Chapter 34 (containing a small amount of the second male lead) - Giving out candy...
Seeing Han Shangxi leave, the thin man, who was wearing a hat and mask even more completely than Shangxi, wanted to follow her.
Unexpectedly, at the next intersection, the other person suddenly disappeared from his sight.
His eyes searched around, and just as he was annoyed at losing her, he spotted the girl not far away.
Seeing that the girl was about to disappear from his sight again, the man quickened his pace.
This was a rare opportunity to encounter Sanghee acting alone. He wasn't about to be foolish enough to announce it in the chat room. He also couldn't understand why those people were so secretive about this idol after following her. Would following her bring bad luck? That's because they're cowards.
He should have stopped Sanghee when she left the convenience store.
After being stopped, she must have been very flustered when faced with his questioning.
The dark fantasies in his mind caused him to lose his already limited rationality and go offline again.
The wind has been very strong in Seoul lately, and the sign indicating drainage ditch maintenance has been blown away.
Driven by his eagerness to find Han Shangxi, he failed to notice the unusual road surface in his panic. All of this seemed perfectly reasonable.
It seems that this person falling in was ordained by fate.
The pain of slipping into the pit and hitting his bones made him curse uncontrollably.
At that moment, Han Sang-hee was sitting in a coffee shop on the corner of the street, witnessing all of this unfold.
Through the gap between the newspaper and the newly bought hat, Han Shangxi watched as the other person struggled to climb out of the hole and left in a disheveled state. He blinked and then put down the newspaper he had picked up.
She lowered her head and took a sip of the hot milk in her cup. Then, she smoothly took out her phone and made a call to the relevant department, reporting the open pit with no cover in the area.
Han Shangxi only prepared to leave when he saw the vehicle from the responsible department arrive.
Yes, today is another day of being a helpful citizen.
Han Shangxi certainly knew the identity of the person who fell into the drainage ditch.
One of the newly emerging sasaeng fans.
The previous few had their bad luck and gave up, but this one has come to fill the gap.
The problem of illegitimate children has always existed, but it has become increasingly rampant in recent years.
These people stalk and spy on idols' private lives, then post the photos they take online with the intention of showing off their closeness to the idols and attracting attention.
A group of humanoid creatures with absolutely no moral compass; among the content they post, you can even see photos of their idols sleeping.
The company is in a difficult position to handle, and the idol cannot retaliate.
However, falling into a pit can only be attributed to bad luck.
To be honest, Han Shangxi really hates these people who use the guise of being fans to stalk and spy on her.
Because they are not normal people at all.
As Han Shangxi reached the door, she turned slightly to the side and met another person's curious gaze.
At that moment, the other person's face fell into Shang Xi's line of sight without being obscured.
The brain automatically retrieved the other person's name.
So she's an entertainer too.
No wonder the clerk used the word "also" when she ordered.
After everything was explained, Han Shangxi left without looking back, showing no remorse for doing something wrong while being watched.
She didn't remove the sign. The person who fell was a complete stranger to her.
Who could have guessed that she was guiding the other person into a trap by following their stalking habits?
She happened to see a stranger fall into the pit and then kindly alerted the relevant authorities.
Han Sang-hee was simply acting as a concerned citizen.
Just as Han Sang-hee had expected, Park Jae-beom, who had witnessed what had just happened, could only secretly admire the kindness of this new junior.
However, the other person's beautiful face and these actions left an impression on him.
The phone screen switched from a message about a friend standing me up to this junior's Google interface.
Born in 1993? The younger generation is so young these days.
After marveling at the other person's age, Park Jae-beom had no further thoughts.
The frustration of being stood up had long since dissipated, so he simply left the coffee shop.
Most of the candies that Han Shangxi bought were eventually distributed to her friends.
She ate only a very small portion of it.
The sweet and sour flavor that Park Hyung-sik described was still too sweet for Han Sang-hee.
At some point, rumors suddenly began circulating in the company that the candy was a gift from a suitor to Han Sang-hee.
It even reached Yang Xianshuo.
"I heard someone's been pursuing our Shangxi lately."
When questioned by President Yang, Han Sang-hee, who was doing his own thing, looked up with a blank expression and gave a triple denial in the recording studio.
"Ani, no, nobody's pursuing me."
Everyone was in the recording studio at that moment. They had originally been discussing BB's new album. Yang Hyun-suk had come today for the same reason.
His sudden, irrelevant question caused the scene to freeze for a moment.
It's hard to say that Yang Hyun-suk's attack in front of so many people wasn't intended to put Sang-hee in a negative light.
Unfortunately, Shangxi's immediate reaction effectively deflected Yang Xianshuo's malice.
She never even considered going to the candy shop.
Seeing that Han Sang-hee showed no sign of guilt, Yang Hyun-seok originally wanted to continue asking questions.
However, he was interrupted by Kwon Ji-yong, who used the excuse of discussing song-related content.
After being interrupted while casting the spell, Yang Hyun-seok remained outwardly amiable, but inwardly he began to examine the relationship between Kwon Ji-yong and Han Sang-hee.
When did these two become so close?
"Thank you for helping me out, senior."
After Yang Hyun-seok left, Han Sang-hee turned to look at Kwon Ji-yong, who was not far away, and thanked him.
At this moment, Han Sang-hee just realized that President Yang might be referring to those candies.
To be honest, when Han Sang-hee isn't on TV shows or on stage, she tends to be more relaxed.
In other words, her brain doesn't operate at high speed all the time; it only uses its energy efficiently as needed.
This is also why she is able to manage her time effectively with such high energy.
"fine."
Kwon Ji-yong nodded slightly in response.
He had to spare some attention even while working to deal with the president's probing questions, and he had just expended a lot of energy.
The moment the president opened his mouth, he knew what the other person wanted to do. Regardless of whether the suitor was genuine or not, the president simply wanted to give his junior a warning.
As a senior, he still had a responsibility to help the junior out of a difficult situation.
However, compared to his nonchalant attitude, the others in the recording studio were somewhat curious about whether the rumored suitor who sent candy actually existed.
The idea that gossip is human nature is fully embodied in them.
In the ensuing shoving and pushing, a representative was finally chosen: Teddy.
"Cough cough..."
Before Teddy could finish coughing, Han Shangxi looked up at the group of people who were eager for an answer.
She provided the answer amidst their anticipation.
"I bought all those candies myself."
but……
Someone did give me candy.
But we were just colleagues recording the show.
Han Shangxi's answer was full of twists and turns, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
After she finished speaking, the room became lively as these people, speaking from experience, began to analyze the situation.
"Shangxi, that kid definitely has ulterior motives towards you."
This is something that these last few people unanimously agree on.
"Don't worry, I know what he's thinking."
He does have feelings for me.
But we both know there's no future for each other.
Han Shangxi's attempt to comfort these guys not only failed to work, but also made them look heartbroken, as if their own children had been deceived.
Even Kwon Ji-yong turned his attention to this side.
"It's not what you guys think."
He didn't say it explicitly, and I couldn't refuse in advance.
That would make me seem narcissistic.
The situation was clearly out of control, and Han Shangxi was starting to give up.
Although I know these people are just concerned about me, their reaction is really a bit over the top.
Who is that guy?
Kwon Ji-yong wrapped his arms around Han Sang-hee's arm and casually turned the chair towards her.
He felt that younger generations needed to be more wary of men in the industry.
Including him.
"Senior, why are you causing trouble here too?"
Alright, now this pot of porridge is completely messed up, but you can drink it while it's hot.
Faced with this situation of being interrogated by three parties, Han Shangxi gave up struggling.
However, despite the intense onslaught of these men's distressed expressions, she ultimately did not reveal their names.
Although she felt a pang of conscience, this was the only way to avoid further complications.
Just when she thought the matter was over, her phone beeped with a message notification.
—Is it Park Hyung-sik?
The final blow.
The simple question left Han Shangxi a little confused.
What did she just say?
—Senior, what if it isn't?
Han Shangxi didn't give up.
—Then let's just pretend it's not true.
There are limits to teasing younger generations.
Seeing that his junior was about to get angry, Kwon Ji-yong decided to back down.
However, he also had the idea of privately inquiring about this person who had a good impression of his juniors and was able to leave a lasting impression on them.
Many people have a good impression of the younger generation, and even Kwon Ji-yong has received messages asking him to help make connections.
But this is the first person that younger generations would mention.
He was just testing the waters. After all, Park Hyung-sik has recorded the most shows with his juniors.
I never expected it to actually be them.
Once he's made up his mind, he always has to do something.
It's not that the people in this circle are bad, it's just that dating some of them can easily lead to heartbreak.
Han Shangxi was completely unaware of the mindset of the people present.
The senior would definitely not talk about it to outsiders.
Let the rest of them guess.
Han Shangxi touched his conscience and found that it didn't hurt at all, so he continued to immerse himself in his work.
Lee Min-jin and Sung Ji-hye recently submitted two songs.
These two songs are clearly a pair of twins, one a farewell and the other a new beginning.
Director Jiang asked Han Shangxi to oversee the process.
The activities following the Shuenen exam will begin with the release of these two songs along with the previously shelved Japanese version of "EAT EARTH".
Therefore, these two songs are very important.
For a new group, a boring song is the most fatal blow.
Fortunately, the results of these two submissions were quite commendable.
However, some parts still need to be revised. Popular appeal and musicality are equally important.
Of course, Han Shangxi doesn't make these changes alone. Her two teammates also come to the recording studio after class, and they discuss them together.
By the time Han Shangxi saw that post, the storm had gradually subsided.
Because Shangxi is also a fan, she can better understand the feelings of fans.
As someone directly involved, she could see the bias in these posts and wouldn't care about them. Because she knew she wasn't what the posts described.
But there's a distance between the fans and her. They also feel panicked when faced with this kind of situation. Those words, seemingly attacking the idol, are actually dissing the taste of the fans who like the idol.
See, your taste is terrible. It's pathetic that you've fallen for such a jerk.
It is intolerable for something you cherish to be slandered by others. If she were in that situation, she would fight back.
Han Shangxi read through the latest comments section on ETE's official account one by one.
She couldn't quite imagine how her fans managed to post kind comments to overshadow the malice when faced with such intense hostility.
Behind every comment is a fan who firmly believes in them.
Her first reaction was to feel sorry for her.
She told herself that she couldn't let down the love of her fans.
"As an idol, Sanghee's favorite thing is the stage. Because when I'm on stage, I'm closest to my fans."
"The existence of my fans has often inspired me to keep going. It's hard to imagine a time without them."
"Therefore, I will also strive to become someone that my fans can be proud of!"
During his last activity before the training exam, Han Sang-hee said this to his fans.
Even though his expression was invisible, Han Sang-hee's words seemed to have that kind of magic.
It makes people smile involuntarily.
Making fans feel needed is also a common way for idols to provide emotional value.
However, Han Shangxi's words at this moment were all sincere.
New idols don't think about so many things. After seeing so much sincerity, she only wants to offer her own sincerity in return.
Rather than disregarding the possibility of being harmed in such a situation.
Rather, she wanted to embrace this love. She didn't care if there were thorns that might prick her.
To receive love, you must also learn to give love.
After all, the fans' passion needs to be reciprocated.
Not everyone enjoys playing games that involve melting ice cubes.
The skills test arrived as scheduled.
In the same year, the three members of the group ETE, who were taking the training exam, entered the examination room under the attention of the media.
Because they attended different high schools, Han Sang-hee's exam location was not the same as Lee Min-jin's or Sung Ji-hye's. However, this did not stop the media from making a fuss about it.
Comparing photos for beauty, analyzing relationships, speculating on incompatibility, predicting grades...
From that point on, every simultaneous event of ETE caused a bloodbath.
For fans, ETE taking the training exam is naturally a big deal.
The support activities that usually happen on birthdays and debut anniversaries also appeared on this day.
In South Korea, the skills test lasts only one day.
After discussion, several major fan sites decided to join forces to provide support.
However, an unexpected incident occurred during the discussions. Several wealthy female fans who were Sanghee solo stans withdrew from the joint support event due to differing opinions and decided to proceed independently.
The stunning scene from her last juice endorsement has reappeared.
On the day of the entrance exam, four-fifths of the support booths you could see in Seoul were occupied by ETE and Sanghee.
As for whether groups or solo performances appear more often...
This is an issue that has been debated for many years.
However, in terms of financial investment, Sanghee's solo fans have the upper hand.
Because they participated in both group support and individual support.
Support coffee trucks and even support cafes—these support projects mainly involve providing free coffee and bread to students passing by after the entrance exams in the name of their idols.
While people criticize the risks of this kind of support, they also marvel at the strong financial resources of the fans of this new idol group.
According to media reports, even at very remote test centers, support vehicles printed with Sanghee's image appeared.
After the ETE exam, the company gave ETE a few days off.
Han Shangxi finally had time to go home. Originally, the school was supposed to continue classes for the next few days after the Xiu Neng exam, but in order to have a proper vacation, Han Shangxi still asked the school for leave.
Han Cunzhi and Jin Rongya had originally planned to go to the site to cheer on their daughter on the day of the Xiu Neng exam.
However, their daughter's popularity made them abandon the idea.
As their daughter gained more and more popularity, the couple were happy for her, but they also became more cautious in their daily lives.
Shangxi works so hard, they can't let their child down.
This mindset also helped Jin Rongya and Han Cunzhi avoid many scams targeting them.
In short, whether it's money or fame, what they care about most is that Shangxi is happy.
Because Sang-hee was born with their love and expectations, she was their precious treasure.
Upon seeing her family whom she hadn't seen in a long time, Han Sang-hee immediately threw herself into their arms.
Han Cunzhi is still working overseas.
Kim Young-ah's flower shop has expanded further and has also started offering floral design training courses.
During their conversation, Han Shangxi also learned about her parents' recent situation.
During their regular phone calls, the two always talked about Shangxi's life and rarely discussed their own.
Although he knew that his parents were each other's support and that they would confide in each other rather than him when something happened, Han Shangxi still wanted to care for his parents more.
However, this situation changed in less than two days.
The atmosphere between Kim Young-ah and Han Cun-ji, as always, made Han Sang-hee feel like she must be the reincarnation of a third wheel.
Her resentful complaints were refuted by her parents.
The couple said that they couldn't stay with their parents for the entire five-day holiday; they also needed to go out and have fun.
After thinking it over, Han Shangxi decided to visit her teacher, whom she hadn't seen in person for a long time.
After meeting with the teacher, Han Shangxi inevitably had his homework checked—whether he had been slacking off or had fallen behind.
Teacher Lee Sun-hee has very high standards for herself. Her requirements for her apprentice Sang-hee, who has a special situation, may sound strict, but in reality, they are much more lenient than her requirements for herself.
Lee Sun-hee was very satisfied with her young apprentice's ability to maintain some professional training even after her debut.
What attracted her to Shangxi was not only her talent, but also her resilience and perseverance.
When the master and apprentice meet, aside from these things, they mostly chat casually.
During the conversation, Lee Sun-hee mentioned that Sang-hee's fellow apprentice, Lee Seung-gi, intended to introduce Sang-hee to the production team of the show he was currently hosting alone.
Actually, this was Yi Sun-hee's idea.
Teachers always have to pave the way for their students.
Lee Seung-gi and she were in the same company, so she took him on variety shows, found someone to write his debut song, and used the name of Lee Sun-hee's student to increase his popularity. She could do much more for Lee Seung-gi than she could for Sang-hee.
However, she could still do something for Shangxi.
Han Shangxi naturally understood that the teacher meant to make it up to her.
However, she felt that the teacher didn't need to think that way. She just wanted to learn music from the teacher.
Han Shangxi doesn't care whether he can get the same amount of resources as his fellow disciples.
She was grateful when her teacher introduced her to someone, and she didn't hold a grudge even if her teacher couldn't give her the information she wanted.
To reiterate, she came here to learn, not to look for a job with the teacher.
This made Lee Sun-hee even more soft-hearted.
This further strengthened Lee Sun-hee's resolve to pave the way for Sang-hee.
When Sang-hee met with the production team later, Lee Sun-hee also attended the dinner.
She couldn't possibly let Shangxi go alone.
Although she knew that Sang-hee could handle it and that Seung-gi would help out, Lee Sun-hee was still a little worried.
Lee Sun-hee's worries gradually disappeared during the dinner.
Han Shangxi has always been able to do what she wants to do well.
The production manager didn't look down on Sang-hee just because she was introduced. Everyone did the same.
Generally, a recommendation simply means that the production team should consider the other party; it doesn't necessarily mean that the recommendation must be accepted.
However, Yi Sun-hee's students always carry more weight.
Most importantly, this new idol inspired him.
Currently, female MCs mostly appear at award ceremonies and music programs. They are less common in talk shows and variety programs.
He felt that this person's appearance was an opportunity for the show after another MC was forced to leave for personal reasons.
Furthermore, if the feedback is negative, the production team can ask the other party to leave the program.
Before the dinner, Han Shangxi had already informed the company in advance.
She's currently with YG Entertainment, so even if she wants to take on resources offered by her teacher, she has to wait for YG's approval.
Director Jiang quickly agreed. At this moment, Han Shangxi suddenly thought of Yang Xianshuo. He felt that if it were him, he wouldn't have agreed so easily.
Fortunately, ETE belongs to the YG division.
The resource company and production team subsequently finalized the agreement.
There are always inconveniences for minors recording variety shows.
Therefore, it was decided that recording would begin after 2012.
After ETE's holiday ended, Han Sang-hee successfully secured her first variety show MC role.
However, the most important thing right now is the upcoming single comeback.
With the song finalized, there are still many things to do, such as makeup, choreography, music video, and so on.
Of course, idols don't need to worry about everything, but they do need to be involved in most things.
At this time, idols also actively participate in comeback preparations and offer their own ideas. ETE is no exception.
Actually, it hasn't been long since ETE made its last comeback.
However, everyone has seen the changes in ETE's fanbase during this period.
This comeback also marks the beginning of shaping the personas of the remaining two members.
Sanghee is the core of ETE. But the other two members also need to have their own names.
During the period leading up to the exam, Lee Min-jin and Sung Ji-hye were almost always studying, and they even had to squeeze in time to write songs during the occasional breaks.
When they are extremely tired, they will think of Shangxi.
They can't let ETE down if Shangxi can do it.
While they were gritting their teeth and persevering in their studies, they were also told that their comeback single had to be written before the skill exam.
Cheng Zhihui realized for the first time that people could have such great potential.
However, she and Lee Min-jin still managed to take a shortcut with their comeback song.
Composing a twin song is much easier than creating two separate songs.
They didn't expect their proposal to be adopted.
While waiting for Shangxi's opinion, both of them were a little uneasy.
Shang Xi now exudes an aura of authority among them.
He could argue with Director Jiang and Minister Li, but he didn't dare to utter a word when facing Shang Xi.
Perhaps it's because of the ups and downs they went through before and after their debut, or perhaps it's because of seeing Han Shangxi's dedication to the group's schedules during this time...
Han Shangxi, on the other hand, remained as affectionate towards them as before.
Cheng Zhihui sometimes really wants Shangxi to stop being so foolish. Even though she's been hurt, she still keeps revealing her true feelings.
This makes it easy to run into bad people.
She was the bad guy. Yet Shangxi forgave her so easily.
Cheng Zhihui's feelings for Han Shangxi were very complicated, so complicated that she felt the other party should not be harmed in any way afterward. Otherwise, she would feel very guilty.
For their second comeback, the ETE members are more adapted to the rhythm than they were the first time.
The aftershocks of the comebacks of the two super popular girl group seniors from neighboring companies haven't completely subsided yet.
Will no one care about their comeback?
But ETE can't always avoid clashing with the popular combinations.
They are also destined to become a major force.
If we lose this time, we'll bring out an even better piece next time.
Han Sang-hee tried her best to make the atmosphere in the group less tense.
We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
This time, we didn't run into any of those senior groups. There's always a chance we can get first place.
However, if others heard ETE, they would most likely think they were in Versailles.
In everyone's opinion, with ETE's debut achievements and the group's resources in place, becoming a rising star is almost a certainty.
But for the person involved, not worrying about the results is really a difficult thing.
The division did not allow ETE to return in the manner suggested by senior management, which involved a surprise comeback.
Two weeks before the comeback, the official accounts began releasing promotional materials, and the members interacted with fans through their accounts...
Everything seemed so normal.
ETE's second return is scheduled for early December.
The tight schedule was also one of the reasons why the members were worried.
In addition to practicing for the new stage, they also need to prepare for the upcoming year-end stage performance.
The MAMA competition they're attending will be held on November 29th. The results of their entrance exams and their interviews will both be on November 30th.
Their return will take place on December 6th.
This tight schedule made Han Sang-hee unusually tense.
Every day of preparation felt like a life-or-death escape.
On November 28th, ETE flew to the venue of MAMA.
The members, who had no time to adjust after landing, immediately went back to practice.
They were completely oblivious to the media reports and unaware that Sanghee's scandal had caused a huge uproar in South Korea.
[New idol Sanghee and nation's little brother Lee Seung-gi's sweet romance! Lee Sun-hee sends her blessings!]
-----------------------
Author's note: This is a belated update on the 7th. I originally planned to write 9,000 words and release it together with the update on the 8th, but I just couldn't hold on any longer.
The update for the 8th will be posted separately today.
Thank you all for reading, commenting, and donating!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com