Chapter 47 "Jimmy's Music Show" (Bonus Chapter 13,000 words) About...
Kwon Ji-yong started looking for invitations to events related to the United States, thinking that dating abroad would be more liberating. Of course, there were none. The most recent invitation he received was for Chanel's Spring/Summer fashion show, which was held in France.
It would be strange to fly to the US without a legitimate reason, so Kwon Ji-yong can only continue to wait.
He started checking the time difference between Seoul and the United States again...
With Universal Music as their backer, Skye's Lumera also has excellent international resources. Just one month after their debut, they were able to appear on "The Jimmy Show," performing the opening act "Utopia, Tonight" followed by a brief interview.
These long-established prime-time television programs usually have their own regular live audience (or it may be arranged by the production team), like "Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook". So the girls weren't too surprised when they saw the venue was packed with people, and all they could see were Western faces.
As soon as they stepped onto the stage, a huge cheer erupted from the audience.
"Ohhhh—!!!"
The girls exchanged glances, feeling that the audience was really kind of them, at least they had livened up the atmosphere and prevented that awkward silence.
It wasn't until Jiang Tinghan sang the first ethereal line in her cold voice that they realized these cheers weren't based on human relationships.
Because quite a few people below actually sang the first line, and they all looked excited.
That's true, Jiang Tinghan thought to herself, she was being narrow-minded. Their "Utopia, tonight" wasn't some fake number one song that nobody had heard of; it was a genuine hit that had been popular on Spotify for several weeks, so there must be a lot of people who really liked it.
But to everyone's surprise, some fans from Europe and America actually came to the recording site for them.
"Wee to the world, my utopian dream—"
The first live performance of "Utopia, tonight" featured new choreography, with their outfits mainly in a cool black color scheme and some skin showing, like cyber assassins hiding in the dark.
Jiang Tinghan's cold, emotionless high note in the chorus, coupled with his somewhat world-weary and melancholic expression, and the neon-like purple-red stage lights, immediately evoked a cyberpunk world shrouded in icy rain.
“Wee to my neon wonderland——” Some audience members couldn’t help but sing along, and some even sang the Korean part at the end.
"They want me to obey! But I just keep growing!"
The way they sang it was so energetic, it was like "We Will Rock You," which was quite rare.
Lumera got excited and started interacting boldly with the audience.
Ska walked out with an air of domineering presence, her voice strong and powerful: "See the colorse alive!"
Jiang Tinghan and she stood side by side, exchanged a glance, and immediately switched positions, holding hands without microphones and performing a duet tango.
A joyful smile spread across the pink-haired girl's lips, instantly bringing her to life. For some reason, she even seemed to possess a hint of the madness of someone participating in a bloody festival: "Only my pleasure is precious."
The audience below seemed to be encouraged, becoming even more enthusiastic: "Running through the neon splatter!"
Yoon Ji-chae gripped the microphone tightly and sang a powerful high note that struck straight to the heart: "This is the true place of freedom for the soul!"
Jiang Tinghan and Putuo Qian used their higher and more emotional voices to create perfect harmonies, adding layers to the song.
Finally, everyone softly hummed the melodious "la la la—la la la la—"
It's like a hymn.
Lumera, who had achieved excellent results in multiple quality checks, delivered a near-perfect performance. Finally, she took her seat amidst cheers and applause from the audience. Jiang Tinghan, Yin Zhicai, Sikai, and Putuo Qian sat in the first row, while the rest sat in the second row.
Host Jimmy Kimmel proclaimed in a booming voice, "Wee to the world, Wee to the Utopia, Wee to my Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
"And—welcome to our Lumera!"
The audience continued their frenzy: "Ohh ...
Jimmy: "Oh, listen to the cheers, look at the enthusiasm, Lumera, you have a lot of fans supporting you in the US! How does it feel now?"
The American home spokesperson, now a returning Skye, exclaimed, "I'm freaking out!"
“Especially when I heard that many audience members could sing our song ‘Utopia, tonight,’ I felt their support for us from the bottom of my heart.”
“Yeah, I’ve been listening to this song on repeat lately too.” Jimmy casually pointed to a male audience member sitting in the front row. “You’re the one who was singing along the loudest just now.”
The male audience member took the microphone from the staff member, his expression revealing his excitement: "Yes! This is my favorite song of the year. It's impeccable, everything about it is the best!"
Jimmy said, "It doesn't sound like I particularly like it, and it's only been two months into the year."
Several Lumera members smiled.
The male audience member tried to salvage the situation by stammering, "No, that's not it. This is my favorite song in recent years. My wife also loves this song. She's pregnant and in the hospital right now, and she listens to it every day."
Jimmy: "It's hard to imagine what kind of baby will be born."
Male audience member: "We hope that our baby will grow up to be as powerful as Lumera and Coldy. When my wife heard that Lumera was going to be a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, she insisted that I come to watch and bring my own ticket to cheer for Lumera and Coldy!"
Jimmy continued to complain: "Actually, the focus should be on Coldy later on, but you did it! At least we Lumera people remember you now."
Jiang Tinghan smiled and nodded, picking up the microphone: "Yes."
As soon as Coldy spoke, the screams from below became louder again, which shows how popular she is.
Jiang Tinghan calmly added, "Your baby will definitely be more outstanding than me after birth. I wish you a happy life."
Jimmy, seeing the audience covering their mouths to prevent themselves from screaming, continued to tease, "Hey man, don't get so excited that you faint. Our production team can't afford the bill for calling an ambulance."
The audience immediately nodded vigorously. Regardless of whether he was a plant or not, his performance genuinely amused the other audience members.
“Okay, let’s get down to business.” Jimmy took control of the conversation. “I know you’ve probably talked about the album production concept a lot already, so we won’t go into detail about that. I just want to know if these songs were written for a specific person, like ‘Utopia’ was written for my damn boss.”
"Oh!" He seemed to have let something slip, and immediately covered his mouth, quickly explaining, "Listen, Boss, I absolutely didn't have that intention."
The audience burst into laughter.
When asked about the production details, the Lumera members turned to their leader.
Jiang Tinghan smiled and joked, "At least this song wasn't written for my damn bosses."
Jimmy gave her a thumbs up, his expression full of admiration, as if to say, "With me as a cautionary tale, how dare you still scold your boss!"
Jiang Tinghan continued, "I just wanted to write a song to relax my mind when I was very tired. I thought about how I used to listen to songs by Dua Lipa or The Weekend, and I thought I would write a song that could make my soul fly."
"Heh! So you admit you're imitating The Weekend's style?" Jimmy seized the opportunity to dig a hole, as if he had uncovered some juicy gossip.
"There's no such thing as imitation or not. This is just a popular style. Like the chicken and the duck laying eggs, they're both round, but are they exactly the same?" Jiang Tinghan calmly replied. "And Mr. Jimmy, why only mention 'The Weekend' and not 'Dua Lipa'? Is that...?"
The unfinished question was clear to everyone present: it boiled down to two choices—did they have a problem with Dua Lipa? Or was it discrimination against women?
Jimmy was genuinely surprised to be outmaneuvered, so he quickly changed the subject and turned his attention back to Jiang Tinghan: "So, what about the song 'Don't Play Pranks'? Who is the person you want to play a prank on?"
A commotion erupted from the audience, who were clearly very interested in their idol's private life.
“Now…” Jiang Tinghan thought carefully, “Maybe is you, Mr. Jimmy.”
"I must be the happiest man in the world right now." Jimmy Xizi clutched her heart, then shook her head and said, "Unfortunately, I am not worthy of this blessing."
Jiang Tinghan nodded seriously: "Indeed."
Jimmy then realized that the intended target of the prank was him, which meant that "this song was written for him." He was so happy for nothing; it really was a prank!
Very clever, Coldy, he answered two questions in one sentence with a twist.
"Okay, let's have a quick Q&A about ideal types!" Jimmy finally asked the question that almost all male and female idols go through: "Choose one of two, and raise your hand if you want to pick."
"By the way, none of our options are gender-specific."
The girls in Luemra were trying not to laugh; they were very politically sensitive.
Skae, representing Lumera, replied, "OK, we're ready."
"First of all...muscular or not?"
“Choose the muscular ones!” As soon as Jimmy said that, almost everyone in Lumera raised their hands. The girls looked around curiously; they had never discussed this topic in private.
Kong Yeon-seo: "Isn't it better to have some muscle, more or less? Coldy has muscles too."
The others nodded in agreement.
Jiang Tinghan: "?"
Jimmy asked curiously, "Really, arm muscles?"
Ska added fuel to the fire from the side: "They all have muscles that could probably knock you down in an arm wrestling match."
Jiang Tinghan: "?"
The group members all learned a trick to shift the blame, which they wanted to use to harm their captain.
Jimmy, driven by his competitive spirit, said, "I don't believe it. Can we give it a try?"
He also appears to be a middle-aged man with a tall and upright physique, so he probably has a habit of exercising.
The difference in their arms was very obvious; one was fair-skinned and the other was wheat-colored, making it hard to tell who was the fair-skinned person. Their hand sizes were also quite different. However, when it came to a contest of strength, Jiang Tinghan was actually the better one, and judging from his expression, he seemed to have some energy left to spare.
"Oh my god!" Jimmy said seriously, pointing at Jiang Tinghan, and said with a double meaning, "This woman is really something."
"I know why you love muscular people now. Although it's impossible to have a scene on a date where you can't open a bottle and have your partner do it, you can go to the furniture market together and bring home a sofa."
Jiang Tinghan: "Wow, I didn't even expect this myself."
"I just think that having muscles makes you look better, not just in terms of physique, but also in terms of spirit."
Jimmy realized, "So she's a member of the 'looks-matter' club."
"Second—beautiful or ugly?"
Once again, everyone chose "good-looking".
"It seems this is an incontroversial question," Jimmy continued, "famous or obscure?"
Lumera's vote on this issue was no longer unanimous; only Jiang Tinghan and Putuo Qian chose "famous," while everyone else chose "unknown."
Jimmy: "Why?"
“Because if you’re unknown, it’s not so easy to get public attention…” Anri Tsukichi said in an emergency public relations statement, “I’m just making an objective analysis, there’s no other meaning to it.”
Jimmy: "So what's the reason for choosing someone famous?"
Putuoxi replied, "Because fame is like an attractive halo, which is appealing to me."
Jiang Tinghan nodded silently beside her. She hadn't expected to be drafted even without saying a word. Jimmy then asked, "What about Coldy?"
Jiang Tinghan: "Famous people usually have some outstanding qualities, and I like strong people."
Jimmy was satisfied: "The last one, smart or stupid?"
Again, the disparity was too great; Yin Zhicai and Jiang Tinghan chose foolishness, while everyone else chose cleverness.
Yoon Ji-chae: "I don't like people who are smarter than me."
Jiang Tinghan helped translate: "People who aren't as smart as her are just stupid."
Jimmy quipped, "Looks like I'm the safest person in this room."
"How about you? Do you think the same way?"
Jiang Tinghan: "I just don't want to be manipulated by smart people. A fool is safer for me."
Jimmy: "It seems that Coldy is the dominant one who wants to control everything in relationships."
Jiang Tinghan: OvO
Then you're wrong.
The conversation about ideal types only lasted a few minutes. Later, the topic shifted to relationships within the group, such as which member would go with them if they went to a desert island, and what funny things had happened between the members. The interview lasted for nearly half an hour.
The day after filming wrapped, Lumera flew back to South Korea to continue working.
A week later, this episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" aired, and hilarious clips were everywhere.
Jiang Tinghan received an unbelievable question from her boyfriend that very day.
Which idiot did you fall in love with?
He considered himself the clever one who had Jiang Tinghan completely under his control, while Jiang Tinghan had chosen a foolish idiot.
Jiang Tinghan: -v-
kkk, this sentence is really stupid.
[It might be a pabo whose last name is G and first name is Dragon.]
Kwon Ji-yong, relieved to have escaped death, exclaimed: "Luckily, my surname is Kwon and my given name is Gyeong; I'm a smart person."
Jiang Tinghan: [A smart person won't call themselves smart, just like a thief won't admit they're a thief.]
Kwon Ji-yong: [That's not right. I'll admit I'm a thief, after all, I stole your heart.]
Jiang Tinghan: [(Kitten vomiting.JPG) Yue, Mr. Kuan Jiyong, are you sick?]
If you try to say you miss me, love me, or want to kiss me, I'm going to block you.
Kwon Ji-yong: [That's the kind of illness where you feel listless and don't want to go to work if you're not around.]
Jiang Tinghan felt that Quan Zhilong might really be driven crazy by not seeing him for a month and a half, so she made a video call to him.
Kwon Ji-yong still looked surprised to see the video call, and he hadn't had time to manage his image. He had a stubble on his chin, which made him look more manly.
Jiang Tinghan felt that Quan Zhilong seemed to have not been resting well lately, and looked even more haggard than before.
She waved at the camera and pointed to her mouth, indicating that there were people in the room and she couldn't speak.
Kwon Ji-yong smiled, the corners of his mouth curving slightly, his expression gentle, and nodded gently to indicate that he understood.
A new message popped up above the video.
Did you zoom out to a smaller screen?
Jiang Tinghan was somewhat surprised: "You've mastered this kind of professional knowledge?"
Of course, J.yong18624 is making a great effort to learn about fandom culture.
Jiang Tinghan: [No, I want to see my boyfriend more, Oppa, does this count as a two-way video autograph session?]
Kwon Ji-yong: [(Laughs while covering face) Now that you mention it, it actually is true.]
Jiang Tinghan: [GD's first-ever video autograph session kkk]
Kwon Ji-yong is such a clever learner: [Coldy's first-ever video fan signing event kkk]
He carefully traced his girlfriend's face on the screen with his eyes. Even in the dim light, she was still beautiful, with an added touch of hazy beauty. She was wearing a round-neck long-sleeved nightgown, and his collarbone was visible.
His throat bobbed, and he involuntarily swallowed.
Honey, I haven't felt this unbearable in a long time. Every day without seeing you is so anxious. Do you have headphones? I want to talk.
Jiang Tinghan nodded, took out his Bluetooth earphones from the bed, connected them, and put them on.
It's like the thrill of secretly making a phone call to your boyfriend from another school while living in the dorm during high school, but being too afraid of being discovered by the dorm supervisor during patrols.
Kwon Ji-yong's voice coming through the earphones was an even bigger weapon.
Once the call connected, his words became much less unrestrained than in the chat window, and he toned it down considerably.
"Would you like to hear a lullaby? Song requests are welcome."
Before Jiang Tinghan could answer, he started singing two lines of "Missing You" to himself.
I miss you so much, my baby.
"I am so depressed, but I have no one to talk to."
"Sometimes I want to laugh out loud, but there's no one around."
"Maybe I'm missing you oh oh——"
Jiang Tinghan gave a thumbs up, indicating that she sang very well.
Kwon Ji-yong looked somewhat helpless. Whose mute girlfriend is this?
He then asked, "Which of the two bedtime songs is better, 'Words Cannot Express' or 'Words Cannot Express'?"
Jiang Tinghan paused for a moment, then tilted his head. "I don't think there's a Korean version of 'Words Can't Express My Meaning,' right? And how can it be called a choice between two options when both are the same? It's practically a forced sale."
So she made a three.
Kwon Ji-yong cleared his throat: "Three is also 'Words Cannot Express the Meaning'."
He began to sing softly in broken, not-so-standard Chinese: "I can't express myself, where do I even begin?"
How can I translate "I love you"? I'm so lonely—
It turns out they specifically studied the Chinese version.
Jiang Tinghan held her phone in one hand and rested her chin on her other hand, acting as a quiet listener.
"I also want to build a bridge with you and establish a tacit understanding."
"But the words fail to express the meaning."
This kind of singing style, which sounds like it's sung by a foreigner, has a unique charm, especially with the addition of Kwon Ji-yong's captivating voice. His voice is unbeatable when singing love songs.
As Kwon Ji-yong sang, he couldn't help but reach out and touch the screen, spreading his five fingers as if trying to touch the person on the screen in this way.
—But I accidentally pressed the hang-up button.
The video call ended, and a call log popped up on the screen.
Kwon Ji-yong: "..."
Jiang Tinghan chuckled softly, her eyes curving like two beautiful crescent moons.
That's just plain stupid.
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Author's Note: It seems like you can now post emoticons in the JJ comments section! Really? [pity][pity]
I really want to get my hands on W Korea magazine soon, it feels like Rowling is having a limited-time comeback [applause]... This magazine is really provocative! I can only look at it, not touch the actual product.
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