148: Chapter 147 Eldest Sister: He insists!!

“Half... half-faded?” The smile on Im Yoona's face stiffened slightly, her eyes narrowing behind her sunglasses as a faint, imperceptible trace of danger entered her voice. “President Jiang... who are you talking about?”

She keenly caught onto that word. Jiang Zhiyu's words made it sound like Red Velvet deserved better, but the adjective 'half-faded'... used on any girl group, sounded extremely aggressive and provocative. Especially... considering the seniority gap between her and Jiang Zhiyu, and his notorious tendency to speak without following conventional rules...

Jiang Zhiyu seemed completely oblivious to the change in Im Yoona's tone, or perhaps he noticed it but chose to ignore it. A wide, sunny smile that was almost blindingly bright bloomed on his face. He even gave Im Yoona a thumbs-up followed by a standard wink, shouting in an incredibly cheerful (and punchable) tone:

“T-ara, of course!”

His voice was loud and clear, as if he were announcing some universally recognized truth.

“T-ara?” Im Yoona repeated, the smile on her face vanishing completely. Though the sunglasses hid her eyes, the aura around her suddenly dropped in temperature, clearly conveying her displeasure and... a hint of shock.

T-ara? The group that had once shared the glory of the peak era of second-generation girl groups with Girls Generation, but later experienced numerous scandals and saw their popularity decline? Why did Jiang Zhiyu suddenly bring them up? And even use 'half-faded' to describe them? Although... in some ways it was true, for a popular PD like him to say it so bluntly and even flippantly in front of a senior from SM like Im Yoona...

Moreover, he specifically emphasized 'T-ara' and 'second-generation girl groups,' which made it hard for Im Yoona not to draw associations—was he using a metaphor, or at least hinting at Girls Generation, who were contemporaries of T-ara and currently focused on individual member development with fewer group activities?

After all, while the term 'half-faded' was harsh when applied to Girls Generation—who had reached the summit and were now individually successful even if the group hadn't officially disbanded—it wasn't entirely unheard of among some of the harsher critics.

Looking at Im Yoona's face, which had instantly cooled, and her tightly pursed lips, Jiang Zhiyu seemed to finally realize he might have overplayed his hand. His exaggerated smile slowly faded as he blinked, obediently shutting his mouth and ceasing to 'elaborate' on his 'brilliant insights.'

The atmosphere became stagnant for a moment.

Only the distant hustle and bustle of the Myeong-dong streets and the busy sounds of the production crew could be heard faintly.

A few seconds later.

Im Yoona suddenly smiled again.

It wasn't the playful or teasing smile from before, but a softer, more... formulaic smile. She gently raised her hand, tucking a strand of hair blown onto her cheek behind her ear with elegant composure.

“President Jiang-nim~” she spoke, her voice returning to its usual clear and sweet tone, even carrying a hint of a coquettish lilt.

Jiang Zhiyu immediately straightened his back, his expression serious as he replied respectfully, “Yes! Noona!” The speed of his attitude shift was comparable to a Sichuan opera face-change.

Im Yoona took a small step forward, closing the distance slightly (though still within a safe social range). She raised her hand, making no out-of-line movements, but simply and naturally—as if just doing it in passing—reached for Jiang Zhiyu's collar.

Jiang Zhiyu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, but he didn't pull away.

Im Yoona's fingers lightly brushed the collar of his utility jacket, smoothing it out. Her movements were very gentle, her fingertips inadvertently grazing the skin on the side of his neck. That peculiar, pleasant woody fragrance drifted into her nose again, even clearer than before.

She lowered her eyelids slightly to hide the flash of curiosity about the scent and that strange 'appetite' in her eyes. Then, in a flat tone as if commenting on the nice weather, she suddenly spoke:

“I'm going to buy two cups of coffee. What does President Jiang like to drink?”

The topic changed so fast that Jiang Zhiyu was stunned for a moment. Then he blinked his eyes, which looked exceptionally 'pure and innocent' right now, and quickly switched back to his well-behaved (?) mode, saying in a tone tinged with a bit of flattery and expectation:

“I'll like anything Noona buys!” He sucked up to her first, then quickly added, “Except for Iced Americano.”

He emphasized this very clearly. It was common knowledge (in the Korean entertainment industry) that Iced Americano was almost a work standard, but he truly disliked that bitter taste.

Hearing this, Im Yoona nodded, her face still wearing that gentle and proper smile, her voice light:

“I see~ Two Americanos, right? I understand.”

Jiang Zhiyu: “...?”

Suspecting he had misheard, he hurriedly corrected her: “No, Noona! I said I don't like drinking Iced Americanos!”

Im Yoona had already turned around, preparing to walk toward the coffee shop across the street. Hearing his words, she stopped, turned her head, and her gaze behind the sunglasses seemed to linger on his face for a split second. Then, she said nothing, though the curve of the smile on her lips seemed to deepen just a little bit.

Then, she turned back and walked with light steps, merging into the crowd of Myeong-dong. Only a smiling instruction drifted back on the wind:

“Work hard, PD-nim~”

Jiang Zhiyu stood where he was, watching Im Yoona's slender figure disappear around the corner, while replaying her meaningful smile and that final 'two Americanos' in his mind...

He raised a hand to touch his neck (where she had touched him while fixing his collar) and then sniffed himself—aside from the scent of laundry detergent, there was nothing special at all?

“What's going on...” he muttered under his breath. He felt that Im Yoona's last look and words were filled with some kind of... mischievous intent that he couldn't decipher for now?

Two Americanos?

Didn't he say he didn't like them?

Could it be... Noona did it on purpose?

Jiang Zhiyu frowned, but he soon tossed the doubt to the back of his mind. Forget it, a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea, especially for someone of Im Yoona's level; her thoughts were even harder to guess. It was more important to focus on preparing for his 'Myeong-dong Great Drama' right now.

He turned around and walked back toward the filming area, his face once again wearing that smile full of anticipation and mischief.

On the other side, as Im Yoona walked toward the coffee shop, she couldn't help but chuckle when she thought of Jiang Zhiyu's final look—a bit dazed and not daring to ask more.

Iced Americano?

Yes, I'll buy Iced Americanos.

And they have to be the bitterest kind with the most ice cubes.

Who told him to be so loose-lipped, saying things like 'half-faded' and seemingly hinting at Girls Generation?

As for the fragrance on him...

Im Yoona subconsciously licked her lips.

That 'delicious' feeling... it really was the first time she had encountered it.

If there's a chance, maybe I could... get a little closer to smell it?

The thought made her feel a bit amused. She shook her head, tossing aside these strange thoughts and focusing on the order in front of her.

The Myeong-dong sunlight fell on her, feeling warm and cozy. This impromptu 'set visit' today seemed... a bit more interesting than she had imagined.

Im Yoona carried two cups of Iced Americano filled with ice and radiating a chill as she slowly strolled back to Jiang Zhiyu's 'Myeong-dong Fantasy Great Bazaar' filming area. She was still calculating the wonderful expression Jiang Zhiyu might make when she handed him that particularly bitter cup.

However, when she rounded the isolation fence and saw clearly what was happening in the center of the venue—the so-called 'pre-filming warm-up rehearsal' for the variety show—her footsteps came to an involuntary halt. Her beautiful eyes widened behind her sunglasses, and the mischievous smile she had prepared froze on her face.

What... what is this?!

In the center of the venue, a 'ring' area of about ten square meters had been temporarily cordoned off with colored tape. Above the ring, an LED sign hung crookedly, flashing several large, colorful characters: 'Astral Colosseum · Mortal Warm-up Version'.