Peninsula: I'm the Top Streamer

Chapter 659 Xue Yun, Not Being Famous is the Original Sin

The following afternoon, Kwon Heonhyuk's car entered the underground parking lot of the JYP Entertainment building.

Park Jung-jung had already coordinated with TWICE's manager and confirmed the filming arrangements in advance.

A JYP staff member was already waiting at the private entrance. Upon seeing Kwon Heonhyuk get out of the car, he immediately bowed respectfully.

“Mr. Kwon Hyun-hyuk, Annyeonghaseyo. Please follow me.”

"Yes, thank you for your hard work." Quan Xuanhe nodded slightly and followed the staff into the building.

Unlike the noisy and bustling atmosphere backstage at KBS, JYP Entertainment, while also bustling with activity, exudes a stronger sense of order typical of a talent agency.

When the staff saw him, they couldn't hide their surprise and stopped to bow. Quiet whispers arose after he passed by.

The staff led him through a bright and clean corridor, and he arrived at the door of a spacious practice room.

"Nayeon and Tzuyu are already waiting inside."

Kwon Heon-hyuk nodded, and the staff opened the door to the practice room for him.

The spacious and bright practice room comes into view first. A huge floor-to-ceiling mirror covers an entire wall, and the wooden floor is gleaming.

The indoor air conditioning was at a comfortable temperature, and the air seemed to still retain the warmth of the practice session.

Several staff members were already waiting on the side, and Park Jung-jung was also present with Kwon Seon-hyuk's assistant, exchanging words in hushed tones.

In the center of the practice room, two figures stood out.

Lim Na-yeon was doing light jumping exercises to warm up, wearing a loose sweatshirt and sweatpants, her hair casually tied up with a few strands playfully falling beside her cheeks.

She only wore a simple, bare-faced makeup.

Now that the comeback period is over, they're busy with TWICE's group comeback behind the scenes.

She recently contracted COVID-19, which was a huge test for her health.

Her face seemed to have a slight flush from exercising. When she saw the door open, she immediately stopped what she was doing and flashed a bright, bunny-like smile.

"Oh, you're finally here." Her voice was clear and bright as she quickly took a few steps forward, then stopped just a step away from him, assuming a hand-on-hips posture, her chin slightly raised, and a sly glint in her eyes.

"Wow, you really make our little practice room shine." The tone was clearly sarcastic.

In stark contrast to her enthusiasm was Chou Tzu-yu standing a few steps behind her.

She was wearing a simple white T-shirt and slim-fitting sweatpants, and she had a slender and tall figure.

"I was a few minutes late because of traffic outside."

He then looked at Tzuyu and naturally replied, "Tzuyu, you've worked hard, accompanying Nayeon through all that trouble."

Chou Tzu-yu met his gaze, a sincere smile curving her lips: "Ani, it wasn't hard at all."

"Alright, alright!" The manager clapped her hands and stepped in to intervene. "Time is precious, let's get to work. Nayeon, how about you teach Hyunhyuk the moves first?"

"Yes." Lim Nayeon instantly got into character, abandoning her joking expression and becoming serious and focused.

"Watch closely." She stood next to Quan Xuanhe and adjusted her posture.

The staff quickly played a snippet of the chorus from "POP!".

A bouncy and addictive rhythm begins.

Lim Na-yeon moved to the rhythm of the music while explaining clearly.

"First, there's the signature 'Pop' gesture, the shoulder leading the way, like this... then there's the playful slide, the right foot touching the ground, the arm swinging... and then the key point, this quick hip twist and wink launch..."

She demonstrated meticulously, hitting every beat precisely. Lim Na-yeon's movements were full of personal style, showcasing the song's vibrant energy to the fullest.

Otherwise, how could he be an ACE who has never gone offline?

Quan Xuanhe watched intently, occasionally imitating key movements, and learned them quite well.

"Yes, yes, that's it!" Looking at his earnest expression, some of his movements seemed a little awkward, yet possessed a strangely endearing contrast, and she couldn't help but laugh. She leaned closer and reached out to adjust the angle of his wrist: "Raise your hand a little higher, the movements need to be more fluid to feel right!"

Her fingertips brushed against his arm unintentionally, still warm from their practice.

Chou Tzu-yu stood to the side, quietly watching them interact.

Quan Xuanhe was single-minded and, under these circumstances, had no evil thoughts.

It's just a normal skinship, nothing like Xiao Chunan is going to make a big deal out of it!
She watched as Lim Nayeon naturally approached Kwon Heonhyuk to instruct him on the movements, and watched as Kwon Heonhyuk, under Lim Nayeon's guidance, made slightly clumsy but earnest attempts. She watched from the sidelines with a smile, occasionally saying a few words herself.

"Three, two, one, kaka!"

The atmosphere in the practice room still carried the lingering rhythm of "POP!" and a touch of relaxation. Nayeon watched the replay on the staff member's phone showing the trio's coordinated performance, a satisfied smile on her face.

"OK, it works great."

The agent clapped his hands to announce it, then turned his gaze toward the door, clearly having been prepared beforehand.

"Ah, perfect timing." He waved towards the door.

The practice room door was gently pushed open, and two girls behind the manager walked in, their expressions a mixture of slight restraint and barely concealed excitement. They were Seol-yoon and Oh Hae-won from NMIXX.

Both of them were wearing practice clothes, indicating that their manager had brought them here specifically for practice at the company.

"Greetings, seniors! Excuse me!" Wu Haiyuan reacted quickly, bowing deeply with Xueyun beside her. Their clear voices conveyed the respect and nervousness of newcomers.

"Nayeon sunbaenim, Tzuyu sunbaenim! And... Kwon Heonhyuk sunbaenim!"

Xueyun, standing beside her, also bowed. Her movements were slightly stiff, and her face, described as "exquisitely beautiful like an elf," showed a hint of nervousness as she blinked rapidly with her large eyes.

When her gaze finally landed on Quan Xuanhe, she was momentarily stunned.

Quan Xuanhe's gaze also fell on these two new faces. His gaze swept past Wu Haiyuan, and when he saw Xueyun's fair and delicate face, which was both timid and extremely striking, his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

It was a face he had seen before.

It wasn't that long ago; back then, she was a trainee who needed to find her own practice room and was filled with anxiety about the future.

Quan Xuanhe's lips curved into a gentle smile, breaking the momentary silence. He gazed at Xue Yun and called out her name clearly and firmly:
"Xue Yun?"

The clear roll call surprised everyone in the practice room slightly. Nayeon and Tzuyu both looked at Seolyoon curiously.

Xue Xueyun, whose name was called out accurately by Quan Xuanhe, was stunned for a moment.

She never expected that after all this time, after the tense preparations before her debut and the busyness after her debut, she would still be able to recognize her at a glance and remember her name clearly.

That unexpected feeling surged into my heart, and then transformed into an indescribable joy and a subtle sense of being valued.

A flicker of disbelief and surprise first crossed her doe-like eyes, then a bright light appeared, reflecting the irrepressible joy in her heart.

Quan Xuanhe looked at the two newcomers who were clearly more flustered, and continued speaking in a gentle tone, his gaze lingering more on Xueyun.

"I didn't expect you to officially debut so soon. Congratulations, Seol-yoon."

This congratulatory message felt more like a confirmation of the future of the clueless trainee they met last time, carrying a hint of familiarity.

Xueyun felt her face flush slightly. The surprise made her a little flustered, and her voice was filled with gratitude and a bit of confusion.

"Kamsangmidah, senior, I never expected you to still remember me..."

Seeing this, the manager immediately chimed in with a smile, her tone quite proud: "Yes, Xuanhe-ssi, Xueyun and Haewon have been active as members of JYP's new girl group NMIXX for a while now. We brought them here today to meet our seniors, and also to see if we could take advantage of you and Nayeon to film a challenge and share in the joy?" Kwon Xuanhe's gaze swept over Xueyun's slightly flushed face with surprise, and Wu Haewon beside her, who was equally expectant, and he nodded without hesitation.

"Of course, it's NMIXX's new song, right? I'm fine with that."

His agreement caused a bright light to gleam in the eyes of the two new girls.

To reiterate, he has the memory that Xueyun will debut, so he remembers it, but he doesn't have many deep memories of it.

It might be because they're not famous enough.

He didn't pay much attention when they debuted a few months ago. Although they had a lot of fanfare, they were just a newly debuted girl group.

There wasn't any particularly strong upward momentum afterwards; apart from the outstanding individual performances, the group's performance could only be described as mediocre.

NMIXX was JYPE's first girl group project after leaving Park Jin-young's leadership, and it's clear that it wasn't very successful in retrospect.

Judging success or failure solely by results is an open secret in this industry; the notion that "art is everything" is just a face-saving rhetoric.

From a fault-finding perspective, many people can find a whole host of flaws just by looking at the results.

The reasons given include: the members lack star quality, are amateurs, have poor body proportions, and have poor facial expression control, etc.

Ultimately, it's because they're not famous enough; if they were famous enough, none of this would be a problem.

Even Hanni from NewJeans, the ultimate average girl, can be praised as a sweet and soft little cake. Isn't that enough to prove that not being famous is a sin?

Seol-yoon quickly bowed again: "Yes, senior. It's the title track for our upcoming comeback, 'DICE'."

Her voice remained calm, but the joy in her eyes was undeniable.

"How was the movement? Was it difficult? It shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Lim Nayeon chimed in playfully, her gaze darting between Kwon Heonhyuk and the two newcomers. She was the most relaxed one there.

As the team leader, Wu Haiyuan immediately realized that this was a formal job, adjusted her mindset, and adopted a professional attitude.

“Senior, the choreography for DICE… is probably a little more complicated than I imagined.”

She turned to Kwon Heon-hyuk, her smile carrying a hint of apology and encouragement.

"It's a technically demanding song, with fragmented movements, a fast tempo, and many detailed timings and variations. But we'll teach you the most essential signature moves for the chorus."

"It's alright, come on, Ms. Xueyun and Ms. Haiyuan, thank you for your guidance."

The slightly teasing "teacher" made Xueyun's ears burn even hotter, and she quickly waved her hands: "Ani, senior-nim..."

However, his gaze slipped to the side and met Chou Tzu-yu's eyes.

Chou Tzu-yu kept smiling at her, which made Seol-yun lower her head and avoid his gaze.

The staff quickly switched to the chorus of "DICE".

The music, once it started, was completely different from the upbeat tune of "POP!".

The intense bass lines, the oppressive drumbeats, and the unpredictable rhythms instantly fill the space, foreshadowing the difficulty of the dance.

Wu Haiyuan stood to Kwon Hyun-hyuk's left to demonstrate: "Senior, look here. The first key point is the rhythm of your footwork, three 'tap tap tap's on the ground followed by a small slide..."

She broke down the movements precisely, her steps intricate yet clear.

Xueyun stood to the right in tacit agreement, demonstrating the coordinated wave motion of the arms and core: "Then the hands are like this, pressing down, lifting the wrists, and the body tilts in this direction... The isolation of the shoulders is very important."

Although her movements were not as explosive as when she performed on stage, the details were extremely clear and smooth.

How can a storefront be so powerful...?

Lin Daiyu pulled it up...

He tried to keep up with Wu Haiyuan's fast and complex movements, but he was a little awkward.

"This needs a bit of... explosiveness, like this!"

Seeing his struggle, Xueyun mustered her courage and moved a little closer, then deliberately performed a slow-motion breakdown, revealing astonishing strength and control through her slender waist.

"Tighten your core and use your waist and abdomen to drive the movement."

Nayeon and Tzuyu watched from the side.

Lim Nayeon exclaimed in surprise: "Wow, the dance for this song looks complicated."

Chou Tzu-yu nodded slightly in agreement, her gaze falling on Seol-yoon's detailed explanation of the movements, and then looking at Kwon Hyun-hyuk, who was frowning and trying hard to keep up with the rhythm.

After several practice sessions, Kwon Heonhyuk managed to grasp the basic framework of the main movements.

"Senior, you learn so fast! This song takes a long time for even rookie idols to practice," Xueyun said earnestly, with sincere encouragement.

Oh Hae-won smiled and nodded, "That's right, senior-nim is just not very familiar with this style of movement. He'll get used to it after a few more tries."

After repeating the key segments several times and feeling that he was in the right state, Kwon Heonhyuk nodded: "Okay, let's do a test shoot."

The staff immediately raised the equipment, and music started playing.

……

After filming the challenge for "DICE", the manager nodded in satisfaction and said to Oh Hae-won and Seol-yoon, "Well done, Hae-won and Seol-yoon, thank you for your hard work. We won't bother you any longer, let's go."

Wu Haiyuan immediately pulled Xueyun, who was still somewhat dazed, and respectfully bowed deeply to Quan Xuanhe, Lin Nayan, and Zhou Tzuyu once again.

"Kamsangmidah, senior! Thank you, senior! You've worked so hard, senior!"

"It's alright, you've all worked hard too," Quan Xuanhe said with a smile.

At their manager's prompting, they bowed again and then carefully left the practice room.

The heavy door closed gently behind us, shutting out the lingering musical notes and the powerful presence of the three top artists.

"Wow..." Wu Haiyuan let out a long sigh of relief as she walked.

"Senior Kwon Seonhyuk has such a strong aura. Standing next to him, I feel like I have to be careful when I breathe... But he is also a very easy-going person."

She turned her head to look at Xueyun beside her, "Senior-nim still remembers you, that's amazing, was your meeting before really that memorable?"

Xueyun, however, remained silent, mechanically following along, and only gave a vague response to Wu Haiyuan's excited question.

"Hmm...maybe..."

The scene from just now was still replaying in her mind.

It really has a strange feeling.

but……

They have already worked hard to debut, and what was originally a simple act of kindness can actually become a lasting memory, and can be used as a beautiful story to tell!
To be honest, NMIXX's debut was definitely a disappointment compared to what they had anticipated.

The more optimistic I was back then, hoping to become an overnight sensation and reach the top, the heavier and more disheartening I feel now.

Therefore, he wasn't as confident when facing Quan Xuanhe, since Quan Xuanhe was so popular.

Even after debuting, it feels like you can't see their backs...

(End of this chapter)