Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Choice of Mistress and the Television Drama

"Do you have any specific suitable artists in mind?" Although she had already summed up the type of candidate that would fit, Li Zhien still felt a bit at a loss when asked to name someone concrete. Rubbing her chin, she recalled the artists she knew.

"Yes, Zhien—if you have someone in mind, hurry and say it!" Seeing Li Zhien's hesitation, Kim Jungmin, who was fairly familiar with her, quickly guessed that she probably did have a few suitable candidates but, for some reason, wasn't comfortable saying them outright. So, Kim Jungmin decisively feigned impatience.

"If we're talking about candidates close in age to Azhe and not too popular, I do know a few." With her own company president putting on such an act, Li Zhien could only sigh helplessly and admit that she did indeed have some names in mind.

"Oh, you really do have someone? Zhien, hurry and tell me!" Kim Jungmin's eyebrows lifted in surprise at her words, realizing he’d guessed correctly. Li Zhien truly had suitable candidates, and so he pressed her further, sensing this was turning out to be much easier than expected.

"Based on those requirements, the ones closest in age to Chen Zhe are Suzy, Sulli, and Krystal. If we exclude Suzy, who's currently known as the nation's first love, then only Sulli and Krystal remain. But their singing abilities are about the same, which makes it a tough choice."

Perhaps because she was evaluating her friends, Li Zhien hesitated for quite a while before awkwardly scratching her cheek and finally naming the candidates she thought fit. For fear that Kim Jungmin might not recognize them, she used their stage names rather than the usual friendly nicknames.

"Sulli and Krystal from SM Entertainment's f(x)? They really are good choices." Reviewing the information he had and comparing it to Li Zhien’s criteria, Kim Jungmin realized her suggestions fit perfectly, and he nodded in appreciation.

"Sulli, if I recall, is also referred to as the nation's princess, right?" Chen Zhe, who hadn’t managed to get a word in until now, finally found his chance. After all, this was about his duet partner and the female lead of his MV—how could he not get involved?

"Chen Zhe has a point. Sulli is indeed known as the nation's princess, so that leaves only one candidate!" Glancing at Chen Zhe in surprise, Li Zhien couldn’t quite understand his sudden comment, but she didn’t dwell on it and continued addressing his question.

"Krystal, then! I’ll discuss this candidate with the board." In Kim Jungmin’s view, there was no real difference between choosing Choi Sulli or Jung Soo-jung, but since Chen Zhe’s words seemed to exclude Sulli, he was happy to oblige—consider it a favor to the company’s future star.

In truth, Chen Zhe preferred Jung Soo-jung mainly because he was more familiar with her than Sulli; after all, they'd shared a knee pillow just the night before. Whenever he thought of it, he couldn’t help but feel the urge to dig a hole and hide.

But that was only one reason. The other, more significant reason was that although both Jung Soo-jung and Choi Sulli were stunning, Jung Soo-jung was exactly his type, so naturally, he leaned toward her.

After settling the matter of the female lead, Kim Jungmin shifted the topic to the drama, hinting that there had been progress regarding the audition spot he’d sought for Chen Zhe.

"As for your drama, Azhe, I’ve managed to get you a male lead audition. The interview is in four days. Put aside your single for now and focus on honing your acting skills!" He tapped his fingers on the desk, producing a rhythmic sound, and turned to Chen Zhe with a rare look of seriousness.

"Yes, I understand. I’ll do my best, President!" Seeing Kim Jungmin’s serious demeanor, Chen Zhe put aside his scattered thoughts and answered with firm determination.

"Zhien, do you have any schedules coming up?" Satisfied with Chen Zhe’s attitude, Kim Jungmin nodded and then shifted his gaze to Li Zhien, keeping the same tone as he asked.

"Not much lately. Is there something you need? Hmm, you’re not planning to have me help Chen Zhe train his acting, are you?" Upon hearing the question, Li Zhien responded instinctively, then a sudden spark flashed through her mind as she eyed Kim Jungmin with suspicion.

"You guessed it. I do intend that, because relying solely on acting class instruction, I’m afraid Azhe won’t improve much by the time he goes for the audition."

(Placeholder)

"Right, I was so focused on Azhe’s recording just now that I nearly forgot the main issue!" Prompted by Bae Ji-hui, Kim Ji-seok finally remembered what he meant to address when Chen Zhe first walked in, but he hadn’t had a chance to speak before Bae Ji-hui interrupted. He couldn't help but cast a plaintive glance at Bae Ji-hui.

After hearing them out, Chen Zhe perked up a bit and turned to Kim Ji-seok, just in time to see him pick up a document from a nearby chair and wave it in his direction.

Looking closely, Chen Zhe saw "Reply 1997" written on the cover. He was taken aback—he knew this show. Jung Eun-ji had acted in it, and he’d watched it himself.

"This is a drama script!" Chen Zhe exclaimed in surprise as he took the document from Kim Ji-seok and began flipping through it, comparing the content to his memory of "Reply 1997." It was exactly the same.

"Yes, this is a youth drama TVN has invested heavily in. I’ve secured you an audition for the male lead. I feel Yoon Yoon-jae suits you well and will help you polish your acting skills. Plus, to build up hype for your debut and gain more popularity, taking a drama role is an excellent strategy." Kim Ji-seok patted Chen Zhe’s shoulder and smiled.

"TVN may not match the big three networks, but it’s still very capable. I’ve read the script and it’s really good, and our professionals have evaluated it as having great potential for success!" Seeing Chen Zhe frown at the script, thinking he might be dissatisfied with shooting for TVN, Kim Ji-seok quickly explained.

The script contained only the first episode, and the male lead Chen Zhe was to audition for, Yoon Yoon-jae, was a typical Busan man—dull and lacking in humor—but a pure-hearted type when it came to the female lead, Sung Shi-won. The character’s personality was nothing like Chen Zhe’s own, making this a real challenge for him.