Chapter 49: The Delicate Lily of That Year (Part 1) (First Update)

  First update seeking recommendations~

  A bit less, too busy during the day

  Thanks for the rewards from classmates Youyou Baobao, Wu Yuede Men Sa, Royyi and Jian Mie Shen Feng!

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  Now that things have been discussed and settled, Li Junyi took over this order, so the rest is naturally to prepare for the start of filming.

  In the following days, Lee Jun-ik began searching for filming locations in Hanzhong and surrounding cities. According to Baek Ji-young's idea, most of the MV's plot takes place outdoors, but the scenes involved are not many. There is an old residential area with stone slab streets, a section of railroad tracks at a dispatching station, and a road or bridge that can be demolished to express the meaning of "no future".

  These places are not hard to find, even in Seoul. The only hassle is communicating with the filming location, so we can't start shooting yet. Compared to this, Ahn Jun-hee's MV for "Unsetting Sun" is much simpler.

  "The Unsetting Sun" incorporates a black punk style, the MV aims to restore that kind of punk-style oppression and depression, humid and dark environment, swirling steam, like the decadent and bewildered British streets during the Industrial Revolution.

  This effect, of course, cannot be achieved by choosing a real location for filming, otherwise, it would require sealing off and renovating an entire street, which would be unbearable due to the sudden increase in budget. Set construction is the best choice, renting a large studio, building the scene, and finishing the shoot within a few days.

  During this time, the company also received three songs. Because the requirements were relaxed and only sought a melancholic style that fit with the main theme, the quality of these three songs was not high. Even so, one song was still missing. Under duress, An Junhe had to write another song "One Sentence" to fill in, just barely completing his own six-song album.

  During the interval of shooting two MVs, he also completed recording the remaining four songs. After finishing the last shot of "The Unfalling Sun" on February 9th, his first mini-album finally entered the formal post-production stage and it will take some time to get the sample disc.

  Finishing the recording of the album doesn't mean he can take it easy, as the controversy surrounding "X File" is still ongoing. Represented by several severely affected top stars, a group of over 300 artists issued a joint statement last month to legally protect their rights and boycott "First Planning"'s insincere apology, refusing to accept any advertising recommendations from them. As one of the named stars on the list, Ahn Jun-hee also had to follow suit, with his company recently turning down all advertising offers from "First Planning".

  But Korea's advertising planning companies are not just one, as a member of "X File" who has received positive reviews and has no stains on his image, Ahn Jun-hee's healthy image is deeply rooted in people's minds, and naturally, he also gets the favor of many advertisers. Even though Kwon Bo-geun carefully selects and eliminates most of the jobs that are no longer worthy of his value and image, after finishing recording the album, he still works hard every day to shoot commercials.

  In the midst of this busy period, the tragic whirlwind of "Sorry, I Love You" slowly spread to neighboring countries.

  In mid-January, Park Young-joon, who holds the overseas copyright for "Reply", received acquisition intentions from multiple TV stations in Japan, mainland China and Hong Kong/Taiwan. After a period of contact and negotiation, with the signing of the licensing contract, the drama officially landed in these overseas markets.

  In early February, several TV stations that purchased the broadcasting rights for "The Opponent" and completed dubbing began their first round of broadcasts.

  Emotions have no borders, especially for tragedies that combine kinship and love. They won't be diminished by differences in customs and culture in other countries. At the end of last year, "Sorry, I Love You" triggered a wave of sadness in Korea, like a highly contagious virus, which quickly spread to Japan, China and elsewhere as soon as it was broadcast, with countless people shedding tears every day over the fate of Da Jang Geum and Tae Mong.

  As the actor who brought "Uncle Fan Wuhe" to life, Ahn Jun-hee's name has also spread like a virus in these countries. According to an investigation by S.M.'s offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Beijing, more than 50% of people who watched "Sorry, I Love You" have become his fans. Especially in Japan, which is most deeply influenced by the Korean Wave, fan clubs have been established online, with the largest one estimated to be created by fans who understand Korean, completely following the format of "Ahn's Little House", and has already reached 60,000 registered members, almost two-thirds of the official fan club registration number.

  At one time, the popularity of the "X File" incident, which has been spreading continuously recently, also promoted his healthy and positive image widely. Any foreign media that reports on the "X File" will mention Zhang Dongjian, Wen Genying, and An Junhe, who were lucky enough to escape unscathed, after listing Li Bingxian, Li Ying'ai and other "villains". Among these people, An Junhe has the shortest career, but he received no less attention than his seniors, which is also due to the popularity of the drama "Couple" overseas.

  Riding on the wind's momentum, the wind helped fuel the fire's might, and with both sides advancing in tandem, Ahn Jae-hyun suddenly became a leading figure of the Korean Wave at the start of 2005.

  As a newcomer, such a strong rise is bound to provoke the jealousy of some seniors in the industry. On a certain day in mid-February, Ahn Jun-hee, who had just finished filming an advertisement and was about to return to the company by car, received a call from Kwon Bae-gon. The middle-aged man said anxiously on the phone: "Jun-hee, someone has leaked the news that you are in contact with Baek Ji-young!"

  Wrote a song for Baek Ji Young, Ahn Jun Hyuk didn't hide it from Kwon Boa Geun. Although he initially opposed it, thinking that being too close to Baek Ji Young would affect his image, Ahn Jun Hyuk insisted. He had no other choice but to make a note of it to the company and then ignore it.

  I didn't expect it to be exposed today, and there are even secretly taken photos.

  An Junhe returned to the company and went online to take a look at the explosive photos, only then did he understand why Quan Baogen was so irritable on the phone earlier.

  It was a candid photo of the two meeting outside, with a coffee shop in the background. He himself had forgotten which day it was, but it should have been during the recording session with Baek Z Young. The pixelation of the candid photo wasn't high, but the angle chosen by the photographer was great. In the blurry image, the expressions on their faces as they chatted seemed quite intimate, and anyone who saw it couldn't help but let their imagination run wild.

  The moment An Junhe saw the photo, he burst out laughing.

  Just by looking at this, he can be sure that it was that guy who intentionally framed him, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen such a coincidental angle. However, since meeting Baek Z Young, he hadn't thought of hiding from others anyway, sooner or later the truth would come out, and when Baek Z Young's single is released, their friendship will still have to face the public, there's nothing to be concerned about.

  However, we still need to comfort our fans.

  He thought about it and logged onto his official website, where the fan club had indeed blown up because he hadn't released any new works recently, and after a period of calmness in the community, fans were posting all over.

  "This can't be true! How could Jun-hee oppa be with a woman like Baek Ji-young?!"

  "It's definitely a patched-up picture, the screen is so blurry, and the operable space is too large."

  Some people also said that the picture had no signs of being edited, so it might be real. Doubts, wails and hysterical refusals to believe filled the entire community.