The number one playboy on the Peninsula!

Chapter 223 Sana Minatozaki: Treat Me Well

"I can't wait to watch it, I'm staring at it intently!"

"There's nothing I can do, my dearest darling~"

On the stage of the Red and White Song Festival, a vibrant pink and blue backdrop, accompanied by the lighthearted singing of the bunny girl, saw the nine members moving and the stage lights constantly changing. She wore silver high heels, smiled broadly, crossed her arms, and swayed her shoulders and body...

Gong Cheng stood in the waiting area, watching the members' performance. He couldn't help but take out his phone from his pocket and snap a few videos. The performance was great.

The nine members wore matching silver-pink skirts or shorts, with white velvet hems and hems adorned with white floral tassels. Park Jin-young's concept of TWICE as an energetic girl was perfectly showcased on their stage.

The cheers from the audience were quite loud.

Sana Minatozaki moved to the center of the stage, the dazzling stage lights sweeping over her as she made a heart shape with her hands and winked...

“Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na-Na na na na na na na na~”

I love you so much~

After the sound effects from the effects pedal, Mina's smiling face appeared on the big screen, with her hands to her lips, giving a big flying kiss.

"Overwhelmed with negative energy, talking to myself and peeing~"

"Mom is worried about me all the time!"

The food crew line took center stage, with Son Chaeyoung and Kim Dahyun standing on either side, their hands outstretched on their shoulders, while Chou Tzuyu stood behind them in the middle, swaying her body and singing the lyrics joyfully…

Her beloved student, Hirai Momo, suddenly appeared in the camera's view on the stage's large screen. She swayed her hips, clenched her fists, and twisted them up and down her cheeks, looking rather cute...

"Yet, it soothes my restless and anxious emotions~"

"It's about to explode!"

The dancers were positioned in three rows at an angle, allowing a clear view of each member's movements. A shower of silver powder shimmered under the spotlight. The nine members then moved to the first row for the chorus...

The nine of them simultaneously stretched out their hands, making the TT gesture, like two guns neatly pointed behind their heads towards the audience. Then, as the lyrics progressed, they placed their hands under their eyebrows, as if tears were falling...

“I’m like TT~”

“Just like TT~”

"Don't pretend you didn't see it, don't do that, don't do that~"

The judges, the audience, and the host all joined in the synchronized dance of the nine performers, pointing their fingers at their cheeks... while the director's camera mischievously focused on Gong Cheng, wearing a newly changed black shirt, in the waiting area...

The song "TT," which became a huge hit last year and was dubbed the "TT Demon King" by countless people, is produced by this pop superstar...

Gong Cheng looked at his own face on the big screen with surprise, smiled, and then stretched out his hand wearing a watch in the camera, his slender fingers hanging down, making a TT gesture on his cheek.

Amidst the erupting screams, Kim Dae-woo, standing to the side, flashed a TT hand gesture and jokingly peeked into the shot. Gong Cheng glanced at Mina's sullen, seemingly distressed expression, mimicked it, and only then did the director, satisfied, cut the camera back…

TT is the most commonly used crying emoticon in the Peninsula chat software. It is represented by Korean vowels and is pronounced "woo-woo," which sounds like crying. This was one of the sources of inspiration for Gong Cheng when he created this song for TWICE.

"My inner self is always showing a crying emoji~"

"..."

“Just like TT~”

Tell me you'll be my baby~

……

"My blood, sweat, and tears..."

When Bombardment Meteor's "Blood Sweat and Tears" began, the stage suddenly plunged into thick darkness, with seven scarlet beams of light precisely outlining the sculpted figures of all the members.

"It's all for you," Gong Cheng's deep, magnetic voice rang out through the headset, his black, tousled hair slightly tousled by the stylist. His chest rose and fell with each breath, the top two buttons of his black shirt undone, and in the dim red light, a silver necklace clashed against his collarbone with the force of his dance.

The seven members' taut backs resembled drawn bows poised for action. Gong Cheng stood horizontally in the center of the stage, his long, slender fingers slowly tracing his eyebrows and eyes. The instant his fingertips paused, the drumbeats of the entire audience exploded! The seven members simultaneously launched into wave movements, the rhythmic undulations from their ankles to their necks advancing in unison like dominoes…

"But your wings belong to the devil~"

"Sweetness tinged with bitterness."

"..."

"Bombardment Meteor!!!"

The explosive drumbeats and stage presence instantly elicited screams and shouts from the Japanese girls in the audience. Compared to the Korean version of "Blood Sweat & Tears," the Japanese version's melody and lyrics have a much stronger darker style. Meanwhile, Bombardment Meteor, expanded from four to seven members, has become even more impactful after re-parting and choreography.

The seven-person knife dance, under the light screen, resembled precise gears, moving in perfect unison with swift and precise movements.

"Blood, sweat, sweat,"

Presented now~

"It overflowed..."

In the waiting area, many local Japanese groups were watching Bombardment Meteor's stage performance; their "Blood Sweat & Tears" performance was just as good as Makoto Miyamoto's opening solo performance.

The perfectly synchronized knife-wielding dance, the live vocals...

I watched the videos with great focus and was deeply moved by the performances of Japanese female idol groups like AKB48 and SHISHAMO. The groups from the Korean Peninsula are different from their Japanese counterparts; while they enjoy immense popularity in Japan, they place greater emphasis on providing emotional value to their fans.

However, the individual singing and dancing skills of the groups from the Korean Peninsula are relatively stronger than theirs. The two countries have different models for training artists, and currently, the two top groups from the Korean Peninsula are TWICE, who debuted recently, and Bombardment Meteor.

The seven members on stage, their choreography and singing are not only dazzling yet perfectly synchronized, but also emphasize the release of each member's individual charm...

"Mane, mane, mane~"

"Mane Mane~"

The venue resounded with a chorus of thousands of people, while Jackson Wang and Jay Park, interspersed among the performers, launched into their rap segment.

"Like being captured, I'm poisoned by your charm~"

"Voluntarily drinking the poisoned Holy Grail~"

In the climax, Gong Cheng, Wu Sehun, and Park Chanyeol, known as the "Seoul Three Musketeers," formed a golden triangle, their long arms and legs being used to their fullest advantage in the choreography. The remaining four members formed a matrix, surrounding the three…

Tell me quietly now~

"Even running away is beyond our control."

In the AKB48 crowd, Hasegawa Shiren nudged his friend Miyawaki Sakura on the shoulder: "I doubt there's another group in all of Asia with such a high roster of members, right?"

Miyawaki Sakura remained silent, staring at the performance on the big screen. Under the blood-red light, there were seven figures. Regardless of their looks, in terms of skill alone, as far as she knew, apart from Tarot, the remaining six seniors were all excellent singers and dancers.

If you randomly pick one of them and put them in any group or band, they'd either be the visual center, the lead vocalist, or the main dancer...

"Aigoo, it's really a rare treat to see these seven guys do a synchronized knife dance." From the group of TWICE members, Jeongyeon and Jihyo remarked quite frankly. Aside from the company's practice room, they'd almost never seen these guys perform a synchronized knife dance live...

Moreover, Gong Cheng and the others on stage know better than anyone that this guy has been exposed to all kinds of dance, such as blackhop and street dance, since last summer, and his stage performance is already like that of a main dancer...

Hirai Momo's intelligent eyes flickered, and she suggested, "How about we challenge them tonight when we get back to the hotel? With this song, 'Blood Sweat and Tears'."

After the huge success of "Blood Sweat & Tears" last year, the dance to this song became a must-learn for almost all trainees and artists on Peninsula. After Gong Cheng started the trend at the beginning of the year, Challenge became popular among various agencies and groups.

Idols often invite other groups to film dance challenges for their new songs backstage at music shows and then post them on social media to generate buzz for the new songs. This has become an important part of their routine.

However, it was precisely because of the Challenge craze that many K-pop artists found themselves compatible and attracted to each other while filming collaborative dance videos, and naturally ended up together...

Therefore, the Challenge is not only an essential part of their schedule, but also a place where many celebrities secretly meet and enjoy happy moments. In the past six months, several relationships have been exposed through the Challenge, leaving many fans angry but unable to speak out…

What kind of crappy Challenge is this?! Is it just to make it easier for celebrities to socialize?

Hirai Momo really wanted to have a friendly exchange with her beloved teacher, considering that she was practically his mentor when he first started dancing last year.
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!"

Amidst screams from the audience, the stage for "Blood Sweat and Tears" came to a close. The seven members stood in a single file, with Jackson Wang at the front, followed by Jay Park, Lay Zhang, Lim Young-woong, and others, arranged in order of height, with Gong Cheng at the back.

In the blood-red light screen, Jackson Wang's eyes were lightly covered by Jay Park's hand, and Lay Zhang lightly covered Jay Park's eyes, one after another, but then the big screen took a close-up shot of their faces, and the group opened their hands one by one, revealing the faces of the members in front of them...

Until the large screen showed Park Chanyeol's slender hand with Gong Cheng covering his eyes, the rings on his hand looking particularly cold in the blood-red dim light, and as the slender fingers disappeared, Park Chanyeol's face flashed across the screen...

Gong Cheng's profile was reflected on the big screen. He turned his head and stared intently, his hairstyle with tousled hair adding to his aggressive look. His eyes were cold and sharp, a stark contrast to his usual warm and gentle smile...

The stark contrast brought both the fans in the live stream and the audience at the venue to a collective frenzy.

Gong Cheng blinked calmly and normally. The blood-red light curtain dissipated, the stage lights went out, and the surging darkness swallowed his face. The cheering sticks waving in the dark venue instantly went into a frenzy, screaming and exploding...

"Bombardment Meteor!!!"

“TTTTTTTTTarot!!!”

"..."

Yoo Jeongyeon smoothed her short, golden hair, opened her mouth, and stared at the Bombardment Meteor leaving in the darkness: "Aigoo, how come this guy's part is always so eye-catching..."

"Really are……"

"There's nothing we can do about how handsome he is. The main issue is that if someone else were to do it, they might not achieve the same effect as him."

"That's true... Don't oppa's fans say, 'As long as you have a face, you'll have a kingdom'?"

Miyawaki Sakura followed the members back to the dressing room. Their AKB48 performance was in the second half. She couldn't help but think of the rumor her friend had mentioned a while ago: would the "Emperor of Pop" possibly participate in next year's "Produce 48"?
The more she watched TWICE and Bombardment Meteor's performances today, the more she wanted to debut on Peninsula Entertainment, learn from their stage presence, and become an artist like "Tarot"...

She clearly understands the differences between Japanese local artists and artists from the peninsula.

……

At 11:30 p.m., the Red and White Song Festival ended, with the White Team ultimately winning with a total of 5237644 votes.

On the way back to the hotel with Twice, Sana Minato, wearing a down jacket, sat in the van. She glanced at the message from Makoto Miyamoto on her phone, then, with a hint of apprehension, suggested, "It's so late, how about we go to Shibuya to get something to eat?"

Shibuya, one of Tokyo's 23 wards, is listed as a "24-hour sleepless town" like Shinjuku, so there are many izakayas, Japanese restaurants, and cafes open late at night, and they are almost always open.

The members in the car were all somewhat tempted. The manager, who was driving, thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Kids, today's performance was great, so let's relax a bit together?"

She thought about their recent schedule. On the flights between Seoul and Tokyo, the group of girls behind her looked very tired. After today's Kohaku Uta Gassen, TWICE's schedule would have a short break. Apart from the year-end awards ceremony, which they had to attend, there were almost no other activities.

According to the president, aside from their second Japanese single released in February, their next comeback won't be until April.

The agent dialed the number of a colleague in the van behind them to discuss the matter, and then started navigation so the two vans could head towards Shibuya.

"Where are oppa and the others? Aren't they coming along?" Chou Tzu-yu, sitting in the back seat, pulled back the black curtain and saw the two vans carrying the Bombardment Meteor members. She turned the van around, made a turn, and drove onto Kyoto Road, heading in the opposite direction.

Son Chaeyoung was also puzzled by this, but after seeing her boyfriend's reply on her phone, she explained, "Oppa said they're not going. They're going to the airport to see Lay and Jackson off back to Korea. Their flights are in an hour."

"They said they could just grab something to eat on their way back to the hotel after dropping off the guests..."

"They're really busy." Kim Da-hyun hugged a cushion and leaned back in the car seat. "Good riddance, you'd better just go back to the hotel and sleep, oppa, or we might be in trouble..."

Let me just relax and have a meal with the members...

"Well, after Bombardment Meteor's comeback this year, the members' individual schedules have been piling up for too long, and now they all have to catch up on their schedules. Moreover, their individual commercial value has been rising since this comeback. Apart from Tarot, the commercial value of the remaining 6 members is at the top of the pyramid in K-pop..."

"It's the peak of my career, so it's normal to be busy."

The manager, Unnie, explained with a smile that compared to the artists' daily practice, they have to deal with some commercial brands more often. With the rise of Bombardment Meteor, the seven members have been receiving a constant stream of endorsements and offers.

Compared to TWICE, this mixed-genre group has individual resources that would make any other K-pop group envious, while the members behind them haven't even had their individual resources revealed yet.

"Oh, right, there's something else I forgot to tell you." The manager stepped on the brakes, waiting for the traffic light to change. "Starting tonight, everyone can open their own Instagram accounts. Be careful how you manage them. You should know very well what to post and what not to post, right?"

When Sana and the others heard this, they were stunned and somewhat incredulous. They knew very well what opening an Instagram account meant; it was like a strong signal being released, representing the imminent launch of their personal information.

But for so long, we've never heard any news from the company about TWICE opening up their personal data.

"Oh my... really?"

The agent glanced at the faces in the rearview mirror and said with a smile, "It's true, we heard about it last month, but only Tarot and the president knew about it in the whole company. Our agents only found out last week..."

"However, the president told us to tell you after today's Red and White Song Festival, so as not to make you anxious."

The management team fully understands the president's concerns. Despite the current harmonious atmosphere of the girl group at its peak, Park Jin-young is also worried that releasing personal information will cause the members to tear each other apart...

After all, individual talent is something that requires competition, and which girl who can debut from thousands of trainees doesn't have ambition?
"How did oppa know?" Kim Da-hyun asked sharply, her eyes flashing with suspicion. General, could it be that you're forcing resources on your female relatives? The thought sent a chill down her spine...

The agent said, "I heard from the company that he suggested it to the president. In any case, the company made the decision after considering many factors. But you should treat Xiaocheng to a meal later to thank him."

"..." Kim Da-hyun's face darkened. Thank you? He'd practically taken advantage of all the unnies, how could he possibly thank them?

However, the opening up of personal data is indeed a very welcome development...

Ten minutes later...

The van arrived at the Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo. As one of the world's busiest intersections, the crowds gathered here were even greater than usual as 2018 approached...

Cars were jammed on the main road, and the dense crowds of people moved like army ants across the zebra crossing...

Sana Minatozaki glanced at the time on her phone: 23:57 PM. Her birthday wasn't over yet, and her boyfriend had said he'd prepared a gift for her at this busiest intersection in the world…

She wondered if he had secretly hidden it somewhere. Like the villain in Detective Conan, who hid the bomb in a corner of a crowd; if she didn't find it before the timer expired, the world would explode…

That's ridiculous... but Sana Minatozaki is still very curious and wants to look for it.

But as soon as she rolled down the car window and poked her head out into the snow, she immediately saw her photo flashing on the LED screen in front of the high-rise building at the intersection.

On the large LED screen, Sana Minatozaki's long, dark brown curly hair and black dress swayed in the night, her fleeting glance frozen in time. Against the backdrop of the night, fireworks, like crayon drawings, flickered, cluster after cluster, multicolored, until finally, the distorted crayon drawings transformed into exploding fireworks bursting across the night sky…

"Oh my! Unnie, your birthday support! Daebak!" Son Chaeyoung peeked out and exclaimed in surprise.

Today is this unnie's birthday, so it's not surprising that there are birthday support activities. But it really feels so romantic... With fans like this, the unnie must be very touched, right?
Sana Minatozaki frowned, her bright eyes reflecting her image on the big screen. She had clearly said that the photo was not very good, even though it was pretty!

But when they were taking the photos, Gong Cheng was so tall, yet he just stood there holding his phone upright to take the picture! It makes the proportions look really bad! Tall boys should squat down to take pictures of their girlfriends!

Baka! I really can't control you!
The phone clutched in her hand vibrated, and Sana Minatozaki unlocked the screen. She glanced at the message from Makoto Miyamoto: "Happy birthday, dear girl~ Just a small token of my appreciation~"

Sana Minatozaki turned her face away, looking out the window at the fireworks still drawn with crayons, like crudely made special effects, a comical and cute style... She smiled with tears in her eyes, thinking, "That shameless scoundrel..."

The bursting fireworks, just like the time bomb she had imagined before seeing the gift, exploded without warning with a "bang," scattering sparks deep within her heart... The burning sparks seared her jubilant heart... "Hey, I know you're very career-driven, so I'm giving you a preview of what it would be like to receive this kind of support from fans in the future. To avoid your tears being moved by other men or women, I'll accept it in advance, saranghae~"

Sana Minato stared at the message sent by Makoto Miyamoto: "You're even jealous of your fans?"

"Yes," Gong Cheng replied.

"Daebak~ Quickly take a video and photos, upload them to thank the fans after Instagram opens tonight, Sana." The manager was also shocked by what she saw. This was too much of a coincidence; they had just said they were going to Shibuya for dinner, and now there was birthday support...

"Happy Birthday~" Colorful text flowed across the LED screen.

Sana Minatozaki exited the chat window, picked up her phone, and began recording the scene outside the window at the Shibuya all-way intersection. Amidst the surging crowds, on the zebra crossing, a dense mass of pedestrians were taking photos of the LED screens playing a loop in all directions with their phones…

"I need to thank the fans." She nodded, looking touched, in the car. Then she glanced at the maknae, Kim Dahyun, sitting next to her, before lowering her head, thinking that she should cover for Dahyun tonight so she could sneak a few more drinks...

She and Dahyun fell asleep in the same hotel room. Being the maknae (youngest member), she needed to go to bed early…

While Kim Da-hyun was happy for Sana unnie beside her, she also felt something strange about it...

……

Meanwhile, at Haneda Airport.

"See you back home in a few days..."

"Take care and get some rest, bro..."

Under the night sky in front of the terminal, Bombardment Meteor and their group said goodbye to each other. The veterans, including Jay Park and Lay Zhang, had quite a few old dance injuries, so they reminded each other of things…

After a brief chat, Gong Cheng and the others watched Wang Jiaer and Zhang Yixing walk into the airport. Then, they got into a van and headed back to a Japanese restaurant near Ginza.

The white curtain in the private room was lifted, and a large bottle of sake was brought to the table. Kim Dae-woo and his managers sat at another table in the same lavish private room, the atmosphere lively and bustling…

Gong Cheng took a sip of sake and sat on the tatami mat by the long table, chatting casually with the members while clinking glasses. When he saw Park Jae-beom lying on the floor, shirt off, and Lim Young-woong kneeling beside him applying a plaster to his waist, he quickly spoke up:
"Brother, give me one too..."

"Has your injury from last practice still not healed, maknae?" Oh Sehun asked with concern. Having debuted for many years, he knew very well that a large number of artists in K-pop were exhausted at the end of the year, and every artist who could debut had countless old injuries left from practice.

Gong Cheng stretched his shoulders: "It's probably not fully healed yet."

He gave a wry smile as he spoke, explaining that many of the injuries on people like Jay Park, Jackson Wang, and Sehun were old injuries caused by continued practice and constant pressure, which hadn't fully healed.

"Ouch." He shook his neck, feeling a bit sore.

Park Chanyeol pulled out a white plaster from his bag and urged Gong Cheng to lower his head, "Maknae, is it still on your neck?"

"A little lower, in the middle of the shoulder blades," Gong Cheng said, then felt the heat of the plaster as it was applied, which made him feel much better. He picked up his short-sleeved shirt and put it back on. When he saw that Park Jaebeom's bare shoulders, arms, and neck were covered in plasters, he couldn't help but tease, "Haha, Jaebeom hyung, are these plasters specifically for covering up tattoos?"

"Aigoo, do you think I wanted to?" Jay Park rolled his eyes with a laugh, then picked up his glass and drank it down in a grand manner.

The joking conversation between the group reached the ears of Kim Dae-woo and his managers at another table. They watched with complex expressions as several people at a long table a meter away chuckled and raised their glasses, indulging in a few drinks…

Beneath the cheerful laughter, a bitter feeling welled up in their hearts. The boys they saw had white and brown plasters on their necks and arms… and hidden beneath their clothes were things no one else could see…

Kim Daewoo picked up his phone. It was January 1st, the new year, and he wanted to take a group photo of the members to update the Bombardment Meteor's official Weibo account. So he called out impatiently, "Sehun, Jaebum, you guys put out your cigarettes and take a picture."

In the dimly lit and cool private room, the heating was warm and cozy. The cigarette that Wu Sehun had just stubbed out was still lingering in the light of the chandelier above. The five people glanced at the camera with smiles. Several 1L bottles of sake were placed on the long table. The white plaster under Gong Cheng's black hair on his neck was glaringly conspicuous against the backdrop of his black short-sleeved shirt.

"OK!" Kim Daewoo nodded, then sent the photo back to the staff member in the company who manages the official Bombardment Meteor account. He sent a voice message: "Remember to Photoshop Lay and Jackson in..."

"As for the copywriting, it's like using countless plasters to piece together the crown of Bombardment Meteor..."

"It would be best to make another image and post it tomorrow morning..."

After speaking, Kim Dae-woo put down his phone and took a sip of his drink. He believed that in K-pop, sometimes promotion was necessary. His rival companies were doing a lot of promotion, and he wanted to show other companies and artists why Bombardment Meteor had achieved this.

In fact, he still harbors resentment about what happened at the airport six months ago when the children returned to Seoul from Las Vegas. Moreover, the photo that Park Chanyeol sent when they were filming in Daegu was jokingly referred to as "Seoul's 7 Naked Men".

The release of the pre-release single "Let It Be" has been criticized by many as "playing the victim..." Seriously! How popular are Bombardment Meteor that we need to play the victim?!
Gong Cheng listened to Jin Dayu's voice message and couldn't help but feel speechless. "Brother, how come you've become a Japanese person after just two days in Japan? You've become so childish..."

He then turned around and started drinking with Oh Sehun.

……

At 2 AM, TWICE and the others returned to the hotel...

Sana Minato helped Dahyun, who was quite tipsy that night, back to her room. She laid the maknae (youngest member) flat on the bed, tucked the blanket around Dahyun, and poured her a glass of water.

Then, she took off her heavy down jacket and hoodie and went into the bathroom...

"Wow~"

Amidst the pattering water, Sana Minatozaki lathered herself with shower gel, reminiscing about the events of her birthday day. The song her boyfriend sang for her on stage was beautiful, and the cheering at Shibuya Crossroads was wonderful too…

She hadn't had time to watch the music video for "Sunset Girl" after a busy day.

On the way back to the hotel, Sana Minatozaki asked Makoto Miyamoto, who had just returned to the hotel as well. But after only a few words, that scoundrel said he was going to take a shower and then disappeared without a trace...

After drying herself off, Sana Minatozaki stepped out of the bathroom and pulled out a nightgown from her suitcase. Her wet hair was still damp from being dried with a towel. She stood in front of the mirror, hesitantly putting down the hairdryer, afraid of waking up Dahyun who was fast asleep.

So, she sat on the edge of the bed, picked up her phone, opened the Instagram account she and the members had excitedly registered together at the izakaya, took a picture of the support photo at Shibuya Crossing, and captioned it: "Thank you for your support..." blah blah blah...

Thanking the fans was just a pretense; Sana Minatozaki knew perfectly well who she really wanted to thank. She then rummaged through her bag for her lipstick, wiped her lips, and ignored her wet hair, deciding to let that scoundrel blow-dry it for her.

"..."

Sana Minatozaki tiptoed to open the door. Before leaving, she pretended to open the door and then stood in the room staring at Dahyun on the bed, afraid that she would be woken up or pretend to be asleep...

After some probing, seeing that the youngest member was sleeping peacefully, she relaxed, walked out of the room, pressed the elevator button, and headed straight for the 17th floor.

……

"Bang bang bang~"

Gong Cheng, who had just finished showering and crawled into bed, was still feeling sleepy when he heard a knock on the door. The room was a suite with three bedrooms, and he shared it with Zhang Yixing and Wang Jiaer, but their plane had probably already landed in Shanghai by now.

Gong Cheng sat up, rubbed his tired face, and got out of bed. He had drunk quite a bit tonight. He had a trip to London tomorrow morning, so he was very tired. And none of his girlfriends wanted to see him tonight. Weren't the Rabbit Girlfriends supposed to be drunk?
There's been no news about the Shiba Inu's mother either.

He walked across the suite's living room, came to the door, and asked, "Who is it?"

Upon hearing Sana Minato's voice, I opened the door and saw her wearing a blue down jacket, with a white nightgown standing gracefully beneath the open zipper.

As the alcohol and drowsiness wore off, Gong Cheng chuckled sleepily, "Sana-chan, Happy Birthday~"

Sana Minatozaki looked at her husband's tired face and walked into the house with a bit of heartache. She hugged his bare upper body and waist, but when her small, fair hands wrapped around his back, she touched the edges of the plaster patches.

"My dear daughter? Did you just deliver yourself to my doorstep?" Gong Cheng lowered his head and pressed his cheek against her head. "You smell so good, Sana-chan~"

However, after feeling her damp hair, he said irritably, "Aigoo, didn't you dry your hair?" and pulled her to the bathroom, picked up the hairdryer next to the mirror, and started drying her hair...

"You're the one talking! Did you go straight to bed without drying your hair after showering?" Sana Minatozaki stood obediently in front of Makoto Miyamoto. In the mirror, he was yawning, his black, tousled hair clearly still damp...

"Ani, I drank quite a bit tonight, I'm really sleepy." Gong Cheng explained, gently running his fingers through her hair to dry it. "Once you're here, you can't leave. I missed you so much, Sana-chan~"

The two entered the bedroom. At Sana Minatozaki's command, Makoto lay face down on the bed, and she knelt on top of him, massaging the plaster on his back while muttering with concern, "I've never seen you practice so hard before. How come you have so many injuries?"

"I don't know, some injuries just happen inexplicably, I don't know either..." Gong Cheng's originally somewhat excited state calmed down a lot under the massage from the puppy, and he became very sleepy instead.

After massaging him for a while, Sana Minatozaki got up and stood on the soft mattress. Her white nightgown, with its long hem, brushed against Makoto Miyamoto's back. She was barefoot, and her black manicured nails gleamed under the light. She lightly stepped on the back of this scoundrel before crawling into bed...

She didn't say anything, just sat on the edge of the bed, pulled up the blanket, and looked at him with bright eyes.

"Really not leaving?" Gong Cheng looked up in surprise, a smile replacing his weariness. He had always known his Shiba Inu-like mother's policy towards him. She always used the same trick: giving him only a little bit each time, but then, at the last minute, she would defiantly turn around and leave.

Gong Cheng didn't have any objections to this. It was a push-and-pull game... It was quite interesting. He wasn't in a hurry. In short, both of them were enjoying themselves.

"I'll stay with you until it's time to go to the airport." Sana Minatozaki said, looking into his eyes. She knew that Makoto Miyamoto had to go to the airport at 6 o'clock to head to London, but neither she nor the other members knew the specifics of his work. They only knew that he would be very, very busy...

As she spoke, she picked up her phone from the bedside table and opened the music video that Gong Cheng had sent her during the Red and White Song Festival that evening. "Shall we watch it together?"

Without a word, Miyako crawled into bed, nestled in Minatozaki Sana's arms, and turned his face to the side...

This scene made Sana Minatozaki, who was initially a little nervous, laugh speechlessly: "My dear boyfriend, shouldn't you be holding me? Why are you clinging to my chest like a child...?"

"Because it smells milky~" Gong Cheng grinned and turned his head to look at her, then rubbed his head against her haphazardly.

"Don't rub against me!" Minatozaki Sana's face was flushed, and her breathing was quite rapid. Seeing this, Miyako smiled, got up and lay down on the pillow, reaching out to pull her into his arms. Her silk nightgown felt cool and smooth…

The loose neckline allowed Makoto to see the location of Sana Minatozaki's chest, her fair skin trembling slightly with her breath.

"Let's watch the music video?" Gong Cheng said, holding her in his arms.

Sana Minatozaki nodded breathlessly and pressed play on the music video—the video had just started playing when a sobbing sound appeared: in the old JYP building, in TWICE's practice room, Sana Minatozaki sat on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees, crying…

These were all photos that Miyako had secretly taken. Sana Minato couldn't help but turn her body slightly and look at Miyako's face. "Didn't I tell you to delete them?"

"Why delete it? I think it's great."

Sana Minatozaki remained silent, continuing to stare at the music video that her boyfriend had edited and produced. Accompanied by the song "Sunset Girl," many photos that even she couldn't remember when they were taken were recorded by Makoto Miyamoto and interspersed throughout the music video, with each photo marked with a date...

She was engrossed in watching, but her chest and thighs were being touched more and more forcefully. Minatozaki Sana blushed and turned her head away in annoyance, "Let me finish watching the MV first!!"

What a scoundrel!
Miyako blinked innocently, but Minatozaki Sana ignored her completely, her bright eyes glued to the MV. She couldn't help but recall the conversation between her and the man next to her when they were strolling through the streets of Ginza a couple of days ago.

"Aigoo, I have all the records..."

"I just didn't let you know..."

"I don't believe you! What kind of notes are you keeping? They're all just pickup lines!"

Had she misunderstood her boyfriend? Sana Minatozaki felt a pang of regret...

"..."

Miyako, half-asleep, held Minatozaki Sana in his arms, his hands settling down. "Aigu! Why is this MV so long? I should have known better than to cut so much out. The Shiba Inu girl herself smells really nice; it makes me sleepy and gives me peace of mind..."

He kept lifting his eyelids, glancing at it again and again! Why is this music video never ending?
"..."

A dozen minutes later, Sana Minatozaki watched the music video three times before finally putting down her phone, satisfied. She sat up, her long, brown, curly hair falling across Makoto Miyamoto's sleeping face…

How could such a rogue father-in-law fall asleep at a time like this?

"A male relative?"

"Male parent!"

Sana called out twice, then reached out and pinched his cheek. He was sleeping soundly! But when she saw the plasters on his neck and back, she felt a pang of heartache and reached out to touch them...

She picked up her phone and set an alarm for 5:30 a.m., then took off her nightgown, pulled up the blanket and snuggled against Gong Cheng's back as he slept on his side. She reached out and hugged him, only to notice several bruises near his shoulder from the impact...

Judging from the extent of the bruising, it wasn't old; it looked like a fresh wound. She guessed that it might have been left from the rehearsals for the Red and White Song Festival a few days ago.

But why is it that I, as a mother, have never known these things? If I hadn't come and seen them today, and the wound had scabbed over and healed in a few days, I would have been even less aware of these things.

In the brief moment she was lost in thought, Miyako turned over. Minatozaki Sana nervously looked at his sleeping face, her hands groping haphazardly as she pressed them against her chest. She wondered if he was actually asleep.

Sana Minato pushed his hand away, snuggled closer to him in the blankets, hugged him face to face, buried her head in his chest, and fell asleep peacefully!

Miyako, who was a light sleeper, immediately opened his eyes at Minatozaki Sana's touch. Feeling the hot body in his arms, he faced her honestly and tightened his grip on his Shiba Inu mother.

"You're awake?" Sana Minatozaki looked up with a shiver.

"Um, am I such a jerk?" Gong Cheng dozed off for a while, feeling much better. He then rolled over and pressed down on her, lowering his head to kiss Minatozaki Sana's raised neck. The Möbius strip he gave Minatozaki for her birthday last year was still pressed against her skin between her collarbones...

……

At the last moment, Sana Minatozaki closed her eyes with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation... but that guy who kept dragging his feet was making her miserable. She angrily opened her eyes, sat up, and slapped Makoto Miyamoto on the shoulder. "Baka! At a time like this, are you still going to play hard to get with me?"

"So, I really have to go in now?" Gong Cheng asked politely.

Sana Minatozaki stared intently into his eyes, her hands pressed against his chest. Her lips parted slightly, revealing her red teeth, but she hesitated, as if she wanted to say something. Then she released her grip on his neck… and closed her eyes…

This secondhand item is cheap...

Treat me well...

……

At 4 a.m., Kim Da-hyun groggily got out of bed and reached out to find the light switch on the wall. The dark room was instantly illuminated.

She glanced at the water glass on the bedside table, picked it up and took a sip, then abruptly turned her head to look at the other bed next to her, which was neatly made and empty...

Kim Da-hyun quickly got out of bed and searched the room. Her clothes from the evening dinner were still there, her suitcase had been opened, and the bathroom was still wet. Sana unnie must have taken a shower and then left...

But her down jacket and other winter clothes were still there. It was still snowing in Tokyo, so it was impossible to go out dressed lightly. Kim Da-hyun squatted down in front of the suitcase that had been opened, looked at the clothes that had been turned over, and immediately understood...

There's only one truth, and all the clues combined suggest that although Sana isn't in her room, she's definitely in the hotel!

Go to the members' rooms? Impossible. She glanced at the time: 4:31 AM! The members have been exhausted lately, and besides, she vaguely remembered that even Mina unnie had a drink at the izakaya tonight, and was quite drunk, not to mention the other members…

"Hehe..." Kim Da-hyun sat alone on the edge of the bed and chuckled softly, her face twitching slightly.

Did oppa seduce you again...?

Damn it! Oppa, aren't you being a little too reckless? She doesn't even dare to think about what would happen if the ice under her feet broke one day.
Kim Da-hyun stood up, slipped on her slippers, and went to the bathroom to wash up, but after entering the room, she hesitated and retreated back inside, turned off the light, and sat back down on her bed...

She was afraid that if Sana unnie came back and saw that the bathroom had been used, wouldn't it expose that she had woken up?
Kim Da-hyun's small body shrank back into the covers, but she was still having trouble sleeping. In the dark room, she sat up again, leaning against the headboard, her mind wandering...

……

An hour later, Kim Da-hyun was still sitting on the edge of the bed. After hearing the rustling sound of the key card opening the door, she slipped into the covers, turned to her side, and closed her eyes...

……

After Sana Minato sneaked away, Makoto Miyamoto walked into the bathroom with a somewhat melancholy expression and turned on the tap. No more sleep; a quick shower and he had to be at the airport at 6 a.m. to fly to London. Thankfully, the flight of over ten hours would be enough time to catch up on some sleep.

The water gushed down, and he glanced down at the red and purple bruises on his inner thighs from being pinched. How come he only just realized how much his Shiba Inu girlfriend liked to pinch people? That's strong! It feels good!

He felt a little guilty thinking about Sana Minatozaki complaining that he was secondhand goods, but thankfully he wasn't secondhand at all...

(End of this chapter)