middle-aged fans' who have purchasing power and control over the remote control."
Li Zhixing leaned forward slightly and offered his most tempting bargaining chip: "These older male fans aren't averse to spy dramas anyway. If we can attract them with Kim Tae-yeon's OST, and have her singing play during key plot points, they definitely won't want to change the channel."
"Moreover, this is also the best shield against public opinion. When BIGBANG fans launch an attack, we can also drag Girls' Generation fans into it and let them argue with each other online. With the spontaneous protection of Girls' Generation fans, the pressure on the production team will be much less. It's a win-win situation."
Zheng Taiyuan instantly understood Li Zhixing's plan.
He pointed at Li Zhixing and laughed, "You little rascal, after all that talk, you're actually just trying to find someone to help you share the firepower, aren't you?"
Li Zhixing chuckled and said shamelessly, "That's all just a side effect. The key is that it can help the production team boost the ratings. Also, I suggest that the production team insert more of this OST in the later climax, especially in the tragic love scenes involving the male and female leads' uncertain fate and the collapse of their faith. The effect will be absolutely fantastic."
Jung Tae-won glared at him, annoyed. "You're always looking to benefit yourself by frequently inserting yourself into this OST. Won't your fame rise along with it?"
Li Zhixing did not refute, but smiled calmly: "Representative Zheng, this is a win-win situation, everyone benefits."
Looking at the expression on Jung Tae-won's face, Lee Ji-hsing knew that the matter was basically settled. Thinking that he would finally be able to hear Tae-yeon's new song, he couldn't help but smile with genuine joy.
That pure smile was keenly caught by Jung Tae-won on the other side.
Jung Tae-won's eyes flickered slightly as he stared at Lee Ji-hsing and asked, "You're recommending Kim Tae-yeon so enthusiastically, even analyzing the pros and cons so thoroughly. What exactly is your relationship with her?"
Li Zhixing paused for a moment, then answered frankly, "I've only met her twice. I'm a fan of hers and I really enjoy listening to her songs."
"Really? Fans..."
Zheng Taiyuan touched his chin and drew out the last syllable.
Then, he casually remarked, "In that case, you'll be in charge of recording this song."
"What?"
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