Chapter 20 Chapter 20
At 1:40 AM, the arrival hall at Incheon Airport was brightly lit, but sparsely populated. Wearing a hat and a mask, Lia pulled a black suitcase toward the taxi stand. She turned on her phone and sent a text message to her mother, saying she had landed safely.
The other party quickly replied, "Okay, I'll tell you when I get to the dormitory." Although this was not her first time traveling between two countries alone, her mother was still worried about her safety. At this time, she was probably staying by her phone.
Waiting for her news. Walking out of the airport, a cold wind swirled in the air, damp as it hit her face. Lia tightened her coat collar and hailed a taxi. A thin layer of mist hung on the backseat window. The driver was quiet.
After confirming their destination, they drove in silence. The car's heating was cranked high, and Lia leaned against the window, unconsciously feeling sleepy. She never rested well on planes, so she always felt the true onset of fatigue after landing.
Half asleep and half awake, she noticed the car slowing down, and then she heard the driver muttering, "This lousy car has a problem again..." She opened her eyes and saw the car stopped on a side road with an unclear road name.
Ahead was a small construction site, the streetlights dim, unable to illuminate very far. "The car has broken down. I'm going to call for help. Wait a moment." The driver turned around, his tone apologetic. Lia shook her head.
She woke up from her sleepiness and asked, "Uncle, how long will it take for help to arrive?" The driver estimated the time and said, "Probably half an hour. It's too late now, and it's not easy to get a taxi in this area." Lia nodded.
She glanced at the surrounding terrain and suddenly realized that this place was actually not far from the dormitory. She could just walk straight for a while and then cross an alley to get there, which was about a fifteen-minute walk.
She hesitated for a moment, then opened the car door and prepared to get out: "I'll go first. It's not far from here. I can just walk back."
Seeing her nimble figure and the fact that her destination was not far away, the driver didn't bother to persuade her. He simply got out to help her unload her luggage from the trunk and told her to be careful. The night wind grew even colder, and the dim lights flickered on and off, casting long shadows on the road.
Lia wrapped her coat tightly around her and hurried across the construction site, dragging her suitcase. As she turned into the familiar alley, she heard faint footsteps behind her. She turned back and saw a drunken man standing at the entrance.
The man stumbled over, mumbling something incoherently. Lia subconsciously stepped aside, but he grabbed the handle of the suitcase. "What is this... give me some?" He smiled maliciously, and the smell of alcohol was strong.
Lia yanked the suitcase back, her face darkening. "Let go," she said coldly, her heart pounding. The drunk, intrigued, tilted his head, trying to get closer. Lia quickly glanced around; no one was around.
She stepped back slightly, her fingers gripping the handle of her suitcase tightly, assessing the possibility of escaping with it. "Hey—" A male voice called out from the alley entrance. It wasn't loud, but it was remarkably clear in the quiet night. The drunk paused and turned to look.
A young man in a long black down jacket stood not far away, a backpack slung over one shoulder, his hair swaying slightly in the wind. "What are you doing?" He took a few steps toward them, his eyes fixed on the man.
"Where did this little bastard come from...meddling in other people's business..." The drunk looked the boy up and down, his voice gradually lowering. Turning around, he glared at Lia reluctantly, then walked away, cursing. —Saved!
Lia breathed a sigh of relief. She crouched down, only then realizing her legs were weak. "Are you okay?" the boy approached, leaning over to stand before her. He was standing in the shadows, a trace of worry on his face.
Lia was stunned: "...Yu Chenghao?" "Ah...it's you." The other party recognized her and asked with a hint of surprise, "Why are you alone so late?"
"I just came back from the airport. My car broke down on the way." Lia tried to calm her voice and stop it from shaking. But she looked like she was forcing herself to be calm.
"I'll take you there," Yu Seungho suggested after a moment's thought, seeing her panicked expression. Lia nodded gratefully. Fear was only now creeping in. If he hadn't offered to take her there, she'd probably have to ask for it herself.
She stood up, holding her suitcase, and they walked side by side towards the dormitory. The winter night wind made her ears red, and Yu Chenghao slowed down to accommodate her pace.
After a short silence, Lia spoke: "Thank you so much, just now..." "It's okay." He glanced at her sideways, "It's the middle of the night, it's quite dangerous for you to pull the suitcase alone, there are a lot of drunks around here."
"I used to come back this late during practice, but I didn't expect to run into you today..." "Then you were pretty lucky before." He joked. Lia scratched her head and smiled sheepishly.
"So, how did you happen to be around here?" she asked, suddenly remembering the first time she met him, also at a nearby convenience store. "I live nearby. The crew finished work a little late today." "Oh, no wonder..."
A few minutes later, the two arrived at the YG dormitory. "Try not to walk alone at night next time," Yu Seungho reminded her. "Yes!" Lia nodded seriously.
"Oh, right!" She suddenly remembered something, "Wait a minute." As she said that, she put down the suitcase with a "bang", unzipped it, then pounced on it and began to search frantically.
Yu Chenghao was about to say goodbye, but was stunned by her actions and could only stand there waiting for her. She bent down and looked around for a while, then took out a box of chocolates and handed it to him.
Then, after a moment's thought, she pulled out a small square box from her side pocket and stuffed it into his arms. "Here, these are for you. Thank you for helping me tonight!" He looked at the things she stuffed into him, a little overwhelmed. "That's too much," he raised an eyebrow.
"Not much, not much. My life is more valuable." She joked as she haphazardly stuffed the remaining items back into the suitcase. Yu Chenghao burst out laughing. He could still joke, it seemed like he had really recovered.
"That's a famous chocolate shop in Los Angeles. You should try it when you get home. It's delicious." Her tone was light and friendly. He saw that she didn't want to be refused, so he finally smiled and said, "Okay, I'll take it."
"Yeah!" Lia smiled and nodded, waved goodbye, and dragged her suitcase into the dormitory. ... Yu Chenghao returned to his residence with the gift. He lived in a nearby apartment, which had been empty for weeks and was as cold as an ice cellar.
He turned on the light, placed the gift casually on the coffee table, then changed his coat and went into the kitchen to pour a cup of hot water. His red, frozen fingertips gradually warmed up, and the room was silent, with only his own voice as the only sound.
The man's voice still lingered in his ears, making the silence even more pronounced. He walked back to the living room. On the coffee table, a small square box lay quietly. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out to open it.
The delicate wooden music box lay quietly in its packaging. He flipped open the lid, and a soft melody slowly flowed out. He leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and listened quietly for a few seconds. The sound of the wooden spring mixed with the melody had a hint of an old movie.
He suddenly remembered how she had been frantically searching through her bag just now - completely different from her usual calm and composed appearance at school. It was like he had finally seen the little bit of panic and cuteness that she should have at her age. He smiled softly.
"River..." he whispered. Then he listened to it again. * The next day was Sunday. Lia woke up early in the morning. Although she was tired, she was not jet-lagged and was unusually alert.
She didn't tell her mother about what happened last night. After returning to the dormitory, she simply reported that she was safe and went to wash up and rest. Although she gave Yu Chenghao a thank-you gift, it was after all a general gift prepared by her mother. For some reason, she always felt that it was not enough.
But she couldn't think of any other solution at the moment, so she just put it aside. She got up and unpacked the gifts for the dorm residents from her suitcase, placing them neatly on the coffee table in the living room. Each package had a small label with their name on it.
She left a message in the MSN group: NeonL: I put some small gifts on the coffee table in the living room, everyone remember to pick them up after you wake up :)
Afterwards, she washed up quickly, put the gifts for Sister Bao Heng and everyone in the recording studio into her backpack, and went out to the company. She had made an appointment with Sister Bao Heng in advance, and she ran into the receptionist as soon as she entered the company.
"Happy New Year, you're back?" the other person greeted with a smile. "Happy New Year," Lia smiled back. "It's just after midnight." It was still a little before the agreed time, so she went to the recording studio. It was empty.
Most producers work at night and do not sleep during the day, so Lia was not surprised. She placed the gift on the table in the corner, also labeled it with her name, and then left a message in the slave producer group:
NeonL: I left the gifts in the studio with my name on them. Don't pick up the wrong ones when you receive them. :) When I went to look for Sister Baoheng again, I ran into her coming back from the tea room making coffee. "You're just in time! I was looking for you."
Lia followed her into a small conference room. Baoheng put down his coffee, then stood up and went out to get some documents. "What is this?" She looked at the bag on the table.
"Happy New Year, Sister Baoheng, this is a gift from home," Lia replied. Baoheng was a little surprised. She opened the bag and saw it was hand cream, three in a box, simple and elegant.
She put the bag away, a smile playing on her face. "Thank you, Lia, and Happy New Year." Lia nodded obediently and responded. "Come, let me tell you about your New Year's plans." Bao Heng returned to the topic and pushed a document in front of her.
"The company will launch a new girl group planning program in February this year, and you are on the recording list."
"It's a debut survival competition, with both group and individual competitions. You're one of the few who can compose and write your own music, so the company hopes you'll be able to highlight the content. You'll probably have more material for daily life and practice than others."
Lia listened quietly, flipping through the information in her hand.
"There's also a MV shoot. Bigbang's Yongbae will release a solo album this year, and he specifically asked you to be the female lead." Baoheng said quickly and handed her another document.
"Call me?" Lia was stunned. She had almost no personal contact with the other members of Big Bang, and the only conversation they had was a few quick words at the last rehearsal.
"Well, the president wanted him to pick one from the trainees, just in time for the new girl group program." Bao Heng explained, "He must have watched the practice video and thought you were suitable, so he chose you." "So..."
"The song is called 'Only Look at Me.' Here are the storyboards and scene outlines. Take a quick look at them when you get back." Bao Heng pointed at the documents. "You have two acting classes next week, and we'll be filming the week after that. One day in the studio, one day on location. It's not complicated."
Lia flipped through the documents and was silent for a moment. "Sister Baoheng..." She looked up, "I talked a lot with my mother when I went home this time." "Actually... I'm not sure whether I want to debut yet." The air seemed to be silent for a moment.
"It wasn't a sudden thought. You know, I mentioned it last New Year. But I didn't quite understand it then. After returning this time, I gradually began to understand it better."
"It's not that I don't want to work hard, it's just... I'm not sure if I have strong enough faith to stay on the stage." She mustered up her courage and said it in one breath, her eyes fixed on Bao Heng.
Baoheng didn't respond immediately, simply taking a sip of coffee. "So," Lia continued, "I want to confirm whether the company has considered changing the music video artist. This way, if I ultimately decide not to debut, it won't affect the overall arrangement."
Bao Heng pondered for a long time and finally spoke: "I understand you, Lia. But the MV shooting schedule is very tight, and it is difficult to replace people at the last minute. I will communicate with the planning team and decide whether to change or not, and then we will decide." "Okay." Lia nodded.
"Also, the same goes for the new girl group. Although you still have doubts now, the program is ready to start, and you are still on the core list. So from today on, you must pay attention to your daily whereabouts and personal appearance."
Lia said "hmm". After a moment's silence, she suddenly remembered something: "Oh, Sister Baoheng, the school is going to hold a New Year's Gala soon, and I've been asked to dance. Will this have any impact?"
"Ah, that." Bao Heng relaxed his brows, smiled and winked at her, "That's okay, just try to present it beautifully."
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