peninsula asteroid.

Chapter 1378 No microphone on

Ji Kyung-won is very confident in his song "I Loved".

But I have little confidence in the organizers of MAMA.

The organizers of MAMA are notorious for their unfair distribution of awards and behind-the-scenes manipulation. In order to save face for all parties, the awards are distributed very evenly every year, and they have also done a lot of things like creating awards on the spot.

Following MAMA's usual practice, Twice was very popular throughout 2017 and successfully became the top girl group. They even participated in various MAMA stages, which clearly indicated that the organizers had hinted to JYP that they would definitely receive a Grand Prize.

However, there are only three major awards. The Album of the Year award is mainly based on sales. Ji Kyung-won's first solo album this year, "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life," has sold millions of copies, so the difference is too great. Even if there were some behind-the-scenes manipulation, it would be difficult to win.

Therefore, Twice didn't have many options left, only 'Song of the Year' and 'Artist of the Year'.

Twice's song "Signal" received mixed reviews. While it performed much worse on the charts than "I Loved," it still did quite well. If they had some shrewdness... it wouldn't be impossible for them to win.

EXO didn't have a comeback on the Korean Peninsula all year, so they weren't considered for awards like 'Song of the Year' or 'Album of the Year'. The only award they could compete for was 'Artist of the Year'. Although EXO achieved some groundbreaking success in the United States, the MAMA awards are for the Asian region, so it's hard to say whether the organizers will consider that.

If Twice doesn't win 'Song of the Year' today, they'll most likely win 'Artist of the Year'.

Wow, looking at it this way, EXO is very likely to be the ultimate loser!

Chi Jingyuan suddenly realized this outcome and was momentarily speechless.

He's won countless MAMA awards since his debut, so he's long since lost interest in them. But this year, he's competing as a solo artist, which feels different from winning awards as a group in the past.

It would be great if he could get it... Actually, it doesn't matter if he can't get it. That's just how MAMA is; its prestige is generally not that high.

But... even if he can't get it, he doesn't want to see Tzuyu and Nayeon so smug.
"..."

Ji Jingyuan stared back at Zhou Ziyu with a straight face, showing no fear whatsoever. Zhou Ziyu was not afraid at all either, wrinkling her nose and glaring back at him from a meter away, occasionally showing her little tiger teeth. Lim Nayeon was cheering them on, making Yoo Jeongyeon and Kim Dahyun laugh non-stop.

childish!

It was fine if the others didn't laugh, but once they did, Chi Jingyuan felt a little embarrassed. He glanced at the black girl who was still taunting him, muttered something to himself, and looked away, too lazy to look at her anymore.

Turning his head, he saw Mina standing a little behind him, smoothing her hair and smiling at him and her fellow members.

When their eyes met and he saw that familiar face, Chi Jingyuan paused slightly and smiled gently.

Although today's brief contact and chat did not change the relationship between the two of them, it did break down a certain barrier, so they no longer need to deliberately avoid each other for some ridiculous reasons or to save face.

At least, Chi Kyung-won felt a little more relaxed when facing Mina.

"Aigoo~"

Just then, Sana Minatozaki, having changed her clothes, walked over. The first to see her, Chaeyoung, immediately widened her eyes and exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Unnie, you're so cute!"

Hearing the noise, Chi Jingyuan turned his head and looked over, his eyes lighting up slightly.

The stage costumes for "Uchiage Hanabi" were all custom-made by the manufacturer. Considering the nature of this song as a neon song, we considered choosing some more traditional clothing, such as yukata, for the stage costumes.

But after thinking about it, since it was a K-pop awards ceremony like MAMA, not a traditional stage like the Tokyo Red and White, such traditional costumes wouldn't be very suitable, so it wasn't implemented. In the end, it was decided to use modern-style costumes for the stage.

Ji Jingyuan wore a slightly loose, fitted white shirt with the collar slightly open and the cuffs rolled up to his forearms, giving off a refreshing summer vibe.

Sana Minatosaki, on the other hand, wore a pink and white dress with a round neckline trimmed with delicate off-white lace. The matte gauze fabric had a soft, misty feel. The straight cut reached two fingers below the knee, neither too tight nor too loose.

A thin satin ribbon of the same color is tied around the waist, with a simple bow hidden on the side. It is inconspicuous but can subtly cinch the waistline and make the overall look more neat.

There were no extra sequins or rhinestones; the only decoration was the tassel earrings on her ears, a long chain that swayed gently as she walked, complementing her delicate profile and exuding a striking beauty.

Chi Jingyuan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

He saw Sana Minatozaki's stage costume on the clothes rack that morning, but he never expected that after putting it on...

The effect is so good.

"Omo, it's so beautiful."

"Wow~"

"This definitely wasn't prepared by the company."

The Twice members were all amazed when they saw Sana Minatozaki, surrounding her and shouting excitedly, clearly finding her outfit very eye-catching.

"Hehe~"

The members' reactions satisfied her vanity, and Sana Minatozaki's composure crumbled in less than two seconds. She chuckled and walked over to the members, noticing Tzuyu examining the zipper on her back. She smiled and muttered a complaint, "This dress is a bit tight, not easy to wear. My assistant unnie just spent ages tucking it in for me."

"It is a bit tight." Chou Tzu-yu pouted and nodded seriously: "I guess even unnies from the first half of the year couldn't fit into it."

"Yeah!~"

"Haha~"

"Let's go, let's go, let's go~"

Amidst laughter, the manager came over a while later to remind them that the other members of Twice had said a brief goodbye to Ji Kyung-won and the others, and left through the artist entrance to go on stage.

Soon, only Chi Jingyuan and Minatozaki Sana remained in the passage, and the previous liveliness dissipated considerably.

The two glanced at each other, their pupils reflecting the handsome or beautiful outfits of their stage partners, but a second later they both looked away, neither of them speaking.

The noise from the audience outside was constant, and even though it was hard to hear clearly inside the passageway, one could still feel the overwhelming heat and commotion outside.

The two people, who were pretending to be silent, listened to the commotion outside and smelled the scents close at hand. Their hearts seemed to stir as well.

…………

The stadium lights suddenly went out, and the cheers inside the Tokyo MAMA stadium were instantly replaced by breathless silence.

This time the interlude was a little long because there was no prior announcement, so many audience members were still whispering about what stage would be next, and a sense of eager anticipation filled the air.

"..."

The next second, a gentle piano prelude began to play. Hearing this familiar and melodious tune, countless audience members, especially the local Japanese fans, widened their eyes and straightened up excitedly.

But before they could even exclaim in excitement, countless tiny, pale yellow specks of light drifted down from the top of the venue, like falling starlight. At the same time, accompanied by the piano melody of the prelude to "Uchiage Hanabi," the LED floor screen in the center of the stage lit up with shimmering light, as if a flowing galaxy had been laid out.

The spectacular lighting and backdrop drew gasps of amazement from many viewers, who were already bursting with excitement even before the singers appeared.

And at the very moment the piano prelude ended...

"I still think about it now."

"The coastline I looked around that day, the words etched in the sand, and your silhouette."

With a clear and sweet voice, and a perfectly balanced husky tone, the song began, and Sana Minatozaki emerged from the darkness, stepping on the light and shadow, and slowly walked towards the center of the stage.

Her high heels seemed light on the dark stage, and her pink and white skirt swayed slightly over her fair legs. She stood in the middle of the stage, her long brown curly hair loosely tied into a half-updo, with two strands of hair hanging down by her temples. She gently reached out and brushed the bangs that fell in front of her forehead behind her ear. She lowered her eyes and held the microphone, singing softly.

"A female voice!"

"It's a female voice!"

"Who is this?"

"Twice's Sana!"

The song "Uchiage Hanabi" is very familiar to Japanese people, but in most of their memories, it is a solo male vocal performance by Ji Kyung-won. As soon as the intro starts, many people are waiting for Ji Kyung-won's voice.

But instead of the expected sound, a clear female voice reached everyone's ears.

Many people stared wide-eyed, their gaze following the figure slowly moving across the stage.

To many people's surprise, a completely different auditory experience, along with a feeling of delight and novelty, flooded their minds.

"The female voice... is quite nice~"

For Sana Minatozaki, this moment was unprecedented. Unlike the stage with her group, she was standing alone on a vast stage in front of tens of thousands of audience members and fans, dressed more beautifully than ever before, singing a song that she had kept deep in her heart but had always loved and admired.

All the previous efforts and practice, as well as the expectations in my heart, have been fulfilled at this moment.

Looking down at the countless indistinct faces and waving light sticks below, her body felt hot, and her heart felt hot too.

As Sana Minato sang the verse, Ji Jingyuan slowly walked up from the other end. His white shirt had a silver-gray texture under the light, and he was bathed in a hazy light.

When he walked up to Sana Minatozaki, the two naturally looked at each other. Sana Minatozaki looked up at him, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

The next second, the melody burst forth:

"With a snap, a burst of light erupted,"

Summer is definitely not over yet.

The moment the chorus began, silver firework-shaped cold flames suddenly shot out from above the stage, with tiny golden and white light spots exploding. Combined with the dazzling virtual fireworks on the LED screen, the entire venue seemed to be swept up in a romantic summer night celebration.

"Wow!!"

As the chorus and stage fireworks rose, the atmosphere in the audience instantly exploded.

Compared to the previous K-pop songs, although they are also very energetic, as a Japanese person, "Uchiage Hanabi" is still more authoritative. This song, which carries the youthful memories of Japanese people, is more touching.

For the Japanese fans at the scene, it was the first time they had seen a male-female duet of "Uchiage Hanabi." The sweet voices, the wonderful pairing, the visual enjoyment of the handsome man and beautiful woman, and the extremely dazzling stage effects all brought a feeling that no previous stage could compare to.

At this moment, several female audience members who looked like students sitting in the front row of the second floor were all stunned. They stared wide-eyed at the man and woman standing side by side in the middle of the stage. They couldn't control their excitement and waved their cheering sticks wildly, singing along.

They were actually Japanese Wanna One fans... but after seeing this performance, they found it hard to resist developing feelings for Sana Minatozaki, a female idol they had never cared about before.

They already knew that Chi Kyung-won was handsome.

But this Sana Minatozaki is kind of pretty too.

One of the girls stared blankly at the stage, and couldn't help but mutter to herself:

"She's so beautiful!"

…………

"Is this Sana?"

In seats closer to the stage, two girls looked at Minatozaki Sana in surprise, their tone revealing familiarity.

Both of them are close friends of Sana Minatozaki outside the entertainment industry. They were best friends before Sana went to JYP to become a trainee, and they came all the way from Osaka this time.

While Twice's opening dance was good, they didn't feel much connection to it because they were too familiar with Sana Minatozaki.

But at this moment, seeing the stunningly beautiful and beautiful girls on stage, singing so well, I really felt like I was seeing my idol.

"Can Sana really be this beautiful?"

The two sisters exchanged a glance and both saw the confusion in each other's eyes.

But their amazement lasted only a brief moment; the next second, their attention shifted.

"Can Sana really work with such a handsome guy?"

"It's still this song, 'The Romance of a Neon Girl,' 'Uchiage Hanabi'!"

“I’m so envious~”

Compared to the overly familiar and unfiltered Sana Minato, they were more interested in the incredibly handsome Ji Jingyuan standing next to them.

They had heard Sana Minatozaki mention this collaboration stage before, and seeing it now made the trip worthwhile.

"but……"

The two sisters were watching the stage and whispering to each other:
"But speaking of which, Sana has changed her ways. She's on stage with such a handsome guy, and she's never taken any photos of us before..."

…………

The performance on stage continued, and this time, "Uchiage Hanabi" brought a completely different experience to all the audience members.

The male voice is warm and the female voice is sweet and clear. The two voices complement each other perfectly. The harmonies in the chorus are layered and progressive, making it fuller than the solo version. Many parts and even the harmonies seem to be more exciting than the solo version.

Especially in the chorus, the two voices blend together, truly giving the feeling of a man and woman chasing and playing amidst a grand summer fireworks display.

The way it bloomed, the way it shone, it was as if this song was meant to be sung this way from the very beginning.

After all, summer is such a romantic time, it's only truly complete when boys and girls are together!
To be honest, the overall stage design wasn't very complicated; in fact, it was rather simple, with no dance or unnecessary movements—it was just a duet between two people.

But the added interaction was just right:
Sometimes the two stood side by side, their eyes meeting with knowing smiles; other times they moved in different directions, their fingertips almost touching as they brushed past each other before gently moving away.

There was absolutely no intimate contact, yet many viewers found it incredibly satisfying. The unspoken understanding in the fleeting glances and the brief, warm exchange of eyes seemed to convey the most innocent yet touching sense of attraction.

Meanwhile, the stage effects were equally impressive, with a giant LED screen playing clips of a summer coastline and fireworks; as soon as the chorus started, the walls of fireworks around the stage activated simultaneously, enveloping the two performers in dazzling sparks and swirling smoke.

Bright sparks, fireworks on the screen, and swirling smoke surrounded the two people in the center of the stage, making Sana Minatozaki's pink and white dress and her beautiful face even more striking and dazzling.

Some people were clearly jealous.

"Sana sings so well?"

Hearing Yoo Jeongyeon's exclamation of amazement, Lim Nayeon pouted sourly:
"It was pre-recorded, right? It seems like they didn't really use their microphones..."