Chapter Twenty: Her Now

  Dizzy, I was dizzy yesterday and wrote it off. These two chapters were uploaded to the draft box but I forgot to post them... I clearly remember setting a schedule... If only I had logged in to the backend before going to sleep yesterday.

  Alas! I was still writing a New Year's message in the previous chapter, saying that I would regain my dignity. Forget about posting it now...

  ===============

  An Jun-he returned home when the night was already very late. The stage of the concert wasn't just about finishing the songs, after ending the final encore stage, Quan Bao-gen took him to visit the staff of the program group one by one, ordered some takeout and then invited the PD of the program, writers and Seong Si-kyeong, Kim Jong-kook, Jo Hyeon-mo and a few other seniors to go out for dinner together, have some fun until deep into the night before finally ending today's schedule.

  Getting off the bus outside the neighborhood, saying goodbye to Kwon Bo-geun who reminded him repeatedly that he still had to get up early tomorrow for MBC's Music Camp stage, Ahn Jun-hee trudged wearily back home. As soon as he opened the door, he found that the living room lights were on.

  Took off his coat and went to Zhixiu's bedroom, as expected, he didn't see his sister's figure. The bedding was neatly folded on the bed, and the sheets were smooth.

  He smiled wryly and shook his head, then opened his bedroom door. Under the dim light, he indeed saw Zhishu sleeping on the bed.

  "She..." For the time being, he didn't call out to her or go in. An Junhe first went to the bathroom to wash off the light makeup on his face, then drew a pool of hot water and sank into it, soaking away the fatigue that had permeated his entire body. Only after his spirits were slightly lifted did he put on his pajamas and return to his own room.

  Turn on the bedside lamp, and the dim light spreads over. An Junhe walks quietly to the inner side of the bed, squats down, and looks at Zhishu, who is facing him, with a clear and lovely face similar to his own in the halo of light.

  She didn't know what she had dreamed of, but there were tear stains on the corners of her eyes and temples. She gently wiped them away with her hand, and Zhishu, who was usually a light sleeper, furrowed his brow slightly as if he had been disturbed. His eyelashes fluttered, and the next moment he opened his eyes.

  She had just returned from dreamland, and she was obviously not quite awake. Her dazed eyes stared at him for a while before refocusing, and the corners of her mouth curled up into a slight arc: "Brother..."

  His voice was husky with sleepiness, and one hand also came out from the warm quilt to grab his hand, but he pressed it back into the bedding: "The air conditioner is not on, be careful of catching a cold."

  It wasn't until now that he felt the air outside the quilt was a bit cold, and it was probably deep in the night. Zhī Xiù thought to himself, looking at his brother's not-too-thick pajamas, slightly furrowing his brow, hastily lifting the quilt, wanting to pull him in, his tone slightly reproachful: "And you said I was the one... why didn't Brother wear something thicker? Although it's spring now, but nights are still very cold... come in quickly."

  "Hmm, just finished washing up and getting ready for bed, why wear something so thick? Your body can't compare to mine, in the army it's common to take cold showers regardless of the season." Despite saying this, Ahn Jun-hee still didn't resist crawling onto the bed, but he didn't get under the covers. After all, they weren't kids anymore, and even if they were close siblings, there were some things that needed to be avoided. He was planning to do what he usually did, hug her through the blankets and coax her to sleep, then carry her back to her own room.

  Only today Zhī Xiù is surprisingly stubborn.

  "I want you to come in and hold me."

  "Don't be naughty, hurry up and cover yourself, you've let out all the warmth from the quilt."

  "I won't..."

  Three times, two times, he sensed Ji Hye's determination. Looking at her stubbornly staring with wide eyes, the blanket that was lifted up, and the gradually cooling air made her frail body tremble uncomfortably. Ahn Jun-hee let out a sigh and got in anyway.

  One side was tightly pressed under the corner, and the thick down jacket isolated the heat from dissipating and the cold air outside. The originally cool quilt quickly warmed up again. She leaned in contentedly, nestled into his arms, skillfully adjusting her posture to make herself comfortable - pulling over an arm to pillow under her neck, her small head slightly resting on his shoulder, her curled upper body softly squeezing into his broad chest, the distance between them face-to-face was so close that they could even feel each other's breathing.

  An Junhe subconsciously raised his head slightly, avoiding some possible awkwardness, and then lowered it, only to see Zhishu staring at him with wide eyes, her black pupils reflecting the outline of his figure illuminated by the light behind him. He was taken aback for a moment before smiling and asking, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

  Zhi Xiu didn't respond, still staring blankly ahead. After a moment, she let out a soft sigh, and the warm breath caressed her neck, making it feel slightly itchy.

  "I just had a dream." She felt a slight lift at her waist, probably because her brother had placed his paralyzed legs between his own to warm them up. A faint smile escaped from the corner of her mouth as she moved her small head closer, pressing it tightly against his shoulder and cheek. One hand stroked his chest.

  Unlike the thin feeling of memories in dreams, her chest was wide and thick, with thick muscles that made her no longer feel her ribs. She was no longer a small, thin girl who tied up her hair in pigtails that would become disheveled as soon as she slept. Her hair lay luxuriantly on the back of her head, messy yet still soft and smooth, like silk, brushing against his skin exposed outside his pajamas.

  Very comfortable.

  The only thing that remains the same is probably the frequency of heartbeats!

  An Junhe asked: "What dream?" As he spoke, his other hand, which had been holding her, gently patted her back.

  This familiar movement made Zhishu's body tremble slightly, and for an instant, it was as if an electric current had surged through her. The skin on the palm of her hand rose with dense goosebumps where she had patted.

  In a daze, there was an illusion that the dream had entered reality. It was just that in the dream, she and he were both short and small, he said he had grown up, had to be careful and had to make distinctions, but still could stick close to her body, letting her absorb his warmth, and also exchanging breath with each other.

  Now they've grown up, though still affectionate, he subconsciously takes a step back when she gets close, leaving behind a tiny distance that's almost imperceptible yet truly exists.

  Her sister's head was pressed against her shoulder, and she didn't speak for a long time. It was impossible to detect what she was thinking about, so Ahn Jun-he patiently waited for a while before gently stroking her hair with his large hand, asking in a low voice, "Asleep?"

  “N...” She responded softly, her flat tone covering up all emotions. The head buried in his shoulder raised, and their eyes met as she looked at him and suddenly asked: “Brother, will you always be by my side?”

  "Huh?" An Junhe raised an eyebrow in surprise, not understanding why she suddenly asked this inexplicable question again. But that didn't stop him from responding. Without thinking or hesitating, he nodded: "Of course, Ge will always be with Zhishu."

  "Hmm..."

  A muffled murmur escaped from his throat, Zhī Xiù buried his head in the side of his neck again, warm breath swept across his skin, and he let out a sigh that was hard to describe.

  "Make sure you keep your promise..."

  An Junhe couldn't help but smile and patted her back: "Alright alright, a promise is a promise! Go to sleep quickly, I still have to get up early tomorrow."

  "Hmm..."

  The last voice of response fell, and the room finally returned to silence. The two breathing frequencies on the bed, almost close, gradually changed from heavy to light and comfortable. Time flowed quietly, and the lamp's halo remained unchanged.

  In contrast to this tranquility is the fervent discussion on the internet that continues even into the dead of night.

  Tonight's Music Bank was simply brilliant, one wave after another. Earlier, Seongpoong-gyo and Kim Jong-kook attended Ahn Jun-hee's debut stage, which already shocked the media and audience. Who knew that not long after, Cao Chengmo's addition to the live encore stage would give people an even bigger shock.

  In recent days, people wandering on the internet, if not completely ignoring news, have some understanding of the conflict between Ahn Jun-hee and Cho Seong-mo's fans. Even so-called conflicts are often started by Ahn Jun-hee's fans first. According to most people's thinking, even if Cho Seong-mo has a broad mind, he can't help but have some bad feelings towards Ahn Jun-hee because of this. So many people - mostly ANTI - were shocked that Ahn Jun-hee could invite Sung Si-kyung and Kim Jong-kook to attend his event, but soon began to gloat over his misfortune.

  An Junhe's rise cannot be stopped, instead of entangling himself in a doomed idea, he might as well look further ahead. Cao Chengmo's position in the music world is unshakeable, no one can shake it, offending him would mean being remembered by such a great senior, even if An Junhe climbs higher, what's the use? Maybe one day he'll be caught and his future will be ruined.

  Who knows, the abacus has just started ringing, on the Anke stage, An Junhe and Cao Chengmo jointly sang a song "One Sentence", which will cut off all malicious intentions.

  They really don't understand why Jo Sung-mo would put aside his pride and learn from Seongpoong and Kim Jong-kook, even willing to play a supporting role for Ahn Jun-hyuk. Before the Music Bank broadcast began, Jo Sung-mo did answer two questions briefly in response to the host's subtle inquiry.

  "...He is a very talented newcomer, with excellent creative skills. I've been paying attention to him since "Snow Flower". I had heard before that he was humble and polite, and meeting him backstage today confirmed this rumor. I think such newcomers are rare in the music industry, and I appreciate his talent and character, so I decided to help him. Compared to this goal, everything else can be put aside..."

  An Junhe also praised his senior Cao Chengmo when he won the first place, calling him a role model for his studies. This time, winning the first place was largely due to luck.

  Although it has a bit of an official tone, the fact that they collaborated on stage at An Col showed extremely real and deep emotions. This was also hailed as a rare occurrence by the media, as in recent years, due to competition for market share, the music industry has become murky, with many singers openly or secretly fighting each other, even long-time friends turning against each other. In the past two years, some sharp-tongued producers have analyzed the reasons for the decline of the album market, including the fact that fans are no longer buying albums and instead supporting pirated versions, which has led to a cooling down of personal relationships in the music industry, causing many fans to lose their good impression of singers. Unexpectedly, on these four singers from old and new generations, we saw again the preciousness that had long been lost.

  The next day, the Chosun Ilbo, which rarely pays attention to entertainment news, ran a rare in-depth analysis article titled "On Moral Integrity and Healthy Development: The Harmony of Competition between Seniors and Juniors, with Predecessors Not Forgetting to Help and Successors Not Forgetting to be Grateful".

  This newspaper, with a daily circulation of over 2 million copies and consistently ranking first in subscription rate among Korean newspapers, has an unparalleled influence. Once an article is published, it quickly triggers a storm of discussions about "seniors and juniors" across multiple fields.

  This was a well-planned surprise by Ha Ji-won and others for Ahn Hyo-seop.