Chapter 50 A certain... was permeating the air in Seoul.

A restless excitement permeated the air in Seoul. For ordinary citizens, it might be the vitality brought by spring; but for K-pop fans, this excitement stemmed from BIGBANG's impending comeback after three years. For Ren Xiyao, this external clamor was mostly shut out from the thick walls of the training hall and her dormitory. Her world was still dominated by the sound of ice skates gliding across the ice, the coach's whistles, and the aching soreness of her muscles.

More than half a month has passed since she arrived in South Korea for short-term training. Her body has gradually adapted to the intensity of the training, but her mental state is often stirred by a certain person.

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk!" Just as Ren Xiyao and the others finished their morning ice training and were catching their breath in the rest room, Lin Shan's voice suddenly came from beside them, and then she shoved a phone screen in front of her face. The screen showed a screenshot from BIGBANG's new song "LOSER" MV, with Kwon Ji-yong's disheveled yet eye-catching look taking center stage.

Ren Xiyao glanced at it, picked up a towel to wipe her sweat, and said in a flat tone, "I saw it, isn't it all over the internet?"

"Tsk," Lin Shan put away his phone and said while untying his ice skates, "Ren Xiyao, your boyfriend is the focus of all of Asia right now, and you don't even have a reaction? He's your boyfriend, after all."

"Otherwise what? Should I rush to YG's entrance to cheer him on?" Ren Xiyao raised an eyebrow: "Or should I hold up a light stick and wait outside the TV station after practice?"

"No need for that," Lin Shan said with a grin. "It's just that I think you're a little too calm. I was scrolling through the news before bed yesterday and saw that when he went to record a show, the fans blocked the road. Aren't you worried?"

"What are you worried about?" Ren Xiyao stood up and stretched her shoulders. "He's an adult with so many staff members around him. What could possibly happen to him?"

That's what she said, but last night she did spend a few more minutes browsing entertainment news than usual before bed, making sure to check fan-taken photos of him leaving the scene safely before finally falling asleep. Of course, she wouldn't tell Lin Shan about this.

"Ren Xiyao, when are you going to get rid of this stubborn habit? Admitting you're worried is harder than you winning an Olympic gold medal." Lin Shan snorted, stopped teasing her, and started talking about training: "I heard they added a new event to the physical training class this afternoon. I hope I can survive it."

"Survival is the basic requirement." Ren Xiyao patted her shoulder and walked towards the changing room.

After finishing her extra training, Ren Xiyao dragged her tired body into a convenience store. Just as she picked up a sports drink, someone leaned close behind her, resting their chin on her shoulder: "Finished training?"

Without even turning her head, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Just passing by." Kwon Ji-yong reached out and took the drink from her hand, then tossed a few packets of gummy candies into the basket. "Are you hungry?"

"It's alright." She glanced at the time: "Aren't you shooting a music video tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we meet at four in the morning." He yawned. "So I need to hurry up and see you now."

Ren Xiyao paused, took a carton of milk from the shelf and handed it to him: "Drink this, it helps you sleep."

Kwon Ji-yong took the milk and suddenly leaned close to her ear: "Will you drink with me?"

Ren Xiyao's ears burned, and she pushed his face away: "...Stop fooling around."

He smiled and stepped back, casually pulling a few tickets from his pocket and stuffing them into her hand: "These are for you and your friends at the concert at the end of the month."

"so much?"

"I was afraid you'd be too embarrassed to come." He squeezed her fingers. "You absolutely have to come." Then he remembered something and smiled. "Last time I couldn't find you anywhere, it was Li Enjing who came up with the solution. Consider this a thank you to her."

Ren Xiyao was silent for two seconds, then nodded: "Mm."

These days, our meetings are all fragmented and short, but just spending a little time together quietly is enough to make me happy.

Back in the dorm, Li Enjing and Lin Shan were playing mobile games; they'd both recently become obsessed with the same game. Ren Xiyao occasionally played a couple of rounds but wasn't particularly enthusiastic. Seeing her return, the two women briefly looked up before quickly refocusing. Lin Shan, still playing, asked, "You're back? What are you holding?"

Li Enjing also saw it and chimed in with a comment. Ren Xiyao put her things on the table and turned to tidy up.

"Hmm." She hesitated for a moment before saying, "A thank-you gift? Do you have any plans for the weekend?"

"Wait a minute! Lee Eun-jung, hurry up, I can't take it anymore... Hey hey hey!" Lin Shan threw down her phone speechlessly: "That's it, I'm hanging up." Before Lin Shan could say anything, Lee Eun-jung hung up too. The two looked at each other in silence, and Lee Eun-jung, feeling a little guilty, changed the subject and answered Ren Xiyao: "No plans, do you have something to do?" Lin Shan sighed and said: "No plans."

Ren Xiyao put down what she was holding and picked up the envelope. She pulled out two tickets and said, "This is a thank-you gift he gave you. Since we didn't arrange anything, let's go to the concert together."

The two took the tickets and exchanged a glance. Lin Shan said, "Wouldn't you say that when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs benefit? These tickets are incredibly expensive online, I heard from the team. You can't even get them for the first game. And you still remembered us."

Li Enjing flipped the ticket over and over and said, "It's not bad, it's not like they use people when they need them and then discard them when they don't. For this reason, my help last time wasn't in vain."

"Whether you go or not, Ren Xiyao was speechless at their reaction."

“Sure, why not?” Lin Shan answered without hesitation. Li Enjing looked at Ren Xiyao and said, “I must say, even though you don’t see each other often, your relationship seems pretty good.”

Lin Shan chimed in from the side, "Tsk, it's probably a case of absence makes the heart grow fonder. Every time they meet, it's like dry wood meeting a raging fire." Ren Xiyao's ears turned red from their teasing, and she threw the clothes she was holding at Lin Shan, saying, "Don't talk, no one will think you're mute." Lin Shan caught the clothes and rushed over to tickle Ren Xiyao. The two of them laughed and wrestled together.

Lee Eun-jung was also smiling broadly beside her.

On Friday afternoon, Ren Xiyao sat by the ice rink, untying her skates. She had already completed her training sets for Friday afternoon, and with time left before the end of training, she planned to go to the track and field training center for some extra practice.

My phone started vibrating next to me.

She took a breath, took off her gloves, and pulled out her phone. The name Kwon Ji-yong was flashing on the screen.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice still a little breathless from the sprint training she had just finished.

"Training?" On the other end of the phone, Kwon Ji-yong's voice had a bit of static, and the background noise was loud, as if he were in a large stadium.

"Yeah, just finished a round." She bent down to pick up her water bottle, took a sip, and asked, "What's up?"

“Come watch my rehearsal,” he said matter-of-factly, as if it were a notification rather than a request.

Ren Xiyao paused for a moment: "Today?"

"Right now." A staff member called out from the other end of the phone. Kwon Ji-yong moved his phone slightly away to respond, then turned back: "I'll send a car to pick you up."

"I haven't finished practicing yet."

"Isn't this an adjustment period? What's wrong with practicing a little less?" His tone softened. "I haven't seen you for three days. I've been so tired these past few days!"

She pursed her lips, recalling the dark circles under his eyes when they last met. She had seen his schedule during his return period; it was packed with activities, making even sleep a luxury.

"Okay." She finally relented.

A soft laugh came from the other end of the phone, as if the voice already knew she would agree: "The car will arrive in forty minutes." Ren Xiyao hesitated for a moment, looking at the time on her phone, and then went to the cafeteria.

When Ren Xiyao pushed open the door to the backstage dressing room, Quan Zhilong was adjusting his in-ear monitor in front of the mirror. Seeing her in the mirror, his eyes lit up, and he turned and strode over, embracing her tightly.

"You've come." His voice was muffled in the crook of her shoulder, his breath warm.

Ren Xiyao was knocked back half a step by him and subconsciously held his waist: "How long has it been since you slept? You're all alone."

"I don't remember." He let go of her and casually tossed the in-ear monitor onto the sofa. "Anyway, I can sleep in the car later. The others went to go over the procedures."

Ren Xiyao frowned, reached out and brushed aside the stray hairs on his forehead, her fingertips gently wiping the dark circles under his eyes: "Can you hold on until the concert like this?"

“So it needs to be charged.” He grabbed her wrist and kissed her fingertips. “Like now.”

Ren Xiyao's ears burned, but she didn't pull her hand away. She just stubbornly said, "Don't try that."

Kwon Ji-yong picked up a bottle of water from the table, unscrewed it, and handed it to her: "Want some water?" She took the water and glanced at the messy lounge. The process book was spread out on the dressing table, next to a half-cold cup of coffee; several pieces of clothing were piled on the sofa, and energy bar wrappers were scattered on the floor.

"Have you eaten?" she asked.

"You ate... about?" Kwon Ji-yong tilted his head and thought for a moment, then gave up: "It's not important, we'll eat after the rehearsal."

Ren Xiyao sighed, took a food container out of her bag and handed it to him: "I brought you some food."

"You did this?"

"Where am I supposed to cook?" Ren Xiyao said without changing her expression. "The food in our cafeteria isn't very good, but you'll have to make do."

The formal rehearsal began shortly afterward. Ren Xiyao sat on the steps to the side of the stage, watching Kwon Ji-yong and the other members and dancers adjust their positions again and again. The music vibrated the floor slightly, and the lights were dazzling, but he stood in the center, as if he was born to be there. Ren Xiyao could tell that he was very demanding, and every detail was precise and perfectly timed.

But the more she watched, the more something seemed off. Although Ren Xiyao had only seen the second half of the rehearsal, the high-intensity rhythm of each song, leaving almost no time to breathe, was striking her. She watched him jump and turn on stage, his breathing noticeably becoming rapid, yet his facial expressions remained perfectly composed.

The third poem, the fourth poem...

By the sixth song, he finally had a chance to walk to the edge of the stage. In the few seconds the lights dimmed, he bent over, bracing himself on his knees, and caught his breath. Ren Xiyao stood in the shadows and saw that the back of his T-shirt was soaked through and clung to his skin.

The music started again, he straightened up, put on a smile again, and continued performing.

Halfway through the rehearsal, he suddenly stopped, gestured for the sound engineer to pause, and then strode towards her.

"What's wrong?" Ren Xiyao looked up.

Kwon Ji-yong squatted down and looked her in the eye: "Later, you can go down to the audience and watch."

Why t?

Ren Xiyao rolled her eyes, but still stood up: "Yes, yes, you're so handsome."

Kwon Ji-yong smiled and helped her up, then gently pushed her towards the audience: "Go sit down in the audience."