Peninsula Cicada Song Diary

Chapter 78 Book Signing Event

Amidst the bustling crowd, Park Ji-ah stood in the flow of people, raising her camera to aim at the statue bathed in sunlight.

Two blue figures stand with their hands outstretched across a red frame on the ground, as if trying to touch each other.

This is the umpteenth time she has come here this year, and she always takes a picture of this statue every time she comes.

I've been photographing this since spring, up to early winter now. Seasons change, dates change, everything changes, but this statue stands here, like an anchor point that never changes.

Everyone interprets the meaning of the statues differently. She always felt that the two figures represented fans and idols, and the red border in the middle represented the area—Sangam-dong, a place where MBC and tvN are located.

These are popular spots for fans of KBS, JTBC, and other major television stations, where idol fan signing events are frequently held.

You can stand on the red frame set up for TV stations and autograph sessions here, like two blue puppets running towards your idol.

OK.

Looking at the photos, Park Ji-ah put down her camera with satisfaction, then walked along the sun-drenched road toward the venue for the autograph session.

The venue was located in the auditorium of a commercial building, with tiered seating ensuring that every fan attending the autograph session could see their idol without any obstruction.

Upon arriving at the venue, she went through a familiar process: queuing, ticket checking, and entering. However, unlike a showcase, you have to queue again to enter because you need to draw a number. The number on the number represents both your seat and your order of signing.

She had good luck; she got number 32. Although it wasn't in the first row, it was still a very good and suitable spot for taking photos.

After receiving a wristband, album, and sticky note with Mina's name and support color from the staff, Park Ji-ah found her seat and sat down.

There was a signing table made up of two long tables on the stage, and a large screen behind it was playing some of TWICE's previous music videos.

Signing events have very limited spots, with attendees often only a fraction of those at showcases. As a result, the venue quickly fills up with music playing.

Why do I say it will be soon? Because Park Ji-ah was surprised to find that seat number 33 to her right was still empty.

This familiar situation reminded her of the boy she had caught a glimpse of at the showcase that day.

The boy said he was a fanboy, but to Park Ji-ah's surprise, she never saw him again after that day.

It's such an important time for his comeback, a perfect opportunity to take photos, like his commute to and from music shows, but he hasn't shown up even once, as if he's vanished into thin air.

Park Ji-ah didn’t think she hadn’t noticed him. After all, with his height and demeanor, he would be like a black dot on a white wall in a crowd, hard to miss!

Park Ji-ah genuinely felt that he truly liked Sana because the smile on his lips when he took the photo that day couldn't lie. However, he said that he was just a fanboy and probably only playing around.

Seriously? What kind of fan club member doesn't stake out the streets during their commute?

So what are you daydreaming about, Park Ji-ah? You're not still thinking that the seat next to you belongs to that guy, are you?

She shook her head, preparing to look away from the chair, when out of the corner of her eye she caught a figure walking in through the closing auditorium doors on her right.

He was a tall boy wearing a long trench coat that reached his knees, with a camera hanging around his neck. The way his coat swayed as he walked made it seem as if he was drawing a picture in mid-air.

It looks like the main character made their appearance at the very end.

Park Ji-ah's eyes widened; she recognized the boy at a glance.

He really does dislike queuing, just like he said. She thought.

Unlike the showcase the other day, this autograph session didn't have the cover of darkness. In a place like Peninsula, where looks are highly valued, the guy was a huge radiant figure, attracting everyone's attention.

She heard the murmurs that followed.

Are there any other groups holding autograph sessions around here?

"I didn't know there was a mistake. He was also holding a camera. Could it be Once?"

"It's true, he went to queue up by mistake."

"Wow, is Once really that handsome?"

"Not only is she good-looking, but her temperament is also ridiculously good, damn it."

The amount of profanity was quite high, but Park Ji-ah could understand; she almost blurted out a few profanities when she saw him.

The boy looked just like he was attending a signing event for the first time, blankly following the staff's instructions to draw a number, and then started looking for a seat with his wristband and album.

He looked at the audience seats in the auditorium, nodded slightly, and counted the seat numbers softly. At this moment, many people were also looking at him, and the two sides unexpectedly completed a two-way rush, just like the statues outside.

He then apparently found a seat and started walking in one direction, where there was only one empty seat.

The empty seat to Park Ji-ah's right.

The boy must have recognized her, because he nodded slightly to her as he walked over.

"Annyeonghaseyo." Park Ji-ah paused for a moment, then greeted her with a smile, "What a coincidence."

"Okay." The boy responded softly, sitting down and placing the album on his lap.

Park Ji-ah looked down slightly and noticed that the sticky note on the album in his hand had Sana's name written on it.

really.

The music video on stage had already played "Signal," and its incredibly catchy melody filled the auditorium.

"Trying to let you know/Sign signalLH/l must let you know/Sign

signalLH/Sign signal....

""

When the song was first released, many people thought it was unpleasant to listen to, but Park Ji-ah liked it at first listen. However, Park Ji-ah is not in the mood to listen to it now. She is looking down and texting her best friend who is far away at home.

[I ran into that guy again!] She tapped her phone hard with her finger.

Which one?

[It's that really handsome fanboy, Sana!]

[qinjia?]

[And she sat next to me, just like in the showcase.]

Quick, take a picture and let's see! Her best friend seemed even more excited than she was.

Park Ji-ah knew her best friend was still bothered by her comment that he was "even more handsome than Cha Eun-woo." She glanced at the boy; his profile screamed "Keep Out," as if a cold, icy breath would choke her the moment she opened her mouth.

[I can't take any pictures.] She lowered her head again.

[Is Ji-ah scared? Asking a question won't hurt.]

Park Ji-ah really wanted to tell her, "If you're so good, then you do it," but she also felt that her best friend's words made a lot of sense.

If only she could really lose weight, she'd love to.

Winter is a great time to lose weight.

The Twice members hadn't come on stage yet. Park Ji-ah looked at the boy and asked softly, "Um... have you created your fan site yet?"

She felt she had found a good starting point. After all, more than ten days had passed since their last meeting, and she thought a fan site should be set up by now.

Then came the natural mutual following, and then...

"Not yet." The boy ran his fingers over the album cover and shook his head.

Park Ji-ah was stunned.

She didn't expect to fail at the very first step.