Chapter 16 Chapter 16
With a month left before returning to the US, her school and practice life continued as normal, but she managed to squeeze out a little time in her already tight schedule to rehearse for the performance.
The students borrowed the school's activity room for rehearsal. The room was small, the floor-to-ceiling mirror looked a bit old, and the wooden floor creaked slightly when stepped on.
Lia stood in front of the mirror and tied her hair into a ponytail. She danced to the music while keeping an eye on the other girls.
She could memorize the dance for "Me" almost at a glance. The movements were not complicated, the rhythm was regular and brisk, and the overall style was within her comfort zone. But she did not slack off.
The simpler the dance, the more she needs to fill in the blanks with a strong personal style. Her dance style is clean and neat, with precise rhythm, but the overall feeling is unique and relaxed, with the traditional hip-hop flavor of YG Entertainment.
But "Tell Me" itself is a light and cute pop dance song, and she can't dance too hard or too street. She needs to retain the flavor of the song without losing her original style.
Before attending the rehearsal, she practiced several times in front of the mirror during the company's training.
In that signature hand gesture dance, she chose to tighten her movements slightly: her wrists were angled straighter, her fingertips were tucked in more sharply, but at the same time, her face retained a natural, innocent and endearing expression. She wasn't actively trying to please, but she wasn't resistant to expressing herself either.
The harmony and contrast between expression and movement seemed to create an inexplicable attraction. The students next to him were also practicing the same shot over and over again.
They had participated in rehearsals more often than Lia, rehearsing together almost every day after school. So, despite having no dance background, they had managed to memorize all the moves. Lia finished rehearsing the moves and then quietly watched for a while.
"You need to move your hands a little faster here so the movements don't get stuck." She walked forward and gently supported the girl's arm, signaling her to adjust the direction of her force. "Don't rush when spinning. Check the rhythm first. It will be more stable."
She spoke at a leisurely pace, her voice gentle, and her instructions were precise and to the point. The girl nodded, adjusted her posture, and her movements became instantly more fluent.
"Wow... I didn't realize it until you told me!" the girls couldn't help but exclaim. "Lia is really amazing..." "No wonder she got into YG!" Everyone exclaimed in unison.
Lia quickly waved her hands: "Not really, I'm still learning. It's just that I have to record dance assessments every week, and I've gained some experience after practicing a lot." She said this, but her hands didn't stop, and she helped several people adjust their movements and strength one by one.
Although Lia is not a talkative person, her professionalism and patience quickly won everyone's respect.
Not only did she master the movements quickly, she also designed a simple and effective formation according to the size of the stage. During lunch break, she even took the initiative to borrow the school's broadcasting equipment and adjust the on-site reverberation.
Xia Qing would occasionally come to watch rehearsals and couldn't help but tease her, "Why are you so serious? Are you going to compete in the debut survival battle?" Lia smiled and shook her head, "I'm just used to practicing like this. The more you put in, the more you'll be rewarded on stage."
Although she can't come every time, she will still edit her practice videos and send them to the group, attaching detailed movement notes, and even clearly marking which beat to adjust the center of gravity.
With her steady performance, she quickly integrated into this makeshift "dance troupe." After rehearsal, Lia said goodbye to the other girls and grabbed her schoolbag, ready to rush to the company.
As soon as I turned on my phone, dozens of messages popped up on MSN. I knew who they were from without even looking. Sure enough, it was the "YG Slave Producers."
K-Flow: Why did Teddy say the beat I wrote sounded like the bgm for an instant noodle commercial? (crying.jpg) BigT: ...Then why don’t you make the instant noodles flavorful? Maybe you can even sell the copyright to Samyang.
K-Flow: "Hyung, how could you treat a producer who's working so hard like this?" Lia couldn't help but laugh. Kush has been really stuck with his production lately, and he's been showing "producer tears" in the group chat almost every two days.
At this time, a new bubble popped up: JiYo: I am also trying my best to live (see photo: a busy schedule) K-Flow: GD sir, aren't you preparing for a concert? Can you still be online?
JiYo: I'm really dying, hyung, I still have an album to make (cat crying.jpg) K-Flow: Didn't you say there was bonus news? Tell me! [@JiYo] JiYo: Yeah!
JiYo: Hehe, let me tell you a secret [@NeonL], at the end of the year, trainees can go to the concert to watch it live~
Lia had been quietly watching their banter, but when her name was suddenly called, she remembered her return schedule conflicting with her concert. Ah... concert... Lia typed with a mournful expression.
NeonL: Hey, I heard from Sister Baoheng... But I have to go back to the United States at the end of the year, so I probably won’t be able to make it... NeonL: I can only watch it next time T^T K-Flow: Wow, what a pity
JiYo: Really? You evaded the ticket? ? JiYo: Then you won't be able to see me shining on the stage! K-Flow: ...Are you the light bulb? Lia shook her head helplessly.
These two guys are so childish sometimes, like elementary school students. Who is the youngest member of this group? She really feels bad that she can't see him on stage in person.
But she wasn't a willful person. Compared to her petty selfishness, there were many more important things to take care of. She sighed softly and sent a crying emoji to the group. *
On Saturday afternoon, after finishing her vocal lessons, she went to the studio to help out as usual. Teddy was working on the mix and asked her to help sort and archive the recordings from last week.
She sat at her computer, headphones plugged in, carefully dividing and numbering the sections, her brows unconsciously furrowed. "Click." The door was pushed open, and Quan Zhilong walked in cautiously.
He wore a dark grey coat with a light-coloured turtleneck sweater, his hair draped softly, like a little fox trying to steal a snack. He gently poked Lia's shoulder, motioning her to take off her headphones: "Let's go, I'll take you somewhere."
"Huh? Where to?" Lia didn't react. "Take you to the performance in advance." "Performance?" "Rehearsal! Don't you want to see it?" He raised an eyebrow, with an air of "praising my speed".
Lia subconsciously glanced at Teddy. Quan Zhilong had already taken the initiative to ask for leave: "Brother, I'm going to take her out for a while." Teddy didn't even look up: "Go ahead, don't let the security stop you."
"Stop me? Then remember to come back and pay the bail money for my release." He smiled and gestured, then turned to Lia and raised his chin. "Let's go." Lia didn't know where she was for a moment, and just followed him dazedly. ...
The rehearsal venue was an enclosed multi-purpose hall, and the equipment was almost ready. Lighting cranes hung high, and the stage control staff were testing the rhythm of the movements inside the venue.
The other members of Bigbang had already arrived at the scene. Kwon Ji-yong led her through the backstage and whispered, "Don't take what they say too seriously later. Just say hello." Lia nodded slightly and unconsciously slowed down her pace.
She had occasionally seen these members from a distance in the company, but this was the first time she went up to greet them. "Oh my god, brother is here with some people?" Dasheng was the first to notice the commotion and turned around to greet them excitedly.
The others also looked over curiously. Perhaps because they were strangers, they were a little reserved with each other.
Kwon Ji-yong put his arm around Lia's shoulder and lazily introduced her to the other members: "Lia, Teddy's apprentice, come and take a look." "Bigbang's seniors should all know this, right?" he asked Lia.
Lia nodded obediently, bowed to the group, and said, "Hello, seniors." Cui Ta nodded and smiled at her, "Hello, Lia." Yong Pei, who had been standing aside silently, suddenly spoke, "Lia?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment and turned to look at him. "Ah, nothing, he just looks familiar," Yongpei said, slowly putting away the microphone in his hand and glancing at Quan Zhilong.
If he remembered correctly, it was the trainee from the video he'd watched in the car last time. "Hyung, you ran into me at the company, right?" Dasheng guessed. "Hmm..." Yongpei nodded at Lia, noncommittal.
Lia stood there, a bit dazed. She could sense that the other person's glance was a bit like... some kind of confirmation. "Okay, I'll take her to the front of the stage first. I'll be right there." Quan Zhilong clapped his hands, interrupting the conversation.
He casually asked the staff for an iced Americano and handed it to Lia, then led her into the auditorium. "Sit here and watch. Today is the full rehearsal, so it'll take a while." He winked at her and instructed.
Lia accepted the coffee and nodded obediently. She hadn't expected to be the only audience member at Bigbang's concert rehearsal. Soon, the lights came on, the music started, and the rehearsal began.
She sat in the audience, coffee in hand, watching Kwon Ji-yong stand before the microphone, his head lowered to put on his earphones. It was the first time she had seen him this way. Not as a senior, nor as the older brother who made jokes in the group chat.
He stood where he truly belonged, at the center of that breathtakingly huge stage. As the spotlight fell on him, she seemed to see some indescribable light quietly emanating from him. She subconsciously held her breath.
...After a round of rehearsal, the members left the stage to confirm the process with the director. Lia rubbed her stiff neck. She'd been sitting so long, so focused, that her back was numb. Suddenly, the big screen lit up.
The screen flashed to a test clip of a performance: the remake of "The Shop of Coffee Prince 2." Lia had only intended to watch it casually, but the next second, she was struck by the scene before her.
Under the dim streetlights, Quan Zhilong, wearing a fitted black vest, coquettishly snuggled up to Cui Ta. In the voiceover, he recited the lines in a sticky tone: "If we were sworn brothers... would you love me more?"
"Even if I'm just a little brother, I want to...stay with this person..." Lia opened her mouth slightly. She, she knew about the TV series "The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince." Kwon Ji-yong, was he playing the female lead?
Before she could even begin to react, the story on the screen began to rapidly advance. In just a few minutes, the "heroine" fell head over heels in love.
Lia was also drawn into the show without realizing it, and almost laughed out loud several times because of Kwon Ji-yong's exaggerated acting. She could only watch the show while thinking about sad things.
The ambiguous atmosphere continued to heat up as the plot progressed. On the big screen, the two of them stared at each other again and again... and it looked like they were about to kiss. Lia was about to duck her head... when a fragrance suddenly approached.
It was a light citrus scent, mixed with a hint of green tea soap, clean and refreshing. The next second, a hand reached out from the right and gently covered her eyes.
"Not suitable for children, not suitable for children..." Quan Zhilong muttered, as if completely forgetting that there would be a short film test during the rehearsal. While checking the angle of the cover, he whispered, "Did I cover it? Did you not see it?"
—Snap. Lia felt as if something in her brain had quietly snapped. The exaggerated narration in the short film suddenly faded. His fingertips were cold and just touched her eyelashes. "I didn't see it."
She heard her own voice, floating calmly in the air. On the screen, the kissing scene was probably over, and the hand covering her eyes had been loosened at some point.
And she was still sitting in the first row of the audience, her eyelashes trembling quietly.
Quan Zhilong slumped in a chair nearby, panting softly from jogging all the way back. He defended himself somewhat angrily, "I clearly wanted to play the male lead, but they insisted on voting for me to play the female role..."
"I don't look like a pervert, do I? Ah! It's over!" Lia stared at him blankly, hearing his half-serious, half-joking complaints. She looked down at her palms.
There was nothing there, but she seemed to have grasped something.
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