Chapter 22 The urge to possess KBS TV station. In the just-concluded "Music Bank" program, IU successfully won her second first place on Music Bank with the title song "You and Me" from her second solo album "Last Fantasy". He returned to the lounge holding a trophy. Even though his body had long been invaded by sleepiness and fatigue, he could not hide the joy on his face. For IU, last year was undoubtedly a fruitful year. Her career was booming and she was busy with various schedules. This year's second major was a good continuation of her good fortune from last year and a good start for the year. "Ji-eun, a rough card! You must be tired now?" IU's agent Bae Jong-han stepped forward to congratulate her. As he spoke, he walked over to put a coat on IU and took the trophy from her. As an agent who has followed IU since her debut, Bae Jong-han knows very well how difficult it is for this girl who just turned 20 after the Chinese New Year. The role of Kim Pil-sook played by IU in the TV series "Dream High" last year can be seen as a true portrayal of IU to some extent.

Before her debut, IU was a completely rustic little fat girl, and because of this she was ridiculed and isolated. Even some of her relatives mocked her. She participated in more than 20 trainee auditions, but was eliminated every time. The most widely spread and frequently criticized one among them is JYP. It is said that Park Jin-young regretted missing out on IU, but at that point in time, even if IU passed the preliminary interview and came in front of Park Jin-young, he would probably choose to eliminate her without mercy. The gorilla's regret is no different from Lee Soo Man's regret for not wanting him in the first place. After being rejected many times and having her money taken away by a fraudulent company, IU finally joined LOEN and made her debut. However, IU's career was not all smooth sailing after her debut. The performance of her first album was dismal. Because of the baby fat she still had during puberty, she was insulted and ridiculed by the audience several times before she even started singing on stage. But even so, IU still gritted her teeth and persevered, trying every possible way to improve her career. Hard work pays off. The song video in which IU played and sang by herself received a good response online, and her unique singing voice began to be remembered by the public. Afterwards, the three high notes of "Good Day" exploded the peninsula, and IU won the annual Golden Disc Award. She also jumped from being a fat girl who was driven off the stage by the audience to becoming the new national sister. Only those involved know the hardships and difficulties involved! "Thank you, Zhong Han Oppa! Once we get through this promotion period, things will be much easier!" IU smiled sweetly. She is also very polite in private. Even when dealing with her assistant and Cody, she is always very polite and there is no flaw to find. Of course, there are people who think she is just acting, maintaining her image as the national sister and a good woman. But being in this gray circle, who dares to say that what they show to others is their true self? Compared to the so-called true temperament and upright personality, being able to maintain a good idol image and present a positive and optimistic appearance to the public is the quality that an excellent artist should possess. Pei Zhonghan said some polite words, and after hesitating for a while, he decided to help his friend: "By the way, I just received an invitation. An artist from another company wants to collaborate with you on a song." The Peninsula music scene is such a small circle that there are more or less some connections among the agents.

Under the premise of not violating fundamental interests, brokers are also willing to help each other and do personal favors, purely as an investment for the future. "A collaboration song? Is it a singer I know?" IU asked curiously. "Jie Eun, have you watched the popular MBC drama "The Moon Embracing the Sun"? There is an OST in the drama, which is very popular recently!" Bae Jong-han said. "It's "Back in Time", right? The one sung by LYn senior?" IU answered without hesitation. As an artist, you have to spend some time to understand the hot topics in the circle, so that you can follow the topic when you are on the show or interviewed. She has not had the chance to watch "The Moon Embracing the Sun" yet, but she knows that the show has shown the potential to be a big hit as soon as it was aired, and the ratings have been rising with each episode. It has only been two weeks since the show was aired, but the average viewership has already reached 25%, and related hot searches have almost never stopped. The OST "Back in Time" sung by LYn became popular, and many viewers said that this OST added a lot of color to the entire drama and could be regarded as the behind-the-scenes contributor to the ratings. IU has of course heard this popular song and thinks it is really nice. "That's right. The singer who invited you to be a feature singer is SeMyung, the creator of the song 'Back in Time'. I wonder if you still remember her?" Bae Jong-han nodded. "SeMyung? Could it be Kim Se Myung, a senior from DSP company?" IU thought for a while and suddenly thought of someone. "Ji Eun, you still remember him?" Pei Zhonghan asked with some surprise. If his friends had not contacted him, he would have even forgotten about Jin Shiming, a failed artist who retired from the industry as soon as he debuted. "This senior was a legendary figure in the trainee circle!" IU couldn't help but feel nostalgic when talking about the past. Back then, when IU was rejected by major companies one after another, she heard that DSP had recruited a beautiful trainee who was good enough to debut just by looking at his face. Afterwards, she heard that this trainee had incredible singing and dancing skills, and made his solo debut after only a few months of training. Compared with her own difficult experiences, Kim Se Myung at that time seemed to be living an ideal life in IU's eyes. Perhaps it was because of the envy and yearning in her heart at that time that IU remembered the name of this senior firmly. However, as time goes by, their future situations seem to be reversed, as if they have exchanged their lives. Now that she heard this name from her agent, IU couldn't help but feel a little sad. "To be precise, he is no longer an artist of DSP. After leaving his former company at the end of last year, he established his own agency." Pei Zhonghan continued. "Mo? This senior has set up his own business?" IU widened her eyes in surprise. A singer who basically disappeared after his failed debut, left his original company and started his own company. What is going on? Even though IU was not very optimistic about the prospects of Kim Se Myung's new company, she had to admit that Kim Se Myung had done what she and thousands of other artists dreamed of. "I've sent you the demo of the song now. As for whether to accept the other party's invitation, it's up to you to decide!" Bae Jong-han took out his mobile phone and forwarded the song demo he had received to IU. “Okay, Oppa, I’ll listen to the demo first and then decide whether to cooperate.” IU thought for a moment and said. Put on your headphones and click to play the audio file. "The maroon coat I kept for the long winter~ I hid myself in the coat and walked by in a hurry~~~" The soothing and melodious guitar sound, accompanied by the clean and clear male voice, reached IU's ears.

The slightly literary and fresh atmosphere was like a gentle spring breeze, dispelling IU's tiredness and sleepiness. "Except me~ Everyone is immersed in love, singing the song of spring~ The blooming flowers are gently blowing in front of my eyes~~~" The chorus of the song perfectly captures IU's aesthetic. Compared to "Back in Time", this song makes her want to own it even more! (End of this chapter)