23: Chapter 23 T-ara! Go!

After parting with Lee Ji-eun, Liu Zijun strolled back to f(x)'s waiting room with his hands in his pockets, only to be met with a burst of lively energy as he pushed the door open.

Choi Sulli was making final adjustments to her red leather skirt in the mirror, Victoria Song helped straighten her crooked hair clip, while Krystal Jung sat nearby, clutching a bottle of mineral water, her eyes drifting toward the door from time to time as if waiting for him to return.

"Joon oppa, you're back!"

Choi Sulli was the first to turn around, her eyes curving into crescents.

"We just finished getting ready and are heading to the artist area to wait. You and Oppa Zaeran should hurry to the staff area to grab seats. If you're late, you'll have to stand."

Liu Zijun glanced at the clock on the wall. There was still over half an hour before the Gayo Daejeon officially began, and T-ara's performance was scheduled before f(x)'s.

He replied with a "Got it" and casually picked up the security walkie-talkie from the table, clipping it to his waist.

Han Jaeran was looking down, organizing the group's schedule, then looked up and urged him, "Hurry up, hurry up. Although there are many seats in the staff area, only a few have a good view. Between you and me, I really want to see Kara's stage."

Choi Sulli ran over, took Liu Zijun's arm and shook it, whispering a reminder, "Oppa, don't wander off. When we perform later, you have to watch me from below the stage!"

"Don't worry, I won't go anywhere."

Liu Zijun gently ruffled her short hair. Watching the girls in their stage outfits and coats chatting and laughing as they followed the staff to the artist waiting area, he then headed toward the staff area with Han Jaeran.

The staff area for the SBS Gayo Daejeon was located in the tiered seating to the left of the stage. While not as close as the audience section, it offered a wide view and was situated diagonally behind the artist waiting area.

By the time they arrived, many people were already seated.

Liu Zijun picked a seat near the edge, crossed his legs, and scanned the stage nonchalantly.

Currently, SM Entertainment Company's SHINee was performing on stage. The fans' cheers below were deafening, especially the screams of the female fans, which seemed ready to lift the roof.

Lightsticks merged into a sea of stars, and the shouts of the members' names rose and fell in an incredibly lively scene.

Han Jaeran sat beside him, cracking melon seeds while remarking, "Boy group fans are really something else. Look at those cheers—much livelier than for girl groups. But our f(x) fans aren't bad either. When Sulli and the others go up later, they'll definitely have a good showing."

Liu Zijun hummed in response. He wasn't very interested in boy groups, but he perked up a bit when it came to girl groups. After all, he could look at some long legs, right?

After one performance after another, the lights suddenly dimmed.

A staff member's voice nearby rang out: "Next should be T-ara's 'Sexy Love' stage!"

As the words fell, the stage spotlights lit up. The seven members of T-ara, dressed in matching black shorts and deep pink outfits, ran onto the stage with a hint of anxiety.

The moment the intro started, Liu Zijun sat up straight, his gaze locked onto Park Soyeon.

She stood in the center position, holding a microphone, her back ramrod straight, but a trace of imperceptible nervousness was hidden in her eyes.

However, the cheers he expected did not arrive as scheduled.

The audience area below was silent. Occasionally, there were a few sparse shouts, but they were quickly drowned out by the music.

There were very few waving lightsticks, and only a handful of fans held up T-ara support signs, looking exceptionally lonely in the dark crowd.

Liu Zijun frowned and glanced at the surrounding audience. Many people had their arms crossed, their faces indifferent.

He even heard some people whispering things like "The bullying group dares to take the stage" and "Get off already."

None of the seven girls on stage were smiling; they were just singing and dancing with all their might.

Han Jaeran also noticed something was wrong. He clicked his tongue and whispered to Liu Zijun, "This is too tragic... Before, the cheers for T-ara's stage were a hundred times louder than this. To fall to this state now, the world is truly unpredictable."

Liu Zijun didn't speak, only slightly tightening his fist.

He remembered what Choi Soo-myung was like in his past life.

That rough man would huddle in a tent, shouting fan chants at T-ara's broadcast videos on his computer, muttering things like "My Soyeon dances the best" and "This girl Ji-yeon forgot the moves again."

At that time, they even laughed at Choi Soo-myung for being pathetic, going crazy for an idol who was his ex-girlfriend.

Only now did he understand that it wasn't just Choi Soo-myung's longing for his first love, but also the obsession of his youth.

He thought of Park Soyeon's reddened eyes in the waiting room and the proud look on Choi Soo-myung's face when he mentioned T-ara. A surge of anger suddenly rose from his heart.

Just then, the chorus of "Sexy Love" began. The moment Park Soyeon raised her microphone and sang the first line, Liu Zijun stood up abruptly.

He straightened his back and, facing the stage, shouted T-ara's fan chant with all his strength. His voice was deep but booming, exploding in the quiet venue like a thunderclap:

Jeon Bo-ram! Lee Ji-hyun! Park Soyeon! Ham Eun-jung! Park Hyomin! Park Ji-yeon! Lee Areum! T-ara go! Let's go together! T-ara, the chameleons of the music industry, T-ara! T-ara! go!

His voice wasn't refined at all—it even had a certain coarseness to it, like a battle song—but every word was powerful and echoed continuously throughout the empty venue.

He completely ignored the looks of others and just kept shouting!

Even the director gave him a camera shot!

Following his shouts, people gradually began to join in.

The surrounding staff were startled by the sudden cheering and turned to look at Liu Zijun.

The melon seeds in Han Jaeran's hand fell to the ground, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg as he stared blankly at the man beside him, unable to recover for a long time.

He never would have imagined that this usually quiet and cold Chinese bodyguard would shout such professional fan chants for T-ara's stage.

The f(x) members sitting in the nearby celebrity section were also stunned.

The phone in Choi Sulli's hand almost fell. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the tall figure in the staff area, her eyes feeling a bit stinging.

Victoria Song's mouth was also slightly open, while Krystal Jung frowned, her eyes filled with confusion.

Amber Liu said, "Joon oppa is so cool!"

Luna quickly nodded!

Lee Ji-eun, sitting by the main stage with the host's cue cards in hand, was first surprised and then a smile curled on her lips.

She finally understood why Liu Zijun had gone out of his way to bring support items to T-ara.

It seems he really is a hardcore fan of T-ara!

The surrounding staff also looked on, some with surprised expressions, some whispering, and others taking out their phones to sneak photos.

But Liu Zijun didn't care at all. He continued to face the stage, shouting the fan chant three times in a row until his voice was slightly hoarse.

On stage, the T-ara members' movements jerked for a moment when they heard the first shout.

Park Ji-yeon focused her gaze. She instinctively looked toward the source of the sound and happened to meet Liu Zijun's eyes, which were instantly filled with shock.

Ham Eun-jung's dance steps also missed a beat. She turned to look at Park Soyeon, both of them with looks of disbelief in their eyes.

As for Park Soyeon, when she saw that man, tears instantly welled up, nearly blurring her vision.

She had been singing for many years and stood on countless stages, hearing countless cheers, but never before had it been like today—just one person's voice, yet it felt more moving than the cheers of thousands.

This strange man had given them the warmth they needed most at this moment in the most sincere way.

After only a second of daze, Park Soyeon wiped the tears from her eyes and began singing vigorously again, her voice louder and more powerful than before.

She directed a brilliant smile toward Liu Zijun—the first genuine smile she had shown in a long time.

The other members also seemed to have been injected with a burst of energy. Their dance steps became sharper and more synchronized, and their faces were full of smiles.

Taking advantage of a gap, they waved their arms vigorously toward the staff area, turning all their grievances and frustrations into the brilliance on stage.

The originally silent stage suddenly became vibrant because of this one person's cheering.

Liu Zijun looked at the girls shining again on stage, saw the tears shimmering in Park Soyeon's eyes, and a smile unconsciously formed on his lips.

He couldn't help but give a thumbs up!

It wasn't until the last note of "Sexy Love" faded and T-ara's performance ended that Liu Zijun sat back down and took a gulp of mineral water from the table.

Han Jaeran finally came to his senses and leaned in, asking gossipy, "Ji-Jun, you're something else! How do you know T-ara's fan chants? Were you their fan before?"

Liu Zijun put down the water bottle, wiped the corner of his mouth, and said calmly, "No, a friend taught me."

Han Jaeran wanted to press further, but Liu Zijun had already returned to his cold demeanor.

T-ara's Manager, looking grateful and excited, handed him a business card and a signed album from the Crown group.

He knew how difficult things were for T-ara right now and was equally grateful to Liu Zijun.