Peninsula: From Water Injection to Stardom

On February 11, an ordinary noon, CUBE Entertainment unexpectedly released a teaser on its official SNS.

[Our company, in collaboration with Yuehua Entertainment, has officially announced solo artist Jiang Yan (YAN). She is currently in the final stages of preparation with the goal of debuting in April.]

The announcement was very brief, but it also included a teaser poster that Jiang Yan had previously taken.

Jiang Yan's smile in the pictorial is very indifferent; at first glance, he appears to be a cool and aloof handsome man.

However, this very ordinary debut teaser has sparked considerable discussion online.

In an era dominated by boy bands and girl groups, it was somewhat surprising that CUBE Entertainment, which is not one of the three major entertainment companies, dared to launch a solo artist.

"CUBE Entertainment is actually promoting solo artists? Or is it collaborating with Chinese companies?"

"This appearance is absolutely legendary!"

"A collaboration between South Korea and China? Does that mean this person is of Chinese descent?"

"Are you crazy?! Letting a Chinese person debut as a solo artist in South Korea? What was CUBE thinking?!"

"Am I the only one who thinks this person looks familiar? It feels like I've seen him before."

"Why does he look a bit like that Chinese guy who left BTS?"

CUBE's teaser wasn't just discussed on South Korean forums; a large number of K-pop fans in China also soon saw translated versions of the content on platforms like Baidu Tieba and Weibo.

In contrast to the South Koreans who were initially unsure of Jiang Yan's identity, the old Chinese man recognized him at a glance.

Although BTS was still an obscure group at this time, there weren't many green card holders working in South Korea during that period, and most people knew them.

At this moment, on the "Passing By Bar" forum, currently the largest gathering place for K-pop fans in China, various comments from casual fans in the fandom flooded the thread about Cube's teaser.

"Holy crap, isn't this the third set? They've debuted again?!"

"There's no need for the person upstairs to make baseless accusations. Jiang Yan has already left the group, so how can he still be called 'Group 3'? This derogatory term doesn't apply to him at all."

"Wait, what do you mean by '3-bedroom apartment'? I don't understand. Can someone explain it to me?"

"Haha, the person upstairs is probably new to this scene. Go search for last year's posts in the forum, using the keyword 'byt'."

"Speaking of which, didn't this guy insult Korean men by saying they were short and weak? How come he can still make a comeback?"

"I know the answer to this question. Actually, there was nothing wrong with what he said at the time. It's just that some Korean men misinterpreted it. Anyway, this guy is pretty unlucky."

"They even changed their stage name? Back when they were in the group, it was called NOVA, right? Now it's YAN."

"That's normal. They've already made a comeback, and I wouldn't use their old stage name either."

"Is it true that he's dating Kim Seolhyun from AOA?"

"It's fake! How could it be real! Seolhyun is my wife!"

"Can the person upstairs please stop dreaming? Do I need to wake you up?"

"..."

It's safe to say that anyone with a bit of experience in the Korean Wave scene in China would know about Jiang Yan's story.

After all, ever since that incident, BTS's derogatory nickname in China has evolved into "Tao".

Therefore, even though Jiang Yan has long since left the group, many ARMYs in China still speak of him with a hint of resentment.

However, although people were somewhat surprised that he was able to debut again, they didn't take it too seriously.

It's the kind of thing you see and then forget about within a couple of days.

After all, they were in a flopping group before, so everyone assumed that their re-debut wouldn't make much of a splash.

The Chinese public's attention is mostly focused on EXO's green cards.

However, a group of people were extremely excited when they learned of this news.

Those were the fans who followed BTS's debut and created a personal fan club for Kang Yeon.

More than half a year later, fans who thought Jiang Yan would retire from the entertainment industry after leaving the group were instantly revived after seeing the news of her re-debut.

"Sisters, Jiang Yan is back! Our wait was worthwhile!"

"Oh my god! I thought I'd never see him again! I need to create a new group chat right away!"

"Back when he was in BTS, I always felt sorry for him because he never got many lines of lyrics. Now that he's debuting as a solo artist, he doesn't have to worry about getting parts anymore."

"Sister, you've hit the nail on the head! Sima's Big Hit song, which is only three and a half minutes long, only gives a few lines to the sole lead singer, even though Jiang Yan's voice is so beautiful!"

"So, is this a re-debut at CUBE? Why is there only one photo? Where are the other materials?!"

"You're wrong, sister. Jiang Yan is signed with Yuehua Entertainment, and her relationship with CUBE Entertainment is just a collaboration."

"Looking forward to my solo album! I'll definitely fly to South Korea to support me there!"

"Sisters, count me in! Let's go together!"

"Everyone, your top priority is to hurry up and urge Yuehua Entertainment's Weibo account to release new content!"

"..."

The unexpected news of his comeback has revitalized some previously stagnant online chat groups. Although they are not as lively as before, more and more people are gradually rejoining the chat.

Even Jiang Yan's personal forum was reopened, and the newly appointed moderator immediately moved that preview post to the top of the forum.

Even the fan club has begun to be reorganized. Although there are only about a hundred people in the short term, Jiang Yan's fans firmly believe that this number will increase after Jiang Yan officially debuts again.

As for the rumors about Jiang Yan and Jin Xuexuan, they are undoubtedly fake!

After all, FNC Entertainment has publicly clarified that it's not true, so it must be true!

As for the topic of the man who insulted South Korea that has resurfaced online, these Chinese fans don't care at all.

Even if they did criticize him, so what? I supported him back then, and now that Jiang Yan is about to be "resurrected," I'll naturally support him even more.

……

Inside the Starship's practice room, Jiang Yan was still rehearsing choreography with Cheng Xiao and the others.

After a period of joint practice, everyone has developed a good understanding and rapport.

After going through the complete stage choreography once again, Jiang Yan told them to take a break and went to a corner to have a drink of water.

Wow!

Suddenly, Wu Xuanyi let out a loud sigh from behind, and Jiang Yan subconsciously turned around to look.

He saw that she was staring at her phone with her mouth slightly open, as if she had seen something that surprised her.

Seemingly sensing Jiang Yan's gaze, Wu Xuanyi looked up and met his eyes, her expression immediately turning into one of hesitant silence.

His intuition told him that the other person's current reaction was related to him.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Yan walked over and asked.

"Brother Yan, you should see for yourself..." Wu Xuanyi nervously handed over her phone.

After Jiang Yan took the phone and looked at it, he understood why she had that expression.

The other person had originally intended to take advantage of this break to casually browse theqoo forum.

And upon closer inspection, it was astonishing to find several posts insulting Jiang Yan.

It's clear that after CUBE released his debut teaser, some Korean men who heard the news couldn't sit still.