Peninsula Cicada Song Diary

The windshield wipers swung monotonously from side to side at a steady pace, wiping away the water mist that obscured the view from the windshield time and time again.

It's not rush hour now, so there aren't many cars on the road and no need to worry about traffic jams. The distance from Yeouido to Hannam-dong isn't far either; at her current speed, Pei Xiyan estimates she'll be home in about five minutes.

"Anywhere with you feels right/Anywhere with you feels like/Paris in the rain/Paris in the rain..."

The music in the car suddenly stopped at its climax, followed by a Bluetooth phone ringtone.

"Annyeonghaseyo." Pei Xiyan answered the phone after glancing at the name displayed on the car's screen.

"Where are you? Why aren't you replying to my messages?" The voice on the other end of the phone was calm. "Could you come out for a bit?"

"Sorry, Sana." Pei Xiyan glanced at her phone, which was sitting face down on the passenger seat. "I'm on my way home now."

"So you're the one who called it!" Upon hearing the reply, the voice on the other end instantly turned furious.

Pei Xiyan could almost see Minatozaki Sana standing with her hands on her hips, loudly questioning him.

"Huh?" The green light at the intersection ahead started flashing, and Pei Xiyan slowed down the car.

"Don't play dumb!"

"What?" Pei Xiyan still pretended to be clueless.

"That staff member, and that doctor!" At the window at the end of the corridor, Sana Minatozaki's resentment flowed like the relentless rain outside. "Most importantly, that doctor!"

Judging from the doctor's demeanor, she initially thought he was a high-ranking executive from a TV station visiting her.

"Oh." Pei Xiyan stopped the car at a red light, then suddenly realized, "That seems to be it."

"Oh, what do you mean 'seems like'? If it is, it is; if it isn't, it isn't!" Minatozaki Sana disliked Pei Xiyan's ambiguous attitude.

"Ma Jia, I'm the one who called her." Pei Xiyan stopped pretending and admitted it.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sana Minatozaki demanded loudly. "Do you know how terrified I was!"

They're looking at both hands and tongue; if you didn't know who they were, you'd wonder what they were doing. It's so strange!

"I don't know," Pei Xiyan muttered to himself, since he wasn't there at the time.

"So what did the doctor say?" He chose to change the subject.

"Don't change the subject," Minatozaki Sana said sternly.

"Mianye," Pei Xiyan apologized softly, just like in the stairwell.

"What are you apologizing for?" Minatozaki Sana pouted, lowering her voice to match the tone in the stairwell.

"I should be the one thanking you."

She lowered her head, looking at the plastic bag of medicine in her hand, and said softly, "I'm feeling alright. The doctor gave me a prescription, and Minho oppa went to the nearby pharmacy to buy the medicine for me."

"Kamsahamida".

Her soft voice fell into his ear, and Pei Xiyan glanced at the car window on his left as if possessed. Even though the window was not open, he could feel a soft drizzle drifting into his ear.

"It's true that it's professional to go on stage while sick, but a healthy Sana is what everyone wants to see most," he said.

Wildebeests are not afraid of long-distance migrations, but only healthy wildebeests are more likely to successfully reach the lush, green grasslands.

"Yes." Sana Minatozaki clutched the plastic bag. Rain gently pattered against the window in front of her, water droplets leaving long streaks on the glass that would fade and disappear after a few minutes.

But the marks in one's heart will not.

As if she could see him through the misty rain, Sana Minatozaki nodded towards the window, "I'll get better soon."

"I believe you." Pei Xiyan's lips curled up.

"Hehe, right." Sana Minatozaki chuckled, then remembered something else, "I haven't returned your hat yet."

"I gave it to Sana." The red light turned green, and Pei Xiyan stepped on the gas to start the car.

This hat was specially designed for him by his mother; there are many more like it at home.

"Wow, that's so generous," Minatozaki Sana teased.

"Then Sana can take a taxi and bring it to me now." Pei Xiyan sounded as if she had suddenly regretted it.

"Yes, that's right." Sana Minatozaki shook her head. "It's mine now."

"I've been to Osaka, and I've never heard of anyone with the surname Minatozaki in the yakuza there," Pei Xiyan joked.

"Hey!" Sana Minatozaki raised an eyebrow, clenched her fist, and waved it at the air. "Haven't you heard of my name, 'Osaka Rocket Fist'?"

"Just hearing the name sounds impressive." Pei Xiyan couldn't help but chuckle. "Looks like I'm just ignorant."

"Hmph, good to know." Sana Minatozaki snorted lightly, her brows relaxing again. "When did you go to Osaka?"

"It was in the summer of 14," Pei Xiyan said frankly. "It was during my freshman year vacation that I went with my parents."

"Wait, weren't you born in '97?" Sana Minatozaki was a little confused. "Weren't you only 17 in 14? How come you're already a freshman in college?"

"I skipped a few levels." Pei Xiyan's tone was flat, as if she were talking about something insignificant.

"Qinjia?!" Sana Minatozaki blinked, her voice unconsciously lowering, "I..."

During her school years, she often suffered from headaches and struggled with her studies, making her a complete academic failure. In front of a top student like Pei Xiyan, she inexplicably felt somewhat insecure.

"...I happened to be back in Osaka at that time." She had to change the subject from studying. "Maybe we just missed each other back then."

"Is it America Village, Tenmangu Shrine, Osaka Castle Park, or Shitennoji Temple?" Pei Xiyan casually named a few places.

"You've been to so many places!" Minatozaki Sana exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes." That summer, he and his parents explored almost the entire Kansai region.

"American Village is my top recommendation for traveling in Osaka, and I did go to Shitennoji Temple during that time. I even tied notes there with my friends," Sana Minatozaki said with a light laugh.

"I've been tied up there too, but I used red..." The rest of the words caught in her throat. Pei Xiyan realized something and froze.

Suddenly there was no sound from the other end. Sana Minatozaki silently counted to ten in her mind, but still didn't hear anything.

"Xiyan, what's wrong?" she asked with concern.

"N-nothing...it's nothing." Coming back to her senses, Pei Xiyan pursed her lips. "I'm almost home."

"Okay, then goodbye, Shiyan." Sensing that he wanted to end the conversation, Minatozaki Sana considerately said goodbye.

"Goodbye, Sana." Pei Xiyan looked ahead. "I'll be watching the live stream this afternoon."

"I'll definitely do my best," Sana Minatozaki replied energetically.

That's the end of the chat.

As the call ended, the music that had been interrupted by the call started playing again.

"...We don't need a fancy town/Or bottles that we can't pronounce/Cause anywhere babe."

The windshield wipers continued their tireless swaying, clearing the fog from the windshield. Pei Xiyan's long-held thoughts seemed to be swept away as well; his gaze gradually brightened, as if he were seeing a glimmer of hope after the rain and fog had cleared.

"If that's the case, then I met you when I was 17..." he murmured to himself in a low voice.

"Miss Xia?"

"...Walking down an empty street/Puddles underneath our feet."

As the song "Paris in the Rain" in the car came to an end, Pei Xiyan couldn't concentrate anymore because a different melody had switched to her ears.

"Darararararari......"