Chapter 128 MAMA Preparations (46,000 words) The rain stopped...
[Lumera's performance is on the 29th, right? Why did they leave on the 25th? It seems other K-pop groups haven't left yet. Judging from this, GD should also be leaving today?]
[They're probably trying to avoid peak crowds? With so many K-pop groups crowding Incheon Airport tomorrow, there will definitely be a massive influx of fans. Just Lumera's fans alone could fill an entire terminal.]
It's good to get used to the environment beforehand. Coldy is sick, so it's good for her to go and adjust to Hong Kong's climate to recover. I'm so worried. I wonder how she is doing now.
[I'm really about to cry. Unnie is so exhausted that she has health problems, but she won't tell us what's wrong. This damn WK1 is really making us anxious.]
[Ahhh, my unnie posted on Instagram herself, saying it's just a minor cold and nothing serious. She explained that she didn't travel with fans because of the large crowds and the fear of spreading germs. That's good, but why does the artist have to come out and reassure the fans? I really have PTSD. During the audition, she was sick and went to the hospital but didn't say anything. It was only when the staff told the fans that they found out.]
[My heart aches from all this suffering. I can't believe it's just a little cold (crying) (crying) Unnie, please don't keep everything to yourself. We're really worried that you're hiding something bad from us.]
[I'm so scared! It's not just that your hands and feet are injured, okay? Unnie, you have to be happy and healthy, okay? Go ahead and date, I don't care, but please don't get sick again!]
Before boarding the plane, Jiang Tinghan posted on Instagram, along with a selfie to let everyone know. She was smiling and looked as beautiful as before, but she still looked a little pale. The comments section was full of messages telling her to take care of herself. The tears in the comments section were so exaggerated that they could have formed a sea and drowned Xiao Han. Many people guessed that she definitely had more than just a minor cold, which surprised Jiang Tinghan.
Her fans really understand her personality.
Kwon Ji-yong liked the entire Instagram post and all the concerned comments below, wishing he could read it to Jiang Tinghan again and remind her to remember it.
When fans discovered that @xxxibgdrgn had liked their post, they were more moved than shipping the couple, their eyes welling up with tears. It's touching that their brother-in-law still cares about their sister. At the same time, fans started tagging Kwon Ji-yong, asking him to take good care of Coldy unnie and wish him a speedy recovery.
Kwon Ji-yong liked a few more comments like that, indicating that he had received them. Then he and his girlfriend boarded his private jet. Another special guest, Wing, also came along, but she sat quite far away. Kwon Ji-yong felt a bit apologetic, as Jiang Tinghan was not originally supposed to travel with him, but plans can't keep up with changes.
As soon as they got off the plane, Kwon Ji-yong suggested taking Jiang Tinghan to see "Zootopia 2". In such a tense situation, he was taking it easy, but Kwon Ji-yong didn't feel there was anything wrong with his actions. Maybe if Jiang Tinghan relaxed, her illness would heal faster.
Jiang Tinghan flew from Seoul to Hong Kong. The temperature difference between boarding and disembarking the plane was extreme. She sniffed and had a slight cough. She felt that she couldn't sing in this condition, but she didn't accept Kwon Ji-yong's invitation.
Her teammates were training her to go on dates; she wouldn't do that unless she was crazy.
"Oppa, you'd better hurry up and go train. Did you remember the new dance break?"
"Moragu?" Kwon Ji-yong handed Jiang Tinghan a cup of hot water while smiling and said, "You really don't trust my abilities? Of course I've remembered everything."
Jiang Tinghan took a sip, feeling a bit better in her throat: "Then Oppa, why don't you dance for me?"
"Hmph..." Kwon Ji-yong chuckled twice, then said, "No, if we jump on stage now, there won't be any surprises, will there?"
The laughter sounded a bit silly, and the words were a bit silly too. Jiang Tinghan put down his water glass and raised an eyebrow: "It's not like I haven't seen it in the practice room before."
G-Dragon's private practice room is downstairs from Lumera's practice room. ZB1 and A1D1, who were selected from the 2018 Boy Planet 2 and are about to debut, both from the same company, wanted to watch their seniors perform but didn't dare. However, Jiang Tinghan dared to take his teammates there openly to watch, ostensibly to learn from their seniors.
G-Dragon's performance this year includes "Heartbreaker," "Too bad," "Drama," and "7 hours." He has added a dance break adaptation of this year's hit challenge track "Smoke" to "Too bad," which is sure to create a spectacular stage effect.
"It's different," Kwon Ji-yong said vaguely. Since the plan to go to the movies together had fallen through, he would just have to go and practice more.
Familiarizing yourself with the venue and then refining the stage design based on the actual situation... these are all laborious and time-consuming tasks.
If Jiang Tinghan hadn't been sick and gone to the hospital yesterday, he probably still wouldn't have slept by now. He would have stayed up all night and flown over, and maybe he would have gotten a nonchalant "Oppa, staying up all night at your age will accelerate your aging," and he would have gotten so angry that he would have walked away.
It was late at night again. The young couple returned to their respective rooms after leaving the practice room. Jiang Tinghan stayed on the same floor as her teammates, while Kwon Ji-yong, as the biggest star at this year's MAMA, stayed on another floor. It was a little strange not having another person in his bed.
This year's "Crazykingdom" isn't a collaboration track with GC, but Jiang Tinghan plans to go to the audience and interact with Kwon Ji-yong, asking him to sing a couple of lines of his part.
The entire stage arrangement started with Coldy leading the way, then introducing Lumera, and finally singing Lumera's songs before returning to the end credits of "Crazykingdom". The entire stage framework was designed by Jiang Tinghan. Originally, the accompaniment was supposed to be arranged in two days, yesterday and today, but she was delayed for most of the day due to illness. She and Kwon Ji-yong finished it on the plane using a mobile music production app. Kwon Ji-yong even took on more of the work so that she could rest a little longer.
Then the name "Fox" will reappear on the production list after a long absence.
Although Mr. Fox·J.yong18624·G-Dragon·Kwon Ji-yong has long since learned to sleep alone, he couldn't stand the fact that his girlfriend slept downstairs while he slept upstairs. So, he sneaked downstairs in the middle of the night. After reaching the corresponding floor, he even AirDropped a selfie in the elevator to the familiar iPhone name "I'm not cold". The angle of the selfie still showed the elevator buttons and the floor on the display screen, full of implications.
Jiang Tinghan had set her contacts to be visible only to those in her contacts list, and this man happened to be one of the few contacts she had.
【？】
As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Kwon Ji-yong received a message on KKT.
Immediately following was a message that clearly identified as the room number: [1208]
Kwon Ji-yong sent a "received" emoji and added: "[It seems like we're having an affair]."
More like a casual hookup
Kwon Ji-yong: [Oh, that's exactly what I meant, I just put it more subtly (laughs)]
【We've arrived! We've arrived!】
The message from Kwon Ji-yong sounded very excited; someone who didn't know better might have thought he was planning to do something that couldn't be broadcast.
With a click, the door opened, and Quan Zhilong looked up to see Jiang Tinghan leaning against the door frame, wearing a black and white fluffy pajama with a cow cat pattern, looking somewhat sickly.
The door opened only a crack before Kwon Ji-yong nimbly slipped inside. He glanced at the table, which was spotless except for a steaming glass of water: "Did you take your medicine?"
"Yeah, I took some cold medicine and I'm a little sleepy." Jiang Tinghan yawned and walked towards his room.
Kwon Ji-yong immediately followed, his arm already around his girlfriend's waist: "I'm sleepy too, let's get some rest and then get up to have breakfast?"
Lumera's rehearsal is tomorrow afternoon, and G-Dragon's rehearsal is the day after tomorrow evening. I guess they'll be spending the whole day in the practice room again.
"Okay... Grape and the others said they were going to go shopping after the rehearsal, I'd like to buy some things too."
They both lay down. Jiang Tinghan was really sleepy, and his speech was slurred.
Kwon Ji-yong pulled her closer, burying his face in her warm neck and shoulder, his voice becoming muffled: "Go ahead, buy whatever you want. I remember there are vintage stores in Hong Kong? Honey, go buy me a few pieces from Archive..."
In the fashion world, "archive" refers to rare items with collectible value and fashion influence, which is different from ordinary vintage items that simply have a sense of age.
"Okay, I'll swipe your card for everything." Jiang Tinghan forced herself to listen to Quan Zhilong's words before falling into a deep sleep; the cold medicine was really effective.
Kwon Ji-yong slightly curled the corners of his lips. This kid is really...
Go ahead and spend it. If he has money, who else would he spend it on if not his girlfriend?
On the morning of November 26th, Kwon Ji-yong's alarm clock woke them up. "Love, that's how you spell what you mean to me. Pull me close. Give me love. Hold me tight."
Kwon Ji-yong often listens to Yung Bae and EarthGang's "LOVE" in his car.
The two people were physically awake, but their minds were still foggy. It wasn't until they finished washing up that their brains started working again.
Kwon Ji-yong was too lazy to go upstairs to find clothes to wear, so he started rummaging through his girlfriend's clothes again. Having learned from the last experience, Jiang Tinghan had added more sweatpants to her suitcase, which conveniently benefited Kwon Ji-yong.
Kwon Ji-yong took a pair of black sweatpants, and Jiang Tinghan stuffed a pink hoodie into his hand.
"Oh dear..." Kwon Ji-yong tugged at the round ears on his hat, unable to suppress a smile, "This doesn't suit me, does it?"
I think the last time I wore such a bright pink was—
Oh, I wore it this year too; there was a bright pink suit in the "Too bad" music video.
Jiang Tinghan glanced at him, and he changed his mind: "I'll give it a try."
There's no clothing that doesn't suit GD; he always looks amazing in anything he wears. Especially with his recent choppy bangs, he looks even more youthful. However, his bangs are mostly covered by a red beanie, with only a few stray hairs showing. He hasn't abandoned the hood; he still wears it, which is in line with G-Dragon's fashion sense.
Jiang Tinghan, who was recently keen on sculpting birds for Quan Zhilong, thought to himself that bright colors were indeed more suitable for birds.
She dutifully wore a lace long-sleeved top and high-waisted jeans that flattered her legs. Kwon Ji-yong fussed over her, adding a brown leather belt and a brown coat with a Maillard-style vibe, making her look more layered and exuding a retro romantic feel.
When the two looked in the full-length mirror, Jiang Tinghan felt that she looked much more mature than Quan Zhilong. She wondered what kind of anti-aging drug Quan Zhilong had taken in the past year, as he looked more and more youthful.
That's good; someone finally doesn't have to worry about the age gap anymore.
Kwon Ji-yong sent a message to his bodyguards and staff that he was going to have breakfast with his girlfriend. The bodyguards were not surprised at all and even wished their boss a pleasant meal.
The boss not only enjoyed the food but also took lots of photos, which added a lot of material for J.yong18624 to post.
My happiest memories of the year also happened in Hong Kong: meeting my girlfriend's parents in person for the first time, singing a three-minute-long Chinese song for the first time in my life, going on stage with my girlfriend, and celebrating my birthday with my fans...
This is only the second time this year that he has come to a Hong Kong teahouse for breakfast. Kwon Ji-yong is still a little incredulous that almost four months have passed so quickly.
Although happy times pass quickly, it doesn't matter, there will be plenty of happiness waiting for him to enjoy in the future.
This teahouse seems to serve morning tea and evening banquets. The private rooms are quite large and luxuriously decorated, with even a piano. Perhaps it's for a marriage proposal where someone plays background music, or for wealthy families to use when they gather for holidays to let the younger generation show off their wealth.
Jiang Tinghan's eyes darted around, her tone so calm that you couldn't tell she was up to something, and she even used an elder's tone: "Ji Yong, go play a tune for everyone."
"What?" Kwon Ji-yong looked left and right, then lowered his head, covered his face, and laughed. "Where are the others? It's just the two of us here, right? Are there ghosts?"
“Yes,” Jiang Tinghan said calmly, his expression unchanged, “you just can’t see it.”
"Stop." Kwon Ji-yong felt a chill run down his spine and stopped Jiang Tinghan in time, afraid that she would tell a long string of ghost stories in the next second. He then ate a shrimp dumpling with two slices of kimchi between his teeth, chewed and swallowed it before going to sit down at the piano.
I bought this kimchi at a convenience store on the street. Luckily, Jiang Tinghan is neither from Guangdong nor Hong Kong, otherwise she would have been devastated to see Kwon Ji-yong eating it like this.
"Hmm..." Kwon Ji-yong looked at the piano and was a little stumped. Heaven knows how long it had been since he had touched a piano. After thinking for a while, he turned to his phone for help, found the sheet music, and tried a few notes.
Not only did he play the wrong note, but the piano was also clearly out of tune, probably because it hadn't been tuned in a long time.
Jiang Tinghan immediately recognized the meaning: "Forever love?"
X Japan's "Forever Love," with lyrics and music by yoshiki, is a song that's been around for a while.
Kwon Ji-yong, both happy and unhappy, pouted and played a few notes again, creating a sad melody: "What song is this?"
Jiang Tinghan slightly curled the corners of her mouth: "Drama, Oppa, why are you so jealous?"
When Quan Zhilong heard that Jiang Tinghan also recognized his song, his face brightened up, and he stubbornly said, "What jealousy? I'm not jealous. I just wanted to test your ability to recognize songs, Tinghan."
Jiang Tinghan said in a serious tone: "Kuan Jiyong, you know it's not nice to have a man who always says he wants to test you?"
"Alas!" Kwon Ji-yong made a zipper gesture over his mouth, turned on the screen, looked back at the sheet music for "Forever Love," took off the diamond ring on his hand, and pressed the black and white keys with his well-defined knuckles, playing this melody from twenty or thirty years ago.
Jiang Tinghan calmed down and listened to the piece. Although it was just a piano melody, Toshi's voice automatically started playing in her mind.
In this ever-changing world, if there is love that never changes, will you hold my heart? Please catch my tears.
My heart, about to shatter, forever love, forever dream.
X Japan also suffered a trauma no less severe than Bigbang's. Lead singer Toshi was dragged into a cult by his wife and endured twelve years of torture and brainwashing, which caused the entire band to fall apart. Fortunately, he has successfully escaped and is now doing quite well in his solo career.
Later, guitarist Hide Matsumoto passed away. At the funeral, the remaining members of X Japan sang the song together again. G-Dragon's fashion sense and taste were more or less influenced by Hide, who was full of unrestrained rebellion. Jiang Tinghan was sometimes surprised that she did not like G-Dragon because of his image. After all, she had always admired this flamboyant, rebellious, and progressive image.
But then she thought about it again, and realized that this liking was just admiration. She decided to start a relationship with Kwon Ji-yong because she felt he was someone she could date after getting to know his pure, gentle, and tolerant nature. That was fine.
Later, another member, bassist Taiji, also passed away. Both deaths were ruled as suicides. Some say Hide died from an accident while drunk, accidentally suffocating after getting caught on a doorknob while stretching with a towel after drinking heavily. Taiji, on the other hand, died after getting into a conflict in a detention center abroad, where his body, weakened by years of alcoholism, could not withstand the abuse.
Whenever Jiang Tinghan hears this song, she always thinks of those things, of the last cobbled-together X Japan concert, of Toshi's heartbreaking voice singing this song, and of how X Japan disbanded not long after.
[Overflowing with longing, intense and poignant, filling every inch of time.]
Oh, tell me why. All I see is blue in my heart. Will you stay with me?
[Until the storm subsided, all my tears welled up again.]
Therefore, Jiang Tinghan disliked Quan Zhilong using his past pain as a metaphor. Even when Quan Zhilong got drunk at his parties, she always remained sober. When Quan Zhilong insisted on staying by her side, she would never refuse, because she would worry about him being alone.
She was also incredibly grateful that despite all he had been through, Kwon Ji-yong hadn't fallen into the same rut as some punk rock musicians of the past, becoming entangled in drugs, sex, cults, and violence, living a life that was neither human nor ghost. He still tried his best to feel the sunshine, beauty, and love.
Thinking about it this way, it seems only natural that she would fall in love with Kwon Ji-yong; beneath his slender frame lies a soul more resilient than anyone else's.
Surprisingly, there were almost no wrong notes when playing the entire "Forever Love" piece, but the piano was seriously out of tune, so it sounded noticeably different from the original, but it also had its own unique charm.
Jiang Tinghan brought a GoPro with her when she went out and recorded the rare scene of Kwon Ji-yong playing the piano. When Kwon Ji-yong finished playing a piece with great concentration, he turned his head and saw the small and dark lens.
He thought Jiang Tinghan was going to film something like Coldy's behind-the-scenes MAMA, so he smoothly raised his hands, made two peace signs on his cheeks, and even winked at the camera. In short, he became coquettish in an instant.
Jiang Tinghan turned off the GoPro and calmly said, "Very good, I've completed the task that Brother Yunshou asked me to do."
Yoon-soo is a member of Kwon Ji-yong's team, responsible for coordinating filming and editing.
Kwon Ji-yong suddenly realized: "Ah, is it used in my behind-the-scenes footage?"
No wonder their equipment has been upgraded.
"Ah... this means I'll have to worry about song copyright issues again."
Jiang Tinghan stuffed the GoPro into his bag, walked over to Kwon Ji-yong, and patted him on the shoulder: "Go contact Yoshiki-senpai. You can either not release it or blur it out."
"How can this be!" Kwon Ji-yong said indignantly, "I worked so hard to play the whole piece, how can I not let it go!"
"Is that why..." Jiang Tinghan couldn't help but laugh, thinking that Quan Zhilong would say something like, "Since she's already filmed it, it must be put to use."
Kwon Ji-yong shifted his position, made room for others, and patted the piano bench: "Coldyxi's piano skills should be better than mine, so how can I not show off a little?"
Jiang Tinghan sat down next to Quan Zhilong. The piano bench was quite narrow, just like the hospital bed from yesterday, but the two skinny guys could still squeeze in and immediately started playing a duet.
The "dong dong dong" sound of the piano was like pearls falling onto a jade plate. Although it was crisp, it was a mess and did not form a melody. Both of them were pressing the keys randomly.
"Ahem," Jiang Tinghan cleared his throat, and the newly crowned piano prodigy next to him obediently put his hands down, wanting to listen to the Lumera-appointed pianist's performance.
The piano music started again, this time as melodious as flowing water, as fresh and elegant as gardenias, and as melancholic as the petals of winter withering.
"Being surrounded by petals that seem to flutter in the air, it feels like a dream, a miracle, that I was able to meet you."
"We love each other deeply, we argue occasionally, and we work together to overcome all kinds of obstacles in our path."
Even if I am reincarnated, I will become a flower beside you.
Kwon Ji-yong was surprised as soon as Jiang Tinghan started singing. It was also a Japanese song, and he didn't know which singer it was from. It was the first time he had ever heard it.
Bigbang had previously performed in Japan, and Kwon Ji-yong could roughly understand the meaning of the lyrics. They were beautifully written, and after only a few lines, he started swaying his head and bobbing. His phone, which was on the piano lid, was also showing that it was recording.
Her voice was as clear as a mountain spring, containing exceptionally delicate emotions, making it incredibly moving: "In the end, everything will scatter like falling petals, and we should accept everything in this world with equanimity."
"What you left me is a precious treasure called 'this moment,' so I will do my best to live on and become a flower by your side."
Jiang Tinghan's gaze swept over the cool piano keys and her slender white fingers, then looked ahead. Sunlight streamed in through the window, its golden light like a gentle hand, caressing her full, smooth forehead, down to her slightly upturned lips, across her clear, flowing jawline, and casting a small shadow under her long eyelashes. The shadow trembled as she occasionally lowered her eyes, like fluttering butterfly wings.
In this golden drizzle of light, even the dust in the air is clearly visible. The rebellious and cool jacket she wears doesn't quite match the noble and elegant temperament of the piano, but it still creates a beautiful scene.
Kwon Ji-yong turned his head to the side and looked at her quietly, feeling as if she were a breathtaking, sacred oil painting.
In another month, it will be their third anniversary. They've been dating since 2022 and are now talking about 2026. But right now, his heart is still like a firework fuse that's about to burn out, hissing and burning faster and faster. He can almost hear the "thump, thump" sound.
After watching for so long, how can I still be so irrational?
But Kwon Ji-yong is easily attracted to Jiang Tinghan.
Jiang Tinghan raised her eyes again. Her eyes were like two black pearls from the deep sea, seemingly misty but actually hiding flames. As her gaze shifted, the flames flickered in the water's reflection.
Kwon Ji-yong saw her eyes, and his intuition told him that he should look away as soon as possible, otherwise she would eventually see his infatuated look. But he couldn't bear to look away and just wanted to keep staring at her forever.
Her clear voice echoed in my ears, followed by a beautiful piano melody that reached a climax, like rain after a long drought, full of redemption:
"The rain stopped, and a rainbow appeared high in the sky."
"After weathering the blue storm, the sun shines again on the horizon."
"I finally realized that the unshakable and important thing in my heart is love."
Jiang Tinghan also turned her head and met Quan Zhilong's gaze at that moment. His light-colored pupils were like honey, with a gentle, sweet but not cloying golden-brown temperature. When he noticed the two of them looking at each other, his eyes curved up, and the honey-colored love in his eyes poured out from the corners of his eyes.
She forgot the lyrics for a moment, and only after humming twice did she regain her memory. Forcing herself to calm down, she continued singing:
"Can we continue on? We can already see the light of love. This 'longing' that transcends time and space will forever resonate in our hearts."
"Your joy, your pain, everything about you, may bloom even more vividly, just like this flower."
This young couple, about to celebrate their third anniversary, were completely mesmerized by each other on such a beautiful day. If hearts could write, their piano scores would be filled with "I like you, I like you, I like you, I like you..."
Even after the music ended, the crowd hadn't dispersed. Kwon Ji-yong, regaining his senses, couldn't wait to praise, "Our Tinghan played so well, it really had a happy ending feel to it."
"Oh dear? This is a rather sad song in my opinion." Jiang Tinghan was somewhat surprised.
Kwon Ji-yong reached out and touched his chest, a slight smile playing on his lips: "But it feels so warm to me, and the lyrics are so gentle."
“That’s true.” Jiang Tinghan smiled. “One of the original singers of this song got married to the female lead of the TV series that made him famous. Everyone is sending their blessings.”
“Wow…that’s a really enviable story, like Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin getting married?” Kwon Ji-yong said.
Jiang Tinghan thought for a moment: "Because they are many people's first love couple, I think it would be more like Ha Ji-won and Hyun Bin getting married."
The thought of these two collaborating on "Secret Garden" reminded Kwon Ji-yong of some embarrassing past moments, and he couldn't help but laugh: "So what's the song called? Hana? (Flower)"
Jiang Tinghan: "Yes, during the Japan tour, a staff member from Japan was listening to this song. I thought it was good, so I asked for the name and added it to my playlist."
When the staff was mentioned, Kwon Ji-yong seemed to suddenly remember something, and his tone became gossipy: "Tinghan, do you know what? Two of my staff members are dating. They actually hit it off after accompanying me on the whole tour. I don't even know when I became a matchmaker."
Jiang Tinghan was somewhat surprised, and thought for a moment about who was in Quan Zhilong's team: "Ah... is it Brother XX and Sister XX?"
"Oh?" Now it was Kwon Ji-yong's turn to be surprised. "You guessed so accurately. How did Ting-han figure it out? I didn't see it at all. If they hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known either..."
He was so busy he was completely overwhelmed.
Jiang Tinghan curled the corners of his mouth, his tone slightly smug: "Sixth sense."
She ruffled Kwon Ji-yong's hair, which had been dyed back to black, and said, "I didn't realize that means you still need to practice more, Oppa."
Kwon Ji-yong suddenly laughed, and his laugh was like that of a fox, as if he was full of bad intentions: "Then Tinghan, you should practice first. Not those two, but XX and XX."
Kwon Ji-yong deliberately went along with her, and then tricked her once. Looking at her slightly proud expression, he must have secretly chuckled and chirped to himself countless times.
Jiang Tinghan choked for a moment: "Oppa..."
She wasn't angry at all. Instead, she smiled and gave Kwon Ji-yong a whole bowl of stir-fried beef noodles, and even thoughtfully added some kimchi to it. Kwon Ji-yong only drank a bowl of beef and egg porridge, ate a piece of glutinous rice chicken, a basket of chicken feet, and two or three shrimp dumplings. That wasn't enough for him.
Carbs after carbs, and by the time Kwon Ji-yong walked out, he was so full he felt like throwing up.
When Quan Zhilong looked at Jiang Tinghan, who was frowning and looked a little pale, and coughed a couple of times as if he was feeling unwell, saying things like "I feel a little dizzy," all of Quan Zhilong's babbling words were blocked, and what came out of his mouth turned into words of concern and care.
When he saw Jiang Tinghan off to the car to meet Lumera, Jiang Tinghan's expression changed, and she revealed a bright smile, waving to him through the car window: "Actually, I'm almost fully recovered, Oppa, bye-bye~"
Kwon Ji-yong: "???"
Oh no! Jiang Tinghan stole my trick of faking illness! He's really learned bad habits from me!
After the morning tea music tasting session, the next steps were practice and rehearsal, which went very smoothly.
Jiang Tinghan finished rehearsing at nearly five o'clock. When she came out, she checked her social media and saw the news that a residential building in Tai Po had caught fire. She had to cancel her trip to the vintage clothing store in North Point.
No one expected that the fire would continue burning into the night and would even intensify due to the dry weather. The news was constantly updating and becoming more and more shocking.
The two of them stayed in the hotel watching the news, their hearts pounding. Kwon Ji-yong's face was somewhat gloomy: "Damn, this is too serious. How can we perform like this?"
Jiang Tinghan looked at his phone. In the group chat, Lumera's teammates were also sending worried messages, asking what the MAMA organizers had to say. Although the fire had nothing to do with MAMA, it was morally wrong for them to be singing and dancing right after such a major incident.
"What should we do?" Kwon Ji-yong asked worriedly and anxiously, "It shouldn't be like this during dance break..."
If this were to continue, with all the smoke and fire, it would be completely inappropriate.
"Mora..." (I don't know) Jiang Tinghan felt his head, which had only recovered for two days, start to hurt again, but he was also very clear-headed.
First, confirm whether the ceremony will be canceled. Cancellation and postponement would both result in significant losses, so it's unlikely to be canceled. In that case, change the song. We need to remove "Wildfire." Although it conveys the concept of "I am both wildfire and spring breeze," the presence of "fire" is harmful. We could change it to "Waves," but that's also a rousing song, suitable for the end of the year, but not for this particular situation.
"Oppa, I'll go discuss this with the members first." Jiang Tinghan sent a message in the group chat saying "Let's have a meeting, kids," and then stood up.
Because of the presence of GD's team filming, Jiang Tinghan only held Kwon Ji-yong's hand briefly, patted the back of his hand to offer some comfort, and then left in a hurry.
After a meeting, the girls unanimously agreed to change "Wildfire," but they hesitated about what to change it to. They mainly had two choices: "Waves" and "Farewell Poem." The drawbacks of the former have already been mentioned. The latter is more in line with the general atmosphere, but it is not appropriate to ask them to say goodbye after they have just experienced pain.
Another thing is that it's confirmed that "He Xin" will be sung in Chinese. Originally, we were worried that the effect of everyone's performance would not be as good as the original, but maybe those people who encountered difficulties also have their fans, and there are also people who originally came to see MAMA. In the end, Jiang Tinghan made the final decision. A Chinese song that everyone can understand, even if it can only serve as a small consolation, is fine.
They must be the only group at MAMA to sing a Chinese song. Looking at the still-burning fire and the increasing number of missing persons, the girls felt a mix of emotions.
Jiang Tinghan recalled the two songs she sang that morning. Both were songs with a sad theme and contained words like "longing" and "being by your side." She never expected that the two songs she sang casually would so cleverly match the current atmosphere.
She still remembers the last verse of "Forever Love".
Ah, if only it could all end.
In this long, endless night
Ah, I have nothing left to lose.
As long as you're here, that's enough.
【Forever love forever dream】
[Just stay by my side like this]
Embrace my heart, trembling at dawn.
Until the storm subsides, I only wish you were by my side.
【Forever love forever dream】
We can't go on anymore.
Please tell me the meaning of life.
Jiang Tinghan had a flash of inspiration, found the song, and played it for his teammates, focusing on the lyrics.
Do you think... it's okay to rearrange this song?
She and Kwon Ji-yong really took advantage of Yoshiki, their private moments were so intimate.
"Moragu?" His teammates were all shocked. "There are less than 72 hours left until the official performance. Coldy, you're going to rearrange this song?"
Copyright, stage design, set design... everything is a problem.
"If you're willing to put in the effort, I'll try to handle the other issues," Jiang Tinghan said earnestly and solemnly.
The teammates' hearts trembled slightly. Michuso? Their captain's madness far exceeded their imagination!
Crazy Kingdom was not written casually.
Jiang Tinghan added, "Just think of it as a limited-time performance."
These words deeply moved the other girls. Yes, they had experienced such urgent performance preparations before, so what was there to be afraid of?
Skye spoke first: "I can try."
Immediately following were responses, and it passed unanimously once again.
The manager, Unnie, watched from the sidelines, feeling both distressed and moved, as if she were seeing a group of passionate fools who were willing to work hard for a goal that they might not be able to achieve.
Jiang Tinghan immediately contacted Yoshiki and explained her entire thought process and the whole story to him.
Yoshiki, who was far away in the United States, readily agreed after hearing this. He was a person with a heart full of love and compassion. During the Wenchuan earthquake, he not only donated money but also personally visited China to offer his condolences and support.
Yoshiki even pointed out that the song was from the 1990s and the melody was a bit outdated. He then gave several good ideas for the adaptation. Although he doesn't understand Korean, he has some knowledge of music, which greatly reduced Jiang Tinghan's workload.
When Quan Zhilong found out, he was eager to help, but Jiang Tinghan sent him back, telling him to deal with his own stage first, since he was already overwhelmed with work and didn't want to show her any fatherly love.
Kwon Ji-yong said righteously, "This is not fatherly love, it's boyfriend love," and then slunk away to attend to his own business.
The fire was so severe that Kwon Ji-yong felt it was necessary to donate money, but it wasn't enough to just donate a sum of money. How much to donate, to whom to donate, and what the funds should be used for were all questions that needed careful consideration. He had much more to do than just modify the stage.
The second day's rehearsal proceeded as originally planned. Kwon Ji-yong barely slept a wink and finally decided to cut "Too bad" and "Smoke," which he had been preparing for quite some time. Since Wing was present, "Heartbreaker" was kept, and "7 hours," "Drama," and "Untitled" were added at the end.
On November 27th, the fire that had been burning since yesterday was finally extinguished. Many people's homes and sweet homes were destroyed. People from all walks of life began to donate money spontaneously, and some K-pop groups also began to donate.
Lumera donated three million RMB, and WK1 also donated three million RMB, donating the money for their respective company's two groups, Lumera and ZB1, as well as another superstar.
Jiang Tinghan learned that Quan Zhilong was in contact with a foundation to establish a post-disaster reconstruction project in Tai Po. She thought it was a good idea and decided to donate 12.31 million yuan with Quan Zhilong. Although 2025 is a terrible year, she still hopes that everyone can persevere to the last day.
Keep going, and maybe a miracle will happen, just like the lyrics of the song "Flower"—
"The rain stopped, and a rainbow appeared high in the sky."
"After weathering the blue storm, the sun shines again on the horizon."
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Author's note: I remembered it wrong. I checked the behind-the-scenes footage again and it says that the departure date was the 25th. I changed it. Thinking of MAMA still makes me want to curse.
24-year-old Long Han is ready to write (note this). I imagine they'll argue more frequently, so let's just be their rivals on the opposite side of the road.
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