mijobooks Chapter 1355 Who's it for?
Chapter 1355 Who's it for?
Chapter 1355 Who's it for?
The parking lot on the second basement level of SM was filled with a chill. One of Twice's managers led Sana Minatozaki out of the van and headed towards the elevator.
“This collaboration is very important. If you perform well, it will definitely generate a lot of buzz in Japan. Both the company and the MAMA organizers are very much looking forward to it, so Sana, you must be focused.”
As they walked, the manager gave Sana Minatozaki some rather serious instructions:
"I heard from Sangmin that you've been complaining about the part allocation on the new album lately. Of course, the company's decisions are beyond question, but don't say the company is biased. They've given you such a high-profile collaboration. If this collaboration goes well..."
The manager was speaking, while Sana Minatozaki listened silently. However, when the manager mentioned the company's favoritism, the corners of her mouth turned down slightly, but she quickly returned to normal.
“We just came back and our schedule is very tight. Kyungwon has also been very busy lately, so there haven’t been many opportunities to practice for this collaboration stage. Apart from the rehearsal before the official performance, we only have two days to practice, so Sana, you need to put in a lot of effort.”
The manager was still talking, muttering a few words before remembering something. At the same time, he saw the SM staff member standing by the elevator in the distance, who had come to pick them up. He slowed his pace and walked towards them, glancing at Sana Minatozaki:
"Sana, you and Jingyuan should be quite familiar with each other, right? Remember to communicate with him more during the performance. Collaborative performances rely heavily on communication and chemistry..."
As he spoke, he glanced at Sana Minatozaki one last time and greeted the SM staff.
Very familiar, extremely familiar.
We're much closer than you think. We even hugged and kissed for ages the other day, Oppa, did you know that?
Sensing the underlying meaning in her manager's tone, Sana Minatozaki felt a touch of self-mockery.
That's just how reality is. I had just had that kind of thing happen with Chi Jingyuan that night, and I was thinking that time could comfort me, but I didn't expect to have to see him again so soon.
"...Jingyuan is waiting in the music room. They will first assign parts and practice the song, and then go to the practice room to rehearse the stage."
SM staff led them out of the elevator, talking as they walked towards Ji Kyung-won's music room. They quickly arrived at the door, gently knocked on the slightly ajar door, and then pushed it open, leading Minatozaki Sana and the other person inside.
The room was warmly lit, and a faint mango scent filled the air as soon as you entered. When Sana Minato walked in, the first thing she saw was Ji Jingyuan sitting in the middle, looking at them.
Ji Jingyuan completely ignored the staff and manager walking in front and immediately locked his gaze on Minatozaki Sana, who was following at the back.
She wore an oversized black hoodie that covered her hips, completely concealing her slender figure. Her straight hair from the day before had probably been permed into slight curls for an event, and she tied it into a side ponytail that hung down on her right shoulder.
She wore a pair of three-stripe sweatpants, a standard style, with her legs together, and white buckled sneakers on her feet.
Her face was covered in light makeup, which didn't look sophisticated and was just simple concealer. Paired with this very plain outfit, she didn't have the signature energy and sweetness of Sana Minatozaki in front of the camera. Instead, she looked rather low-key.
As Chi Jingyuan locked onto the other person, Minatozaki Sana also looked over, and their eyes met instantly.
Two days had passed since that day at the gym, but the memory of that night was still vivid. When they met again, both Chi Jingyuan and Minatozaki Sana had a complex light flash in their dark eyes. There was the lingering ambiguity from that night, the awkwardness of their reunion, and a probing intent hidden deep within, like two intertwined threads stretched taut in the air for a moment.
"Oppa, anihapaseyo~"
However, their eyes only met briefly before Sana Minatozaki quickly looked away, bowed and greeted her manager, then pursed her lips, her face calm, as if nothing had happened, and looked around at the decor.
She had actually heard Ji Kyung-won's music room many times before, from variety shows, from members chatting, and from Mina.
Looking at it now, aside from the obviously expensive musical instruments, the Pokémon and Doraemon plush toys on the cabinets and tables, as well as the cartoon oil paintings hanging on the walls, all have a strong personal style of Chi Kyung-won. Even the "mango aromatherapy" that Mina mentioned seems to be floating in the air.
If it were Sana Minatozaki who came here in the past, she might have been very interested in visiting for a while, curiously looking at this and that, and even sweetly asking Kei-Yuan Chi to introduce it to her.
But now, she merely glanced at it out of the corner of her eye, then nodded and stood there motionless.
"Aigoo, Jingyuan-xi, it's been so long."
Twice's manager was very enthusiastic and took the initiative to catch up with Ji Kyung-won.
"Sit anywhere."
Chi Jingyuan gestured for the group to sit on the sofa, then got up to fetch some coffee and bottled water. He glanced at Minatozaki Sana, then looked at her manager, exchanging pleasantries with a smile.
“I saw JYP’s stock price went up a lot again yesterday. Twice is really doing great lately. I see news about them every time I open the music industry news... I was just listening to their song.”
"The results of this comeback are quite good."
The agent smiled and nodded with pride, saying, "The kids are working very hard."
While the two were exchanging pleasantries, Sana Minatozaki, who had been silent after exchanging greetings, suddenly spoke up, looking at Ji Jingyuan and asking, "So, Oppa, which song do you like the most?"
Just as Chi Jingyuan was about to say something more casually, he was interrupted and looked over... Although Minatozaki Sana's expression was completely normal, and she was smiling with a curious look, Chi Jingyuan could sense a hint of aggression in her tone, as if she did not believe what he had just said at all.
Moreover, Chi Jingyuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
...I can only say that she is as good as Sana Minatozaki, or as good as an idol, right? Even though they went through that kind of thing together the day before yesterday, she can still call him "Oppa" so easily and sweetly when they meet again?
Despite his racing thoughts, Ji Kyung-won showed no outward sign of anything amiss. Instead, he smiled and shrugged naturally, saying, "Besides 'Likey,' my favorite song on Twice's album is actually 'Look at Me.'"
As he spoke, he even covered a section on the spot, singing: "Look at me, look at me, look at me..."
After singing a section, Ji Kyung-won stopped and gave his evaluation with a smile: "This song feels very energetic, it's totally Twice's style, and it makes you want to see it performed live."
"Haha, so Jingyuan likes this song?" The manager laughed out loud. "But there's no plan to promote this song. It might be performed at the kids' next concert. We'll definitely send the tickets to Jingyuan then."
"Then I'm looking forward to it."
Ji Kyung-won's casual cover instantly livened up the atmosphere; at least JYP's manager seemed quite happy.
However, we don't know what Sana Minatozaki thinks.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they didn't say anything more. Chi Jingyuan handed the sheet music he had prepared to Minatozaki Sana, and then sat down next to her.
The two maintained a safe distance, but sat very close, close enough to faintly feel each other's body heat.
A gentle sniff revealed a refreshing fruity scent... I couldn't tell if it was the smell of her laundry detergent or the lingering scent of shampoo in her hair.
Ever since that intimate night at the gym, he has become inexplicably sensitive to the scent of Sana Minatozaki.
"The parts have been marked on the sheet music I gave you; the parts in red are all for you to sing."
Chi Jingyuan cleared his mind of some thoughts and got into work mode. Pointing to the sheet music in front of Minatozaki Sana, he said, "It shouldn't be unfamiliar, right? When we recorded this song before, the parts were divided like this. Just do it the same way this time."
"Isn't... a little too much?"
Sana Minato looked down at the sheet music for "Uchiage Hanabi," her fingertips lightly tracing the familiar notes. She had already memorized the melody of the song and was very familiar with the sheet music for "Uchiage Hanabi." She wasn't too surprised by the part assignments, but after scanning the dense red markings, she couldn't help but ask tentatively.
"Those songs were originally meant to be sung by women, and Xiao Nan did the same before..."
Chi Jingyuan paused before he could finish speaking, his Adam's apple bobbing, and finally he just shook his head: "Let's just split it like this."
The song "Uchiage Hanabi" was originally a collaboration between Ji Kyung-won and Mina, and the male and female parts were already divided according to the characteristics of the singing sections.
Although it didn't happen in the end, there are some parts that sound better when sung by female singers, so he felt that there was no need to change them for this collaboration stage.
"You must have practiced it already, right? I saw Sana Xicover's video online, and she sang it very fluently."
Seeing that Sana Minatozaki nodded slightly, the part allocation was finalized, and Ji Jingyuan casually asked his manager.
“Of course, since this collaboration was confirmed, our Sana has been practicing frequently, so there will definitely be no problem.” Upon hearing this, the manager immediately nodded in agreement: “She really likes this song.”
Chi Jingyuan pressed play, and the accompaniment flowed slowly: "Let's practice together first and listen to the timbre."
Sana Minatozaki has known the song "Uchiage Hanabi" for a long time. In fact, she learned it quietly after hearing it for the first time from Mina Mina. After learning about the collaboration stage recently, she has been practicing it privately and is now very familiar with it.
But under Chi Jingyuan's gaze, Minatozaki Sana suddenly felt a little nervous for some reason.
Even though she had made up her mind to be more rational after that night, her heart was inexplicably beating faster, and even her breathing became lighter.
"After clarifying the ambiguity in our hearts, we will be closely connected."
"I wish this night could last forever."
While recording his own vocals, Ji Kyung-won listened attentively to Sana Minatozaki's singing voice... This wasn't his first time collaborating with Sana Minatozaki; during the "Cherr Up" era, Ji Kyung-won had already gained a deep understanding of the vocal range and singing skills of all the members of Twice.
To be honest, in his impression, Sana Minatozaki's singing skills were slightly lacking for the song "Uchiage Hanabi".
But after listening to it, he was somewhat surprised to find that although the voice was a bit deep and the person and their vocal cords did not seem to be in the best condition, the overall effect of the song was much better than he had imagined.
Unlike Mina's version, Sana Minato's own voice sounds much sharper and more piercing. It's less gentle but more bright and clear, like fireworks exploding on a summer night, full of vibrant energy.
It's a completely different feeling from Mina.
Moreover, they are surprisingly rich in emotions.
Chi Jingyuan looked at Minatozaki Sana, who was looking down at the sheet music and focusing on the song. From his angle, the lines of her profile and her high nose were very striking. Her high nose and eyelashes cast a light shadow under the light.
...You should know that even Mina practiced for a long time to get used to it back then.
…………
They divided up their parts in the music room and practiced together several times.
...Although it was supposed to be a joint rehearsal, this song really didn't require much practice in terms of singing. Both Ji Jingyuan and Minatozaki Sana were extremely familiar with it.
After recording a note for Sana Minatozaki, the group left the music room and headed to the practice room to prepare for a formal stage rehearsal.
"..."
Walking beside him, Chi Jingyuan noticed something was off after taking only a few steps. Minatozaki Sana was walking very slowly, and her right leg would lag noticeably each time she lifted it, indicating that she wasn't walking very smoothly.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Chi Jingyuan asked as if he had just noticed her feet.
"Ah, this is..." The manager immediately tried to explain, but was interrupted by Sana Minatozaki before he could finish speaking.
I sprained my ankle during practice the day before yesterday.
She interjected to explain, glanced at her foot, and then smiled at Chi Jingyuan: "But it's almost healed."
She appeared calm and collected, but after Chi Jingyuan noticed, she noticeably and unnaturally controlled her walking posture. Even though she was gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, she no longer limped around like before, trying her best to make herself look like there was nothing wrong.
Chi Jingyuan didn't respond. After observing for a few seconds, he continued to ask, "Are you sure you're okay? It looks pretty serious."
"Really, it's okay."
Sana Minatozaki, head held high, looked at Ji Jingyuan and repeated with a slightly forceful and stubborn tone, "Oppa... don't worry, it won't interfere with practice."
She exchanged a glance with Chi Jingyuan, then continued walking forward without stopping, even speeding up their pace.
Chi Jingyuan watched her back for a few seconds, then followed without saying anything more.
Of course he knew what had happened. This was the injury that Sana Minatozaki had left from kicking the door so hard that night. It wasn't obvious when they were at the gym, but when she left after they finished being affectionate, she was already limping. From what Nayeon and the others said, he also knew that she went straight to the hospital when she got back to the dorm, and it seemed to be quite serious.
Furthermore, the little spy revealed to him yesterday that Sana Minatozaki endured the pain to complete a schedule yesterday, and even cried out in pain backstage.
But now it looks like this...
To whom?