Chapter Fourteen: A Journey to Myeongdong

The next morning, Chen Zhe was dragged out of bed by his sister. Owing to the exhaustion from yesterday’s long journey and the lengthy conversation with Wu Xiarong the night before, he looked utterly listless and drained.

“Why are we up so early?” Following his sister with several shopping bags in hand, Chen Zhe’s face was filled with reluctance. Yet, unable to resist his sister’s financial authority, he could only submit obediently.

Back home, if he was short on cash, he could turn to his parents. But this time, things were different—his parents had entrusted all the travel funds to his sister. Any spending had to go through her.

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re shopping for clothes for you!” His sister, Chen Yuqi, shot him a sidelong glance, as though unimpressed by his silly question.

“But haven’t we bought a lot already?” Chen Zhe, burdened with shopping bags, dared not raise his voice, knowing all too well who held the purse strings.

“Not enough. I want to pick a few more for you. Later, we’re meeting Soo-young; she should have finished her arrangements,” Chen Yuqi replied absentmindedly, her attention seemingly fixed on the store windows around them.

“What arrangements has Soo-young made?” Chen Zhe tilted his head in confusion, trying to recall if he’d missed any news.

“Nothing you need to know right now. You’ll find out soon enough.” Unbothered by her slip of the tongue, Chen Yuqi spoke more freely now that she had lured her brother to Korea and kept the finances firmly in her grasp.

“Oh… Hey, sis, look over there! Why is it so crowded? What’s happening?” Resigned, Chen Zhe made a mental note to himself about his sister’s secrecy. Bored, he glanced around and noticed a lively crowd gathered nearby.

“It’s probably some event or street performance. That’s pretty common here. No need to make such a fuss,” Chen Yuqi replied with a dismissive wave, glancing in the direction he’d indicated.

“You’re used to it, so it’s nothing to you. But I’ve never seen anything like this. Of course I’m curious.” After staring at his sister for a while, Chen Zhe, arms full of shopping bags, strode decisively toward the crowd.

“Hey, wait up! You little brat!” Seeing Chen Zhe ignore her and head straight for the commotion, Chen Yuqi stamped her foot in annoyance before having no choice but to follow him.

“A year has slipped by in the blink of an eye, the days piling up like lies. No matter how far I go, a thousand steps, ten thousand steps—I’m still standing in place…” Two sweet, melodious voices sang Kim Jong-kook’s ballad, “Standing Still.”

Chen Zhe had always been interested in street performances, and it was clear these two women had excellent vocal skills. They each brought their own style to the song, and their harmony was impressive, creating a unique flavor distinct from Kim Jong-kook’s original. This made Chen Zhe all the more intrigued.

Pushing his way through the crowd, Chen Zhe finally managed to reach the front row. Looking up, he saw two beautiful young women performing at the center.

Somehow, they seemed familiar, as if he’d seen them somewhere before, but the memory eluded him.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Bae Juhyun, and standing next to me is Kang Seulgi. We’re both trainees. How did you like our performance?” When their song ended, the fairer of the two, Bae Juhyun, stepped forward with a microphone and addressed the crowd.

At the sound of their names, Chen Zhe’s eyes widened in shock. In that instant, he finally remembered who they were—Bae Juhyun and Kang Seulgi, the leader and main dancer of Red Velvet, known as “Red Babies.” Because they were younger and less polished now, he hadn’t recognized them at first.

“That was great! You performed really well!” For a moment, the crowd was silent, as if weighing their response. Then, led by a few enthusiastic young people like Chen Zhe, applause and cheers erupted.

“Thank you! Now, would anyone like to come up and challenge the two of us?” Bae Juhyun and Kang Seulgi bowed to the audience in thanks, then raised the microphone to invite volunteers.

“I will!” Just as Chen Zhe was scanning the crowd to see who would be brave enough, he heard a low voice behind him. Suddenly, he felt a strong push from behind and stumbled out of the crowd.

Regaining his balance, Chen Zhe spun around, eyes blazing, determined to see who had shoved him. Of course—it was his sister, grinning mischievously and making faces at him.

“Are you here to give it a try?” Bae Juhyun, noticing Chen Zhe’s disgruntled glare back into the crowd, hesitated for a moment, worried that some trouble might arise, and quickly stepped in.

“Me? Uh… all right, I’ll give it a shot.” Chen Zhe pointed to himself in confusion, on the verge of declining, but his sister was signaling wildly, mouthing encouragement and giving him a fighting gesture. Sighing, he turned back to Bae Juhyun.

“Is that so? Then, may I ask your name?” Bae Juhyun tilted her head in slight confusion but took the microphone offered by Kang Seulgi and handed it to Chen Zhe.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Chen Zhe from China. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Taking the microphone, Chen Zhe introduced himself politely.

“Hello, Chen Zhe. So, what song will you be singing for us?” After his introduction, Bae Juhyun greeted him courteously and steered the conversation toward his song choice.

“What I’d like to perform… Bae Juhyun, would it be all right if I play and sing myself?” Sorting through the songs he knew, Chen Zhe hesitated for a while before choosing one. However, this song didn’t exist in this world, so he’d have to play it himself.

“I’m sorry, Chen Zhe, but we don’t have any instruments with us,” Bae Juhyun replied awkwardly after a moment’s hesitation.