Chapter 5

"My name is An Minxuan." Seemingly noticing the five people's confusion, An Minxuan softly introduced himself: "If there are no unexpected events, I will be responsible for producing your debut song."

An Minxuan's words left the five members of TVXQ, who were still puzzled, speechless with surprise. The rapid change in their expressions made An Minxuan find it quite amusing.

Zheng Yunho and the others had always felt that he looked familiar, but they couldn't quite place who he was. However, when An Minxuan mentioned his name, they immediately recalled him. They knew him, and not only knew him, but also knew him very well. On the day they were confirmed to debut, President Lee Soo-man had mentioned An Minxuan in front of them. At that time, President Lee's expression was full of pride, and they even felt that even senior BoA couldn't make Lee Soo-man as proud as An Minxuan did.

However, knowing is one thing, and being shocked is another. When they heard that their debut song would be entrusted to An Minxuan, they were not pleased. No matter how capable An Minxuan was, could he possibly be better than Teacher Yu Yongjin? The original producer was supposed to be Yu Yongjin, but it changed because of him. Big brother, we are not you; you have already debuted, but we haven't. Don't ruin us, okay?

An Minxuan, seeing the group's initial confusion turn to surprise and then to anger and dissatisfaction, smiled and said, "Actually, I also think I don't have the ability, but Teacher Yu Yongjin insisted on recommending me. I haven't touched this stuff for five years, and I don't know what Teacher Yu was thinking. However, you don't need to worry too much because Teacher Yu will also be involved. If I can't handle it, Teacher Yu will take over."

It must be said that An Minxuan's personality had changed a lot. In the past, if he had been questioned like this, he would have scolded them. Despite their similar ages, An Minxuan's status in the entertainment industry was much higher. If they were to follow the seniority in the industry, he was undoubtedly a senior. He had every right to lecture the five of them.

However, although his personality had changed, he still had his pride, just more reserved. Although he humbly said he lacked the ability, he was confident that he could complete the task independently. So, he was still uncomfortable with the five members of TVXQ's dissatisfaction and doubt, but he hid it well.

Zheng Yunho and the others did not respond. No matter how well An Minxuan spoke, they did not believe he had the ability. They were not like Kangta and the others, who had witnessed An Minxuan's musical prowess. A 20-year-old An Minxuan was simply impossible for them to believe.

"Alright, continue your training. I'm leaving." An Minxuan sighed, looking at their expressions. The five of them were still young, and their faces betrayed their thoughts. If it weren't for the five years of military service, An Minxuan might not have been much better. He didn't want to explain further. He knew that being only a couple of years older than them, he couldn't convince them. It was better to save his energy.

"Goodbye, senior." Zheng Yunho and the others quickly bowed, not daring to offend An Minxuan. An Minxuan was known in S.M. for being difficult to deal with. Offending him would make it hard to survive in S.M. Unbeknownst to them, they had already offended An Minxuan, but the changed An Minxuan didn't care.

An Minxuan didn't wander around anymore. In S.M., the only places that held memories for him were the two practice rooms. Now that he had visited both, it was time to go home, back to that house filled with sorrow but no warmth.

"Why?" After An Minxuan left, Zheng Yunho clenched his fists and shouted angrily. He had finally made it to debut, but he was treated like this. It seemed that the company didn't care about the group. If they did, they wouldn't have assigned a 20-year-old An Minxuan as their producer. What was so special about An Minxuan? Just lucky, that's all.

If President Lee Soo-man knew Zheng Yunho's thoughts, he would have been furious. Lucky? Yes, the music market was booming back then, but could a million sales be achieved just by luck? The Golden Disc Awards were so fair. Was that luck too? The double awards An Minxuan won?

"Ha, it seems that Teacher Lee Soo-man is indeed as the seniors said. In his heart, the most important person is Senior An Minxuan," Park Yoochun said disappointedly.

"Right, important enough to use our group as a practice for Senior An Minxuan. Ha, I don't know what to say," Kim Junsu said with a self-deprecating laugh.

Well, it seemed that many shared Zheng Yunho's thoughts.

"Not necessarily," Kim Jaejoong said differently, looking at the three future members who were feeling down. "Remember, once I passed by Teacher Lee Soo-man's office and overheard him talking to Teacher Yu Yongjin. The topic was Senior An Minxuan. At that time, they were preparing for the album of the seniors from Shinhwa. Teacher Lee Soo-man said, 'If Minxuan were still here, we wouldn't have to worry.' Teacher Yu Yongjin didn't contradict him but instead replied, 'If Minxuan were here, what would YG and JYP dare to be so arrogant? Look at the artists they've launched. Rain? Seven? Can they compare to Minxuan?' Although they didn't specifically point out anything, from their tone, it was clear that they had full trust in Senior An Minxuan. So, if Teacher Yu Yongjin is willing to let Senior An Minxuan produce our single, then Senior An Minxuan must have the ability. We shouldn't be too pessimistic. After all, Senior An Minxuan has always been a legend in S.M. Even the seniors from HOT, SES, and Shinhwa, though they didn't like Senior An Minxuan, praised his abilities."

"Brother Jaejoong, when did you hear this?" As the maknae, Shim Changmin didn't have the complex thoughts of his seniors. He thought simply: if the company arranged it, they should just follow.

"I heard it by chance, but I didn't take it to heart at the time," Kim Jaejoong smiled. "You know, I'm not much of a talker, so I didn't say anything."

"Really?" Zheng Yunho, hearing Kim Jaejoong's words, clung to this hope like a drowning person to a lifeline, and asked urgently. If what Kim Jaejoong said was true, and An Minxuan had received such high praise from Lee Soo-man and Yu Yongjin, then he would absolutely believe that An Minxuan had the ability to produce their single. After all, they couldn't doubt Lee Soo-man and Yu Yongjin.

"Really," Kim Jaejoong replied firmly.

"Phew, that's a relief." The three worried members sighed in relief. It wasn't their fault for being so suspicious and angry. They had worked hard to get this opportunity and didn't want to fail.

"By the way, Senior An Minxuan doesn't seem as difficult to get along with as the rumors suggest," Park Yoochun said after relaxing. "The rumors say that Senior An Minxuan is cold and never interacts with others, but just now, I didn't feel any coldness from him. Instead, he was praising us."

"Right, it's different from the rumors," Kim Jaejoong nodded. "Could the rumors be false?"

"Impossible," Zheng Yunho said. "I joined the company earlier than you. When I was learning from Senior Jang Woohyun, the An Minxuan described by Senior Zhang Junzhe matched the rumors."

"Then?" Shim Changmin asked, clearly confused. What was the deal with this Senior An Minxuan?

"Maybe he was young back then, and now he has grown up, become more reserved, and changed," they concluded after much thought, which seemed to be the most realistic possibility.

While TVXQ was discussing, in another practice room at S.M. Entertainment, a group of girls was also discussing.

"Kids, do you know who I just saw?" The speaker was clearly the little girl who was at BoA's practice room earlier.

"Who?" The others asked curiously.

"Senior An Minxuan," the little girl said proudly.

"Who?" The others seemed to either not hear clearly or didn't believe it and asked again for confirmation.

"The legendary Senior An Minxuan of our company," the little girl continued.

"Really?" The others immediately changed their expressions, and cries of despair filled the room.

"What's wrong?" The little girl looked at her sisters in confusion.

"You don't know? Senior An Minxuan is very difficult to get along with," someone said. "I heard he went to serve in the military, and I didn't expect him to come back. Our days will be tough from now on. I hope I never run into Senior An Minxuan."

"I thought so too at first," the little girl recalled her conversation with An Minxuan and smiled. "But Senior An Minxuan doesn't seem difficult to get along with. He even chatted with me. I scolded him, but he didn't get angry. He even laughed. And, Senior An Minxuan is so handsome."

An Minxuan.

Dragging his luggage, he returned to the home he had been away from for five years. (Fortunately, when he left, An Minxuan had asked Lee Soo-man to take care of the house, so even after five years, it was still clean. Lee Soo-man had someone clean it every week.) Looking at the familiar yet strange home, An Minxuan couldn't help but murmur, "Mom, Dad, I'm back. I'm home."