Chapter 57

"Big sister, do you want to be a director?" Xia Hou Zhongying asked with a smile after he spoke.

Lee Hyori was taken aback and immediately understood what Xia Hou Zhongying was up to.

Be a director? The more Lee Hyori thought about it, the more interesting it seemed. If she joined the director's team, the company's resistance would definitely be much less. Moreover, directing a movie according to her own ideas was an exciting prospect. Even if she didn't sing in the future, she could try directing movies herself, and this could be a trial run.

"I want you, big sister, to join the director's team, and we can direct together," Xia Hou Zhongying said, looking at Lee Hyori, who was visibly moved.

"I need to think about it," Lee Hyori said, a bit flustered. She raised her head several times, trying to speak but couldn't.

After a few minutes, Lee Hyori clenched her fist tightly, her eyes filled with excitement. "We'll do it ourselves."

Xia Hou Zhongying smiled, feeling a weight lifted off his chest. He finally got the position of chief director back. Given his relationship with Lee Hyori, the two of them working together in the director's team would be smooth, with only minor disagreements at most. These could be resolved through private discussions, which was better than letting others control their fate.

Next, they needed to talk to DSP. Even if Lee Hyori was listed as the chief director, it wouldn't be a problem. At least during the filming, he could direct according to his own ideas.

Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't handle this matter himself. It would be best for Lee Hyori to communicate with their company first. After discussing for a while, Lee Hyori left to report the situation to President Lee Ho-yeong, while Xia Hou Zhongying and the others waited for news at the café.

When President Lee Ho-yeong of DSP heard what Lee Hyori relayed, he wanted to strangle Xia Hou Zhongying. He was extremely frustrated. How could this kid be so troublesome? He had finally found a director willing to direct, but now Xia Hou Zhongying wanted to change the director or direct it himself.

"I can't possibly agree to that," Lee Ho-yeong said firmly, shaking his head.

"President, I think he's already planning to end the collaboration. Most of his actor positions have been taken away, and now he seems very regretful about working with our company," Lee Hyori said, exaggerating as Xia Hou Zhongying had taught her. "He has a good relationship with those girls and doesn't know how to face them after some have been cut, so he's looking for an excuse to end the collaboration."

"How can he do this?" Lee Ho-yeong was furious but had no way to deal with Xia Hou Zhongying's actions. The current situation was very unfavorable for DSP. If they terminated the collaboration, it would make them a laughingstock in the entertainment industry and greatly damage Lee Hyori's reputation.

They had already announced to the media that there would be a press conference in a few days. If they suddenly said they weren't filming, how would others view DSP? So, no matter how much they regretted it, they had to continue the movie.

However, Xia Hou Zhongying's sudden change of heart, saying he wanted to be the chief director himself, caught DSP off guard. Lee Ho-yeong hated him to the bone. But what could he do if he disagreed? Xia Hou Zhongying was determined not to cooperate anymore, and DSP had nothing to bind him.

It seems I've pushed Xia Hou Zhongying too far, Lee Ho-yeong thought.

Initially, Lee Ho-yeong had intended to bully Xia Hou Zhongying like a child. A child, of course, couldn't match the cunning of the DSP president. However, he overlooked one thing: children's personalities are unpredictable. Once they realize they're at a disadvantage, they can quickly change their minds. Adult moral standards couldn't constrain him, leaving Lee Ho-yeong feeling particularly frustrated.

The agreement between the two parties was only verbal. DSP didn't want to leave any written documents, thinking they could gradually phase out Xia Hou Zhongying and his team and take over the project. Xia Hou Zhongying lacked experience in this area, and since neither party had invested money and the movie wasn't profitable, he didn't pay much attention to the lack of a contract.

Now, this lack of a contract became DSP's biggest headache. If there had been a contract, they could have taken it to court. But now, what could they do if Xia Hou Zhongying refused to acknowledge the verbal agreement? Could they really take a child to court? Even if they won, it wouldn't benefit DSP and would only make their competitors laugh.

Lee Ho-yeong paced back and forth in his office, unsure how to resolve the issue. Should he really let Xia Hou Zhongying be the chief director? This was the last thing he could tolerate. But what could he do if he disagreed? If Xia Hou Zhongying withdrew, he could still film without using DSP's people, leaving DSP in a difficult position and ultimately embarrassing the company.

"What else did he say?" Lee Ho-yeong asked, suppressing his anger.

"He said he wants me to join the director's team," Lee Hyori said, looking at the agitated president, feeling a bit guilty.

Lee Ho-yeong was stunned, giving Lee Hyori a strange look. He was speechless, realizing the two were in cahoots.

"You..." Lee Ho-yeong didn't know what to say, sighing and asking, "Hyori, what do you think?"

"President, I want to try," Lee Hyori said with a grin.

Seeing Lee Hyori's eager expression, Lee Ho-yeong was speechless. It seemed that Xia Hou Zhongying had completely won her over. Even as the president of DSP, he couldn't change her mind. After thinking for a while, he had no solution and waved his hand, saying, "Hyori, go out first. I need to think about this."

Not long after Lee Hyori left the president's office, she received a call from President Lee Ho-yeong, agreeing to their request. However, since neither of them had systematically studied directing, two additional professionals would be added to assist. Even if Lee Ho-yeong hadn't suggested it, Lee Hyori and Xia Hou Zhongying would have found two professionals to help, so they readily agreed.

Lee Ho-yeong had no choice. After Lee Hyori left, he thought it over and decided that supporting Lee Hyori to direct the movie was better than finding a third-tier director. As for how to explain it to Kim Jae-joong, a minor director wasn't a big concern for DSP.

After receiving the confirmation, Lee Hyori happily ran to the café to meet Xia Hou Zhongying and the others, sharing the good news.

Everyone was delighted, and Xia Hou Zhongying was particularly happy. The fate of the movie was back in his hands.

Having received a satisfactory response, Xia Hou Zhongying didn't push for more positions, as that would have forced DSP to end the collaboration. That wasn't what he wanted; he still needed to rely on Lee Hyori's fame and DSP's resources.

Xia Hou Zhongying called everyone and left the café, returning to DSP. This time, Lee Ho-yeong didn't even show his face, too angry to see Xia Hou Zhongying. He only arranged for two professionals to assist in the auditions for the cast.

The two professionals Lee Ho-yeong arranged were recent graduates from the directing program at Kyung Hee University, both young. One was named Ko Yun-ho, and the other was Kwon Sang-kyung. Although they were assigned to assist Xia Hou Zhongying and Lee Hyori, they had no resistance. Thanks to Lee Hyori, they also saw this as an opportunity to prove their abilities to the company and advance their careers.

DSP provided a room for Xia Hou Zhongying and Lee Hyori, and with Ko Yun-ho and Kwon Sang-kyung, a total of four people participated in the auditions for the cast of the ZX studio.

The first to enter the room for the audition was Lin Yixian, who was the most enthusiastic about the movie. Seeing her excited expression, Xia Hou Zhongying was both amused and exasperated.

"Yixian, you should calm down first. If you can't get into character, you won't pass," Xia Hou Zhongying reminded her.

"Okay, okay, no problem, Brother Zhongying," Lin Yixian nodded.

"Take a look at this content and memorize the lines. Then, perform according to the role," Xia Hou Zhongying handed a piece of paper to Lin Yixian.

Although Xia Hou Zhongying hadn't participated in auditions before, as the chief director, he could ask the two professionals for guidance. They were very helpful, explaining the audition process and注意事项 to him.

After quietly reading the content and lines on the paper, Lin Yixian closed her eyes to gather her emotions and get into character.

After a while, Lin Yixian opened her eyes, indicating she was ready.

Xia Hou Zhongying nodded at Lin Yixian, signaling her to start.

After Lin Yixian finished her performance, she looked at Xia Hou Zhongying expectantly.

Xia Hou Zhongying smiled. Here, he wasn't the expert; the other three were more professional. Although he was the chief director, he couldn't make the final decision alone. It was best to hear their opinions first. Moreover, he only had four female roles to fill, and deciding who to keep and who to cut was a headache. Letting the three of them decide was the best choice, giving him an excuse to explain to everyone.

"Good, you can go out now," Xia Hou Zhongying said to Lin Yixian with a smile.

After Lin Yixian left, Xia Hou Zhongying looked at the three and asked, "How was that?"

"Pretty good. There were some flaws and it was a bit raw, but overall, it was decent," the three gave similar feedback.

Next, Hwang Miyoung entered. Xia Hou Zhongying smiled at her, gave her a few words of encouragement to not be nervous, and handed her a piece of paper to perform according to the content.

For each person who came in for the audition, Xia Hou Zhongying would ask the three for their opinions and have them score the performance.

The remaining members, including Jung Sooyoung, Jung Sooyoung, and Kim Tae-yeon, came in one by one, following the same procedure: receiving a piece of paper, memorizing the lines, and performing according to the content.

After the girls' auditions were over, it was the turn of the three assistants.

Here, the difference between trainees and non-trainees became apparent. Although the three had trained for a month, acting isn't something you can learn quickly. They had been scolded by Xia Hou Zhongying the day before and had vowed to perform well to avoid embarrassing their senior. However, determination doesn't guarantee good performance. The three were nervous as soon as they entered the room, unable to remember their lines, making Xia Hou Zhongying want to strangle them.

Xia Hou Zhongying had one male role to fill. Such a poor performance would waste that slot and give it to DSP. Already, DSP had taken most of the roles, and he was unwilling to give them this one as well.

However, reality was harsh. The three assistants' performances were so poor that even Xia Hou Zhongying couldn't stand it, let alone the other three. They were immediately ruled out.

Seeing Xia Hou Zhongying's angry and frustrated expression, Lee Hyori laughed. "If you really don't want to lose that male role, why don't you try it yourself?"