Peninsula: The Deepest Affection in Jiangnan

"You didn't sneak out, did you?"

"Of course not, it's just that my work situation suddenly changed, so I had to go back early. I apologize for that."

"Haha! Your personality on KakaoTalk is a bit different from your real personality; you even apologize."

"..."

Shen Yu felt that Choi Ji-soo on the phone seemed even more talkative.

"Image" *9

Instead of continuing to mock Shen Yu, Ji-soo sent him a lot of pictures.

"These are pictures I took at the art gallery. Experts, could you give me some feedback and tell me if there's any room for improvement?"

Shen Yu opened the pictures one by one and had to admit that although Choi Ji-soo wasn't that pretty in still photos, that was relative.

She was already beautiful, so in a word: "Beautiful!"

"Okay, I've saved them all."

"???"

Go to bed early.

"what?"

Shen Yu left the chat, leaving Cui Zhixiu completely bewildered.

"No, going to bed so early... Oh, it's quite late, but what do you mean by that!"

She spoke a long string of words into her phone, but she didn't dare to actually send it out.

Choi Ji-soo was sulking, feeling that the stars, moon, and flowers of that day had been wasted.

Then, hugging the blanket, he started laughing to himself.

The next day,

Shen Yu was carrying a sandwich and a homemade iced Americano. He was planning to take a taxi to the company, but when he went downstairs, he saw a familiar BMW Z4.

This is Xu Youqing's car.

Then Shen Yu would certainly be the one to take the lead.

Shen Yu opened the car door and got in smoothly. He put his backpack to the side and then noticed that Xu Youqing in the driver's seat was staring at him.

"No, Nuna, I'm not wearing makeup."

"Yes, I can tell."

"Then why are you staring at me? Are you planning to be a pretty lady who invites me to dinner?"

"If you're planning to go for brunch, we'll go to the office later."

"Um?"

Shen Yu turned his head and looked into Xu Youqing's big eyes.

Xu Youqing seemed a little hot and tugged at her non-existent collar.

"Yojuna, why do I feel like you're looking at me as if you want to eat me up?"

"Hmph!" Xu Youqing turned around and started the car.

Shen Yu found it all very strange.

Then, after he inexplicably arrived at the company, the way the employees looked at him was similar to how Xu Youqing looked at him.

Shen Yu almost thought that after sleeping all night, he had turned into Tang Sanzang or a ginseng fruit.

He took out his phone and looked in the mirror. Wait a minute, he hadn't awakened any system that made him handsome after sleeping.

"No, sister, what's going on? Coming to the company feels like entering a spider's web."

"Spider Cave? What's that? This is Lunxian Cave."

Shen Yu remembered that most people in Seoul had never seen a normal version of Journey to the West.

"Everyone's eyes were looking at me strangely."

"That little bit?"

Xu Youqing turned around and looked at Shen Yu.

At 165cm, he wasn't short, but when they stood close together, Xu Youqing still had to look up at Shen Yu.

Although there was still a slight distance between them even when they stood close together.

"The video you filmed yesterday went viral."

"uh-huh?"

Xu Youqing saw neither the smugness and elation of someone who had achieved their goal, nor the relief and liberation of someone who had gotten what they wanted, in Shen Yu's eyes.

All that remains is the tranquility of a lake in winter.

"His eyes are so beautiful."

Xu Youqing, who had almost been led astray, realized what was going on and said, "Think about it. Everyone knows what you're like normally—a man who's dedicated to studying music like an artist. But if you suddenly filmed a video like yesterday, wouldn't you look at him strangely?"

Shen Yu bypassed Xu Youqing and continued forward.

"What are you going to do? Are you planning to change clothes and film a video?"

"No," Shen Yu continued walking, "Shouldn't I be getting to know my students today?"

"Yes, but you've gone to the wrong place. This is the second basement level. They're all in the practice room on the first floor right now."

"..."

Shen Yu began to hate that the company was located in a basement.

The practice room on the ground floor.

Four girls sat in a row on the ground, enjoying the air conditioning.

"I'm afraid I'll burst out laughing in a minute." Although Kim Soo-hye also likes BTS, she doesn't dislike her seniors.

Young kids are all tech-savvy, and trainees spend more time on their phones than newly debuted idols, so the four girls in the room naturally knew about the video Shen Yu posted yesterday.

"Wait a minute, I hear footsteps."

"Stand up! Stand up!"

Shen Yu pushed open the door and saw four little girls standing in a row bowing to him.

"Hello, Teacher Shen."

Shen Yu almost couldn't resist saying "Hello, classmates."

But this isn't school anymore.

"As you all know, Senior Shen Yu will be in charge of your vocal instruction and assessments from now on. As trainees preparing for debut, it's not like you can just relax and wait for your debut now. You still need to practice and work hard. There will be a small test this month, so please don't let your guard down."

Xu Youqing revealed a side of herself that Shen Yu couldn't see, exuding a serious aura.

"If anyone fails the evaluation, the final debut lineup will be changed, understand?"

"Okay." The girls nodded in unison.

Seeing that the answer was good, Xu Youqing gave Shen Yu a "you figure it out" look, and then left the practice room.

"Alright, let's get to know each other in the first class. My name is Shen Yu. Oh, I know Jia Yin and Shou Hui. The other two?"

"I am Abe Kazu, hello teacher." The rather well-behaved-looking girl bowed to Shen Yu.

"Hello teacher, I am Miyu Ito."

These two have the adorable looks of typical Tokyo girls; are they foreigners?

"Okay, now that we've met, let's do some vocal exercises first, so I can see what your levels are."

……

Busy times always seem short, and being with a group of cute young girls actually made Shen Yu feel quite relaxed.

Especially after class, he planned to continue doing big things.

Goodbye, teacher!

Watching the four girls say goodbye to him, then rush to eat and continue practicing dance, Shen Yu felt that there was nothing wrong with just going with the flow and becoming a trainee.

Unfortunately, his ambitions were too great.

"How about it? Doesn't it feel much easier?"

At some point, Xu Youqing appeared in the practice room.

But as her former manager, and now... still her manager, it's quite normal that Xu Youqing always manages to appear by her side in time.

Shen Yu found it easy to get along with this person.

"Indeed, they are all good children."

"Yes, they're all good kids." Xu Youqing said this, but her expression was not cheerful.

However, Shen Yu didn't pay any attention to it.

Xu Youqing quickly remembered something, "By the way, what are you doing this afternoon?"

"Of course, it's for filming videos."

"Huh? Still filming?"

"Yeah, we can't just create hype and then leave it there unattended, can we?"

Shen Yu said with a serious expression.

Xu Youqing thought to herself, "You're not just stirring up a buzz, you've stirred up a hornet's nest."

"so?"

"So please, noona, take me to Cheongdam-dong again. I have to say, Yi-hyun noona's cooking skills are really good. The popularity of the video is half due to her efforts."

"..."

Xu Youqing didn't know whether it was right or wrong to drag Shen Yu there again.