dkrc Chapter 86 Sherry's Japanese Stage
Chapter 86 Sherry's Japanese Stage
Sulli's single was scheduled for release on Friday. Su Yu agreed to go, and his plane ticket was booked for Thursday night. On the day of departure, Cai Xiubin helped him pack his luggage, folding three shirts, two pairs of pants, and also stuffing in a packet of Korean instant coffee.
"Isn't Japanese coffee good?" Su Yu asked, looking at the packet of coffee.
"It's not that it tastes bad. It's that you don't like it." Cai Xiubin zipped up his jacket. "Message me when it arrives."
"Um."
"Come back as soon as you're done with Shirley. Don't stay in Japan for too long."
Su Yu looked at her. "Are you worried about Shirley, or are you worried about me?"
Cai Xiubin paused for a moment, then smiled. "Both." She walked over and straightened his collar. "Su Yu, I believe you. But I don't believe her."
"She won't do anything."
How did you know?
"Because she's not that kind of person."
Cai Xiubin stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Okay. Go ahead. Call me when you get there."
Su Yu lowered his head and kissed her forehead. "Wait for me to come back."
The flight from Seoul to Tokyo only takes a little over two hours. Su Yu slept on the plane and woke up during its descent. Outside the window was the Tokyo night view, a dense array of lights, brighter and denser than those in Seoul. He took out his phone and sent a message to Cai Xiubin: "Arrived." Cai Xiubin replied instantly: "Okay. Get some sleep."
Sulli's manager picked him up at the airport. His surname was Tanaka, he was in his forties, wore glasses, and spoke Korean. He was assigned to Sulli by a Japanese record company, specifically to handle promotions in the Japanese market.
"Representative Su, Shirley is rehearsing today, and the official performance is tomorrow. The venue is a livehouse in Shibuya that can hold 500 people," Tanaka said while driving. "The tickets are sold out, and the response has been very good."
"Um."
"Sulli works very hard. Her Japanese is improving rapidly, and she is never late for rehearsals."
Su Yu didn't reply, looking out the window at the Tokyo street scene. Neon lights, convenience store signs, izakaya signs—everything was orderly, yet a little cold.
The hotel was in Shibuya, a ten-minute walk from the performance venue. Su Yu checked in, put down his luggage, and glanced at the time: 10 PM. He took out his phone and sent Shirley a message: "Arrived. Will come see your rehearsal tomorrow."
Shirley replied a few minutes later. "Which hotel are you staying at?"
"Shibuya Tokyu".
"I'm very close by. I'm in the rehearsal room, do you want to come over?"
Su Yu thought for a moment and typed two words: "Address".
The rehearsal room was located in a small alley in Shibuya, on the basement floor of a gray building. When Su Yu pushed open the door, Shirley was practicing singing. She was wearing a gray tracksuit, her hair was tied in a ponytail, she was holding a microphone, and her eyes were closed. Several musicians were standing next to her; the drummer was playing the rhythm, and the guitarist was tuning the instrument.
Shirley sang the title track, a mid-tempo ballad. The lyrics were in Japanese, which Su Yu couldn't understand, but the melody was beautiful. Her voice was lower than usual, with a slight huskiness, which suited the song perfectly. After she finished singing, the musicians applauded. Shirley opened her eyes, saw Su Yu at the door, and smiled.
"You're here? Why don't you come in?"
Su Yu walked in and sat down in a chair. "You sang well."
Shirley paused, taken aback. "You understand?"
"I don't understand it. But it sounds nice."
Shirley laughed, put down the microphone, and sat down next to him. "That kind of praise is so perfunctory."
"This isn't just a perfunctory answer. It's the truth."
Shirley looked at him but didn't say anything more. She said a few words in Japanese to the musicians, roughly meaning that it was time to call it a day. The musicians packed up and left, leaving only Su Yu and Shirley in the rehearsal room.
"Have you eaten?" Shirley asked.
I ate it on the plane.
"Airplane food is no good. Come on, I'll take you to get some ramen."
The two walked out of the rehearsal room and down the alley to the main road. Shibuya was bustling at night, with people coming and going and neon lights everywhere. Shirley was wearing a baseball cap, pulled the brim down low, but people still recognized her. Passersby glanced at her, then glanced again, and walked on, no one coming up to talk to her.
"Japanese fans are more restrained," Sulli said. "Unlike Korean fans, who would swarm around them."
"Did you enjoy your stay?"
"I like it. It's quiet." Shirley thought for a moment, "Well, not exactly quiet, but nobody knows me. I can be myself."
Su Yu didn't speak. The ramen shop was deep in an alley, a very small shop with only eight seats. The owner was a man in his fifties. When he saw Shirley, he smiled and said in Japanese, "The usual today?" Shirley nodded. The owner then looked at Su Yu, and Shirley ordered the "same" for him.
The ramen was served; the broth was rich, and the noodles were thin. Su Yu took a bite and found it quite tasty. Shirley ate very quickly, as if she hadn't eaten in a long time.
"Didn't you eat lunch?" Su Yu asked.
"I was too busy with rehearsals and forgot," Shirley said, taking a sip of noodles. "I'm a little nervous about the actual performance tomorrow."
"You've been in the industry for so many years, are you still nervous?"
"It's different." Sulli put down her chopsticks. "Back in SM, the stage was a big company's stage, and if I made a mistake, the company would cover for me. Now it's different. This is my single, my name, my stage. If I make a mistake, no one will cover for me."
Su Yu looked at her. "There won't be any mistakes."
How did you know?
"Because you were very well prepared."
Shirley stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled. "You seem to have a lot of faith in me."
"If we didn't have confidence in you, we wouldn't have signed you."
Shirley lowered her head and continued eating her noodles. After a few bites, she stopped, without looking up. "Su Yu."
"Um."
"Thank you for coming today."
"I promised you."
Shirley looked up, her eyes a little red, but she didn't cry. She smiled and finished the soup in her bowl.
The next afternoon, Su Yu went to watch the rehearsal.
Shirley went through the stage three times, adjusting some details each time. The first time was for positioning, the second for sound testing, and the third for singing the entire song. Tanaka was communicating with the lighting technician, while Su Yu sat alone in the last row of the audience. After the rehearsal, Shirley came over and sat down next to him.
"How is it?"
"very good."
"You always just say it's good."
"That's great."
Shirley laughed. "When did you learn to say things like that?"
"I learned it from you."
Shirley paused for a moment, then laughed even harder. "I'm not as bad at talking as you."
Su Yu's lips twitched slightly.
The performance started at 7 p.m. The 500-seat venue was packed, mostly with Japanese fans and a few from Korea. When Sulli appeared, all the lights dimmed, leaving only a single spotlight on her. She wore a white dress, her hair down, and light makeup; she looked more like a quiet singer than an idol.
The first song was the title track. When Sulli opened her mouth, her voice was so steady it didn't seem like it was her first time performing in Japan. Her Japanese pronunciation was perfect, and her emotions were spot-on. When she sang the chorus, the whole audience sang along. Su Yu stood in the last row, leaning against the wall, watching Sulli on stage. She was radiant. Not the kind of radiance from a spotlight, but her own light.
The second song was a Korean song, written for her Korean fans. Halfway through, Sulli's voice trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. After finishing, she said in Korean, "Thank you for coming." Someone in the audience shouted "Sulli, I love you!" in Korean, and she smiled, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
The third song was a slow Japanese song about missing out. As Shirley sang, her gaze swept towards the last row and she saw Su Yu. She paused for a second, then continued singing. Su Yu couldn't understand the lyrics, but he understood Shirley's eyes. It wasn't the look one gives a boss, nor the look one gives a friend. He put his hands in his pockets and didn't move.
The performance ended with a round of applause. Shirley bowed deeply, for a long time. Backstage, Su Yu waited for her in the hallway. She had changed her clothes, wearing a black hoodie, her hair down, her face still flushed.
"Are you tired?" Su Yu asked.
"I'm not tired." Shirley walked over and stopped in front of him. "Did I sing well today?"
"it is good."
"You always say that," Shirley laughed. "But I really feel great today, don't I?"
"right."
Shirley stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled. "Su Yu, you know what? I glanced at the audience before I went on stage and didn't see you. I thought you weren't here."
"I'm at the very back."
Why are you standing so far away?
There are people nearby.
Shirley paused for a moment, then laughed. "You really are something." She didn't finish her sentence before turning and leaving. "Let's go, Tanaka oppa made a reservation at a restaurant, let's go eat together."
Su Yu followed behind her. The corridor lights were bright, and Shirley's shadow was cast long on the floor. He looked at the shadow but didn't say anything.
During the meal, Tanaka kept praising Sulli's performance, saying how well the Japanese media reacted and that she would be interviewed by a magazine next week. Sulli listened, occasionally nodding and occasionally smiling. Su Yu ate little but drank two glasses of beer.
On the way back to the hotel, Shirley and Su Yu walked together. The streets of Shibuya were nearly deserted; Tokyo was much quieter in the early morning.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
"Are you leaving tomorrow?"
"The flight is in the morning."
"So fast?"
"I have other business at the company."
Shirley paused for a moment. "Then when you get back, please tell Soobin that I'm going back to Korea next week."
"You tell me yourself."
Shirley glanced at him. "You're not helping at all."
Su Yu didn't reply.
When they arrived at the hotel entrance, Shirley stopped. "I'm here."
"Um."
"Good night."
"Good night."
Shirley turned and took a few steps, then turned back. "Su Yu."
"Um."
"I'm so glad you came today."
Su Yu nodded. Shirley smiled, turned, and walked into the hotel.
Su Yu stood at the door and lit a cigarette. The night breeze in Tokyo was warmer than in Seoul, but still chilly. He smoked half of it, stubbed it out, and went into the hotel. He was alone in the elevator. He took out his phone and sent a message to Cai Xiubin: "The performance is over. Very good."
Cai Xiubin replied instantly: "You're still awake?"
"without."
I want to go see it too.
Su Yu typed: "I'll bring you next time."
Cai Xiubin sent a smiley face. "You said it. I've got it."
Su Yu looked at the message and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.
The next morning, Su Yu flew back to Seoul. Her phone vibrated several times as she landed. Cai Xiubin texted, "Have you arrived yet?", Kim Dong-wook texted, "I have company documents to sign," Park Ji-yeon texted, "Piano lessons are too tiring, I don't want to practice anymore," and finally, Sulli texted, "Let me know when you arrive."
Su Yu replied to each message one by one. To Cai Xiubin: "Arrived." To Jin Dongxu: "Going to the company this afternoon." To Park Jiyeon: "Practice." To Sulli: "Arrived."
As he exited the airport, he saw Cai Xiubin's car parked in the parking lot. She was leaning against the car door, wearing a white down jacket and a cream-colored scarf. Seeing him emerge, she smiled and waved. Su Yu walked over, said nothing, put his luggage in the trunk, and got into the car.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"I'll pick you up." Cai Xiubin started the car. "How was Shirley's performance?"
"very good."
Cai Xiubin glanced at him. "You praised her?"
"Um."
"How did you praise me?"
"very good."
Cai Xiubin laughed. "Couldn't you have used a different word?"
"Very good."
Cai Xiubin laughed out loud. "You really are something." She gripped the steering wheel, looking at the road ahead. "Su Yu."
"Um."
"Take me with you next time you go to Japan."
"it is good."
"You said it."
"Um."