novellhall 76, a strange feeling
76, a strange feeling
The cameras were temporarily switched off, and the set entered a short break.
Li Jingcheng was somewhat lost in thought when a faint, unidentified perfume scent lingered around his nose, cool and subtle, like pine needles after a snowfall.
It wasn't until Han Jiaren's voice rang out that he was jolted back to reality from his scheming about women.
Han Jiaren, who was standing beside him, came over at some point and looked at Li Jingcheng, who seemed to be acting strangely.
"Jingcheng, what's wrong? You seem a little distracted?" Han Jiaren leaned closer, her gentle and charming face filled with just the right amount of concern, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
Li Jingcheng's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive. The two had indeed been quite close just now; the faint fragrance and the overly focused gaze...
He pretended not to notice and simply chuckled, "Ani, Noona. We really nailed it in one take, the director didn't even yell 'cut,' so how can you say I was distracted?"
The two were extremely close, far exceeding the safe distance for ordinary colleagues. Their subtle breaths mingled together, carrying a hint of ambiguous awkwardness.
Han Jiaren blinked, a playful glint in her beautiful eyes, the mole on her nose trembling slightly with her breath. "Maybe I'm seeing things. But Jingcheng's acting is truly amazing. The emotional progression is so natural, I almost couldn't keep up with the performance."
"How could that be?" Li Jingcheng composed himself, completely suppressing his previous romantic thoughts, and adopted a humble and focused demeanor. "On the contrary, I think it was Jiaren Nuna who brought me into the role."
Looking at her pale, translucent, and delicate face, tinged with concern, her gentleness tinged with a fragile vulnerability, she evoked pity and possessed a strong classical beauty.
He quickly suppressed the slight flutter in his heart, a feeling uniquely masculine.
For him, acting has never been difficult. As long as he's working with the female lead, and can immerse himself in the role, he can trigger emotional resonance, significantly reducing the difficulty of getting into character.
But looking at Han Jiaren with her gentle smile, he felt a strange, inexplicable feeling welling up inside him. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
In an instant, he put this minor doubt out of his mind.
However, this doubt was quickly replaced by an even more fervent anticipation. He was already fantasizing about just how alluring Bae Joo-hyun's nurse outfit would be when he got home that night.
The thought of the aloof and shy Bae Joo-hyun wearing that outfit made Lee Kyung-sung feel a burning desire in his heart.
But then, Jisoo's sensible and well-behaved face came to mind again. Her family must be well-off, but where would a trainee get so much money to buy a support truck? Maybe she saved up her allowance by scrimping and saving. She didn't even mention meeting him or come. She was so sensible that it broke my heart.
Taking advantage of the lull before filming began, Lee Kyung-sung pulled Na Yong-ho, who was looking down at his phone, to a corner.
"Yonghao, how's the music promotion schedule going?" he pressed, a hint of urgency in his voice. He needed to make the album a success; only with good music could he provide these girls with better resources and more opportunities to be with them.
This can be considered as a slight compensation for his desire to have a harem.
Selfish.
Luo Yonghao and Kim Min-joo have finalized their plan.
Regarding the decision to have Kim Jisoo and Bae Joo-hyun as the female leads in the music video, there was no objection from above in principle, but Kim Min-joo specifically instructed that Kyung-sung should not feel that it was too easy.
There are too many temptations in this circle. Things that are too easily obtained are often not cherished. We absolutely cannot let Li Jingcheng feel that all resources come too easily.
Afterwards, trainees and idols all flocked to his bed, trying to gain resources by riding on his popularity. These are minor issues, but the real problem is the countless troubles and potential public opinion risks that are created.
However, having spent a considerable amount of time with Lee Kyung-sung, Luo Yong-ho had come to understand him better and therefore did not agree with Kim Min-joo's words.
Aside from his slight greed in relationships, Li Jingcheng is practically an anomaly in the entertainment industry. He doesn't smoke, drink, go to nightclubs, or hook up with other people; none of the 90% of bad habits common in the entertainment circle can be found in him.
His social circle is very clean. He doesn't know any actors his age, and only one or two idols like Im Yoona and Lee Hyeri. Among the trainees, only Bae Joo-hyun is someone he's practically living with, plus Kim Ji-soo, who just emerged from YG Entertainment.
He even searched for information about Kim Jisoo, who was a trainee and had not been publicly identified or exposed. It seems that the person who exchanged contact information with Lee Kyung-sung in the parking lot was Kim Jisoo.
This guy is practically a saint! If we don't let him date and keep all that energy bottled up, what if he goes out and picks up bad habits? Wouldn't that make him even harder to manage?
He ultimately decided to be honest and straightforward, seeing no need to go through these ineffective procedures.
Although neither Bae Joo-hyun nor Kim Ji-soo has been officially confirmed by their companies, no pictures of them are available.
However, Na Yong-ho felt that Kim Ji-soo and Bae Joo-hyun were not bad-looking, otherwise Lee Kyung-sung would not have been so attentive. Giving them the female lead in the MV was fine, but it couldn't be given away for nothing. He had to know that this was something that required hard work to earn.
Luo Yonghao collected his thoughts, maintaining a calm and gentle smile on his face, and said, "I've already made the arrangements for you. The female leads for the MV will be Bae Joo-hyun and Kim Ji-soo. No problem."
"However," Luo Yonghao changed the subject, waving a finger, "the company also has to consider your performance. Guaranteed viewership ratings after the drama airs, and the purchasing power and fashion sense of fans after GQ magazine goes on sale—these are all evaluation criteria. You have to prove you have commercial value so the company can heavily promote your album, and only then will you have a say in choosing the female lead. After all, those two have no exposure; they're just trainees, right?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jingcheng's eyes lit up. He showed no pressure or fear whatsoever. In his view, these achievements were never a problem.
He immediately followed up, "When can my album filming and promotional schedule officially begin?"
Luo Yonghao chuckled helplessly at his impatient manner. "So eager? Not even giving yourself a moment to rest. I'll talk to the production department and urge them. But don't be too impatient."
Lee Kyung-sung was speechless. This was clearly just a perfunctory response. He thought about going back and asking Min-joo, who had been good to him and was the head of the acting department.
Not far away, Han Jiaren sat on a folding chair, her gaze gently falling on Li Jingcheng, her eyes filled with a complex expression.
During the rehearsal just now, she wasn't a naive and innocent girl. In the script, Li Xuan's feelings for Yan Yu are deep, a kind of careful and protective love.
Although Li Jingcheng's gaze perfectly conveyed the character's deep affection, a hint of undisguised, almost greedy, possessiveness lurked deep within his eyes.
That was the look in a hunter's eyes when he sees his prey, completely different from Li Xuan's in the script.
She could tell the difference perfectly well. The burning, undisguised desire in his eyes was frank and intense, yet not repulsive.
But for someone who is recognized as the most handsome man in the Korean Peninsula, and who will definitely be standing on the front line of Chungmuro in the future, Han Ga-in naturally did not feel disgusted.
On the contrary, acting opposite Li Jingcheng was really comfortable. The emotional resonance was amazing to even a veteran actor like herself, and it was easy for her to find her best performance.
Fortunately, she was able to step out of the role of Xu Yanyu.
But... she frowned slightly, recalling that during intermission, Li Jingcheng had gone to check on the support truck. When he returned, although he was still in character, his spirit and energy had changed.
Before, it was focused, but now it feels like some kind of... suppressed restlessness.
And the object of affection is no longer oneself.