170: Chapter 168, the new chapter I wrote yesterday, I laughed so hard I almost threw up. Hahaha.

Im Yoona was also watching the chaotic scene at the sausage stall on the monitor with great interest, a faint smile on her lips as if she found it very amusing. That pale pink rose had been placed by her on a nearby water bottle.

Jiang Zhiyu immediately put on a "considerate junior/colleague" expression, turning his body slightly toward Im Yoona, his tone carrying a hint of urgency and "for your own good":

"Noona! You didn't eat much at lunch, right? Look how fragrant those sausages are! That girl Yena is messing around with a free giveaway; if we don't go now, they'll be gone!"

As he spoke, he had already stood up, making a move to rush over, while not forgetting to "invite" Im Yoona:

"I'll go grab two for you! Just wait!"

Before he could even finish his sentence, he had already shot out like an arrow from a bow, "whoosh," heading straight for his target—the sausage stall!

That speed and posture didn't look like he was going to "get some for Noona" at all; it was clearly his own cravings taking over, and he couldn't wait to go grab some food!

Im Yoona was stunned by his sudden action, her hand stopping mid-air as she reached out to say something. She watched Jiang Zhiyu's back as he quickly disappeared into the crowd, then looked at the monitor where he was nimbly squeezing through the mass of people, trying his best to get close to the sausage cart, and she was dazed for a long while.

Soon, as if she realized something, she couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. That smile was no longer her usual standard, perfect smile, but one filled with a bit of understanding, a bit of helplessness, and a trace of... indulgence and amusement that even she hadn't noticed.

She shook her head and, in a voice only she could hear, whispered with a smile:

"Ya... Jiang Zhiyu."

"Clearly, you just wanted to eat them yourself!"

"And you even said you were getting them for me... you sure are quick with the excuses."

Despite saying that, she wasn't angry or offended. Instead, she felt that this authentic (and gluttonous) Jiang Zhiyu was... a little bit cuter than the PD who had been seriously analyzing the core of the industry earlier, or the guy who was flirting with magic?

She leaned back against the chair again, casting her gaze toward the monitor. She saw Jiang Zhiyu finally manage to squeeze in front of the sausage cart, gesturing to the dizzyingly busy Choi Yena, seemingly shouting something (inaudible). In the midst of her busyness, Choi Yena took a moment to show an "I get it" expression, quickly picked up several sausages, brushed on a thick layer of sauce, stuffed them into a large paper bag, and handed them to Jiang Zhiyu.

Jiang Zhiyu took the paper bag, and a satisfied (and smug) smile instantly appeared on his face. He even gave Choi Yena a thumbs up. Then, protecting the paper bag, he began the difficult task of squeezing his way back out, accidentally bumping into someone along the way and nodding repeatedly in apology.

Watching this scene, the smile on Im Yoona's face deepened. Finally, she couldn't help but raise her hand to cover her mouth, her shoulders trembling slightly.

This PD Jiang... he really is unpredictable and... always full of "surprises."

(Well, sausage "surprises.")

She began to look forward to what the sausages Jiang Zhiyu "stole" back would taste like. After all, seeing how hard he worked for them, they... shouldn't taste bad, right?

Like a little mouse that had successfully stolen some oil, Jiang Zhiyu finally fought his way out of the crowded throng. Protecting the bulging paper bag that emitted an enticing charred aroma, he returned to the monitoring area looking slightly disheveled but like a victorious hero.

He walked quickly back to the monitoring area, his hair slightly messy from the crowding and a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. However, the smile on his face was as bright as the afternoon sun in Myeong-dong, and his eyes sparkled with satisfaction.

"Noona! I got them!" He presented the paper bag to Im Yoona like a treasure. The intense aroma of grilled sausages mixed with the complex scent of sweet chili sauce and yellow mustard wafted toward her, extremely enticing.

Im Yoona took the paper bag; it was warm to the touch and quite heavy. She glanced inside—there were a full five or six sausages, each grilled until the skin was slightly charred and oily, brushed with a thick layer of sauce, and carefully skewered with small bamboo sticks.

"You... went to 'get' two?" Im Yoona raised an eyebrow and looked at Jiang Zhiyu, her tone clearly teasing. "With this amount, people would believe you if you said you emptied the stall."

Jiang Zhiyu chuckled, showing no shame. Instead, he said righteously, "Aiya, I saw there were so many people over at Yena's side and was afraid they'd be gone if I went late! I took a few extra just in case Noona didn't have enough. Besides, I have to eat too. I've been busy all morning and was starving long ago!" As he spoke, he naturally took a sausage from the bag, blew on it, and then took a large, unceremonious bite.

"Mmm—!" The moment the sausage entered his mouth, Jiang Zhiyu's eyes instantly narrowed, and a look of extreme enjoyment appeared on his face. He chewed carefully, his cheeks bulging slightly, and let out a satisfied sigh. "Mm! Delicious! That girl Yena really has a knack for grilling sausages! Charred on the outside and tender on the inside, full of juice, and the sauce is perfectly seasoned! The quality of the ingredients provided by the Sponsor is great!"

He ate very seriously and intently, as if he were tasting some top-tier delicacy rather than a common street sausage. Bite after bite, his movements weren't particularly elegant, but they had a kind of frankness and... a strange attraction. The sunlight fell on the corner of his mouth, which was stained with a bit of sauce. He stuck out the tip of his tongue to lightly lick it off and then continued to focus on the food in his hand. That pure sense of enjoyment for food (even if it was just a sausage) was conveyed through his every subtle expression and movement.

Im Yoona didn't eat immediately. She just held the steaming sausage on its bamboo skewer, but her gaze involuntarily fell on Jiang Zhiyu.

She watched his focused, almost childish way of eating; watched him slightly open his mouth to huff air because it was hot; watched the corner of his mouth, which was stained with sauce but didn't bother him, making him look exceptionally vivid; watched his thick eyelashes cast small shadows in the sunlight, and his eyes that sparkled because of the delicious food...

It was very strange.

It was clearly just a very ordinary scene of eating sausages.

Clearly, the surroundings were still filled with the clamor of the variety show filming, the laughter of the audience, and the ongoing frenzy at the sausage stall.

But Im Yoona's heart seemed to skip a beat, and then it began to thrum against her chest with a subtly quickened rhythm.

A vague, nameless feeling, like an undercurrent beneath the water, quietly surged into her heart. It wasn't the "appetite" generated by the aroma earlier, nor was it simply finding it funny or interesting. It was a... more subtle, more elusive flutter. Her gaze seemed to be invisibly drawn, her focus unconsciously locked onto the man who was seriously dealing with the sausage.

The scent on him—that strange body fragrance as fresh as ripe fruit—now seemed to be mixed with the smoky aroma of the sausages, becoming more complex and also more... real. It was no longer an unreachable "good smell," but something with warmth, with the breath of life, and with his currently undefended, vivid appearance focused on his appetite.

Im Yoona's fingers, holding the sausage skewer, tightened slightly. Her fingertips could feel the comforting warmth coming from the sausage.

This feeling... what is it?

Is it a heart-flutter?

This thought flashed through her mind like a thunderclap, giving her a start. She immediately dismissed it. How could it be? How long had she known Jiang Zhiyu? Besides, he was a junior (even if he was a PD), with a jumpy personality and eccentric ideas, and he always loved to "torment" artists (including her), with a pile of mysteries surrounding him... What kind of man had she, Im Yoona, not seen? How could she feel a heart-flutter for a guy a few years younger than her who often left her not knowing whether to laugh or cry?

But... how to explain that unusual rhythm of her heart, that uncontrollable lingering of her gaze, and that unfamiliar, soft, yet slightly panicked emotion in her heart?

She lowered her head and looked at the fragrant sausage in her hand, as if she could find the answer in this ordinary food. Of course, she couldn't.

Just then, Jiang Zhiyu finished his sausage, licked his lips with lingering desire, and looked at Im Yoona: "Noona, why aren't you eating? It's really delicious! Hurry and try it; the taste will be worse once it's cold!"

His voice pulled Im Yoona back to reality from her chaotic thoughts.

She looked up and met Jiang Zhiyu's clear, open eyes, which currently only wrote "eat quickly, eat quickly." His lack of guile and pure manner of sharing food caused that inexplicable flutter and panic in Im Yoona's heart to strangely calm down a bit, or perhaps... to be hidden even deeper.

She gave a soft "mm," forced a somewhat natural smile, brought the sausage to her mouth, and took a small bite.

It was indeed... very delicious. Charred aroma, tender meat, and rich sauce. It was a very authentic street delicacy.

But more than half of her attention still seemed to be involuntarily given to the man beside her, who had already picked up another sausage and continued to eat with gusto.

An unprecedented, subtle, and complex emotion quietly sprouted in her heart. She needed to clarify it, or... at least she needed to vent.

Taking advantage of the gap while Jiang Zhiyu was focused on eating and not paying attention to her, Im Yoona quietly fished her phone out of her trench coat pocket. Unlocking the screen, she subconsciously clicked on the group chat named "Girls Generation."

This group was usually very lively, with the sisters sharing their daily lives, schedules, gossip, and food, and occasionally "attacking" or "complaining" to each other. At the moment, because it was daytime, everyone might be busy with their own things, so the group was temporarily quiet.

Im Yoona's finger paused on the screen for a few seconds, her gaze somewhat drifting. She wanted to say something but didn't know where to start. Finally, that vague yet exceptionally real feeling lingering in her heart drove her to type a few words.

She didn't tag anyone, just sent a message as if talking to herself:

"Taeyeon Unnie, I think I understand."

Sent.

Then, she quickly locked the screen and put her phone back in her pocket, as if she had done something guilty. Her heart was thumping a bit fast, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. She didn't even know what she "understood," but she felt that this sentence seemed to summarize her chaotic state of mind at the moment.

However, her message—which had no beginning or end, was unclear in meaning, and only mentioned Kim Taeyeon (perhaps subconsciously feeling that Taeyeon Unnie would better understand emotional confusion?)—was like a depth charge dropped into the seemingly calm ocean of the Girls Generation group chat.

Almost the next second after the message was sent—

"Ding-dong!" "Ding-dong!" "Ding-dong!"...

A series of dense notification sounds (if Im Yoona were to open her phone and look now) rang out crazily!

The originally quiet group chat instantly boiled over!

[Sunny]: Moya?! Yoona? Understand what?! What did you understand?! @Im Yoona

[Yuri]: What's the situation? Taeyeon Unnie, what did you do to Yoona? Or Yoona, what did you do to Taeyeon Unnie? @Kim Taeyeon @Im Yoona

[Hyoyeon]: ? Yoona, speak clearly! You're killing me with suspense!]

[Sooyoung]: Ya! Im Yoona! Don't just say half of it! What did you understand? Is it about... (Gossip radar activated) @Im Yoona

[Tiffany]: Oh my god! Why would Yoona suddenly say this in the group? Taeyeon Unnie, did you two chat privately about something? Tell me quickly! @Kim Taeyeon @Im Yoona

[Seohyun]: Yoona Unnie, have you encountered something you needed to realize? Can you share it with everyone? [Concerned expression]

[Kim Taeyeon]: ...??? @Im Yoona Yoona, what are you talking about? What did I do? Or what did you do? Suddenly tagging me... I'm a bit panicked.

(Even the account of Jung Sooyeon, who lurks for ten thousand years, has a permanently gray profile picture, and almost never pops up, though she didn't speak, based on past experience, she was definitely silently peeking at the screen at this moment, perhaps even raising an eyebrow and thinking: What on earth is that girl Im Yoona up to?)

All members of Girls Generation (except the person involved, Im Yoona, and someone else who might also be busy) had their immense curiosity piqued by this message with no beginning or end! Taeyeon Unnie? Understand? Understand what?! Is it a relationship problem? A work realization? A life philosophy? Or... did she discover some secret of Taeyeon Unnie's?!

The follow-up questions in the group instantly flooded the screen, with all sorts of guesses and tags flying everywhere. However, Im Yoona herself, who had sent this "bomb" message, had already silenced her phone and stuffed it back into her pocket. She was currently eating the sausage in small bites, pretending to look toward the stage as if nothing had happened, with only her slightly reddened earlobes and somewhat drifting eyes betraying a hint of her inner turmoil.

She temporarily didn't want to (or rather, didn't dare to) look at the reactions in the group.