144: Chapter 143 The eldest brother insisted that the eldest sister lend him her mobile phone to make calls.

Jiang Zhiyu frowned and glanced at the caller ID with a hint of impatience. When he saw the name flashing on the screen, the smugness on his face instantly vanished, replaced by an expression that was slightly surprised but immediately adjusted to 'professional and reliable' mode.

Kim Taeyeon.

He quickly sat up straight, cleared his throat, pressed the answer button, and spoke in a tone that was slightly gentler and more composed than usual:

“Yo, Noona? It's so late, haven't you rested yet? Is there a problem with the editing for the Jeonju episode of music steps》?”

The voice coming from the other end of the phone, however, was not Kim Taeyeon's usual professional and calm or occasionally sentimental voice, but rather... a tone that was suppressing some volcanic emotion, as if repeatedly jumping on the edge of a breakdown:

“Ya! Jiang Zhiyu!”

She even skipped the honorifics and called him directly by his full name.

Jiang Zhiyu's heart skipped a beat. This tone... was not good. Had some broadcasting accident happened during the Jeonju filming? Had Lee Tima caused trouble again? Had she messed up Father Kim's medicinal diet? Or had she gone too far with the 'artistic processing' of some of Kim Taeyeon's precious memories?

“Noona, calm down, speak slowly. What happened to... Tima again?” Jiang Zhiyu tried to soothe her while his brain spun rapidly, thinking of various situations Lee Tima might have caused.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, a clearer, more energetic child's voice came from the other end, showing absolutely no awareness of having 'caused trouble.' It moved from far to near, finally sounding almost right against the microphone:

“Oppa—!! It's me! Tima!”

Lee Tima's voice pierced through the airwaves, carrying her unique energy (and black-hole charm) that could turn any serious occasion into a chaotic mess.

Jiang Zhiyu: “...”

“Oppa! Quick! Quickly send me that new variety show you're filming for the IZ*ONE Unnies! That 'Star Envoy' thing! The unedited raw footage! The behind-the-scenes! All the materials! Send them all to me!” Lee Tima spoke rapidly, her tone filled with unquestionable urgency and... a mysterious excitement?

Jiang Zhiyu was stunned: “Huh? Why do you want that?” What did IZ*ONE's variety show have to do with Lee Tima? Wasn't she following Kim Taeyeon to film music steps》?

“Of course, it's to! Crit! I! Cize! It! Harsh! Ly!! Ah!!” Lee Tima emphasized every word, her voice powerful as if she were about to carry out a sacred mission. “I've heard all about it! An Yujin Unnie shouting 'Lava-roasted Rich Tonkotsu Ramen'! Kwon Eunbi Unnie being saved by a rubber duck! Sakura Unnie chanting spells at a red cabbage! And a water-spraying jelly monster! What on earth is all that! It's—so—in—ter—est—ing! Oppa, your imagination really didn't disappoint me! But there must be even more ridiculous stuff that hasn't been released yet, right? Give it to me! I want to examine it with my professional, critical eye!”

“...” Jiang Zhiyu was momentarily speechless. Criticize? Is that what you call criticizing? I can imagine your sparkling eyes even through the phone! You clearly just want to watch the chaos and maybe even learn a few tricks (?) or find inspiration to continue 'tormenting' Kim Taeyeon!

He could imagine Lee Tima on the other end of the phone, probably clinging to Kim Taeyeon's arm, her small face pressed against the microphone, her eyes wide, and perhaps an aura of 'mischief' radiating behind her.

And Kim Taeyeon... Jiang Zhiyu could almost hear Kim Taeyeon's extremely helpless, nearly exhausted sigh in the background of the call.

Sure enough, a second later, Kim Taeyeon's voice took back the microphone. That suppressed emotion seemed to have deflated slightly due to Lee Tima's interruption, but the sense of fatigue was even heavier:

“Jiang Zhiyu... you heard her. Tima... since we finished work this evening, she heard about some 'highlight clips' from the IZ*ONE variety show somewhere, and she's been making a fuss... no, she's having an 'academic discussion,' insisting on seeing the raw footage. She says it's 'important variety show research material' related to the development of her career as a 'future visual creative assistant'...”

Kim Taeyeon's voice was filled with a sense of powerlessness, as if saying, 'I tried my best, but I can't control this child.'

Jiang Zhiyu couldn't help but facepalm. He had experienced Lee Tima's persistence regarding 'interesting things' and her ability to rationalize everything. It seemed Kim Taeyeon Noona was truly being put through the wringer.

He weighed his words and spoke into the microphone with a tone full of sympathy and understanding (and a hint of schadenfreude?):

“Ah... I see. Noona, you've worked hard.”

He said this with total sincerity. Working with a little demon (genius) like Lee Tima, especially on a music program that required delicate emotions and depth, one could only imagine Kim Taeyeon's pressure. The 'medicinal diet scare' and the 'windmill》 shock' of the Jeonju trip had probably already exhausted her, and now she had to deal with Lee Tima's frantic curiosity about another absurd variety show...

Kim Taeyeon was silent on the other end for two seconds.

Then, Jiang Zhiyu clearly heard Kim Taeyeon respond to his 'condolences' in her unique, slightly nasal voice, which was now filled with endless fatigue and a sense of resignation, softly, almost as if talking to herself:

“...Ne (Yes).”

“It's not hard (Bu xinku).”

A pause.

A subtle, almost imperceptible pause, but one that Jiang Zhiyu definitely caught.

Then, as if by some strange impulse, or perhaps because his nerves were a bit frazzled by Lee Tima's 'great achievements' over the past few days, Jiang Zhiyu's brain short-circuited, and a thoughtless remark slipped out over the line:

“Life is hard (Ming ku)?”

Two words, clear and short, with a hint of testing and... death-seeking curiosity.

On the other end of the phone.

Dead silence.

Even Lee Tima's shouting in the background vanished instantly.

Jiang Zhiyu regretted it as soon as he said it, and a cold sweat broke out instantly. Finished, it's all over, I got carried away! How could I say such a thing to a senior, the leader of Girls Generation, and Kim Taeyeon Noona who is currently in 'dire straits'?! Even though he felt he had accurately summarized her state...

A few seconds later.

Kim Taeyeon's voice sounded again.

It was still that calm, even slightly gentle (?) tone.

However, beneath that tone, it felt as if an iceberg was slowly moving, as if a volcano was brewing a low rumble.

“Ne (Yes)??”

A slightly rising monosyllable, full of doubt (and danger).

Jiang Zhiyu instantly sat bolt upright, his cold sweat flowing even more freely.

“Ah! No! Noona! I meant... you leading Tima in deep musical exploration and artistic creation, although the process is full of challenges, it must be very rewarding and spiritually enriching! It's not hard at all! Really!” He incoherently tried to salvage the situation.

From the other end came a very, very light, ambiguous chuckle from Kim Taeyeon.

“I'll consider the matter of the materials.” Kim Taeyeon didn't take the bait; her tone returned to its usual calm and professional state, but Jiang Zhiyu always felt there was a knife hidden beneath that calmness. “It's late, PD Jiang should also rest early. After all, tomorrow you have to continue 'tempering' IZ*ONE with your 'creativity,' don't you?”

“Ah... yes, yes! Noona, you should also rest early!” Jiang Zhiyu replied with a forced laugh.

“Mm, goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Noona!”

The call ended.

Jiang Zhiyu let out a long breath and wiped the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead. That was close... But Kim Taeyeon's last sentence, why did it sound a bit... chilly?

He shook his head, putting this little episode out of his mind, and turned his gaze back to the TikTok data still scrolling on his computer screen and the enthusiastic messages from the sponsors.

A smile returned to his face.

Whatever!

Anyway, the show's effect was explosive, the sponsors were satisfied, and there was plenty of funding!

That was the bottom line!

As for Lee Tima wanting to see the materials? Well... perhaps he could consider 'accidentally' leaking some particularly embarrassing outtakes to her? Since this girl had such a peculiar aesthetic, maybe she could even provide some more 'mind-blowing' inspiration?

Jiang Zhiyu stroked his chin, his eyes flashing once more with the familiar light of an 'evil PD.'

Meanwhile, in a Hanok guesthouse in Jeonju.

Kim Taeyeon put down her phone and looked at Lee Tima, who was a bit disappointed at not getting the materials immediately but soon went back to tinkering with her tablet (probably editing some 'director's cut' again), and let out another deep, deep sigh.

Life is hard?

Heh.

Jiang Zhiyu, you certainly summarized it quite incisively.

She rubbed the space between her eyebrows, feeling that these few days with Lee Tima were more tiring than holding ten concerts.

But...

Recalling that song windmill》, recalling the softness in the low-angle shot under the osmanthus tree that even she hadn't noticed, recalling her parents' touched emotions and Lee Tima's blunt praise of “Unnie! You're so pretty!”...

The corners of Kim Taeyeon's mouth unconsciously curved into a helpless but genuine arc.

Forget it.

So what if life is hard.

At least, it's not boring.

And, it seems... not too bad?