Chapter 128: Luxurious Panel
With Kim Xia Yan's help, Kim Tae-yeon, who was lounging at home, was quickly called over by her, along with her parents.
Boom.
Kim's father closed the door of the optical shop to prevent customers from coming in and disturbing the distinguished guests while they were chatting.
Jiang Shu and Liu Zhimin were “honored” to sit on the only two chairs with backrests in the shop. If Jiang Shu hadn't emphasized that it wasn't necessary, Kim's father would have invited them to the restaurant.
Jiang Shu glanced at Kim Tae-yeon's father, who was still alive, and didn't feel much, mainly because he had never met the other party, only knowing about this matter.
He turned his gaze to Kim Tae-yeon, who was beside Kim's father, and relevant information appeared in his mind.
Kim Tae-yeon (S)
Bonds: OhGG (5), Empress (8/9), Lead Vocal (1), Trustworthy Tae (1), Limit Break (1).
Trustworthy Tae: Kim Tae-yeon's exclusive bond.
Effect: Imbues her own understanding into the songs she sings, greatly enhancing the resonance between the audience and herself, increasing the growth rate of vocal fans and fan loyalty. However, if vocal proficiency shows a downward trend, this effect is greatly weakened.
Limit Break:
Effect: Continuously practices singing skills. After seven years of uninterrupted practice, she breaks through her talent limit. However, if she misses even one day of vocal practice, the accumulated time is reset to zero, and she must start over. After three resets, this bond is removed.
Leaving aside the unrelated five OhGG and eight Empress/nine Empress, the remaining three single-person bonds were already luxurious enough.
Lee Ji-eun's bonds focused on competition, rivalry, and overall popularity. Whether it was for comeback promotions or in the fields of film, television, and music, her bonds were very powerful.
Kim Tae-yeon's bonds focused more on her self-improvement and charisma. The combination of the Limit Break and Lead Vocal bonds could elevate her vocal proficiency to a very high level, and with the Trustworthy Tae bond, Kim Tae-yeon would certainly secure her place in the music industry.
Jiang Shu's goal for Kim Tae-yeon was also a solo singer, not the top bond, nine Empress.
He was indeed very envious of the top bonds of Girls' Generation and TWICE, but in practice, they were very difficult to manage.
Some of the TWICE members were already too old, and they were spread across China, Japan, and Korea, making it difficult to gather them all.
Girls' Generation was even more terrifying—a group of older sisters born in '88, '89, '90, and '91. One Bae Joo-hyun was already troublesome enough; what about nine more?
Is this for idols or a nursing home?
Solo singers don't care; even if they are forty or fifty, it's fine as long as they have the skill.
Kim Tae-yeon, at twenty-nine, was older than Bae Joo-hyun, but she could debut as a solo singer, so her age wasn't as serious an issue as it was for Bae Joo-hyun.
There's no helping it; the difference between a singer and an idol is just that great.
Jiang Shu looked at Kim Tae-yeon in front of him, a smile quietly forming at the corner of his mouth.
Kim Tae-yeon calls Bae Joo-hyun senior, Bae Joo-hyun calls Liu Zhimin senior...
Hehe.
"Kim Tae Yeon-xi, are you married?"
Even if she were married, it wouldn't be a problem for a solo singer, but Jiang Shu would refuse to let Kim Tae-yeon enter the idol industry.
It's not about forming eight/nine Empress or five OhGG, but about a limited idol group, similar to GOT.
"No," Kim Tae-yeon said softly, "and I don't have a boyfriend."
She added that herself.
"Then, Kim Tae Yeon-xi, have you studied vocal music?"
"Uh... no." Kim Tae-yeon stood nervously in front of Jiang Shu.
"You haven't studied it." Jiang Shu nodded. "Then do you want to learn?"
"Want to...?" Kim Tae-yeon looked at her parents and said hesitantly.
"If you want to, come to our DM Entertainment."
"I'm already twenty-nine, two years older than Red Velvet's Bae Joo-hyun-xi," Kim Tae-yeon said softly.
When Bae Joo-hyun debuted, the negative comments were overwhelming; an idol at twenty-seven, anyone who saw her would curse.
It was only because her debut song and stage were so strong that she managed to reverse public opinion. If they had been even slightly worse, it would have exploded.
But Kim Tae-yeon...
When this kind of thing happened to her, she was very worried and uneasy.
"Bae Joo-hyun is an idol; you are a solo artist."
Liu Zhimin raised her eyebrows, looking at the not-very-tall Kim Tae-yeon. This physique didn't seem like it could be a solo artist.
Oh, no, wait, Wendy-xi isn't tall either, but her vocal skills gave her goosebumps.
So strong!
But Wendy had formally studied music, and this Ouni hadn't studied music.
She wondered what Ouba was thinking?
"I haven't studied music," Kim Tae-yeon said, looking at Jiang Shu in shock.
"I see that your bone structure is extraordinary; you're clearly a good candidate for a solo singer. That's not important," Jiang Shu said with a chuckle.
Liu Zhimin: "?"
Why did that sound so familiar?
Kim Tae-yeon didn't speak but looked at her father.
Although she was already nearing thirty, Kim Tae-yeon, who had always stayed with her family and rarely went out, was still more willing to let her father make decisions on such important matters.
If he hadn't already searched for Jiang Shu's information, he would have suspected Jiang Shu was a scam artist.
These words weren't even persuasive; would a normal person dare to go after hearing them?
"Chairman Jiang, learning music is very slow, isn't it? Even if Taeyeon has talent, she probably won't be able to debut in a short time, at her age?" Kim's father said.
This was indeed normal logic, but the Lead Vocal bond didn't play by the rules.
"One year." Jiang Shu understood his concerns. "We'll sign a one-year trainee contract. After one year, if Kim Tae Yeon-xi doesn't meet the debut standard, we will voluntarily terminate the contract with Kim Tae Yeon-xi. And if she can meet the debut standard, we will arrange her debut as soon as possible. Can Mr. Kim accept such a promise?"
"One year..."
One year wasn't a long time. Anyway, Kim Tae-yeon was currently staying at home, not looking for a partner or a job, acting like she was going to inherit the family business. It wouldn't hurt to let her go out and practice.
"What about the trainee benefits?" Kim's mother asked from the side.
"Food and accommodation are provided, a monthly training subsidy of one million korean won, and company trainee benefits. You can find the specific details online," Jiang Shu explained.
The few people nodded.
Kim's father and Kim's mother exchanged glances, then looked at Kim Tae-yeon.
"Taeyeon, you make your own decision."
Kim Tae-yeon sat silently in the chair, lowering her head in thought.
Liu Zhimin was getting a bit bored and turned to look at Kim Xia Yan, only to see Kim Xia Yan staring at Jiang Shu with shining eyes, and her heart tightened.
Looking at her Ouba like that, what was this little girl thinking of doing?
Then she saw Kim Xia Yan open her mouth.
"Chairman Jiang, can I be a trainee?"
Jiang Shu was startled and looked at the self-recommending Kim Xia Yan in surprise.
The girl looked at Jiang Shu with anticipation.
Hearing this, Liu Zhimin quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
She thought Kim Xia Yan was going to do something else.
"You..."