147: Chapter 146 Eldest Sister's Husband: You gave it to me?

Myeong-dong, one of Seoul's most prosperous commercial districts, was already bustling with crowds even on a weekday morning. The colorful signs, dazzling shops, and tourists speaking various languages intertwined to form a vibrant urban landscape.

However, at a relatively wide branch intersection in Myeong-dong, an area was carefully cordoned off with temporary fences and program crew signs. Inside, staff were busy setting up a... very unusual "market" stall.

The main body of the stall consisted of several simple tents and mobile shelves, with a style so chaotic it drew sideways glances:

At one end hung a banner reading "Brothers Ramen Shop · Star Envoy Special," with simple stoves and several large pots (props, not for actual cooking) set up below. Beside them stood light boxes with embarrassing names like "Lava-charred Rich Tonkotsu Ramen," "Blazing Hot Spicy Ramen," "Hearty Wild Vegetable Miso Ramen," and "Meteor Chashu Soft-boiled Egg Ramen."

Right next to it was a small stall filled with various goods, ranging from onesie pajamas with exaggerated expressions, fart cushions, and fluorescent wigs to XX brand chips, YY brand juice, ZZ brand soap, AA brand dried fruits, and so on. It was a dazzling array, looking as if yesterday's TikTok prop box and advertisement goods had all been moved here.

Next to that was a long table covered with dark velvet, on which sat a strikingly bright purple cabbage carefully wrapped in plastic wrap. Beside it were a small wooden mallet and a plastic megaphone. Behind it even stood the crude "Judge's Bench" sign from yesterday's market (temporarily handwritten).

The most eye-catching thing was Choi Yena's creaky but polished sausage cart, which was already in place. The sausage machine was preheating, emitting an enticing charred aroma. A sign was thoughtfully placed beside it: "Pisces Sausage Saintess · Legendary Sausage."

On the open ground, several circles of unknown meaning were even drawn in chalk. Scattered nearby were several brightly colored, soft-looking "Soft Baby" inflatable toys (clean version), and... a lonely yellow rubber duck.

The entire "market" layout perfectly replicated the "essence" (shameful parts) encountered by the four groups yesterday and forcibly merged them together, creating a dual impact on both vision and spirit. Passersby couldn't help but cast curious, surprised, or amused glances, guessing what new street performance or variety show filming this was.

Jiang Zhiyu stood behind the temporary monitoring screen, arms crossed, satisfyingly examining his "masterpiece." Today, he had changed into a lightweight utility jacket and wore a baseball cap that partially obscured his overly "shining" (?) gaze, but the signature smile at the corner of his mouth—filled with mischief and anticipation—couldn't be hidden.

"Hmm, not bad, the atmosphere is there." He nodded and said to the assistant beside him, "Once IZ*ONE finishes their morning schedule, bring them straight here. Give them a 'surprise'."

He specifically emphasized the word "surprise." The assistant's mouth twitched as he silently lit a candle in his heart for those twelve girls.

"But since they're not here in the morning, we can't just sit idle." Jiang Zhiyu rubbed his chin, his gaze sweeping over the gathering crowd. "We need to warm up the atmosphere first... find a few people to display those slogan signs, play the 'welcome greeting' recordings from the ramen shop on loop, and let some aroma waft from the sausage stall... pique the curiosity of the passersby."

Just as he was commanding with ease, ready to start the "warm-up," a clear and pleasant female voice with a hint of familiar teasing suddenly rang out from behind him:

"Oh, Jiang PD, what a grand setup. Are you planning some kind of... 'large-scale performance art exhibition' in Myeong-dong?"

Jiang Zhiyu turned around at the sound, a flash of surprise crossing his face.

The newcomer was dressed in a simple yet stylish cream-colored trench coat over a light-colored knit sweater and jeans. She wore large sunglasses that covered half her face, but the exposed lower half had elegant lines, and her lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. With her hands in her trench coat pockets, she stood leisurely, slightly tilting her head as she surveyed the chaotic yet hilarious filming site.

Even with the sunglasses covering her face, Jiang Zhiyu recognized her immediately from that unique temperament and voice.

"Yoona Noona?" Jiang Zhiyu raised an eyebrow, his face quickly donning his usual, somewhat cynical smile. "What brings your esteemed self to my humble little filming site? The SM Building... should be in Seongsu-dong, right? No schedule today? So much leisure time?"

His words sounded like ordinary small talk, but the hint of surprise at her presence and the faint wariness of "don't tell me you're here to cause trouble" in his tone were keenly captured by Im Yoona.

Im Yoona raised her hand, gently pulling her sunglasses down a bit to reveal a pair of clear, bright eyes that currently held a hint of playfulness and "dangerous" light. She looked at Jiang Zhiyu, the curve of her lips deepening, though her voice remained soft and pleasant:

"Does Jiang PD mean to say... that I'll affect your work?" She paused, her gaze sweeping over the staff and occasional passersby who were starting to stir, casting surprised and excited looks due to her presence. Then, using a slightly raised volume and a perfectly measured tone of grievance and innocence, she continued:

"Or is it that... I'm not allowed to come to Myeong-dong?"

Her voice was already beautiful, and now that it carried a hint of "aggrieved" tone, it was even more pitiable. Coupled with her status and influence as a national goddess, as soon as those words came out, the surroundings quieted down significantly. Countless gazes (including those of excited passersby who recognized her) focused squarely on Jiang Zhiyu. Those gazes clearly read things like, "Jiang PD, how could you treat Goddess Yoona like this?" and "What an honor it is for Yoona-xi to visit the set!"

Jiang Zhiyu: "..." The smile at the corner of his mouth stiffened for a moment as he inwardly cursed her for being "cunning." As expected of Im Yoona, she was quick to react and knew how to use public opinion (even just this small amount on site) to apply pressure.

He immediately sensed the change in the atmosphere and the flash of craftiness in Im Yoona's eyes. No, he couldn't let her continue her "performance."

Jiang Zhiyu reacted extremely fast. An even more enthusiastic (and hypocritical) smile instantly appeared on his face. He took a step forward and, without a word, reached out and grabbed Im Yoona's wrist—the movement seemed casual, but it carried an undeniable force.

"Oh, Noona, what are you saying! Your presence makes this humble place shine!" As he spoke, he naturally (and firmly) pulled Im Yoona toward a relatively quiet material storage area set up nearby. "Come, come, this way please. It's quieter here, so the sun won't hit you, and we can avoid prying eyes."

Im Yoona didn't seem to expect him to get physical. The moment her wrist was grabbed, her body paused almost imperceptibly. Her eyes narrowed behind her sunglasses, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she followed him submissively, though the playful smile on her lips only grew stronger.

The two walked behind a pile of cardboard boxes printed with the program logo, temporarily cutting off most of the sightlines. Only then did Jiang Zhiyu let go. He subconsciously looked left and right, then lowered his voice, his smile fading into a mix of helplessness and warning:

"Noona! How could you say that?" He pointed outside. "While... it's true you're not wrong (this part he whispered so low it was almost just air), you can't say it in front of so many people! Aren't you making me a suspect for 'bullying a senior'?"

He admitted it quite frankly, even if it was just a quiet complaint. Im Yoona's sudden appearance had indeed disrupted his original deployment (the warm-up plan). Moreover, given her status and sharp perception, there was no guarantee she wouldn't see more "evil" details of him "torturing" IZ*ONE if she stayed, or offer some "suggestions" that would give him a headache.

Looking at his "guilty conscience" and forced composure, Im Yoona couldn't help but let out a light laugh. She leaned comfortably against the boxes behind her, arms crossed. Her sunglasses were pushed back up, hiding her eyes, but the amusement in her voice couldn't be concealed:

"President Jiang is quite brave."

She slowly said with a hint of teasing, "Pulling me to such a... quiet corner, what do you want to do?" She intentionally emphasized "quiet corner," which, combined with the current environment of them being alone (even with staff not far away), made her words full of ambiguous hints and banter.

Jiang Zhiyu was choked by her words. Looking at her face, which even when partially obscured by sunglasses couldn't hide its exquisite contours, and those slightly upturned, enticing lips, his heart skipped a beat for some reason. But he immediately shook off the inappropriate thought, his expression turning deliberately stern. He took a large step back, opening a full meter of distance between him and Im Yoona, and even raised his hands in an "innocent" gesture.

"Noona! You can't just say things like that!" He said with righteous indignation. "I'm doing this to protect your privacy! To avoid unnecessary onlookers!"

Seeing his exaggerated reaction and the way he quickly pulled away, Im Yoona didn't get angry but found it even more interesting. She tilted her head slightly as if studying him. It was at this moment, as Jiang Zhiyu's backward movement stirred a slight breeze, that an extremely faint but exceptionally fresh and pleasant herbal scent wafted toward her nose.

It wasn't the scent of perfume or any cosmetic product; it was more like... a clean and pure fragrance naturally emanating from the deep layers of the skin, mixed with the smell of sun-drenched grass and the sweet ripeness of some kind of fruit. It was very special, very pleasant, and even... gave her a strange sort of appetite?

Im Yoona was slightly stunned. This scent... was very peculiar. It was like ripe peaches and sweet citrus mixed with the freshness of a forest after rain. It was rich in layers, clean and transparent, and smelled... very "delicious."

Yes, delicious. It wasn't an attraction of lust, but a purer, more instinctive reaction—as if the man in front of her was a plump, juicy, freshly picked top-tier fruit, emitting an enticing aroma that made one want to take a bite and see if it was truly that sweet.

Im Yoona was amused by her own sudden, eerie association. She knew, of course, that this was the natural body fragrance emitted when the body reached an excellent state after Jiang Zhiyu's long-term persistence in some strange "Bone-Marrow Cleansing" health regimen (which she had heard a bit about). But the description "delicious"... was truly the first time she had used it on a man.

She playfully curled her lips and, looking at the "righteous" Jiang Zhiyu, decided not to mention this interesting discovery, instead continuing the previous topic.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you." Im Yoona lowered her arms, her tone relaxing. "I have some serious news for you. The company (SM) saw the... uh, 'unique' variety show effects you planned for IZ*ONE recently, as well as the feedback from your previous collaboration with Taeyeon Unnie on 'music steps,' and they think your 'creativity' and ability to 'uncover different sides of artists' are very interesting."

She paused, looking at Jiang Zhiyu's slightly raised eyebrow, and continued:

"So, they want to officially offer you a job—to tailor-make an exclusive variety show for Red Velvet. How about it, congratulations, President Jiang? SM's olive branch isn't something just anyone can get."

After Im Yoona finished, she waited expectantly for Jiang Zhiyu's reaction. Would it be surprise? Humility? Or pride?

However, Jiang Zhiyu's reaction was completely beyond her expectations.

Jiang Zhiyu merely tilted his chin slightly, a strange expression that was a mix of "as it should be" and "you guys finally figured it out" appearing on his face. He even spoke with unhidden confidence (or rather, conceit), replying casually:

"Isn't that how it should be?"

Im Yoona: "...?"

Jiang Zhiyu began counting on his fingers, listing them off like treasures: "First, I have a very deep connection with Red Velvet. Joohyun Noona's cool elegance needs a more vivid display. Isn't Seulgi's honest hard work and hidden culinary skills great material? Wendy's musical persistence and approachability, Joy's lively frankness, Yeri's quirkiness... every member is full of variety show potential; they just lack someone like me who knows how to 'detonate' them."

"Second," he held up a second finger, "I am, after all, an SM producer by background. Although I'm working solo now, I know the styles of SM's artists and the company's tone like the back of my hand. Me making a variety show for Red Velvet is simply a match made in heaven, twice the result with half the effort."

He spread his hands in a concluding gesture, his tone even more matter-of-fact, even carrying a slight hint of disdain:

"So, if I don't make a variety show for Red Velvet, should I make one for those half-faded groups?"