Chapter 6

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Yura’s teasing gaze had glanced over for the umpteenth time, and Yoon Hee-yoo felt a bit helpless. Puffing up her cheeks and staring at her with watery eyes full of grievance, she said, “Sister…”

“Ahem, ahem… Sorry about that,” Yura apologized half-heartedly, nudging her shoulder affectionately, her tone tinged with gossip. “By the way, what’s going on between you and Brother Ji-shi?”

Yoon Hee-yoo recalled the awkward scene in the private room just now and couldn’t help but feel like digging a hole and burying herself on the spot. Since taking office at the Time-Space Management Bureau, this was the first time she’d been so thoroughly set up.

If she had known earlier that the man who had “thrown himself at her” in the bar the night before was Jung Ji-shi, she definitely wouldn’t have so decisively deleted his friend the next day, which led her into such an embarrassing predicament.

Now thinking back, he must have suspected something earlier; otherwise, he wouldn’t have stared at her for so long with such a subtle expression when testing her.

Yoon Hee-yoo helplessly confided this misunderstanding to her sister, hoping to get some advice. After all, although this version of herself was a lively and passionate little sun, she had little experience dealing with the opposite sex.

After hearing the whole story, Yura first laughed quite heartlessly before asking, “So, what do you think of him?”

Yoon Hee-yoo blinked, her expression innocent and confused, emitting a puzzled monosyllable.

“There are many ways to handle this situation; the method you choose depends on how you feel about him…” Yura smiled ambiguously, curious. Honestly, just looking at Hee-yoo and Jung Ji-shi, they seemed completely unrelated—different fields, different ages, quite a distance apart.

The young girl thought seriously for a moment, not shy at all, and answered frankly, “I don’t dislike him, and… I’m actually quite interested.”

Having spent so much time in the entertainment industry, it was natural to wear masks on one’s face, so such honesty was both adorable and precious. Yura nodded warmly, leaned in closer, and whispered some “experienced advice” into Yoon Hee-yoo’s ear.

On the way back to the private room, Little U was curious: “Are you really going to listen to her?”

Yoon Hee-yoo retorted, “Why not?”

Little U said, “I just find it strange. Didn’t you always figure out how to win people over on your own before? Besides, I feel like what she said doesn’t sound very reliable.”

Yoon Hee-yoo smirked cunningly. “You’re right about that. Sister Yura clearly hasn’t had much experience with love.” Of course, some of her push-and-pull suggestions made sense, but results varied depending on the person.

For example, with someone like Jung Ji-shi, a seasoned player in the game of love, how many people would try the push-and-pull tactic with him?

Admittedly, this might work well at first, but it’s no long-term strategy.

Sometimes, dealing with complicated people doesn’t require much scheming; the simpler and purer the approach, the more effective it can be.

But right now, the most important thing was to fix the friend deletion issue first…

Jung Ji-shi sat on the sofa, wanting to pretend he hadn’t noticed the hesitant figure by the door, but the other person clinging to the door, looking dejected, was too obvious. Fortunately, everyone else had tactfully found excuses to leave after the earlier incident, so he was alone, resting inside under the pretense of being “unable to handle his liquor.”

Jung Ji-shi sighed with a mixture of helplessness and amusement, cleared his throat, and lazily fixed his gaze on the pitiful figure. In a low voice, he asked, “How much longer are you going to stay there?”

Yoon Hee-yoo reluctantly moved in and sat down on the sofa beside him. His eyes roamed over her with interest, noticing details he hadn’t before—she must have grown up in a good family, keeping some unconscious habits, like always sitting with impeccable posture.

At least, very different from him.

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After a long silence, Jung Ji-shi heard the girl’s somewhat dry voice: “I’m sorry.”

He choked on the sip of alcohol he’d just taken, coughing awkwardly. Startled, Yoon Hee-yoo hurriedly pulled out some tissues and handed them over, her dark eyes anxious, forcing out formal politeness. “Are you alright?”

Jung Ji-shi took the tissues to wipe his mouth. Hearing the formal tone, he felt a bit helpless. Since meeting Yoon Hee-yoo, he found himself sighing much more often than before.

His lips twitched. “Although I am much older than you…”

“But it’s not to the extent that you have to speak to me like that.”

After saying this, Jung Ji-shi suddenly recalled the moment in the corridor of the barbecue restaurant earlier that evening when Yoon Hee-yoo smiled and talked about “Dragon Jin oppa”—and he felt inexplicably annoyed. He was only a year older than Dragon Jin, so why was Dragon Jin called “oppa,” but he turned into Simon D xi?

The girl shrank her head, looking like a cute little quail, making it hard to harshly criticize her. Besides, Jung Ji-shi wasn’t really angry; to be precise, he was feeling a bit… something complicated. He thought for a long time but couldn’t find a single word to accurately describe his feelings.

“Forget it, I’m not mad.”

Yoon Hee-yoo’s relieved expression was so vivid that Jung Ji-shi’s lips twitched again. “But can you tell me why you deleted the friend?”

The girl’s eyes darted, guilty, and her voice unconsciously softened. “I was drunk that night.”

“So… when I woke up the next day, I only remembered the part about being hit on, and since I was about to start filming and debut, if it got out…”

She didn’t finish the sentence but scrunched her nose and gave a knowing look.

Jung Ji-shi felt a little disheartened: so this rare flutter of his heart led him to lose caution and give his contact info to a stranger, only to be forgotten and treated like a dark secret that needed to be erased.

Maybe it would have been better not to ask at all.

Yoon Hee-yoo quietly observed his expression, somehow sensing his gloomy mood. Slowly, she moved until she sat next to him on the same sofa. She gently tugged his sleeve, and when he turned his face toward her, her eyes curved into an almond shape, her smile sweet.

“Even though I was drunk before, I’m very sober tonight. Could you give me your contact info again?”

The sudden closeness stunned Jung Ji-shi. Not to mention that the mysterious “oppa” had just heard it so casually. He pressed his lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to suppress a smile.

Seeing no reaction, Yoon Hee-yoo moved even closer and clasped her hands, whispering coquettishly, “Please~”

Jung Ji-shi suddenly turned his head to look in a direction where Yoon Hee-yoo couldn’t see, his twisted expression revealing a secret delight. A few seconds later, his face returned to calm as he took out his phone, voice reluctant. “Ahem… This is the last time.”

Yoon Hee-yoo, seemingly oblivious, responded cheerfully, “Okay!”

It was about two in the morning when the club ended. Yoon Hee-yoo was driven home by her manager. As she got into the front passenger seat, she pressed against the window and enthusiastically waved goodbye to Jung Ji-shi. Her cheerful demeanor briefly reminded him of a child being picked up from kindergarten.

He couldn’t help laughing, tapping his finger on his nose, his expression a mix of helplessness and amusement.

“Go on, get out of here.”

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Little U mockingly teased, “Why does it seem like this ‘fated person’ doesn’t have any feelings for you at all?”

In a good mood, Yoon Hee-yoo hummed a tune, silently retorting, “What do you know?”

The passion of a hormone-driven crush might be intense but shallow at first. What she wanted was a whole heart. Moreover, although Jung Ji-shi hadn’t shown much, for such a cautious man to lower his guard and accept her so quickly meant he wasn’t repelled by her at all; on the contrary, he seemed to have some fondness.

Without continuing to argue with Little U, Yoon Hee-yoo turned and caught her manager’s meaningful expression.

“Hee-yoo, shouldn’t you…”

The young girl immediately raised her hand, confessing everything like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube.

“Unnie, I want to chase Simon D! I like him!”

Lin Huizhen felt a headache coming on. While honesty was good—indeed, in the entertainment industry, absolute honesty between artist and manager could avoid many unnecessary troubles—it didn’t mean she could calmly handle her child wanting to fall in love so soon after debut.

Simon D was popular these years, sure, but he was not young, average-looking, and short. She could understand if Hee-yoo liked someone like Lee Jong-seok or Lee Min-ho, but why Simon D?

“If I’m not mistaken, today was your first meeting, right?”

Yoon Hee-yoo thought about it, excluding their time at the club, and nodded brightly. “Isn’t love at first sight allowed?”

It wasn’t that it wasn’t allowed. Lin Huizhen swallowed her words, her expression complicated.

“Don’t worry, Unnie. Even if I date, I’ll still act and work hard.” She comforted her sister with a mature look.

Looking at her “obedient and sensible” attitude, Lin Huizhen found it hard to really get angry. Besides, actors didn’t have as many rules as idols, so dating wasn’t impossible. She rolled her eyes at the little troublemaker. “You haven’t even started chasing him yet, and you’re already thinking about love. Shameless.”

Yoon Hee-yoo stuck out her tongue. She wasn’t ashamed at all. Growing up surrounded by love, she developed such a lively and positive temperament. To her, expressing affection was perfectly normal. Why would she feel embarrassed?

She looked down, pulled out her phone, humming softly as she decided to study carefully what kind of man Jung Ji-shi really was.

Searching his name online, a highly viewed and liked video popped up. Judging by the title, it was a clip from a variety show called “I Live Alone.” Yoon Hee-yoo recognized it because Lin Huizhen had mentioned it before. Curiously, she clicked in.

The footage showed Jung Ji-shi looking as if he hadn’t slept in three days, his face weary and lips pale.

“Because I was only producing an album, I lost my appetite and desire to sleep…”

“No material desires, not even sexual desire.”

Yoon Hee-yoo’s pupils dilated slightly, and she silently covered her mouth to keep from gasping aloud.

So this guy is working that hard?