How to become an ACE of a top boy group

The night had not yet faded when the red sun slowly rose from the coastline. Faint spots of light on the deep blue sea surface, along with the waves, surged toward the beach and lapped against the red metal mailbox pole standing between the sand and the sea.

A figure appeared in the darkness on the long stone steps outside the school gate, slowly walking towards the beach, while indistinct, dreamlike background music began to play:

"How are you, the one I keep hidden in my heart, doing now?"

"Finally, after a long period of no chatting/ending what most people would consider nonsensical behavior."

I want to make you a transparent box / to seal you away before you disappear.

Long, slender fingers took a pale blue letter from the leather pocket by the collar and dropped it into the red mailbox.

The dreamlike song abruptly stopped the moment the envelope fell to the bottom of the mailbox.

The beach was deserted, save for the sound of the waves crashing, until the rising sun illuminated the white tower school built on the coastal rocks, its wake filled with the noisy sounds of students heading to school that morning. An ordinary school day.

Along the long corridor in the lobby, students in white short-sleeved shirts and black trousers were constantly putting their things in and taking them out of the blue lockers. Lu Yun swaggered to the lockers, accompanied by Song Chuchu, who wore black-rimmed glasses and had a brown portable camera hanging around her neck.

Gu Minxing and Li Longxuan, who were drinking coffee, also came to the locker. Gu Minxing was carrying a backpack and holding a large bunch of sunflowers in her right hand; Li Longxuan was carrying a shoulder bag and wearing silver-rimmed glasses. The two of them happily greeted Lu Yunsong and Chu Chu.

Lu Yun opened the locker door marked with his name, and a pink letter fell out of his locker as he chatted and laughed.

The other three stopped what they were doing and looked at Lu Yun. Lu Yun opened the letter with trembling hands. There was only one sentence on it: I have liked you for a long time. Tonight after school, I will wait for you by the horizontal bar on the playground with the courage I have practiced countless times.

The intense musical prelude begins:

[“Emergency/Urgent situation/Oh, my gosh——”]

The scene shifts to a closed classroom. Luo Xi sits in this unfamiliar exam room as if she has suddenly woken up. On the table is a blank sheet of paper with the answer sheet written on it. She looks around at the people taking the exam with their heads down and their faces blurred, and a confused expression appears on her face.

The scene then shifts to a campus corridor in the early morning, where Lu Yun is seen scratching his head in distress as he looks at the unexpected letter.

"[I/am/facing/an exam] [It's/a letter]"

[“No signature/No information/Appeared abruptly in my hands”][“On both my hands”]

Luo Xi tried to stand up and leave, but as soon as she made a move, a piece of chalk hit her on the head, startling her so much that she sat back down. The proctor, wearing a white hood with question marks on it, banged on the blackboard, which displayed the words "Honest Examination" and the next line, "Examination Time: Two Hours."

[“It seems/somewhat important/cannot be ignored.”][“Determining fate”]

Luo Xi picked up the pen, looked at the blank sheet of paper with only the title and the answer sheet written on it, and hesitated before writing down his words.

[“But my brain/overworked/stopped loading”]

["Oh, my gosh—"]

Lu Yun shouted, and while waving his arm, he accidentally flung the envelope out of his hand. The pink letter floated into the air and was caught by Gu Minxing.

["Maybe not so bad / Like a romantic beginning / Ending as a love story"]

Holding a pink letter, a cloud-shaped symbol representing the inner world from a comic strip appears above Gu Minxing's head. The camera enters his fantasy world: the setting sun shines through the sycamore trees, casting warm gold light on the retro tree-lined paths of the campus. The figures of teachers and students pass by softly. Gu Minxing pushes his bicycle, dressed in the costume of the male protagonist in the movie "Deep Affection," singing as he goes, the lyrics of which are also lines from the movie:

[“I don’t want to lie/I love you/Tell me what you think”]

The camera gave Lu Yun, who was wearing the female lead's long dress, a close-up. He deliberately raised his hand to brush the wig on his shoulder, took Gu Minxing's arm, and walked in sync with Gu Minxing.

["Love has long been born between us / I am right beside you"]

[“stop——”]

With the click of a camera, Song Chuchu snapped Gu Minxing's fantasy away, and the scene returned to reality, showing four people standing in front of the lockers.

[“It’s a little hurtful to say, but life isn’t a romance movie; it’s full of risks.”]

"Be careful before handing in your paper, or even more careful, so you won't be left behind."

As Song Chuchu sang this song, endless books and exam papers fell from the ceiling, crashing down on Gu Minxing and Lu Yun, engulfing them.

The situation is not much better for Luo Xi either. No matter what she writes, the words disappear every time she picks up her pen.

"I'm pretty sure there's some kind of connection between us."

[“The handwriting goes far beyond that of a letter”]

The scene shifts to a classroom at night, where the only light source shines on five people surrounded by others. They are performing a group dance in tattered blue bandage costumes.

[“Hey/Myself/Stop hiding”]

["Wanting an answer / A heartfelt, correct answer / Not a standard answer"]

["You know that"]

"I am writing the answer sheet of my life—"

[“A future as thin as a cicada's wing: A letter on a test decision”]

["My Life's Answer Sheet—"]

Suddenly, the music stopped abruptly with the announcement, "Fifteen minutes until the end of the exam," leaving only the ticking of the clock. Luo Xi put down his pen and began to think seriously.

In another space where the clock was ticking, Lu Yun and Gu Minxing crawled out from the pile of books and exam papers. Lu Yun brushed the scraps of paper off his body, carefully protecting the pink envelope in his hand, and looked at Li Longxuan, "Longxuan-ge, what about you? Do you support me going, or do you think my studies should take precedence?"

“Ah, I was thinking.” Lee Yong-hyun tossed his coffee cup into the trash can and pointed to the nameplates on the lockers behind them: “Song Chuchu,” “Lu Yun”… “Gu Minxing,” “Lee Yong-hyun.” He pointed to the locker with the name in the middle and asked, “Don’t you guys think we’re missing one person? Shouldn’t we have five people? The one in the middle, Luo Enxi.”

Everyone else shook their heads.

"Is he from the next class?" "Do you know him? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" "No, I don't."

"Not awake yet?" Lu Yun looked at Li Longxuan speechlessly. "Sigh, I'll just have to figure it out myself."

The music resumes, and the scene shifts to a giant pentagonal phone booth. The five people are now dressed in matching, thick waiter uniforms, demonstrating how to answer phone calls one after another. Outside the booth, floodwaters are rising. Lu Yun sings:

"Trapped here"

[“Can’t guess the answer”]

["Nobody/Nobody could help me "]

Luo Xi sang:

[“No time to hesitate, go go”]

"No, no, just write down random answers."

Lee Yong-hyun and Song Chuchu sang together:

"Take that brave step / Just go!"

[“I wrote down my path/my freedom in my own hand”]

The scene in the phone booth is transformed into a printed image. Five people in tattered blue bandaged costumes leap from it, tearing through the paper, landing perfectly, and stylishly standing up to continue dancing. In the background, the previously dark classroom gradually lights up with flickering candlelight.

["You know that"]

"I am writing the answer sheet of my life—"

[“A future as thin as a cicada's wing: A letter on a test decision”]

["My Life's Answer Sheet—"]

As the music and song ended, the scene returned to the daily routine of going to school in the morning. Lu Yun made his decision; he was going to see the girl who liked him. Gu Minxing solemnly placed the bouquet of sunflowers in Lu Yun's hands, Song Chuchu solemnly shook hands with Lu Yun as if congratulating him, and Li Longxuan was still staring at Luo Enxi's locker in deep thought.

Just then, a girl rushed over and stood in front of Lu Yun.

“Hello, this letter…” The girl’s fair cheeks flushed.

"Did you write this?"

"Correct!"

Lu Yun was touching his hair sheepishly, and before he could say anything, the girl said, "I'm sorry! I put it in the wrong place!"

"what?!"

While apologizing, the girl snatched back her love letter, hurriedly stuffed it into the ventilation gap of Lu Yun's locker door next to Luo Enxi, and ran away quickly.

Lu Yun was still standing there in a daze, while the other three laughed, and a happy atmosphere filled the air.

"What's this? What about all the time I've been agonizing over this?" Lu Yun said irritably, throwing his backpack into the locker.

The blue letter in the footage appeared inside the locker, hidden deep inside, concealed by Lu Yun's backpack so no one could see it.

Song Chuchu added insult to injury: "You wish."

Gu Minxing laughed again, and Lu Yun nudged him with his elbow: "Stop laughing, Minxing-ge, class is about to start."

The bell rang, and the four of them left their lockers and headed towards the classroom. Before leaving, Lee Yong-hyun said, "Don't you guys really think we're missing one person?"

The scene shifts back to the exam room. The exam time is over, and the classroom and chairs are empty, with only the "answer sheet" and pen remaining. Luo Xi writes down the answers.

She left, and the closed exam room doors and windows were now open, revealing a clear blue sky outside.

The camera zooms in, focusing on the sheet of paper labeled "Answer Sheet," where the words "ILetter" are written in large black ink.

The music video ends at this shot.

=

These guys are even performing in skits now!

[A heavenly song perfect for summer!]

[As pleasing to the ear as ever]

[OMG MV is ranked #1 on the overall popularity chart]

Our public image is incredibly stable; the paid trolls and haters can just go to sleep.

[ILetter, you've become famous too. You should be more careful with your words in the future. I forgot the rest.]

[Is that middle section from "Sincere Feelings"? I miss it so much!]

What kind of skit?

[Haha, so the love letter was ultimately given to Eun-hee?]

The song is great, but the music video is a bit too funny.

[My new hair color looks so good!]

Wow wow wow

I knew it; Chinese people still have ears.

Come and listen to this truly divine music!

[ILetter's perfect answer!]

[ILetter's perfect answer!]

……

"All the comments are saying it's a perfect answer, I'm so glad the fans like it!"

In ILetter's small dormitory, Luo Xi, sitting on the floor in front of the sofa, happily claps her hands at the camera.

"How come it looks even uglier in the photos, hahaha—" Song Chuchu laughed so hard she fell onto the sofa. "I'm going to set your women's clothing as my Weibo account background for a week!"

Lu Yun felt utterly hopeless: "Set it up now, and post an update saying thank you to Lu Yun."

Gu Minxing said with a smile, "Now all the audio tracks of our official song 'Answer Sheet' are available on all music platforms. Please listen to it, fans, and share it with your friends. This song will make anyone feel better."

Lu Yun leaned closer to the camera and warned, "All you fans need to listen! After watching the music video, go listen to the song on Shuigua Music. Open Shuigua Music now! Don't let me catch anyone not listening. The real-time audio data will be released in an hour, and I need to check the results!"

Lee Yong-hyun suddenly burst out laughing, covered his face, and showed everyone what he had seen on his phone screen: someone had taken a screenshot of Lu Yun dressed as a woman and Gu Minxing in the MV and photoshopped corny roses and the four colorful characters "May you have a long and happy marriage" next to them.