368: Chapter 433 Evil Woman IU, I skipped this part because I had writer's block while writing it (3)

The filming on Jeju Island came to an end amidst a mix of chaos and laughter.

On the last day, when the "ultimate trap" designed by Lee Tima—a giant water cannon device that required six people to trigger simultaneously—was "accidentally" turned toward the director's team by Song Yuqi, Jiang Zhiyu was soaked to the bone. The entire set erupted in thunderous laughter, and Muscle SpongeBob and Patrick Star even rolled into the sea together while hugging.

Jiang Zhiyu stood there, drenched from head to toe with water dripping from his hair, but he only gave a helpless smile and gave a thumbs-up to the camera.

That frame became the final shot of this variety show season.

A perfect wrap.

However, before the joy of finishing work could spread, a piece of news quietly circulated through the crew—

Xu Suizhen had officially submitted her application to leave the group.

No one was surprised.

Starting from that cup of Mung Bean Juice on the meeting table, to her increasingly silent presence on camera, to her always standing at the edge during group photos, everyone knew this day would come sooner or later.

When Jiang Zhiyu heard the news, he was watching the rough cut sent by the editor. He simply nodded, gave an "mm," and continued scrolling through the timeline.

Lee Tima asked cautiously from beside him, "Oppa, aren't you sad?"

Jiang Zhiyu didn't even look up. "Sad about what?"

"Just... (G)I-DLE is going to have one less person..."

Jiang Zhiyu's fingers paused for a moment, then he resumed working.

"The purpose of this variety show," he said, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather, "is to squeeze every last bit of value out of the six of them."

Lee Tima was stunned.

Jiang Zhiyu looked up at her, the corners of his mouth curling slightly into a smile that contained something she couldn't quite decipher.

"Why do you think I rushed to film this variety show now? Why did I have all six of them appear even though I knew Xu Suizhen was going to leave?"

Lee Tima opened her mouth, suddenly realizing something.

"You... you did it on purpose?"

Jiang Zhiyu didn't answer, simply continuing to review the footage.

On the screen, the six members of (G)I-DLE were smiling brightly.

Looking at him, Lee Tima suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

Just how far ahead was this man calculating?

But she soon thought of another question—

If he could calculate the (G)I-DLE situation so accurately, what about his own affairs?

Regarding Taeyeon Unnie, regarding Yoona Unnie, regarding that night...

Was he also calculating something there?

Or—

Could he not calculate those accurately?

At some point, Jiang Zhiyu's gaze shifted from the screen to the window.

In the distance was the sea he had watched with a certain woman.

But his eyes were deeper and darker than the seawater, their depths impossible to see.

Lee Tima silently shut her mouth and didn't ask further.

Because she knew that there were some questions Oppa would not answer.

Perhaps—

He might not even know the answer himself.

The members of (G)I-DLE left Jeju Island one after another.

Before Song Yuqi left, she gave Lee Tima a tight hug and whispered, "Thank your Oppa for us. This variety show... although tiring, was really fun."

Cho Mi Yeon waved goodbye elegantly. Ye Shuhua remained expressionless, but before leaving, she secretly stuffed a bag of Jeju Island specialty dried tangerines into Lee Tima's hand, saying, "This is for you, don't tell your Oppa."

Kim Minnie and Jeon Soyeon left together, both looking back several times from the car.

When Xu Suizhen left, no one saw her off.

She dragged her suitcase alone, silently got into a car, and disappeared at the end of the Jeju Island highway.

No one knew where she was going.

And no one knew where this girl, who once shone so brightly, would head in the future.

Meanwhile, Kim Taeyeon and Im Yoona also left Jeju Island on the same day.

They left at a different time than (G)I-DLE. When they departed, Jiang Zhiyu was in the editing room looking at footage and didn't come out to see them off.

Kim Taeyeon stood at the entrance of the guesthouse, waiting for a few minutes.

Lee Tima ran out, panting as she said, "Unnie, Oppa is... busy. He asked me to tell you to have a safe trip."

Kim Taeyeon nodded and smiled, a very faint smile.

"Okay, tell him thank you."

She turned and got into the car.

Im Yoona followed behind her. Before getting into the car, she glanced back at the second-floor window of the guesthouse.

Behind the curtain, a figure seemed to flash by.

She pursed her lips, said nothing, and climbed into the car.

The car started and headed toward the airport.

Neither of them spoke along the way.

Kim Taeyeon leaned against the window, watching the scenery flash past.

In that scenery were beaches, waves, that blue-roofed guesthouse, and—

The person who stood under the moonlight and told her to "get some rest early."

She closed her eyes, and that scene surfaced in her mind again.

He had asked her why she sent a message to Tima.

She said it was because Tima was her sister.

He nodded and said nothing else.

Then he asked what she had been up to lately.

She said nothing special.

He nodded again, still saying nothing else.

Then he said not to take the events of that night to heart.

Then he said it's normal for drunk people to do strange things.

Then he stood up and said, get some rest early.

Then he left.

Just left.

What the heck!

Kim Taeyeon cursed fiercely in her heart.

You could at least speak clearly!

What do you mean 'don't take it to heart'?

What do you mean 'normal'?

You think it's normal, but I don't!

I think about that night every day, I think about you every day, and you tell me it's normal?!

The more she thought, the angrier and more aggrieved she became, and her eyes began to sting again.

But she held it in.

Can't cry.

Nothing to cry about.

Anyway—

Anyway, we won't see each other again.

No, we will. In work settings, at various events, we'll always run into each other.

But that kind of meeting is different from this kind.

In the future, meeting will just be a nod, a smile, saying "Hello, senior" or "Hello," and then passing each other by.

Just like how they suddenly became after that night—

Nodding acquaintances.

Clearly there was no argument, no conflict, and nothing had happened, yet it suddenly became like this.

From ambiguity to a cold war.

No, this wasn't a cold war.

A cold war is when two people care about each other, so they use silence as a weapon.

This was more like—

One person hiding, and one person waiting.

One doesn't know they are hiding, and one doesn't know they are waiting.

Kim Taeyeon opened her eyes and looked at the gray sky outside.

The sunlight of Jeju Island seemed to have never appeared again after that night.

Seoul.

Girls Generation Dormitory.

Kim Taeyeon lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling; she had been lying there for two whole hours.

Her phone was right by her hand, its screen dark.

Countless times she wanted to pick it up, open that chat window, and type a few words—

"How have you been lately?"

"What did you mean by what you said that night?"

"Why don't you message me?"

"Have you... thought about me?"

But every time her finger touched the screen, she pulled back.

Forget it.

What if he says "no"?

What if he finds me annoying?

What if he doesn't care at all?

She flipped the phone over, screen down, out of sight, out of mind.

In the living room, Im Yoona sat on the sofa, flipping through a script whose edges were starting to fray.

But she couldn't take in a single word.

Her mind was also filled with that person.

The way he looked at her when they were discussing the script in the guesthouse living room.

There was appreciation in that gaze, recognition, and—the feeling of a friend.

But it lacked that—

That indefinable something he had when looking at Kim Taeyeon that night.

She didn't know what it was.

But she knew he hadn't looked at her that way.

She sighed softly, closed the script, and got up to go to the kitchen for water.

As she passed Kim Taeyeon's room, she paused.

The door was ajar, and it was so quiet inside it didn't seem like anyone was there.

But she knew that person was inside.

Just like her, unable to sleep.

Just like her, thinking of that person.

Just like her, unable to say anything.

Meanwhile, back on Jeju Island.

Jiang Zhiyu sat in the editing room. On the screen before him was the final shot of the (G)I-DLE variety show—

He was soaked like a drowned rat by the water cannon, smiling helplessly and giving a thumbs-up.

He stared at that shot for a long time.

Then he smiled softly.

That smile was different from the one on the screen.

The smile on the screen was for the audience.

The current smile was for himself.

"Oppa."

Lee Tima had appeared at the door at some point, poking half her head in.

"Hmm?"

"Um... are we going back to Seoul tomorrow?"

Jiang Zhiyu thought for a moment. "You go back first."

Lee Tima was taken aback. "What about you?"

"I'll stay a few more days to finish up the post-production stuff."

Lee Tima gave an "oh" and didn't ask further.

But she understood in her heart—

Oppa didn't want to go back to Seoul.

Because that person was in Seoul.

Or rather, those two people were there.

She silently retreated and closed the door.

Walking to the end of the hallway, she took out her phone and opened that group chat.

Group Name: [Taeyeon Observation Group (No Taeyeon or Yoona)]

Members: Sunny, Yuri, Hyoyeon, Sooyoung, Tiffany, Seohyun, Lee Tima.

There was a new message at the very bottom.

It was from Sunny:

[Sunny]: Everyone, based on my years of experience—these two have definitely played themselves!

Lee Tima looked at the message, her finger hovering over the screen.

Then she scrolled down and saw the previous chat history.

[Yuri]: What do you mean! Master Sunny! Please enlighten us!

[Sunny]: Think about it. When Jiang Zhiyu was a producer at SM, weren't there rumors about some 'substitute literature' thing with Bae Joo-hyun? Although we don't know when he was in a relationship, it must have been a long time ago, and the breakup must have been heartbreaking.

[Sunny]: As for Taeyeon, that thing with the EXO guy was ages ago. And we haven't heard of her being with anyone since.

[Sunny]: So these two are definitely—one hundred percent perennial single dogs!

[Hyoyeon]: That's true... Taeyeon, with her 'love brain,' seems like she's been traumatized regarding dating ever since that breakup.

[Sooyoung]: Same with Jiang Zhiyu. He's so handsome and has everything going for him, yet we've never heard of him having a scandal with anyone. The only one, Bae Joo-hyun, was fake.

[Sunny]: Exactly! So these two are the type who have mutual feelings but for various reasons—

[Sunny]: You hide it from me, I hide it from you. They're the type who won't pour out their true thoughts.

[Sunny]: Awkward!

Lee Tima looked at that word 'awkward' and nodded vigorously.

Yes! It's just awkward!

[Yuri]: So what do we do now? Just let them stay this awkward?

[Sunny]: I probed Taeyeon a bit, asking what they talked about that day on Jeju Island.

[Sunny]: She said Jiang Zhiyu asked her why she sent a message to Tima.

[Tiffany]: Isn't that hinting, 'Why didn't you message me'?

[Sunny]: Exactly! And how did Taeyeon answer?

[Sunny]: She said—Tima is her sister.

[Yuri]: ...

[Hyoyeon]: ...

[Sooyoung]: ...

[Tiffany]: Negative points!!! A completely failing answer!!!

[Seohyun]: ...Senior, that answer really wasn't quite right.

[Sunny]: Then he asked Taeyeon what she's been up to lately. Guess what she said?

[Sunny]: She said—'Just no changes~'

[Yuri]: That sentence is clearly a probe! He's asking if she was too busy to message him!

[Sooyoung]: Right! If she said 'very busy,' that would explain why she didn't message. If she said 'not busy,' it's even worse—if you're not busy and still don't message, doesn't that say even more?

[Hyoyeon]: And then she said 'no changes'...

[Tiffany]: This answer... Aigoo, it's driving me crazy!

[Seohyun]: I think... there might be a second meaning.

Everyone fell silent.

[Yuri]: Seohyun, tell us!

[Seohyun]: When Taeyeon Unnie said 'no changes,' Jiang Zhiyu would think—if there are no changes in her life, then why hasn't she contacted me? Is it because she doesn't want to? Or is it that she doesn't care about me at all, so whether there are changes or not doesn't matter?

[Hyoyeon]: Wow... Seohyun really is amazing!

[Yuri]: It all makes sense now! Aigoo~ How could our Taeyeon say that!

[Tiffany]: You can't tell at all that these two have been in relationships before! Total dating beginners!

[Sooyoung]: To put it nicely, they're beginners. To put it bluntly—they're two idiots in love!

[Sunny]: And the kicker is, do you know what Jiang Zhiyu said at the end?

[Sunny]: He said—don't take what happened that night to heart; it's normal for drunk people to do strange things. Then he told her to get some rest and left.

[Yuri]: ...

[Hyoyeon]: ...

[Sooyoung]: ...

[Tiffany]: That sounds like comfort, but in reality, it's—

[Seohyun]: It's finding a way out for himself, and also for the other person.

[Sunny]: Exactly! He's just afraid Taeyeon will feel embarrassed, so he took the initiative to 'rationalize' what happened that night.

[Sunny]: But the problem is—Taeyeon didn't feel embarrassed! Taeyeon felt it was sincere!

[Sunny]: So when she heard Jiang Zhiyu say 'don't take it to heart,' she thought—ah, he thinks it's something insignificant, he doesn't care at all!

[Yuri]: So the two of them just—

[Hyoyeon]: —Misunderstood each other?

[Sunny]: Yes! A complete misunderstanding! A two-way misunderstanding!

The group fell into a silence.

Then Lee Tima's phone vibrated.

[Sunny]: Tima, weren't you there? What did you see?

Lee Tima looked at the message, thought for a moment, and started typing:

[Lee Tima]: I saw that after Oppa finished asking those questions, he was silent for a long time. It seemed like he wanted to say something else, but in the end, he didn't and just left.

[Lee Tima]: Taeyeon Unnie sat on the balcony for a long, long time. I almost cried watching her.

[Yuri]: Aigoo...

[Hyoyeon]: My heart aches for our Taeyeon...

[Sooyoung]: My heart aches for Jiang Zhiyu too... Why is it so hard for these two!

[Sunny]: That's why I say—

[Sunny]: When it comes to love, being good-looking and talented isn't enough to make it work.

[Sunny]: What's needed is—courage!

[Tiffany]: And honesty!

[Seohyun]: And—the willingness to believe that the other person cares about you too.

The group was quiet again for a few seconds.

Then Sunny sent a new message:

[Sunny]: Alright, I have to go keep an eye on Taeyeon. Since she got back, this girl has been lying in bed, not eating, not speaking, just staring at the ceiling in a daze.

[Sunny]: I'll go check on her first. If you guys have any good ideas, post them in the group.

[Yuri]: Good luck!

[Hyoyeon]: Good luck!

[Sooyoung]: Save Taeyeon!

[Tiffany]: Save Jiang Zhiyu too! Even though he's not in our group!

[Seohyun]: I hope they both... will be okay.

Lee Tima looked at those messages and sighed softly.

She looked up toward the closed door at the end of the hallway.

Behind that door, Oppa was still working.

Still looking at that shot drenched by the water cannon.

Still staying alone.

She suddenly remembered the analysis she just saw in the group—

Two-way misunderstanding.

Neither of them knows what the other is thinking.

Both of them think the other doesn't care.

Both are waiting for the other to speak first.

Neither is willing to speak first.

Aigoo...

If you're like this, when will you ever be together!

She gripped her phone tightly, and a bold idea suddenly occurred to her.

What if—

I give them a helping hand?

But she quickly lost heart again.

The last time she helped, she ended up as a double agent, being watched by IU Unnie, having her cheeks pinched by Taeyeon Unnie, and being looked at by Oppa with that 'Are you causing trouble again?' expression.

If she did it again, would she be hunted down by the three of them together?

She thought about that scene and shuddered.

Forget it, forget it, better to wait and see for now...

She turned, preparing to go back to her room.

But after just two steps, her phone vibrated again.

She picked it up and saw—

It was a private message from IU.

[IU]: Tima, are you having fun on Jeju Island?

[IU]: I'll come pick you up tomorrow. It's been a while since I've seen Zhiyu Oppa, so I'll go see him too.

[IU]: By the way—

[IU]: There are some things I want to talk to him about in person.

Lee Tima stared at those messages, and a sudden chill ran down her back.

It's coming.

Blackened IU is coming.

She slowly looked up and out the window.

Night had fallen, and the sea was pitch black; no moonlight or starlight was visible.

Only the distant lighthouse flashed intermittently, like some kind of warning.

She swallowed hard and prayed silently in her heart:

Oppa, take care.

Taeyeon Unnie, please figure it out quickly.

Yoona Unnie, you... you take care too.

Because—

The real storm is coming.