Chapter 52: The encore segment, the members changed...
During the encore, the members changed into simple outfits, sat on the edge of the stage, and chatted with fans.
"Are there many friends from overseas today?" Kwon Ji-yong suddenly wiped his sweat and asked with a smile.
The audience immediately responded in various languages.
"Anyone from China, raise your hand?"
Before Ren Xiyao could react, Lin Shan had already grabbed her wrist and lifted it high: "Here!!"
Kwon Ji-yong's gaze fell on him, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"Thank you for coming," he said in Chinese, then paused and added, "I...I'm very happy."
At that moment, Ren Xiyao heard her own heartbeat, a sound that even the shouts and screams of tens of thousands of spectators and fans in the arena could not drown out.
After the concert, Li Enjing pulled Lin Shan away first, and before leaving, she winked at Ren Xiyao: "Hurry up and come, otherwise we'll eat first after the food is served."
Helpless, Ren Xiyao went backstage alone. Kwon Ji-yong's manager was already waiting for her, and after giving her a friendly nod, he led her backstage.
When she pushed open the door to the lounge, Kwon Ji-yong was sprawled on the sofa removing his makeup. Hearing the noise, he didn't even turn his head: "You're here?"
"Mm." Ren Xiyao closed the door and sat down next to him.
Kwon Ji-yong turned his face, his makeup half-removed, his eyeliner still smudged at the corner of his eye, making him look a little comical: "How is it?"
"What do you mean, how about it?"
"My performance," he leaned closer to her, "would you like a professional critique?"
Ren Xiyao reached out and wiped the smudged makeup from the corner of his eyes, then picked up a makeup remover wipe from the side: "It's alright."
That's it?
"Better than last time."
Kwon Ji-yong was taken aback, then burst into laughter, grabbing her in a tight hug: "You really remembered!"
Ren Xiyao let him hold her, smelling the scent of sweat, hair gel, and perfume on him, and said softly, "You were great today."
Kwon Ji-yong released her, his eyes sparkling: "Really?"
"Yes." She nodded and looked intently at Kwon Ji-yong: "I'm very proud."
Kwon Ji-yong blinked: "What's there to be proud of?"
Before she could finish speaking, he suddenly kissed her.
Ren Xiyao paused for a second, then closed her eyes and gently tugged at his collar with her fingers.
She could hear the footsteps and laughter of staff members outside the door, but at that moment, all she could hear was her own heartbeat.
When the door to the lounge was pushed open loudly, Kwon Ji-yong, having removed his makeup, leaned against the dressing table facing the door, looking down and talking to someone.
The woman sat in the dressing chair, her profile just visible. She wore a simple sweatshirt and jeans, her hair loosely tied back, revealing a section of her fair nape. She was slender, yet possessed an undeniable, understated strength; her shoulders and neck were gracefully defined, and her exposed profile revealed a clean, sharp jawline and a straight nose.
Kwon Ji-yong placed his hand on her armrest, bent down and whispered something in her ear. She tilted her head slightly, her lips curving up slightly before quickly closing them again.
Da Sheng stood frozen at the doorway, unsure whether he should go in or not.
"What are you standing there for?" Kwon Jiyong looked up and saw him, raising an eyebrow: "Come in."
It was a pair of extremely dark eyes, with clear pupils and slightly upturned corners. When looking at people without any emotion, there was a natural sense of detachment. A completely unexpected face, yet one that was unforgettable.
She wasn't the kind of bright, aggressive beauty he'd imagined, nor was she the currently trendy "catfish-like" high-fashion face. He'd seen many people come to Kwon Ji-yong: models, actors, designers, all glamorous and impeccably made-up. But this girl was different. She wasn't wearing makeup; her skin was so clean it was almost translucent, her brow bone and nose bridge were sharply defined, her eyes were clear and bright, and she looked at people with an almost scrutinizing calmness.
But there's a slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth, as if he's always keeping his mouth closed, used to not showing his emotions, but a moment of relaxation reveals his softness.
"This is Ren Xiyao," Kwon Ji-yong introduced casually, but the tapping of his fingers on the back of the chair betrayed his nervousness: "My girlfriend."
Ren Xiyao stood up, nodded loudly to greet him, and said, "Hello."
Her voice was softer than I had imagined, but her tone was flat, as if she were stating a fact rather than exchanging pleasantries, yet it possessed an undeniable presence.
Dasheng snapped out of his daze and instinctively bowed, saying, "Hello! I'm Dasheng!"
Ren Xiyao seemed a little flustered by his exaggerated reaction and turned to look at Quan Zhilong.
Kwon Ji-yong chuckled and put his arm around her shoulder. "Don't be nervous, he's always like this." Then he turned and asked loudly, "Just you?"
He paused for a moment before replying, "They should have left first."
After Ren Xiyao sat back down, he pointed loudly at Ren Xiyao, then at Quan Zhilong, with a look that said, "What's going on between you two?"
Kwon Ji-yong smiled but didn't answer. He simply gestured with his chin toward Ren Xiyao and said, "She's here to see the concert today."
Loudly: "...Oh."
Kwon Ji-yong leaned closer and rested his chin on her shoulder: "What are you looking at?"
"The coach sent out the training plan." Without looking up, she said, "We'll start extra training tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Kwon Ji-yong frowned. "Wasn't it supposed to be an adjustment period?"
"It must be an adjustment to the plan before the high-altitude training."
Kwon Ji-yong was about to say something when the sun came in and he coughed lightly.
The moment Ren Xiyao looked up, the sun seemed slightly taken aback.
"Brother!" He waved loudly at him as if he had seen a savior, "Come quick!"
Kwon Ji-yong turned around, smiled and called out to him, "Hey, you haven't gone yet? You're just in time. There wasn't enough time to introduce you on the day of the rehearsal."
The sun moved past, its gaze landing on Ren Xiyao.
She seemed more distant than I had imagined. Not in terms of appearance, but in a certain aura. Quiet, reserved, even overly calm, she stood there like an unsheathed sword, quiet, sharp, yet possessing a contradictory gentleness.
"This is Ren Xiyao," Kwon Ji-yong introduced again, "my girlfriend."
Ren Xiyao stood up and nodded to the sun: "Hello."
The sun returned the favor, unable to resist glancing at her a couple more times.
He remembered that Kwon Ji-yong had mentioned before that his girlfriend was a short track speed skater who had won a World Championship gold medal. He thought she would be a girl with a strong aura, but he didn't expect her to look so... indifferent in person.
Dasheng sat on the sofa in the corner, secretly observing Ren Xiyao.
She didn't talk much, but she wasn't reserved either. When Kwon Ji-yong handed her water, she would take a sip. When Kwon Ji-yong leaned closer to speak, she would tilt her head slightly to listen.
Occasionally, the corners of her mouth would twitch slightly, a very faint one, but enough to make Kwon Ji-yong's eyes light up.
Taiyang poured himself a glass of water, sat down next to Dasheng, and lowered his voice: "Did you notice anything on stage just now?"
"What?"
“Ji-ryong is watching the frequency of the third row.” Taeyang smiled: “I almost thought he was going to call her name on stage.”
He recalled it aloud and suddenly realized.
Even when he was singing several songs, Kwon Ji-yong would specifically walk to the right side of the extended stage, squat down, and interact with the audience.
At the time, he thought it was just random interaction, but now that he thinks about it, the third row, right in the middle, was exactly where Ren Xiyao was sitting.
"I thought he was just really excited today." (Speaking loudly and quietly) "Turns out, he had ulterior motives."
When Ren Xiyao went to the restroom, Quan Zhilong came over, his eyes sparkling: "How was it?"
"What do you mean, how?" he asked loudly, feigning ignorance.
"My girlfriend." Kwon Ji-yong raised an eyebrow smugly. "Isn't it different from what you expected?"
Sun nodded: "I didn't expect you to like this type."
Which one?
"It's cold."
Kwon Ji-yong thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "She's actually not cold."
What is that?
"It's just... very pure."
He's so pure that he doesn't like to talk or socialize, and he lets things happen naturally outside of the ice rink. But there are always exceptions for him, and he enjoys these exceptions. He's unique and pure to the point that he doesn't even know how to compliment people, but the way people look at him from below the ice is more captivating than any scream.
Taiyang, leaning back on the sofa, suddenly spoke up: "You suddenly took two weeks off before, was it to go see her?"
Kwon Ji-yong paused, but did not deny it.
The sun and the loud voice exchanged a glance.
They remembered that during that period, Kwon Ji-yong was in a very bad state. He frequently lost focus during recordings, and even suddenly threw his headphones down during one rehearsal, locking himself in the studio all night. Dissatisfaction with the recording, the lyrics, even a bad lunchbox could make him sulk all day.
Later, they discovered that Kwon Ji-yong's schedule had a lot more "private time".
Sometimes they would suddenly disappear after the recording ended, and sometimes they would rush back before the rehearsal, still carrying the cold air from the airport.
"You went to China again?" Taeyang asked directly during a break in the practice room.
Kwon Ji-yong was replying to the message with his head down, and upon hearing this, he didn't even look up: "Hmm."
"Whom are you going to see?"
"A very important person."
The sun didn't ask any more questions, but it already knew the answer in its heart.
Daesung suddenly remembered that once, when he went to the recording studio in the early morning to get something, he found Kwon Ji-yong sitting alone in front of the control panel, wearing headphones and listening to a melody repeatedly.
He walked over and asked, "Brother, why aren't you asleep so late?"
Kwon Ji-yong took off his headphones, his eyes shining brightly: "Shoulder up, how's this part?" He played a piano prelude, gentle and restrained, completely different from the group's usual style.
Loudly asked in surprise, "Is this a new song?"
"Yes, it was written for her."
"she?"
Kwon Ji-yong smiled, said nothing, and simply put his headphones back on to continue revising the arrangement.
At that time, Daesung was still wondering what kind of person could make Kwon Ji-yong find time to write songs even when he was so busy.
Now he knows.
When Ren Xiyao returned, she had a cup of hot tea in her hand.
She walked over to Kwon Ji-yong and handed him the tea: "Drink something hot."
Kwon Ji-yong took it, took a sip naturally, and then frowned: "What is this? It tastes bitter."
“Honeysuckle, it’s good for clearing heat,” Ren Xiyao said. “Your voice is a little hoarse.”
Kwon Ji-yong pouted, but still obediently took another sip.
Loudly stared in disbelief.
Contradictory, yet inexplicably harmonious.
Ren Xiyao glanced at the time and stood up: "I have to go back."
Kwon Ji-yong stood up and said, "I'll see you off."
"No need, Lee Eun-jung and the others are waiting for me at the shop not far away. You should get some rest. Your concert schedule is really intense, and there's another show tomorrow, isn't there?"
"Then at least let me take you to the parking lot."
Ren Xiyao glanced at him and didn't refuse again. After saying goodbye to Taiyang and the others, she prepared to leave.
As they reached the door, Kwon Ji-yong suddenly turned around: "By the way, do you guys want to come watch her next competition?"
Loudly: "Huh?"
"Short track speed skating is really exciting." Kwon Ji-yong raised his eyebrows proudly: "My girlfriend is super amazing."
Ren Xiyao nudged him with her elbow: "Let's go."
Dasheng and Taiyang stood in the corridor, watching them leave.
After the two had walked a distance, Da Sheng finally couldn't hold back any longer: "She's so cool!"
The sun smiled and said, "It is very special."
"Completely different from Brother Zhilong!"
"I never expected this!" someone exclaimed loudly. "My brother would like this type."
"...And brother, did you see that?" she asked, speaking loudly but quietly.
"What?"
“Zhilong’s expression just now,” he gestured loudly, “was like…like a primary school student showing off a new toy.”
The sun nodded in deep agreement.
They had known Kwon Ji-yong for so many years, and they had never seen him so clingy, so childish, so unabashed in his affection, possessive yet submissive.
The two remained silent for a while.
Suddenly, he said loudly, "Actually, they're quite a good match."
"Um?"
"Brother Zhilong is so dazzling on stage, but sometimes he feels insecure in private." He shouted, looking towards the door.
"And she seems...reliable."
The sun laughed: "One is like ice, the other like fire."
Nodding loudly: "Contradictory, yet harmonious."
One of them burned himself to light up the stage, and the other drew the sharpest arc on the ice; both were exceptional individuals.
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