lovenovelstory Chapter 82 Flattery
Chapter 82 Flattery
"Cough...cough cough."
Im Yoona coughed repeatedly, abruptly cutting off the second half of Kim Tae-yeon's sentence.
Kim Tae-yeon also realized what was happening, awkwardly touched her nose, and picked up her teacup to take a sip as a cover-up.
"In short, Xiao Yan is right. Ultimately, this matter requires a decision made by all eight of us."
As she spoke, she looked at Yoona with sudden realization: "Now I know why you came to find me, but it's not safe for just the two of us. Even with Tiffany added, I don't think it's enough."
"How about this, I'll go see Sunny in the next couple of days. If she's there, we should have a better chance of persuading those guys."
Upon hearing this, Lim Yoona's eyes lit up slightly, and she nodded.
Kim Tae-yeon, worried that Jiang Yan might not understand, continued to explain: "Sunny has a very special position in the team. She is never the most conspicuous one, but whenever there is a big event, she is the one who can keep things calm the most. Moreover... her uncle is Lee Soo-man, so in some aspects, her words carry more weight than any of ours. As long as she also thinks your plan is feasible, the result should be pretty much the same."
Yoona smiled and said, "Don't worry, unnie. If these conditions had been proposed a year ago, the company might have rejected them outright."
"But things are different now. EXO is in turmoil, Red Velvet is still on the rise, and if Girls' Generation can renew their contracts before their 10th anniversary, it will not only preserve a brand for the company, but also stabilize the stock price. Under this premise, there are many conditions that can be negotiated."
Kim Tae-yeon nodded with a complicated expression: "You're right, but this also raises another question: who has the ability to negotiate?"
She pointed her finger lightly at the coffee table: "In this special period, it's impossible for all eight of us to sit in the conference room together. If word got out, what would people outside say? What would the seniors think? And the higher-ups would think we're taking advantage of the company's instability to threaten it."
"In SM's history, when artists collectively negotiate with the company, there has never been a good outcome. H.O.T. did not, S.E.S. did not, and Shinhwa was able to leave unscathed because of their high level of unity, but in the end, they also did not renew their contracts."
"If we do the same, the higher-ups will only think that we are forcing them to make a choice. This is a complete taboo at SM. Once this signal is sent, no matter what the final outcome is, it will be a lose-lose situation."
After these words were spoken, the living room fell silent for a few seconds.
Kim Tae-yeon thought that Im Yoon-a would think about this issue carefully, but the latter had a calm smile on her face and answered easily, "Don't worry about this, unnie. I'll talk to her about it when the time comes."
Kim Tae-yeon paused for a moment, then asked, "Are you alone?"
"It's not just me." Lim Yoona gestured with her chin towards Jiang Yan. "He'll be there too."
Kim Tae-yeon turned her gaze to Kang Yeon, a clear look of doubt appearing in her eyes.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Jiang Yan, it's just that this matter was far too complicated. With EXO as a precedent, many high-ranking company executives would definitely be present at Girls' Generation's contract renewal negotiations. A newly hired producer probably wouldn't even be able to step into the meeting room.
Yoona fully understood her concerns and simply said, "Unnie, since Kang Yeon joined the company, he has written two songs of very high quality. He also selected an English demo from the company's music library, which has now been adapted into a Korean version. It is of equally high quality and has the potential to become a title track."
Jiang Yan watched as Lin Yoona praised him for "writing" three title tracks without changing his expression. On the surface, he maintained a polite smile, but in reality, he was digging three bedrooms and a living room out of his shoes with his toes.
He knew better than anyone where these songs came from. "Rookie" and "Zimzalabim" were directly copied from a future timeline by Yoona, and she also provided the original English demo for "Lotto," with him merely making localized adaptations. In terms of pure creation, he was at best a translator and decorator, but in Yoona's hands, he became a triple genius producer.
He couldn't refute it, and he had to grit his teeth and accept the compliment. The feeling of being roasted on a fire without being able to complain about the heat was truly bittersweet.
Lin Xiaolu chuckled gloatingly behind him: "Did you dig your toes into the ground? Serves you right for choking her with chili peppers before. You're getting your comeuppance."
Jiang Yan rolled his eyes inwardly and picked up his teacup to take a tactical sip of water.
Meanwhile, Kim Tae-yeon's gaze had completely changed.
She admitted that her first reaction after hearing what Lim Yoona said was skepticism. After all, Lim Yoona is not a professional musician. If an actor teammate suddenly came to her and said that this newcomer had written three hit songs, anyone would be skeptical.
But Yoona has been working at SM for so many years, she has the ability to judge whether a song is good or not, whether it can be hits or not. For Yoona to say it with such certainty, it must be an ordinary song.
If what Lin Yoona said is true, no, even if it's only 70-80% true, then Jiang Yan's credentials are incredibly exaggerated.
SM Entertainment collaborates with hundreds of production teams worldwide every year, and its music library contains tens of thousands of demos. Only one in a hundred is selected through rigorous screening, and among those one in a hundred, only a very small number become title tracks.
A newcomer who's been with the company for less than two weeks, and he's already released three title tracks—what does that even mean? He's practically a walking money-printing machine. If Kang Yeon can maintain this level of output, even if it's not always this explosive, even if he only releases a few hits a year, it wouldn't be surprising if SM Entertainment treated him like royalty. Lee Soo-man would probably offer him a cigarette whenever they meet, and Kim Min-young probably wouldn't even bat an eye when approving budgets.
Of course, all of this is predicated on his ability to maintain such a high output. If he loses his momentum, the higher he's been praised now, the harder he'll fall. In this industry, it's common to elevate the powerful and then trample on the weak. Today's genius producer might be tomorrow's writer's block.
At this moment, Kim Tae-yeon's gaze towards Jiang Yan held an added layer of solemnity.
"Xiaoyan, is what Yoona said true? When will we be able to hear the finished products of these songs?"
Jiang Yan didn't mince words this time, replying directly, "I've finished the demo for 'Rookie,' and I can let Nuna play it anytime. The adapted version of 'Lotto' is almost done; only some details need polishing. As for the third song..."
He paused, glanced at Lim Yoona, and said, "It's still in the final stages of preparation. We should be able to release a demo this week."
Kim Tae-yeon nodded slightly, not asking any further questions, and simply said, "Would it be convenient for me to listen to the demo of 'Rookie' now?"
"Of course." Jiang Yan took out his phone, found the audio files stored locally, and handed them over.
Kim Tae-yeon took the phone, put on her earphones, and the moment the intro started, her eyebrows twitched slightly.
Then the iconic "Rookie rookie, my super rookie rookie rookie" from the chorus explodes in.
She subconsciously swayed her head slightly to the rhythm, then quickly pressed pause.
"Is this song intended for Red Velvet?"
"Inside."
"...That's right." Kim Tae-yeon handed the phone back to him, then suddenly chuckled, "I didn't expect you to sing so well, it's just that recording a girl group song feels a little strange."
Jiang Yan's face flushed, and he scratched the back of his head somewhat awkwardly.
Lin Xiaolu grinned and moved closer to him: "Congratulations, Producer Jiang! Your singing skills have been recognized by the leader of Girls' Generation. Do you have any acceptance speech?"
"I want to go home..."