Chapter 93: Debut Prelude (Part 2)

Lee Yunjae chatted for a long time with BoA, TVXQ, Girls' Generation, Shinhwa, and others. They talked about his recent life, whether he was happy at LOEN, and the recent defamatory news that had been circulating online... The conversation only ended at 4:30 PM when Lee Yunjae had to go on stage for a rehearsal.

This was Lee Yunjae's first time participating in a proper concert. The one at Seoul City Hall Square didn't really count, as he hadn't even shown his face. Even when he stood in front of Lee Hyori just now, she didn't recognize him.

Stepping onto the stage, facing the empty stadium, the thought of performing for over 20,000 people soon made his heart race with excitement. The rehearsal was essentially a run-through of the stage movements to help the cameramen. For experienced singers, this was no problem, and even not going on stage wouldn't be an issue. However, for Lee Yunjae, it was a bit of a challenge. After all, it was his 'first' time on stage, so making a few mistakes was understandable.

After appearing on stage twice, Lee Yunjae had already grasped the rhythm of the stage, and his coordination with the cameramen, though not perfect, was quite good.

Today, he was to sing two songs: "I Should Love You" and "Maple." After rehearsing these two songs, Lee Yunjae returned to the backstage area.

"Huh... Have you seen my manager?" Upon returning to the crowd, Lee Yunjae suddenly realized his manager was nowhere to be found, seemingly 'missing.'

"I saw him. He got a call and went outside a few minutes after you started your rehearsal..." recalled Kim Tae-yeon.

Lee Yunjae responded with an "Oh" without much concern. He didn't want his manager to be too controlling, and he also wouldn't restrict his manager's freedom.

"Oppa, you don't look like someone who's going on stage for the first time at all! You have a real star presence!" Yoon Ah said with a smile.

Lee Yunjae smiled faintly. If he were to get nervous on a stage with over 20,000 people, he might as well be ashamed and hang himself. Besides, there were only a few dozen staff members in the audience, not a sea of fans.

There was still over an hour before the concert started, and Lee Yunjae was constantly pulled aside by Girls' Generation, BoA, TVXQ, and others, who asked him all sorts of questions, trying to dig up everything that had happened to him over the past four years.

The weather was getting colder, and by 5:00 PM, the sky was already overcast. A cold north wind blew, making the fans waiting in line outside shiver. Finally, it was time to enter, and over 20,000 people lined up to enter, forming long queues. Each person held various items for support, such as towels, posters, and electronic screens. However, the fans who had come specially were frustrated because they didn't know what Lee Yunjae's support item was, so they each bought a fluorescent stick.

By 5:30 PM, the singers began to prepare. Girls' Generation, BoA, TVXQ, and others stopped chatting with Lee Yunjae and started their own preparations, putting on headphones, microphones, and changing into their performance outfits...

However, what frustrated Lee Yunjae was that all his things seemed to be with his manager Yang Hao, who was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, bro, where are you? The concert is about to start!" Lee Yunjae called Yang Hao.

"Don't worry, don't worry... I'm already inside, I'll be there soon!" Yang Hao hung up. After waiting for two more minutes, Lee Yunjae finally saw Yang Hao, who was carrying a large box.

"Bro, what's this?!" Lee Yunjae touched the box suspiciously, and the Girls' Generation members slowly approached, curious to see what was inside.

Yang Hao chuckled and placed the box on a chair, then opened the lid. "Wow..." The girls gasped, their mouths wide open.

"Damn... This is too cool!" Park Yoochun exclaimed, and the other four were equally surprised.

The small commotion also caught the attention of other singers, including BIGBANG, Lee Hyori, Chae Yeon, Wonder Girls, SS501, and Brown Eyed Girls, who all turned to look. The contents of the box, under the spotlight, were dazzling.

Lee Yunjae was also stunned, his eyes wide with surprise. This was completely unexpected.

Inside the box lay a performance outfit, a black casual suit. What made it unique was that the surface of the suit seemed to be covered with countless diamond fragments, reflecting a dazzling light under the spotlight. It was simply too cool, too stylish.

"Bro, this is..." Lee Yunjae asked, speechless.

Yang Hao chuckled again and said, "This is a custom-made 'battle suit' for you, personally designed by the CEO. Using a special process, the surface of the suit is covered with countless tiny black crystals. Wearing it on stage will definitely blind everyone!"

Everyone present looked at Lee Yunjae with envy and jealousy. They were all singers, and when they debuted, their CEOs just gave them a pep talk and nothing more. But look at this guy's boss, who sent a luxurious 'battle suit.' The quality was visible to the naked eye, and this 'battle suit' must have been very expensive, which couldn't help but make them envious.

In fact, this was also a way for Bae Sung-jin to win people's hearts. If it weren't for the recent success of Lee Yunjae's album, he wouldn't have thought of sending him a 'battle suit.' After experiencing these few days, Bae Sung-jin finally understood Lee Yunjae's value and wanted to firmly tie him to LOEN.

Although Lee Yunjae knew this was just a way for Bae Sung-jin to win his favor, he was still very excited.

"By the way, there's this too!" Yang Hao then produced a rectangular black box as if by magic.

"What's this?!" Jessica asked tentatively.

Yang Hao chuckled again and opened the box. When everyone saw what was inside, they all sucked in their breath, making a series of "sighs."

"Wow... This can't be made of diamonds, right?!" Jessica carefully took out the item from the box. It was a microphone, with the body embedded with what looked like black diamonds, very eye-catching. She weighed it in her hand, feeling its heaviness and quality, which was exceptionally luxurious.

"Wow... Let me see!" Sunny quickly snatched the microphone from Jessica, played with it for a while, and then passed it to Yoon Ah and the others.

"Oppa, this can't really be made of diamonds, right?!" Finally, it was passed to Sulli, who played with it for a while before handing it to BoA.

Lee Yunjae rolled his eyes. How could it possibly be made of real diamonds? Although LOEN had money and could afford a microphone encrusted with diamonds, they wouldn't make a luxurious black diamond microphone for Lee Yunjae, unless the executives of LOEN and its parent company SK Telecom were all 'fools.'

At this point, Yang Hao explained, "The ones embedded are crystals. This microphone was custom-made by Swarovski Korea, and only the one at the very bottom of the microphone is a real diamond."

The crowd was stunned. There really was a diamond!

BoA immediately turned the microphone upside down and, sure enough, saw a small diamond embedded at the bottom. Its nobility and purity completely outshone the surrounding crystals.

Lee Yunjae was also surprised. He hadn't expected Bae Sung-jin to give him such an expensive gift. Swarovski crystals weren't cheap, and custom-made ones were even more expensive, especially with a real diamond. This was indeed a valuable and generous gift.

"Yunjae, it's clear you're doing better at LOEN than we are at S.M... If we ever have a hard time, you'll have to look out for us!" Kim Jun-su patted Lee Yunjae's shoulder and sighed.

Lee Yunjae shrugged, but inside, he was bitter. At this stage, LOEN's high regard for him was all benefits and no drawbacks. But what about the future? If his studio and LOEN had a conflict, how would he choose? LOEN had been good to him, and he couldn't be ungrateful.

So, at this moment, Lee Yunjae even hoped that Bae Sung-jin wouldn't be so good to him, just enough to be appropriate.

"Go to the dressing room and change into this outfit so we can see... Wow, we want to take a photo with you!" BoA pushed the box with the clothes into Lee Yunjae's hands, urging him to go to the dressing room.

In the dressing room, Lee Yunjae changed into the outfit and looked at himself in the mirror for a few seconds. He realized that indeed, a person's appearance is greatly enhanced by their clothes. This performance suit was different from ordinary suits; it was heavier but didn't hinder his movements. It had a slight British elegance and a trendy flair.

When Lee Yunjae came out of the dressing room, the goddesses in the hearts of the fans all rushed forward to take photos with him, though it wasn't clear if they wanted to take photos with Lee Yunjae or with the outfit he was wearing.

Despite this, the male singers on the scene looked at Lee Yunjae with a deep sense of envy. Seeing his faint smile, they couldn't help but give him the middle finger in their hearts: You're too flashy!

Fourth update complete!!!

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