Chapter 89: Perilous Situations

Lee Yunjae got out of the limousine, a cold wind immediately rushing into his neck. Although it was only 3 PM, the outdoor temperature was still only one or two degrees Celsius.

Yang Hao took out a scarf and a hat from the car and handed them to Lee Yunjae. Looking around at the other limousines, he said, "It seems most of the artists have arrived. Look, the one with the number 4 at the end is Girls' Generation's limousine, the one with 8 is BoA's, and the one with 9 is TVXQ's!" Yang Hao introduced each one to Lee Yunjae in detail, showing that he had indeed done a lot of work for his position as a manager.

At this moment, a strong and dynamic melody came out. Lee Yunjae was taken aback and looked up at the stadium. The melody echoing in the air was very familiar to him—it was the tune of the song "Spell" that he had composed.

"From the sound of it, it seems TVXQ is rehearsing... Let's hurry in. We need to visit the seniors and deliver the albums; you have a lot to do!" Yang Hao carried a large bag filled with albums personally signed by Lee Yunjae. In the past few days, to support online sales, he had been signing albums and posters all day, signing thousands of them, almost breaking his wrist.

"Brother, can we go in through the main entrance? I want to see their rehearsal!" Lee Yunjae's eyes were fixed on the stadium, as if he could see through the thick walls to the stage inside.

Yang Hao nodded and took out two cards from his bag. "These are passes that allow free entry and exit to the stadium, specially prepared by SBS for the artists and managers!"

Lee Yunjae took one and hung it around his neck, adjusted his scarf to cover half his face, and then walked toward the main entrance of the stadium. Yang Hao followed behind, carrying the bags and doing the work of both a manager and a 'nanny.'

It took about two minutes to walk from the parking lot to the main entrance of the stadium, during which many more cars drove into the parking lot. The closer they got to the stadium, the more the excitement in Lee Yunjae's blood began to boil.

At the main entrance, many SBS staff members were standing guard, and numerous fans were already gathering in the square in front of the stadium. Other SBS staff were maintaining order at the entrance. Lee Yunjae arrived at the entrance, showed his pass, and easily passed through the checkpoint and entered. After passing through the main gate and a long corridor, a spacious area appeared before Lee Yunjae.

At this moment, the stadium was already filled with chairs, and the stands on both sides were adorned with the exclusive emblems of fans like ELF, Orange, and SONE. In front of Lee Yunjae, at the far end, was a large stage. On the front and both sides, there were large LED screens.

Lee Yunjae's gaze was somewhat dazed, and his feet moved woodenly forward. The melody of the song was almost over, and the rehearsal of TVXQ was about to end. However, Lee Yunjae was still over a thousand meters away from the stage.

Watching TVXQ bow to the staff and walk off the stage, the five figures deeply etched themselves into Lee Yunjae's eyes.

"OK, TVXQ's rehearsal is over. The next group, stand by, everyone in position!" the director shouted into the microphone.

Soon, nine girls walked out from the backstage, wearing down jackets and tight jeans that revealed their figures.

"That's... Girls' Generation..." Yang Hao wanted to remind Lee Yunjae, but seeing that he seemed to be in a daze, he stuttered and closed his mouth, following closely behind.

"Gee—Gee—Gee—Gee—baby—baby—baby—Gee—Gee—Gee—Gee—baby—baby—baby!"

Another familiar melody reached Lee Yunjae's ears. The nine lively girls on stage sang and danced, their youthful and vibrant energy was irresistible.

Kim Tae-yeon, Tiffany, and Sunny entered S.M. after Lee Yunjae left, so he was not familiar with them. However, the other six had been very close to him, even after almost nine years of not seeing each other, such as Seohyun. Watching them debut successfully and steadily expand the market for girl groups, gaining more and more fans, made Lee Yunjae happier than if his own album had sold well.

Four years had passed, and up close, Lee Yunjae felt he hardly recognized them.

"Seoyeon has become even more beautiful, Sooyoung has grown taller, YoonA is developing into the ideal daughter-in-law in the hearts of Korean mothers, Hyoyeon's dancing has improved, and Yuri, despite her love for food, remains slim. And Seohyun, once a shy girl who blushed easily, can now perform on such a large stage in front of thousands of people without a hint of nervousness. If anyone has changed the most, it's definitely her."

Standing ten meters away from the stage, Lee Yunjae silently watched the nine girls rehearse. The staff around him, seeing the passes hanging from Lee Yunjae and Yang Hao, did not drive them away.

"Attention, since the stage is a bit large today, it's best to perform closer to the front so the audience in the front can see you clearly... OK, let's do it again!" the director instructed.

The nine girls silently moved their formation forward, stopping about two and a half meters from the stage. A few seconds later, the music started again.

"Yunjae, stop watching and let's go backstage. You have many seniors to visit, and there's no time to waste here!" Yang Hao tugged at Lee Yunjae's arm, reminding him.

"Just a little longer, I want to finish watching this rehearsal!" Lee Yunjae stood still, unmoved.

Four years had changed many things, or perhaps nothing had changed. The only thing that had changed was their height, which had grown significantly. Under the scarf, a warm smile appeared at the corner of Lee Yunjae's mouth.

Swoosh... Swoosh...

Jessica's hair danced rhythmically as she danced, but her attention was not entirely on the rehearsal. Her eyes occasionally glanced at the two "statues" standing in front of her.

Yes, statues. The two people had been standing there motionless for almost ten minutes, which caught Jessica's attention.

Women's sixth sense is often very accurate. At this moment, Jessica felt a familiar presence from one of the two statues.

"Is it Siwon? No, no... they are in Busan today... Could it be Lee Hong-gi? No, no, they should be preparing backstage, how could they have time to come here... Who could it be? Such a strange feeling!" Jessica wondered, and the next moment, a scream escaped her throat.

"No..."

"Be careful..."

"Be careful!!!"

Screams echoed throughout the stage. Jessica's heel had somehow gotten stuck in the gap between two stage boards, disrupting her balance and causing her to lean forward. She was less than a meter from the edge of the stage. The closest to her, Kim Tae-yeon, YoonA, and Tiffany, tried to grab her but were too late.

Jessica's mind went blank. Falling from a stage that was 1.5 meters high, even if she didn't get seriously injured, she would definitely have to stay in the hospital for a few weeks.

What to do... What to do... Jessica's hands flailed in the air, trying to grab something. But there was nothing to grab in the air. Her body was already mostly off the stage, and everything happened in a split second. Her only thought was to close her eyes and silently accept whatever was about to happen.

Ah... A series of urgent screams rang out. Just as Jessica was mentally prepared, she suddenly felt her body sink, and the sensation of falling disappeared.

What happened?

When Jessica, who was pale with fear, calmed down a bit, she opened her eyes slightly and met a pair of deep, penetrating eyes.

"What happened? Did he save me?" Jessica's blank mind began to think again.

Lee Yunjae looked down at Jessica, who was close to him. She had a nearly flawless face, her orange lips slightly parted, the only flaw being the panic that still lingered on her face.

"Seoyeon, are you okay?!!" The other eight girls rushed down from the stage, calling out from a distance, ignoring their high heels and running quickly toward Lee Yunjae.

From a distance, Yang Hao felt an invisible aura and took a half-step back but then stopped. This was a good opportunity to get close to Girls' Generation, and he couldn't back down.

"Kassy, you're still so clumsy. What would you have done today without me!" Lee Yunjae said softly, his hoarse voice clearly reaching Jessica's ears.

Kassy... Kassy... Kassy... Jessica's mind went blank again, filled only with the word "Kassy." Only one person would call her Kassy, the one who liked to call her Kassy.

Is it him? Jessica's eyes widened, as if she had forgotten everything that had just happened. She slowly raised her hand and pulled down the scarf that covered half of Lee Yunjae's face. Finally, a face that was both strange and familiar appeared in her eyes.

Lee Yunjae held Jessica, and he could clearly feel her body trembling.

"Kassy, I'm back!"

In an instant, the wind stopped, and all sounds disappeared. The staff looked at Jessica in shock. The 'Queen Sica' of Girls' Generation was allowing a stranger to hold her, her hands even wrapping around his neck, her head buried in his chest as she sobbed uncontrollably.

---

End of Chapter 89