Peninsula Cicada Song Diary

The rain stopped in the early morning, and then the gray clouds dispersed, revealing the sun that hadn't been seen all day in the clear blue sky. The sunlight began to shine across the water-washed streets of Seoul.

In an apartment building in Cheongdam-dong, Sana Minatozaki woke up before the alarm clock even went off.

She threw back the covers and sat up, her long, reddish-brown hair disheveled from sleeping, obscuring her face.

The next step in my daily routine should be to get my hair done, then wash my face, brush my teeth, and then get a facial massage...

But after she sat up, she didn't move for a long time, as if she had become a wooden sculpture.

She didn't snap out of her daze until the alarm clock went off, and she turned it off with her right hand.

Then she froze, staring at her empty right wrist, feeling as if something had been tied to it before.

......

It was sunny on March 10.

In the morning, Yonsei University was bustling with people.

Students walked toward the teaching building, chatting and laughing, carrying their textbooks. Some boys and girls holding candy-shaped cheering sticks and small banners were mixed in among them. They looked around at the scenery and seemed very happy.

They were holding Candy Bong, TWICE's exclusive fan light stick, and banners with TWICE members' faces or half-body images printed on them.

Today, at Yonsei University, TWICE will be holding their third anniversary fan meeting. They will also be wearing special Halloween costumes to meet their fans, which has made ONCEs extremely excited, and they have been preparing at the surrounding area well in advance.

I heard they weren't planning on holding a fan meeting this year because, as fans who are familiar with Twice know, their schedule for the past six months has been absolutely terrifying. They just finished their Japanese tour and Japanese album in mid-October, and now they're about to have their Korean album comeback, plus various award ceremonies and stage performances to prepare for as the year draws to a close...

However, due to the strong insistence of the TWICE members, the company finally agreed to hold the event this year.

Because the time was set too late, a suitable venue could not be rented. Park Jin-young discussed with his alma mater, Yonsei University, and rented the school's open-air theater as the venue. At the same time, he also borrowed some students as volunteers to help.

Li Shanliang, a third-year music student in the crowd, was one of the volunteers. He was yawning and had dark circles under his eyes as he hurried toward the stage of the open-air theater.

When the news about volunteers was released at the beginning of the month, the number of people signing up almost overwhelmed the official website, with an estimated 80% of them being male.

After all, volunteering not only earns academic credits but also grants free access to Twice's fan meeting. In the eyes of today's Korean male fans, Twice commands even more respect than the president; they've been number one in Gallup's girl group survey for the past two years, and will likely remain so this year.

Lee Shanliang was lucky enough to snag a spot, and he slept soundly for the first few days. But as the date drew closer, the thought of seeing Twice today, and even getting up close to them, kept him excited all night, and he couldn't sleep well.

Upon arriving at the open-air theater, Li Shanliang saw that most of the teachers and other volunteers had already arrived on stage. He hurriedly ran over and squeezed into the queue.

After waiting a while longer, the teacher counted everyone to make sure they were all there. He cleared his throat and smiled.

"The meet-and-greet is tonight. I know you're all very excited, and I'm very excited too."

"Hehe." A knowing laugh rang out from the volunteer line.

"But we can't let our excitement lead to carelessness. You need to pay attention to the equipment settings and make sure there are no mistakes tonight."

"I even invited a senior alumnus to help me with this."

"Please come out." The teacher in charge looked to the right.

Li Shanliang yawned, wondering which senior was so arrogant that he had to be invited by the teacher, like a guest.

Then the curtain on the right side of the stage was pulled open, and a boy walked out. He was wearing a blue and black baseball uniform, and his pale skin stood out in the sunlight.

The yawn was quickly suppressed, and he was stunned into silence. The previously quiet volunteer queue instantly became lively.

"Damn it...it's him?!" Someone rubbed their eyes, thinking they were seeing things.

"You can see his photos on the school BBS!" someone next to me said excitedly.

"It's Pei Bingshan. When he was still in school, the school's publicity department loved to use his photos to... I mean, to entice female students who originally wanted to go to Korea University to turn back from the brink." Someone explained.

Everyone has their own interpretation of Hamlet, but for Li Shanliang, this boy was an insurmountable mountain in the music department, someone that no male music student wanted to recall. He was the typical "other people's child," and because he looked as cold as ice when he was expressionless, he was called "Pei the Iceberg."

From the moment he enrolled, the top spot in the music department has remained unchanged. He's always the one representing the music department at the opening ceremony, delivering his speech with a calm and collected demeanor in a perfectly pressed suit. Girls in the audience snap photos with their phones, and afterwards, Yonsei University's BBS is flooded with pictures of him. Anyone who doesn't know better might think they've clicked on the wrong thing and stumbled upon some idol's personal website.

He wasn't very social; aside from classes and certain large events he had to attend, he was rarely seen. During his four years at school, there were no rumors of any romantic relationships with him. Logically, with his looks and qualifications, finding a girlfriend should be as easy as eating kimchi and drinking coffee, but no one at school had ever been heard of dating him.

In February of this year, he finally graduated, choosing not to stay at the university for graduate studies. Even now, more than six months after graduation, his professors still mention his name from time to time.

"Look at your senior Pei Xiyan, and then look at you all."

"Hello." As Li Shanliang recalled, the boy had already walked up to the teacher. He nodded, his black hair swaying in the sunlight.

"I am Pei Xiyan."

......

The van left the beauty salon in Gangnam District and headed towards Yonsei University.

Sana Minatozaki looked out the window, the scenery flashing past her pupils.

This was their second visit to Yonsei University.

The first time was two years ago at Yonsei University's anniversary celebration. They wore blue and white performance costumes that matched Yonsei University's style, and the Yonsei students below were as enthusiastic as the wind blowing across their skin.

They performed four songs, including their recently released "Cheer Up." The audience sang along from beginning to end, and when it came to their own "shy shy shy" part, they sang even louder and did the same actions in unison. The shouts were deafening on stage.

It was also with "Cheer Up" that they began their journey to the top.

Until today.

"I have this strange feeling of returning home in glory," Park Ji-hyo remarked from the back seat.

"Yes." Sana Minatozaki nodded. "Two years have passed in the blink of an eye."

"It feels like a dream," Chou Tzu-yu chimed in.

Dream.

Sana Minatozaki glanced at her right wrist instinctively.

There was nothing tied to it.