Chapter Four: Spring Along the Stone Wall Road of Deoksu Palace

“The butter at this place is quite delicious.” After the waiter left, Giselle, seemingly noticing Liu Zhiming’s earlier expression, brushed her hair back and tried to explain her behavior.

“If it’s good, then eat more of it.”

Liu Zhiming pushed the entire plate toward Giselle. At that moment, she only wanted to distance herself from her suddenly pretentious friend.

Fortunately, no one was paying attention to them right now. It was so embarrassing—she wished she could dig a hole and hide in it.

However, it was strange that the once lively restaurant was gradually growing quiet. Curiously, Liu Zhiming craned her neck, trying to see what was happening at the center of the gathered crowd.

“So, what’s going on now?”

Giselle, who had just been eager to escape, now appeared calm and composed. While eating the food on her plate, she looked up at their team leader and asked politely, “Is there a senior here? Why did it suddenly get so quiet?”

“Doesn’t seem like a senior,” Liu Zhiming said, covering her face as she peered intently.

“It’s someone unfamiliar, looks like they’re about to sing?”

“Sing?” Giselle’s interest was piqued. She grabbed a piece of bread and stood up, joining Liu Zhiming at her side.

After all, aespa was a singing group, and as the rap member, Giselle naturally had a strong interest in singing.

She also wanted to know who could have such a powerful charm to attract such a crowd.

Of course, she was mainly grateful, because if it weren’t for this person, her own silly voice just now might have drawn unwanted attention.

She quickly stuffed the bread into her mouth, swallowed it with a sip of drink, and then looked toward the center of the crowd.

There, a man in a beige jacket stood before a microphone. He cleared his throat and, while testing the sound, gave a shy smile.

But once everything was ready, the youthful innocence on his face gradually faded. He licked his lips, his eyes sparkling with confidence.

After much consideration, he chose “Spring on Deoksugung Stone Wall Road” by Lim Yoon-ah as his song.

There was no special reason—simply because Lim Yoon-ah, as a member of Girls’ Generation, had a solid fan base and great public favor.

Choosing this song meant he didn’t have to worry about stepping on anyone’s toes.

“Warm spring breeze, I’ve already checked the weather,

I’m ready with light clothes,

This weekend, I’m going on a date,

Now, my heart has started fluttering...”

Giselle admired the young man by the microphone, then turned to Liu Zhiming, who was also listening intently.

“I didn’t expect him to choose a song by Senior Yoon-ah to perform.”

Lim Yoon-ah had recently shifted her career focus to acting. Moreover, as a senior known for her looks, few paid attention to this fresh and sweet melody when discussing their company’s senior.

Even they, the juniors, seldom listened to such slow-tempo songs anymore.

Their company had ventured into a wilderness concept, promoting groups by building worldviews.

As female warriors protecting the world of the wilderness, their musical style was naturally bold and didn’t quite fit with slow tempos.

“Hm?”

“I said I didn’t expect this person to sing Senior Yoon-ah’s song.”

Giselle frowned slightly, finding her usually clever friend suddenly hard of hearing, though it was quite quiet around them.

One had to admit—the man’s singing skills were impressive, possessing a voice full of emotional color.

Judging by his face, he didn’t seem like someone they had seen on TV; he appeared to be an outsider, yet his expressive power was strong, already showing the stage presence of a potential singer.

“Yes, Senior Yoon-ah hasn’t been associated with singing for a while now.”

Liu Zhiming sounded a bit regretful.

Lim Yoon-ah had gradually gone further down the acting path thanks to her public favor.

She, on the other hand, had lost many company fans due to remarks made before debut. Being an idol wasn’t a lifelong career; even the most popular female idols face a day when attention fades.

Liu Zhiming hadn’t yet figured out how to live when she left the idol industry.

“What’s wrong with you today? You seem a bit distracted,” Giselle said, furrowing her brows. She found the woman beside her acting strangely.

“I’m just thinking about what kind of job I should do if I stop being an idol.”

The girl stretched as she listened to the mellow singing.

To be honest, she felt somewhat lost. A bit uncertain.

The internal struggles within the company had intensified. As the current leading group, aespa seemed to be caught in the tug-of-war between factions, left in limbo.

Including today, for a girl group that debuted just two years ago and had impressive music and sales achievements, aespa had been on a hiatus for half a year.

Moreover, the company hadn’t failed to notify them about recording plans.

They even attended the company’s comeback strategy meetings, discussing song selections for the next album with producers Kenzie and Yoo Young-jin.

Just as they were confidently preparing for their comeback, the company made a final decision: the group’s comeback activities were canceled.

Liu Zhiming considered herself quite level-headed as an artist and often comforted fans on their fan club, thanking them for waiting.

But privately, she and her three teammates all felt anxious about the situation.

Aespa was an experimental group; when the company decided to integrate AI technology into their concept, they understood their position.

At SM Entertainment, experimental groups rarely had good outcomes.

The four often gathered to discuss the current situation and exchange known information, but no one dared to guarantee that the company hadn’t given up on them.

The company’s past was a warning—the experience of senior Krystal was a constant reminder. They didn’t want to be idols who left the stage at twenty-one.

“Do you want to follow Senior Yoon-ah and pursue acting?”

“I don’t think I can,” Liu Zhiming shook her head regretfully. The idol-to-actor path was difficult, and with her poor public favor, convincing the company to find scripts for her was hard.

“Then... how about standing in front of a microphone and singing like him?”

“Can I really do that?”

Liu Zhiming wasn’t the main vocalist of the team, but she understood music and singing well.

Though she didn’t know the man standing at the center of the restaurant space, she understood his strength.

From an emotional expression standpoint, Lim Suha’s performance could no longer be described as merely “excellent.”

He looked like an outsider, but his singing skills already surpassed many insiders.