42: Waiting time

The other TWICE members also gathered, as the three BLACKPINK members announced consecutively were all very famous in the trainee circle.

Thinking they were all acquaintances, they decided to watch the live broadcast of their debut showcase later, so they didn't keep staring at the teaser photos. They were very busy and didn't have that much time.

Now, a foreign leader suddenly popped up. Given the Peninsula people's xenophobic nature, this in itself was a bit surreal.

Sana snatched the phone, and the first thing she saw was the photo. "So beautiful!"

Kim Dahyun also leaned her head over. "Wow, this figure, this visual! How did she end up at YG?"

"Let me see!" Momo took the phone. "So cool! Strong YG vibes."

"Give me back my phone. Don't you all have your own? Use your own to look."

Lim Nayeon saw her phone being snatched back and forth. Couldn't they learn from Chou Tzuyu and Son Chae-young? A group of oldies, yet not as sensible as the two maknaes.

"Here, take it back, take it back, stingy!" Momo casually tossed the phone to her. Lim Nayeon's heart skipped a beat; she had made the phone case herself.

"Yah! How dare you!"

Before she could finish, there was a bang. That was the sound of her heart breaking. She silently went to pick up her phone, not caring if it was broken yet, but checking if her phone case was still intact.

This was a glass item she had personally made when learning handicrafts. If it was broken, she wouldn't be able to resist beating Hirai Momo into a pulp.

After checking, thankfully, there was only a slight scratch, but her angry little volcano immediately erupted. She put her phone away and grabbed Hirai Momo by the collar.

"Unnie, what are you doing?"

"I'm annoyed, it's affecting my practice. I need to let off some steam first."

"I..."

Before she could finish, Lim Nayeon tripped her with a kick, pinned her to the ground, and started pummeling her. Three days without a beating and she'd tear the roof off.

"I told you not to throw my phone! I'm going to beat you to death! I'll hit you, ow! You dare to fight back? Watch my 'Mighty Hammer King's' ultimate move, throw, throw, throw~"

Hirai Momo flipped over and pinned her down. And so, they took turns pinning each other, rolling around in the practice room.

The others didn't pay attention to them. They were just crazy, always rolling around for no reason, unable to sit still.

Xu Zhiyou and the others were completely unaware of these external matters. As the debut showcase approached, she herself grew nervous.

She felt awkward about showing it, but of course, the most nervous ones were Kim Ji-soo and the other three. The waiting was indeed a bit agonizing.

They didn't wait much longer. Soon it was August 8th, their debut press conference, which was broadcast live entirely via the V LIVE platform.

In the dressing room, Lisa reached out and felt Kim Jennie's chest. "Jennie-oni, your heart is pounding so hard, it feels like it's going to jump out!"

Kim Jennie rolled her eyes and slapped her hand away. Xu Zhiyou had corrupted her; she was always taking advantage of her.

"You're not much better. If you have the guts, don't tremble."

"I'm not!"

"Can't Lalisa stop pretending?" Park Chaeyoung looked at her with disdain. It was normal to be nervous, wasn't it? What was there to hide?

Kim Ji-soo and Xu Zhiyou sat on the floor playing Gomoku to distract themselves, ignoring the bickering of the other three.

"No, how many times have you taken back your move? Do you have any shame?"

"No, it's not edible anyway. That move doesn't count." Kim Ji-soo lost every game, and her stubborn nature was provoked.

"You definitely can't beat me, why bother?"

"If you have the guts, let's play a game. I can crush you!"

"Oh! Don't think I don't know. With your skill, you can only play Contra, and the 30-life version at that."

"Yah! Who are you looking down on?"

"Looking down on you. If you're so capable, don't take back your moves. You play Gomoku like this and still have the nerve to talk. Hmph~"

The manager was at her wit's end with them. The other three were sitting obediently, letting the stylists work, but these two were something else.

They sat there playing for half an hour. She really couldn't understand what was so captivating about Gomoku that they could play it for so long.

And playing was one thing, but their mouths weren't idle either, one jabbed at the other, and vice versa. This was their exclusive dressing room, otherwise, they'd surely be cursed by other artists.

Each had their own manager. The managers of the four felt relatively fine; at least their artists were obedient.

But Xu Zhiyou's main thing was that her ears didn't work well. You say what you say, I do what I do, whatever.

Kim Ji-soo's manager, Becky, couldn't stand it. Playing like this wasn't making things difficult for her? What if her artist was led astray?

"Zoe, Jisoo still needs makeup, you hurry up too! The press conference is about to start."

"What's the rush? Isn't there still three hours?"

"No!" Becky went over and pulled Kim Ji-soo away. Xu Zhiyou's manager, incidentally, tore up the Gomoku paper, so she couldn't play a damn thing.

The Gomoku board was hand-drawn, like the tic-tac-toe style from school days, using circles and crosses for black and white pieces. It was just a flimsy piece of paper, so tearing it up was no big deal.

"Leah Unnie, is it necessary? Even if you didn't tear that one, it wouldn't be usable anymore."

Yang Hyun-suk also knew Xu Zhiyou was difficult to manage, so he assigned the company's ace manager to her—someone with a gentle personality, stable emotions, and strong crisis management skills.

Mainly, her emotional stability and crisis management were what Yang Hyun-suk valued. Xu Zhiyou needed this kind of manager, otherwise, she might drive someone to a breakdown.

"Can we go do makeup and styling now?"

"Isn't it because Show Ge is nervous? I'm letting her calm down." She would never admit she was nervous, absolutely not.

"I keep telling you to call me Unnie, Unnie, Jisoo and Jennie-oni. Can you please change your address, at least when people are around? I'm begging you, okay?"

Even with the most stable emotions, one couldn't endure Xu Zhiyou's antics. It was truly a headache. Who wouldn't despair when encountering someone who admits their mistakes well but absolutely refuses to change?

"I'll change, I'll change! Don't make that expression like I've done something to you, okay? It's really hard to watch."

"Yah! Zoe~"

"Hahaha~" Even the stylist couldn't help but laugh. Her big mouth just blurted things out, and she was thick-skinned; there was really no way to deal with her.

Leah was too lazy to talk to her. She pushed her into a chair. After managing her, she would have to retire. If she encountered another one like this, it would truly shorten her life!

"Leah Unnie!"

"Shut up!" That mouth was too much. As long as you engaged her, she'd babble on endlessly. "You'd best shut up, or if your styling isn't finished and you're left with half, you'll be crying."

"It's fine, it just shows my personality!"

"Say one more word, and I'll throw a cotton pad in your mouth, believe me?"

"Hmph! Stingy, not even letting me talk."

Kim Jennie and their managers were quite relieved that they hadn't gotten this 'living father'; one mouth could infuriate a person to death.

After finishing makeup and changing clothes, Xu Zhiyou looked at herself. This was too ugly, and mainly expensive. Ugly and expensive, she didn't know what kind of aesthetic this was.

"You go out first later. Remember to call them Unnie, got it?"

"Got it, you've said it so many times. Show Ge Unnie and Dumpling Unnie."

"Yah!"

"My mistake, it's Jisoo and Jennie-oni." Would calling them Unnie make her ascend or something? She didn't understand their customs here.

"Come, Zoe, say it so I can hear. It's been a long time since I heard you call me Unnie, I'm a bit nostalgic."

"Dumpling Ni, your cheek fat has gotten a bit smaller recently, let me rub it for you."

"If you're not going to call me that, then don't. And don't pinch my face."