Peninsula Cicada Song Diary

The sea of ​​lights surged, and the enthusiasm at the scene did not diminish over time, but instead grew stronger, like a pot of water about to boil on a hot stove, steaming and threatening to overturn the lid.

As night fell, the time came for the host to come on stage and announce the program.

The water has boiled.

The steam overturned the kettle lid, and cheers erupted from the dome of the Suwon Arena, splashing water that could be heard for miles around.

The opening act was Momoland, who took to the stage and performed their hit song "BAAM" against a dazzling backdrop.

The cheers and music reached backstage, where there were screens showing the live performance in the backstage waiting room. The five members of Red Velvet squeezed onto a sofa to watch together.

They were the second to last group to go on stage, which, in standard terms, would be called the "grand finale".

This meant she had plenty of time to rest. Bae Joo-hyun stared at the screen and took another sip of hot water. She had already changed into her stage outfit: a yellow and black plaid shirt jacket, and everything else was black—a black strapless short-sleeved top, black fitted trousers... This made her look even whiter, but under the cover of makeup, she didn't appear abnormally pale; rather, she had a healthy white complexion, as if she weren't sick.

Aside from the cold sweat constantly beading on my forehead.

"Unnie, are you really okay?" Son Seungwan gently wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with a tissue.

"If Xiaoyan knew that Unnie was doing this again, she would be furious." Park Soo-young crossed her legs. "She really doesn't listen to advice."

"Exactly," Kim Ye-rin chimed in. "Why not rest when you can?"

"Didn't the PD come to persuade you this afternoon?" Kang Seulgi asked. "Why didn't you rest? If you had rested, you would have been comfortably taken home by Xiaoyan by now."

"Because we can't let the fans down. You guys would have done the same, right?" Bae Joo-hyun put down her water glass and gave a mischievous smile. "Besides, if you don't tell and I don't tell, he won't know."

"What if they find out?" Son Seung-wan asked.

Pei Xiyan rarely gets angry, which is why the events of 16 years ago seem so terrible.

They had never seen him like that in all the time they had known him. Pei Xiyan was usually a gentleman, a model student at school, a warm-hearted younger brother to his older sister, and someone whose manners were like a gentle breeze... From every perspective, he was someone they could easily like.

Therefore, there were many female trainees at SM who had a crush on him. They would deliberately wait outside the recording studio to chat with him when he came out.

Some people would offer a drink under the pretense of buying an extra one, then turn around and run back to the practice room blushing under Pei Xiyan's gaze. Others would brazenly ask for contact information, at which point Kenzie would usually come out and chase them away.

During that time, Pei Xiyan never lacked free drinks, and the employees were happy to watch the youth drama series at the entrance... until that incident happened.

While Bae Joo-hyun was hospitalized, Bae Hee-yeon unleashed his flames, scorching the entire SM Entertainment complex.

With the pressure from the downfall of its parent company SK, the faction behind SM Entertainment, an invisible foreign capital force frantically driving down SM's stock price, directors being coerced into selling their shares, and key employees being poached by a mysterious company... In just a few days, SM Entertainment appears to be beset by internal and external troubles and on the verge of collapse.

This situation continued until Bae Joo-hyun was discharged from the hospital, then suddenly came to an abrupt end. SM Entertainment returned to normal, as if what had happened before was just a nightmare caused by Darkrai, which ended with the dawn.

The female trainees realized that Pei Xiyan's identity was an insurmountable chasm, a dark, bottomless abyss that even if they were shattered to pieces, they would not be able to cross. He could dismiss them with a single order, without even needing a proper reason. After that, fewer and fewer people were waiting at the entrance, fearing that they might accidentally offend Pei Xiyan and have their years of hard work reduced to dust.

"Knowing won't do anything," Bae Joo-hyun said confidently in response to Son Seung-wan's question.

"real?"

Under the scrutiny of four suspicious gazes, Bae Joo-hyun remained unfazed. "Really."

"Xiao Yan isn't an unreasonable person."

......

The fans below the stage never tired, while new groups came and went on stage. Time flew by, and one group after another flashed by: NCT 127, Mamamoo, Exid, Seventeen... Now, Blackpink is performing on stage.

Their return after two years was nothing short of explosive, with cheers and sing-alongs filling the venue. The fans below were shaking their support hammers like crazy, making it even more lively than when previous groups had performed.

Just by looking at their stage costumes, you can't tell at all that the four of them are a group. They have no connection with each other, as if they were four solo singers who were temporarily put on stage and put together to perform.

In order, the next one is the boy group NuestW, and the next one after that... is Red Velvet.

"Hit you with that ddu-du ddu-du du

Hit you with that ddu-du ddu-du du..."

Below, Kim Nancy watched the performance on stage with his arms crossed, beaming. He was engrossed in the show, but his phone, oblivious to his surroundings, started vibrating in his pocket, much to his dismay.

"Who is it?" Jin Nanxi muttered, but her expression changed instantly when she saw the contact name "Pei Mosquito Lamp". She scurried backstage to answer the call.

"A big producer."

"I've arrived, come out and meet me."

The Panamera finally arrived at Suwon Stadium. Pei Xiyan opened the car door, and all she could hear were shouts and music gushing from the stadium.

It was very noisy, like mosquitoes swarming around your ears that you can't swat, but he was familiar with the music, Blackpink's "Forever Young".

He waited at the main entrance for a while, and then a tall, strong figure with slicked-back hair rushed out of the venue.

"You've finally arrived." Jin Nanxi wiped non-existent sweat from her forehead. "You have no idea how much effort I put into giving you this information."

"Thanks." Pei Xiyan walked over and punched him on the shoulder, straightforwardly, "Call me next time you go to a bar."

"I've been waiting for you to say that!" Jin Nanxi exclaimed excitedly, her nose flaring as she put her arm around his shoulder and led him into the stadium.

Upon entering, one is greeted by a spectacular sea of ​​cheering fans. Pei Xiyan glanced at it and followed Jin Nanxi, turning right into a passageway. This passageway leads to the backstage area, with warm white lights installed on the walls and ceiling.

"Have my Nuna and the others gone on stage yet?" It was noisy outside, so Pei Xiyan could only ask loudly.

"They're next," Kim Nancy replied loudly, as they had now arrived at NuestW.

"So fast?" Pei Xiyan asked in surprise.

"You arrived too late," Kim Nancy said. "You and Noona were the last ones to perform."

"You know Seoul's traffic," Pei Xiyan explained. "I can't possibly run a red light, can I?"

"Looks like you're not in a hurry," Jin Nanxi teased. Judging from his tone, he would have already recklessly barged in long ago.

"I just don't want to cause any more trouble," Pei Xiyan muttered. "I promised Nuna."

"When did you agree?"

"Seventeen years," Pei Xiyan said. "Nuna said she didn't like that."

Bae Joo-hyun said she hates making a big deal out of small things, but Bae Hee-yeon doesn't think it's a small thing.

Jin Nancy wanted to ask a few more questions, but the music in the venue stopped for a while and then changed.

"babanana, bababananananana~"

It was a familiar prelude to Pei Xiyan, the sound was loud, as if it were right next to her ear.

"They went on stage," he said.

"We've arrived too." Jin Nanxi led him around the corner.