Peninsula: The Best Actor Starts from an Idol Battleground

Chapter 78: T-ara Changes Spokespersons?

Li Zhixing went into the small conference room next door and had been there for a while.

On set, the Girls' Generation members, upon learning what had happened, were all somewhat worried.

Some of them were still fidgeting, constantly glancing towards the conference room.

On the f(x) side, there was more anxiety than anything else, as the problem originated from their side.

No one knows whether this incident will ultimately lead to a conflict between the company and LG.

Luna lowered her voice and said, "Our filming isn't going to be canceled, is it?"

"If this causes a scene, will they even cancel the endorsements?"

Shirley raised her chin slightly and said confidently, "No, Teacher Zhixing will definitely be able to solve it."

Amber couldn't quite understand where Sulli's almost blind trust came from.

She adjusted her long bangs that fell to her chin and almost covered half her face, and said somewhat unhappily, "Our makeup and styling this time were already problematic, so what's this?"

Victoria Song quickly patted her leg, signaling her to stop talking.

Meanwhile, Soojung was sitting in the chair that Lee Ji-hyung had just sat in, quietly telling Hwang Dong-hyuk about her worries.

"Uncle Donghyuk, is my oppa alright?"

Hwang Dong-hyuk smiled and reassured him, "What could possibly happen to that kid? Don't worry."

That being said, Hwang Dong-hyuk, who understands Lee Ji-hsing's personality, could actually guess what would happen next.

To be more precise, he knew very well what Li Zhixing's attitude would be.

Lee Ji-hsing will not take back the demands he has already made just because of pressure from SM Entertainment.

Moreover, it also involves Krystal.

If SM continues to take a hard line, things will likely end badly today.

Just then, someone from the film crew suddenly called out.

"Hello, Minister!"

Immediately afterwards, several more respectful greetings rang out from the vicinity.

Hwang Dong-hyuk looked over in surprise.

A man in his fifties walked out of the passageway cleared by the staff.

His hair was half white, but he kept it neatly styled. He had a broad forehead, and his square face didn't reveal much emotion.

The staff who had been talking in hushed tones along the way immediately fell silent, and the stagehands and photography assistants who were nearby also bowed to greet them.

The visitor was Park Tae-won, the head of LG AdGG's business division.

Hwang Dong-hyuk quickly stood up and greeted him respectfully.

"Minister, why have you come in person?"

Park Tae-won nodded.

He then looked around the scene and asked, "Why hasn't filming started yet? Where's Zhixing?"

Hwang Dong-hyuk felt a chill run down his spine, leaned forward, and whispered what had just happened.

Park Tae-won did not immediately express his opinion, but merely glanced towards the conference room.

Just then, Soojung couldn't help but step forward and bow to Park Tae-won.

"Hello, Minister."

Sika's expression changed as she stood not far away.

She quickly went over and tried to pull Soojung back.

Park Tae-won looked at Soo-jung with some surprise.

Then, the expression on his face softened a bit.

"You are... Krystal, right?"

He nodded to Jessica as she approached, then smiled and asked, "What's up? Is there something you need?"

Soojung felt that this older man seemed easy to talk to, so she voiced her concerns.

"Chief, Director Lee just wanted to make this music video well. He wasn't trying to make things difficult for everyone. Please don't blame him."

Seeing the worry on Soo-jung's face, Park Tae-won's smile widened.

"When did I say I was going to blame him? The kid is worrying unnecessarily!"

After saying that, he walked towards the conference room.

After walking a few steps, he turned back to look at Soo-jung and said with a smile, "Not bad."

After he walked away, Jessica grabbed Soojung and pulled her over.

"How dare you? Do you even know who he is?"

"Is this the kind of situation where you can just go up and strike up a conversation?"

"What if I say something wrong and it causes trouble for Li Zhixing?"

Krystal, being pulled along by her older sister, pursed her lips.

......

Time moves forward a little.

Inside the small conference room, Li Zhixing looked up at Cui Zhen as he walked in.

"Can't it be changed? What brilliant idea does Manager Choi have?"

Cui Zhen pulled out a chair and sat down, tapping his fingers twice on the edge of the table with a confident air.

"I think f(x)'s choreography is fine, and their makeup and styling fit the concept of the new Chocolate Phone."

"The choreography and makeup are visually striking enough, and once they are released, they can be completely contrasted with Girls' Generation's style this time."

"This in itself can increase public interest in the new phone."

"At least the publicity effect that LG wants can be achieved."

Li Zhixing listened patiently, then asked with a half-smile.

"So, they don't care at all that almost all of f(x) members are minors?"

"Don't they care whether they're even suited to such overly sexy dances?"

"Don't they care whether this music video will attract criticism after its release?"

Cui Zhen's expression turned cold and hard.

"As long as the publicity objective is achieved, that's fine."

"Moreover, this was originally the conceptual direction that the company set for this stage of the f(x) combination."

"As for whether it's sexy or not, they've already debuted as entertainers, don't they have that much awareness?"

"Even if some people criticize us, so what? Girls' Generation was criticized too."

"Doesn't the fact that people are criticizing it also mean that people are paying attention?"

Li Zhixing narrowed his eyes.

Since their last visit to the hospital, Li Zhixing had noticed that Cui Zhen was the type of person who prioritized the company's arrangements and used the group's interests and promotional effects to override the artists' own feelings.

He may not actually be stupid.

In many cases, he was even very clear about what he was doing.

For him, as long as things go according to the company's plan and the desired effect is achieved in the end, what the artist has to endure is never a priority.

Lee Ji-haeng turned his gaze to Kim Min-soo.

"Isn't Manager Choi the head of Girls' Generation's management team?"

"Can he make decisions for f(x)?"

"Or does this mean he can now make decisions on behalf of SM Entertainment?"

Kim Min-soo looked a little embarrassed, but still explained in a low voice, "Chief Choi will be promoted to head of the Artist Management Department, and the handover of related work has already begun."

"The work arrangements for Girls' Generation and f(x) will be coordinated by Manager Choi from now on."

Li Zhixing nodded and lowered his head to think for a moment.

Then, a smile reappeared on his face.

"If this is SM's attitude, then I'm sorry, I can't film this anymore."

"You two can take both groups with you now."

"What?"

Kim Min-soo was dumbfounded.

How come, as we're talking, even Girls' Generation is going to be taken away?

Does this new director not know what negotiation and compromise are?

Cui Zhen slammed his hand on the table, his face finally showing anger.

"Li Zhixing, get your facts straight. You're just a new director."

"Let's just finish filming the music video honestly, and then we can each hand it in. That's better for everyone."

"Being able to shoot a GGMV for Girls' Generation is a great addition to your resume."

"It's no wonder you got such a big project, even though you didn't know who you were in contact with."

After hearing his words, Li Zhixing's smile deepened.

"Manager Choi, this is the second time you've told me to get back on track."

Cui Zhenyi choked.

Recalling what happened at the hospital that day, his anger intensified.

"Do you think this project can't do without you?"

"If you don't do it, there are plenty of directors who are willing to."

Li Zhixing nodded in agreement.

"Then go tell LG to replace him. Anyway, this isn't the first time SM has done this."

"But if I'm the director of this music video, the choreography, the makeup and styling, it will absolutely not pass muster."

"Okay, okay, okay."

Cui Zhen was so angry that he laughed instead.

In his view, as long as he took a firm stance and insisted on SM's plan, Li Zhixing was just a new director and didn't have much say.

Even if they were unwilling, they could only bow their heads and admit it in the end.

After all, both groups had already been brought to the filming location. If they were taken back without any footage being shot, Li Zhixing himself wouldn't have an easy time.

But he didn't expect that Li Zhixing had no intention of following the industry's "each taking a step back" rule; he was determined to fight to the bitter end.

However, having already said all that, Cui Zhen had no intention of backing down.

Or rather, SM never intended to compromise on this issue from the beginning.

"OK."

"You brought this on yourself. I'm contacting your husband right now."

"No need to contact me anymore, just tell me directly."

The sound came from the doorway, and the people inside looked over at the same time.

The conference room door was opened from the outside. Huang Donghe stood to the side of the door, gave Li Zhixing a wink, and then stepped aside.

Park Tae-won walked in from behind him, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the people in the room.

Upon seeing the age and demeanor of the newcomer, Cui Zhen immediately held back the words that were about to come out.

"Who are you?"

Li Zhixing had already stood up and bowed slightly in greeting.

"Minister, you've arrived."

Park Tae-won glanced at him, his face expressionless.

Upon hearing the name Li Zhixing, Cui Zhen and Jin Minzhu naturally realized what it meant.

The person who was addressed as "General Manager" by Lee Ji-hyeong and appeared on the set of this GG project was clearly Park Tae-won, the General Manager of LG AdGG Business Division.

The two quickly bowed and greeted each other, their posture noticeably lowered.

Park Tae-won nodded, then walked to the chair that Lee Ji-haeng had pulled out and sat down.

"I saw from outside that filming had stopped, and I also got a general idea of ​​what was going on."

As he spoke, he looked at Li Zhixing.

"Tell me, what are you planning to do?"

Li Zhixing responded and sat down again.

"Chief, my idea is that the choreography and makeup for f(x) must be changed."

"Currently, f(x)'s dance, which leans towards sexiness and seduction, does not match the tone of the product itself."

"And most importantly, most of the members in the group are still minors. I'm worried that having them dance such a sexy and provocative dance will cause a public opinion storm after the music video is released to the public."

"At that time, the public will not only question f(x) but also why LG would use such content to promote its new phone."

"This will directly affect the brand image of the new phone and even the subsequent market feedback."

Upon hearing this, Cui Zhen's expression changed, and he opened his mouth to say something.

However, Park Tae-won only glanced at him, and he swallowed it back.

Park Tae-won remained silent for a moment.

"Well……"

"What you've said is indeed a problem."

Then, he frowned and his voice became deep.

"Such a serious problem, wasn't it discussed before?"

"Why wait until filming begins before bringing these issues to the forefront?"

"Zhixing, your preliminary work was inadequate."

Li Zhixing quickly stood up and bowed his head in apology.

"Minister, it is indeed my fault, and I apologize to you."

Hearing that Lee Ji-haeng had been reprimanded, Choi Jin seemed to have finally found an opportunity to speak and immediately said, "Chief Park, actually I don't think things are as serious as Director Lee said."

"f(x)'s choreography this time is definitely not perfunctory, but a very carefully crafted work."

"As for the issue of the dance being too sexy, LG approached us for collaboration in order to capture the attention of more young consumers and create a stronger voice for competing products from Samsung."

"Young consumers are not averse to sexiness; on the contrary, they are more easily attracted to impactful and bolder visual styles."

"As for Director Li's concern about the potential for public opinion issues, I think that's an overreaction."

"Even if any public opinion storm does occur, you can trust SM's public relations capabilities."

"Oh......"

Li Zhixing scoffed, "SM has absolutely no public relations capabilities."

Park Tae-won did not respond to Choi Jin's words immediately, but only looked up at him.

Then, he asked with some confusion.

"I forgot to ask, who are you?"

Cui Zhen bowed.

"Manager Park, I am Choi Jin, the head of management at Girls' Generation."

"broker?"

Park Tae-won leaned back in his chair, looking at him with a half-smile: "Does SM now have managers handling the GG project and filming plans?"

Cui Zhen paused for a moment, then quickly shook his head.

"Of course not, I..."

Park Tae-won slammed his hand heavily on the table.

"If that's not the case, then what are you doing now? And why are you standing here?"

"On set, do you think people listen to you instead of the director?"

"Who gave you the audacity to question the director on our LG project site?"

Choi Jin was stunned by Park Tae-won's scolding; he never expected the fire would suddenly spread to him.

As Park Tae-won questioned him, Choi Jin broke out in a cold sweat, finally realizing that he might have misjudged the situation.

He wanted to apologize.

But Park Tae-won didn't give him that chance at all.

"Just because SM Entertainment is doing better this year, does that mean they dare to disregard LG?"

"Have you forgotten how Lee Soo-man begged me for my manhood back then?"

Cui Zhen was now completely speechless.

Kim Min-soo also kept his head down, his forehead covered in cold sweat, shrinking his body to minimize his presence.

He was already cursing all the people in the company who were in charge of the concept planning and stage direction for f(x) in his mind.

After Park Tae-won finished his tirade, he turned to look at Lee Ji-haeng.

He pressed his hand down.

"Zhixing, sit down."

Tell me, how do you plan to resolve this?

Li Zhixing sat down as instructed.

Ignoring Kim Min-soo's pleading look, he said seriously, "Chief, I now doubt SM's sincerity in filming this 'GG'."

"I also doubt whether they are a qualified partner."

"They dared to repeatedly interfere with the filming plan for just one GGMV. Who knows how many more problems will arise when they ask the spokesperson to cooperate in the promotion later?"

"The new Chocolate phone is a key product for LG's next phase of mobile terminal business, and we can't afford any mistakes."

"So my opinion is..."

Li Zhixing paused.

"Change the spokesperson."

The two agents looked up abruptly, staring at him with expressions of horror.

They never expected Li Zhixing to say such harsh words.

Park Tae-won did not immediately respond, but instead looked at Lee Ji-haeng and continued to ask, "So, are there any suitable candidates?"

Li Zhixing smiled slightly.

"T-ara".

......