Chapter Nine: We Are One

ason, it generates a lot of discussion.The archery competition at the odd-year games is a team event. From the preliminary round to the final, each participating team has three people, with each perso..."Xone" "Yeah, our group is called XO, our slogan is 'We Are One'. The letters O overlap when you combine the two, it looks great at a glance." 。The more he thought about it, the more suitable the suggestion seemed to him. His eyes lit up as he excitedly recommended it to the members next to him. 。Why not just call it "Sone" That way, fans of the seniors from Girls' Generation will also become our fans. 。"Bian Bian looked at him disdainfully and waved his hand, giving him a look that said you're not reliable at all: "The fan name is too similar. Not only will the other side's fans fight, but our own fans won't be satisfied either." 。"Hey, what about 'xos' How does that sound" "What do you mean The plural form of XO brandy" "Or how about 'star' Isn't our concept a combination representing planets outside the Milky Way" "Hahaha..." "Why are you laughing You guys just keep laughing without even giving me any suggestions!" 。“One fan named the members’ interests and enthusiasm, a group of people arguing with each other, but most of the names they came up with weren't very reliable, and some were even quite amusing.” 。"Jingyuan, about what you brought up, do you have any good ideas" Do Kyung-Soo nudged Chik Jingwon with his elbow and looked at him and asked. 。"I just threw it out there, I haven't really thought about it yet. Let me think about it and I'll get back to you." 。“Chi Jingyuan innocently shook his head.” 。He watched the heated discussion with great interest, occasionally interjecting a few words and laughing sarcastically at those who came up with ridiculous fan names. 。Suddenly, his phone in his pocket vibrated. Ji Jingyuan took out his phone and saw that it was a message from Zheng Xiujing, asking if he was currently at the company. 。“I’ll be back soon, just going out for a bit. If my manager asks, tell him I went to the restroom.” 。"Pi Jingyuan gave a quick word to Doyoung beside him, didn't wait for a reply, and quietly took his phone and slipped out from the side." 。"Come out, and yet you don't say anything. You didn't sleep well last night, your brain is not clear" In the stairwell on the third floor of S company, Ji Jingyuan looked at Zheng Xiujing who was standing there speechless and full of low pressure, sighed helplessly and opened his mouth. 。Just after receiving the text message, he came out and met her in the middle passage on the 3rd to 4th floor, a place that wasn't usually frequented. However, upon meeting, Jung So-jung had a very sullen expression and didn't speak; she just stood there. 。"If I had known earlier that I wasn't at the company " 。"When Chi Jingyuan saw Zheng Xiujing like this, he leaned against the wall, curled his lips and said in a tone that sounded a little regretful, which made Zheng Xiujing unable to hold back and glared at him." 。Then both fell silent, the stairwell plunged into a heavy stillness. Two and a half minutes passed before Chi Jingyuan looked at her again and spoke softly, "Come on, tell me what's wrong. Who upset you Your sister, or maybe one of your members It must have been someone from those two sides." 。"How do you know it's me, unnie, and not just another member" Jung Soo-jeong stared at him. 。"Guessing" 。"Ci Jingyuan pursed his lips and met Zheng Xiujing's gaze: “If you don’t say anything, I’ll be leaving.” 。"Ugh," Jeong Seo-jeong scrunched up her nose, looking down at the floor while her right foot repeatedly tapped against it with her toes. Finally, she spoke, "I had a fight with my unnie, and just now I got into another little argument with Sulli." 。"......” Ji Jingyuan didn't speak, but nodded lightly, his eyes watching her, indicating that he was listening intently. 。Seeing the other person's previous state, he guessed where they might have been wronged. Feeling suffocated and wanting to vent their frustrations to someone. 。After agreeing to go out with him, she felt a bit embarrassed and pretended to be aloof, waiting for Chi Jingyuan to speak first. 。Tsundere is just so unlikeable. 。"I'm so old, my older sister still controls everything I do. Even where I go to play or who I befriend, she asks about it. I'm so annoyed! Yesterday she even called me and told me not to hang out with someone..." "And Sulli, lately during practice she's been careless and just going through the motions. She talks loudly and doesn't care what anyone says. If you say something more, she starts an argument..." Jung Soo-jung, under Ji-sung's guidance, finally opened up and kept talking about her recent frustrations, mostly about her older sister, with a smaller portion about Choi Sulli. 。She was clearly unhappy with the two of them, complaining about her sisters and companions who she spent every day with. 。These two days, she seemed to have been angered by them quite a bit and had been holding it in. Today, she finally couldn't help but want to confide in someone, so she sent a message wanting to meet Ji Jingyuan. 。Jung So-jeong would glance at Ji-seong's eyes after every few sentences, as if she needed his approval to continue speaking. And Ji-seong would give her the appropriate look, allowing Jung So-jeong to pour out all the grievances she had been holding back. 。After talking for a while, she finally vented all her frustrations. She let out a sigh and looked up at Ji Jingyuan, wanting to see his reaction. 。"What are you looking at" Feeling the other person's gaze, Ji Jingyuan glanced at her, leaning against the wall with a lazy air. His tone was somewhat sarcastic as he asked, "Don't you think I would say something warm and comforting to you" Before Zheng Xiujing's eyes could sharpen, Ji Jingyuan added, "Lending you my shoulder is already pretty good." 。"With that, he shrugged and gestured to Jung Soo-jung." 。"Humph" 。>Between the "Zheng Xiu-jing made a light hum, seeming displeased, but she proactively walked two steps toward Chi Jingyuan's side. Her back was pressed against the wall just like his, and her head rested on Chi Jingyuan's shoulder." 。The mood of irritability and stuffiness that I had before has unknowingly improved a lot. 。The spacious and silent corridor was devoid of conversation, save for the faint breaths of the two individuals. 。Just then, a very light footstep reached Chi Jingyuan's ears. He judged the direction and looked over, but it was too late. A figure slowly walked down the stairs from the fourth floor, already standing on the stairs, looking at them, even making eye contact with Chi Jingyuan. 。Seeing this familiar figure, Chi Jingyuan sighed, "It's really a coincidence." 。

Pei Joo-hyuk stood awkwardly on the stairs, looking down at the very familiar Ji-seong and Jung Soo-jeong, her senior from the company who debuted before her. A storm of emotions raged in her heart, causing her to feel overwhelmed for a moment. After that, there was a wave of grandeur

“Yah!” At this moment, Jung Soo-jung also saw Bae Joo-hyun standing on the side of the stairs. She hurriedly lifted her head from resting against Park Ji-seong’s shoulder, recognized that it was a trainee and slightly let out a breath of relief, then glared at Bae Joo-hyun with some annoyance, and couldn't help but say: “Can't you walk quietly” She was a little angry, besides being flustered and embarrassed because she was discovered in a more intimate moment with Park Ji-seong, there was also the fact that the atmosphere they had just shared, which made her enjoy herself so much, was suddenly broken by this interruption. Making her feel lost and indignant. 。Ji-seong lightly pulled Jeong Seo-jeong, then smiled at Bae Joo-hyun, beckoning her over and greeting her: "What a coincidence, Joo-hyun xi! To meet you here, we're really destined to cross paths." 。He looked quite relaxed, just greeting an old friend. There was no hint of the emotions one might expect after being caught in a close moment with a girl. 。"It's quite a coincidence to meet you here, Jingyuan." 。"Bae Ju-hyeon was woken by Ji-gyeong's voice. She quickly squeezed out a smile and waved at him, also bowing to him. Finally, as if worried about something, she explained, "The head of the department just called me to say something. The elevator took a while when I was going down, so I took the stairs instead..." Jung Soo-jung was pulled aside and listened for a few words before realizing that Ji-gyeong knew this trainee. She didn't get angry again, just stood there watching their conversation. " 。Ji Chang-wook smiled and chatted casually with Bae Joo-hyun for a few moments. They hadn't seen each other in almost a month since the last showcase, just a normal friendly catch-up. 。But the other party seemed distracted, and after a few sentences, they politely excused themselves. 。"Then I'll go first. I still have practice to do back home." 。Let's have dinner together next time if you have free time, and invite Shiqi and the others too. 。After their farewell, in Ji Jingyuan's gaze, Pei Zhuxuan rushed down the stairs like she was running away, disappearing from his sight in a few steps. 。"Is that your friend" Jeong So-jeong asked in a flat tone. 。"Can't you see" Ji Jingyuan turned his head to look at her, questioning in confusion. 。"You still have practice friends... you're really free, is it because that trainee is good-looking" Her tone sounded a bit sarcastic. 。Ji Jingyuan seemed like he hadn't heard her, smiling and blinking his eyes, still giving the same reply: "Can't you tell" "Hmph..." Zheng Xiujing glared at him angrily, gave him a hard smack, then tightened her collar and said, "I'm leaving first," before patting her butt and quickly walking away. 。Judging by her appearance, she seems to have recovered. 。Ji Jingyuan watched her leave, pursed his lips and then turned to quickly return to the EXO practice room. 。"Oni, what's wrong" Kang Se-bi looked at Bae Joo-hyun who had returned with a face that wasn't looking too good. She was sitting on the floor seemingly out of it, and approached her with concern to ask a question. 。"It's nothing, just a bit tired." 。"Pei Joo-hyuk smiled and pondered for a second before suddenly opening her mouth: "Se-ki, Kyung-won xi..." But just as she was about to speak, Pei Joo-hyuk stopped herself. She pursed her lips, thinking for a moment without continuing. 。"What's wrong with Jingyuan" Jiang Shibaqi interrupted halfway, her voice laced with curiosity. 。"It's fine.... " Pei Zhuxuan smoothed her hair, a sunny smile blooming on her face again. She looked gentle and bright, as if the person who had just been looking unwell wasn't her at all. 。She gently brushed her hair aside and casually pursed her lips: "Isn't the Seoul Music Awards just around the corner I wonder if Jingyuan and the others can win the grand prize this time." 。"Of course not, EXO is so hot right now, they've already won three major awards, the last one is definitely a sure thing." 。Ginger Shiqi was very confident in this combination of her relatives. 。"That's true" 。"Pei Joo-hyuk nodded, then stood up and gave her a toothy grin: "Let's keep practicing." 。“ “inner” 。Then the moment finally arrived to award the prestigious Grand Prize trophy. 。“I'm really proud, wuli Yachun personally published it.” 。On January 23rd, the live broadcast of the 23rd Seoul Music Awards, lasting nearly three hours, was drawing to a close and entering its final stage, awarding the grand prize trophy. 。The organizer selected the Grand Prize winner from among the 12 winners of the previous awards. 。Because there's only one top prize at the entire awards ceremony, its value and difficulty of winning are among the highest of the four major award ceremonies. 。At this time, the two award presenters, Kim Guang-lae, representing Seoul Sports, and actress Kim Ya-jung, are speaking into the microphone about the award ceremony. 。The Grand Prize of Honor will be awarded to one of the twelve teams competing in this competition. 。As fans below chanted their idol group's name incessantly, Kim Ya-zhong opened the envelope and announced the final winner to the camera: “The 23rd High1 Seoul Music Awards at Seoul Sports Stadium...”. “The prestigious award goes to… EXO! Congratulations!” Hearing this name, the entire venue erupted in a deafening roar. All the artists in the artist seats stood up and applauded, followed by an exciting background music. 。The EXO members sitting at the round table in the artist's seats all stood up at the same time, let out a long sigh and then showed bright smiles. The twelve of them huddled together, embracing each other around the round table. 。Everyone could hear the breathing and heartbeat of the people next to them, feeling the shared excitement, joy, and exhilaration. 。Next, they quickly went over to the surrounding artist seniors and bowed to express their gratitude. As Ji-seong passed by Girls' Generation's table, Taeyeon and Sunny proactively reached forward and gave him a couple of playful slaps, smiling brightly on their faces, seeming very happy for Ji-seong. 。While Ji Jingyuan smiled and waved at them, he then followed the members with a bow, stepping onto the award stage from the artist's seats. 。Interestingly, Jeong Eun-ji is one of the center dancers for today's award ceremony. Dressed in a fitted red dress, she stood out on stage. 。She had been standing on the sidelines, smiling and waving at the EXO members as they walked past to greet him. But when it was finally Ji-sung's turn, she narrowed her crescent moon eyes, stretched her mouth wide, and showed off her pearly white teeth. 。he took the initiative to step forward and extended his right hand, waving it. 。"Congratulations!" Ji Jingyuan opened his arms and clapped hands with her, then heard Zheng En Di sincerely say to him. 。To be honest, Jung Eun Ji's outfit today is really pretty. The red dress and slightly curled long hair make her look elegant and charming. Her approachable smile constantly graces her face, adding a lot to her overall appearance. 。And when did she get so thin Chi Jingyuan felt that after this awards ceremony, this relative of his might gain a lot of fans. 。The two people nodded at each other, exchanging a glance. Chi Jingyuan didn't linger, quickening his pace to stand at the side of the members who were already lined up. 。Words of gratitude remained the same. This being EXO's fourth major award, they were already well-versed in this process. Kim Junmyeon first delivered a lengthy speech filled with thanks and reflections, then the microphone was passed to each member for their own short remarks. Finally, it reached Jiyoungwon's turn. He expressed his gratitude in Korean first, then switched to English for a second delivery. 。The Seoul Music Awards seem to have a slightly higher prestige than the Golden Disc Awards, but they are pretty much on par. However, EXO seemed much more excited at the Seoul Music Awards compared to the Golden Disc Awards just a few days ago. 。Because they won this major award, it means they swept all four major music awards ceremonies of 2013 on the peninsula. Winning the grand prize at every single ceremony is an astonishing achievement. 。Having debuted over a year ago, they've already won four major awards, which is truly remarkable. EXO's popularity soared last year, unstoppable and reaching new heights. 。After the speech, it was time for an encore. This time, Ji Jingyuan didn't swim. He held the microphone at the edge of the stage, happily singing along with the excited fans below. 。Below the artist seating, Shee and Girls' Generation stood throughout the event to cheer on EXO as fellow company seniors. They were waving their hands and dancing along with EXO, showing a great family bond. 。When it was Pool Jingyuan's part, the camera focused on the Girls' Generation table in the artist's seat. Kim Taeyeon looked very happy and waved two hands towards the camera with a funny expression. 。By the last chorus, all the idols in the audience were really into it. The APK group even did a "roar" choreography with their signature punching movements. After finishing, several of them burst out laughing, not sure what they were so happy about. 。The awards ceremony ended on a high note, with the ever-rhythmic "Roar" that everyone had heard countless times already. 。Afterward, following the tradition of the Seoul Music Awards, all the attending artists gathered together for a group photo arranged by the organizers. Then they bid farewell to each other with polite greetings and departed. 。Last night, I had a meal with the members to celebrate. Before we could even fully enjoy ourselves, Ji-won packed his things the next day and, along with Park Jaehyun, his assistant, and the team specifically assigned to him for his activities in Xia Guo, arrived at the airport and sat in the waiting area, waiting for their flight. 。He is about to start his activities in Xia Guo again, and both he and the domestic cooperating companies have been looking forward to it for a long time. 。I heard they put a lot of effort into getting Chi Jingyuan to perform at several important events close to the Lunar New Year. This trip will probably be quite demanding. 。At this moment, Chi Jingyuan sat in the middle of a row of sofas in the waiting room. He was lazily leaning against the backrest, with one leg crossed over the other, and scrolling through his phone. 。He was originally planning to go online and see what people were saying about EXO winning a song award yesterday. 。But the moment he opened his phone, he immediately saw a fan post from their exofancb pinned to the top of the page. This post was also trending on some entertainment forums. 。Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but curiously click it open and seriously looked it over. 。"I watched the entire live broadcast of the Seoul Music Awards yesterday. When I saw the encore stage for the final award, colorful ribbons fell from above, fans cheered below, and the 12 members of XO stood on top looking energetic and confident. For a moment, I was deeply moved and couldn't help but write this long review on fancb." 。I was feeling inspired and suddenly thought about XO's journey since their debut. My thoughts were all over the place, so forgive me if they seem disorganized. 。I'm an ordinary EXO fan, my family isn't well-off. Even during album sales promotions, I could only afford to buy two or three albums by scrimping and saving. Participating in ranking activities isn't a problem for me, but every time the fan group collects money, I feel helpless. 。But I've been a fan for a long time, since before they debuted. 。I also randomly saw yuan's debut teaser video at the time, and I was immediately captivated by yuan's smile at the end of the teaser video. I became a fan instantly and then gradually learned about the entire EXO group through him. 。I'm a yuan stan and I also like the whole team, I don't even know what this counts as, a mix of solo stan and group stan Before debuting, xo was really popular, s is a big company after all, they debuted a brand new large-scale boy group after several years, it already comes with its own heat. Even before their debut, there were already many fans, the group chat was always lively every day, and new fans kept coming in, everything looked good on the surface. 。But this good situation immediately collapsed after the release of the debut song "aa" on V and sound source. The originally promising situation turned into a sad reversal in a very short time. 。Because the title song is really disappointing, whether it's the music style, melody, or clothing styling, they are all the same. Even as a fan, I feel that this song is just average. 。I still remember back then, the internet was full of negative comments about XO. Besides criticizing their main song for being bad and their styling for being ugly, fans of their senior artists within the same company were the most vocal critics. They argued that XO's debut would steal resources from their seniors, causing EXO to become a target of public criticism for a time. It seemed like everyone felt they had to criticize EXO to stay trendy. 。 。At that time, the company had no intention of controlling the comments, allowing fans from all sides to rant about XO online unscrupulously. This is also the consistent style of S-house, and everyone has gotten used to it. 。I remember back then, besides the fans from the same company group, the ones who were scolded the most online were probably the fans of the boy group BAP that debuted at the same time as us. 。These two groups' idols debuted and developed much better than XO. Because they debuted in the same year, they naturally became rivals. Fans of these two groups are constantly attacking us online while promoting their own idols. Their arrogant tone was really infuriating at the time. 。But there's no way around it, competition between fans ultimately boils down to an idol's skills and achievements. At the time, XO just wasn't as popular as others, and we accepted that. 。Because of all sorts of things, the heat was cut in half directly. During that time, fancb basically had no new people coming in, and people were leaving every day. Seeing those names disappear one by one was really heartbreaking. 。Many new fans may not know that the months after their debut were really difficult for XO. Some of the scenes from XO's activities back then, looking at them now, are really heartbreaking, both sad and pitiful. 。When Bo-hyun held his birthday party in May, there were only a dozen or so people who came. Even with fans included, there weren't as many as the XO members and staff. However, the members were still very happy and enthusiastically interacted with the fans who were present, without any awkwardness or displeasure. 。Sometimes, due to time constraints and lack of income, the members would simply sit on the roadside and eat their meals. 。EXO's first fan signing event, only a few cats were there, covering up the photos of the scene. Now you wouldn't believe this was an EXO fan signing event. 。The k team performed in thin clothes on a very cold day, and you could see their breath clearly when they opened their mouths. 。Because of online ridicule and insufficient popularity, he couldn't get any gigs. Finally, he got one commercial performance, but in the end, he didn't even receive his performance fee. The organizer gave each member a big bag of rice as compensation, but the EXO members still looked pretty happy. At least it was a gig, giving them a chance to show their faces. 。That scene was truly overwhelming at the time, many things I still remember vividly to this day. 。And this is still good, because at least there's a schedule so you can see them. 。But after the initial few months of their debut, EXO's schedule and exposure drastically decreased. Seeing them on television became a luxury, and various magazines and tabloids labeled EXO as ** Entertainment's failure. 。No variety shows, no hype, no new songs, no face reveals, just random attacks. That was the state of EXO back then. 。If yuan hadn't been able to frequently receive advertisements and appear on television, we would have really worried that xo would disband. 。Anyway, when things were at their toughest and fans were about to give up, yuan received the lead role in "Reply 1997". 。I remember when I first heard the news, I was so excited. Fans in the group were all discussing it happily and made a promise to watch it until the end. 。This drama wasn't favored by anyone back then, but for xo, it was already a very good itinerary. 。Fortunately, our prayers seem to have been answered. "Please Answer" became a huge hit, setting a record for cable television viewership. Yuan, who played the male lead, gained widespread recognition and his popularity soared. As a result, the group EXO also returned to the public eye. 。From then on, things seemed to gradually get better. Although, besides yuan who frequently appeared on television due to the drama's popularity, other members still had few schedules, they could occasionally see the members appearing on TV, no longer like they were on the verge of disbanding before. 。They even got to perform on a year-end stage, and thanks to the great sales, they won several newcomer awards. While gaining recognition from many people, those black fans finally ran out of things to say and calmed down. They finally made it through the toughest time. 。This change truly let us old fans breathe a sigh of relief. 。After that, it was 2013. Ever since S announced EXO's comeback in May, we had been eagerly waiting. A new song after a year and two months was such a rare treat, I almost thought we wouldn't get to see it again. 。The regular album 《xoxo》 indeed didn't disappoint. 《wolf》 is fresh and innovative, with cool and intense choreography that leaves people amazed. The breathtaking Tree of Life performance, and so on, seem to indicate that everything is getting better, EXO is constantly moving forward on the road to success. 。As expected, June 13th was a day that remained deeply etched in my memory. EXO achieved their first music show win on this day! It was their first trophy after three months of their debut on . 。Backstage in the video released at the time, members were unable to contain their excitement and burst into tears. Kai and Y both cried uncontrollably like children, and Yuan, who had always been composed, also seemed to struggle to control his emotions, with tears glistening in his eyes. 。That scene really made a deep impression on me. 。From this point on, everything has been developing in a positive direction. The four members of have achieved excellent results, far surpassing the performance of last year's , which was unimaginable. 。This trend has been continuing. 。Not until "Growl" was released did EXO finally achieve great success. 。"Roar" has topped the charts since its release and shows no signs of slowing down. It's currently the longest-charting song among all the group's tracks. 。Seventeen's victory in seventeen music shows created a record for boy group idol groups in the K-pop industry. 。Every nook and cranny of the peninsula was filled with “eu-reu-reongeu-reu-reong.” You could hear it everywhere, in any shopping mall, restaurant, record store, or even school. At that time, this was the only sound dominating the music scene on the entire peninsula. 。Here I want to say, yuan is really talented. EXO can have today's popularity and momentum, besides their own efforts and accumulation, the credit of "Growl" really cannot be ignored. 。I wouldn't say what EXO would be like without Yuan, because he is one of the members of EXO, and no one can deny that. 。

xo dominated the majority of middle and high school student fans, squeezing other newly debuted boy groups to the lowest survival space possible.

Every signing event is packed with people, a stark contrast to last year's situation. 。> It once happened that the large turnout severely affected traffic in the surrounding area. The organizers were concerned that too many people would lead to dangerous incidents and therefore canceled the signing session. For many artists, this is quite a unique experience. 。Various variety shows are vying to invite EXO. As long as EXO makes an appearance, viewership and popularity ratings see a significant boost. 。At the end of the year, stages at major television stations are a must-have, even if you can't make it there in person, you need to pre-record the stage video. 。All of this represents exo truly soaring like a rocket, beginning to shine like stars in the Korean music scene's sky. 。After that are the four major award ceremonies of the year. 。 。November 22nd, the aa annual album 。January 16, Golden Disc Awards, Record Department Grand Prizehat casually for a bit.It's a very simple recording process."Alright then, get ready, the program team will be here soon."After Li Chenghuan's briefing, the members also rushed to finish their tasks....