funbook-pk Chapter 70 Being an idol is no human being
Chapter 70 Being an idol is no human being
The cooperation agreement has been reached.
When Li Zhengyi received the final contract, he was sitting in his ten-square-meter rented room eating instant noodles.
The chopsticks, holding a piece of Shin Ramyun noodles, were suspended in mid-air.
He stared at the contract summary sent by Quan Zhihao on his phone screen, reading it line by line.
Red Velvet sings the PUBG theme song "SHOOT!".
The song means "shooting".
It is concise and to the point, and fits the theme.
The song was produced by a top-notch music studio in Seoul, and the list of producers includes veterans who have written theme songs for several hit games.
In the email, the company president specifically emphasized that "the quality is absolutely guaranteed."
Li Zhengyi didn't reply; instead, he opened the demo in the attachment.
The intro is an electronically synthesized gun-loading sound, followed by a very dense and heavy drumbeat, like a heart-pounding feeling.
The demo was alright.
It's at least pretty cool.
His ability to appreciate songs is roughly equivalent to Pigsy eating ginseng fruit – a superficial, half-hearted taste.
They couldn't offer any professional advice either.
Then he started looking at the expense details.
Songwriting, arrangement, and recording: 1.2 million Korean won.
Performance fee: 2.8 million Korean won.
Totaling 4 million.
It was slightly higher than the market price, but he could tell SM's attitude from the wording of the email relayed by Jeon Ji-an.
We're the industry leader, this is our price. If you're not satisfied, go find another company.
Fine, the leading brand is paying a premium, Li Xiuman is ruthless.
The music video shoot, being a custom production for the game, included a large amount of CG, scenes, and custom styling, driving the cost up to 8 million Korean won.
Li Zhengyi didn't even frown when he saw the number.
He has seen too many games fail because of poor marketing.
No matter how good the gameplay is, if the initial cinematic is lackluster, players' first impression will be that it's a "small-scale operation".
Blizzard Entertainment is still alive, relying entirely on its CG animation to maintain its image.
Why did the game become increasingly popular?
The music and excellent CG in the music video are a huge plus.
Especially the KD/A series, which have hundreds of millions of views worldwide.
Zhao Meiyan's Ahri.
Tian Xiaojuan's Akali.
He was known to everyone who didn't understand fandom back then.
The 8 million was burned, but the money that should have been spent wasn't spent, which means all the money spent before was wasted.
Promotional and marketing cooperation packages.
One press conference, three live streams, and two fan meet-and-greets totaled 2.3 million.
Thirty posts on social media platforms, three promotional videos, and two interviews, totaling 1.6 million views.
He added it roughly.
15.9 billion Korean won.
Based on the current exchange rate, it would be approximately 8.5 million RMB.
Li Zheng put his phone on the table and stirred the almost mushy noodles in the bowl with his chopsticks.
To be honest, his first reaction when he received this number was...
That's it?
The expensive portion was basically all spent on the music video production.
This was his own request: movie-level CG effects, every frame costing a fortune.
It was actually used on Red Velvet.
Singing, standing on stage, posting online.
The total is just over 7 million Korean won.
How much will Bae Joo-hyun receive on her own?
He opened the calculator on his phone and started helping Bae Joo-hyun with the accounts.
SM Entertainment's rookie contracts are notoriously harsh.
The income for the first two years had to be deducted first for the training costs during the trainee period, then for makeup, costumes, publicity and other miscellaneous expenses, and so on down the chain.
The remaining portion is divided equally among the company and the members according to their numbers.
In the end, a collaboration would only bring her around 30 million Korean won.
At the current exchange rate, that's 180,000 RMB.
He shook his head, clicked his tongue, and turned off the calculator.
She's at least a beauty icon of the peninsula.
They are the main girl group of the leading entertainment company.
He was selected from tens of thousands of trainees across the entire peninsula.
I finally got a client who was so willing to cooperate, but all I got was a few hundred thousand.
It's really not as good as being a mistress to some small business owner and getting more money.
But who can we blame for this?
Idols under new contracts are the company's most trusted employees.
The new player's contract is for seven years.
How many idols whose careers rely on youth can last for more than seven years?
Most idol groups don't last more than three years.
He leaned back in his chair and suddenly understood many things.
Why is Lee Woo-bin so unrestrained in the entertainment industry, only to suffer setbacks with a very small number of women?
For example, Lim Yoon-a.
It's not that his methods are particularly clever; it's that most of the time he doesn't need any methods at all.
Once their identity is revealed and their luxury car is parked, people will naturally flock to them.
You asked him about his dating tips?
He replies: "It's all about numbers, what skills do you need?"
When Li Zheng thought of this, he suddenly felt fortunate that he wasn't an idol.
He would rather work the night shift at a convenience store than be a trainee.
At least for the past few years, the peninsula's economy has been doing alright. Although it has been somewhat turbulent, wages still have purchasing power.
It won't end up like it did a few years later, with the exchange rate plummeting, prices soaring, and young people all speculating on cryptocurrencies.
Even if housing prices skyrocket, the economy stagnates, and the exchange rate collapses in the future.
At worst, we'll just enrich the Celestial Empire.
Forget it, I'm thinking too far ahead.
He pushed the instant noodle bowl aside, picked up his phone, and sent a message to Quan Zhian.
"Contract confirmed, sign it according to this. Keep a close eye on the MV, I need to see every frame of the final cut, and make sure it matches Blizzard's quality. Also, send the song demo to Ahn Joon-hyuk for another listen. I feel the mixing in the chorus is a bit muddy; for online distribution, it needs a brighter sound, so have them fix it."
Thursday, December 11th, is an auspicious day for burial.
Lee Woo-bin has probably never gotten up this early in his life.
Before dawn, he was already standing in the cramped little room of Ding Wulang Detective Agency, repeatedly adjusting his clothes in front of a dressing mirror with a crack.
When Li Zhengyi pushed the door open and came in, the scene he saw almost made him spit out his coffee.
Dark blue sequined suit.
The sequins on his cuffs shimmered under the fluorescent lights, making it seem as if someone was scattering tiny diamonds all over him with every movement.
He wore a black silk shirt under his suit, with the top three buttons undone, revealing a thin gold chain underneath.
The pants are very fitted, making the legs look long and straight.
Li Zhengyi had to admit that this bastard's physique was indeed decent, almost as good as his own.
After all, picking up girls is also a physically demanding task.
"Are you going to a funeral or to perform on the Music Bank's year-end stage?"
Li Zhengyi leaned against the door frame, his coffee cup resting at his lips.
"You don't understand, this is revenge. Revenge requires a sense of ritual."
Lee Woo-bin turned halfway around in front of the mirror, examining his profile from different angles.
"You're not the Avengers."
"We are the Avengers."
Lee Woo-bin pointed at himself in the mirror, his expression extremely serious.
"Iron Man is in charge of being rich, and I'm rich too. Captain America is in charge of being good-looking, and I'm good-looking too. Thor is in charge of being handsome, and I'm handsome too."
He paused.
"Black Widow is all about sexiness, and so am I."
"Alright, that's enough."
Li Zhengyi was disgusted and turned to leave.
He felt that if he listened any longer, he might shorten his lifespan.
The cemetery is located in the suburbs of Seoul, nestled against the mountains and surrounded by large pine forests. The air there is several degrees colder than in the city.
It was already fully light when they arrived.
But the sky was overcast, as if it were about to snow.
Li Zhengyi instructed Ding Wulang to park the car on a quiet, deserted path outside the side gate of the cemetery.
An unremarkable gray Hyundai van, with a fake "Seafood Transportation" sign on its body.
Inside the carriage, all the equipment has been tested and adjusted.
Ding Wulang sat in front of a bunch of monitors, the screen showing Lee Woo-bin's living room.
The replica of the "Starry Night" painting was facing the safe, displaying a high-definition, real-time image with full signal strength.
On the other screens nearby were several angles showing the interior of the cemetery. Ding Wulang had set up three cameras here, one pointing at the parking lot, the other at the main entrance of the cemetery, and the other at the side entrance of the farewell hall. All angles had been adjusted and the signal was good.
He gave Li Zhengyi a thumbs up, then continued adjusting the parameters without saying anything.
Lee Woo-bin sat in the back of the car, legs crossed, in a state of extreme excitement.
"How should I make my entrance? Should I start with laughter or by pushing open the door? Should I play some background music?"
He repeatedly adjusted the angle of the sequins on the cuffs, sometimes feeling that the left cuff was brighter than the right, and sometimes feeling that the chain at the neckline wasn't obvious enough, so he pulled it forward by half a centimeter.
Li Zhengyi opened the side door of the bread cart.
"Ready?"
"It's all prepared."
Lee Woo-bin stood up, straightened the collar of his sequined suit, raised his chin, and from a certain angle, he did indeed have the air of a "king returning".
Like a duck.
Li Zhengyi silently evaluated the situation in his mind.
But he didn't say it.
Today's plan requires this duck to be at his best; we can't dampen his enthusiasm.
He then turned to look at Ding Wulang.
Ding Wulang took the cigarette out of his mouth and stubbed it out in the ashtray.
"Everything is ready, and we can begin at any time."
Li Zheng nodded, took a deep breath, and got out of the car.
It's incredibly cold outside.
The wind blew through the pine forest, carrying the scent of pine resin.
He was wearing a black overcoat, the fabric of which was crisp and suitable for a funeral.
I looked up at the gray-white walls of the cemetery in the distance.
Lee Woo-bin leaned against the car door next to him.
"Shoichi, what if the plan fails..."
Li Zhengyi interrupted him.
"It won't fail; I've already calculated human nature."
He straightened his collar and strode toward the cemetery.
There was no sun on the horizon, only layers upon layers of leaden-gray clouds.