Chapter 59

Li Jingming was barely restraining his impulse to run away as he answered An Hanjian's call, feeling extremely embarrassed. "Speak quickly."

"Um, the actors for the movie have been finalized, and the entire crew has gathered. Are you not going to attend the opening ceremony? Also, we've already arranged a short-term rental for Mr. Jin C. Do you want me to send someone to pick him up at the airport, or just send the address?"

An Hanjian usually had his own way, but "Juno" was the first work of Guangguo Films, so he needed Li Jingming's approval before proceeding with the opening ceremony.

"I'll attend the opening ceremony, but postpone it to next Monday. Send someone to pick up Jin C at the airport." Li Jingming lowered his voice. Although Park Hyomin stood far away, he wouldn't shout about this. After all, he was now a public figure. If it were to get out tomorrow that the new singer Li Jingming was a Hollywood producer, it would be a big deal, and "Juno" would become a truly controversial work.

After finishing the call, Li Jingming saw that Park Hyomin was standing quite far away. Besides feeling a bit of goodwill, he had only one thought: "Can't show weakness, gotta leave quickly." He had used such a despicable and childish tactic to escape just now, and even with his thick skin, he couldn't bear it. Without a place to hide, he had to quickly escape this place of sorrow.

"OPPA, even if you don't want me, what about our child?" Park Hyomin, wearing sandals, used a shameless tactic when she saw she couldn't catch up with Li Jingming. "What about the happiness we promised?"

Li Jingming stood there, stunned. Was it really worth it just for a signature? Under the condemning gazes of the passersby, he had no choice but to turn back, his head deeply lowered. He was afraid of being recognized by acquaintances, even though he didn't have many in all of Korea, but you never know.

The passersby, who were just passing by, had now become an audience, eagerly waiting for the drama to unfold. They were already making comments. Indeed, the images of the male and female leads were excellent, not inferior to those in top-tier TV dramas. A classic story of heartless abandonment, followed by a heart-wrenching plot. The female lead would eventually live a good life alone, meet a better man, and give birth to the child in her belly, or the man would have a change of heart, or he had some unspoken difficulties...

Li Jingming glanced at an auntie with a bag of popcorn in her hand. Where did she buy the popcorn in this place with no shops around?

"Senior, can't you just give me a signature? Let's go buy a card." Park Hyomin, seeing Li Jingming return, walked up to him and whispered in his ear, using the coquettish charm that all women and most men in South Korea would use.

This tactic almost always worked on Li Jingming. He immediately turned and walked away, "Let's go then, girl, what are you waiting for?" He was afraid that if he dared to say no again, something even more unbelievable might happen, like the child in her belly.

Namsan Tower in Seoul is a magical place. Li Jingming still didn't understand why there were so many functions inside the tower, but in the end, he followed Park Hyomin to the "Love Wall." The souvenir shop there sold postcards and cards, and Park Hyomin was ready to buy a card for Li Jingming to sign.

Park Hyomin's eyes were already shining as she looked at the various cards. Women always have a special fondness for "choosing things," especially when the items are beautiful. They enjoy and carefully select them. Park Hyomin treated the selection of the card as if it were a decision for her future. Fortunately, Li Jingming had already gone shopping in Myeongdong with Jessica, so he was mentally prepared. While Park Hyomin was choosing the card, he wandered around.

On one side of the souvenir shop, a row of thermoses was displayed, each with a cute cartoon image of Namsan Tower, a style that women particularly liked. Li Jingming walked over and saw the price, which made him laugh. Although Li Jingming had plenty of money, he wouldn't spend so much on a cup.

"Only a fool would buy this cup..." Before the word "buy" even formed in his mind, a nearby couple spoke up.

"OPPA, this cup is so pretty," the woman cooed.

"If you like it, we'll buy it. Which one?" the man replied with a smile.

"They're all so pretty," the woman continued to coo.

"Then let's buy all six," the man continued to smile.

Li Jingming was taken aback. "You two, if you hadn't spoken, I would have thought you were father and daughter..."

Feeling disheartened, Li Jingming couldn't stay any longer. It wasn't that he was too kind, but the world was too crazy. When he went to the card-selling area, Park Hyomin was still choosing a card, not only choosing but also taking photos.

"Still not done?" Li Jingming was waiting to go back for dinner.

Park Hyomin frowned and carefully scanned the options again, "Decided, it's you!"

Was she playing "Cardfight!! Vanguard"?

After selecting the card, Park Hyomin started rummaging through her bag. After a while, she took out her wallet, and the woman collecting the money looked at Li Jingming differently. He was unfairly looked down upon again, and Li Jingming decided to find a fortune teller to break his recent bad luck. He angrily slapped his card on the counter, "Swipe it."

Couples who came here would buy cards, write their vows, and attach them to the wall as tiles, covering the entire wall. Li Jingming had no such intention. He just signed his name, writing "Li Jingming" in a flourish, and at Park Hyomin's request, added a wish: "May the lovely Hyomin always be beautiful and pretty," and finally the date. This date was the most important because no one had ever received Li Jingming's signature before this day, not Li Kan's.

Park Hyomin was very happy after getting the signature. Her way of expressing happiness was to take a lot of photos with her camera.

"Senior, can I have your phone number?" Park Hyomin finally mustered the courage to ask.

"Oh, for what?" Li Jingming asked casually.

"If Senior releases a new work, I'll buy it and ask for a signature. I don't want to wait in line at a signing event; I might get sunburned." Park Hyomin's reason was reasonable enough, so Li Jingming naturally gave it to her. After all, a beautiful woman asking for a phone number, any man would agree.

After saying goodbye to Park Hyomin, Li Jingming went straight back. He didn't know that Park Hyomin had updated the photo of the signature on her personal blog. As a face-liking person, Park Hyomin had many fans, especially female fans and female清新 fans. This caused a stir. Park Hyomin usually interacted a lot with her fans, and most of them were Li Jingming's fans, even if they hadn't joined the official fan club, they still liked Li Jingming's songs and him as a person. They hadn't even seen Li Jingming in person, and this person had already gotten his autograph. Was it true that beautiful people were given more by heaven?

Park Hyomin didn't just show off the signature; she added some "little spices" to turn the afternoon's events into a full story. Her version was like this:

On this sunny afternoon, I, as usual, found a scenic spot to take some material to share with everyone. When I arrived at the foot of Namsan Tower, a figure deeply attracted me. That charming figure was like a firefly in the dark, impossible to hide. When I got closer, I saw it was OPPA Li Jingming. At that moment, OPPA was singing a song I hadn't heard before.

When I got closer, I discovered that OPPA Li Jingming was actually creating a song. I was fortunate to witness the birth of a new song, but to keep it secret, I won't reveal the content. After OPPA Li Jingming knew I was his fan, he greeted me very kindly and fulfilled all my requests, giving me a signature, taking a photo with me, and even accompanying me to the Teddy Bear Museum... The story became increasingly bizarre, and it seemed that Li Jingming even fulfilled her "deeper requests." However, the earlier parts of the story had evidence. The last time they met, Baek Gyeom helped take a photo of Li Jingming and Park Hyomin, which was used here, and the background was the display cabinet of the Teddy Bear Museum.

Finally, Park Hyomin posted several photos, and with the preceding article, a vivid, approachable, and talented Li Jingming came to life, making the readers even more jealous, leading to a near riot among the online group of older, artsy women.

"Wow, my favorite, his bare face is so cute, completely love it, hug hug!"

"Our OPPA Li Jingming's bare face is amazing, surpassing all male beings."

"Truly a talented creator, if this new song is as good as 'Confession,' the upcoming album will be a huge success. Can't you reveal a little bit, just a little bit?"

"Our Li Jingming is already a huge success, the person upstairs doesn't know the current situation of new artists."

"Can we have a signing event? Does anyone know the fan club manager of LAD?"

"Yes, I want a signature too."

"Having a signed photo would be even better."

"If LAD doesn't hold a signing event in the next few days, should we sit in front of their company? Although many people are joking and trolling, some are serious and have already started causing a fuss on the official website."

That night, Song Seokjae's call came to Li Jingming, who was at home reading the profiles of the main characters of "Juno." After answering the call, he happily raised his fist. The signing event would be held on Saturday.

It was probably the first time in the Korean entertainment industry that a new artist was asked to hold a signing event before their debut album was even officially released. Song Seokjae originally planned to release and hold the signing event on Wednesday, as the pre-sales had already exceeded 20,000, and LAD had full confidence that there wouldn't be a cold reception. However, doing it this way was too "showy." Even if the new artist was strong, there was no need to show off so much, and other companies might gang up on them. After being advised by a group of experienced assistants, Song Seokjae decided to hold the event on Saturday.

All of this was the power of the internet, and some entertainment company presidents were beginning to realize its strength.

Li Jingming, of course, was happy. This showed that his efforts were paying off, and his path would be easier. He didn't know that half the reason he could hold a signing event so early was thanks to Park Hyomin, but after reading that article, he might not thank her.