EFB Chapter 30 The Astute Arnold
Chapter 30 The Astute Arnold
Xie Mingmu finally realized why he had such a good opportunity; it turned out to be a trap, and his beer belly was full of bad intentions.
But Xie Mingmu believed in the principle of "since we're here, let's make the best of it." Since he had wasted a day admiring Mina's stunning beauty, he decided to listen to what Minister Park was up to, and what had made Bae Suzy's photographer so afraid that he resigned.
"Then let me ask you, how do you understand an idol, and what kind of things their fans like to see about them?"
"Aren't these two questions?" Xie Mingmu wondered, sensing something was off about Minister Park, as if his head was a little sharp. "Is it enough to just answer?"
"Let me tell you, this isn't a simple issue," Minister Park continued. "After all, you're not from the Korean Peninsula, so you really don't understand the mentality of Korean Peninsula fans. As long as you manage this situation well, I believe you can do a good job filming this solo variety show. So, as long as your answer is reasonable, I'll agree to let you accept the production of this variety show."
After speaking, Minister Park took off his sunglasses, at which point Xie Mingmu noticed that his eyes were different sizes.
Xie Mingmu was somewhat troubled: "Is there anyone normal in JYP? One employee is full of bad ideas, and a middle manager doesn't seem very smart."
I'm really worried about Mina's future at this company. I wonder what kind of monster the company president is.
Before arriving at the peninsula, Xie Mingmu did a lot of research, but not in memorizing the faces of celebrities. After all, you could hit an artist with a brick while walking on the street, so memorizing faces is completely useless. Xie Mingmu is not a facial recognition device.
Xie Mingmu only reads academic papers similar to those on CNKI, focusing on broad aspects such as history, ideology, and the fan economy. Since Mina chose to become an entertainer, Xie Mingmu mainly reads content about fans and idols, and today these things finally came in handy.
Based on what the "Arno" minister said, Xie Mingmu roughly sorted out the matter:
The company wanted to film a solo variety show for Bae Suzy, but lacked resources and no one dared to take it on. Even the cameraman who had worked with them for many years was so scared that he packed up his bucket and ran away overnight. Now they have found Xie Mingmu as a scapegoat.
For Xie Mingmu, this was both a risk and an opportunity. When he filmed a variety show for Mina before, he already had his own ideas. Why not take this opportunity to film a variety show for Bae Suzy to practice, refine his variety show planning, and then apply it to Mina? Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Xie Mingmu decided to seize this opportunity, which was a win-win situation. First, he could openly and legitimately film Bae Suzy's scandals; second, he could hone his skills in filming variety shows.
"Ahem," Xie Mingmu cleared his throat, not because of a cough, "Idols are actually a tool to satisfy the emotional needs of fans. To put it simply, idols are tools to harvest money from fans."
Minister Arno's eyes lit up. It was the first time he had ever seen someone speak so bluntly, leaving no room for maneuver. However, from a businessman's perspective, this theory was perfect.
"But this is not a simple process. On the contrary, it is very complicated and has a very low success rate. The local market in the peninsula is small. Every year, many girl groups fail to make a splash and then fall into obscurity. It is not something that can be achieved by simply investing company resources and the members' professional skills. Sometimes, a bit of luck is required."
Xie Mingmu paused for a moment, giving Minister Arno some time to react and also to rest his voice: "For example, Bae Suzy, who is very popular now, was also lucky. She got a movie and became the nation's first love. Now, she is the top female star in the company."
Minister Arno admitted that Xie Mingmu was right, but something felt off. Was this really what I wanted him to say? Oh well, never mind, let him keep talking.
Xie Mingmu was rambling on and on, and Minister Arno couldn't take it anymore. "Stop, stop, I said stop. Let me ask you, what kind of variety shows are suitable for Suzy, like the currently popular Running Man shows?"
Xie Mingmu didn't watch any variety shows, so he had to find another way. "I think we should have some new ideas. Maybe we can organize a personal variety show about the state of idols after their break."
Xie Mingmu got the idea from seeing the stark contrast between Kim Da-hyun's on-screen and off-screen personas. Anyway, these fans can even watch something like Twice TV3, so there's no reason they wouldn't be interested in their idol's real-life private life.
"Okay, your idea is great, I approve it, you can go now."
As the head of the variety show department, he certainly had that authority. However, Xie Mingmu remained where he was, with a smile on his face. He never expected that he would be promoted from assistant cameraman to a position with a beer belly. This could be described as a modern version of "being promoted three ranks in a row".
"What are you still doing here?" Minister Arno looked at Xie Mingmu with some confusion. Was he a dragon? Why wasn't he doing any work? At least he should have handed me a variety show proposal.
"But, Minister, where are my cameraman and editor?" Xie Mingmu was still waiting for him to arrange manpower for him. He had suddenly become a junior leader with a few errand runners under his command.
"Didn't Kim Soo-min make it clear to you? This kind of experimental solo variety show requires you to rely entirely on yourself. At most, you can bring a few assistants to help you with filming. Besides, we really don't have enough manpower, so we can only temporarily ask you to take on the roles of cameraman, PD, and editor."
At this moment, Xie Mingmu was also stunned by the shrewdness of Arno—no! Minister Park. He was being made to do the work of three people, but only receiving the pay of one.
Good, good, good. Xie Mingmu's opportunity to kill two birds with one stone is precisely his weakness, and Minister Park has inadvertently seized upon Xie Mingmu's weakness.
Xie Mingmu calculated the workload, which was three or four times more than the workload of filming the group's variety show. Not only was it tiring, but he also lost the opportunity to make eye contact with Mina from time to time.
However, Xie Mingmu was not one to suffer losses for nothing. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he applied for a lot of funds, which would be transferred as soon as the project was implemented. How much money was spent depended on Xie Mingmu's skill of thrift and discretion. In any case, he would not let himself suffer losses.
"Alright, I've approved all the funds for you. I'll have someone send you a few assistants later. Go get busy."
Minister Park kicked Xie Mingmu out. Assistants are easy to find, but versatile talents like Xie Mingmu are hard to come by.
Xie Mingmu walked down the hallway, slowly processing the day's events. It seemed he wouldn't be able to return to Minami's side for the time being; he could only focus on things here first. "Beer belly, you just wait. If you fall into my hands later, you'll be in big trouble!"
On the Jeju Island beach, Mina, trying hard to maintain a smile for the camera, felt a pang of sadness: "Was I a little too harsh yesterday?"
You're not truly happy; your smile is just a protective mask.