Peninsula Cicada Song Diary

The sky was still filled with churning dark clouds.

The weather was bad today, and she wasn't dressed warmly enough. She just wanted to go inside to avoid the wind and the possible rain. Muttering the reasons she had prepared to herself, Pei Xiyan changed direction and pushed open the door of the coffee shop under the watchful eyes of Minatozaki Sana.

The coffee shop's 24-hour air conditioning and heating dispelled the lingering chill, and music played inside.

As she listened to the music, Pei Xiyan realized another problem.

Should I go to the front desk to order, or go directly to Sana Minatozaki?

There was an older man standing at the front desk. There were five or six cups of coffee on the counter, but he didn't move. I guess there were still a few more to be made.

He must be TWICE's manager; TWICE is the only JYP group that can afford to drink so much coffee. Almost everyone from the Korean Peninsula loves coffee, especially iced Americano, but Pei Xiyan isn't from the Korean Peninsula; he hates anything bitter.

Pei Xiyan stood by the door, then suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.

He didn't understand what was wrong with him. Usually, he would choose the one he liked without hesitation, but why was he so conflicted now, like a college student who had been lazy for two years in college and was now staring at the ∩ on the exam paper, forgetting whether it was an intersection or a union and starting to rack his brains?

You could have just gone straight there.

"Xi Yanxi".

Someone told him that this was an intersection.

"I'm here."

Sana Minato's voice immediately drew everyone's attention in the store, including Pei Xiyan, the staff, and the middle-aged man who was waiting for coffee at the front desk.

The middle-aged man turned his head in confusion, wondering who his artist was greeting. He didn't realize it until he saw Pei Xiyan walk over and sit down opposite Minatozaki Sana. His eyes widened involuntarily.

This kid is really handsome... but who is he?!

Aren't you afraid of getting into a scandal, Sana?!

Thankfully, the weather was cooperating; there weren't many fans waiting at the cafe in this kind of weather. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been long before he saw posts on the forum like "Daaa! Popular TWICE member meets with an ordinary man in a cafe..." No, this can't be called a private meeting; this is an open and aboveboard encounter!

"I'll be right back," the man told the receptionist before hurrying off.

"Sana, long time no see." Pei Xiyan sat down and smelled a faint perfume scent. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the middle-aged man who looked like his manager approaching aggressively, but he didn't pay any attention to him.

"Long time no see, Xiyan-xi." Minatozaki Sana greeted Pei Xiyan cheerfully, not minding anything. The way she spoke had a unique upward inflection at the end, which, combined with her voice, made it sound like she was being coquettish.

"Sana, who is this?" The manager stood next to Sana Minatozaki like a gatekeeper, scrutinizing Pei Xiyan with an unceremonious gaze.

"Oppa, this is Cicada, the producer PDNim hired to write songs for the company's new girl group." Sana Minatozaki flashed her white teeth and explained to him, "I met her at the company with the members last time."

"Huh?!" The manager stared at him in surprise and looked at him again.

Pei Xiyan doesn't really seem like a producer; he's a bit too clean-cut.

He didn't have unkempt long hair and a slovenly beard, nor did he wear the standard shirt and baseball cap. He looked like the kind of model student who sat in the front row of the class and served as the class's academic representative. As soon as get out of class ended, the classroom door was filled with people who came to see him, and his desk was stuffed with love letters after school.

"Hello." Pei Xiyan nodded to him.

"I've heard so much about you, Cicadaxi." The producer's status is quite high. The manager hadn't heard of the name before, but a professional smile still appeared on his weathered face. "I'm Jung Minho, the manager of Twice."

"Minho oppa, is the coffee ready?" Minatozaki Sana interjected.

"That's about it," the agent said. "I'll bring it over now, and then we can go back to the company."

"Thank you for your hard work, oppa." Minatozaki Sana smiled sweetly.

Watching his agent walk back to the front desk, Pei Xiyan knew what he was worried about: "Your agent is quite responsible."

"Well, actually, oppa is overthinking it. There's nothing there. Hiding things will only make people think it's weird." Sana Minatozaki knew what her manager was worried about. "Just be open and honest."

"Wouldn't Xiyan like something to drink?" she asked.

"I don't like drinking coffee," Pei Xiyan admitted frankly.

"So... I can understand why Xiyan came in because of me?" Minatozaki Sana tilted her head.

"More or less." Pei Xiyan nodded lightly without changing her expression.

"Xiyan-xi is really honest." Minatozaki Sana blinked her eyes, her eyelashes rising and falling like alluring hooks.

"I don't want to lie." Pei Xiyan's gaze didn't waver. "Of course, there's another reason... it looks like it's going to rain outside."

「비도오고그래서

因为下雨了

네생각이났어

That's why I thought of you...

The café's music changed at just the right moment, playing Heize's "비도오고그래서 (Because It's Raining)," a famous song from the peninsula's rainy season. Minatozaki Sana knew this song, and Pei Xiyan also had a deep impression of it.

In the summer of 17, Red Velvet made a strong comeback with "Red Flavor," but unexpectedly, they didn't win a single Melon daily chart-topping title.

Because Seoul was experiencing continuous rain that summer, Heize's song, which was also released around the same time, would be pushed to the top of the charts by countless enthusiastic fans whenever it rained, just like "All I Want for Christmas Is You" which was thawed out at Christmas. In addition, after he wrote the title track "Kokobop" for EXO and it was released, "Red Flavor" was always relegated to the second place on the charts.

"It's not a good day." Sana Minatozaki turned her head; the weather outside the window looked even more gloomy, and the tree branches swayed from side to side in the wind, like menacing monsters. "So, why did you come to the company in this weather, Shiyan-ssi...?"

"Because I played the demo of the new song for my senior, he was very satisfied, so he enthusiastically invited me to the company to discuss it." Pei Xiyan sighed with a heavy heart.

"PDNim has a deep love for music," Sana Minatozaki chuckled. "So does Shiyan-ssi."

"I just don't know whether you prefer organic farming or organic farming, senior," he asked.

"Half and half?" Minatozaki Sana smiled.

The two hadn't exchanged more than a few words when the manager returned carrying four bags of coffee. He placed the bags on the table, took out a cup, and handed it to Pei Xiyan, saying, "Cicadaxi, this is just a small token of my appreciation."

"For me?" Pei Xiyan was somewhat taken aback.

"Yes," the agent said with a smile. "From now on, we're colleagues."

"Uh..." Looking at the standard iced Americano in his hand, Pei Xiyan pursed her lips and took it, "Kamsahamnida."

"Oppa, actually Xiyan doesn't drink coffee," Minatozaki Sana said with a smile, still remembering what Pei Xiyan had just said.

"Qinjia?" Realizing his good intentions had backfired, the manager immediately bowed and apologized, "We're missing Song Hamida Cicadaxi! An iced Americano would be fine if you don't want one..."

"It's okay, I can still have a drink occasionally." Pei Xiyan waved her hand, and even took a sip to prove it.

The bitter taste seeped into my mouth through the straw.

He regretted not carrying a lollipop with him.

Although he didn't like drinking it, he helped carry the bag of coffee in return.

The air on the street began to feel humid, and a noticeable smell of moisture permeated the air.

This is the prelude to rain.

As soon as Pei Xiyan stepped through the revolving door of JYP, she heard a pattering sound behind her. She turned around and saw that the rain, like white lines, had blurred the entire street.