I wanted the cover to look like a photo wall, but I don't think my skills are quite up to it qvq. Please bear with it for now (?)
The character design was made with Neka by the author, @Yuu. Commercial-use rights have been purchased. I'll replace it with a commissioned illustration when I get to that part ><
At twenty-six, Ji Mingfeng ended his performance as "Ji Mingfeng" and his seventeen-year-long, brilliant idol career, which he had both loved and hated.
Before retiring as an idol, he left one final post under the name "Ji Mingfeng":
May you all be happy forever.
When the story ends, please forget me.
One minute later, his former teammate and former boyfriend, Shi Shuo, came online and reposted it.
*
At twenty-two, Ji Mingfeng had a relationship with his teammate, Shi Shuo.
They were a hugely popular RPS pairing, secretly pushed by their company to act like a couple since elementary school. They had an almost unchanging first place on Weibo's CP rankings, and everyone teased them, saying, "He loves him so much."
They teased them so much that Ji Mingfeng really began to think he liked Shi Shuo just as those comments said.
But less than a year into the relationship, Ji Mingfeng broke up with him.
"Maybe I only like having someone to pretend to be a couple with," said the usually quiet Ji Mingfeng, speaking at length before concluding, "But I don't know what you're really like beneath that persona."
Shi Shuo, who was usually loud, was busy writing his graduation thesis at the time. He merely said, "Mm," and accepted the breakup.
They went back to being... awkward partners pretending to be a couple, never able to recreate the old magic.
Every now and then, their fans saw through the fact that they were only pretending to get along.
*
After retiring as an idol, Ji Mingfeng deleted the contact information of everyone in the industry and cut off all ties to his past, determined to start his life over.
Two years later.
On his way to film in the mountains, his vehicle suddenly broke down. Ji Mingfeng pulled over and called for help by satellite phone.
Before his rescuers arrived, another unfamiliar car pulled up. The driver rolled down the window and leaned out to ask if he needed help. Ji Mingfeng looked up, and the next moment, a face he hadn't seen in a long time, yet knew better than any other, entered his view.
"Hi, I'm Shi Shuo, just passing through," the man said with a wink, his smile melting into the wind. "Funny running into you. Want to get to know each other?"
*
The source of my dreams, my love, all my vitality, and my eternal pain.
The source of my false affection and my one true love.
Freelance photographer x doctoral student in astronomy, naturally clueless and emotionally reserved seme x scholar who is a master of acting cute and begging for affection uke.
Ji Mingfeng x Shi Shuo
Idol-growth story / former teammates / one year apart, the younger one is the senior / main dancer x youngest member and leader
Please note:
Sentimental, self-indulgent angst over nothing, with a lethal dose of exploration into the struggles of growing up in an idol group, the ultimate meaning of being an idol, and the search for one's true self.
Neither realistic nor idealized. Overall, this is a coming-of-age story about two young people who grew up under the spotlight, with every aspect of their lives scrutinized and manipulated, and their journey to rebuild themselves.
The main story takes place in autumn 2025.
There are lots of flashbacks. The present-day story focuses on the two leads, while the three former teammates have significant roles in the past timeline.
Theme: Wind and stars
