213: Chapter 200 A Calm Mind

Jiang Zhiyu listened carefully, then fell silent for a few seconds. "This motif is very good, but the emotion is too heavy. The road home shouldn't be sad."

"But..." Lee Tima wanted to retort.

"The road home should be warm and expectant. Even if there is fatigue, it should be the fatigue of relief," Jiang Zhiyu said softly. "Just like yesterday, when we went from Seoul to Jeonju; although we were a bit tired on the road, knowing the destination was a warm home made all the difference in our mood."

As he said this, his gaze drifted involuntarily toward the fields speeding past the car window.

Kim Taeyeon followed his gaze. The early summer fields were lush and green, the distant mountains like dark eyebrows, and the sky was a deep blue.

Indeed, this was the scenery the road home should have.

"Then... what about changing it like this?" Lee Tima hummed another segment. This time, the melody was brighter, with a few playful notes added in the middle, like light footsteps on the way home.

Jiang Zhiyu smiled. "This is good. It keeps the emotional depth but adds hope and warmth."

He took out a notebook and quickly wrote down the melody. The pen tip rustled against the paper, the handwriting neat and firm.

Kim Taeyeon looked at his profile. Sunlight shone in through the car window, falling upon his focused brow and eyes. At that moment, she suddenly felt that what was most attractive about this man was perhaps not his looks or his talent, but this pure love and persistence for creation.

"What does Noona think?" Jiang Zhiyu suddenly turned his head to ask her.

Kim Taeyeon was stunned. "What?"

"This melody," Jiang Zhiyu handed the notebook to her, "is it suitable as the chorus motif for [집 에 가 는 길]?"

Kim Taeyeon took the notebook. The musical score on it was neat and clear, with every note written precisely on the staff. Beside it were notes written in Chinese: "Warmth, expectation, the fatigue of relief."

She hummed it softly.

The melody was indeed as Jiang Zhiyu had described: warm with a sense of expectation, carrying a sense of fatigue, but more than that, relief and peace of mind.

Just like... the feeling when he arrived at the Kim family home yesterday.

"Very good," Kim Taeyeon said sincerely. "It's really suitable."

Jiang Zhiyu's eyes lit up; it was the joy of being acknowledged. "Thank you, Noona."

Lee Tima leaned over. "I want to hear it too! Unnie, sing it for me!"

Kim Taeyeon smiled helplessly and hummed it softly again. Her voice was clear and gentle, making the melody sound exceptionally moving.

The car fell silent, with only Kim Taeyeon's humming and the humming sound of the tires on the road.

The Manager looked at this scene through the rearview mirror, the corners of his mouth lifting involuntarily. He had been with Kim Taeyeon for so many years, yet rarely saw her discussing music so relaxedly with others, especially while on the way to work.

This Jiang Zhiyu seemed to have a special magic that allowed everyone around him to naturally enter a creative state.

The car drove into the area of the Jeonju Hanok Village, and the traditional black-tiled, white-walled buildings came into view. The staff's vehicles had arrived first and were currently setting up equipment.

Jiang Zhiyu put away his notebook, his expression switching from a creative state back to a professional one.

"Noona, today's filming focus is 'Memories of the Hometown'," he said to Kim Taeyeon. "I will be observing from the side; if there's anything that needs adjusting, let me know at any time."

His tone was professional and respectful, completely the stance of a producer toward a singer.

Kim Taeyeon nodded, also entering a work state. "I understand."

The car door opened, and the early summer sunshine and breeze poured in.

Jiang Zhiyu got out of the car first, and the staff immediately gathered around to report on the preparations. While listening, he looked around, quickly assessing the lighting, angles, ambient sound, and other factors.

Kim Taeyeon got out after him, watching Jiang Zhiyu's composed and commanding figure on the filming set, and a complex emotion welled up in her heart.

How many faces does this person have, anyway?

A gentle guest, a strict older brother, a professional producer, a talented musician, and at this moment—a leader with immense charisma.

And she seemed to have seen every one of those faces.

Furthermore, every single face made her...

Heart beat faster.

Kim Taeyeon took a deep breath, suppressing those chaotic emotions.

Now, it was work time.

But she knew that some things, once they start to sprout, are very hard to suppress again.

Just like the early summer fields; once the greenery sprouts, it spreads uncontrollably.

The atmosphere at the filming site in Jeonju Hanok Village was a bit too... artistic.

Kim Taeyeon, wearing a simple and elegant cotton-linen dress, strolled through the alley paved with bluestone slabs, with cameras capturing her figure from various angles. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the eaves, casting dappled light and shadows. Occasionally, she would stop, touch the weathered walls, or look up at the wind chimes under the eaves, her eyes filled with a faint sense of nostalgia.

The director was very satisfied. "Yes, that's the feeling! Longing for home! Traces of time!"

But Jiang Zhiyu stood behind the monitor, his brows slightly furrowed.

He had been watching similar shots for twenty minutes—Kim Taeyeon walking alone, eyes sad, accompanied by lyrical background music. The visuals were beautiful, and Kim Taeyeon's performance was on point, but...

"Too many shots like this will cause aesthetic fatigue," Jiang Zhiyu said softly to the executive director beside him. "And for an emotion like nostalgia, how much content can one person convey by talking to themselves? The audience will lose interest after watching for too long."

The executive director was stunned. "But... this is a music travel variety show, not a comedy show."

"A music travel show doesn't necessarily have to be artistic the whole time," Jiang Zhiyu said, rubbing his chin in thought. "It needs some rhythm changes to make the program have tension and release."

At this time, Lee Tima leaned over. She had no filming tasks today and was purely here to 'observe and learn.' Having watched the artistic-style filming for a long time, she was clearly bored.

"Oppa!" Her eyes lit up. "Can we add a challenge-style variety show element? A watermelon-eating competition, one half each to see who eats it the fastest!?"