Chapter 21 Stir-Frying (Part 2) (Second Update Seeking Recommendations)

  Modified it again and sent it late, sorry!

  Also, thank you for the reward from sad ⊙ classmate ~

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  "When did An Junhe and Bao'er get to know each other?"

  In a temporary shed set up on location, a reporter held a recorder and asked Ahn Jun-hee, who was resting.

  As October arrives, the weather gradually moves towards winter, and the attacks of cold air become more frequent. In the city, it's not noticeable, but once you're in the suburbs or countryside, the cold wind blows through your sleeves and pant legs, icy and bone-chilling. A shed is set up so that workers have a place to take shelter from the wind.

  At this time, because of the interview, all the staff went out, and there were only An Junhe and that reporter in the whole shed.

  The production team was able to provide a separate interview, naturally because the reporter belonged to KBS. It's likely that choosing a KBS TV reporter for the first interview on the scandal was also a result of negotiations between the company and the TV station. After all, Ahn Jun-hee is already filming a KBS drama, so the TV station will give him some extra care, such as asking not only about the scandal but also about his personal situation during the interview, like the hardships and pressures of starring in a drama, to help shape his positive image, and they won't intentionally distort the content of the interview for sensationalism.

  It's well-known that entertainment reporters are good at taking things out of context and reversing black and white, which has caused many celebrities a lot of trouble.

  On the other hand, the TV station can also benefit from it. The scandal of Bao Er and An Junhe has been hyped for several days, and the two have remained silent in response to external inquiries. Today's interview is still the first time the parties involved have responded to the scandal, which will inevitably greatly stimulate the sales of entertainment newspapers under its banner.

  Looking at the camera, Ahn Jun-hee smiled: "Actually, we haven't known each other for long. The senior has been very busy, running back and forth between Korea and Japan. I also joined the company late, and before that, we had never met in person. The first time we met was at a recent company gathering..."

  This part doesn't need to be fake, of course it's not all true either. Before the interview, the company had already prepared a general direction for his speech. On the one hand, he needs to say that he and Bao'er are not familiar with each other, so it's convenient to wrap things up later. On the other hand, he also needs to say some ambiguous words like "I really like senior, I was her fan before" or "The thing in the park is because we just cooperated the night before, and we hit it off immediately, so we made an appointment to chat".

  It wasn't long before the interview about the scandal was over, and that reporter indeed began to ask about his personal life.

  "An Junhe, many people who care about you have not fully understood you yet. Can you briefly introduce yourself? For example, the process of starring in "Sorry, I Love You", many people questioned whether you had enough ability to take on the role of the male lead, and recently, a song circulating online that you and Bao'er sang together, called "1 Minute 1 Second", is said to have been created by you?"

  An Junhe, who had been prepared early, smiled and said: "Of course, actually when I first joined the crew, I just delivered the OST of 'Sorry, I Love You'..."

  "Wait a minute!" The reporter suddenly interrupted, "An Junhe, are you saying that the OST of this drama was also created by you?" He obviously didn't know about it and seemed very interested.

  "Yes, it's the title song and I wouldn't say it's a completely original creation. The song is a remake of Nakajima Miyuki's hit song 'Yuki no Hana' from last year, I just rewrote the lyrics in Korean."

  The reporter nodded in agreement, praising: "Even if it's just filling in the lyrics, being chosen by the director and screenwriter as the theme song is enough to prove your creative ability. So, did Junhe originally plan to debut as a singer? Then why did he end up entering the main cast as an actor?"

  "Yes, the company's initial plan for me was to debut as a singer." An Jun-hee said with a hint of amusement, wondering how Lee Soo-man would react if he saw this interview published in the magazine, considering he had wanted to kick him out of the company back then. "But after my song was selected for the OST, I also expressed interest in acting and asked writer Lee Kyung-hee if I could try out for the role of second male lead. I didn't have high hopes, but fortunately, writer Lee Kyung-hee gave me a chance..."

  He then humbly expressed his gratitude to the director and screenwriter for their trust, which allowed him as a newcomer to land the role of second male lead. In his words, he also subtly mentioned that it was his acting skills that earned him the recognition from the director and screenwriter, indirectly praising their pragmatic work attitude while dispelling some people's misconceptions about how he rose to fame.

  As for how to get the male lead position, it's not necessary to elaborate. The thing with So Ji-sub two months ago is not suitable to mention at this time. The reporter seems to understand and will probably embellish it himself when he gets back.

  The interview lasted for over an hour, which was unusually long for a newcomer's casual entertainment interview. An Junhe couldn't help but feel grateful that he didn't have to worry about the journalist editing his words afterwards. Having a strong backer indeed made things easier.

  The day after the interview, KBS's news agency published the conversation in its entertainment newspaper and TV news as well as on its website. SM's promotion department also followed up immediately, spreading it quickly through online channels.

  After the interview was published, it was revised and polished to be made into an inspirational article by KBS, taking the highly publicized scandal as a starting point. Based on Ahn Jun-hee's original words, it wrote about how he became the second male lead, then the first male lead, and his journey since debuting, in a way that is **moving, making one feel like they are seeing a new person struggling in the fiercely competitive and turbulent entertainment industry.

  The public is easily deceived. Just two days after the interview was published, the online attacks on An Jun He suddenly weakened significantly. Some more emotional netizens (mostly women) even switched sides to support An Jun He after reading the detailed interview.

  "Like your effort, it's not easy for a newcomer, keep persisting!"

  "Poor thing, come let sister touch you."

  "Originally, in order to rush and catch up with the filming schedule, I lost so much weight, need to take care of my body."

  Similar to the message, it was constantly refreshed on the reopened drama group's official website. On the other hand, the suddenly enlarged supporter camp began to follow Ahn Jun-hee's gradually growing fan base and counterattack the groups that attacked him. Many portal websites' forums no longer had posts about Ahn Jun-hee like they did a few days ago, with only a handful of supportive comments amidst a sea of insults and onlookers.

  It has now gradually developed into a verbal fight, although most of the time it is still at a disadvantage, but it has already reached an unbearable level.

  It's worth noting that the opposing camp against Ahn Jun-hee is mainly composed of fans of Bae Suzy and Han Ji-hyun. With such a large number, if they haven't put aside their prejudices and are still attacking with one mind, even if Ahn Jun-hee's current supporters multiply by 10 times, there would be no possibility of counterattack. The fact that it has developed into a verbal spat means that a large part of the opposing camp is no longer standing in opposition to him, although they may not be supporting him either, but rather taking a wait-and-see attitude. This is still good news.

  On the S·M side, after the interview was released, on the one hand, they continued to maintain the heat of the scandal, not letting it get too hot or cold, and slowly hyping it up. On the other hand, they also contacted the drama team, gradually releasing Ahn Jun-hee's stills from the drama, arranging for a few other main actors to accept interviews, praising his acting skills, while also confirming that he would be singing the theme song for the TV series.

  So, starting from his talent, he worked hard to help him regain his image. After all, rumors are just a means to an end, and the ultimate goal is still to boost Ahn Jun-hee's popularity. If it's just about being entangled in rumors, not only will it be difficult to introduce new people, but even established seniors may have to bear the consequences of declining popularity.

  The online and offline communities were still buzzing, but just a few days later, the situation took a turn when Song Chong-xian, who had fled abroad due to military service issues, released an apology letter from afar, drawing the attention of citizens and the media. Despite the company's efforts to salvage the situation, the heat surrounding the scandal and Ahn Jun-hee began to rapidly subside.

  Until now, An Jun He's official fan club has developed over 10 thousand people, but this obviously hasn't reached the company's expected baseline.

  "The company originally expected 20,000 fans, but now it's still far away..." Quan Baogen said to An Junhe with a worried expression.

  "Needless to say, the expected 20,000 has not taken into account the situation after my starring TV series is broadcast. Baogen Shu, are they going to continue? An Junhe's face was uncertain, and the scandal had progressed to this point, so it would be better to let it cool down now and avoid any future trouble."

  Especially, his image is not easy to turn positive again, and if it happens once more, he dare not guarantee that there will be room for recovery.

  Quan Baogen felt a bit awkward, hesitated for a moment, and then gritted his teeth to say: "...... it's... Junhe, the current problem is that Jin Lishi wants to prove that relying on hype to promote new people is indeed feasible, so he must let your official fan registration number reach the expected value, so..."

  An Junhe quietly looked at him, speechless. After a period of supplementation and rest in Australia, the weight he had lost had returned, and his face, which was once gaunt and haggard just half a month ago, now looked full and radiant again. His entire demeanor had become sharp and intimidating once more, especially when he didn't speak and simply gazed calmly ahead. The deep, dark eyes seemed to be shrouded in dark clouds, like a turbulent sea surface, giving people an overwhelming sense of oppression.

  At least Guan Bao Gen couldn't bear such a gaze, so in just a moment, he somewhat timidly lowered his head.

  "I don't agree with doing this."

  A moment later, Ahn Joon-hee withdrew his gaze, and Gwon Baek-ru felt a sudden relief. Before he could even catch his breath, he heard him say this, and his heart sank again. "Joon-hee, we're already on the side of Kim Lee, if you don't cooperate..."

  "What can you do if I don't cooperate?" An Junhe sneered, his previous tolerance of Jin Yingmin was because he didn't have the power to bear the consequences of resistance yet, but that didn't mean he couldn't resist. If he really got angry, at worst they would both suffer a crushing defeat, and maybe he would be sealed off, but as for Jin Yingmin... a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

  He still didn't dare to look at Quan Baogen, and didn't catch the fleeting coldness in his eyes. He just tried to persuade him, but this time An Junhe had made up his mind not to be a puppet on strings, being manipulated by others. In the end, Quan Baogen could only leave dejectedly, thinking about how to report back to the company.

  He didn't know that after he left, An Junhe made a call: "Brother, withdraw all the funds from the offshore bank and start speculating on S.M. stocks... something has happened, I hope they don't focus on me for a while..."

  The tens of millions of dollars in his hands are his greatest capital. Let alone SM, any listed company in the entertainment industry (agency, production, distribution, etc.) cannot ignore such a huge amount of money attacking the stock market.

  But before he could do so, on the same day that afternoon, Park Young-joon had not yet managed to recall the funds, and Kwon Bo-geun had not yet replied to the company. A music review from a authoritative music magazine brought Ahn Jun-hyuk back into the public eye while also dispelling the conflict that could have affected many people.

  "19-year-old Miracle, Creator of a New K-POP Music Genre!"