Chapter 65

Li Yuhao led Li Zhi'en and the company staff to his empty waiting room, where they met his manager uncle on the way. He parked the car, took the food Li Yuhao bought, and came up. Li Yuhao said, "Uncle, let's go to my waiting room. It's too crowded over there, and there's no place to eat."

The group arrived at Li Yuhao's waiting room, which, though not large, had a small sofa and a small table. "Li Yuhao oppa, I heard from my manager uncle that you've never used the public waiting room since your debut?"

Li Yuhao also smiled and said, "That's right, I've never used it. But if you want to get out of that public waiting room, you'll have to work hard. How did your song perform?"

Li Yuhao, of course, knew that Li Zhi'en's debut was a failure. He was just pretending to ask.

Hearing Li Yuhao ask about her performance, Li Zhi'en lowered her head and said dejectedly, "Not very well. Li Yuhao oppa, is my singing not good?"

"Ha ha... Your voice is very good, especially suitable for high notes. It's just that the song the company chose for you... wasn't quite right for your age, and you couldn't convey the feeling the song needed. Next time, your song..."

At this, Li Zhi'en's eyes lit up, thinking that Li Yuhao would write a song for her. But... she soon felt deflated when Li Yuhao said, "Next time, your song... I'll suggest the company choose a more youthful, lively, and cute style. Also... your face is getting round again. Remember to control your weight; you're an idol, you know?"

"Okay. My manager uncle has already set up a weight loss plan for me."

"Alright, I brought food. Let's eat together." Li Yuhao took out the sushi platter he had bought. Li Zhi'en's eyes sparkled at the sight of the full plate of sashimi. "Sashimi! I love it so much, thank you, Li Yuhao oppa."

Li Zhi'en's manager reminded her, "Zhi'en, even if you love it, don't eat too much."

"Got it." Li Zhi'en said with a smile, then picked up her chopsticks and started eating. Soon, the food delivery arrived, and the manager and staff also began to eat.

Li Yuhao watched as Li Zhi'en, small in stature, ate the sashimi without hesitation, her little mouth moving non-stop, and her chopsticks never stopping. She also didn't forget to exclaim, "Mmm~~~ This is really delicious. I like this Japanese soy sauce more than the vinegar and spicy sauce. So delicious~~~"

Li Yuhao smiled and said, "If you like it, eat more. You can start your diet after this meal." Li Zhi'en nodded and smiled, "I was thinking the same thing. This is really delicious."

After the meal, Li Zhi'en rested for a while at Li Yuhao's place before returning to her own waiting room to prepare. The show was about to start soon.

......

Li Yuhao sat in the waiting room watching the live broadcast. "Next, please welcome Li Zhi'en to perform 'Mae.'"

The music started, and Li Zhi'en stood on the stage and began to sing... Halfway through, the fans in the audience couldn't hold back anymore. "Get off the stage! What kind of garbage song is this? Get lost, you're so ugly and fat. Don't stand on the stage, go back to school."

Li Zhi'en, who had been trained by Li Yuhao, was completely unaffected by the ridicule and criticism. She continued to sing her song.

At this moment, a voice emerged, a single person's voice that covered the entire venue, very loud. She shouted the support slogan loudly, "REAL, the trend, IU~~~~. We love you, IU~~~~. IU is the best~~~~..."

Li Yuhao, sitting in the waiting room, was stunned by this scene. He smiled and said, "Uncle, look at this fan! She's amazing!! So loud!! She's almost as loud as a whole fan section."

The manager uncle also laughed. "Indeed, this fan's voice is very loud. I've never seen such a support before, one person's voice covering a whole fan section. Hahaha..."

Li Zhi'en's performance was almost over, and Li Yuhao said to the manager, "Let's go, Uncle. Take me home. I need to rest well today; I have a tight schedule tomorrow." The manager nodded, and the two left together.

Li Yuhao met BIGBANG on his way out of the waiting room. He smiled and greeted Taeyang, "Taeyang." Taeyang also smiled and said, "Li Yuhao, you don't have a performance today, right?"

"That's right, no performance. I came to see our company's Li Zhi'en." After greeting Taeyang, Li Yuhao greeted the other members of BIGBANG, "Seniors, hello."

G-Dragon also smiled and said, "Li Yuhao xi, hello. Don't be too hard on yourself. I really like the songs you write. Let's exchange ideas when we have time."

"Sure, I also like the song you wrote this time, 'One Day One Day.' Can we exchange numbers?"

"Sure, my number is 010XXXXX... Give me a call, I left my phone in the waiting room."

After Li Yuhao dialed G-Dragon's number, he smiled and said, "Alright, you guys go ahead. I won't keep you. We can talk on the phone when we have time." After BIGBANG left, Li Yuhao also left SBS.

......

After returning to the dorm, Li Yuhao started to catch up on sleep. In the evening, his manager came to wake him up again. "Yuhao, wake up. Go to the company, your 'Feathers' are causing a commotion again."

Li Yuhao rubbed his sleepy eyes. "What's going on? Uncle? Why do I need to go to the company?"

"Didn't you sing an English song, 'Hotel California,' on 'Family Outing'? There are rumors online that you're a drug addict. The internet is in an uproar, and the company wants you to go over."

"What, a drug addict?" Li Yuhao recalled the lyrics of 'Hotel California.' Indeed, many parts of the song had hints of 'drug use,' 'promiscuity,' and 'cults.' Li Yuhao slapped his head. He was extremely regretful; if he had known, he wouldn't have sung that song.

In his previous life, this song was a must-practice for guitar learners. Plus, 'Hotel California' was a 'god song' for picking up girls with a guitar in college. Everyone was very familiar with this song, and no one paid attention to what the lyrics really meant.

But here, it was different. This song had never appeared before, and Li Yuhao was the first to sing it. After 'Family Outing' aired, someone translated the lyrics.

Everyone was guessing what Li Yuhao's song really meant. Was he a drug addict? Online, there were three main theories about what Li Yuhao's song was trying to express.

1. The hotel (a place for sexual transactions), 2. A drug rehabilitation center, 3. A mental hospital.

The multiple references to drugs in 'Hotel California' suggested that the hotel was a drug rehabilitation center. The lyrics hinted at drug use, such as the feeling of heaviness in the head from smoking, "lit up a candle" being a common phrase for drug use, and dancing in the backyard being a sign of losing control after using drugs.

The eerie lyrics of 'Hotel California' suggested a mental hospital. The related hints included: auditory hallucinations of distant voices; heaven and hell representing the evil and innocent aspects of mental patients; patients dancing like they were possessed in the backyard; twisted thoughts being a direct description of mental illness; being a prisoner of one's own thoughts being a metaphor; and the hallucination of trying to kill a demon but never succeeding.

In fact, 'Hotel California' was Li Yuhao's way of expressing: We are a group of young people from the lower class with no background. 'Hotel California' is our understanding of the upper class in Seoul. It can be seen as a symbol of the pursuit of a luxurious life, and the song is a criticism and satire.

Anyway, the song 'Hotel California' sounded pleasant, and with Li Yuhao's perfect guitar performance and his recent popularity, what the song really meant naturally became the hottest topic of the moment.

On the way to the company, Li Yuhao kept thinking about how to explain the meaning of the song.

He had two plans. The first: say the song represents drug use. He watched a HK movie, 'The Disciple,' and saw the tragic state of drug users. So he wrote this song to warn everyone to stay away from drugs and cherish life. At the time, he was just a student, so he kept the song as a practice piece for his guitar. It was only forgotten after graduation. On the day of the show, when everyone brought out the guitar and asked him to sing, he naturally chose this song.

The second: say this was a continuous dream he had after watching a horror movie about a mental hospital. In the dream, he was alone on a remote desert road, a beautiful woman holding a candle at the gate, a mysterious bartender in the bar, a demonic dance in the backyard, a demon he couldn't kill, and an ending that hinted at a sequel.

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