Chapter Twenty-Three: Rewrite the Lyrics

this place, she must have been here many times. 。The barbecue restaurant wasn't very large, and this private room was naturally quite small. After the waiter left, there were only Chi Jingyuan and Su..., the Korean Peninsula

The schedule is very tight, with only one week of promotion from the pre-release track to the main song, and the album pre-order launch also lacks sufficient buffer. Everything seems a bit rushed.

But there's no way to predict sudden situations.

And the return date really can't be postponed any longer. If we drag it a few more days, EXO will officially start their concert plans in late May. At that time, they'll have a devilish schedule of music shows regular activities variety shows concerts, which even an ironman wouldn't be able to withstand.

So the final confirmed time is already the best possible return date that could be secured.

Even though this date technically has many shortcomings. For example, the company obviously didn't intend to promote the pre-release track "dope" because according to announcements from major television stations, during the week "dope" was publicly released on May 8th, all three major TV station music programs besides "< !c >" were still suspended and not broadcasting.

When the program returns next week, EXO will start performing their song "Overdose" on music shows.

That is to say, the performance stage of the pre-release song "dope" has only one, which is the public performance of "!c", it can be said that it is extremely pitiful.

Moreover, "Overdose" is estimated not to stay on the charts for a full month because if there's a conflict in schedules, concerts are obviously more important comparatively.

I can only say that being unexpectedly free for a month has thrown all my pre-planned schedules and preparations into disarray.

…………

JYP Building Practice Room.

"Have you opened it"

"There are still a few minutes until the tickets go on sale... You've been urging me for ages, you've definitely already opened them, haven't you"

Miko Minamino was talking while holding up her phone to Nanami, pointing at the open gaket webpage on the screen. She wanted to show that she was working hard.

After seeing this, Minami Nami smiled sweetly at her and gave her a heart.

After she became a trainee at JYP from the beginning of the year, she was lost and uneasy for a few days because she was unfamiliar with her surroundings and Korean wasn't fluent. Fortunately, she soon found her place.

JYP's foreign trainees tend to stick together, and several Japanese senior trainees were very welcoming to Mii-nan's arrival, decisively pulling her into their own little group.

The peninsula is a relatively closed-off place. They are all compatriots who came here to work and support each other, naturally feeling close to one another. They spend most of their time together every day, and after several months of getting along, they become very familiar with each other.

"You're such a big EXO fan, aren't you You've been nagging me nonstop since just now. Didn't you say you liked the seniors from 2P Why haven't I seen you snatch up their concert tickets"

Minazuki Sazanami was holding her phone, sitting there a little bored. She looked over at Mimaya Nan and out of curiosity, asked with a giggling smile.

It's not that anymore... It's just that I really like their stage presence, I think it's very good.

Namie shook her head, hesitated for a moment and pointed at Momoko Hirai next to her, pulling her into the conversation: “Oo-chan also said she likes EXO and wants to go to the concert together, right”

"Yeah."

Hearing her name called, Pingjiang Tao lifted her gaze from her phone and blinked at the two of them. Her tone was matter-of-fact: "Exo is the hottest boy band on the peninsula right now, how could I not like them They're so handsome, eu-reu-reeu-reu-reong you..."

As she spoke, Taeko Hirai, who was sitting on the floor, also spontaneously sang a line while shaking her upper body and doing a signature hammering gesture from the "Rage" dance. She looked quite convincing.

Right

Minami's eyes curved into crescent moons as she grinned at Mimazumi Sashana, showing her upper gums. She then waved her hands and danced along with Hirano Momo for a while, but after a few moves, she couldn't keep up and the two of them ended up in a tangled mess.

Okay.

Minasaki Sazan sighed softly, sitting there smiling as she watched the two dance. After a while, when they quieted down, she brought up something: "By the way, I heard that for Senior Lee Jun-ho's new album's title song MV, they are choosing actors from among trainees. Let's go try out together."

"Li Junhao senior" Nan looked at her.

"Yeah, I heard this time it's a solo album by a Japanese artist. Since we're all from Japan, we have an advantage."

Minasaki Sazanami is the most outgoing girl in their group. She really enjoys socializing and has a very likable personality. She's also the best at getting information.

"Okay, let's try it together."

Pingmei Tao nodded, a bit expectant.

Being able to appear and show their face in a senior idol's video before debuting is something that most trainees are willing to do. Not only can they accumulate experience performing in front of the camera, but after it's played, they get screen time, which might attract some fans and increase their popularity, thus raising their chances of debuting.

It's also helpful to connect with and build relationships with seniors, whether for vanity or to expand one's network. In some ways, this can be very beneficial for them.

It's like how Jiang Seqi and Sun Shengwan, who were just ordinary trainees who hadn't debuted yet, became close friends with Ji Jingyuan. I don't know how many female trainees envied and coveted them. And after the news got out, all those former public insults and bullying instantly vanished... Of course, the whispers behind their backs and the strange vibes definitely became more frequent.

And even the practice room monitor's attitude towards the two of them had improved a bit.

These are all real benefits.

Getting to know other debuting artists certainly wouldn't have the immediate benefits of knowing someone like Ji-young, but it would definitely bring some help.

After a few words, they saw the time and hurriedly took out their phones:

"Here we go, here we go!"

It's time, get ready to fight for tickets.

Several trainees from the Neon group were holding their phones, each displaying a webpage that had been open for quite some time. Everyone was visibly nervous, waiting expectantly.

At 8:00 PM sharp, the ticket booth for the EXO concert appeared on garket. In an instant, countless clicks flooded in, instantly overloading the line.

"Did you get it" Momoko Hirai's phone seemed to be lagging, she clicked on the link for a long time but there wasn't much response. She looked up at her friend beside her with some anxiety.

"I didn't...they are already sold out in just a few seconds"

"I got a ticket..."

"Neither did I..." Minami gazed at the "Sold Out" message on the screen, her voice a little downcast.

"It took several of us to snag just one concert ticket, this is outrageous! Is it really this popular"

A friend said something annoyed.

"The sessions on the 24th and 25th are sold out...."

Minasaki Sazanami saw that Namiki Nan was a little disappointed, so she thought for a moment and comforted her: "The tickets are selling so well, I guess their company will add more shows. We can try to get them together again then."

"Okay..."

…………

The next day, the news came out: EXO's first world tour will take place on May 24th and 25th in Seoul with two concerts. A total of 36,000 tickets were put up for sale, and they sold out in just 1.1 seconds after being available on ticketing platforms.

It took 1.1 seconds, a slow estimate that even the link hadn't been clicked yet.

Countless fans who had been eagerly awaiting it, holding their phones in hand for a long time, hadn't even reacted before the tickets were gone.

Some people just stared blankly for a second, or their phone's network lagged for a moment, and when they turned back around, they were told they had missed the opportunity.

It's naturally frustrating and infuriating to feel that anticipation, preparation, but still being unable to secure a ticket. Some fans who are more easily angered even went so far as to smash their phones out of frustration.

As a result, s was swarmed by countless fans who couldn't get tickets.

"Go to hell! You're going bankrupt!"

"Won't you plan if you can just roll After waiting for so long, this is what you come up with"

"Don't you guys know how popular oppa is Can't you rent a bigger venue This place for over 10,000 people, your whole family could fit in here, right"

"Is EXO really a boy group from our peninsula, and ** Entertainment a company of our country Why is there only this one concert in the peninsula during their world tour, while they have dozens in China and even two in Thailand! %…ap;s should apologize to all the citizens!"

"Encore! Encore!"

The official website and SNS were flooded with anger from Planetes fans, some simply venting their rage with insults, while others desperately pleaded for more episodes.

Seeing this situation, the department at company s responsible for planning Exo's first world tour also felt that they seemed a bit too conservative.

EXO's previous regular album "XOXO" sold nearly 1.5 million copies, and the number of sales is the best indicator of how many die-hard fans an idol group has who are willing to spend money on them.

Similarly, evaluating the box office revenue and attendance of tours is the most straightforward data.

Many idol groups have high popularity and fame, but there aren't many diehard fans who are willing to spend money on them. Those casual fans usually make a lot of noise online, appearing to really like the group, but when it comes to spending real money on tickets or albums, they all disappear.

Even if we subtract the sales of the Xia Wen version and consider that some fans bought multiple copies, there are still at least hundreds of thousands of hardcore fans on the peninsula who are willing to spend money on EXO.

Under the influence of fan culture, ticket prices for concerts on the peninsula were not expensive to begin with, and many fans had developed a habit of attending concerts. Compared to the large number of XO fans, these two concerts with 35,000 tickets were truly a drop in the bucket.

The staff members of the s planning department, who were criticized for their family concert plan, hurriedly held a meeting to discuss it. After a series of consultations and communications, the company issued an announcement admitting that their previous planning was somewhat conservative and apologized to the wide range of xo fans.

Also announced, in response to fans' requests, a third show will be added to the Seoul leg of the tour on May 23rd. Tickets for this concert will go on sale next week at 8pm, also through gmarket.

Although the addition of a concert date somewhat eased the frustration of some fans, many people are still criticizing the limited number of local shows. Even with the extra date, there are only three concerts in total.

And even with the addition of an 18,000-ticket capacity event, it still met the huge demand from EXO's fan base.

However, there's no way around it. The overall plan was finalized a long time ago, and the venue was booked about six months in advance. Just modifying the venue takes a lot of time and effort, and adding an extra event would require coordinating many things. It's really difficult to change the entire planning process.

Faced with the surging tide of accusations, these concert organizers shrank back, pretending not to hear.

Let them scold, they're used to it anyway.

Just remember to buy a ticket.

…………

Because entertainment programs have come to a halt, events and commercial performances have naturally dried up. Besides a few members with personal schedules like Park Chan-yeol and Baekhyun, who are busy with their own activities every day, the other EXO members happily spend their days in the company's practice rooms.

As a highly popular idol, Ji Jingyuan naturally has many black fans. These people post all sorts of negative and sarcastic comments about him online every day. Although most of them are scolded by his fans and dive back into the shadows, there are also some determined individuals who, no matter how much they are criticized, persevere in blacking out Ji Jingyuan.

These people often defame Chi Jingyuan, this 'male idol with a god-like appearance', saying he's all plastic surgery. They even come out with several self-proclaimed high school classmates of Chi Jingyuan to back them up, claiming that his face and appearance did indeed change since high school.

And because of the industry culture on the peninsula, this point of view is still supported by many people.

Chi Jingyuan also saw many such posts while browsing the news. He didn't mind being accused of plastic surgery, as people said this about almost every idol from the peninsula who looked slightly better. He knew in his heart whether he had gotten surgery or not, and these unfounded rumors couldn't hurt him. On the contrary, they could even be a source of amusement for him to pass the time.

He was speechless about those anonymous people claiming to be his high school classmates.

Before high school, he attended schools in both Xia Guo and the United States. After coming here, his high school on the peninsula was a prestigious private aristocratic school, which ordinary people couldn't get into at all. There weren't many students inside, and almost everyone, either individually or through their families, knew each other...

You say you were my college classmate, that's fine, but high school Who are you then, what's your name

That mouth belongs to one of my high school classmates. Do you know which class I was in...

Too lazy to think about those black fans' YY, Chi Jingyuan gave the 'OK' hand gesture.

"Okay, bro. I'll call home and have them bring some over."

…………

" 'My clumsy heart, perhaps it could touch you'… Um, change it to 'Actually, I've already been touched by you.' "

"Actually, it was just holding hands," changed to "Actually, it was just a look."

Chi Jingyuan sat alone in a music room on the s building, listening to a pre-recorded demo while spreading out his lyric book and trying to change the lyrics he had originally written.

The song he's preparing to modify is one that has been in his music library for a long time, titled "you=i". The style is refreshing and warm, the melody is pleasant and not overly complicated, and the chorus is catchy and very much in line with what Lee Seung Hwan said about the characteristics of solo songs for his concert performances.

It's just that the original lyrics express a girl's love and dependence on her lover. Besides some inappropriate wording, the overall tone is also a bit too sweet.

However, the melody and overall style feel very appropriate. With a few tweaks to the lyrics, those expressions of love for a partner could easily be transformed into passionate feelings directed towards fans.

Moreover, in the minds of most fans, their favorite idol is essentially their boyfriend or girlfriend. They call each other "husband" and "wife" privately, using terms like "wuli". Thinking about it this way, there's nothing wrong with it.

"If only I could be like you, a person with a broader mind..."

"Hmm, what should it be changed to..."

Chi Jingyuan was turning his pen, occasionally writing and drawing on the paper. The song 'deo' played in his ears over and over again.

…………

Although all entertainment activities on the peninsula have come to a standstill, the biggest impact on artists is that programs cannot be broadcast and they cannot attend events or promotions. Other work remains unaffected. Filming continues as scheduled, variety shows are still recorded, it's just that they can't be aired recently.

Moreover, with the peninsula being unable to operate, many people directly left the peninsula to go on overseas itineraries. For instance, Girls' Generation directly launched their third tour in Japan, making a big splash there and no one knows if all members have renewed their contracts yet.

BTS was even more straightforward. After spending a month in Xia Guo, they returned to the peninsula and released the follow-up track "Jtoneday" for their second mini album. Their activities lasted only two days before the entertainment industry came to a standstill.

But the other party wasn't sad at all, they flicked their butt and happily returned to Xia Guo to continue the activities. It seems like things are developing pretty well.

And without preparing albums, only focusing on concert preparation, EXO's workload has decreased compared to before. Although they are still quite busy, they can at least occasionally take time out to do some of their own things.

After a week, on April 23rd, tickets for the additional concert dates of EXO's tour went on sale on garket. This time, the sales speed was even faster than last time, selling out in less than a second.

This time, many fans still didn't get tickets. But even though they rushed to EXO's official website and SNS company again, there was nothing they could do. The plan had already been set and couldn't be changed. They could only post a message representing EXO thanking fans for their support and saying that they would increase the number of shows appropriately next time, and they would definitely work harder in the future.

An hour after the concert tickets sold out, Park Ji-sung received a phone call from Zhou Tzuyu.

"What are you doing" Zhou Tzuyu's Taiwanese accent, even though her tone wasn't intentional, still sounded sweet.

It's a pity that Chi Jingyuan doesn't buy it. He glanced at the members who were busy with their own things, and switched to Xia Wen: "What am I doing I'm calling you. What am I doing... Get to the point if you have something to say."

Every time I reach out through messages, they suddenly call. It's obviously something important, and the little girl insists on beating around the bush.

Chi Jingyuan estimated that she hesitated for a while before dialing, thinking about what to say after the call went through. After thinking for a long time, all she could come up with was, 'What are you doing'……

Even though she was teased twice, Tzuyu wasn't annoyed. She hummed softly, hesitated for a second, and then continued speaking, her voice still sweet as ever: "Can you get tickets to your EXO concert there"

"Tickets You're coming to our concert too" Ji Jingyuan was a little thirsty, so he got up, took his phone and walked over to the water dispenser for a glass of water.

"Yeah, my friend and I both want to go and see…"

Zhou Tzu-yu responded with a crisp "yes."

"Didn't you look for me these past few days You called me today because you didn't get tickets for the final game either" After taking a sip of water and moistening his throat, Chi Jingyuan felt much better.

"Their hands were way too fast, we got there ten minutes early and still didn't get any. You guys are seriously on fire, the fans are crazy." A small complaint came through the phone.

Chi Jingyuan let out a breath and casually replied.

"No worries, it's a small thing, don't buy anything. I'll just give you a few…"

First published on the Traditional Chinese Novel Networkthe archery competition at this Olympics."Def said with a face full of anticipation, and then under PD's prompt in the earpiece, he asked loudly to the idol watching on the side: "Ask the audience and...