Chapter One: My Life Living Alone

At the end of November, after the rain, Seoul, situated in a temperate monsoon climate, was unbearably cold.

Lin Shouxia, with his deep brown hair, appeared on camera. He first adjusted the camera’s position, then rubbed his eyes and couldn’t help but yawn.

“Welcome everyone to take a look at my life living alone,” the man said as he pinched his arm hard.

Seeing that the drowsiness beside him was still not gone, he glanced at the camera he had just set up and then resolutely headed into the bathroom.

After splashing cold water on his face, finally wide awake, Lin Shouxia opened his eyes wide, apologized to the viewers in front of the camera, and then went into the kitchen to start preparing breakfast.

[Hahaha, newcomers don’t think I just need to set up a camera and say a quick intro to record my solo life, right?]

[But watching him busy with his daily life, it seems he’s not taking the variety show seriously at all. It’s just his usual state at home alone, which feels quite authentic.]

[I’m more curious about his skincare products — his face looks so good. Even after splashing cold water, there’s no sign of makeup smudging.]

The audience gathered in front of the screen took this opportunity to chatter away about all sorts of things, treating the variety show like a live broadcast, with the host playing host and the comments playfully arguing among themselves.

The man was a rookie singer who had recently signed with Loen. Having undergone systematic vocal training, he unexpectedly gained popularity online through a cover song and eventually became the junior disciple of the nation’s singer, IU.

Of course, this was the company’s official narrative.

Lin Shouxia himself knew well that this sudden rise wasn’t accidental but a marketing strategy planned long ago.

He had actually signed with Loen early on but had never publicly announced it; this “accident” was entirely a coordinated effort among several parties.

“Let me show you my kitchen. I was making breakfast earlier, so it wasn’t convenient to hold the camera then,” the man reappeared on camera as the chat started to become dull.

His tall figure paired with a homey apron captured the hearts of many viewers within seconds.

Now they finally understood the director’s careful intentions.

As the director of the show “I Live Alone,” which reveals the private lives of celebrities living solo, while they pursued authenticity, they still edited the footage for better program effect.

But today’s episode felt different; aside from some colorful text overlay, the video resembled a rookie content creator’s home vlog, full of youthful awkwardness.

[He’s really handsome. Why didn’t he try out for trainee selections at various companies? Seems like SM could really use someone like him.]

[Give the handsome guy a break. Your NCT members have all been scolded by Yoo Jae-suk for being ugly. Isn’t it better to have a bunch of ugly guys than to bother the handsome ones?]

[What’s wrong with NCT? Take Lucas for example, he’s still a well-known figure in the industry.]

[Are you talking about the artists’ personal morals? Haha.]

[Everyone, please be civil watching the monkeys, haha.]

[Damn, you really lack manners, haha.]

Having finished recording early, the man was unaware of the lively debate happening on screen. At that moment, he was proudly pointing at a golden fried egg.

“This is probably the best breakfast I’ve made recently. Maybe because the camera’s here, I didn’t want to embarrass myself, so I took it extra seriously?”

As he spoke, a shy smile appeared on his face—if described by a fan, it would be the innocent charm of a rookie.

Lin Shouxia hadn’t even released any signature works yet, but he was already catching the attention of many girls in front of the screen.

The seasoned veterans in the industry loved to watch the excitement unfold and often lamented, “Our industry is doomed; there’s no decent rookie anymore.”

Yet, whenever a company released a debut teaser for a new artist, these same people were usually the first to rush to the comments section to welcome them.

These fans could be called streetwise or affectionately known as “devoted birth attendants.”

When these girls saw a promising young artist, some quick on the draw had already started accounts to promote him.

“Xuange is coming over later. I need to finish eating quickly and do a bit of tidying up.”

The man spoke as he gently pierced the egg yolk with a fork. Watching the golden liquid flow over the speckled white, Lin Shouxia couldn’t help but emphasize his culinary skills.

“Anyone who’s cooked before would know the value of this egg.”

“No experience cooking? That’s fine—you can understand now.”

He quickly finished the food on his plate, occasionally muttering to the camera.

The handsome singer was also quite funny. In the uncut footage the director hadn’t edited, Lin Shouxia crafted his insider persona well.

His appearance on the variety show was naturally aimed at gaining fans. Being IU’s junior disciple and one of the few solo singers at Loen, with his senior sister setting the bar high, he was under tremendous pressure.

After finishing breakfast quickly, instead of tidying the house as he mentioned earlier, Lin Shouxia busied himself in his room before pulling out a guitar.

He plucked a few strings to check the tuning, then placed the guitar on the narrow balcony and began some light stretches under the sunlight.

His brown hair shimmered with dazzling golden hues in the sunlight. The comments, which had been mocking his not singing with the guitar, instantly turned into praise of his looks.

Being handsome certainly had its privileges—it could make people forget unpleasant moments.

After some simple exercises, he lazily yawned in the sun, stretched, and then reluctantly started cleaning the house.

Though he called it cleaning, it was more like organizing.

Housing prices in Seoul weren’t cheap. The signing bonus he received only covered renting a one-bedroom apartment. Being a music lover, the furniture and decorations at home were sparse, but various musical instruments filled the space to the brim, turning the otherwise idle living room into a small-scale instrument exhibition.

Lin Shouxia carefully stored these precious instruments, then opened the bedroom door and, without hesitation, shoved the cleared items inside.

“I don’t stay overnight here anyway, so I’ll make the living room look more spacious first,” he muttered, half-heartedly.

If it weren’t necessary, who would enjoy tidying up? His main concern was remembering where each instrument was placed. He feared that after packing them away, it would be difficult to find them again when needed.

[Hahaha, so lazy—feels like I’m watching a mirror image of myself.]

[Haha, your room is probably cleaner than his. His place looks like it’s constantly cleaned, but the room is small and there are so many things, so it looks messy.]

[Haha, you’re just slacking off. He’s handsome, so it’s more like he’s saving time for work.]