Chapter 10

Jin Youxi received a lot of attention from fans in China, and Zhou Ziyu, her roommate, was inevitably affected as well.

This was a decision made by the company, and there wasn’t much they could do about it. Moreover, it wasn’t a trivial matter.

When Jin Youxi first started recording promotional videos for China, she had secretly observed Ziyu and felt somewhat uncomfortable.

How should she put it? Ziyu was Chinese, and Jin Youxi felt that some of the attention she received in China might have been taken away from Ziyu.

Jin Youxi felt a bit apologetic, but Ziyu didn’t seem to mind at all. Perhaps it was just her personality.

She didn’t show any negative emotions and continued to interact with Jin Youxi as usual. Sharing the same dorm room didn’t affect their relationship.

Ziyu still called her “Eonni” (older sister), perhaps because she was naturally easygoing and uninterested in competing, or maybe she was already more popular than Jin Youxi and didn’t care about it.

Or perhaps this was her survival strategy?

Regardless, their relationship remained unchanged. Jin Youxi even felt more responsible for Ziyu, often taking extra care of her.

Ziyu was the only member younger than Jin Youxi by a year. Jin Youxi would save some of the good food she made for Ziyu.

What Jin Youxi didn’t know was that Ziyu felt relieved that their relationship remained friendly.

Even without the Chinese market, Ziyu was already one of the most popular members in the group, with more fans than others could compete with.

Ziyu didn’t care about that. She cared more about maintaining good relationships within the group. Living with nine people, especially all girls, could be challenging at times.

The group had Korean, Japanese, and Chinese members. Ziyu was the only Chinese member. She felt lucky that her older sisters were kind, allowing her to thrive and become the group’s “darling.”

She didn’t want any conflicts, especially with the Korean members. This was Korea, and Koreans could be quite protective of their own.

Living and working abroad, and being part of a multinational group, Ziyu believed that being cautious, avoiding competition, and staying friendly were the best strategies.

This had always been Ziyu’s way of surviving.

So, being able to continue getting along well with Youxi was a relief for Ziyu.

Jin Youxi didn’t know Ziyu’s thoughts. It was a coincidence that, although her soul was Chinese, her identity was indeed that of a Korean from Seoul.

So even though she had time-traveled, she never experienced any bullying or cold treatment. On the contrary, she got along well with everyone.

The TWICE members were genuinely good kids. They might have their own thoughts, but they lived in harmony and helped each other out, making them a great team.

Jin Youxi couldn’t be more satisfied.

She was very fortunate.

After the fan signing event, they continued to perform on various music shows, winning their fourth trophy on MCD on the 19th.

It was their fourth first-place win!

This time, they wore energetic red cheerleader-like outfits!

Jin Youxi had her hair in two low ponytails, smiling as she stood by while her sisters gave their acceptance speeches.

“Cheer Up” was ingrained in her bones now. She could perform it with her eyes closed!

It turns out that idols perfect their stage performances through relentless practice.

There’s no way not to be familiar with it.

They won first place again on Music Bank on the 20th!

Jin Youxi was almost numb to it. There was no surprise anymore, just pride and delight.

They were competing head-to-head with Seventeen and BTS, seeing them frequently. IOI also made occasional appearances, along with idols she knew like Jung Eunji.

The music show stages were lively, giving Jin Youxi a lot to reflect on.

She had been part of the group performing on these stages since their comeback.

She could clearly feel the change. Idols she didn’t know well would greet her warmly from a distance.

“Oh, it’s TWICE’s Jin Youxi-sunbaenim! Hello, sunbaenim!”

They weren’t this enthusiastic initially, especially since she wasn’t a top-ranking member in terms of popularity.

But within a month, with the explosive success of “Cheer Up,” and everyone nationwide going “shy shy shy,” including idols on variety shows, TWICE had truly become a sensation!

Even her status among idols had risen, and even she, not the most popular member, received greetings from others.

Going to the bathroom was even more awkward; everyone was enthusiastically greeting her. Many of them, she wasn’t sure if they were juniors or seniors, making her too scared to go to the bathroom alone.

Ah, the reality of the Korean entertainment industry!

—-

On May 22nd, they achieved their sixth first place, defeating BTS, haha~

Kim Yoohyeon was so happy standing on the stage, smiling brightly! My TWICE is amazing!

A battle of the gods~

Kim Yoohyeon gave the acceptance speech for this first place; the older members let her say a few words as well.

With so many first places, everyone would get a turn.

—-

In the close-up camera shot, Kim Yoohyeon held the microphone with both hands, looking a bit nervous but still stunningly beautiful.

Her big eyes sparkled, making her look particularly innocent. Due to her nervousness, she tightly gripped the microphone with both hands. She was wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt and a pink pleated skirt.

She looked unbelievably cute~

“Cheer Up” had been number one on the Melon chart for four consecutive weeks, an unstoppable force.

They also encountered seniors like Jessica from Girls’ Generation, AOA, and other senior groups, all of whom they outperformed!

Kim Yoohyeon truly experienced how tough it was to become a top group.

Then, Kim Yoohyeon saw senior Kim Jong Hyun, who was also a contender for first place with them on the music show stage…

They won first place.

—-

On the same stage, seeing Kim Jong Hyun again. Although she wasn’t a SHINee fan, that period was shocking for the entire Korean entertainment circle!

Even fans of other groups were heartbroken.

Subsequent events made more fans become “life fans” of the idols.

“Life fans” means as long as the idol is healthy and happy, that’s all that matters.

It was a tragedy for the entire Korean entertainment industry and a regret for all fans.

Kim Yoohyeon couldn’t help but glance at senior Kim Jong Hyun several times. He stood alone on the other side, with pink hair and a white hoodie, looking fresh and handsome.

But she just felt inexplicably sad… the more she looked, the sadder she felt.

It seemed that her transmigration couldn’t change anyone’s fate.

Perhaps sensing the gaze, Kim Jong Hyun turned his head to look in TWICE’s direction.

Im Nayeon quickly stepped forward, blocking the line of sight between Kim Yooyeon and the senior, bowing to him.

Kim Yoohyeon followed and bowed as well, then didn’t dare to look up again. During the encore stage, Nayeon looked back at her once more.

Yooyeon immediately went over, hugging her sister with a big smile, acting all cutesy. Nayeon also smiled~

Back at the dorm that night, Im Nayeon fell back a few steps to stand next to Kim Yoohyeon, reminding her, “Don’t date seniors, got it? SHINee…”

Nayeon stopped midway, glancing at the others ahead, not saying more. Kim Yoohyeon was smart.

“Unnie, I don’t want to date, really. I was just curious…”

“I’ll believe you this time.”

Before bed that night, she recalled seeing senior Kim Jong Hyun today, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember the exact date he passed away.

Since he wasn’t her idol, she had only read the news, perhaps it was early 2018?

Sigh, the more she thought about it, the sadder and more powerless she felt.

Seeing other idols, seeing BTS, she thought of their future success. Seeing other idols, she could think of their hit songs to come.

Seeing senior Kim Jong Hyun… why did it feel so sad?

For the first time, Kim Yoohyeon didn’t feel smug about knowing the future.