Chapter 5: First Batch of Pre-sales (Part 1) (First Update Seeking Recommendations)

  First update seeking collection and recommendation!

  Thanks for the reward from Yixiao Ruoxue!

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  The MV teaser for the title track "1 Minute 1 Second" was released on Seollal, which had been decided long ago. According to the company's plan, after the release of the teaser, the album would start pre-selling the next day, and at the same time, the first wave of promotion would also begin immediately. The 2-minute warm-up version MV and audio source will be simultaneously released on various platforms, which have been prepared by each company in advance.

  The trailer was only 10 seconds long, with a series of images flashing across the screen, briefly presenting a bizarre world where time flowed backwards, and then it ended quickly. As the last shot faded away, several lines of large text appeared one after another:

  An Junhe mini album

  Expressing Emotions

  Waltz

  "HIPHOP storm is coming, March 1st, stay tuned!"

  March 1st!

  This is the day when the album was officially put on sale, he had known it for a long time, but now seeing it on TV, the feeling is completely different.

  Last late spring, I brought my sister to Hancheng and lived in a small rented house in Myeong-dong. For the first time, I walked into SM company and became a trainee. Every day, I was busy running back and forth between the practice room and the rental house. Now it's been a year. During this period, I met some people, something happened, and I successfully debuted according to my original plan and subsequent changes. With the great popularity of the drama "Dui", I became a popular idol as a newcomer.

  But if we talk about his initial goal, he has never actually completed it.

  Her sister's wish was to be a singer, standing on that vast stage, surrounded by spotlights chasing each other, facing millions of people with her open throat. Now she can't do it anymore, he wants to complete it for her, so his initial or fundamental goal has always been the stage, film and television are just embellishments, a tool to increase his popularity.

  One year is not a long time, and he has been steadily consolidating his development step by step. However, it's impossible to say that he's not in a hurry. He's always eager to get on stage and let Zhixiu see that the promise her brother made back then has come true, letting her know that the extravagant dream she once had is within reach.

  Although he has never shown it, he has been anxiously waiting for this day, anxiously waiting for March 1st, fortunately this goal is finally about to be achieved.

  An Jun-he stood frozen, his mind a jumble of emotions, as the TV continued to play other commercials after the preview was over. Yoon-ah, Soo-hyun and Lim Soo-jung all thought he was just too excited, so they didn't disturb him, but Ji-soo could somewhat guess what was going through his mind.

  The girl shook her wheelchair and quietly moved beside him, holding his hand.

  Her hands were very rough, with about a year of almost uninterrupted instrumental practice, leaving calluses on her fingertips. She picked it up and rubbed the rough fingertips against her face, feeling the slight pain as the calluses scraped against her skin, as if she could see him practicing in the practice room, sweating day after day.

  Her name is An Zhixiu, a girl whose life was changed by a car accident. She once had youthful dreams, but those dreams were shattered last spring when the wheels of the car destroyed everything. She thought her life would be dull and grey from then on. During her days in the hospital after waking up from a coma, she often had thoughts of ending her life, thinking that it was better to end this hopeless life early.

  But all of that was taken on by the man standing in front of her, who was born on the same day but just over ten minutes earlier, and had been shielding her from many storms since childhood. He took everything on himself - accommodating her, taking care of her, even reviving the dreams she had given up on, to help her achieve them.

  I still remember that sunny afternoon, when I was in a bad mood and didn't want to drink the soup, and I carelessly knocked over the scalding hot water all over him. But he immediately rushed to check if he was injured, his tense expression revealing his concern for himself. When I was indulging in self-pity, immersed in my own melancholy and world-weary emotions, he looked at me with worried and pleading eyes.

  Many memories emerged from my mind at that noon.

  That's a very old memory, they were still living in their hometown, near a factory on the outskirts of Busan, surrounded by endless fields. Every day, she would follow behind him to school, walking along the ridges, amidst the fragrance of rice and the sounds of frogs. When the dirt road was muddy, he would struggle to carry her on his back, with every footprint leaving behind his sweat. The two of them, without a father, were often bullied, mischievous boys would pull her pigtails, throw bugs into her clothes, and call her a wild child. She would cry and go find him, watching as he fiercely fought others, his face bruised and battered, getting knocked down time and again, but always getting back up, using his fists, teeth, and every part of his body that could attack, until the others were scared off.

  I still remember his eyes, cold like the injured stray dog raised by the old gatekeeper of the nearby factory. Those eyes had never revealed a hint of "pleading" weakness!

  How can she make him sad again?

  Actually, he didn't know that the dream of being a singer was something she had long given up on. The reason she agreed to let him come to Seoul as a trainee was just because she was afraid he would continue to worry, for her, as long as he was by her side, with the two siblings relying on each other, it didn't matter where they were.

  A teardrop rolled down, brushing against the palm of her hand that was caressing her cheek. The sudden warmth made An Junhe aware, and he quickly squatted down, his hands cradling his sister's face.

  Tears streaked down her small face, "What's wrong?"

  "There's no... " Zhī Xiù sniffled, "I'm just... happy!"

  She said with a clear smile, contrary to her heart.

  ……

  Not long after the trailer was released, Ahn Jun-hee's friends who had a good relationship with him started calling one by one, either asking to treat them or congratulating him, and couldn't help but say some auspicious words. The whole afternoon was spent answering phone calls, which allowed Lin Xiujing to see his skills in managing friendships.

  In the evening, several people ate a meal of five grains. According to tradition, they should have burned incense and made wishes after the moon rose, but this was in Seoul, where it was clearly not possible to set up a moon house. So, they lit a few candles on the balcony, forming a circle around them, and each wrote their wishes on slips of paper. When they estimated that the time for the moon to rise had arrived, they burned the slips of paper with their wishes written on them.

  "What wish did Junhe make?" Yuner asked curiously, looking at An Junhe as she waved her hand to let the burning paper slip away, watching it drift in the air and gradually turn into ashes.

  An Junhe smiled at her: "You first."

  "Just say it." Yun'er scrunched up her nose, "I hope to eat meat all year round, and my stomach won't get sick again, every acute attack is so uncomfortable. Lastly, hehe, I wish Brother's album sells well!"

  "Greedy little girl, with so many wishes, which one do you want to fulfill?"

  "We all want it, but it's not possible?"

  An Junhe shook his head and looked at Xiaoxian, the girl replied cleverly under his inquiring gaze: "I hope everyone has a peaceful and safe year, without illness or disaster!"

  It's indeed Xiaoxian style, but Lin Xiujing stroked Xiaoxian's hair and exclaimed: "Ah, my wish is the same as Xiaoxian's, it's just that there's one more...". She didn't say what the extra wish was, but it was enough for those who needed to know to understand.

  An Junhe's smile remained unchanged as he looked at Zhi Xiu. The girl in the wheelchair spoke softly, "I hope brother will always be healthy and happy."

  "Nothing new, huh!" He gazed at the girls and commented helplessly, which obviously infuriated them. Yun'er immediately pounced on him, jumping onto his back and wrapping her arms around his neck, shouting: "Hey, we sincerely hope you're healthy and your album sells well, yet you say there's nothing new? Where's your novelty?"

  The girl was very strong, and An Junhe was choked, holding his breath. He quickly pulled her down from his back and pressed her tightly into his arms, lest she would be naughty again. Then he laughed and said: "Hehe, just kidding, I wish such a thing had some novelty, but...". He paused, and the struggling Yun'er in his arms also calmed down, looking up at him like others did.

  "I also hope everyone is safe and sound, happy and joyful!"

  Snowflakes are dancing outside the balcony, the wind is howling outside, the night is dark and deep, but in here, amidst simple expectations, the atmosphere is relaxed and warm.

  But at the same time, on the internet, especially in Ahn Jun-hee's fan clubs, the atmosphere was completely opposite to the relaxed one here.

  The preview video aired on KBS2 this afternoon was quickly captured by fans and posted on the official website. Previously, SM Entertainment had not revealed when Ahn Jun-hee's mini-album would be released, only mentioning on their homepage over a month ago that he would debut as a singer soon after the broadcast of "Sorry, I Love You". Since then, there has been no news, and many fans who had heard the leaked audio of "1 Minute 1 Second" online long ago thought it was going to be released indefinitely.

  No one expected that S.M. Entertainment and An Jun-hyeok would give everyone a big holiday surprise on the afternoon of Seollal.

  Not long after those screenshots were sent to the official club, An Jun-hyeok's website officially acknowledged the news, dispelling doubts among fans who had been skeptical about the authenticity of the screenshots, and excitement followed.

  Many people are crazily posting on the message board, asking when the album will start pre-selling, what style the album is and so on. Especially those fans who have been waiting for "1 minute 1 second" for a long time, it's almost certain that this song will be included in the album, and they can't help but express their excitement on the message board with all sorts of words.

  Of course, there are also unusual voices. Some more rational fans who saw the screenshot of the last part of the trailer's subtitles asked worriedly: "Uncle singing a ballad can be understood, but dance music...... is it really suitable?"

  Once a lingering and poignant "Snow Flower" made even anti-fans no longer dare to question An Jun-he's singing skills, with many praising his emotional and rich performance, interpreting the sentimental style in a way that was deeply moving, almost synonymous with the word "sentimental", which also led some fans to worry about this.

  That's not a question, it's just that fans don't want to see their idol's debut album fail due to style issues.