Chapter 122: Arrival

odded."Oh, I heard it's to attend the Hallyu Music Festival..."Kim Jun-myeon took a sip of water, his expression complex, and sighed, "It's still being held in Los Angeles. I really want to go too."EX...After all the members who were getting makeup done returned, they tidied up a bit and then set off as a group. The entire crew, including the members, their managers and assistants, as well as people from Girls' Generation, piled into several cars and headed to the airport together.

EXO's schedule was published online beforehand, and given their current popularity and the fervor of their fans, it's certain that fans would be camped out in advance.

After arriving, there were indeed a large number of fans and reporters waiting. They formed a line, with a banner with well-wishes at the front and many people holding up signs and posters in the back. As soon as EXO arrived at the airport, they immediately started cheering loudly, and the deafening sound startled many passersby who looked over curiously.

However, it's normal for fans to camp out at the airport in the peninsula. People are used to seeing it, they just don't often see this many people.

After exiting the vehicle, XO members first lined up and thanked fans with gestures. They then specifically allowed them to take pictures for a few seconds before grabbing their luggage and walking towards the airport interior in a line.

Chi Jingyuan's daily casual wear focuses on simplicity and comfort. Besides some luxury brand clothing, he has many custom-made anime co-branded outfits, some of which are very expensive and even unavailable on the market. They are comparable in price to those high-end brands. However, some people who don't understand it not only can't tell the difference but also find them funny and childish.

These people's taste is really terrible. Thinking about the several members who often complained about their own clothes, Ji Jingyuan couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Today, Chi Jingyuan was wearing a black hoodie with an unbuttoned blue down jacket on the outside. Both the jacket and the hoodie had a black and yellow Pikachu lightning tail logo on the chest, instantly elevating the quality of his clothes.

His lower body was clad in dark-colored casual trousers, and on his feet were a pair of burgundy sneakers. The overall outfit wasn't particularly eye-catching, but many people immediately focused their attention on him.

He was wearing a white baseball cap on his head, and he also pulled the hoodie's hood over it. Underneath both layers of protection, he looked much warmer.

Because he has a lot of hoodies in his private collection, Chi Jingyuan usually likes to wear two hats.

Although he wasn't wearing makeup, he didn't wear a mask. He only applied BB cream and faced the cameras with his bare face, occasionally smiling and greeting fans.

Because time was tight, they didn't linger. After greeting the fans, they quickly went through security and soon after, a plane took off, disappearing into the clouds.

The familiar feeling of vertigo returned to Chi Jingyuan, clinging to him like a shadow. He wore an eye mask, half asleep and half awake, enduring the journey for over three hours before finally reaching his destination: Hong Kong Island.

"EXO, EXO, EXO…"

"Oh my gosh Yuan, oh..."

"Luhan, look at me! Look at me!"

"Jin, oppa, annyeonghaseyo."

Amidst the cheers of fans who had come to pick them up at Hong Kong International Airport, EXO greeted them briefly before quickly getting into their chauffeured van and heading to their hotel.

This year, EXO's popularity on Hong Kong Island has noticeably increased compared to last year. And Ji-sung even noticed that many of the signs held by fans weren't for EXO, but for the TV drama "The Heirs," with the majority featuring pictures of Kim Tan.

It's clear that the show and the character Jin Tan are incredibly popular, even overshadowing EXO itself.

This year's MAMA was held at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong Island. The venue is right next to the airport, and the hotel booked by the company was also not far from the venue, making transportation very convenient.

"Let's rest and eat something at the hotel first, then go to the venue for a walk-through, get familiar with the flow and stage setup of this performance, and there will be a press conference later this evening, remember to prepare."

After arriving at the hotel, Lee Seung-hwan gathered the members together and briefly explained the process for the next day: “Get up early tomorrow to go directly to the venue for rehearsals. Because this special stage is very important, we haven't rehearsed with the set before, so we need to rehearse two or three times, or maybe even more.”

After the rehearsal, everyone went for styling in the afternoon, then walked the red carpet and accepted interviews at 5 o'clock. The award ceremony officially began at 7 o'clock.

"That's basically the arrangement... And, no leaving the hotel at night without permission, understood"

"Got it, brother," the members replied, their voices lacking energy.

The two older sisters of Girls' Generation, who just took the same flight, put their things in the hotel and went out to play together. They don't look like they came to participate in MAMA at all, they look like they're just here for a vacation.

Last year, we weren't able to go out. This year, the restrictions are still so strict. Many members are actually quite frustrated inside.

Especially seeing that senior group members could run around freely on Hong Kong Island, they were even more restricted to staying in the hotel.

They just can't help it, the company demands this of them and they have to comply. Unless someone with real weight, like a member of the royal family, stands up and rebels, things probably won't get better.

It's a pity that Chi Jingyuan's expression was flat, he didn't feel anything about not being able to go out and have fun.

"By the way, remember to eat less. You should all be clear about what to pay attention to at the awards ceremony, after all, you've participated in several times."

After Li Chenghuan finished his briefing, he waved his hand and said: "Now go to your respective rooms to tidy up. Assemble in half an hour."

"Inside..."

…………

They stayed busy at the venue until late that night. The next morning, EXO followed their manager back to the exhibition hall.

Today, their rehearsal task was heavy. This time, the stage consisted of two songs: "Roar" and "Wolf", but there were several sections in both songs that had never been publicly performed before, even the members hadn't practiced for too long. Occasionally, they would still make mistakes when practicing in the studio, so today's rehearsal was the more the better.

The only problem is that there were so many performers at the awards ceremony today that even with preferential treatment from the organizers, there wasn't much time for rehearsals.

EXO arrived very early, practically before dawn. But to their surprise, there were already quite a few people here. As soon as they entered the backstage area, they encountered Apk who was heading towards the rehearsal room.

"Hello."

Annyeonghaseyo.

Two groups brushed past each other, exchanging polite greetings but keeping their voices low. It seemed like both sides had just woken up and members didn't have much energy.

Moreover, most of the Apk members wore hats and kept their heads bowed. The long brims of their hats covered most of their faces, making it impossible to see them clearly.

Why are you all bowing your heads, and not wearing makeup

At the end of the line, Ji-sung and Jung Eun-ji lightly clapped their hands to signal a stop. They exchanged a few friendly greetings.

Although we just talked on the phone and connected, it's actually been a while since we've met in person.

"You're still asking Who would do makeup this early for a dress rehearsal"

Jung Eun Ji put on a baseball cap and wore casual clothes. When she saw Ki Do Won's gaze scanning her face, she quickly lowered her head and pulled her hat down, putting on a fierce expression and glared back.

Several other members, like her, hurriedly pressed their hats down with their hands. Even Sun Na-eun did the same.

"There's no need to be like this... I'm not even wearing makeup, completely barefaced." Seeing the reactions of a few people, Ji Jingyuan rolled his eyes, feeling that their responses were a bit exaggerated.

"Oh, you think everyone is just like you And are you really wearing no makeup Your schedule is so packed that you can barely sleep, how come your skin is still so good, not even a single pimple"

Jung Eon-di began to retort unhappily, but as her eyes met Ji Kyeong-won's face, she asked in surprise.

Idols who are popular and busy have very little time to rest. It's common for them to experience disrupted sleep schedules and insomnia. When they're busy, they often don't eat regularly either, and the pressure is immense. As a result, most popular idols have average skin at best. Acne and blackheads are commonplace, and sometimes they even need heavy makeup to cover up dark circles.

In EXO, there are several people like this. Xiumin is a typical example; his face often has many small pimples and blackheads.

But at this time, Chi Jingyuan seemed unaffected. Even without makeup, his skin looked good.

"It's not anymore, a couple of pimples popped up the other day, but they went away quickly."

Chi Jingyuan shook his head. Although his genes were good, he wasn't completely unaffected. He touched his cheek and waved goodbye to several people.

"Let's talk later, see you on stage!"

"Inside, I'd really like to see how you EXO guys rehearse..."

First published on the Traditional Chinese Novel Networkonal.Then even if there was a mistake, and they were to be criticized or punished, it should have been them together.But at this moment, she was all alone. An overwhelming sense of injustice welled up...