Chapter 19 Chapter 19

Before I knew it, it had been almost a week since I returned to Los Angeles. At the Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Bigbang held their concert, titled "The Great," as scheduled.

The moment the lights went out, the entire venue was ablaze. Thousands of crown lights merged into a dazzling golden ocean. The fans' cheers surged like a tidal wave, and deafening sound waves swept across the entire venue.

Xia Qing got to go to the event as she wished. Although her final grades weren't up to par, her family still managed to get her tickets after her repeated requests. For the past few days, Lia's MSN has been flooded with her messages:

From the crowds lining up outside the venue, to the ticket stubs for admission, to the close-up of Kwon Ji-yong's face on the big screen—almost every photo was accompanied by a caption with an exclamation point: "So handsome!!!" "I declare GD to be my god!!!"

"The moment he ascended on dry ice at the beginning was so dreamy!! You weren't there!!!" "Really, really, really handsome!! His beauty couldn't even be shown on the big screen!!!" ...

Lia watched and smiled. Even though she was on the other side of the world, she felt as if she was being drawn into the lights of that night. Cailin had also sent a message. She wasn't much calmer than Xia Qing.

Bao En was invited to participate in the concert and sang "We Belong Together" live. Cai Lin secretly recorded the video of that scene, and her excited screams were filled in the background.

With her delicately curled hair and sweet, steady voice, Bo Eun already looked like a promising artist. But Lia's gaze was fixed on another figure.

Kwon Ji-yong entered the venue wearing a brown coat, his hair carefully styled, the strands of hair on his forehead swaying slightly as he moved. He looked relaxed, with a youthful spirit, singing the lyrics of love: "Hey baby girl

You walked towards me, you are still charming today, have you seen her? Say hi my sweet lover, I am still shy, my heart still beats fast when I see you.

If we can’t be together, what will become of me…” Different from the tone of his speech, his rap is like a narrative with a rhythm, but his voice has an extra tension that can only be found on stage.

Even the most critical audience would be unable to say anything negative about such a performance. Chae-rin also sent a few backstage photos. After the concert, the trainees were taken backstage to say hello.

In the blurry photo, Quan Zhilong is talking to the staff, with the headset still hanging around his neck. At this moment, he is completely different from the stage. His expression is serious and seems a little alienated.

If it weren't for the camera, it would be hard for viewers to imagine that the bright and cheerful young man on stage had such a professional side. Lia watched the video over and over again and saved the photos one by one.

Even though she'd seen the entire process in rehearsal, the moments still felt different when they actually happened. She sighed softly and put down her phone. She heard her mother knock on the door; dinner was ready.

The days back home were surprisingly relaxing. Perhaps because she had lost a lot of weight, the family had been cooking her favorite dishes in different ways for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Lia also temporarily put aside the thought of controlling her weight. She finished her meal obediently, and then curled up in the yard on the rattan chair where she often sat as a child to bask in the sun.

Without practice, camera shots, or a constant need to maintain a sense of "state," she suddenly realized that she hadn't lived such a relaxed life for a long time.

She suddenly couldn't tell which kind of life she was used to. ... December 25th, Christmas.

The air in Los Angeles is drier than in Seoul. In the early morning, before dawn, the streets are lined with festive lights, and the plastic Christmas trees in the windows sparkle with warm golden red.

Lia huddled in her room, the glow of her computer screen shone on her face, the aroma of freshly brewed hot cocoa wafting through the air. It was nearly midnight in South Korea.

The MAMA awards ceremony, the most grand event in the music industry, is currently underway. As the most popular boy group this year, Bigbang is a hot candidate for the annual grand prize.

Lia's browser has three pages open at the same time: a live broadcast post on the fan forum, a news scrolling bar on the portal website, and an MSN message window.

The live broadcast from the TV station couldn't be received in the United States, so she could only rely on constantly refreshing the "live broadcast post" on the forum to check the progress of the award ceremony. She bit the straw and mechanically pressed the refresh button.

The forum posts were a chaotic mess, with most fans busy watching the livestream, leaving only sporadic updates. "The music department awards are over..." "On to the annual awards!" "Big Bang nominations!"

"It's out, it's out!!!" Her heartbeat gradually accelerated, as if she was hanging in mid-air. At the moment when she let go, a blurry screenshot appeared on the page -

The five members of Bigbang stood on the podium, Yongbae held the trophy high in his hand, and below the picture was a line of capital and bold font: [On-site photo] Bigbang won the 2007 MAMA Annual Award!!!

She was stunned, the screen's halo flickering in her eyes. The next time she refreshed the page, the forum's front page was flooded with messages like "Congratulations," "Crying," and "They did it."

She sat up abruptly, her heart pounding like a drum, as if she were cheering along with the crowd. The mouse remained motionless in her hand, only the warmth slowly welling up in her eyes reminded her: This was real—he had really done it.

In the lower right corner of the screen, a new MSN message pops up. K-Flow: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

K-Flow: I'm going crazy!!! Crazy crazy crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! K-Flow: [@NeonL]!!! Have you seen it?!!! It's a slam dunk!!!

BigT: It’s early morning in the US now… K-Flow: What a pity TT, woooo, Lia didn’t even see such an important moment!!!

K-Flow: "Hyung, you were there! Take a picture!!!!!" Lia couldn't help but laugh at the string of exaggerated exclamation points. She typed a reply.

NeonL: I'm watching the forums. There's no live broadcast in the US. NeonL: That's great! (scattering flowers.jpg) Quan Zhilong didn't say anything. She guessed he was surrounded by a crowd, being interviewed, photographed, and congratulated.

Teddy sent a backstage photo to the group. The camera was a little shaky, the background was messy, and the trophy was placed high on the table. Kwon Ji-yong sat in the corner, smiling at the members around him.

He still had his makeup on, sweat on his forehead, his chestnut hair slightly damp, and a smile in his amber eyes. Lia stared at the photo for a moment. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she felt that there was a tiny hint of relief hidden in his eyes.

It was like he could finally breathe a sigh of relief after a long journey. She suddenly wanted to say something. Not to chat, nor to join in the fun, but at that moment, she felt an urge that would make her uncomfortable if she didn't say it out loud.

It was like she had to let the other person know. She clicked on the call. The international signal was delayed, and the beeping sounded a few times. Lia began to regret it and was about to hang up. "Hello?"

The call connected, and his voice, tinged with laughter, came through amidst a cacophony of noise. She sat up straight, her heartbeat quickening. "...It's me." "I know." He chuckled. "What time is it there?" "Five in the morning."

"Why aren't you asleep?" he asked. "I've been waiting for this," she whispered. "Oppa, congratulations." There was a pause on the other end of the line. She knew he understood. Then he said, "Thank you, Lia."

Lia lowered her eyes and spoke softly, "You guys...are really great." She choked up as she spoke. She wanted to say more than that. She wanted to say that she'd waited in front of her computer for hours just to see this message.

I wanted to say, "He did a really good, amazing job." I also wanted to say, "Even though she wasn't there, she's prouder than anyone else." But there was so much I wanted to say, and I couldn't get any of it out.

He smiled, his voice filled with an unconcealable lightness. "I still haven't felt it yet. When you come back, we'll find time to celebrate with Teddy and Kush."

"Yeah!" She agreed, feeling his joy. A faint hum of electricity flowed quietly through the phone, isolating his voice from the clamor behind him. Her heart pounded with joy. "Zhilong, this way..."

Someone was calling him. "Oppa, go get busy. Congratulations to you guys." "Hmm..." There was a moment of silence from the other side. "Lia, Merry Christmas." She was stunned for a moment and replied softly, "You too."

After the call ended, she sat staring at the black screen for a long time. In the MSN group, Kush was still excitedly scrolling through the pictures, the group's avatar flashing one after another, but she didn't click on it again.

She leaned back in her chair, the street outside the window was empty, and the Christmas tree in the window was still shining. She suddenly wanted to go back quickly, back to Seoul where she could breathe the same air as him.

As the return trip approached, Lia prepared to pick out some gifts for everyone. She had saved a little money for living expenses in Korea, and while it wasn't much, it was enough to express her gratitude.

Her mother also offered to support her: "The brothers in the recording studio have taken good care of you, and Mom wants to express her gratitude." She hesitated for several times, but finally accepted.

She could save the money and pay it back later—that way, it would still be a token of her appreciation. Her mother took her to several stores in the city center.

She had written a list early on. The paper was wrinkled from being flipped through several times, and there were a few names circled in pencil in the corners.

For her fellow trainee friends in the dormitory, she picked out a few boxes of cutely packaged handmade chocolates; Sister Baoheng’s hands always got very cold in winter, so she chose a set of hand creams with a soft scent.

Teddy’s copy was an art book with a black and white cover and “Los Angeles Urban Photography 1997–2007” written on the spine.

She chose Kush's gift almost immediately—a limited-edition printed pair of socks from a famous local skateboard brand, complete with a graffiti sticker. It was clear he had a particular style. "You know them well," his mother exclaimed with a smile.

"Hmm... after spending more time together, you'll probably notice," she replied softly. As for Quan Zhilong's gift, she pondered it for a long time. On the list, the name of the gift was still missing after his name.

She walked back and forth through the digital section three times before finally stopping at a display of recording equipment. She picked out a simple portable voice recorder with a matte black finish and rounded edges. Her fingertips gave her a sense of the delicate craftsmanship.

It's about the size of a lipstick, and the top is a retractable, high-sensitivity microphone that pops out with a flick. He seems to always be writing songs on the road—this might come in handy.

She put the recorder in the shopping cart and crossed out the space next to his name on the list. Seeing her cross out the last item, her mother suddenly reminded her, "Why don't you prepare two more? Sometimes you inevitably forget someone, and when you remember, you can add it."

Lia thought about it and nodded. She went into the boutique next door and took out two more boxes of chocolates and a small wooden ornament.

The ornament is a small music box. When you open it, there is an exquisite wooden house inside. When you turn it gently, it will play the melody of "Moon River".

This is the song that Audrey Hepburn sang in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" while leaning against the window with her guitar in her arms.

The sound quality of the music box was far inferior to that of professional equipment, but it unexpectedly had a touch of romance, like that of an old movie, soft and gentle, like moonlight on a wooden floor. I left the store with my bag overflowing.

She glanced back at the sunset street scene, feeling a strange sense of peace. She felt as if she were slowly finding her place in another country.

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