Seeing Pani actually cracking a joke, Sica and YoonA were both taken aback, exchanging glances. YoonA scratched her head, completely at a loss. "Oppa Pani, you seem to be in a much better mood. You haven't smiled for a whole week. What's up with you today? Could it be that you met that big guy...?" Ever since the incident with Lee Yuhwan, Pani had been frowning all day, rarely showing a smile, let alone joking around with everyone.
Pani, hearing YoonA's words, rarely showed a smile. "What big guy? His name is Yoojaehyun. We're just ordinary friends, don't jump to conclusions. Let's go, we're going upstairs." With that, Pani smiled and walked into the dormitory building first.
YoonA and Sica exchanged another glance, both shaking their heads in confusion.
After a few steps, they entered the building's lobby, and Sica suddenly realized something. "YoonA, do you think Pani met Lee Yuhwan? Remember, after that incident with Lee Yuhwan, Pani was gloomy all day. Today, she's suddenly back to her old self. I think she probably went to see Lee Yuhwan. He doesn't have any schedule today, after all."
"Very likely. Let's go ask Pani." With that, the two of them chased after Pani.
The three of them crowded into the elevator, and YoonA, smiling, linked her arm with Pani's. "Oppa, did you go to see Lee Yuhwan?"
Pani smiled and nodded. "Yes, I went to see him."
Hearing that Pani had met Lee Yuhwan, Sica immediately asked anxiously, "How is his injury? Did he blame me?"
"His injury should be fine. He doesn't blame us. He said that what's done is done and there's no need to bring it up again. But I think he still has some lingering feelings. After all, it was our actions that hurt him. But since things have come to this, I think we should take it slowly and not mention that incident anymore."
"He still blames us. But you're right, it's not something that can be easily let go. We'll take it slowly."
The group returned to the dormitory, and Pani took out her phone to send a text to Lee Yuhwan: 'I'm back at the dorm.' Soon, Lee Yuhwan replied: 'Got it, get some rest. I have a lot to do, so I won't chat with you now.' Seeing Lee Yuhwan's quick reply, Pani smiled contentedly.
Taeyeon and Sunny also came to ask Pani about Lee Yuhwan's attitude toward the incident...
...
Two days later, Lee Yuhwan released the audio of "Hotel California." The song had no MV, and the government immediately placed the audio on the anti-drug department's official website, pairing it with photos of drug users' tragic conditions to create a simple promotional video.
Lee Yuhwan also officially signed with the anti-drug department to become an anti-drug ambassador. On the Melon music site, Lee Yuhwan's "Hotel California" firmly held the top spot, with download counts far surpassing BIGBANG's "Day by Day" in just one day.
The release of "Hotel California" also caught the attention of many foreign netizens, who downloaded the classic song from the Melon site. Unintentionally, Lee Yuhwan's "Hotel California" entered the 'Billboard Hot 100' at No. 77, causing a sensation in Korea. Lee Yuhwan became the first Korean singer to enter the 'Billboard Hot 100.'
S.M. also took advantage of the media's praise for Lee Yuhwan's achievements and announced a news item: 'Girls' Generation will return in January next year, with all songs written and composed by Lee Yuhwan.'
Not long after S.M. announced this news, CCM followed with their own announcement: 'D**ICHI will return next week, with the song "Love and War" written by Lee Yuhwan.' CCM was quicker to capitalize on Lee Yuhwan's popularity. Originally, Kim Gwang-soo had planned for D**ICHI to return in December, but with Lee Yuhwan's recent success, S.M. couldn't resist riding the wave, and CCM certainly wouldn't miss out.
CCM was luckier than S.M. because they had already received "Love and War" three months earlier, and the song's recording and MV were already completed. This time, they decided to take advantage of Lee Yuhwan's popularity and strike while the iron was hot. Additionally, Lee Yuhwan's "Snow Flower" promotion period had ended, and BIGBANG's "Day by Day" was nearing its end. CCM felt it was the right time to make their move.
Today, Lee Yuhwan was in the recording studio, recording the new song "Loving You."
Why was Lee Yuhwan recording this song? The company's executives had been arguing with him, still stuck on the old topic: "What direction should Lee Yuhwan's future take?" Some wanted him to enter the U.S. and European markets, others wanted him to release Korean songs, and still others wanted him to focus on more activities. The executives from the three companies were in heated debate.
They even called Lee Yuhwan to the meeting as a 'judge.' In the end, Lee Yuhwan, tired of the arguments, came up with a plan: he would produce an English song and have the company contact 'Sony Music' to release "Loving You." Lee Yuhwan would not go to the U.S. for promotion, just to test the waters. He would also produce and release a Korean single and stay in Korea for more activities and promotion.
This plan finally satisfied all the company executives. Releasing an English single to test the waters in the U.S. and European markets was a reasonable move. If the song didn't get much of a reaction, Lee Yuhwan could continue expanding his market in Korea without losing his popularity. If the song received a good response, he could then focus on the U.S. and European markets, achieving a win-win situation.
While Lee Yuhwan was recording the song, his manager rushed in, interrupting his recording. "Yuhwan, the CEO wants you to come to his office right away."
Lee Yuhwan, standing in the recording booth, frowned. "Can't you see I'm working? What's so urgent that he needs to call me?"
"It's... it's great news. Just put your work aside for a moment and go see him." Lee Yuhwan's manager was out of breath from running.
Lee Yuhwan took off his headphones and walked out, puzzled. "Great news? What could it be? I didn't even buy a lottery ticket."
The recording engineer, hearing Lee Yuhwan's muttering, laughed. "Hahaha... Yuhwan, I always thought you had a talent for comedy." Lee Yuhwan smiled at the engineer. "Bro, wait a moment. I'll be right back. Oh, do you want a cigarette? I'll bring you a pack of the CEO's good cigarettes when I come back."
The engineer smiled. "That would be great, thanks, Yuhwan."
Lee Yuhwan nodded and followed his manager to the CEO's office. As soon as he entered, he said to Lee Min-jeong, "Uncle Lee, do you think I have nothing to do? You know I'm recording, yet you call me down to interrupt my work. What great news could it be?"
Lee Min-jeong looked at Lee Yuhwan from head to toe and laughed. "It's a huge piece of good news. I don't know what kind of luck you have, but such good news has fallen on your head."
Lee Yuhwan couldn't think of anything good that had happened in the past few days, other than being named an anti-drug ambassador. He smiled. "It's not that the government has decided to exempt me from military service, is it?"
"Ha... Yuhwan, military service is a duty every man must fulfill for the country. It's not that easy to be exempted. You're Korean, not a foreigner, and you have Korean citizenship, so you must serve."
"I know. If I had known, I would have become an athlete and won a medal to avoid service. I don't know when my conscription notice will come. Can I immigrate now?"
"Forget it. You can immigrate, but then you can't develop in the Korean entertainment industry. That would be considered dodging military service. Of course, you can also continue your studies and get a Ph.D. to be exempted."
"Never mind. How many years does it take to get a Ph.D.? Serving is just two years. Forget it. Let's not talk about this. What's the good news that's fallen on my head?"
Lee Min-jeong laughed. "Do you know Avril Lavigne, the punk princess?"
"Avril Lavigne? Isn't she Canadian?"
"That's not important. She's developed in the U.S., and you know her."
"Sure, I know her and many of her songs. What about Avril?"
"She's in Asia, specifically in China, performing a concert."
"So what? Her concert has nothing to do with me. Are you planning to give me a day off to watch her performance and learn from it?" Lee Yuhwan knew a day off was impossible, so he said it jokingly.
"Ha... We're not sending you to watch her concert."
"Then that's it. If you're not letting me go to her concert, what's the point of bringing it up?"
"Hahaha... Can't you hold your excitement? We're not sending you to watch her concert, but Avril has invited you to be a guest at her concert..."
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