Peninsula Platinum Era

Chapter 62 I was born to be an idol, so I have to pay attention to my demeanor.

"How can you be so generous, inviting us to dinner?"

Xiao Yuan was a little confused. Lately, no one had dared to ask her to treat everyone to a meal, but this older sister had taken the initiative to invite everyone to dinner at this time.

She naturally didn't know that Chen Shijun had given her some pocket money as a thank you, and that the girl felt unworthy of it and thought it was better to share the joy than to keep it to herself.

Ostensibly, it was to help the captain improve his physique, although the captain didn't seem to need any improvement. But then again, while I don't have such a large chest, my legs are much longer.

"It's because everyone's been under a lot of stress lately, Xiaoyuan, your cheeks are almost all gone."

Gently rubbing Xiaoyuan's fair and tender face, he couldn't help but think that she was a lucky girl who never had to worry about failing at anything. In contrast, the captain next to him was much more anxious and insecure.

"Really? My oppa loves my chubby cheeks the most, they can't be gone!"

Wonyoung was so startled that she immediately took out her phone and started taking pictures with her lips pursed, making Yoojin look foolish. Ever since everyone found out about her oppa, she would sometimes unintentionally show off her side.

The captain smiled as he watched the two younger girls. Although he couldn't play with these children, it was still necessary to maintain a good relationship with them.

The name Kwon Eunbi should be quite common. For example, Chen Shijun knows that there are two Eunbi in GFRIEND from Source Music.

Due to their age difference, a generation gap inevitably formed between the team leader and the younger members. Miyawaki Sakura, who is about the same age as her, is also Japanese.

At this age, she is in a very awkward position. Although she has successfully debuted in this limited-time group, by the time the group ends, at 26 years old, she may almost never have another chance to debut again.

After all, throughout the history of K-pop, there are very few cases of older trainees successfully debuting. Apart from the two from YG, there is only that visual mountain.

But they all have one thing in common: they come from big companies. As a female idol who is decent in every way but not particularly top-tier, there aren't many paths she can choose.

Compared to those members who were already looking to the future, the sense of crisis and anxiety lingered in their minds, even though this time it seemed like they had temporarily weathered the crisis.

This illness is also due to this situation. The fear of the future has even caused her to suffer from insomnia, which directly affects her daily life.

Compared to these young girls who had the opportunity to succeed at a young age, Consort Eun's journey was filled with blood and sweat.

She felt that her journey was like an epic depicting the cruelty of the idol industry, a history of struggle full of twists and turns and perseverance.

Speaking of which, I was high school classmate of Lee Hyeri, who became a huge star with "Reply 1988," and we are good friends.

When she was 17 and still in high school, she joined a well-known dance group and started working as a backup dancer for famous groups like Secret and Girl's Day.

Although we have a good relationship, seeing girls around my age become debuted artists always makes me feel a pang of sadness.

His family's financial situation was not good enough to support him to take a full-time break from work to pursue his dreams, so for a long time he worked odd jobs in bakeries, convenience stores, coffee shops and even internet cafes.

When she was 19, things seemed to finally take a turn for the better. She joined the eight-member girl group Ye-A under the stage name Kazoo, and it seemed that she had finally become a debut artist.

However, the good times didn't last long. This small company called Kiroy Company had no resources at all, and coupled with a lukewarm market response, it was dissolved less than a year after it launched the debut experience card.

His first debut ended in failure, leaving him no choice but to return to the trainee program. He auditioned for several entertainment companies and was eventually signed by Woollim Entertainment.

By this time, she was already in her twenties and had started her career as a backup dancer, working as a backup dancer for senior artists in the same company such as INFINITE and Lovelyz.

While this past experience can be seen as a source of motivation, it's also a painful memory to recall. Sometimes, looking at these young people who seem to succeed so easily, I feel a mix of emotions, especially towards this youngest member.

During her middle school years, she expressed her desire to attend a dance academy to her parents, but they strongly opposed it, only agreeing that she should learn dance as a hobby and hoping that she could focus on her studies.

At that time, she was determined and committed to everything she did, even writing to other family members to ask for help in persuading her parents to let her attend an arts high school.

The hardships along the way seem to have increasingly confirmed the accuracy of my parents' judgment; it can be said that my journey has always been one of struggle.

Xiao Yuan seems to be the other side of the coin. She got her debut at a young age, her parents support her in everything she does, and more importantly, she has the support of industry bigwigs like Chen Shijun.

This only served to highlight her miserable situation. At the time, she and four other members from Woollim Entertainment participated in the Mnet girl group survival show "PRODUCE 48". Throughout the competition, they consistently ranked within the top 12, ultimately finishing in 7th place in the final.

She successfully debuted as a member of IZ*ONE, and Kim Chae-won, a trainee from the same company, also joined the group. This girl seems to be getting stronger and stronger despite the criticism.

Captain Eunbi attributes all of this to having a supportive celebrity mother, a wealthy family background, and understanding relatives.
This feeling of being adrift and helpless tormented her even more. Sometimes she desperately needed someone to lean on so she could rest. But IZONE might be her last chance, so she could only wipe away her tears and put on a strong front.

She knows that her personality has two sides: she is full of desire and resilience for success in her career, which is full of setbacks, but she also has a very vulnerable side.

Unlike Jin Caiyuan and Zhang Yuanying, whose stable inner core allows them to resolve internal conflicts, she tends to use the weight of her desire for success to suppress her inner emptiness and fear.

But once this negative emotion arises, it only takes a small spark to reclaim the lost ground.

"Xiao Yuan, how come you get all the good things in the world? You're so lucky."

She gave a very warm smile, but secretly envied him. Sometimes fate is just that unfair.

After receiving the first batch of generous settlements last year, she felt a great sense of security. However, the ensuing turmoil made her wonder if she was a woman carrying bad luck.

The first debuting group lasted less than a year, is the second debuting group going to disband in just over a year? Could it be that they also died because of their own bad luck?

In fact, she returned to her busy schedule two days after her last bout of illness, and only got a break after achieving good results.

An Gou treated us to dinner today, which was quite thoughtful of him, and it helped ease my pent-up emotions.

Looking at Yuan Ying, who was eating in small bites, he seemed to have changed a lot compared to before, as if he was trying to make a change.

"Xiaoyuan, what's wrong with you? Don't be like this, it scares me."

An Gou Gou voiced the captain's doubts: these female idols, while not exactly unseemly in their private eating habits, were certainly not elegant either.

Especially at these kinds of gatherings, where everyone is pretty much the same, where did you learn this affected elegance from today?

"Don't worry about it. I'm a born idol, so I naturally need to start cultivating my manners. I can't be like I used to be."

According to Jung Eun-chae, Chen Shijun may like women who are aloof and elegant. Although that woman was annoying, this style seems to be quite nice.

Xiaoyuan closed her eyes and thought about what might attract men to her, wondering if she could learn from it.

(End of this chapter)