Chapter 51 Ren Xiyao walked to her seat in the audience...
Ren Xiyao walked to the audience seats and sat down. Her seat was very close to the stage. Originally, it should have been a standing area, but about ten stools had been temporarily placed there. From here, she could see very clearly. The lights dimmed, the music started again, and Kwon Ji-yong stood in the center of the stage, the spotlight shining on him. At that moment, the entire atmosphere changed.
Compared to his teammates and backup dancers, his dance wasn't always perfectly precise in every movement, but it featured numerous subtle rhythms and tightly segmented tempos, yet the movements were executed cleanly and decisively, demonstrating excellent core control. Therefore, the same movements he performed appeared free, relaxed, and full of his own style. However, this free-flowing rhythm requires higher technical skill, solid fundamentals, and extensive experience. If not executed well, it would appear like he was just going through the motions, but Kwon Ji-yong clearly performed beautifully.
After the rehearsal ended, Kwon Ji-yong jumped off the stage, panting, and sat down in the seat next to her.
"How is it?" he asked, beads of sweat sliding down his jawline.
Ren Xiyao looked into his bright eyes and suddenly reached out to wipe the sweat from his face with her thumb: "Is there anything wrong with your procedure?"
Kwon Ji-yong was taken aback: "What's wrong?"
"You've been on stage the whole time? You're in every song... singing and dancing."
"That's how concerts are."
"Doesn't your throat hurt?"
"It hurts," he laughed, his voice a little hoarse, "but I'm used to it."
Ren Xiyao stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly reached out and pinched the back of his neck. Quan Zhilong, caught off guard, hissed, "What are you doing?"
"You're 'used to' having your muscles taut like that?"
He blinked, then suddenly leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You feel sorry for me?"
Kwon Ji-yong smiled and put his arm around her shoulder: "Don't worry, it's okay."
She slapped his hand away: "Was this arranged by the company?"
"Yes, the order of the songs is set."
"Can't be adjusted?"
"Sure, but there's no need." He rubbed his neck. "Fans pay money to come to the concert, of course they want to hear more songs."
Ren Xiyao was silent for a while, and finally just nodded: "...Don't be stubborn."
Kwon Ji-yong looked at her, then suddenly reached out and poked her cheek: "Smile?"
She brushed his fingers away, saying nothing and just looking at him.
Kwon Ji-yong smiled and pulled her hand down, then suddenly said seriously, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Ren Xiyao remained silent.
“Really.” He squeezed her fingers: “After all these years, I know where my limits are.”
Ren Xiyao remained silent for a while, and finally just gave a soft "hmm".
Kwon Ji-yong looked at her and suddenly laughed: "But... you look so cute when you're worried about me."
Ren Xiyao sighed: "...Be serious."
After everything was over, Quan Zhilong slumped in the seat next to her backstage, his hair still dripping wet. Ren Xiyao sat beside him, still flipping through the program book.
Are you tired?
"Mmm." He closed his eyes and leaned on her shoulder. "But I'm happy."
Ren Xiyao let him lean on her, her fingers unconsciously tracing the scribbled notes on the paper.
"What are you looking at?" Kwon Ji-yong asked lazily, leaning against her while covering the program book with his hand.
"Let's see just how hard you work."
Kwon Ji-yong opened one eye: "Are you moved?"
"I dare not move." Ren Xiyao closed the song list and asked, "Was there enough rest time before the concert?"
"It's alright." He mimicked her tone when she commented on the music video on the phone, glancing at her with one eye: "Anyway, someone only gave it a 'alright' rating."
Ren Xiyao closed the notebook and gently tapped his forehead: "What kind of evaluation does Mr. Quan want?"
Kwon Ji-yong suddenly sat up straight and leaned closer to her: "Say something nice."
"for example?"
"For example, 'You danced so well,' 'My boyfriend is the most handsome man in the world,' 'I was mesmerized by what I saw'..."
Ren Xiyao interrupted him: "Lin Shan showed me your fans' comments, saying that your dancing is more... more free."
Kwon Ji-yong: "..."
After a two-second pause, he suddenly pounced on her and tickled her side: "Ren Xiyao! Can't you ever praise me properly just this once!"
Ren Xiyao dodged while laughing, "Stop fooling around! ...Okay, okay, you danced very well, alright?"
"You're just being perfunctory." He stopped, but didn't pull his hand away. Instead, he hugged her tightly. "Say it again."
Ren Xiyao sighed, cupped his face in her hands, and said earnestly, "Kwon Ji-yong, you dance very well. You are very charming and charismatic on stage."
His eyes sparkled: "Anything else?"
"..."
"Anything else?"
Ren Xiyao took a deep breath, suddenly leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "You were born for that place... and I really like it."
After saying that, she quickly stepped back, her ears burning.
Ren Xiyao grabbed a towel from the side and threw it in his face: "Breathe on your own!"
When her phone alarm rang, Ren Xiyao glanced at the time. She stood up and said, "I should go back." Quan Zhilong also stood up to see her off. As they walked to the underground parking garage, he hooked his finger around her sleeve: "Really not staying for dinner?"
"We have morning training tomorrow." She slapped his hand away. "You should get some rest too. Your dark circles are practically reaching your mouth."
He pursed his lips and said, "Anyway, remember to come to the concert the day after tomorrow."
"The very center seat in the stands." He squeezed her fingers. "Only you can sit there."
Ren Xiyao stared at the ticket for two seconds, then suddenly looked up: "What if I don't come?"
Kwon Ji-yong narrowed his eyes: "Then I'll shout in front of 20,000 people, 'Ren Xiyao, your boyfriend is waiting for you.'"
Ren Xiyao: "...You dare."
"Give it a try?"
She put her hands in her pockets, turned around and left: "I'm leaving."
Kwon Ji-yong watched her leave with a smile, and only after her figure disappeared around the corner did he touch his nose and mutter to himself, "...She clearly falls for this act. Stubborn as an idiot."
The hype surrounding BigBang's concert had already raised fans' expectations to a fever pitch. On the day of the concert, fans from all over the country flocked to the same place they had been waiting for. Meanwhile, Ren Xiyao stood in the plaza outside the venue, clutching three tickets, and texted Lin Shan, "Where are we?"
Lin Shan replied instantly: "It's just around the corner! Li Enjing went to buy drinks, saying she was worried you'd die of thirst."
Ren Xiyao's lips twitched. She looked up at her surroundings and saw fans in small groups, holding up light sticks and with stickers on their faces, chattering about tonight's song list.
Last year, when she secretly came to a concert for the first time, she felt like a tourist who had wandered into another world, not even knowing where to buy a light stick. Now, at least she can stand here calmly, and even joke with Lin Shan and the others about "my boyfriend is going on stage later"—though she certainly wouldn't say that.
"Xi Yao!"
Lin Shan's loud voice came from behind. Ren Xiyao turned around and saw her dragging Li Enjing along as they jogged over, waving three crown lights in her hands.
"Here you go!" Lin Shan handed her one: "I just bought it, the latest model."
Ren Xiyao took the light stick, a little helplessly: "...I already have one. You guys don't really need to make such a big deal out of it."
"Didn't you bring that back to China?" Lin Shan, wearing an oversized denim jacket, her hair tied in a high ponytail, and a pair of exaggerated metal earrings, looked dazzling. Hearing Ren Xiyao's words, she was a little smug: "How about it, am I 'fan-worthy' enough?"
Lee Eun-jung wore a beige knit sweater today, with her long hair flowing down her shoulders, and looked gentler than usual: "If you don't dress up nicely for a concert, you'll look out of place. Look at the fans around here, aren't they all glamorous?"
"Is there a difference?" Lin Shan blinked. "Oh right, there is a difference for her. She's here to 'inspect the job'."
Li Enjing laughed out loud and handed Ren Xiyao a cup of hot lemon water: "She kept wondering if you would be so shy that you would hide in the toilet the whole way."
Ren Xiyao poked open the tube and took a sip: "Why should I hide?"
Ren Xiyao almost choked.
Li Enjing patted her on the back and laughed to defuse the situation: "Alright, hurry up and go in, it'll get even more crowded later."
As the three of them approached the ticket gate, a reporter with a microphone suddenly appeared beside them, followed by a cameraman.
"Hello! We're from MBC. May we do an interview?" The reporter's eyes sparkled as she scanned the three women, finally settling on Ren Xiyao's face: "Are you VIP fans?"
Ren Xiyao subconsciously took a half step back, but Lin Shan stepped in front of her and said with a smile, "Yes, yes!"
The reporter immediately became excited: "So, which BigBang song do you like the most?"
"Lies!" Lin Shan blurted out, "I listened to it in high school, I listened to it eight hundred times!"
Ren Xiyao: "..." Sometimes she was genuinely surprised by Lin Shan's natural ease with people. Even with his terrible Korean, he could still chat with others.
Lee Eun-jung silently lowered her head and drank her coffee.
The reporter then looked at Ren Xiyao: "And this one? Are you a fan too?"
Ren Xiyao paused for a moment, then nodded: "Mm."
Which song is your favorite?
"...《blue》"
That's the truth. She clearly remembers this song from the first time she came to see it. Back then, her ticket wasn't great; she could only see the stage lights from afar, and couldn't even make out his face.
Now, holding the inner circle ticket in her hand, she could even imagine his expression when he saw her on stage.
Before the reporter could ask anything else, Li Enjing suddenly tugged at Ren Xiyao's sleeve and whispered, "It's time to go in."
Ren Xiyao felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She nodded to the reporters and quickly left with the two of them.
After walking a distance, Lin Shan nudged her shoulder: "Not bad, you're not nervous about making up lies for the media now?"
Ren Xiyao pursed her lips: "...It's a little better than last time."
Ren Xiyao ignored her and looked down to check the tickets.
Li Enjing chuckled softly from the side: "Back then, she didn't even dare to reply to his messages. She didn't tell anyone she was coming to see him either."
"...Can you two shut up?"
The moment the lights dimmed, screams erupted from the entire audience like a tidal wave.
Ren Xiyao and the others had a great view from their seats. Looking at Kwon Ji-yong on stage, everything he wore seemed like embellishment; you could only notice him. Standing under the spotlight, he was like a drawn sword, sharp and dazzling. Every performance of his brought surprises, even the same song, but each time seemed different. No matter how many times you watched him, he was always captivating.
Lin Shan leaned over and exclaimed, "Your boyfriend is so handsome!"
Ren Xiyao didn't answer, but just stared intently at the stage.
She had seen him rehearse several times, and seen him frowning as he changed the melody in the recording studio, but Kwon Ji-yong, standing on the stage, was born to be there and should be the master of this place.
The thought suddenly popped into her head, and Ren Xiyao gently curved the corners of her mouth into a smile.
Lee Eun-jung leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You look especially proud right now."
Ren Xiyao paused, then replied in a low voice, "...I am quite proud."
Midway through the song, Kwon Ji-yong walked to the edge of the stage, squatted down, and interacted with fans in the front row. His gaze, however, kept sweeping across the audience, confirming that her eyes were shining.
Lin Shan immediately nudged her with her elbow: "He's looking at you!"
Ren Xiyao didn't move, but simply raised the light stick in her hand and shook it gently.
Kwon Ji-yong's lips curled up as he continued his performance, but Ren Xiyao noticed that he became noticeably more excited afterward.
Ren Xiyao looked at him on the stage. His stage presence was effortless, his eyes held the entire audience in control, and every movement exuded an almost arrogant confidence. Even the pauses in his breathing were filled with a sense of control.
She suddenly remembered the first time she saw him. He was on the DJ stage at the club, just casually spinning records, yet he could draw everyone's attention to him.
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