Chapter Sixty-Nine: Gotta step it up

and struggle to land mainstream roles again.This drama, "The Heirs," holds great significance for the cast and crew.Being a model turned actor like Kim Woo Bin, the starting point is not high. If he...In the first act of "The Untamed," the scene is simple. Lan Jingyi walks to the opposite side of the street and looks around, showing an expression of being unfamiliar with this place for the first time. Then, his phone rings and he answers it. From Zhao Zheng, he gets the news that Xu Jingshi is hiding in Cairo Hotel.

However, after all this time, Chi Jingyuan seemed a little rusty during both shoots. He stumbled a couple of times in a row.

But he quickly found his way back into the feeling of filming. To the surprise of the crew members around him, he entered the state and shot several scenes in one go.

Most film crews will shoot the first few scenes of a production multiple times due to various reasons. It's not uncommon for them to be reshot ten or even more times. This could be because the actors haven't found their groove, or the director feels the scene needs further refinement.

The cast and crew of the drama "Unsung" were all seasoned professionals who had worked on many television dramas before. They had made preparations for a smooth start to filming, but they hadn't expected that even before they became annoyed by the continuous "NGs," Park Ji-won would enter his shooting state so quickly, and what he delivered was truly excellent. Kim Gwan-sik squinted with a smile, which clearly showed this.

After filming the first few scenes of the continuous shots, Kim Yu-seok whispered to Ji Seong-won and several other actors, occasionally glancing over there.

"Didn't expect it, really quite good."

"I've only heard that this child has an impressive background, thinking it was all hype, but I didn't expect them to perform so well."

"Originally, Chi Jingyuan's acting skills were already very outstanding. Otherwise, even if his social connections were deep, the evaluations of those crew members who had worked with him would not have been so good..."

Have you seen "The Heirs" That one with Kim Tan, wow. My wife was obsessed with it back then…

There are still many rumors about Ji Chang Wook in the TV drama circle, such as having a lot of connections, snatching roles from others, having special privileges on set, and Kim Eun Sook liking him very much, and so on.

Besides the widespread rumors last year about him replacing Lee Min Ho for a role, there were also occasional reports on set about his connections. This included unverified claims circulating from some "The Heirs" crew members, such as stories about how he owned a luxurious mansion in LA during filming. Each of these unsubstantiated rumors added to the mystique surrounding him.

He is currently the only young male actor on the peninsula who is still active as an idol, which makes him stand out from the other more traditionally trained young actors. Among them, he can even be said to be one of the best developing.

Because of these reasons, some vague prejudices and curiosity would occasionally follow him.

It seems that many members of the "Unborn" crew also have this kind of situation. However, after watching Chi Jingyuan act for a while, I can't help but be amazed.

Regardless of the rumors or background, this performance immediately catches the eye. It's undeniably impressive acting skill, no wonder someone who had previously collaborated with Park Jeong-won at a production meeting denied Wi Ha-joon and strongly suggested Park Jeong-won for the role of Jang Klay.

After all, they've already had a successful pairing before. Their collaboration in "Reply 1997" was a huge success, making both Park Bo Gum and Kim Sejeong very well-liked and remembered.

After filming the first few scenes, it was time to shoot the most important chase scene in Jordan.

The plot sees Zhang Keli and Zhao Dali arrive at the Cairo Hotel to find Xu Jin. They check the room and, finding no one, believe he has fled. Just as they are about to give up hope, Xu Jin happens to return from outside. He comes face-to-face with the two men, both parties stunned for a couple of seconds before Xu Jin takes off running. The two immediately chase after him.

Zhao, as soon as he came up, accidentally tripped and fell. Throughout the whole process, Zhang Kelei chased Xu Jin all over the bustling old streets of Amman. They ran after each other, bumping into several pedestrians along the way. When they crossed the road, Zhang Kelei was knocked several meters away by a car that braked too late. He lay on the ground unconscious for a few seconds before getting up again.

Afterward, they chased each other up the stairs to the rooftop. They ran so fast that one even jumped across a two-meter gap from the roof...

The window of the other building next door was open.

When Chi Jingyuan saw the description and shot breakdown of this tense and thrilling chase scene, he was completely amazed. If someone hadn't told him beforehand that this was the script for "The Untamed," he would have thought it was a movie shot by Jackie Chan.

"This chase scene wasn't shot in one continuous take. We filmed it in segments. Starting from the Cairo Hotel, all the way to here." Kim Yonsuk pointed to a spot ahead and walked over, making a gesture with his finger: "Here's the first segment, and then from here to the other side of the road..."

"What about the stand-in" he said, turning his head to ask the staff member beside him.

"Here here." The stagehand pulled over a stand-in actor, who was in his twenties. Besides looking quite different from Park Jeong-won, his suit, attire, and even mannerisms were all identical to him.

Jin Yuanshi glanced at the stand-in actor and Ji Jingyuan, and after finding that their costumes were flawless, he nodded with satisfaction: "The scenes of the car accident and jumping off the building don't need close-up shots. The stand-in will film those. Ji Jingyuan, you just need to run to the road from here..."

The director went into detail about the specific process of this scene. Afterward, several actors first tried walking the route a few times to familiarize themselves, and then they started filming again.

This kind of chasing scene was the most tiring to shoot. Although it was filmed in segments, even dangerous shots didn't require Ji Jingyuan to do them himself, every time he needed to run with all his might. If there was a slight problem, he had to start over and run again.

Although Chi Jingyuan looks quite dashing in this outfit when he runs, the suit jacket has no buttons. When running in a standard posture, the sides of his coat flap back and forth, which, combined with his athletic figure and determined expression, really gives off an air of elegance.

But running in leather shoes is really tiring.

Moreover, the relationship between chase scenes and acting isn't very strong. It mainly comes down to the cooperation between the actors and the crew.

That car accident scene also surprised Park Kyung-won. The stunt double playing him was hit by a car coming straight at them, rolling on the ground several times, but they could stand up immediately afterward without any injuries. They really looked professional.

The entire afternoon was spent filming this chase scene. The cast and crew seriously rehearsed and filmed over and over again. In the middle, they took a break because they were too tired to run and gasped for breath. Then they quickly continued afterwards.

Because this scene needed to be filmed during the day and couldn't be shot at night, after the sun went down the crew switched to filming indoor scenes.

Not until the evening neared midnight did the crew finish work and return to the hotel together.

"According to the staff member who came before me, the security here isn't very good. There are often incidents, especially targeting outsiders... It's best not to go out unless necessary."

Back at the hotel, Park Bo-gyeom gave Ji Kyeong a quick reminder.

The production team assigned a room to Park Ji-hwan and Kim Seon-ho, with two ** assistants in the next room.

"I agree."

Chi Jingyuan nodded, standing by the window looking out at the night view.

The night view here is not as good as Seoul's, but the exotic architectural style and local snacks are quite attractive. He came here to film, so it's best to be honest and avoid any accidents.

After looking at the scenery for a while, he felt a bit bored. He thought about it and decided to message his friend Chi Jingyuan, chatting with him casually for a few sentences. It would be nice to send her a few photos he took during the day, showcasing some unique features of the place, to brighten her mood.

It seems like Jennie and the others have been under stricter phone control from their agency lately, and Ji-sung hasn't really contacted her for a few days now.

Last time he chatted with Tzuyu, they talked until it was almost bedtime and he was too lazy to reply. However, he estimated that Tzuyu wouldn't be angry, anyway, he was already used to it.

Just as he pulled out his phone, he suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "What's the time difference between here and Seoul"

About five hours or so.

"Never mind, I guess they're almost awake over there." With a sigh, Ji Jingyuan dismissed the thought. After two seconds of contemplation, he decided to get some rest early.

Tomorrow morning

I have to get up early to work again, and the afternoon's return run was really exhausting, I'm half dead.

>We didn't finish filming until the next day afternoon. This chase scene finally wrapped up after we filmed the final part where they chased each other in the building.

"What!"

He shouted to halt the shooting, Kim Yu-seok frowned and was somewhat annoyed. He yelled at those beside him: "What's wrong with the drone Can you shoot it better It's lagging by several frames, do you know that"

The operator of the drone beside him was sweating profusely and nodded quickly.

This rooftop scene, besides the cameraman filming on location, requires a lot of shots to be taken with professional cinematic drones. From various angles, it showcases Zhang Klai's persistence and the intensity of his pursuit.

Then, Jin Yuanxi shouted again, "Let's take another look at the safety measures at the time of the jump. We must ensure that there are no accidents."

"Inside, Al-Saud."

After a few actors took a break to rest and adjust, they resumed filming.

He followed Xu Jin up the stairs from the top floor and rushed out. The surrounding roof was already set up with rails, three cameras on top were filming him from all directions, and a drone that had just taken off was also filming Chi Jingyuan's back from above at an oblique angle.

This part has been filmed several times. Ji Jingyuan ran forward with ease, his pure black suit fluttering behind him like a cape.

According to the script, after running for a while he came to the steps and stood still. Looking at Xu Jin who was still fleeing ahead, he panted and was about to continue chasing him when he suddenly heard a scream and an uproar from beside him.

It's clear that there's a problem. Even on the set, when filming has wrapped, with or without the director yelling "cut," it's obvious they can't continue shooting.

Qi Jingyuan turned his head to look at the place where the commotion came from. The crew members in the middle were looking at him with a bit of astonishment. Before he could figure out what was going on, a black object fell straight down from above. As it approached him, it noticeably veered off course, narrowly missing Qi Jingyuan by about a meter to his left and crashing onto the ground.

A loud "crack" startled Chi Jingyuan, causing him to reflexively take a step back and gasp. He looked up at the object that had just fallen from the sky and immediately recognized it as the drone used by the film crew.

"Are you alright, Jingyuan"

Park Jae-hyun and his two assistants rushed over with anxious faces, looking more startled than Ji-yeong himself. They circled around, watching for a while before discovering nothing amiss and let out a heavy sigh of relief.

After them, Jin Yuance and several crew members also ran over. Seeing that nothing was broken, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn it, what the hell happened Why did the drone just suddenly fall Are you guys trying to kill someone Do you even know how to operate this thing! You'll be held responsible if someone gets hurt!"

After seeing that Ji Jingyuan was unharmed, Kim Yonshik, like a lit firecracker, began berating the drone operator loudly.

He must also be very angry. After all, if the male protagonist hadn't been hit by the drone that fell behind, although it wasn't very high, he wouldn't have suffered serious injuries, but it would have definitely affected the filming situation in Jordan.

Besides, there are quite a few scenes that seem to be aimed at showing off to Ji Chang Wook and ** Entertainment. This kind of mishap is obviously a mistake by the production team. Regardless of whether or not anyone was injured, their attitude definitely needs to show it.

When this kind of problem occurred, filming definitely had to be suspended. Park Jae-hyun expressed his anger and dissatisfaction. Kim Yuan-shi was berating the person in charge. Meanwhile, Ji Kyung-won sat on a chair drinking water, seemingly unfazed by the incident. Aside from being startled, he didn't seem too bothered. In the end, he also saw that when the drone was about to fall, it was controlled to deviate to the side, clearly showing the operator's calmness and quick action under pressure.

After a while, the reason was found. The drone malfunctioned and suddenly dropped. When it neared Chi Jingyuan, staff members controlled it and crashed it in another location.

The planning for the drama was very thorough, with a VJ responsible for filming behind-the-scenes footage throughout the entire production process. As a result, every unexpected moment was captured by the dedicated VJ filming the behind-the-scenes footage.

because there is no real way out

Matters settled, Chi Jingyuan did not pursue it further. After a series of reprimands and apologies, this unexpected episode came to an end.

It's quite common for film crews to encounter minor accidents during shooting. Pool Kyung-won has experienced this several times while filming both "Please Answer" and "The Heirs." He even had a small injury from an incident on set, so he's become accustomed to it after all these experiences.

Next came the tense shooting stage again. After this accident, the entire crew suddenly became energized and seemed to be working much more efficiently.

In the following days, with the crew and actors working diligently on set, all the filming tasks were completed ahead of schedule. It only took three days short of four to finish shooting in Jordan.

The crew also boarded a plane to Manila on the 25th, preparing to return to the Peninsula after transferring.

…………

While Ji-won was working nervously over there, the others were not idle either. Red Velvet, who had just debuted less than a month ago, diligently recorded every stage performance every week. Even though their chart performance was poor and they were far from being a candidate for first place, even though every award ceremony saw them standing in the last row, barely visible to the cameras, they still persevered.

Because singing shows are about the only programs they have left on television to appear on.

Since their debut, Red Velvet has been quite well-known online, and you could even say they've been very popular. However, ninety percent of the buzz surrounding them is negative.

In stark contrast to their popularity, they rarely make public appearances. They have very few variety show appearances; they've only been on a handful of radio programs since their debut. They haven't appeared on any major variety shows, and even on smaller ones, they only appear briefly in the background without much significance.

Even because of various reasons, they haven't had many commercial performances. At this point, their situation is a bit like EXO, who were shelved shortly after their debut. The members spend most of their time in the dormitory and practice room doing nothing, as if they hadn't even debuted.

However, Lai Beibei had it worse. At least XO tours still received some bookings at the time, and Chi Jingyuan continued to provide exposure through commercials.

So now they only have singing left.

Today, a few people went to work to prepare for recording Music Center. At this time, it's not yet their rehearsal turn, so Bae Joo-hyun and Kang Seulgi didn't stay in the waiting room, but stood by the window in the hallway talking.

At this time, the two of them were already wearing their stage outfits, one pink hair and one yellow hair, both with dyed tails. The similar makeup made them look just like real sisters when they stood together.

"Oh, it's been ages since I last talked to Jingyuan. I wonder how his TV drama is going He went to Jordan for location shooting, right I've never been to a Middle Eastern country before."

Leaning against the wall, Jiang Shubi looked upstairs. As they chatted, she brought up Chi Jingyuan.

"He should be back soon, right" Bae Joo-hyun replied with a slight purse of her lips, then hesitated before continuing, "Unnie Hye-young doesn't let us use our phones because she cares about us. After all, the internet..."

When Pei Zhuxuan learned that Ji Chang-wook had returned to acting and was taking on the lead role again, she was quite happy for him. However, afterward, for some reason, seeing the heated discussions online, seeing Ji Chang-wook's popularity and heat as if he were in full bloom, a strange feeling of unease arose in her heart.

Just like a comment from an XO fan she had once randomly seen said, the two seemed to be from different worlds.

She couldn't say why, she had never felt this way before debuting.

Pei Zhuxuan didn't finish her sentence, but both of them certainly understood each other.

But now all over the internet people are bashing them. Most of it comes from fans of ** Entertainment's senior groups, like Girls' Generation, f(x), and EXO. Even people who don't know them are jumping on the bandwagon and saying negative things just to appear trendy.

Whenever you open the forum, you can see these comments and negative reviews. In this situation, even someone like Ji Se-qi and Sun Seung-wan, who have good temperaments and mindsets, become upset and sad. Let alone people like Park Soo-young and Park Soo-ah.

One is the captain and the oldest member who likes to hold

One is comparing oneself in one's heart, and the other is that they are younger and their temperament is a little impatient at this time, and their ability to bear things is also a little poor.

In recent days, the manager has stopped giving the girls their phones as often in the evenings as before. The phones have been under control for a while now and they only get to use them for a short time every few days.

When it came to this, the two fell silent.

Before their debut, they secretly thought about what kind of feeling they would have if the group became a hit, what kind of smile they would use to face fans, and even practiced several autographs in private.

But no one expected that after waiting for so many years, the debut they had longed for would turn out to be like this.

The gap between dreams and reality is so vast that it's hard to accept. It's filled with a cruel coldness, even with a hint of dark humor like comedy.

The two of them each sat in silence for a while, thinking about things. Bae Joo-hyun walked to the window and glanced out casually, suddenly froze, stopped there looking hesitantly for a moment, then said to Kang Se-bi with some uncertainty: "Look over there, it seems like our fans."

"How is that possible, where did we get fans now..." Although Jiang Sheqi scoffed and denied it, she still walked to the window and looked out with her.

Two people peeked out the window, and the fans who lingered outside watched with a mixture of anticipation and concern.

Over there, a few fans seem to have spotted them already and are enthusiastically waving at this side, their mouths moving as if they're saying something.

"Seems like it really is." Bae Joo-hyun faintly revealed a smile, saying that after she waved her hand tentatively towards them. She found that the fans became even more excited upon seeing this, bouncing excitedly and waving their arms happily at the two members of Red Velvet. Even from afar, you could hear their screams, clearly indicating they were fans.

"We actually have fans too…"

The two people smiled at each other, though they didn't speak, their eyes conveyed the meaning to one another.

A warm wave of joy and surprise surged through me. Just moments ago, we were both feeling down, but now, without realizing it, we were laughing with delight. We kept waving happily at our rare gathering of fans by the window.

Besides making money, the feeling of being supported by fans who like you is truly captivating. This is also the biggest reason why so many people choose to become idols and work hard at it, and it's also one of the true values of this profession.

"Next time, we have to really go all out." After spending a long time playing by the window, the two reluctantly returned to the break room. On their way back, as they reminisced about how much fun they had just had, Jiang Sheqi suddenly said thoughtfully.

Pei Zhuxuan smoothed down her pink hair, revealing one slightly red ear, and nodded seriously.

"Certainly."

…………

The crew of the drama "The Untamed" finally returned to the peninsula after a journey involving transfers and over 20 hours of flight time in the early morning of the 26th.

Before signing the contract, ** Entertainment had already communicated with the production team to avoid scheduling conflicts and filming schedules. This ensures that Park Ji-hoon has enough time for his personal schedule, such as EXO's world tour and important uncancellable advertising promotions, like those for LG.

Of course, even if they adjust their schedules, after the TV drama airs, filming tasks will be very close to Chi Jingyuan. As long as someone returns from personal activities, they basically work overtime, which is unavoidable. He was mentally prepared for this.

However, things can be a bit more relaxed before the broadcast since there's over a month until the premiere on October 17th. Based on their progress and the amount of footage they need to shoot, they have plenty of time.

After bidding farewell to the crew, Ji-seong returned to his dorm room to pack up his belongings. Then, he hurried back to the company, exchanged a few words with Lee Seung-hwant, and quickly joined the EXO members who had already regrouped. He took advantage of this time to rehearse together.

The next concert is tomorrow, the 27th. After landing back in Korea this evening, Ji-Seong will fly to Shacheng, Xia Country with his team.

Even the man who flies in the air is not so different.

Although he had practiced the concert's flow and stage countless times before,

My muscle memory is there, but it has been about a week since I last danced, so it's definitely necessary to warm up and practice.

During a break between rehearsals, several members sat on the practice room floor, drenched in sweat, sipping water and chatting about the news that had broken just two days prior.

"You guys, is it true about that thing with Kim Hyun Joong... "

First released on the Traditional Chinese Novel Networkle audience erupted into a frenzy of screams. Everyone was stunned by what they saw on stage. Many people in the artist's seats were also shocked. While Ki Chanyoung kept his composure, his pupils dil...