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Chapter 1354 Coming
Chapter 1354 Coming
In a corner of the meeting room for the Netflix headquarters' "Spying" crew, a small beige sofa sagged slightly. Ji Kyung-won, holding a hot coffee, looked at Kim Ji-won beside him, his tone tinged with a hint of wistfulness:
"I really didn't expect that we would be working together again."
After two rounds of auditions and a series of negotiations, all the main actors for the "Spying" production team have been selected. Today is the crew meeting and the official announcement of the formation of the production team.
With about ten minutes left before the meeting, Ji Kyung-won ran into Kim Ji-won while getting coffee from the coffee machine, and the two took the opportunity to go aside and catch up.
Kim Ji-won, who is in front of me, has been confirmed to play the role of Choi Hong-joo, and the contract has been signed... But although the two have known each other for a long time, Ji Kyung-won and she have hardly interacted during the audition these two days.
"I heard from my agent that it wasn't you, Jingyuan, who recommended me?"
Kim Ji-won stirred her iced Americano with a straw, the ice cubes clinking softly. She glanced at Ji Kyung-won, observing him closely: "Why do you sound so surprised... Didn't expect me to pass the audition?"
She wore a camel-colored cashmere sweater today; the soft fabric clung to her body, and the dropped-shoulder design made her shoulder line look exceptionally gentle.
"I wouldn't call it a recommendation; I was just trying to make a suggestion."
Chi Kyung-won didn't take credit for it, and said honestly, "And I really didn't expect you to be in it."
"why?"
"Because it's rated 19+."
Ji Kyung-won looked up, trying to recall: "In my memory, Ji-won-ssi doesn't really suit this kind of R-rated style~"
"So what kind of style do you think I am?"
"Quiet?"
"That sounds rather rigid..." Kim Ji-won smiled and raised an eyebrow, her tone slightly teasing, "You don't really remember me, do you?"
"Uh……"
Chi Kyung-won was momentarily stunned by the question.
I clearly remember this woman being quite quiet, both in appearance and personality. Why does she seem to have a subtle aggressiveness when we talk to her?
"Haha~"
But this aggressiveness only flashed for a moment, and the next second Kim Ji-won covered her mouth and laughed: "If it's the kind of 19+ that shows skin, of course it's Ahn Do-ho!"
She crossed her arms in a gesture of refusal: "But this kind of suspenseful and violent type is fine... and there's no similar plot in the script for Choi Hong-joo, so the company won't mind."
"I wouldn't act in anything rated 19+... Why are you looking at me like that?"
Chi Jingyuan nodded, sensing that Kim Ji-won's gaze was a bit strange. He steered the conversation back to where they were before, his tone feigning reproach: "But knowing that I recommended you for the audition, didn't you even tell me before coming to the audition, Ji-won-ssi? That's not how things are in the industry."
"If I specifically ask Jingyuan for help, will he take care of me?"
Kim Ji-won glanced over.
“Of course.” Chi Kyung-won nodded matter-of-factly. “How should I put it… we’re old friends. ‘The Heirs’ is the second drama I’ve ever filmed.”
Since the casting has already been confirmed, it doesn't matter what people say.
However, he and Kim Ji-won have indeed known each other for a long time. They met when they worked together on "The Heirs" in 13, and it's been several years since then.
However... we're really not that close. Although we've known each other for a long time and exchanged contact information, and we greet each other every time we meet, we don't really keep in touch at all in private, and we can't even be considered friends.
I remember the last time I met Kim Ji-won was backstage at an awards ceremony six months ago.
But since they had worked together before, seeing each other again brought a warm feeling. For Ji Kyung-won, seeing Kim Ji-won was like looking through a 'memory filter' compared to seeing ordinary friends, making it feel more intimate.
However, what Kim Ji-won said was actually right, and her feeling was also very accurate... Ji Kyung-won's impression of her was actually not that deep.
Although they spent a lot of time together when filming "The Heirs", she didn't leave a deep impression on Ji Kyung-won. Her heavy bangs hairstyle did a lot to hide her good looks. She was also quite quiet and didn't talk much. Overall, she wasn't very eye-catching. After working together for several months, Ji Kyung-won and she didn't have much interaction.
In addition, during the filming of "The Heirs," I was busy dealing with my relationship with Krystal Jung...
At this moment, the eye is drawn to a camel-colored cashmere sweater of excellent quality, loose yet well-fitting, paired with off-white casual trousers, creating a perfect balance between the sweater and the loose-fitting top.
The light brown pointed-toe high heels on her feet were the finishing touch, instantly lifting her relaxed demeanor and adding just the right amount of sophistication and femininity.
That blend of tranquility and style is truly stunning... Ji Kyung-won genuinely thinks Kim Ji-won looks much better now than when they worked together before.
Just ...
Chi Jingyuan's eyes were clear, and his gaze swept over them in a single glance.
She's just a little lacking in figure, not as good as Sana Minatozaki...
uh~
Why compare her to Sana Minatozaki?
Chi Jingyuan didn't know why he suddenly thought of Minatozaki Sana, and he was momentarily lost in thought.
"The Heirs..."
However, Kim Ji-won didn't seem to mind, but her thoughts were stirred: "It really has been so long."
The 13 drama "The Heirs" had a profound impact on the careers of several of its main actors. For her, although it wasn't her first drama, it was the one that brought her to the forefront and earned her a lot of praise for her acting skills.
Moreover, unlike Ji Kyung-won, who had no impression of her, she had a very deep impression of Ji Kyung-won during the filming of "The Heirs".
Seemingly remembering something, Kim Ji-won put down her straw, glanced at him with a mischievous look, and said, "But I remember that back then, Kyung-won didn't seem to interact much with the people around him, and he just stayed around Soo-jung all the time?"
"Uh……"
He was still reminiscing when this woman suddenly said that, which made Chi Jingyuan a little embarrassed. However, he wasn't ashamed; instead, he shrugged and corrected her wording:
You've got it backwards.
"Hahaha~"
Kim Ji-won couldn't help but laugh out loud at this reply... It had a dry humor that seemed to really tickle her funny bone.
The polite Chi Jingyuan is actually quite distant, but his current openness has actually made people feel closer to him, and the slightly awkward feeling from before has eased up considerably.
Kim Ji-won recalled the scene she witnessed during their last meeting and suddenly became very curious about how Ji Kyung-won and that idol named Mina were doing now.
I was going to ask, but after thinking about it, I felt it wasn't quite appropriate.
Just as she was hesitating, the producer walked in, the chat session was over, and it was time to start the meeting.
The meeting directly announced that the official start date for filming would be November 28th at the end of this month. Two days prior, there would be a script reading session, during which the actors would also discuss precautions for filming and confirm their schedules and timelines.
"The Spy," Netflix's second original series, which has been in development for several months, is finally ready and waiting to begin filming.
"Jingyuan~"
After the meeting, when Ji Jingyuan was discussing filming matters with several key members of the production team, the director called him back and earnestly advised him: "Although there are several main actors in the drama 'Spying,' your role is the most important."
"The role of Zheng Balin really demands a high level of acting skills. Whether you can convey the shock we want in the most important scenes depends entirely on your performance."
Hearing the director's words, Ji Kyung-won nodded slightly.
After careful revisions, the script for "The Spy" gave the two female characters more screen time, but ultimately, the only true protagonist is Ji Kyung-won.
The role he played, Jung Ba-rin, a psychopathic killer who was born without emotions, was a real test of acting skills. It's easy to become formulaic and unable to portray that strong contrast or that chilling feeling.
Although the cast and script of this drama are excellent, all the main creators in the production team know in their hearts that the final quality of the drama will depend on the performance of Ji Kyung-won.
“Of course we all believe in you… but in order to better portray this role, in addition to building muscle, I think you can read more similar books, materials, and watch more movies and TV shows.”
"Try to put yourself in that...abnormal mindset."
…………
"Is it perverted?"
In EXO's practice room, Ji Kyung-won sat to one side, muttering the director's instructions.
Before filming a TV series, immersing oneself in the role is something that all excellent actors should do. Ji Kyung-won always does a lot of preparation before filming each series. The most typical example is that before filming "Misaeng", he actually worked as a company employee for almost a month.
He plays the most important role in "The Spy," so it's only natural that he needs to prepare well, and Ji Kyung-won has no objections at all.
But... he really hadn't had much experience with perverts before, so how was he supposed to experience and empathize with them?
Is it only possible to read psychology books or watch psychology movies and TV shows?
What are you muttering about?
At this moment, Wu Shixun, who was standing next to him, asked a question... He had been watching Chi Jingyuan mutter to himself for a long time.
Chi Jingyuan snapped out of his daze and looked at him, asking, "Do you know any perverts?"
"what?"
Wu Sehun was taken aback for a moment, as if he had misheard, but he quickly nodded: "Yes, I know him."
"Oh? Who?" Chi Jingyuan's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Introduce me to him."
"you."
Wu Sehun calmly pouted.
"Am I a pervert?" Chi Jingyuan pointed at himself, thinking he had misheard.
"Not too perverted, but a little perverted."
"go to hell."
Chi Jingyuan rolled his eyes in annoyance. He really shouldn't have had any hope for this jerk.
Too lazy to pay attention to his witty remarks, Chi Jingyuan returned to the topic of 'experiencing the role', pondering how to gain a deeper understanding of the character.
We can't really go and kill a few people, can we...?
But before Ji Kyung-won could make up his mind, all the XO members gathered and began practice.
Having been busy with activities in the United States, the members were quite tired, so after returning to the Korean Peninsula, EXO took a short break to allow everyone to relax.
If Twice saw this treatment, they'd be incredibly envious. They're all pillars of their respective companies, but EXO earns more and their status has risen.
As for Twice, let's not talk about them...
EXO only reunited yesterday, and their main tasks now, besides preparing for the upcoming year-end award ceremonies, are the preparation of their new album, Peninsula.
Chi Jingyuan stood up, dusted off his pants, and followed the others to the rehearsal position. Nine figures dressed casually were reflected in the mirror. Some wore baseball caps, and another was wearing a headband in a pretentious manner. Chi Jingyuan felt a little disgusted looking at them.
However, apart from him, everyone else still looked a bit lazy after the holiday.
Sure enough, as soon as the music started, problems arose one after another with the "DNA" dance that had been practiced many times.
"The opening wave needs to be smoother; Chanyeol, your movements are still too stiff."
"What's going on, Baekhyun? Haven't you noticed you've been a beat behind?"
"Jingyuan, you're spacing out... What are you thinking about?"
"He's thinking about how to be a pervert."
"Hahaha……"
…………
After finishing practice, Chi Jingyuan did not leave work. He changed his clothes and returned to his music room.
Composing and writing songs is something I do frequently, and I don't stop because of whether I have inspiration or not. If I don't have inspiration, I write something more formulaic and ordinary; if I have inspiration, I write something faster and more smoothly.
During his two-week trip to the United States, he wrote seven or eight pieces of music whenever he had a spare moment, most of which were improvisations made in his spare time.
Some melodies were too bland, so he casually marked them "to be modified" and saved them in a folder; while a few that caught his eye were given priority for writing lyrics and arranging music, like "Way Back Home" for Bae Suzy, which he had previously written lyrics for.
The song currently in production is one of them.
Sitting in front of the computer, Chi Jingyuan put on his monitoring headphones and his fingertips rapidly tapped on the mechanical keyboard. On the music software screen, lines of lyrics gradually took shape with each tap:
"I promise I will change my ways, even though I know in my heart I won't do it."
"I need you to stay, I need you to stay by my side."
"..."
He would occasionally stop, softly recite a lyric twice, and fiddle with the mixing console, adjusting the electronic sound effects in the background until the lyrics and melody matched to his satisfaction.
This song is one that Chi Kyung-won has been particularly fond of recently. It uses popular electronic synth-pop, has a fast rhythm, and is very catchy and unforgettable.
Electronic music has become a global phenomenon since last year and has spread rapidly in the music industry. Ji Jingyuan has always wanted to try creating music with electronic music, and this time he finally got to use it.
Compared to composing music, which requires repeatedly refining the melody and adjusting the arrangement, writing lyrics is actually easier for him. As long as he finds a core theme, the rest of the words will flow naturally with the emotions.
For the lyrics of this song, Chi Kyung-Yuan chose the themes of 'breakup' and 'pleading'. When his pen touched the screen, those sentences, filled with humility and struggle, always unconsciously veered in a certain direction.
It can't be said that it was written for Mina... but he himself knows that this emotion can't be said to be completely unrelated to Mina.
The melody of the chorus played on repeat in my headphones, and the electronic sound effects, along with the lyrics he had written, echoed repeatedly in my ears.
Chi Jingyuan leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and tapped his fingertips lightly on the table in rhythm. The tug-of-war during the breakup, the silence that followed, the dazed feeling when he occasionally thought of it... those stories that might have happened in parallel worlds, those unspoken words, all seemed to be quietly revealed here through the "pleading" in the lyrics.
He raised a hand to rub his temples, suppressing the surging emotions, and sat up straight again, his gaze returning to the screen. There were still a few lines of lyrics to write; he needed to at least finalize the first draft today.
Just then, the phone next to me suddenly rang; it was my agent, An Chengyuan, calling.
The call connected immediately, hands-free mode was on, and the guy's voice came through right away:
"Jingyuan, where are you?"
"Where's the music room?"
"That's good. I was worried you'd forgotten..."
An Chengyuan breathed a small sigh of relief:
"JYP's manager and Twice's Sana-xi are here. Regarding the collaboration stage, do you want to go to the practice room or to your place?"