Chapter Twenty-Four Please Have a Drink

ir appearance first, taking over the front row immediately. When EXO-K went onstage, the front few rows were already packed with people, leaving no space at all.They could only stand two or three rows...The

Peninsula asteroid

Besides selling tickets to the public, EXO's concert also allocated a portion as internal supplementary tickets. Aside from managers of various departments within the company, each member of EXO received some tickets to give away to friends within their circle or ordinary people they knew, which served as a small perk.

Besides the free tickets, the company also prepared the best few rows of seats for the first day's concert. They specially invited the parents and relatives of all twelve members to attend, so they could see their children and siblings perform at their first solo concert after their debut up close. Watching them stride towards a brilliant peak in their careers is also a meaningful thing.

Chi Jingyuan's parents definitely couldn't come from the United States. His older sister is also busy with something recently and wouldn't be free. As for his second brother, Chi Jingxu, he doesn't know if he will come.

Given Er Ge's pushy personality, he should probably come to see his younger brother's excitement. But honestly, Ji Jingyuan doesn't really want him there. He feels a little awkward performing in front of his family.

As for the complimentary tickets the company gave him, he kept them all. He did have a few close relatives, but he was too lazy to proactively give them tickets or anything like that.

> However, if friends actively asked for it, Chi Jingyuan would naturally be happy to give it. It's not something very valuable, and others being willing to show support is also a form of encouragement. It's about giving face.

"Which day would you like, and how many tickets"

After drinking the water, Chi Jingyuan didn't return to his original spot. Instead, he walked out of the practice room smoothly. After closing the door, he leaned against the wall beside it.

"Of course, it's the concert on the 23rd! The first one held must be the most meaningful and the best to watch."

Zhou Tzuyu replied without hesitation, then hesitated for a moment, her voice becoming softer: “One... two... three.”

Her voice grew weaker and weaker, sounding a little embarrassed. From the phone, Chi Jingyuan could still hear music playing around her, as if someone was directing her.

"Let's do it tomorrow. Come to our company at noon tomorrow, and call me when you get there."

Chi Jingyuan thought for a moment and made an appointment: "You shouldn't know how to get to s company, right It's very close to your JYP, just turn a few corners."

Of course I know, I even went around your company's door with my friends...

Zhou Tzuyu felt that she was underestimated and quickly retorted, indicating that she was very familiar with the road conditions nearby. Then she happily replied, "I'll go after school tomorrow, but it might be a little late."

Well then, goodbye.

Bye bye, see you tomorrow.

Before he even hung up the phone, Ji Jingyuan heard a female voice screaming on the other end, something like "That's amazing" or so.

Then the phone call ended, Chi Jingyuan looked at the screen, chuckled and shook his head. He walked back into the practice room.

…………

At noon break, Chi Jingyuan wore a gray tracksuit and sneakers, plus a Gengar hat. With black-rimmed glasses and a mask as his disguise trifecta, he slung a single-shoulder bag over his shoulder and walked out of the company's side door.

After leaving the house, I walked south. I turned a few corners and passed through an apartment complex before arriving at the designated spot.

As he walked past a crossroad, from afar he saw Zhou Tzuyu standing by the signpost. She was huddled there, her head bowed and staring at the ground while lightly tapping it with her foot. Her long, black hair covered half of her face, revealing only her nose bridge and eyebrows. When the wind blew, her hair fluttered, making her entire face appear somewhat blurry.

As if sensing Pool Jingyuan's gaze, Zhou Tzuyu raised her head and looked over. After seeing his figure, she blinked and immediately recognized the fully disguised Pool Jingyuan. She suddenly grinned, waving her hand vigorously towards this side.

Chi Jingyuan also smiled and quickened his pace.

From afar, I have to say that this child's posture is quite good. No one supervises him, he stands there with straight legs and a tall figure, not even a hunchback or anything like that. It's clear he has good habits.

After entering, Chi Jingyuan scanned the scene from top to bottom. Zhou Tzuyu seemed to have just come back from school and hadn't gone to the company to change her clothes. She was wearing a blue school uniform jacket, white sneakers, and a black small backpack. The entire student look made her even more youthful with her short, round, completely plain face.

...just this skin color...

"Did your mother get scammed"

He walked up to her and, after taking a glance, looked at her smiling face without greeting her before speaking.

"Oh my mom got scammed"

Originally, Tzuyu was thinking about how to greet them, but this question left her a little stunned. Her mouth opened slightly.

"Facial mask."

Chi Jingyuan nodded at her, giving a hint.

"...Zhou Tzuyu blinked for two seconds before reacting, her face instantly contorting into a grimace. The joy she had felt upon seeing Ji Jingyuan vanished immediately, replaced by a heavy feeling that seemed to erupt from her chest."

"Ugh..."

She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't hold back. She directly kicked Chi Jingyuan's calf, then stretched out both hands to cover half her face, only showing a big eye frowning at him.

"You said it yourself before, I was really looking forward to seeing what changes you'd have when you came. It all turned out to be..."

Chi Jingyuan looked very innocent, and he shook his head in disappointment.

"You really are…"

Zhou Tzuyu was so annoyed by his victim's pathetic look that she wanted to scold him, but after organizing her words for a long time, she found that there were no suitable words in her vocabulary. After suffocating herself for half her life, she couldn't help but speak louder: "I didn't lie, it was already good to use. Besides, even if the face mask is very effective, the effect wouldn't be seen in just one or two days."

She explained diligently for a while, and finally emphasized: "Besides, I'm not dark at all. My friends all say my skin is good, only you keep saying that…"

"Very good, very good."

Seeing that Zhou Tzuyu seemed a little wronged, Ji Jingyuan stopped teasing her. He took out the concert tickets from his shoulder bag and handed them to her, nodding and agreeing repeatedly, "Really good, really good."

Seeing Ji Liyuan's perfunctory expression, Zhou Tzuyu frowned but couldn't do anything about it. Besides, she was used to being spoken to like that after so many times. After giving him a withering look, she stopped shielding her face and reached out to take the ticket.

She had received it, but her hand remained there, not immediately withdrawing. Her expression seemed to suggest that she felt a little awkward about taking it so easily.

"Alright, it's not like it's very expensive anyway."

Chi Jingyuan saw her like this and smiled, waving his hand casually.

"Next time you have some free time, treat me to a meal... specifically that stinky tofu you mentioned last time."

"Good!"

Zhou Tzuyu glanced at him, smiled sweetly and gave a crisp reply, then put the ticket into her school bag.

Have you eaten yet

Watching her put the ticket away, Chi Jingyuan glanced around.

He had already eaten, so he politely asked.

"I already ate at school."

"Come visit us here... Come on, let's get you a drink. There's a shop nearby that's pretty good, our members often buy drinks there."

Chi Jingyuan beckoned with his hand and then strode towards a drink shop next door that was well-regarded among EXO fans.

Zhou Tzuyu adjusted her school bag and followed him closely, her hands gripping the straps tightly. She looked at him curiously and asked:

"Do you often come here to buy things"

"I haven't been here very often."

Then how do you drink it

"Are you stupid" Chi Jingyuan turned his head and glanced at Wu Shixun with a look: "I'm having someone bring it..."

"Um… heh heh." Feeling a gaze that seemed to treat her as an imbecile, Zhou Tzuyu awkwardly flashed a grin at the other person. When she saw him shake his head, she turned and quickened her pace, then hurried to catch up.

"What are you having" Standing in front of this drink shop called 'brige', Ji Jingyuan looked at the colorful illustrations of drinks on the sign and asked Zhou Tzuyu beside him.

There weren't many people in line right now, only a couple of customers here and there.

"I'm fine with anything." Zhou Tzuyu looked at the menu for a while, then looked up and said.

"Then red bean milk tea." Chi Jingyuan nodded, took out his card from his bag and was about to go to the counter to order. As he just took a step forward, a faint voice came from behind him.

"Well, I'm not really fond of red beans..." Zhou Tzuyu looked at him timidly.

"That, Tzuyu xi, what do you mean by 'it's all good' " Chi Jingyuan chuckled and turned around, his eyes sparkling.

"Hee hee..." Zhou Tzuyu tried hard to squeeze out a smile and lowered her head.

"That's such a nasty laugh... what did you drink"

" ... just like you."

"Then lemonade... big cup Half sugar Ok." Chi Jingyuan sighed, confirmed it once more, and went to the counter to order. In a while, he walked over with two cups of lemonade, handing one to Zhou Tzuyu. The two sipped their drinks through straws as they walked away together.

He stopped at the intersection of an alleyway. Chi Jingyuan stuck a straw into his mask and bit on it, sipping contentedly for two mouthfuls. The sweet and sour taste seemed to dispel some of his fatigue.

He glanced at Zhou Tzuyu beside him, and he was about to say goodbye. After a while, EXO would start their afternoon work, and Zhou Tzuyu would definitely have to go back to the company for practice.

Just then, a man and a woman walked around the corner nearby. As soon as they appeared, the man saw Chi Jingyuan. After observing him for two seconds, he quickened his pace and walked over, familiarly patted Chi Jingyuan on the shoulder and said, "Jingyuan"

"Chan-le" Although the other person was wearing a mask and hat, Ji Kyung-won immediately recognized that it was his teammate Park Chan-le. He then took out his habit, laughing and greeting him with a wave.

Park Chan-wook just disappeared as soon as the break time started, I didn't expect to run into him here, what a coincidence.

"Jingyuan, you came to buy a drink too" Park Chan-wook looked at Ji Chang-wook's cup in his hand and burst into an openhearted laugh, seeming to be in a good mood.

"Inside." Chi Jingyuan nodded.

At this time, the woman beside Park Chan-rye was very enthusiastically looking at Ji Kyeong-won and主動 approached Ji Kyeong-won with a smile and greeted him: "Yuanxi, I've always wanted to meet you. My name is Kim Ya-jeong, Annyeonghaseyo."

Kim Ya-jing looks to be in her twenties, but it's hard to tell for sure with the bright makeup she's wearing. She has delicate features and a tall figure, making her quite eye-catching overall. She gives off a vibe of a fashionable urban beauty.

"Ne Annyeonghaseyo, it's nice to meet you." Ji-yeong also nodded and bowed, then looked at Park Chan-hyeok with his eyes, asking, "Brother, this is..."

"...Park Chan-wook didn't say anything, but he raised an eyebrow at him with a smile, his meaning already clear."

It seems that Kim Ya-jeong is the makeup artist Wu Shixun mentioned as being in a relationship with Park Chan-hyeok. Although she might be a little older than them, she is indeed quite pretty and has a good aura.

I never expected Park Chan-hyeok to make time for a meeting even during his lunch break. He sure knows how to make the most of his time... Of course, I can't really say anything since I'm not exactly a model of efficiency myself.

Ji Jingyuan and Kim Ya-jeong exchanged polite greetings. Park Chan-lye, seeing Zhou Tzuyu beside him looking a little awkward and unsure of what to say, gave Ji Jingyuan a sly look with an odd tone: "This is yours, Jingyuan..."

The final tone was deliberately drawn out, with a clear air of playful intent.

"Annie is a good friend of mine, she's currently training to be an idol."

Zhou Tzuyu pursed her lips and smiled sheepishly, a little embarrassed. Pool Jingyuan shook his head and explained.

"Annyeonghaseyo, I'm Tzuyu Zhou." She looked a bit nervous and bowed politely as she greeted them.

"Aninhasaiyo... Trainee From our company"

"No, I am jyp's."

When they heard that Ji-yeong was a friend of Park Chan-wook, the two of them were very polite and courteous. They greeted Tzuyu with smiles and chatted with her for a while. Kim Ya-jeong kept praising her in an excited manner, making Tzuyu shy and flustered, unable to speak smoothly.

This little girl is indeed still too young, a bit naive and unfamiliar.

"Well, we're going to leave then..." After a few more words, Park Chan-hyeok and the two of them proactively waved goodbye. As they passed each other, he even gave a wink to Ji Kyeong-won, secretly giving him a thumbs up.

Looking at the two figures walking away, Ji Jingyuan knew this brother probably misunderstood something.

It's fine anyway.

"Alright, I'm heading out. Take good care of your ticket, and don't lose it! I won't issue a replacement if you do."

Turning his head, Ji Jingyuan took a breath and bid farewell to Zhou Tzuyu.

"Got it." Zhou Tzuyu nodded, glanced at him, then looked down.

"By the way, I remember you mentioned before that several male trainees had been courting you What's the situation now Why didn't you let them help you get a ticket this time"

Chi Jingyuan thought about something and curiously asked a question before parting.

The life of a trainee is indeed exciting.

"You still remember...Don't mention it, they are really childish."

"You, a little girl, are saying others are childish...Nevermind, I'm leaving."

Then, goodbye.

…………

"saywaht"

"saywowo"

“It’s over, it’s over, it’s over, it’s over.”

It's been less than a week since their comeback, and inside s's practice room, several members of EXO-K are seriously practicing the complete stage for "Dope".

All the members wore name tags, just like Ji-yeong had one that read “yuan” in Korean. The other members did the same.

All the processes were run through according to the regular performance stage rehearsal, with the company's professional VJ filming the whole process.

This was filmed for the TV music program production team. The director and VJ will set up camera positions based on the footage sent over, and during the recording of the performance, they will also follow the flow shown in the video.

This is very necessary because without it, the singing show production team wouldn't know how your stage footage is designed, what special arrangements there are, when to focus on the center member, when to cut to close-ups, and when to shoot full group shots.

Then people can only shoot according to their own experience and preferences...

Basically, in order to achieve the expected stage effect on TV, each group of idols will shoot this video and give it to the TV station when they come back to promote their new song. Exo's "Wolf" and "Growl" have both shot these before.

And the use of famous brands is for identification, allowing the program's producers and VJ to quickly recognize who is who in the video. After all, there are so many idol groups participating in each episode, it's normal not to recognize some faces.

Although they are industry insiders, many television staff actually don't know much about idols. They only recognize some popular and trending artists.

At some large event rehearsals, performers also all wear name tags to let people know who they are.

However, some very famous and popular idols at this time no longer need name tags to tell others who they are, such as Girls' Generation.

At the end-of-year music battle last year, Ji-sung remembered very clearly that several artist groups were rehearsing on stage together. Including EXO, everyone wore name tags with their names on them to make it easier for the director to identify them. Only a few girl group members were casually dressed in private clothes and stood at the front without any identification.

Yet, everyone knows them.

After performing a full stage show, k team members were a bit tired.

But now there was no time to rest, they immediately followed the staff to watch over the footage of the just-completed shoot.

Although the stage for the pre-release performance is only one, it still plays a role in making a grand entrance and capturing attention. The overall effect is still very important. Moreover, all the members have seen the stage design this time and are quite satisfied with it. They are also looking forward to the effect after the stage broadcast.

To be honest, after the comeback plan was set, some members privately discussed that they felt the stage for the song "dope" was a bit too short and overshadowed.

They, like Ji Jingyuan, also really like the concept and style of this song.

"The effect is very good, this version is the only one for k team, I will give it to nt side later."

After watching it twice and discussing with the company's stage planning teacher, Lee Seung-hwan clapped his hands and instructed: "Kids, hurry up and change your clothes. Let's go to the studio to shoot the VCR now. They are already waiting there."

"Got it,"

Several people who had just taken a sip of water immediately responded, taking off their name tags, changing their clothes, and getting into the nanny's car to rush to the filming location.

As soon as they arrived at the photography studio's pool scene, Chi Jingyuan saw a familiar face.

"Senior Anihaseyo... "As soon as she entered, she encountered the long-awaited Jiang Shiqi. After seeing them, she quickly stood up and smiled, bowing politely with every movement being very standard.

Besides Park Ji-hoon and Wu Shixun, the other members are also basically familiar with Kang Se-ki, who has been a trainee for almost seven years. However, some of them aren't very close.

The few members at the front nodded in greeting. At the back, Jiyoung and Sehun looked at her with a bit of surprise: "Seungki ah, you're here to film our concert VCR"

"Inside." He looked at them Ginger's bright and honest smile.

They had to film a lot of VCRs for this concert, and Jiang Seqi was involved in one of them, but she only appeared on camera for a very short time, about 5 seconds.

But still, any opportunity to be on camera before debut is very important and precious for trainees.

Apart from the royal family, who are never short of resources.

After that, the members went to change their makeup and clothes in shifts. While those at the back of the line were waiting, Park Ji-won sat down next to Kang Se-i on a nearby bench and started chatting. Meanwhile, other members who were also at the back of the line, such as Woo Shi-hun and Do Kyungsoo, joined them, creating a lively atmosphere.

“…………”

The candidate pool has a dozen or so people, and they have weekly evaluations. After a while, some people will be eliminated, and there may also be new people joining.

"The teachers are all very strict. After making a mistake, you'll get a harsh scolding, but these are minor things. Compared to being eliminated and unable to debut, they really don't matter much. I've already been scolded many times."

"Every day you have to practice for several hours, from morning till night. Even at dawn, no one is willing to leave, afraid that if they don't make progress fast enough, they'll be eliminated."

"But no one really cares about those things anymore. Now, the only thing on everyone's mind besides practicing hard and debuting is…"

Jiang Sheqi and Chi Jingyuan kept pouring out their grievances, recounting the events that unfolded since joining the new girl group project. It was clear she was truly going through a tough time; her skin looked dry, her complexion wasn't great, and she clearly hadn't been getting enough rest lately.

>

But she was really determined, even though there was fatigue on her face, her eyes sparkled with brilliance. She radiated energy all over, as if nothing could stop her from continuing to strive forward.

Even though he was complaining, he wasn't doing it in a whiny way. Instead, his tone held a clear sense of anticipation and longing.

When Chi Jingyuan sat beside him, he would occasionally chime in with an agreement.

He felt that the vigor emanating from his loved ones had a powerful influence on people.

"It was really hard, we were like that when we were in the debut group too. We practiced every day, giving it our all, scared of being eliminated."

Wu Shixun sighed with emotion, the scene before him flashed, as if he had returned to more than two years ago when EXO's debut plan was first conceived. Back then, they were just like Jiang Seqi now.

“Yeah, we were all holed up in the practice room back then, just trying to outlast each other.” Do Kyung-soo also chimed in: “I couldn't sleep every day back then. After going to bed, I would stare at the bunk above me for a long time, unable to even imagine what my face would look like if I was eliminated.”

Entertainment companies often use the elimination system when choosing a debut group. They first gather a large number of people to form a trainee group, and after a long period of training and screening, they continuously eliminate some members until the remaining individuals are eligible to debut.

From Girls' Generation, to EXO, and to this year's new girl groups, it's always been this formula.

This method can maximize the potential of trainees, motivating them to practice relentlessly to improve their skills and reach the standard for debut. At the same time, the fear generated under this high pressure is easier for the company to manage.

But it is also really cruel.

Qian Jingyuan was a bit out of place on this topic. As an airdrop soldier, he wasn't really suited to discuss it either.

After a while, as the reminiscing of the few people subsided a little, he asked with concern: “How are Seungwan and Juhyun these days”

"Since winning the competition, Sheng Wan has really gone all out. She was chosen for her singing voice, but her dancing skills have always lagged behind. Recently, she's been scolded by her teachers a few times and secretly cried several times. Now she practically lives in the practice room."

Ginger Seqi shook her head, feeling a bit sorry for her relative. After pursing her lips, she continued talking about Jeon Somi:

"Chu Hyuk's unnie is also like that. Her appearance is rated the best, but in other areas of skill, she's only average. And she's the oldest in the pre-debut group, and she has been under a lot of pressure all this time, often suffering from insomnia."

In his mind, an image of Jiang Sheqi and the others diligently working surfaced. After a moment of silence, Chi Jingyuan let out a slow sigh:

"Debut..."

First release on Traditional Novels Networkg a year-end/winter special for xo are currently underway."After hearing this, the members looked at each other without saying a word.Some members are quite anxious lately. They've been constantly bei...