219: After severing ties with reality, I like Benben Wenzheng even more now, hehe.

But... it had absolutely no effect.

No, to be precise, the effect was counterproductive.

That pair of eyes was exposed above the mask, the corners slightly upturned, lashes thick, the pupils a rare amber color, looking like melted honey under the market lights. Just these eyes alone were enough to be captivating.

Moreover, the mask actually added a sense of mystery, making people want to see what the face underneath looked like even more.

What was worse was that the mask couldn't conceal that fragrance at all.

Furthermore, the mask couldn't block the scent on them. That sweet aroma of ripe fruit and the cold fragrance of plum still permeated the air, and because of the mask's obstruction, it added an extra layer of mystery to their entire being.

Kim Taeyeon watched Jiang Zhiyu, who was still attracting countless gazes despite wearing a mask, and the irritation in her heart reached its peak.

In her mind, an evil thought emerged uncontrollably—

If only... it would be great to lock him up.

Lock him in a room that only she knew about, where only she could see him, could smell the fragrance on him, could...

This thought made her heart race and her cheeks heat up, while simultaneously filling her with a sense of panic.

How could she have such a thought?!

But once that thought appeared, it grew wildly like a vine.

She imagined what that room looked like—spacious, bright, with a window that offered a view. Jiang Zhiyu could compose music and write songs inside, doing whatever he wanted. But only she could enter, only she could...

"Noona?"

Jiang Zhiyu's voice interrupted her fantasy.

Kim Taeyeon snapped back to reality, realizing she had been daydreaming in the market, while Jiang Zhiyu was looking at her in confusion.

"Ah... it, it's nothing..." She averted her gaze in a panic, "Let's go buy something to eat."

She walked toward a hotteok stall as if fleeing, ordered two, but completely failed to notice that the vendor gave her the wrong change.

"Unnie! There's tteokbokki over there!" Lee Tima had already excitedly rushed toward a stall.

Next, Kim Taeyeon witnessed what it meant to be a "super big eater."

It was as if Lee Tima wanted to eat her way through the entire Nambu Market. She started at the tteokbokki stall, ordered a large portion with double fish cakes and cheese, and finished it in a flash. Then she moved to the neighboring hotteok stall, ordering two different flavors—one brown sugar and one nut.

After finishing the hotteok, she set her sights on the sundae stall.

"Auntie! One order of sundae! Extra offal!" She shouted while raising her hand.

The vendor auntie looked at this thin, petite girl and kindly reminded her, "Child, a serving of sundae is huge. Can you finish it?"

"I can finish it, I can!" Lee Tima's eyes sparkled, "I can even eat another serving!"

As it turned out, she wasn't bragging. She polished off a full serving of sundae in ten minutes, even eating all the side dishes clean.

Then she turned to glutinous rice sausages, fish cake skewers, fried vegetables, seafood pancakes...

Stall after stall, Lee Tima's stomach seemed like a bottomless pit. Kim Taeyeon, Kim Jiyong, and Xia Yan were all stunned, and even Jiang Zhiyu, who was often with her, couldn't help but cover his forehead.

"Lee Tima," when Lee Tima was holding her third bowl of spicy chicken feet and preparing to dig in, Jiang Zhiyu finally couldn't help but remark, "Are you a pig?"

Lee Tima, with chicken feet stuffed in her mouth, said vaguely, "Oppa, what did you say?"

Jiang Zhiyu raised his volume: "I said, Lee Ji-eun is about to turn into Lee Pig-eun!"

Several nearby vendors and passersby who heard this couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Lee Tima swallowed the chicken feet and said indignantly, "I'm not a pig! This is... my metabolism is fast! I need to replenish energy!"

She said it confidently and lowered her head to continue eating.

The people around were stunned by her appetite. A girl who looked so delicate and small could actually eat so much?

"Is that child... an entertainer? Able to eat so much?"

"Is she filming a mukbang?"

"But where is the camera?"

The chatter started again, but this time it was directed at Lee Tima.

Kim Taeyeon finally calmed her mood. She walked over with a hotteok and handed one to Jiang Zhiyu: "Try it, Jeonju's hotteok is very famous."

Jiang Zhiyu took it, removed his mask, and took a bite. The hotteok was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the brown sugar filling sweet but not cloying; it was indeed delicious.

But the way he ate caused another small commotion.

"Even eating looks so good..."

"He took off his mask! Look!"

"Really so handsome... must be an actor, right?"

Kim Taeyeon watched those gazes, and the irritation in her heart surged up again. She almost subconsciously stood in front of Jiang Zhiyu, using her body to block some of the view.

This movement was very subtle, but Jiang Zhiyu noticed it.

He looked up, observing Kim Taeyeon's slightly tense profile, and seemed to understand something.

He didn't speak, just quickly finished the hotteok and put his mask back on.

"Noona, let's head further inside," he said softly, "there are fewer people."

Kim Taeyeon nodded.

The group continued deeper into the Nambu Market. Lee Tima was still eating, from sundae soup to glutinous rice sausages, from fried vegetables to seafood pancakes; her stomach seemed like a bottomless pit.

Kim Taeyeon's thoughts, however, were not on the food at all. She walked beside Jiang Zhiyu, feeling those gazes that followed them like shadows, and that evil thought in her heart became clearer and clearer.

Lock him up.

Lock him up.

Only she could see him, could touch him, could...

She shook her head vigorously, trying to shake the thought away.

But it was too late. Some things, once they sprout, can never go back.

Just like her feelings for Jiang Zhiyu; once realized, she could no longer pretend as if nothing had happened.

The market lights became blurry in her eyes, and the surrounding noise became distant. In her world, only this person beside her remained, along with the fragrance on him that made her heart race and her thoughts chaotic.

And Jiang Zhiyu seemed completely unaware of this.

He was still concerned about Lee Tima: "Eat slowly, don't choke."

"I won't!" Lee Tima, with her mouth full of food, said vaguely.

"Oppa! There's a shooting game over there!" Lee Tima discovered a new continent, grabbed Jiang Zhiyu, and ran toward it.

Kim Taeyeon quickly followed.

Quite a few people were gathered in front of the shooting game stall. The rules were simple: use a toy gun to hit the target and exchange points for prizes. The prizes included dolls, snacks, small accessories, and so on.

Lee Tima was eager to try: "Oppa! I want that biggest bear!"

The biggest bear required the highest score; it was very difficult.

Jiang Zhiyu looked at those crude toy guns, then at the distance to the targets, and nodded: "Okay."

He paid the money and picked up the gun. His posture was standard, his eyes focused.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Ten consecutive shots, every one hitting the bullseye.

The vendor was stunned: "Wow... young man, have you practiced before?"

Jiang Zhiyu smiled: "Just lucky."

He took down the biggest bear doll and handed it to Lee Tima.

Lee Tima hugged the bear that was almost as tall as she was, laughing until her eyes disappeared: "Oppa is the best!"

Applause and exclamations rang out around them. More people gathered around, taking out their phones to film.

Kim Taeyeon stood outside the crowd, watching Jiang Zhiyu surrounded in the middle. The lights fell on him, and the way he held the bear doll was unbelievably gentle.

But her mood became increasingly complex.

Happy, because he was so dazzling.

Anxious, because he was being watched by so many people.

Irritated, because of the looks those girls gave him.

And... a kind of jealousy she didn't want to admit to herself.

Jealous of those who could openly look at him, film him, and approach him.

And she could only stand here, wearing a mask and hat, hiding her identity and her feelings.

"Taeyeon Unnie!" Lee Tima suddenly ran over, stuffed the bear into her arms, "Help me hold this! I'm going to play ring toss!"

She ran off again after saying that.

Kim Taeyeon hugged that huge bear doll, standing blankly in place. On the doll, the fragrance of Jiang Zhiyu still lingered. The sweet aroma of ripe fruit, mixed with the warmth of sunshine.

She couldn't help but bury her face into the doll's soft fur and take a deep breath.

That fragrance seemed to carry some kind of magic, making her heartbeat completely lose control.

And in the distance, Jiang Zhiyu was paying for Lee Tima's ring toss. He turned his head and seemed to glance in her direction.

The moment their eyes met, Kim Taeyeon's heart almost jumped out of her chest.

She quickly averted her gaze, pretending to adjust the doll. But the burning of her cheeks and the wildness of her heartbeat could not be hidden.

This night, Nambu Market was very lively.

But Kim Taeyeon's heart was even livelier.

So lively that it was almost about to explode.