peninsula asteroid.

Chapter 1478 Go to sleep

Chapter 1478 Let's Go Back to Sleep

In the afternoon in Osaka, sunlight streamed through the clouds and rain-soaked wooden window frames, illuminating a cozy izakaya private room.

The heating was on quite high, and Sana Minatosaki was wearing a casual off-white knit sweater, her long hair loosely tied back, revealing her smooth forehead and slender neck.

Having shed her elaborate stage makeup, her eyes and brows revealed a more relaxed and charming demeanor, as she sat around a table with two childhood friends, eating and chatting away.

"...Really, when I saw Sana on TV, I couldn't believe it, even though I already knew Twice would be on Kohaku Uta Gassen."

The group ate and chatted, and the conversation turned to the Red and White Song Festival at the end of last year. One of the friends, Ono Suzune, picked up a piece of takoyaki and exclaimed in amazement.

"Yes, yes, yes, when I saw it, I recognized you immediately. I pointed at the TV and shouted, 'Isn't that Sana Minatozaki?'"

Another friend, Misaki, chimed in with a laugh, her tone full of teasing: "She even said, 'I heard she went to Peninsula to become an entertainer, I didn't expect her to be so outstanding, she even performed on the Kouhaku Uta Gassen!'"

Sana Minatozaki blushed slightly at their words, but couldn't help but smile, her eyes brimming with undisguised excitement. Yet, she deliberately feigned modesty, waving her hand and saying, "It's not that exaggerated. I just heard that the ratings for this year's Kouhaku Uta Gassen weren't very good."

She was right. Although this year's Kohaku Uta Gassen made bold innovations by inviting popular K-pop groups like Twice and EXO in an attempt to reverse the declining viewership, it ultimately failed to reverse the trend and continued to decline year by year.

In some places, the number of cases has even hit record lows.

"I think it's pretty good, and I saw in the news that the ratings were at their peak when you appeared, as were EXO's."

Ono Suzune immediately retorted, "Besides, it's generating a lot of buzz, and many fans say it's better than in previous years... Although there are some conservatives who object, we'll just ignore them."

"But TWICE is really pretty, I think they're prettier than some of our country's girl groups~"

"Our Sana is still the prettiest~"

"Hahaha~"

The group chatted for a while longer, and the topic gradually shifted to relationships. Ono Suzune suddenly smiled and said, "By the way, Misaki has a new boyfriend, Sana, did you know?"

"what?"

Sana Minatozaki's eyes lit up instantly. She leaned forward slightly and asked curiously, "Really? Is he handsome?"

"I think it's alright. My main job is as an office worker, and I also have a band... but Suzune thinks it's just so-so."

As Misaki spoke, she took out her phone, opened a photo, and handed it to her. "Look, this is him. Of course, he's definitely not as good as your guy."

"Haha, you're making fun of me again." Sana Minatozaki laughed and patted her.

"Your buddy" was none other than Chi Kyung-won.

Ever since she and Ji Kyung-won performed "Uchiage Hanabi" at the MAMA awards ceremony, these two good friends have been teasing them ever since, saying that the two of them had a longing look in their eyes on stage and were a perfect match. Over time, they got used to teasing her like that.

Indeed... he's not very handsome.

Sana Minatozaki glanced at the photo of her new boyfriend that her friend had shown her and muttered a few words to herself.

Moreover, she was dressed in a flashy way, which was nothing compared to Chi Kyung-won.

However, just as the thought crossed her mind, Sana Minatosaki suddenly felt a little guilty, thinking that she had gone a bit too far... Why did she have to compare herself to Ji Jingyuan? It was too much to ask of him.

After chatting for a while about Rina's new boyfriend, Misaki suddenly changed the subject, looking at Minatozaki Sana with a sly look, and asked curiously, "What about Sana? And you? Have you met any boys you like?"

“Yes, yes, you look so radiant since you came back!” Ono nodded immediately.

"really?"

Sana Minatozaki pretended to take out her phone, opened the front camera and looked at herself, then wrinkled her nose and said, "You've got dark circles under your eyes."

"She has a few dark circles under her eyes, but she looks really energetic."

Her friend chuckled and poked her cheek, her tone certain: "It feels...like being in love, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's exactly the feeling!"

Ono immediately chimed in: "Every time I ask you, you say you don't have anyone you like. You were so popular when you were in school, and now that you're a popular idol and so pretty, how could no one be pursuing you?"

"Tell me quickly, is something wrong?"

Faced with her two best friends' persistent questioning, Minatozaki Sana paused for two seconds, her fingertips gently tracing the rim of the glass. A hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes before she nodded slightly, her voice soft: "Yes... there is a nice boy."

"Aha, just as I thought~"

"I knew it~ Isn't he handsome?"

"Is he an idol too?"

Upon hearing this, their eyes lit up and they immediately pressed for more information.

"He's alright, he's quite handsome."

Sana Minato didn't explicitly say it was Chi Jingyuan, but gave a vague answer, though a sweet smile appeared in her eyes.

"Is there that handsome Yuan?"

"more or less"

"So handsome?"

The two exclaimed in unison, their eyes filled with envy, "Tell us more, how did you two meet? Are you already dating?"

In their hearts, Chi Kyung-won was already the pinnacle.

"Hee hee~"

Sana Minatosaki smiled, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke a few words, her tone tinged with conflict, "I just think he's alright, but we haven't dated yet. I'm a little hesitant. He used to... date a friend of mine, but they've broken up now, but still..."

She didn't mention Mina's name, but that was a way of being honest about her concerns... The sense of guilt hidden deep in her heart had always been an obstacle in her mind.

She had previously tried to probe Hirai Momo, but received only urgent dissuasion. Now she wanted to see what her closest friend would think.

"He dated your friend, and now he's with you...tsk tsk, what a bad guy~"

Upon hearing this, Misaki immediately revealed a teasing smile, deliberately drawing out her words as she quipped.

"Sana thinks a man like that is pretty good. He must be really outstanding. Maybe he's handsome and knows how to handle girls."

"Even the most handsome man will behave himself in Sana's hands."

"Oh, so what? They've already broken up."

Seeing Sana's expression, Misaki waved her hand dismissively and said, "It's okay that we broke up, it's not like we're still together. Even if we hadn't broken up..."

Oh, it's indeed a bit inappropriate not to have broken up, but in your situation, it's perfectly fine.

I don't think it's a big deal either.

Ono nodded in agreement, saying, "Besides, it's just dating, not marriage, why think so much?"

"Who cares what happens in the future? As long as I like it and am happy now, that's enough."

Listening to her two friends chatting away, Sana Minatozaki rubbed her wine glass between her hands, her gaze drifting through the window to the lightly drizzling street scene outside.

……

2 month 18 day.

"Where have you been?"

We'll be there soon.

In the parking lot of Incheon Airport in Seoul, Ji Kyung-won was on the phone in his car. After waiting for a while, he saw a tall figure wearing a mask and pulling large bags from a distance. He quickly got out of the car.

Why are you carrying so much stuff?

She was pulling two large suitcases and carrying a small bag on her shoulder, looking quite heavy, and she walked hurriedly towards Chi Jingyuan.

Chi Jingyuan quickly walked over and took the suitcase from her hands: "Isn't it heavy?"

Naturally, the person in front of me came into view.

Tzuyu wore a black mask, revealing only her bright, sparkling eyes. She wore a long, off-white down jacket, which made her figure appear even taller and slimmer, yet still couldn't hide her full curves. Her long, black hair was tied into a low ponytail with slightly curled ends, revealing her smooth forehead. Her eyes and brows were full of youthful energy.

Even with a mask on, her small head and face, and slender neck are very eye-catching.

"Don't even mention it, I brought all of these for you."

Chou Tzu-yu took off her mask, revealing a fair and delicate face. A faint smile played on her lips, and her tone carried a hint of boasting: "My mom specially prepared this for you, along with the things I bought for you. It took me a long time to pack them all."

"Why are you being so polite, Auntie?"

Chi Jingyuan smiled and shook his head, bent down and put the two suitcases into the trunk with quick movements, then opened the passenger door and let Zhou Ziyu get in.

After getting into the car, Chou Tzu-yu only took a small canvas bag and placed it on her lap. Then, she eagerly opened it and, like showing off a treasure, took out the contents one by one and handed them to Chi Kyung-won, her eyes sparkling.

"Look, these are for you. Look, gloves, this is a hat, and a scarf..."

The bag was like a treasure chest, and she took out various items one by one.

Chi Jingyuan looked at the complete set of thermal underwear she handed him, his lips twitched, and he asked somewhat speechlessly, "Did your mother buy this for me too?"

“I gave these to myself. Why would my mother give me these?”

Chou Tzu-yu immediately corrected her, her cheeks flushing slightly, but she still looked smug, "I specially chose these for you~"

As she spoke, she took out a small, colorful bag from her bag and handed it to Chi Jingyuan, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with a smile: "Look, hehe, this is for you too."

Chi Jingyuan looked down and was speechless... The bag contained a set of colorful underwear, in red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, all of them.

"Why is it this again? You're just using it for this purpose, aren't you?"

Chi Jingyuan glanced at Zhou Ziyu... This dark-skinned girl had given him an underwear set once before.

"Hahaha…"

Chou Tzu-yu laughed so hard she almost fell over, her shoulders shaking: "Wear it, wear it! It looks so good~"

"If you laugh again, I'll give you underwear next time too."

Seeing her carefree laughter, Chi Jingyuan deliberately put on a stern face and threatened her.

"Hmph, I'll wear it if you buy it."

Chou Tzu-yu, however, showed no weakness, standing tall and proud.

"You wear all kinds of clothes?"

Chi Jingyuan raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly mocking, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over her slender waist and her plump, round buttocks tightly encased in jeans.

If you buy a lace or thong...

Feeling the slightly burning gaze of Chi Jingyuan, Zhou Ziyu seemed to realize something and suddenly became somewhat flustered.

But when she thought of the other party being Chi Jingyuan, she snorted and said generously, "I'll wear it then, what's there to be afraid of? You've seen it before."

"..."

Chi Jingyuan clicked his tongue, completely unguarded around him.

He started the car and slowly drove away from the airport, heading towards downtown Seoul. Along the way, Tzuyu chattered excitedly about her trip back to Taiwan for the Lunar New Year, her voice full of joy. She talked about how her parents and brother were all there, and how many relatives had come, making it a very lively and bustling place.

How was your Chinese New Year?

As she spoke, she turned to look at Chi Jingyuan, her eyes full of concern.

"Didn't I tell you? I had dinner with my older brother and sister on New Year's Eve..." Chi Jingyuan gestured with his lips.

On New Year's Eve, Chou Tzu-yu sent him a video call, and they talked for more than half an hour, having so much to say to each other.

However, in that special atmosphere, seeing that smiling little face on the screen also put Chi Jingyuan in a good mood.

The two chatted casually when Zhou Ziyu suddenly noticed a stack of documents in the glove compartment. Curious, she took them out, flipped through them, and asked, puzzled, "What's this?"

Chi Jingyuan glanced at it and said in a calm tone, "This is what we received at yesterday's meeting. It's the schedule for EXO's fifth tour this year, along with some related arrangements."

"Five rounds already? That's impressive."

Chou Tzu-yu gave a meaningless compliment, opened the document, and began to read it carefully. As she read, she asked curiously, "When does your fourth tour end? I seem to remember that the fourth tour lasted quite a while."

"May, the final encore in Seoul, and then the fifth tour starts in July."

"An encore?"

Tzuyu stopped flipping through the documents and said thoughtfully, "I think I heard Jeongyeon unnie and Nayeon unnie say the other day that they also wanted to go see your encore performance."

"...I want to go too." After saying all that, he muttered at the end.

"Come on."

Chi Jingyuan shrugged: "I remember you came to see us during our first tour, right? I even gave you the ticket~"

Do you still remember that?

Upon hearing this, Chou Tzu-yu was instantly delighted, her eyes sparkling with joy, her face beaming with happiness as memories of her youthful days flooded back.

Looking back now, I realize how naive and lucky I was.

"Then I'll go too. I'll ask Dahyun and the others if they're going..."

The deal was quickly finalized. Chou Tzu-yu muttered to herself, but then suddenly noticed something in the show schedule and exclaimed in surprise, "You guys have a concert in Taipei too?!"

“Yes, that’s right.” Chi Jingyuan thought she was making a fuss over nothing. “We’ve already done it several times in Taipei.”

"That's so nice..." Chou Tzu-yu couldn't hide her envy.

"What, you want to too?" Chi Jingyuan glanced at Zhou Ziyu's face in the rearview mirror.

"Ah."

Chou Tzu-yu pursed her lips, her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and nodded gently.

"..."

Chi Jingyuan nodded... He understood Zhou Ziyu's thoughts.

Although Chou Tzu-yu is only a member of TWICE, she is extremely popular in Taiwan. When she went back to take the college entrance exam, the whole city was in an uproar, and fans and media thronged around her.

She has achieved such success on the peninsula. Having left home at a young age, she naturally harbors a desire to return home in glory, to stand on her own stage in her hometown, and to be seen by more people.

"Aren't you guys going on a concert tour this year?"

Chi Jingyuan thought for a moment and said, "Maybe there will be a show in Taiwan. Anyway, there will be opportunities in the future."

"Ah."

Chou Tzu-yu nodded vigorously, as if recalling that scene, her big eyes sparkling.

She seemed to already picture herself standing on the stage of a Taipei concert, her voice full of anticipation, "I'll go back and inquire a bit."

The two chatted casually along the way, and the atmosphere in the car was relaxed and comfortable. Chi Jingyuan held the steering wheel and casually said, "I've been in meetings these past two days, so busy that I haven't had a moment to breathe."

"What are you saying?" Chou Tzu-yu turned her head to look at him.

"What else can I say? It's all work-related."

Chi Jingyuan casually began, "The group's schedule, my personal solo plans, single preparations—a whole bunch of things piled up, and I have to go to the company for a meeting tomorrow..."

After saying that, he turned to look at Zhou Ziyu and casually asked, "Let me take you and your things back to your dorm first. Do you have anything else to do today?"

"No."

Chou Tzu-yu shook her head, her tone light, "The company said they'll resume work tomorrow, so I can have a good rest today."

"So what are you going to do later?"

Chi Jingyuan asked again.

But after he finished speaking, Zhou Ziyu didn't say anything. He turned his head and saw that the little black girl was just blinking her bright eyes, staring at him intently.

Well, needless to say, it's obvious she wants to stay with him and doesn't want to be separated from him for even a moment.

"Is there anything you want to do?" Chi Jingyuan smiled gently.

"I think……"

Chou Tzu-yu's eyes darted around quickly, her voice full of anticipation as she counted on her fingers, "I want to soak in a hot spring, I want to watch a movie, I want to eat, I want to..."

"Stop thinking about it, go back to your dorm and get some sleep."

No!

…………

The next day, in the conference room of SM Entertainment.

The EXO members sat around the conference table. Their manager, holding a stack of documents, looked at them intently and slowly said, "The album has been fully recorded and is confirmed for official release on March 9th. We will also announce the comeback tomorrow. Everyone, please get ready."

Everyone nodded, their faces showing seriousness.

"The first batch of materials will be released on the 20th, including concept photos and a comeback teaser."

The agent continued, "We'll see how the online public opinion is, and adjust the subsequent promotional schedule based on fan feedback."

After saying that, he picked up another stack of documents, walked over to Chi Kyung-won, handed it to him, and added, "I told you before that because we haven't been active on Peninsula for a long time, this time when we come back, we need to participate in a lot of variety shows to increase our exposure."

"As soon as EXO was about to make a comeback, the company received many invitations from variety shows, including some of the top variety shows in the industry. The company had already screened them and thought they were good, and had also taken the initiative to contact them."

Chi Jingyuan took the document and flipped through it casually. It was filled with the names of variety shows, their broadcast times, and the content of the invitations, covering various types such as music, interviews, and outdoor activities.

"Several large groups have already confirmed their participation, which will increase their exposure."

The agent looked at Chi Jingyuan and said calmly, "There are a few more that require individual participation. You can take a look first... Jingyuan, you can choose a few."