Chapter Twenty-Four: Leisurely Moments

At that moment, Chen Zhe, wandering through Lotte World, was oblivious to the fact that he had already become a sensation. Numerous entertainment companies were now searching for him, eager to invite him to join their ranks.

“Excuse me, are you the performer of ‘Melody’ on YouTube?” As Chen Zhe strolled behind Chen Yuqi and Choi Sooyoung, who were walking arm in arm, he savored a refreshing ice cream while marveling at the myriad of amusement rides around him, his heart filled with contentment. Just then, a girl’s voice reached his ears, speaking in English.

Slightly puzzled, Chen Zhe turned toward the source of the voice and saw two young women. Upon seeing their faces, he was momentarily stunned—not because they were particularly attractive, but because one of the girls bore a striking resemblance to the Shiba Inu meme he often used, especially in her eyes, which carried an enchanting allure as if they could steal one’s soul.

The other girl, both in appearance and demeanor, exuded a sort of charming naivety. Chen Zhe was certain he hadn’t misjudged—she radiated a unique air of innocence.

After a closer look, Chen Zhe couldn’t help but feel amused, for he had recognized who they were. Wasn’t this Sana, the “Silly Shiba” Minatozaki Sana, and Momo, the “Silly Peach” Hirai Momo from Twice? Including Im Nayeon, whom he’d met earlier for a blind date, he had now encountered three future members of Twice in a single day. It seemed he’d stumbled into a den of rabbits indeed.

“Hello, I am Chen Zhe, the performer of ‘Melody.’ It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” After finishing his inner monologue, Chen Zhe greeted them with a gentle smile and introduced himself in polite English.

“Hello, Mr. Chen Zhe. I’m Minatozaki Sana, and this is my friend Hirai Momo. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” replied the girl with the Shiba Inu-like charm, gesturing to the slightly naive-looking girl beside her.

“Are you both Japanese? Could it be that you’re also here traveling in Korea?” Judging by the timing and their presence together, Chen Zhe surmised they had likely already been scouted and were preparing to join, or had already joined, JYP Entertainment.

“Also? Are you a tourist too, Mr. Chen Zhe?” Picking up on the nuance in his words, Sana asked curiously, having initially assumed Chen Zhe was Korean. Now, his words seemed to suggest otherwise.

“Yes, I’m a tourist from China, just here in Korea to have some fun.” Seeing the Shiba Inu-like curiosity in Sana’s expression, Chen Zhe couldn’t help but smile and nod.

“A visitor from China! So, Mr. Chen Zhe, you’re from that ancient Eastern land? When I heard you sing ‘Melody’ in Korean, I thought you were Korean,” Sana exclaimed, surprised. After all, upon hearing his Korean rendition of “Melody,” she had immediately assumed he was Korean, never expecting him to be Chinese.

“Yes, I’m Chinese. As for singing ‘Melody’ in Korean, since I was performing in Korea, I thought using Mandarin might not be understood,” Chen Zhe replied with a helpless shake of his head, bemused at being mistaken for a Korean because of a song.

“Mr. Chen Zhe, may we take a photo with you and post it on Instagram?” Observing that Chen Zhe remained as gentle as ever and showed no displeasure at her earlier misunderstanding, Sana finally voiced her main reason for calling out to him.

“Of course, it’s my honor to take a picture with two lovely ladies,” Chen Zhe agreed without hesitation. To him, it was no trouble at all.

“But who will take the photo for us?” Sana fretted, realizing they lacked someone to help with the picture.

“I have someone in mind—just a moment. Could you hold my ice cream? I’ll go ask her to come over.” As Sana was about to look for a passerby to help, Chen Zhe spoke up first. Handing his ice cream cone to Sana, he quickly made his way to find his sister and Choi Sooyoung.

“Oh, you rascal, you’ve got quite the way with women. I really underestimated you,” his sister Chen Yuqi teased as soon as Chen Zhe drew near, arms crossed, while Choi Sooyoung adjusted her hair. Chen Zhe had barely started to sense impending trouble when his sister’s playful tone struck.

“Save the teasing for later. Those two girls are waiting for me to take a photo. Sis, could you help out?” Knowing he couldn’t escape his sister’s loving ‘education,’ Chen Zhe could only plead for a reprieve. First, he needed to settle the photo, so as not to keep Sana and Momo waiting.

Successfully earning a temporary pardon, Chen Zhe led Chen Yuqi and Choi Sooyoung back to where Sana and Momo stood waiting.

“All right, I’ve found someone to help us take the photo,” he announced. Noticing that Sana’s ice cream cone was already melting, he hurried over to retrieve it before it dripped all over her hand.

“Are you Choi Sooyoung from Girls’ Generation?” After handing back the ice cream, Sana noticed the woman at the back. Since Sooyoung was wearing only sunglasses as a disguise, she was easily recognized—Girls’ Generation was enormously popular in Japan, and Sana had even attended one of their concerts.

“You recognized me!” Although Sana’s tone was tinged with uncertainty, Sooyoung’s reply was an unambiguous confirmation of her identity.

“Miss Sooyoung, may we take a photo together with you and Mr. Chen Zhe?” At this point, Momo, who had been quiet throughout Chen Zhe and Sana’s conversation, suddenly spoke up, surprising everyone.

“With Ah Zhe? Then we must include Yuqi as well, or it might cause trouble for him,” Choi Sooyoung replied. On their way over, she’d already learned from Chen Zhe why Sana and Momo wanted a photo. Now that he was gaining fame, a group photo could easily spark rumors linking her and Chen Zhe, potentially affecting his life.

In the end, they had no choice but to ask a passerby to help, resulting in a group photo of the five of them.