Chapter Eighty-Five

aotic Emperor once again crushed a Ninth-Rank Emperor's clone with a slap. Panting and laughing, at this moment, he truly reached a peak. 。Unbeatable! With so many people attacking him, even his avat..."Today, several familiar girl groups didn't come, like aoa and girls day."

What are you doing Have your eyes fallen on someone else again

"No, it was just a random thought, and I wasn't just saying that... you know..."

Ji Chang-wook glanced at Kim Jun-myeon, Park Chan-yeol, and Byun Baek-hyun who were chatting nearby. He then changed his posture and continued playing his game with his head down.

The annual Dream Concert will be held today, May 23rd, at the World Cup Stadium. At this moment, EXO's nine members are in the backstage lounge behind the stadium, waiting for their rehearsal session to begin.

They arrived at the venue quite late, having stopped by their company for a brief meeting beforehand. When they reached backstage, the pre-performance rehearsal had already begun. Their manager went to greet the organizers while they followed staff to prepare and wait backstage.

Every year, the Dream Concert invites many popular and trending artists and idol groups. Centered around these groups, along with some newcomers and sub-units pushed by the companies, a large number of guest performers take the stage for collaborative performances. The number of guests each time is significantly higher than in a typical compilation concert.

This time, there is no exception. To cope with the four-hour long performance this year, the organizers have invited nearly thirty artists and groups. Just the number of choreographers and professional dance troupes needed for the performance adds up to hundreds, not to mention all the managers and assistants accompanying the artists.

With so many people, the entire backstage area was packed. Besides a few slightly more secluded spots, even the passageway connecting the lounge and the stage wasn't very spacious and was full of staff and artists coming and going. Even inside the lounge, it was noisy with assistants moving back and forth and familiar artists chatting with each other while waiting.

Meanwhile, EXO was waiting in the dressing room. They had just received a message from the stage crew informing them that it would be their turn to rehearse soon, so no one went to visit or chat. Instead, they sat in their designated spots, chatting idly.

After Pooling Jingyuan arrived, he first greeted a few acquaintances and then sat down in his own position. After putting things away, he naturally took out his game console to entertain himself as usual. However, because the members chatting next to him mentioned a topic that interested him, he also listened quietly with all his attention.

Do you know any of the members of the new girl group lovelyz

Well, any ideas

"Ani, I just think the looks of the new girl group members are pretty good. Like Euijeong and Mijoo, they look quite beautiful. They're pretty eye-catching compared to other girl groups that debuted recently… What do you guys think"

"Is Irene pretty"

"Aw man... Jingyuan is right here, don't talk nonsense!"

"Haha."

Although there was no greeting, Chi Jingyuan could clearly feel their gazes on him. He felt a twinge of helplessness in his heart.

When talking about this kind of thing, they always bring it back to him. They are truly a bunch of gossipy old women.

“If you want to find out their contact information, Chan should know. I saw him chatting with a few members of Lovelyz in the backstage after a performance last time. Wait until Chanyeol comes back from the restroom and ask him if he knows... But you can just go ask him yourself, right Aren't you worried about being rejected”

"How is it possible that I would be rejected"

"Last time wasn't it Never mind, I won't say… Speaking of which, Tara is here today too! I just saw Jiyeon, they've really been through a lot these past two years... But Jiyeon actually seems to be getting prettier."

I've heard this countless times. I remember you said it since my debut...

"...By the way, what should I say tonight"

After a while, Park Chan-lyeok and a few others who had gone to the restroom returned. They were chatting idly about gossip, and while Pool Kyungsun was playing games, he would occasionally chime in with some comments when his interest was piqued.

However, after all, since there are many people around, we need to pay attention to the influence. They sat closer and lowered their voices a lot.

This time, the organizers had arranged several large lounges backstage. Each lounge was shared by many artist groups, including some dancers and staff members. A room could hold nearly ten artist groups and their accompanying staff members. It was almost always crowded with people coming in and out.

Of course, the organizers arranged different positions and spaces for the various groups according to their seniority and popularity. Their side was noticeably more spacious.

}

Today, there are three performance guests on site. Besides EXO, there's also Red Velvet and SHEE. Counting Lite as a performer too, they all have the same resting area. However, when Ji Kyeong Won and his team arrived, Red Velvet had already been called away by staff, probably to rehearsal.

But another combination from the same company, shee, has not come yet.

As expected of the senior who made their final appearance today.

Just as Chi Jingyuan beat a level and stretched, feeling a bit bored, he was about to ask when rehearsals would start. A rather familiar-looking guy walked past him and suddenly stopped, glanced at him, then smiled and handed over a bottle of drink from his hand.

"Hmm."

Chi Jingyuan hesitated for a moment, but after seeing the other person's actions and expression, he immediately understood. He smiled at this dy sister and reached out to take it.

And then elder sister Dy gave Pool Jingyuan a meaningful smile before turning and leaving.

"Another one asking to date"

Wu Shixun, who was sitting next to him, saw this and asked in a low voice, as if questioning but very sure.

He pursed his lips without answering. Chi Jingyuan reached out and touched the bottom of the drink bottle, finding a piece of paper stuck there. He didn't need to look to know that it had the other person's contact information written on it, maybe even some other messages.

He had seen this scene many times and was already used to it. Expressing feelings and passing notes through DY was a common way, he didn't know how many times he had experienced it since his debut.

It's not just Ji-seong, he's just the most prominent one. Other EXO members have also encountered this kind of situation.

The affection between idols comes so suddenly and directly. After all, they spend every day with handsome men and beautiful women, making it easy to fall for each other.

But speaking of it, he actually did meet a few people through this way...

Waving his hand to shoo away the curious Woo Shi-hoon who wanted to take a look together, Ji Kyeong-won opened the note and took a glance. Besides the contact information, it indeed wrote two sentences expressing affection and a name. At the back, there was also a handwritten cute emoji. It was clear that this person was quite serious.

Ji Jingyuan blinked after seeing the name, it was actually a member of the girl group CLC. This girl group also came today.

Didn't he remember that this girl group just debuted in March of this year

If he were to agree to exchange contact information, the success rate of a relationship would be 100%. He's only been debuting for two months and is already this direct. Could it be that this girl is also royalty, just like him

Although he was a little surprised, Chi Jingyuan still took the note. Even though he didn't really mean to connect with it, if he were going to throw it away, he would do so later after returning.

He didn't have a strong impression of any particular member of the girl group...

"xo!"

After chatting for a few more minutes, finally a staff member came over to notify us. The several people who had been waiting for a long time all stood up at once and jostled each other as they followed the staff member out.

Today they had two songs to perform, and . Rehearsal was pretty simple. Both songs are ones they've performed countless times before, so they were already very familiar with them. This time, the stage setup didn't involve anything like elevators or other complex equipment. They just communicated with the PD and VJ about the flow of the performance and camera work, then practiced their movements a few times.

Moreover, under the company's arrangement today, they didn't need to speak into the microphone and just had to lip-sync....

This Dream concert was held at the World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, Seoul. This stadium, originally used for football matches, is very large with a capacity of almost 67,000 people. That's much larger than the gymnastics arena they usually use for their concerts.

Although it was not yet time for the performance to begin, as Ji Jingyuan stood on stage rehearsing and looked out towards the audience seats, he saw a vast expanse of empty space. The sound system played music back and forth during his rehearsal, creating a sense of insignificance in the otherwise cavernous hall.

Such a massive venue and a 10,000-capacity stadium look like completely different concepts. Imagine when the audience is full, tens of thousands of people cheering together with one name in unison—the scene would be incredibly exaggerated and awe-inspiring.

Both rehearsals went smoothly, and after everything was settled, the nine of them walked off stage. As they descended the stairs, Ji Jingyuan casually said: "

"I'm going to the restroom."

"Then I'll go too." Do Kyung-soo also followed suit with a sentence, walking into the backstage after them. The two of them broke away from the crowd and headed towards the restroom. It was probably close to lunchtime, so there were fewer people coming and going along the way compared to before.

"Are you ready for Bai Xian's clothing event in two days"

"Not yet, I might choose a specific brand... what about you"

"I've already tried it, the company prepared it."

Two people walked out of the restroom and as they chatted, they started talking about this year's upcoming Baeksang Arts Awards. This year, two members of EXO are nominated and will be attending, which is something all the fans are proud of.

"It seems like Do Kyung-soo just suddenly remembered something, sighed and couldn't help but complain: 'I didn't expect that we could actually participate in the Baeksang Awards together this time... Ah, what bad luck, I got nominated for all the same categories as you.'"

Although being able to participate in this, the most prestigious awards ceremony in the television drama industry is a very happy thing, and it also represents that his transformation into an actor last year has opened a good start. It's just a pity that both Do Kyung-Soo's nominations for "Best Newcomer" and "Most Popular Actor" overlap with Ji Chang-Wook's.

Originally, he could still look forward to winning a trophy or something, at least the popularity award was quite hopeful. After all, EXO's popularity and heat were right there. With the massive support of fans voting, their competitiveness was very strong.

However, if he were to align himself with Chi Jingyuan like this, his chances of winning would be directly reduced to infinity.

He didn't expect to compete with Chi Jingyuan at all. The gap was simply too big. He could only silently sigh that his luck was bad, and comfort himself by saying that being able to participate was a victory.

Actually, it's not really comforting. For any idol, being nominated for the Baeksang Arts Awards is already a very good achievement. Fans can boast about it freely, and many people envy this kind of accomplishment.

When it comes to acting careers, Do Kyung-soo has already surpassed countless idols in terms of his start. As for Ji Chang-wook, he's not part of this discussion.

">“..."

For this topic, Jingyuan remained silent, only offering an innocent shrug.

Although he was nominated for 'Best Actor,' Ji Kyeong-won didn't expect to win. After all, he is relatively young and comes from an idol background. Last year, his performance in "The Undateables" was excellent, but it didn't give him a decisive advantage over the other nominees. Furthermore, he lacks significant weight in the film and television industry, struggling even to find connections.

Unless he tries through some personal connections at home, the possibility of him being awarded "Best Actor" by the organizers is very small. After all, idol actors are still considered somewhat unprofessional in the eyes of some people.

However, he is certain to win the other two nominated awards.

But speaking of the "Popularity Award," he recalled that there was a very familiar name on the list for the "Most Popular Actress Award." There's no doubt that the other party would definitely be present that day...

After a brief silence, the two of them walked towards the lounge and started talking about something else.

He had only taken two steps when a conversation sounded from ahead. One familiar voice made Chi Jingyuan involuntarily lift his head and look over.

"Irene, perhaps we could exchange contact information" A male idol who was already fully made up looked warmly and enthusiastically at the girl in front of him with a smile, and he also flicked his meticulously styled fringe.

His face was very white, probably with a lot of powder. The dark eyeliner paired with his innocent look on stage was quite striking, but in private it seemed a bit too over-the-top.

At a glance, the pool was clearly visible. It was a common scene where people requested contact information, just like the note he received through DY before. A more subtle approach would be to have someone pass on a note, while a more confident approach would involve directly asking in person.

This one in front of me should belong to the latter.

This male idol Ji Jingyuan has some impression, seems to be a member of the boy group SHINE. I remember he debuted in 2013. During that time period in "The咆孝" era, dozens of boy groups debuted at the same time, and very few were able to survive.

As for popularity, it's just barely surviving. At least Ji Jingyuan only knows about this group but can't remember the person's name...

And the most interesting thing is that the idol he requested contact information from was none other than Jennie.

But that confidence and passion were completely opposite to the idol's. At this moment, when suddenly stopped and asked for contact information, Park Soo-hyun directly frowned, glanced at the other person with a detached and unfamiliar look before lowering her head and averting her gaze. Then, in a conditioned reflex, she pulled Jin Ye-rin next to her back a step, her expression and actions as if she had smelled something unpleasant and pungent.

"Excuse me."

P.O raised her beautifully furrowed eyebrows, she didn't look at the other person but gazed at the ground. She moved her mouth directly expressing refusal, her voice flat and cold with a clear sense of distance. After finishing, she lightly nodded, then grabbed Kim Ye-rin who had wide eyes beside her, seemingly watching the commotion, and prepared to bypass the other person.

Just then, the sound of footsteps caught the attention of several people. She turned back and saw Park Ji-sung and Do Kyungsoo walking towards them.

Seeing Ji Changwook, Pei Zhuxuan froze directly. She didn't expect to run into him here by chance. She also knew that the scene just now had been seen by the other party. A strange sense of awkwardness arose in her heart, mixed with a slight panic.

"Jingyuan Oppa!"

"...And Kyung Soo oppa."

After seeing Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung, Kim Ye Rin directly grinned and waved enthusiastically at them. The male idol beside her changed his expression slightly and hurriedly bowed to make way for them to pass by.

Pool Kyung-won smiled and greeted Kim Ye-rin. The girl joined Red Velvet and was relatively unfamiliar at first, but after several interactions, she became more familiar and showed her lively personality. Every time they met, she would call him "Oppa Oppa."

Although many fans call him that, to be honest, not many people in Ji Chang Wook's circle of friends call him "oppa". He's the youngest one.

He smiled and nodded to Kim Yiryeong, then stopped walking, looked at the slightly stiff Park Soo-hyuk out of the way, when they crossed paths, their eyes met. He gave Park Soo-hyuk a smile and blinked his left eye lightly, then without saying anything more, he quickly left with Do Kyung-soo without stopping.

"Irene is still so popular, she was like this even when she was a trainee."

Thinking back to what just happened, Do Kyung-soo couldn't help but smack his lips and sigh with emotion. Then, with a playful look at Ji-yeong beside him, he said, "Speaking of you two, how did you end up together I remember when you first met Irene, your impression of her was rather average. You even said she wasn't particularly pretty and that she was short..."

Although Do Kyung-soo's voice wasn't loud and the surrounding noise was quite significant, Ji-seong couldn't help but turn his head to glance back. Seeing that they hadn't followed, he turned back around, smiling broadly and waving his hand as if hearing this for the first time with curiosity in his eyes: "Huh Is there What happened"

"Oh, **..."

……

>

"Ugh…" As he was playing around, a sound of a chair being pulled out suddenly came from beside him. He turned his head and saw that Park Soo-hyun, who had finished her makeup, was already sitting in the seat next to him.

The three groups of artists' waiting rooms are all arranged in one area, but even though they are connected, each has its own space. And it's obvious that Seulgi came here specifically to sit here.

But because there were many people in the lounge, with a lot of eyes and ears everywhere, after she sat down beside him she didn't say anything. She just pursed her lips and looked over at him, blinking her eyes at Ji Jingyuan.

Seeing the delicate face so close, it seemed as if Chi Jingyuan understood what the other meant and also chuckled lightly. The two looked at each other and smiled at the corners of their mouths together.

Seeing Ji Chang-wook playing by himself, Bae Joo-hyun didn't disturb him. She took out the phone in her hand and naturally started scrolling through it.

Though not close, they were not far apart either. They sat there in silence, but their actions were surprisingly synchronous and coordinated. Both lay face down on the table, each doing their own thing.

The entire lounge was abuzz with activity, punctuated by the occasional shout from staff and bursts of laughter as people chatted. A cacophony of sounds filled the air.

In a corner of this place, Ji Jingyuan and Bae Joohyun were unusually quiet. There was a strange sense of tranquility here, as if the surrounding noise would tiptoe around when it arrived, lightening its movements and silently experiencing the warmth that naturally arose between them.

First published on the Traditional Chinese Novels Networken song selection..."Ji Jingyuan reminisced for a moment, revealing a trace of fear: "The song selection process really gave me a headache. This time, XO's comeback alone had over a hundred candidates...