Celebrity Neighbor: My girlfriend is a big star?

"Omo omo, is that Irene's boyfriend?"

"Ah!! Liu Xin'an is so handsome!!"

"He looks like he had no idea he'd be shown on the big screen... his bewildered look is so cute."

"Damn, is the official channel deliberately being annoying?"

"It would be even better if Liu Xin'an could be on stage too, a duet with Irene... shuhuhuhu."

"Ship the real couple, not the fake stuff!"

"Leeching boyfriend, he's really got the nerve to be on camera."

"Leeching boyfriend? It was already exposed online that Irene's group has profited a lot thanks to Mr. Liu Xin'an, and he's still a leech? Right?"

"..."

The exchanges in the audience were completely lost on Liu Xin'an amidst the bustling environment.

Of course, he didn't think about that either.

Realizing he was being filmed, he quickly adjusted his mindset, removing his mask that covered his face and offering a handsome, bright smile, waving generously.

Then he made a heart gesture towards Bae Juhyun on stage.

Soon, the camera switched to the main stage, where Bae Juhyun, with her downcast eyes, lifted her gaze as soon as the music started, and a bewitching smile appeared on her cool and gorgeous face.

The music once again caused the already enthusiastic audience to scream loudly.

Under the stage, Liu Xin'an let out a long sigh of relief, suppressing his dissatisfaction with SBS in his heart, and seriously enjoying his girlfriend's performance.

When the song ended, and the women on stage were panting but kept their beautiful smiles, he turned and walked backstage, not giving SBS another chance to secretly film him.

Seong Taekyon immediately noticed Liu Xin'an coming back into the waiting room, and he quickly approached, fearing Liu Xin'an might be angry.

"Xin'an, we've gone to communicate with SBS, don't worry."

In fact, filming some artists' reactions during a performance is a normal practice, but the issue was Liu Xin'an wasn't an invited artist for this show.

In other words, although Bae Juhyun's group jokingly called Liu Xin'an a junior, in the music industry, Liu Xin'an was essentially a non-celebrity.

Moreover, at such an event, he couldn't be sure what effect his appearance as Bae Juhyun's boyfriend might have on them.

And SBS's action was undoubtedly deliberately steering public opinion and riding on his and Bae Juhyun's popularity.

Is it a case of the big fish devouring the little fish?

But given SBS's stature, they shouldn't be unaware of Liu Xin'an's backing.

Even knowing that Liu Xin'an wasn't someone who could be easily pushed around without any support, SBS still did this...

In any case, first of all, Liu Xin'an needed to be calmed down.

Just as Seong Taekyon finished speaking, there was a knock at the door of the waiting room.

He quickly signaled to the assistant at the door, who promptly opened it.

Standing at the door was the assistant PD of this music battle, along with a man with his head bowed.

"Ah, Mr. Liu Xin'an, we are really sorry for broadcasting you without your consent. It's an oversight on our part. If there's anything we can do to compensate, please let us know."

The assistant PD had his own unspeakable difficulties; they never intended to capitalize on this hype, but...

The cameraman seemed to have his own ideas.

Yes, that's the staff member who was brought along to apologize.

"I'm really, really sorry, Mr. Liu Xin'an, please forgive me. I thought doing this might be beneficial for you and Red Velvet, I'm also a fan of you and Irene..."

"Slap!"

The assistant PD unceremoniously slapped the back of the apologizing staff member's head, halting his continued apologies.

Then, pressing the man's neck, he sincerely bowed to Liu Xin'an again.

Having gone to such lengths, Liu Xin'an couldn't really continue to berate them; he turned to Seong Taekyon, his voice light.

"What's the reaction from the outside, Taekyon?"

"Overall, there's no dissatisfaction; you being here to watch Irene's performance has even earned you a lot of praise, though there are some Irene fans who didn't like you from the start. Mostly positive reviews."

The "mostly positive reviews" almost broke Liu Xin'an's composure.

This isn't Steam, is it, with mostly positive reviews...

"Your TV station really needs to manage its employees better. If you can't even maintain basic privacy, I have serious doubts about your professionalism."

"Yes, yes, Han Kyonseong, you don't need to handle scheduling and filming tomorrow."

The staff member called Han Kyonseong turned pale instantly, looking pleadingly at Liu Xin'an, who ignored him and looked at the assistant PD again.

"Is there anything else?"

"No, once again, we apologize, and we will strictly require our employees in the future. We deeply apologize for the trouble caused to you and Red Velvet today."

Then, the PD left with the pale-faced staff member.

And the now quiet waiting room returned to its tranquility.

Finally, a stylist broke the silence with a complaint: "They've never apologized so seriously before, it's really disgusting."

"That's enough, let's not discuss this matter anymore."

Seong Taekyon shot a look at the stylist who couldn't help but complain, then turned to Liu Xin'an with a gentle smile.

"Xin'an, don't be angry."

"I'm fine; I'm just worried about its impact on Juhyun and her group."

"There's not much impact actually. Your relationship with Irene doesn't affect them much; you're not an industry person, so there's no issue of you riding on Irene's popularity, or vice versa... Plus, everyone can see the help you've given them. The fans are quite accepting of you. There's no need to be so cautious."