Peninsula Cicada Song Diary

Noticing Jung Soo-yeon's hesitation, Bae Joo-hyun sat up and took her hand. "Don't worry, it's just a small matter. The members won't leak the news, and I'm here too... Soo-yeon will be fine."

Bae Joo-hyun's hands were icy cold, devoid of warmth, yet Jung Soo-yeon felt a sense of peace.

Only a princess can subdue an evil dragon, and Bae Joo-hyun is the only princess in SM Entertainment.

After drinking the water, Bae Joo-hyun closed her eyes again. The cold medicine she took after the meal was taking effect, and she was feeling a little drowsy.

Zheng Shuyan picked up the water glass and shook it. It was very light, and the water inside made a sparse gurgling sound.

It has to be said that the waiting room prepared by the official team this time was ridiculously good. It was a separate waiting room with complete facilities, including a water dispenser. The most surprising thing was that there was even a massage chair in the corner! The members tried it out of curiosity in the morning, and Kang Seulgi even decided after trying it that she would only eat BBQ fried chicken from now on.

Walking to the water dispenser, Zheng Shuyan pressed the hot water button, and steaming hot water dripped into the cup below.

Bae Joo-hyun likes to drink hot water, but in Jung Soo-yeon's understanding, hot water is something that, apart from being used to make instant noodles, is basically not in the DNA of people from the Korean Peninsula.

Halfway through the call, there was a sudden "knock knock" at the door.

"Please come in!" Zheng Shuyan called out without looking up.

Outside the door, Jin Nanxi cautiously pushed open a crack in the door and peered inside. This was the waiting room he had arranged, and the massage chair was something he had specially asked someone to bring in.

He saw Bae Joo-hyun on the sofa. She lay quietly, covered with clothes, and even from several meters away, it was obvious that something was wrong with her face.

Kim Nam-hee and Bae Joo-hyun hadn't met much; they were just acquaintances, and because they knew each other, it was difficult for her to get close to them.

After all, if he knew Bae Joo-hyun had a fever, that guy would have already gone crazy. His friends all know how much he loves Noona. There was an awards ceremony where Bae Joo-hyun was one of the hosts, and one of the rappers she was paired with acted incredibly frivolously towards her. A few days later, that male celebrity was taken in for questioning by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department. There aren't many clean rappers out there; anyway, you won't see him in the Korean entertainment industry anymore.

But now he hasn't even seen Pei Xiyan, which can only mean that Pei Zhuxuan is deliberately hiding it from him.

If he went in by himself, he might also be asked to keep it a secret, but Jin Nanxi didn't want to keep it a secret at all. He was even thinking of having the mosquito-absorbing lamp accompany him to the bar to attract attention!

Thinking of this, he gestured with his lip to the middle-aged man beside him.

The middle-aged man nodded knowingly, straightened his clothes, and swaggered in through the door.

"Annyeonghaseyo".

"PDNim?!" Zheng Shuyan twisted the cap off her water glass and went to greet her in surprise.

"I'm here to check on Irenexi's situation," the middle-aged man stated his purpose directly, looking at Bae Joo-hyun on the sofa.

Hearing the noise, Bae Joo-hyun struggled to open her eyes and propped herself up halfway. "Don't worry, Song Hamida pdnim, I won't be late for tonight's performance..."

"Irenexi, there's no need to apologize." The middle-aged man waved his hand, looking at her pale face. "Irenexi, you must be very ill."

"Actually, it's okay if we don't go on stage tonight. I understand, and I believe everyone else does too."

"Thank you for your kindness, PD-nim." Bae Joo-hyun's pale lips curved into a smile. "I think I can do it."

"Irenexi, you don't need to force yourself," the man continued to advise.

"I can do it."

"Irenexi would be better off resting."

"Pdnim, I really can do it." To prove it, Bae Joo-hyun even stood up and spun around in place. Spinning around is simple, but she spun crookedly, wobbling left and right, and finally fell back into the embrace of the sofa, like a baby who failed to practice walking.

The scene was somewhat comical. Zheng Shuyan pursed her lips and looked away, while the middle-aged man twitched his lips.

This is hardly the state of someone who should be on stage.

The middle-aged man came to persuade Bae Joo-hyun not to go on stage.

When Chief Kim heard that Bae Joo-hyun was sick, his expression immediately turned serious, as if some terrible accident had occurred during the concert. On the way there, Chief Kim had kept reminding him to check on Bae Joo-hyun's health and to gauge her attitude towards performing on stage.

"If she wants to go on stage, you'd better try to persuade her... If you really can't persuade her, then just give up."

He was still debating between resting and going on stage. Anyone with half a brain would know which one to choose, right? Now it seems that it really fits what Kim Nang-hee meant when she said, "I really couldn't persuade him otherwise."

Despite his deteriorating health, he still wants to take the stage; he's even more stubborn than the Foolish Old Man who moved mountains in the Chinese folktale.

The middle-aged man shook his head. "Irenexi's professionalism is truly impressive."

"It's just what I should do," Bae Joo-hyun said.

"Irenexi, aren't you really considering taking a break?" he asked again, unwilling to give up. "Isn't your health more important than the stage?"

"I'm fine." Despite his repeated attempts to persuade her, Bae Joo-hyun politely declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, PD-nim."

"...I asked her four times, and she rejected me all four times." On the way back to the rehearsal site, the middle-aged man followed closely behind Kim Nam-hee, complaining.

These siblings are just as stubborn, Jin Nanxi thought, clicking her tongue. "How is she doing?"

"It's not good," the middle-aged man said in a low voice. "His face is very pale, his body is weak, and he can barely stand up."

Jin Nanxi nodded, then took out his phone. He didn't call, knowing Pei Xiyan wouldn't answer, so he sent a message:

[Oh no! Something terrible has happened to you, Noona!]

......

The message arrived quite early, but Pei Xiyan went back into the recording studio after finishing her lunch takeout. It lay there quietly for three or four hours before Pei Xiyan, who was busy until the evening, finally saw it.

Among the series of daily messages recently sent by Bae Joo-hyun, Kim Nam-hee's message stood out as particularly jarring, making one wonder if it was a joke.

He put down the song he was working on halfway through, frowned, took off his headphones, and found the phone to make a call.

The call was answered quickly, followed by Kim Nancy's lively voice.

"A big-name producer?!"

"What happened to my Nuna?" Pei Xiyan asked seriously.

"Irene had a high fever but insisted on going on stage. You know her personality. I really couldn't stop her, you..."

Having gotten the answer she wanted, Pei Xiyan hung up before Jin Nanxi could finish speaking.

"Tsk." He scratched his head in frustration and went back to the chat software to find Bae Joo-hyun's chat history. Bae Joo-hyun's message in the afternoon was no different from that in the morning, indicating "I'm fine, how about you?", showing no sign of being sick, as if today really was just another simple day of running around.

But is she alright? No.

If Kim Nam-hee hadn't happened to be in Suwon today supervising, he might have been fooled by Bae Joo-hyun again.

Just like in 16, just like countless times before... she always liked to report good news and not bad news.

Turning off the screen, Pei Xiyan let out a sigh of relief, pushed back her swivel chair, and after a series of hurried footsteps downstairs, in the blink of an eye, the blue Panamera had already driven out of the garage, made a beautiful arc to the road in front of the door, and roared off in one direction.

"What a siscon." On the other end of the line, Kim Nam-hee muttered to herself as she looked at the phone that had just been hung up.

"Section Chief, the concert is about to begin."

"Notify Momoland to prepare at the side platform," Jin Nancy instructed.

Putting her phone away, Kim Nam-hee looked up and saw the bustling three-tiered stands of the Suwon Stadium. Against the half-black sky, colorful light sticks formed a dreamlike sea of ​​lights—red, green, blue…—blending together in dazzling waves, swaying and surging without wind.

At the distant intersection illuminated by streetlights, the red light on the traffic light was counting down. Pei Xiyan slapped the steering wheel in frustration and annoyance.