"Wait! Please, wait!"
A man in a wide-brimmed hat came running, out of breath, his camera bouncing wildly against his chest. "I'm Lee Jae-hoon, a talent scout with SM Entertainment… May I borrow just a minute of your time?"He pulled off his sunglasses, revealing a face flushed with excitement. "Your facial proportions, your camera presence, your unique aura..." His eyes lingered on Ouyang Guang's face like a collector discovering a priceless gem hidden under dust.
The boy stood backlit by the sun, his golden hair glowing honey-like under the light. His lashes cast delicate shadows beneath his eyes, and when he turned his head slightly, the small mole beneath his left eye slipped right into the border of light and shadow—like a single drop of ochre glaze on a piece of white porcelain.
"Where are you from?" Lee Jae-hoon asked breathlessly. "Have you ever considered becoming an idol?"He held out a sleek business card, embossed with SM Entertainment's gold logo. "With your bone structure…"
"Not interested."Ouyang Guang replied coldly, brushing past the outstretched hand.
Chen Zheng suddenly leaned in, green hair tickling the scout's knuckles. "Whoa, SM? Does that mean you know BoA-noona? Mister, are you trying to make our Ah-Guang a star?"
Before the scout could answer, Chen Zheng threw his arms out protectively in front of Ouyang Guang, his green hair puffing up like a hedgehog. "Wait a second, Mister! Why only Ah-Guang? Aren't the rest of us handsome too?"
He struck a dramatic pose—only to trip on his own shoelace and stumble straight into He Ziqi's arms.
He Ziqi caught him easily, raising one brow with a cocky smirk. "Exactly. You think this red hair was cheap? I spent 800 yuan on this look."
"Our dear Ah-Guang," He Zilin added lazily, poking Ouyang Guang in the side, "is probably more concerned about whether they'll use double the spicy sauce on the shrimp later."
Lee Jae-hoon blinked, clearly overwhelmed by the whirlwind of colorful personalities.His eyes flicked between them—red, blue, green, gold—like someone had spilled a tray of vibrant paint. Loud, bright, full of life.
"All four of you are… certainly unique," he said with a chuckle. But his gaze inevitably returned to Ouyang Guang."There's just something about this student…"
He paused, searching for the right words—but the awe in his expression couldn't be hidden.
"Especially those eyes."He pointed to the corner of his own. "Amber irises like that look incredible on camera. They practically glow."
Ouyang Guang frowned, about to speak, but Chen Zheng beat him to it.He pried his eyelids open and shoved his face forward. "Our eyes are special too! Pure black, 100% original, no filters!"
He Ziqi burst out laughing, while He Zilin sighed and patted Ouyang Guang's shoulder."Don't mind them. Your spicy shrimp is waiting."
Ouyang Guang shot him a glare, though the tips of his ears turned red again.He slapped He Zilin's hand away and muttered, "You talk too much."
Still, despite his words, his pace quickened as he followed the others toward the seafood market—whether it was because of the scout or the bubbling pot of spicy seafood He Ziqi had described, he wasn't sure.
Lee Jae-hoon watched them walk away and quickly followed after."A face like that… It'd be a crime not to sign him." He murmured under his breath, fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of his camera strap. "If I can land him, my bonus is going to skyrocket."
And truth be told, the other three weren't bad either—The red-haired one had a rebellious charm, the blue-haired one was soft and elegant, and even the green-haired one had a quirky edge that made him stand out.
He picked up the pace, just in time to hear Chen Zheng mumbling ahead:"Actually… I kinda want to be an idol too."
"Why?" He Ziqi asked.
"So I can eat fried chicken every day."Chen Zheng answered proudly.
Ouyang Guang didn't even look back. "Ambitious."
Lee Jae-hoon nearly laughed out loud.
The sharp tang of seafood hit them the moment they stepped into the market. Ouyang Guang wrinkled his nose, scanning the rows of stalls packed with live octopus, scallops, and squid, before finally stopping in front of one with a sign that read Spicy Stir-Fried Seafood.
"This one," he said firmly, leaving no room for argument.
He Ziqi cheered and ran inside with Chen Zheng right behind him, already claiming seats. He Zilin trailed behind, then glanced back—
Sure enough, Lee Jae-hoon was still there, not far away, his camera lens subtly angled in their direction.
"He's still filming you," He Zilin whispered under his breath.
"Still?" Chen Zheng grabbed an empty bottle and pretended to charge at him, only to be stopped by Ouyang Guang, who pressed him down into his seat."Let him," he said coolly.
He bit into a shrimp, and the sweet, spicy broth burst on his tongue, so hot it made his eyes water—but he couldn't help but smile.For the first time in three days, this trip didn't feel like a total waste.
Later, as they were leaving the seafood market and heading back to the hotel, Lee Jae-hoon stopped them again.
"Student," he said, offering another business card, his smile more sincere than ever, "please reconsider? SM offers great training programs, and—"
"And what?" Ouyang Guang interrupted, folding his arms.
"And with your qualities, I promise… within three years, you'll debut. No doubt about it."
Ouyang Guang stared at the card but didn't take it.
He Ziqi leaned in, grinning. "Mister, you sure you're not some kind of scammer?"
Lee Jae-hoon chuckled. "I'm a talent scout from SM Entertainment. I wouldn't need to scam a bunch of middle schoolers."
Chen Zheng suddenly shot his hand up. "Then can I join? I'm really good at backflips!"
Ouyang Guang had finally had enough. He grabbed Chen Zheng by the back of his collar and dragged him off. "Let's go."
On the way back to the hotel, Chen Zheng pointed up at the night sky and shouted, "Ah-Guang! If you become a superstar one day, you have to sing 'The Spicy Stir-Fried Squid Song' on stage!"
"Then you'll be my personal backup dancer, Green Onion Monster," Ouyang Guang said, giving him a playful kick in the ankle—but his steps came to a halt when he saw the familiar figure standing at the hotel entrance.
Lee Jae-hoon had removed his wide-brimmed hat. His hair was tousled from the sea breeze, and he stood there holding up a small note full of contact information. Under the soft glow of the streetlamp, he smiled—gentle but unwavering.
"One last time," he said, raising both hands to show he meant no harm. "If you're really not interested, I promise this will be the last you hear from me."
"But just… consider it," he added. "You truly shine on camera."
Ouyang Guang stopped in place, looking over at him.
The last rays of the setting sun lit up his golden hair like a halo. His lashes drooped slightly, shadowing the small mole beneath his left eye. The entire air around him was cool and distant, like something out of reach.
"Card," he said suddenly.
Lee Jae-hoon blinked, caught off guard, then quickly reached into his pocket and handed it over.
Ouyang Guang took it, slipped it casually into his jeans pocket, and walked into the hotel without another word.
Behind him, Chen Zheng was still yelling, "Ah-Guang! Are you really gonna become an idol?!"
Ouyang Guang didn't respond.
But Lee Jae-hoon watched his retreating back and smiled faintly—he knew it. The boy was starting to waver.
As the elevator doors were closing, Ouyang Guang caught a glimpse of the man raising his camera again. In the lens, his own reflection: golden hair glowing in the light, earrings sparkling.
Back in the hotel room, the door had barely shut before Chen Zheng leapt face-first into the bed, his green hair exploding across the white sheets like a tropical bird. "Ah-Guang! You're going to be a star!"
He Ziqi turned down the AC by two degrees, grabbed a pillow, and lobbed it straight at Ouyang Guang. "SM Entertainment, man! Are we gonna have to start lining up for autographs now?"
Ouyang Guang tilted his head just enough to dodge it, the pillow grazing the cross earring on his ear. He unbuttoned his collar and tossed the business card onto the nightstand like it was trash. "What a joke."
He Zilin leaned against the window, idly twirling the curtain cord. "That scout followed us all the way back here," he said, glancing over at Ouyang Guang. "You really not interested?"
The room went quiet.
Ouyang Guang stepped in front of the mirror, staring at the reflection of his blond-haired self. He brushed his bangs aside, and the diamond stud on his ear caught the light for a brief second.
"Who knows," he murmured.
Chen Zheng suddenly sprang up from the bed. "Wait! If you do debut, do we get free concert tickets?"
He Ziqi rolled his eyes. "Can you try to have some dignity?"
"What's dignity? Can you eat it?"
Ouyang Guang listened to them bickering, the corners of his lips curving up without thinking. He reached for the white jade Guanyin pendant at his neck, the cool surface resting softly against his fingertips.
The night breeze carried a salty hint of the ocean, and the sound of waves rose and fell in the distance—like some distant calling.
He looked out the window at the stars, remembering something Chen Zheng had said while dyeing his hair green: "Life needs a splash of color. Otherwise, what's the point?"
His hand moved unconsciously to his own hair—golden now—and he recalled that same day, when Chen Zheng had laughed and said: "Blonde suits you best, Ah-Guang. You look like a little sun."
That night, Ouyang Guang had a dream.
He was standing on stage, a sea of golden lightsticks waving below him. Chen Zheng was next to him, dancing in a green wig. He Ziqi and He Zilin were holding glowsticks, shouting his name with everything they had.