Peninsula: My mentor Kim Tae-yeon

Chapter 98: K-pop's First Appearance (7k)

2024年11月22号，2024MAMA日本场，东瓷巨蛋day1。

The MAMA red carpet started at 4 p.m., and the venue opened its entrances at 2 p.m., with tens of thousands of spectators entering the venue from all directions.

The once empty venue quickly filled up, and the lively atmosphere spread rapidly from the audience seats to the entire venue.

Su Xia arrived quite early, but instead of staying in the international artist VIP lounge where he was supposed to be, he mingled with the artists backstage.

The annual year-end celebration is an opportunity to expand one's network, and the extended shooting time also provides fertile ground for social interaction.

Of course, all of this is predicated on you being popular enough or having other value.

Unpopular groups do not have "social troubles".

Su Xia's value has become well-known to countless groups after Fu Yao Chi, especially with the complete annihilation of those music bloggers she collaborated with, Su Xia, a major contributor to the popularity of Chinese internet content, has seen her value rise accordingly.

As soon as Su Xia arrived at the common lounge following Park Hee-min's advice, she was surrounded by many groups and artists. In just over half an hour, she had already obtained the contact information of many artists, including some boy groups.

Su Xia had no idea that she, who was involved in a girl group, had been targeted by a boy group.

But he accepts anything offered to him; if you give it to me, I'll take it.

After seeing off another group of artists, Su Xia finally had a moment to sit down.

"There must have been dozens added by now," Su Xia said, scrolling through her phone screen.

"Most of them are useless after adding them." Kim Tae-yeon squatted on the table, her big eyes darting around as she looked at the junior artists coming and going. She casually replied when she heard Su Xia's words.

"Wouldn't it achieve our goal if one or two people brought me money?" Su Xia didn't care; she was just casting a wide net.

"Of course there is." Kim Tae-yeon's eyes suddenly lit up. "Your IZ*ONE is here."

"Where?" Upon hearing IZONE, Su Xia immediately perked up. Since they didn't say IVE, it meant it wasn't the sisters Ahn Yoo-jin and Jang Won-young.

LESSERAFIM wasn't invited, and neither will Kim Chae-won or Sakura. Yabuki Nako is active in Japan and won't be coming either. So, which of the remaining seven will it be?

Su Xia had already seen it without Kim Tae-yeon needing to answer.

But upon seeing the other person, he couldn't help but frown.

"Why is it oily? Where did my big, innocent, and adorable little piece of meat go?"

Kim Tae-yeon looked at Cao Yu-li's figure without any surprise and yawned.

"At the end of the year, makeup is usually done with a high level of polish in order to keep it looking oily due to the long hours it takes to stay fresh."

"I don't really approve." Su Xia clicked her tongue, suppressing the urge to go over and greet him.

"Why don't you go over and get to know her?" Kim Tae-yeon asked in surprise when she saw that Su Xia hadn't moved.

"No, I'm not going. There are so many eyes watching. What if I go up and ask for her contact information, and it gets back to Chestnut?"

"Wow, you're quite good at avoiding suspicion," Kim Tae-yeon teased.

"Heh." Su Xia rolled her eyes at her. "This year's MAMA wasn't fun. You didn't come, Yao didn't come, Chi didn't come, and even the New Jeans came. Why didn't Xiao Yao and Lao Chi come?"

He's so bored because there's no one he knows to chat with!

"Don't worry about that, they'll definitely be at the Golden Disc Awards and the year-end shows of the three major television networks. But—" Kim Tae-yeon deliberately dragged out the last syllable, "you won't be able to go."

Su Xia's lips twitched.

That's true.

Mama was able to come because it was her own show. Even if she has a large number of fans, if she doesn't follow the rules, she still doesn't follow the rules.

"Never mind, let's go back and wait for the red carpet ceremony." Su Xia stood up.

As soon as he stood up, the groups and artists around him also quickly stood up.

This scene stunned Su Xia.

Su Xia stood frozen in place, and the artists also stood awkwardly in place, looking at Su Xia respectfully.

"Stop spacing out and get out of here," Kim Tae-yeon said irritably. "They can't sit down if you don't leave."

"Oh, oh." Su Xia quickly turned and walked away. After he left, the artists sat down.

"I'm not a senior, so why are they so respectful to me?" Su Xia asked, puzzled, on the way back to the lounge.

"Even in the behind-the-scenes videos, Fu Chiyao is so respectful to you. If these groups, who have neither popularity nor experience, are not respectful to you and get labeled as disrespectful, how can they survive in the industry?"

"Your position in the industry is rather ambiguous, without a specific definition, but the groups you've collaborated with are of high status, which has boosted your own standing as well."

To become a respected senior in this industry, you need either seniority or popularity.

If you have neither, then you should just obediently be a junior.

Both of Su Xia's points were vague.

In terms of seniority, he only officially debuted in K-pop tonight. Before that, he was in China and couldn't be considered part of K-pop. So, every artist here is more senior than him.

In terms of popularity, he hasn't even debuted yet, so where does his K-pop-recognized popularity come from?

So, does that mean he's the lowest of the low?

But can it really be calculated this way?

Obviously not.

In terms of seniority, NMIXX, who came from the top three, IVE, who has a super high popularity, and LESSERAFIM, one of Hybe's leading girl groups, all treat him with utmost respect. What do you mean by not taking Su Xia seriously? Are you more senior and have a higher status than these three girl groups?

In terms of popularity, this guy has over ten million followers across the internet, not even counting those who follow related channels on YouTube. Which group can reach that number?

Moreover, besides being an internet celebrity, he is also a lawyer, one of the three most respectable professions in South Korea.

Therefore, even though Su Xia doesn't have a fixed position, not many groups treat him as a newcomer. Anyway, it's never wrong to be polite, and it's never a mistake to be more polite.

"If our relationship is exposed, what will my status be?" Su Xia asked curiously.

Although his musical note ID included "Studied under Taeyeon", everyone actually took it as a joke, and no one really considered him to be Kim Taeyeon's student.

Naturally, they wouldn't really treat him as Kim Tae-yeon's student.

"Status?" Kim Tae-yeon laughed. "With your current popularity and connections, plus the added advantage of your lawyer profession, plus our relationship as my student, even BLACKPINK and TWICE would have to respectfully call you 'senior'."

"Is it that exaggerated?" Su Xia said in surprise. These two basically represent the current pinnacle of girl groups, far exceeding the market share occupied by fifth-generation girl groups.

"Just my status as a student already puts me on par with third-generation girl groups. I'm talking about the third generation according to Korean standards. Add in other advantages, and Apink's juniors can't act like seniors when they meet you."

Su Xia blinked, suddenly wondering what to do if she wanted to announce their relationship.

But looking at Kim Tae-yeon, who was floating in mid-air like a ghost—

Okay, even if I told them, no one would believe me. They would just go to the Kim Tae-yeon of this world to verify it, and then they would get what they asked for and be exposed to the ground.

"Now you want to acknowledge your ancestors? No way!" Kim Tae-yeon understood the meaning in Su Xia's eyes and snorted coldly.

"You never thought about respecting your teachers before, but now that there are benefits, you're thinking about returning to your sect? Ha, you've got all the good things."

Su Xia pursed her lips.

"I don't have a jockey named Yu Zu, so how am I disrespecting my teacher?"

"Whose student calls the teacher 'Old Deng' every day?"

"That's called showing affection! When I was in school, we called our homeroom teacher a bald donkey, so can you say he wasn't my teacher?"

"Even if we take a step back and assume you've never given your teacher a nickname!"

Kim Tae-yeon's expression froze.

Oh no, this person is educated.

This has actually happened before.

"Look, you've done that yourself!" Su Xia noticed the change in Kim Tae-yeon's expression and immediately pointed at Kim Tae-yeon's nose.

"Ahem, someone's here." Kim Tae-yeon coughed lightly, looking at the corner behind Su Xia, to change the subject.

Su Xia was unhappy, but when he heard footsteps, he quickly lowered his arm. He didn't want to be seen as crazy by others.

Watching the staff walk past her, Su Xia went straight back to the international artist VIP lounge.

He was the only one in the huge dressing room; the other international artists had disappeared. Su Xia could only sit on the sofa and watch the opening.

It was already four o'clock, and the red carpet ceremony officially began.

I casually picked up the flowchart next to me.

He was scheduled to perform after Lee Young-ji and before Plave, followed by IVE and the closing acts.

There's not much to say about this year's headlining performance: Rosé and Bruno Mars' "apt".

When Su Xia saw this list, she felt it was outrageous.

Why is Bruno Mars participating in MAMA?

Is that right, buddy?

You're a top singer who's won so many Grammys, why are you at a Korean entertainment awards ceremony?

Indeed, if you live long enough, you'll encounter all sorts of strange and wonderful things.

Even Mars himself came, and APT is still so popular, what more can be said? The grand finale is yours!

Actually, placing Su Xia before IVE would have been better to attract fans' attention, but considering that Su Xia and IVE would not be in contact for some time, she was moved up and placed before the group Plave.

What is Plave?

A virtual AI ensemble.

Interestingly, the group's debut song is called "why?", which is quite similar to Su Xia's "debut video" also titled "why".

"Looking at it this way, there aren't many steps involved, so why did the filming take so long?" Su Xia was exasperated.

Even including the time spent watching the performance, it would only take a little over three hours, right?

How did it take six or seven hours to get out?

"The red carpet alone takes two hours, then the performances and awards ceremony will take another three hours, and then there's the 'GG' segment, which makes it six hours! The final exit will take almost another hour, so it's seven hours, isn't it?" Kim Tae-yeon shrugged. "Stop daydreaming, it's time to get ready to walk the red carpet."

Su Xia looked down at the suit she was wearing.

Walking the red carpet —

The thought of walking the red carpet with boy band idols sent chills down Su Xia's spine.

"Why do I have to attend this red carpet event?" Su Xia said, troubled.

"Because you're going to receive an award."

"Attorney Su." The half-open door was pushed open by a staff member. "Please get ready to walk the red carpet."

"Oh, okay," Su Xia replied, her face once again showing a mournful expression after the staff left.

What kind of mess is this?!

As soon as Su Xia arrived at the red carpet waiting area, she saw male and female celebrities lining up to walk the red carpet.

"Attorney Su!"

"Attorney Su."

"Hello, Attorney Su!"

As soon as Su Xia appeared, many artists from various groups greeted her, leaving Su Xia stunned. She subconsciously nodded in return.

What's going on?

Unconsciously, amidst a chorus of greetings, I approached the IVE that I knew best.

Unlike the red stage costumes, those preparing to walk the red carpet wore white evening gowns, especially Liz, who wore a truly white evening gown.

A sophisticated makeup look paired with a fitted strapless maxi dress—

"Stop looking, there are so many people." Kim Tae-yeon called out to Su Xia in time. This girl's eyes were practically devouring Liz. Didn't she see that Liz's little face was already starting to turn red?

"Attorney Su!" An Youzhen greeted Su Xia cheerfully, "Would you be interested in walking the red carpet with someone else?"

""

"With whom?" Su Xia was taken aback. He was worried about being nervous walking the red carpet, so having a companion would definitely be helpful.

Ahn Yu-jin smiled and pulled over the bespectacled old man standing next to IIVE.

"Na Young-seok, he's a person too."

Luo Yingxi stared blankly at Su Xia, who was a head taller than him and looked exactly two generations younger, as they walked the red carpet together.

"No, Ahn Yoo-jin!" Na Young-seok turned to look at Ahn Yoo-jin.

Ahn Yujin's eyes widened, and she cried out in a pitiful voice, "PDNim!"

Na Young-seok: "————"

"Ahem, Youzhenni."

Ahn Yu-jin's smile returned.

Su Xia: "————"

Kim Tae-yeon: "Yoo-jin, is it appropriate for me to walk the red carpet with Attorney Su?" Na Young-seok looked at Su Ha, "I don't mind, but would Attorney Su be willing to walk with an old man like me?"

"Of course." Su Xia laughed. "I watch PD Luo's show, 'Earth Game Hall,' it's a great program."

"Really?" Everyone was eager to help, and Luo Yingxi immediately smiled. "A chance to be on a TV show?"

"Great, it's my honor," Su Xia said with a smile.

Jin Qiutian raised an eyebrow as she watched Su Xia and Luo Yingxi chatting happily, and nudged Liz beside her.

"Why has your lawyer, Su, changed personalities again?"

Liz knew what "golden autumn" meant. Su Xia sometimes spoke very directly, and sometimes very tactfully, which was not something a normal person would say.

"I don't know." Liz shook her head. "Anyway, it's all Su Xia oppa, so it doesn't matter."

Jin Qiutian rolled her eyes.

They're hopeless.

His eyes fell on Su Xia, revealing deep doubt.

"PD Na, it's a deal. If there's no room for me in a new show, you'll have to come to me," Kim Tae-yeon said expressionlessly.

"PD Luo, it's a deal. If there's no room for me in a new program, you'll have to come to me," Su Xia said with a smile.

"Sure, sure." Na Young-seok nodded cheerfully. "It's a pity that CJ Entertainment doesn't plan to appear in 'Fifteen Nights on a Business Trip,' otherwise I could promise Attorney Su right now."

"How about we come to STARSHIP?" Li Rui suddenly said.

Na Young-seok's eyes lit up. Given the relationship between CJ and Starship, it might actually be possible.

He immediately began to consider the feasibility in his mind.

"Attorney Su Xia, PD Luo Yingxi, are you going to walk the red carpet together?" A staff member quickly walked over and asked.

"Yeah, right."

"Yes."

"Okay, you're the last group. Next group, get ready for the IVE." After saying that, the staff member quickly walked away.

"Then let's go over there first."

After watching the IVE members leave, Su Xia continued chatting with Luo Yingxi.

Kim Tae-yeon couldn't help but roll her eyes. This guy clearly can't talk, yet he loves to chat with people so much.

But I still helped Su Xia polish her words, lest her loose tongue offend someone.

Soon, the standby area was empty.

"Attorney Su, PD Luo, please prepare." A staff member said to the two at the entrance of the passage.

"3"

"2"

"1"

"OK."

Su Xia and Luo Yingxi exchanged a glance and walked out together.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared before my eyes. What was called a red carpet was actually a passageway with sky blue as the main color.

Su Xia and Luo Yingxi also appeared in MAMA's official live stream.

"It's PD Na!"

"Who's next to PD Na?"

"Tet Tae-yeon, the Chinese Tae-yeon imitator."

"He's kind of handsome, even more so standing next to PD Na!"

"I've developed a condition where I feel like laughing whenever I see PD Na."

"Stop talking, I can't hold back any longer."

"please."

"please."

The two politely declined each other's offer, and then walked side by side toward the host.

Compared to the screams from fans when other groups walk the red carpet, the two brothers didn't hear any screams from fans as they walked, but there was a lot of discussion about them.

Su Xia heard several fans at the scene asking him which one he was.

"Why!"

"Where are you going!"

As Luo Yingxi and Kim Tae-yeon's voices rang out simultaneously, Su Xia paused in her steps toward the host, only then remembering that she should allow the media to take photos first.

She gave an awkward laugh and stood down next to Luo Yingxi.

This unexpected incident caused the media, who had initially shown little interest, to suddenly start snapping photos.

These are all source materials!

Na Young-seok chuckled and led a bewildered Su Xia to the host's side.

"PD Luo, Su Xia, hello, please say hello to everyone," the male host said with a smile.

The female host handed the microphone to Na Young-seok.

"Hello everyone, I'm PD Na Young-seok."

He then handed the microphone to Su Xia.

"Hello everyone, I'm Lawyer Su Xia — uh, blogger."

"Pfft!" Some fans in the audience who recognized Su Xia burst out laughing, while others who didn't know Su Xia exclaimed in surprise upon hearing that she was a lawyer.

In an awards ceremony attended by a group of artists whose educational level is generally junior high or high school, a lawyer suddenly appears. For fans who don't know Su Xia, this is a completely unexpected crossover, like watching a horror movie and suddenly encountering Hiroshi Nagano.

The atmosphere changed instantly, okay?

"PD Na has been nominated this time —"

The host didn't ask any strange questions, just some thoughts, and then ended Su Xia and Luo Yingxi's red carpet segment.

"Want to come along?" On the way to the waiting room, Luo Yingxi invited Su Xia, as he was quite interested in continuing their conversation.

Mainly————

He was sitting there, and it was incredibly boring.

"I'm going back to the international artists' lounge." Su Xia didn't want to go there at all; the international artists' VIP lounge was a place where you could use your phone!

Luo Yingxi watched regretfully as his "chat partner" left, and reluctantly walked back to his seat.

The red carpet event begins at 4 PM Tokyo time, while the performance starts at 6 PM.

As all the lights inside the Tokyo Dome came on, Day 1 of the 2024 MAMA Japan show officially began!

Su Xia only glanced at it twice before fiddling with her phone. There were still two or three hours before her performance, so she decided to play for a while.

Kim Tae-yeon smiled as she looked at Su Xia, who had opened the golden shovel.

The performance is indeed at eight or nine o'clock, but he has awards to his name.

It was a little after seven o'clock.

Just as Su Xia's three-star, five-cost, 95-star character was about to reach its peak, a staff member came in.

"Attorney Su—uh." The staff member's eye twitched when he saw the game in Su Xia's hand. "Your award nomination is coming up soon. Get ready to go on stage."

"Huh?" Su Xia looked at the staff member in confusion. What did they mean I was going to receive an award?

Oh right, there really is some kind of award.

Su Xia immediately stood up and looked intently at Xiao Li.

Xiao Li: "?"

"Here you go, finish this call for me." He handed the phone to Xiao Li, then followed the staff to the filming location in the room and sat down.

Xiao Li stared blankly at his phone, then at the chaotic chessboard with its tiny figures locked in battle.

He doesn't know how to play!

If I lose, will the boss fire me?

Xiao Li was on the verge of tears.

The television set directly opposite the camera was broadcasting the scene on stage live.

The award presenter is ————

Hmm, I don't know him.

"The winner of the 2024 K-pop Influence Outstanding Contribution Award is ————" The female guest looked at the script in her hand and dragged out the last syllable.

"Su Xia!"

The camera instantly switched to Su Xia in the VIP lounge.

Looking at Su Xia's expression, Kim Tae-yeon leaned close to Su Xia and said, "Your dad sent a message saying your brother lost everything in Macau."

Su Xia's pupils contracted as she stared at Kim Tae-yeon in shock.

This scene, captured on camera, became his shock after receiving the award.

"You acted quite well," Ahn Yoo-jin said cheerfully from the rest area.

"I didn't expect Attorney Su to have such a talent for acting," Zhang Yuanying echoed with a smile.

As Su Xia walked onto the stage with the staff, the entire audience heard her video achievements for the year.

"Throughout this year, Su Xia i released six videos with over 100 million views and twenty-three videos with over 10 million views on the internet — increasing the popularity of K-pop culture overseas —"

This announcement also served to educate the artists and fans present who did not recognize him, as well as the viewers in the live broadcast room, about why he was able to win this award.

It's all about giving face to one's own people.

As Su Xia walked out from backstage and appeared in the venue, unlike the thunderous applause that greeted other artists when they appeared, only a few scattered claps rang out.

Ahn Yoo-jin glanced at the dim camera beside her, then immediately stood up and clapped loudly in Su Xia's direction.

Zhang Yuanying immediately understood her sister's intention and stood up to applaud as well.

Seeing this, the other members of IVE also stood up.

As IVE started, the surrounding artists also stood up, and even those artists further away, seeing this scene, stood up as well, feeling both amazed and confused.

The head PD naturally caught this moment and immediately switched the camera on the big screen to IVE, then zoomed out to show all the artists who had stood up.

The fans weren't particularly interested at first, but when they saw their idols stand up, the sparse applause suddenly turned into loud applause, wave after wave. There were no screams, but the applause was louder than ever before.

This completely baffled Su Xia, the person involved.

No, does he have such a big entourage?

Has one's fame reached this level?

"Ahn Yu-jin, not bad." Kim Tae-yeon, who had witnessed the whole thing from afar, couldn't help but praise her.

Su Xia's expression shifted. Was it related to An Youzhen?

But now that he's already on stage, it's not convenient to ask.

"Congratulations, Attorney Su." The female presenter smiled and handed the trophy to Su Xia.

"Thanks."

Then Su Xia took the trophy to the microphone stand and glanced at Kim Tae-yeon.

Kim Tae-yeon rolled her eyes speechlessly, but still spoke up.

"Hello everyone, I'm Su Xia."

"To be honest, I feel a little overwhelmed when my name is listed alongside the K-pop Impact Award."

"I have always believed that an individual's influence is insignificant, but when countless passions come together, and when K-pop becomes a bridge connecting people, that power is enough to transcend national borders."

"Thank you to the MAMA organizing committee for creating this meaningful award. It has made me realize that 'contribution' is never about earth-shattering achievements, but about day-to-day perseverance, about using music to convey warmth, and using the stage to convey passion."

"Thank you to my partner CJMCN for giving me direction when I was lost and support when I was exhausted; I also thank my friends in the industry for their unconditional trust, which gave me the motivation to keep going."

"I also want to thank my fans around the world. It is your every click, every comment, and every moment of waiting that gives me the courage to face all challenges and allows my videos to be seen by more people."

"I want to share this honor with everyone who has persevered on the K-pop journey, and with everyone who loves K-pop. May we all shine brightly in our respective fields, and may all those working in K-pop forever shine like stars!"

Thank you everyone!

In an instant, thunderous applause erupted.

"Okay, thank you Su Xia-nim."

""

Su Xia breathed a sigh of relief and hurried away from the stage as if her life depended on it, clutching the trophy.

"How are you going to win an award without me?" Kim Tae-yeon couldn't help but complain. She even had to give the acceptance speech. Was she even human?

Su Xia's heart was pounding, and she had no time to argue with Kim Tae-yeon.

He walked all the way back to the lounge, stared at the trophy in his hand for a long time, and then suddenly laughed.

"Hehe, I've received an award before too."

Kim Tae-yeon's lips twitched.

"Are you stupid?"

"No, it's just that it's my first time receiving an award, so I'm a little excited." Su Xia shook her head, her face still showing undisguised excitement.

"There will be many more opportunities to receive awards in the future; you can't rely on me every time."

"Okay, okay," Su Xia replied perfunctorily, still grinning foolishly at the trophy in her hand.

"Huh? Where's my phone?"

"Here it is." Xiao Li cautiously approached and handed the phone to Su Xia.

Seeing that Su Xia took the phone but didn't ask about the game, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that he kept the news of Lao Ba's elimination a secret as soon as Su Xia left.