323: Chapter 303 Oh no~ I fell for it before you did~

At 5:40 AM, Kim Taeyeon finally gave up on her attempt to fall asleep.

She crawled out of bed, her bare feet stepping onto the cold floor, her heavy head feeling as if it were filled with lead. The aftereffects of staying up all night were now in full swing—her temples throbbed, her eyelids were heavy enough to close at any moment, but her brain was abnormally awake, clearly replaying all the conflict, irritability, and self-analysis from the night before.

It was sheer torture.

She shook her head, trying to shake off those chaotic thoughts, but only received a wave of dizziness in return.

Need to drink some ice water.

This was the only way she could think of at the moment to wake up her sluggish brain a little.

She tiptoed out of the bedroom, avoiding waking the two drunks in the guest room. Traces of last night's revelry still remained in the living room—empty wine bottles tilted on the coffee table, scattered snack wrappers, and several unwashed cups. The air was thick with the faint smell of alcohol and the greasiness of fried food.

Kim Taeyeon frowned, bypassed these "battlefields," and headed straight for the kitchen.

The moment she opened the refrigerator, a blast of cold air hit her face. She took out a bottle of chilled mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and took a large gulp with her head tilted back.

Sss—

The bone-chilling liquid slid down her throat, making her whole body shudder, nearly causing her to spit the water out. A sharp contraction came from her stomach, but at the same time, that chill did indeed disperse some of her grogginess.

Leaning against the kitchen counter, she let out a long breath, feeling as though she had finally managed to break free slightly from that muddled state.

What to eat for breakfast?

Kim Taeyeon stared at the few remaining ingredients in the fridge and began to think about this practical problem. Kimchi, eggs, a few slices of toast, a carton of milk... she could make a simple sandwich. Or order delivery? But Sunny and Im Yoona were still hungover and would likely sleep until noon; it was a bit early to order delivery now.

Just as she was hesitating—

"Ding-dong— Ding-dong—"

The doorbell suddenly rang.

Crisp and urgent, it was exceptionally piercing in the quiet apartment of the early morning.

Kim Taeyeon was startled, and the half-bottle of mineral water in her hand almost slipped. She jerked her head up, wanting to see who was ringing the doorbell so early; her movement was too hasty, and her shoulder accidentally bumped into the trash can at the edge of the counter.

"Clatter!"

The plastic trash can fell over, and last night's trash inside—snack bags, used tissues, a few empty cans—spilled all over the floor with a crash.

"Aish..."

Kim Taeyeon cursed under her breath in frustration, rubbing her sore shoulder. Ignoring the mess for now, she first headed toward the entrance.

Who could it be this early?

Delivery? No, delivery wouldn't come this early.

A neighbor? She wasn't familiar with her neighbors, and Koreans generally wouldn't disturb others this early.

A solicitor? Even more impossible—this was a luxury apartment in Gangnam District with strict security; solicitors couldn't get in at all.

Could it be... a sasaeng fan?

This thought made her heart tighten. Although she rarely encountered those extreme sasaengs anymore, as a public figure, the possibility always existed.

Kim Taeyeon warily leaned toward the peephole and looked out.

The hallway was well-lit, and a figure stood outside the door.

It wasn't the suspicious figure she had imagined, but a man wearing a crisp, dark gray suit. He looked to be over 180cm tall, standing tall and straight, seemingly carrying something in his hand. But because the peephole's field of vision was limited, she could only see his shoulders and chest area, not his face.

A suit? At this hour?

Kim Taeyeon was even more confused. If it were staff or a Manager, they would have called ahead. If it were a friend... who would visit in a suit before six in the morning?

While she was peering through the peephole and wondering, her phone on the kitchen counter suddenly rang.

"Ding-dong~"

It was the notification sound for a Kakao message.

Kim Taeyeon hesitated for a moment before turning and walking quickly back to the kitchen to pick up her phone.

The screen was lit, and the notification bar showed a new message.

Sender: Jiang Zhiyu

Content: Open the door, Noona.

Kim Taeyeon stared at those words, her eyes widening into circles, her whole body frozen in place as if hit by a paralysis spell.

Jiang... Jiang Zhiyu?

At the door?

Now?

It felt as if fireworks were exploding in her brain, with all sorts of messy thoughts swirling wildly:

Did my dream come true?!!

I was just thinking about him last night, and now he appears? Is this some kind of telepathy?

No, no, calm down, it's just a coincidence!

But why now? Why at six in the morning? Why...

Her gaze moved from her phone screen toward the entrance, then back to the screen, several times, as if confirming this wasn't a hallucination.

Then, panic set in.

Sibal! How can I see anyone looking like this!?

Kim Taeyeon looked down at herself—she was wearing a faded gray home T-shirt and loose athletic shorts, her hair was as messy as a bird's nest (from ruffling it last night), her face was pale (from not sleeping all night), her dark circles could probably rival a national treasure's, and there might even be dried drool marks near her mouth (from when she slept)...

And outside the door was Jiang Zhiyu, who was always impeccably dressed in a suit and as handsome as a male lead in an idol drama.

It's over.

That was the only thought in her mind.

Just then, the phone rang again.

"Ding-dong~"

Still Kakao.

Jiang Zhiyu: Noona?

Just two simple words and a question mark.

But Kim Taeyeon could almost imagine his expression right now—a slight raise of his eyebrows, a bit of confusion, and perhaps a trace of an imperceptible smile.

She could almost hear him asking in that calm voice outside the door: "Noona? Are you not home?"

Can't delay any longer.

Kim Taeyeon took a deep breath and slapped her face hard with both hands, trying to bring some color to her pale cheeks. Then she quickly ran her hands through her hair, barely smoothing out the messiest strands, and wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.

It was useless.

She knew she must look terrible right now.

But Jiang Zhiyu outside was clearly very patient; he didn't continue to ring the doorbell, nor did he send another message to rush her.

This "patience" made Kim Taeyeon even more nervous.

Whatever, if I'm going to die, I'm going to die!

With a feeling bordering on tragic heroism, she walked to the entrance and placed her hand on the doorknob.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and said a quick prayer in her heart:

God, Buddha, Virgin Mary, whoever it is, please don't let me look that bad, at least don't let me look like a slob who stayed up all night...

Then, she turned the knob and pulled the door open.

Light from the hallway flooded in.

Kim Taeyeon opened her eyes and finally saw the person outside.

Jiang Zhiyu stood in the early morning light, wearing the dark gray suit she had seen through the peephole, but without a tie, his shirt collar casually open. His hair was slightly longer than the last time they met, with a few strands of bangs hanging over his forehead, making him look less like a serious President and more like a casual young man.

He was indeed carrying something—a sophisticated-looking dark blue paper bag with a logo she didn't recognize printed on it.

But Kim Taeyeon's attention was entirely on his face.

Jiang Zhiyu looked at her standing at the door, his gaze moving from her messy hair to her pale complexion, and then to those eyes that were clearly sleep-deprived and underlined with dark circles.

His eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

Then, he spoke, his voice slightly lower than usual, with the slight raspiness characteristic of the early morning:

"Did Noona not sleep well last night?"

Kim Taeyeon's heart skipped a beat.

She forced herself to muster a smile—it probably looked worse than crying.

"It's... it's okay." Her voice was a bit dry, so she cleared her throat before continuing, "It's just that... I went to bed a bit late."

Nonsense! It's all because of you!

She roared in her heart, but she had to maintain a calm expression on her face.

Jiang Zhiyu nodded, seemingly accepting her perfunctory explanation. But his gaze remained on her face, and that focused scrutiny made the tips of Kim Taeyeon's ears burn.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, his expression became a bit sheepish.

"Noona, I'm really sorry for disturbing you so early in the morning."

He lowered his head slightly as he said this, his tone carrying sincere apology, but deep in his eyes, there seemed to be a hint of... mischief?

Kim Taeyeon wasn't sure if she had seen it correctly.

Her mind was a mess right now.

On one hand, Jiang Zhiyu's sudden appearance at her doorstep was like an absurd dream; on the other hand, the familiar scent emanating from him—that full, ripe-fruit-like sweetness—was forcefully entering her nostrils, awakening all her memories of Jeonju.

His hand gripping her wrist in the market, the sensation of her hugging him from behind in the kitchen, him whispering "Lemm" in the elevator...

All the images overlapped and surged at this moment, making her feel almost unsteady on her feet.

She needed to calm down.

Kim Taeyeon pinched her palm hard; the pain made her a bit more alert.

She paused for two seconds, then stepped aside to make room at the doorway, her voice striving to remain steady:

"Come in first."

Jiang Zhiyu smiled and nodded: "Pardon the intrusion."

He stepped into the entrance and naturally took off his leather shoes—the movement was so practiced and natural, as if he had been here many times before.

Kim Taeyeon closed the door, her back to him, and took a deep breath.

Calm down, Kim Taeyeon, calm down.

He's just here to deliver something, or there's some work-related matter.

Don't let your imagination run wild.

She turned around and looked at Jiang Zhiyu, who had already walked into the living room.

The early morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a soft golden edge around him.

And he stood there in that patch of sunlight, holding the dark blue paper bag, looking back at her.

Their eyes met.

Kim Taeyeon's heart rate went out of control once again.

—

Jiang Zhiyu walked into the living room, his gaze scanning the mess on the coffee table—overturned empty wine bottles, scattered snack packaging, and several cups with lipstick marks. His expression didn't change; he just paused for a moment before naturally bypassing the "battlefield" and heading straight for the dining area.

Kim Taeyeon followed behind him, looking at his straight back, her heart still racing.

She watched as Jiang Zhiyu placed the dark blue paper bag on the dining table and then took out an insulated bag—not a common delivery bag, but a professional-looking layered one.

The zipper was pulled open.

Jiang Zhiyu took out several items in sequence:

A light beige ceramic thermal container with an exquisite embossed pattern on the lid.

Three hot lattes in paper cups, with the logo of a famous coffee shop in Gangnam District printed on the cups.

And a kraft paper bag; through the translucent greaseproof paper, she could see several pieces of bread that looked very soft, sprinkled with icing sugar and nuts.

The aroma of food began to fill the air—the richness of coffee, the buttery sweetness of bread, and... porridge?

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Jiang Zhiyu opened the lid of the ceramic thermos.

A faint, unique aroma of warm white rice porridge drifted out.

The porridge was cooked thick, the rice grains almost dissolved, with a fine layer of rice oil congealing on the surface.

Beside it was a small compartment containing a few simple side dishes: chopped pickled cucumbers, a small pinch of sesame oil-dressed spinach, and a few slices of pickled young ginger.

Did he... make this himself?

Kim Taeyeon stared blankly at the box of porridge.

Jiang Zhiyu finished setting everything up, then turned to look at Kim Taeyeon, who was still standing at the junction of the living room and the dining area.

His expression was natural, and his tone was as casual as if discussing the weather:

"Noona, I wasn't sure if you all were eating breakfast, so I bought a few things."

His gaze swept over the closed door of the guest room, clearly aware that two people were still sleeping inside.

"I made this white porridge myself; I made a bit too much this morning."

Kim Taeyeon opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Her brain had completely crashed.

Jiang Zhiyu, President of TG, the man known by the media as the "Midas Touch" and the "youngest genius in the entertainment industry," came to her home at six in the morning, wearing a crisp suit, carrying a thermos, and saying, "I made porridge, couldn't finish it, so I brought some for you"?

Is this reasonable?

Is this normal?

Kim Taeyeon's reason told her this was absolutely not normal, but her body reacted before her brain could—

She bent over directly, bowing at a nearly ninety-degree angle:

"Kamsahamnida (Thank you)!!!"

The voice was loud and abrupt, sounding particularly resounding in the quiet morning apartment.

Only after she finished did she realize what she had done, freezing in place, bent over, face toward the floor, her ears quickly burning red.

What am I doing, ahhh?!

Jiang Zhiyu was clearly startled by her sudden, grand gesture.

For the first time, a clear change of expression appeared on his face—his eyebrows arched high, his eyes widened slightly, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"...?"

It was as if a row of question marks floated above his head.

But his good upbringing allowed him to quickly regain his composure. He coughed lightly, his tone as gentle as possible:

"Noona, no need to be so polite... could you please stand up first?"

Kim Taeyeon finally straightened up, her entire face red enough to drip blood. She didn't dare look into Jiang Zhiyu's eyes, pointing frantically at the sofa:

"Sit, sit."

As soon as she said it, she wanted to slap herself—this was her home, why was she acting as reserved as a guest!

Jiang Zhiyu was quite compliant, walking over to the sofa and sitting down. He chose the single-seater sofa, leaving the space on the long sofa for Kim Taeyeon.

Kim Taeyeon took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and walked over to sit on the long sofa.

The two sat opposite each other across the coffee table.

The wine bottles and trash on the coffee table were still there, silently accusing them of last night's madness. Kim Taeyeon felt her face getting even hotter.

Must say something.

She cleared her throat and spoke:

"President Jiang..."

She had only said two words when she was interrupted by a soft "Hmm?"

Jiang Zhiyu tilted his head slightly, looking at her, his eyes filled with confusion, and a hint of... dissatisfaction?

Kim Taeyeon's heart jumped violently.

She suddenly remembered that when she was in Jeonju, Jiang Zhiyu had once told her very seriously: "Noona, when we're in private, just call me Zhiyu."

She had agreed at the time.

But now, in this unexpected morning meeting, she had subconsciously called him "President Jiang" again.

Even though she had said she wouldn't stumble on this name before!

Kim Taeyeon's face turned even redder. She rolled that scorching name on the tip of her tongue twice before finally spitting it out with difficulty:

"Zhi... yu."

The voice was as light as a mosquito's buzz.

The moment she said it, she felt her heart was going to jump out of her chest.

Aish! Why is my heart beating so fast just from saying a name?!

Hearing this address, a smile finally appeared on Jiang Zhiyu's face.

Not the polite, social smile, but a more genuine one, filled with a bit of satisfaction.

"Noona," he leaned forward slightly, hands clasped on his knees, "are you wondering why I came to your place?"

Your place?

Kim Taeyeon mentally ranted: What your place? Whose place is this! Is it your place? You should have said it's Noona's place!

But she didn't dare say it out loud, only nodding.

Jiang Zhiyu's expression became a bit more formal.

"It's about Yoona Noona."

He began to explain.

It turned out that after Im Yoona's audition ended yesterday, TG held an emergency meeting. Kim Soo-yeon, Director Lee Jae-hoon, Department Head Choi Min-ah, and several core producers discussed the performance of all the auditionees together.

Im Yoona's interview went well, even exceeding expectations. She had performed the emotional layers of the third act very completely, and the PTSD flashback part was particularly impressive.

But—

There was a flaw.

"Yoona Noona's performance still carries the 'design sense' typical of television actors." Jiang Zhiyu's tone was objective, as if analyzing data, "The emotional transitions are too clear, too layered, which instead lacks the confusion and conflict of a real person."

"Moreover, the character Withe requires not only acting skills but also strong physical fitness and professional skills. So..."

He paused and looked at Kim Taeyeon:

"After the meeting, we decided to have the candidates who fit the role—three in total, besides Yoona Noona, there is also one man and one woman—enter the next round of physical and professional skills assessment together."

Kim Taeyeon listened carefully.

She was happy for Yoona—being able to enter the next round meant TG recognized her potential. But she was also nervous for Yoona—she had to compete with two other people, and the assessment content was even stricter.

"So you came here to..." Kim Taeyeon asked.

"Come to explain the follow-up training to Yoona Noona." Jiang Zhiyu said, "We plan to conduct two weeks of preliminary training, including physical training, basic combat, firearms knowledge, and even simple urban parkour. After the training ends, we will decide on the final candidate based on performance."

He added:

"There are three final choices for the role of Withe; besides Im Yoona, there is also one man and one woman."

"Because the funding is in place—IU also added investment—now the wealthy TG Entertainment even has the ambition to invite Chungmuro (a synonym for the Korean film industry) actors to play supporting roles."

Kim Taeyeon was amazed.

TG is playing for real. Two weeks of closed training, inviting Chungmuro actors... This lineup is no less than a big-budget movie.

But immediately, a question popped up:

"Then... how did you know Yoona was at my place?"

Jiang Zhiyu's expression was unnatural for a moment.

He looked away and touched his nose—this small action made him look several years younger, like a teenager caught doing something wrong.

"I originally intended to go to Yoona Noona's home," he confessed, "Of course, I followed the normal procedure—through SM."

Kim Taeyeon understood immediately.

Generally speaking, an agency would absolutely not give the address of its artists to people from other companies. This is the most basic privacy protection.

But Jiang Zhiyu was not "people from other companies."

He came from SM, is now the President of TG, is about to establish a strategic partnership with SM, and the movie "the crab" was "written specifically for Im Yoona"—SM probably defaulted long ago that the relationship between these two was not ordinary.

Who knows if they secretly have feelings for each other, anyway, it's no loss to SM either way.

So SM gave the address readily.

"However," Jiang Zhiyu continued, "SM told me that Yoona Noona has been staying at Kim Taeyeon's house recently."

He looked at Kim Taeyeon:

"I know Kim Taeyeon's home address."

Kim Taeyeon was stunned: "How do you know?"

Jiang Zhiyu's expression became even more unnatural.

"During the fish-killing feast before," his voice lowered, "Lee Tima sent me the address and asked me to bring a fish over to continue teaching."

Kim Taeyeon remembered.

After the market plan failed that day, Lee Tima did call for "foreign aid"—Jiang Zhiyu appeared at her door carrying a live fish.

So, he remembered the address back then.

A complex emotion welled up in Kim Taeyeon's heart.

On one hand, she felt happy for Yoona—the movie had made substantial progress, and Yoona had a chance to win that important role.

But on the other hand...

Jiang Zhiyu came here to find Im Yoona.

And it was for the movie.

This realization made some corner of her heart feel inexplicably disappointed.

She couldn't explain what that feeling was. It was like expecting a gift, only to open it and find it was for someone else; even though you were happy for the other person, that empty feeling of loss was real.

Kim Taeyeon lowered her head to hide her expression.

And Jiang Zhiyu's gaze had already drifted uncontrollably toward the closed door of the guest room.

There was a kind of expectation in his eyes—expecting Im Yoona to wake up, find him here, and then...

Kim Taeyeon's heart sank.

The atmosphere in the living room suddenly became a bit dull.

Neither of them spoke again. The sunlight outside the window was getting brighter, and the sound of vehicles driving on the street began to be heard. But the apartment was so quiet that they could hear each other's breathing.

Just when Kim Taeyeon thought this awkward morning meeting was about to end in silence—

Jiang Zhiyu suddenly spoke.

His voice was very light, as if thinking of it inadvertently:

"By the way, regarding Lemm..."

Kim Taeyeon raised her head abruptly.

"What color does Noona like?"

This question was asked too suddenly, too unexpectedly.

Kim Taeyeon was like a startled animal, bouncing up from the sofa, her voice rising involuntarily:

"Ah!? Ne?!!!"

Her reaction was so big that even she was startled.

Jiang Zhiyu was clearly stunned by her overreaction, then a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes.

But he quickly regained his composure and patiently repeated it:

"I asked, what color does Noona like."

His gaze landed on her face, clear, direct, with a seriousness that could not be avoided.

"Lemm is about to be colored."

Kim Taeyeon's heart stopped beating completely at this moment.