Chapter 53

DSP's mainstay, Lee Hyori, has decided to participate in the film "Green Apple Paradise" directed by Xia Hou Zhongying. Although it hasn't been officially announced yet, the news has already started to spread among the executives of various entertainment companies and directors. Many people can't understand the decision made by DSP and Lee Hyori, thinking they must have lost their minds. DSP is in a difficult position, unable to express their frustration.

Naturally, the companies that have competitive relationships with DSP are delighted to see the situation as a joke.

When Lee Soo-man heard the news, he almost went crazy with joy, laughing uncontrollably. The decision made by DSP and Lee Hyori benefits S.M. the most, as there are seven trainees from S.M. in the cast. After gaining the benefits, S.M. can let DSP bear the embarrassment. Lee Soo-man even deliberately called Lee In-ho to congratulate him on getting a good script and offered help if needed. Imagining Lee In-ho's disgusted expression, Lee Soo-man couldn't help but drink a few extra glasses of wine when he got home.

It's unknown who first leaked the news to the media, but once the media got wind of it, they rushed to DSP, blocking the company's entrance, trying to interview DSP and Lee Hyori.

DSP is now in a difficult situation, unable to back down. The news has already attracted media attention, and it's impossible to retract the decision. They can only tough it out and continue filming the movie.

However, there are still many issues that need to be discussed with Xia Hou Zhongying. Before the negotiations are finalized, they can't say much to the media. Lee In-ho had to have his staff block the journalists, promising to hold a press conference to announce the news and stop the journalists. He also issued a gag order to the company's staff, prohibiting them from discussing Lee Hyori's participation in "Green Apple Paradise" with outsiders.

The impact of the event has exceeded the control of Lee Hyori and Xia Hou Zhongying, who didn't expect it. Xia Hou Zhongying is also quite helpless. Regardless of his original intentions, he now has to consider DSP's feelings and think about Lee Hyori. The movie can no longer be filmed as a casual project but must follow the standard procedures for a regular film, not a short film.

Yesterday, Xia Hou Zhongying went to DSP, as requested by the company. The meeting was not pleasant.

DSP made three demands: first, the film must be shot as a regular movie; second, the cast must be reselected; third, the film must be operated as a commercial movie and released in theaters.

Xia Hou Zhongying had no objections to the first demand and agreed without hesitation. However, the last two demands were difficult to agree on, as they not only affected him but also the future of the seven girls, including Jeong Seo-yeon, and the support and sponsorship from the school behind them.

This morning, Xia Hou Zhongying met with DSP again. He also notified the school, asking them to send a leader to participate in the negotiations. Both sides were continuously arguing. Due to the involvement and firm opposition of Kent School, DSP agreed to shoot the film as a public welfare project, which doesn't need to be released in theaters, but they were unwilling to compromise on the cast.

Xia Hou Zhongying was also unwilling to give in. He wasn't making this movie for himself but for the seven girls from S.M. The script was written around the eight girls. If the cast was reselected and the eight girls were replaced, there would be no point in collaborating.

The negotiations became increasingly tense, and it was impossible to continue. In the end, both sides had to take a step back. DSP agreed to evaluate the cast's abilities before making a decision, and Xia Hou Zhongying agreed that if the three assistants didn't pass the director's review, they wouldn't be considered for the cast, but the eight girls must participate. Both sides agreed to have the original cast members attend a casting call the next morning before continuing the negotiations.

Xia Hou Zhongying and Lee Hyori, who had finished her makeup, walked out of DSP's door, both smiling wryly.

Lee Hyori's participation significantly increased the film's influence, and the benefits for the girls involved are evident. If they can shoot the movie with Lee Hyori, their fame will skyrocket, far surpassing the impact of shooting ten short films. This is why Xia Hou Zhongying didn't immediately reject DSP's request to change the cast.

However, dealing with DSP is not easy. Xia Hou Zhongying also considered whether to first promote a few girls and then use their fame to boost the others in the next movie, ultimately achieving fame for all. But this decision is difficult to make, especially since he doesn't know how to face the girls who might be cut.

"Let's go, sister. I'll take you and Minjeong to meet everyone," Xia Hou Zhongying said, feeling more and more frustrated and sighing helplessly.

Xia Hou Zhongying hadn't told the cast about Lee Hyori's participation yet, as the impact was too significant, and he didn't want to say anything until the negotiations were finalized. However, they all had to attend the casting call the next morning, so he had to inform them to prepare.

Xia Hou Zhongying called everyone to gather at the studio and then met with Park Minjeong before heading to ZX Studio.

The cast arrived at the studio before Xia Hou Zhongying. Although they didn't know the specific content, they guessed that something significant was about to happen and were excited and eager, waiting for Xia Hou Zhongying. The impatient Lim Yoon-a kept calling Jeong Seo-yeon to urge Xia Hou Zhongying to come quickly.

"Brother Zhongying," "Big brother," as Xia Hou Zhongying pushed open the studio door, everyone greeted him, looking at him with anticipation, except for Jeong Seo-yeon.

Xia Hou Zhongying smiled, nodded to everyone, and stepped aside to let Lee Hyori and Park Minjeong enter.

When the cast saw two women following Xia Hou Zhongying, one wearing large sunglasses, they were puzzled.

After entering the studio, Lee Hyori tilted her head to one side, removed her sunglasses, and shook her hair.

Seeing Lee Hyori's face, everyone in the studio was stunned, mouths agape, unable to speak for a long time.

After the two women entered, Xia Hou Zhongying introduced them, "Let me introduce you. This is..."

Before Xia Hou Zhongying could finish, everyone in the room screamed simultaneously. The high-pitched screams of 11 people almost made the studio collapse. The echoes in the room made the three of them turn pale, covering their ears and almost falling to the ground.

Everyone rushed forward, surrounding Lee Hyori, shouting, "It's Lee Hyori," "Sister Hyori," "Senior Hyori," and other phrases mixed together.

"What are you doing?" Xia Hou Zhongying, seeing the chaos, shouted angrily.

"Brother Zhongying, this is Senior Lee Hyori," Lim Yoon-a turned to Xia Hou Zhongying and said.

"I know it's Lee Hyori," Xia Hou Zhongying replied.

"Lee Hyori, this is Senior Lee Hyori. Do you know who she is?" Jeong Seo-yeon glared at Xia Hou Zhongying angrily.

"What's the big deal?" Xia Hou Zhongying rolled his eyes.

"Brother Zhongying, do you even know who Senior Lee Hyori is?" Even Kim Tae-yeon couldn't stand Xia Hou Zhongying's indifferent attitude and asked.

"How could I not know? If I didn't know, how could I bring her here? What's the big deal?" Xia Hou Zhongying said helplessly, finding their star-struck behavior incomprehensible.

"Idiot." Everyone, including the three assistants who usually obeyed him unconditionally, looked at Xia Hou Zhongying as if he were an idiot. Did he even know what Lee Hyori represented in Korea? In Korea, anyone who claims not to know Lee Hyori would be embarrassed to say they are Korean. Any news about Lee Hyori in the media can increase sales by 30%. Now, she was standing right in front of them, in their studio. How could they not be excited?

"She's just a celebrity. You seven, there are plenty of celebrities in the company, and you see them every day. Is there any need to be so excited?" Xia Hou Zhongying scolded.

Park Minjeong, hearing Xia Hou Zhongying's words, couldn't help but laugh. This kid was truly unique, saying, "She's just a celebrity." It's like saying, "It's just an apple" when holding an apple in front of a pile of apples, as if Lee Hyori were everywhere.

Lee Hyori's face turned dark, feeling extremely depressed. Explaining the concept of a celebrity to someone who doesn't understand it is like playing the lute to a cow, leaving her speechless and bitter.

"Idiot, is Senior Hyori just any ordinary celebrity?" Jeong Seo-yeon was so angry she wanted to punch and kick him.

The other 10 people also surrounded Xia Hou Zhongying, criticizing him.

Seeing Xia Hou Zhongying being criticized, Lee Hyori couldn't help but laugh, feeling incredibly relieved. She had been so demoralized by Xia Hou Zhongying's attitude that she almost doubted her own fame.

"Are you done? Getting so excited over a person, how will you handle it when we shoot the movie together? You'll be so excited you'll die," Xia Hou Zhongying, being criticized, was also furious. Now he finally understood the extent of Lee Hyori's fame. Even his closest colleagues turned against him for her.

"Shooting the movie together?" Everyone was stunned.

"You, you mean Senior Lee Hyori will shoot the movie with us?" Jeong Seo-yeon asked, her voice trembling.

"Yes," Xia Hou Zhongying nodded and said, "Sister Hyori has joined the 'Green Apple Paradise' cast and will play the role of the teacher in the movie."

The room fell silent, so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard. The news was so shocking that it left them all dazed.

"Ah..." The room erupted in screams again. Fortunately, Xia Hou Zhongying, Lee Hyori, and Park Minjeong were smart enough to cover their ears this time. This news was even more shocking than Lee Hyori appearing at ZX Studio.

After the commotion, Xia Hou Zhongying finally calmed everyone down.

"Zhongying, this is your studio?" Lee Hyori looked around with interest. There wasn't much to see, just two rooms: an office and a rehearsal room, which could be seen at a glance.

"Yes, unfortunately, the budget is tight, so it's a bit simple," Xia Hou Zhongying smiled and said, "But it's enough."

Hearing Xia Hou Zhongying's words, the people from ZX were so embarrassed they wanted to hide. Was it just simple? It was basically just two rooms, 12 tables, and 12 chairs, with no sofa. Lee Hyori and Park Minjeong had nowhere to sit.

In the end, the three assistants happily gave up their chairs, and one of them quickly went to get water.