Chapter 99: Preparing a Special Stage

Sunny had been wearing a look of disgust towards the 'player', but in an instant, he transformed into someone who was genuinely interested. His expression changed like an actor.Of course not 。“Chi Jin...To be honest, if it weren't for the male lead's visuals, I probably would have switched channels after the first two episodes. I kept watching just because of Jin Tan, but why does it feel more and more interesting as I watch

"He's right, I was also attracted to the male lead, and I'm a fan of Kim Eun-suk as well. Seeing this now, I can only say that it's not just a simple idol drama."

"Indeed, as the plot unfolds, the conflicts seem to be accumulating, and it's getting more and more exciting. I will continue watching."

The cast members are all so good-looking! A whole bunch of handsome guys and beautiful girls with long legs. I'm a fan who only cares about looks and I can't handle it, okay

Several idol actors performed well, Jung Soo-jeong's performance was a pleasant surprise, and Lee Bo-na is really adorable. Yuan's portrayal of Kim Tan goes without saying. With the first few episodes having such cliché plots, it’s a miracle this drama survived to see its ratings rebound. He definitely deserves a lot of credit for that.

"What are you talking about You're praising the acting of just a few idols How much money did the production team spend to hire so many shills EXO and Yuan will definitely become flops this year!"

"Idiot, for the sake of being black, this is a discussion forum for TV dramas. If you hate EXO so much, go post on those music forums instead. Remember to keep your private messages open and see what the 'middle school and high school ruler' fans are capable of."

“…………”

As the two episodes aired and viewership ratings steadily increased, the online sentiment gradually shifted. The internet trolls who had been relentlessly bashing the drama and its actors suddenly found that the reviews for "The Heirs" seemed to be improving.

Their previous rhetoric is no longer cared for by the general public besides themselves. The posts attacking others are getting little to no response, either sinking quickly or having fans coming in to defend them righteously.

The sudden shift in form made the Black fans, who had been happy for nearly a month, suddenly feel uneasy. They sensed that their time of joy was coming to an end.

…………

The shift in circumstances instantly lifted the morale of the entire crew. Gone was the gloom and despondency of the previous two weeks, replaced by an atmosphere of contagious energy. Everyone, from crew members to the lead actors, displayed a renewed vigor and enthusiasm each day.

Director Kang Shin-hyuk, whose smile had been absent for over a month and a half, has started to smile more often. However, he still maintains a tense appearance every day, never daring to slack off.

And the male lead, Ji Sung-won, has recently wound himself up completely. Besides being more immersed in filming for the drama, he is also preparing for his comeback album at the end of the year. EXO also has two very important schedules coming up.

Today, all the schedules were completed and Ji Jingyuan also rushed back from the set. At this time, several EXO managers, along with a specially assigned dance instructor and stage effect planner from the company, stood beside the twelve members, explaining important matters:

“This coming November, we from XO have been warmly invited to perform at both award ceremony stages. Besides the generous performance time provided, we are also very hopeful of winning several awards.”

Although both songs performed are "Wolf" and "Roar," and their durations are roughly ten minutes each, we designed different performance effects to differentiate them.

At the Melon Music Awards, which will be held on the 14th, we will be filming a brand new VCR. The plot will continue from the previous released music videos for "Wolf" and "Roar." All members will appear in it. Kai and Luhan, you two, will still be the protagonists of the VCR.

Lee Seung-hwan looked at the plan book in his hands, nodding to their names as he glanced over. After receiving their responses, he continued:

"Through a plot-driven VCR to arouse the audience's emotions and increase their expectations for the stage, we are currently setting up the scene. Shooting will begin officially in a week. Yuan, you have a tight schedule, so just make a brief appearance in the VCR shoot with a shot or two. You don't need to be present for the whole thing."

Lee Seung-hwant pointed at the scenery in front of him and made a gesture to Ji Kyeong-won, then continued:

After the Melon Music Awards, it was the MAMA stage on the 22nd. This stage is also very important, as this year has been a big year for us XO to become popular. This stage is a great opportunity to show everyone in Asia and even the world how good we are.

This performance is special because besides the opening VCR, the company's stage planner and dance teachers have choreographed brand new dances for both songs. The two teams' choreography for "" are completely different but both very characteristic, and they will be presented in a battle format during the performance.

"If the team isn't divided by K and M, then it will be divided according to the lineup in the "Roar" MV. Each team on the MAMA stage will have one center member. Aside from standing in the lead dancer position during the dance battle, they also need to interact with the camera and there will be a special joint stage for the two of them during the transition phase."

"These two members are... Luhan, and Yuan. You both have a heavy workload, especially Yuan who also has to film a TV series. Be sure to prepare seriously."

"Yes."

Ji Jingyuan and Luhan exchanged a glance, then nodded to their manager, promising him something.

Except for Kai whose face looked a bit bad, the other members didn't show much expression. They just do what the company arranges them to do.

Although Pool Jingyuan is the most popular member of EXO, the company usually favors two members, Kai and Luhan, from K and M sub-units respectively. When a stage requires solo performances by members, it's generally either Kai or Luhan who gets the opportunity.

Only this time Kai got the male lead role in Melon Awards VCR, but the center position for MAMA's special stage went to Ji-sung.

As Lee Seonghwan, the manager, knows well, the company had originally planned to have both of these highly-promoted Aces as the main vocalists for this performance. This is because the two had a duet dance scene in their pre-debut teaser video, and they were also the protagonists in the narrative music videos for both title tracks of their first regular album this year.

However, after discussion, this plan was rejected and a new arrangement was made. This time, the MAMA stage played a good role in external promotion, and Park Ji-won's popularity is still much higher than Kai's.

“Great, because our XO group is very popular, so we’ll be very busy for the next few months. This also shows that we are becoming a top group. Plus, it's almost the end of the year, and things will get even busier. There might be slightly less time to rest these two months, but I hope everyone works hard.”

"And we've received news that for the two award ceremonies in November, our XO is a strong contender for the top prize. Everyone, please persevere and make sure this year of Tengfei is without any regrets."

Lee Seung-hwan knew that the members had been very tired lately, so after finishing his business, he also gave a speech to boost morale.

** did indeed receive the message, but is unsure about it.

The Grand Prize, as the most important award at the ceremony, is not announced like some other participation awards that are insignificant. It is only hinted at generally.

But there are only a few contenders who are qualified for the grand prize, and everyone knows it.

And EXO is indeed one of the two major award nominees for both ceremonies.

Having debuted just over a year ago, being nominated for a major award is astonishing and speaks volumes about their incredible popularity in the second half of the year.

"Don't worry, Cheng Huan Ge, we will definitely work hard and won't disappoint the company's expectations."

Jinjun-myeon glanced at the members, exchanged a few looks with them and then took the initiative to speak.

"Great, all the choreographers are here, so let's get started, Fightg!"

Lee Seung Hwan laughed and patted the shoulders of the members closest to him. After giving a few dance instructors a quick nod, he walked out. Just as he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to remind them:

“As I mentioned before, the first group reality show for XO will also begin filming soon. We'll be officially filming the first episode the day after tomorrow morning. The script has been sent to you all, so please remember to prepare well after going back.”

"Internal..."

First release on the Traditional Chinese Novel Websiteto get back into the groove.After practicing for a while, it was time for a break. Wu Shih-hsuan grabbed a bottle of water, took a swig, and plopped down next to Ji Jingyuan.He watched Chi Jingyuan h...