391: Chapter 450 Phantom Thief Zhimin (16)

The door to the private room was pushed open, and Jiang Zhiyu returned.

He held a few plain sheets of A4 paper and a ballpoint pen in his hand, walking back to his seat slowly with that inscrutable smile on his face.

Everyone's gaze fell upon him.

Sunny sat ramrod straight, her hands resting on her knees, looking just like a criminal waiting for sentencing. She tried her best to maintain a composed expression, but the slight twitching at the corners of her mouth betrayed her true feelings.

The others were entirely in "spectator mode." Hyoyeon leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest, the corners of her mouth already curled up to the sky. Yuri held her wine glass, her eyes curved into crescents, ready to burst into laughter at any moment. Sooyoung and Tiffany huddled together, whispering something, their eyes scanning back and forth between Sunny and Jiang Zhiyu. Although Seohyun didn't speak, the curiosity and anticipation in her eyes were impossible to hide.

Kim Taeyeon and Im Yoona sat in the corner, each lost in her own thoughts. Kim Taeyeon's gaze swept over the paper in Jiang Zhiyu's hand before shifting away. Im Yoona, on the other hand, watched Jiang Zhiyu's back, her expression somewhat complex.

Jiang Zhiyu sat down, placed the paper and pen on the table, and then looked up at Sunny.

"Noona," he said, his tone as gentle as if he were coaxing a child, "you're brave, right?"

Sunny puffed out her chest: "Of course!"

Jiang Zhiyu nodded, the smile at the corners of his mouth deepening.

"Then how about this," he said, "I'll be the one to spin the bottle from now on. Whoever it lands on doesn't need to do any Truth or Dare; they just have to read out the sentences written on the paper in my hand."

The private room went quiet for a moment.

Then—

"This is definitely a trap!" Hyoyeon was the first to shout, her voice filled with excitement.

Yuri laughed so hard she slapped the table: "Zhiyu, you're digging a hole for Sunny to jump into!"

Sooyoung nodded vigorously: "Read sentences? What kind of sentences? They wouldn't be the kind that would get you beheaded if read aloud, right?"

Tiffany laughed until her eyes disappeared: "Sunny, you said you were brave just now, so you can't back out, okay~"

Sunny's face stiffened for a moment.

She looked at the sheets of paper in Jiang Zhiyu's hand and suddenly had a very ominous premonition.

But she had already said it; wouldn't it be too embarrassing to back out now?

She took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, saying: "I, would, be afraid? Bring it on!"

Jiang Zhiyu smiled.

That smile, in Sunny's eyes, looked exactly like a fox that had stolen a chicken.

He pushed the paper and pen aside and reached out to grab the bottle.

"Then let's begin."

He gave it a gentle spin.

The bottle spun on the table, getting slower and slower, and finally—

The bottle neck pointed steadily at Sunny.

The private room instantly erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

"Wow—!!!"

"Sunny, you hit the jackpot!"

"Zhiyu, did you cheat?!"

"Regardless of whether he cheated, Sunny, read it quickly!"

Sunny looked at the bottle, then looked at Jiang Zhiyu.

Jiang Zhiyu spread his hands with an innocent face: "Luck, it's purely luck."

Sunny gritted her teeth.

She accepted it.

"Hand it over!"

She reached out her hand, her tone carrying a kind of "death-defying" determination.

Jiang Zhiyu picked up the first sheet of paper from the table and handed it to her.

Sunny took the paper and looked down at it.

Her expression changed instantly.

From "death-defying" to "what the hell is this," from "what the hell is this" to "are you kidding me," and from "are you kidding me" to "I'm going to kill you."

Jiang Zhiyu watched her with a smile: "Noona, read it."

Sunny took a deep breath, and then another deep breath.

Then she closed her eyes, as if she had made a huge resolution, and opened them suddenly—

"Lee Soo-man is sanctimonious; the position of SM Chairman should have been mine to take a long time ago—"

Her voice got quieter as she read, and by the end, it was almost squeezed out from between her teeth.

"Shit!!!"

Before she finished reading, she crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it at Jiang Zhiyu in a fit of rage.

The private room instantly exploded.

"Hahahahahaha—!!!"

"Chairman Lee Soo-man!!!"

"Sunny, you're done for!!! I'm going to tell Teacher Lee Soo-man!!!"

"Sanctimonious, hahahahaha!!!"

"Should have been yours to take, hahahahaha!!!"

Hyoyeon laughed until she was lying on the table, pounding it with her fist. Yuri laughed until tears came out, wiping them away while saying: "Sunny, didn't you say you were brave just now? Why didn't you finish reading?" Sooyoung and Tiffany hugged each other, shaking with laughter. Seohyun covered her mouth, her shoulders heaving, her face turning red from holding back laughter.

Even Kim Taeyeon and Im Yoona couldn't help but laugh.

Sunny's face was as red as a boiled shrimp. She glared at Jiang Zhiyu, her eyes full of the murderous intent of "I'm going to kill you."

Jiang Zhiyu, however, wasn't angry at all. He slowly bent down, picked up the paper ball, and placed it on the table.

Then he took out a second sheet of paper from his pocket—that's right, not from the table, but from his pocket.

"Noona," he said, his smile even brighter, "don't be in such a hurry, there's a second one."

Sunny's expression froze instantly.

"There's more?!"

Jiang Zhiyu nodded as if it were a matter of course: "Of course, I prepared quite a few."

The crowd erupted in laughter again.

"Quite a few sentences, hahahahaha!"

"Sunny, you can't escape today!"

"Zhiyu, you're really trying to torture Sunny to death!"

"Sunny, didn't you say you were brave? Continue, continue!"

Sunny gritted her teeth, looking at the paper in Jiang Zhiyu's hand, then at her teammates around her who were enjoying the show and didn't think it was a big enough deal.

She took a deep breath.

"Hand it over!"

Jiang Zhiyu handed her the second sheet of paper.

Sunny took the paper. This time she learned her lesson; she didn't look at the content carefully and started reading directly—

"Isn't aespa just a plastic surgery girl group? How could they be better looking than Jang Wonyoung? Jang Wonyoung has a natural face—"

Her voice stopped abruptly.

"Ya, shit!!!"

She crumpled the paper into a ball and this time threw it directly at Jiang Zhiyu's face.

The laughter in the private room had already blown the roof off.

"aespa is a plastic surgery girl group, hahahahaha!!!"

"Jang Wonyoung has a natural face!!!"

"Sunny, you've offended aespa and you've offended Jang Wonyoung!!!"

"You're done for, you're really done for!!!"

"Sunny, do you have a grudge against the word 'plastic surgery'?"

Hyoyeon laughed so hard she couldn't straighten her back, lying on the table. Yuri clutched her stomach, tears streaming down. Sooyoung and Tiffany were laughing so hard they couldn't speak, only able to support each other. Seohyun finally couldn't hold it back, laughing until she was rocking back and forth.

Sunny was shaking with anger.

She looked at Jiang Zhiyu and found that he was still smiling, completely unaffected by her "paper ball attack."

And—

He took out a third sheet of paper from his pocket again.

Sunny's eyes widened.

"There's, still more?!"

Jiang Zhiyu raised an eyebrow at her, his expression as if to say: What else?

"Isn't Noona brave?" he said slowly, "There's more after this."

The corners of Sunny's mouth twitched frantically.

She took a deep breath, and another, then—

"Hand it over! Give them all to me! Let me read them all at once!"

Jiang Zhiyu shook his head: "No, one by one, that's what makes it interesting."

"Interesting your head!!!"

Sunny jumped up, reaching out to snatch the paper from Jiang Zhiyu's hand. Jiang Zhiyu dodged agilely, and Sunny lunged at empty air, almost falling onto the table.

Hyoyeon was quick-witted and grabbed her: "Sunny, calm down! Calm down!"

"I can't calm down!!!" Sunny struggled to go grab the paper, "That bastard is trying to play me to death!!!"

Yuri laughed and blocked her: "You're the one who said you were brave~"

"Exactly, exactly," Sooyoung chimed in, "A bet is a bet, Sunny, you can't back out on your word!"

Tiffany's eyes curved: "Sunny, just give in~"

Sunny was pressed back into her seat by the group, gasping for air in anger.

She glared at Jiang Zhiyu, her eyes full of the threat "you just wait."

Jiang Zhiyu, however, wasn't afraid at all; instead, he smiled even more happily.

He waved the third sheet of paper in his hand and said slowly:

"Noona, do you want me to read it for you?"

Sunny gritted her teeth and squeezed out one word from between them: "Read."

Jiang Zhiyu cleared his throat, unfolded the paper, and read it in a standard, newscaster-like tone:

"SM's most failed girl group, aespa, aren't they all just manufactured? Jang Wonyoung is the only natural-born idol, Girls Generation certified~"

The private room went quiet for a second.

Then—

"Hahahahahaha—!!!"

"Girls Generation certified, hahahahaha!!!"

"Sunny, when did you certify that?!"

"aespa is the most failed girl group!!!"

"Manufactured, hahahahaha!!!"

"Jang Wonyoung is a natural-born idol!!!"

Hyoyeon laughed until she slid right off her chair. Yuri held her stomach, laughing in spasms. Sooyoung and Tiffany were laughing until they lost their voices, only able to slap the table silently. Seohyun covered her mouth, laughing until tears streamed down.

Even Kim Taeyeon couldn't help but laugh out loud; although she quickly covered her mouth, the amusement in the corners of her eyes couldn't be hidden.

Im Yoona laughed too, but there was a hint of complex emotion in her laughter.

Jang Wonyoung, a natural-born idol.

That sentence was said by Jiang Zhiyu.

Although it was in this absurd situation, although it was reading this kind of prank sentence, but—

That sentence came out of his mouth.

She looked at Jiang Zhiyu and found that after he finished reading, the expression on his face was still that faint, inscrutable smile.

What was he thinking?

When he read that sentence, what was he thinking in his heart?

She didn't know.

Sunny had completely given up struggling.

She slumped in her chair, staring blankly at the ceiling, her expression as if saying "My idol career is over."

"It's over," she muttered to herself, "I'm finished. Teacher Lee Soo-man will kill me. aespa's fans will kill me. Jang Wonyoung's fans will kill me too."

Hyoyeon crawled up from the floor and patted her shoulder, looking sympathetic: "It's okay, you didn't want to do it anyway."

Yuri nodded: "Right, haven't you always wanted to lie flat? Now it's perfect, just lie flat completely."

Sooyoung laughed meaningfully: "Sunny, do you want to consider joining TG to rely on Zhiyu?"

Tiffany thought about it seriously: "You definitely can't stay at SM anymore, TG welcomes you~"

Sunny glared at them: "Do you guys have any conscience left?!"

The group answered in unison: "No!"

Sunny: "..."

She turned her head to look at Jiang Zhiyu.

Jiang Zhiyu was drinking water leisurely, and those few sheets of paper had already been neatly folded by him and put into his pocket.

Sunny stared at that pocket, her eyes complex.

"Zhiyu," she said, her voice carrying a trace of resignation, "what do you plan to do with those papers?"

Jiang Zhiyu put down his glass, looked at her, and smiled.

"What does Noona think?"

Sunny took a deep breath: "You aren't going to post this online, are you?"

Jiang Zhiyu tilted his head and thought for a moment: "That's not a bad idea."

"Jiang Zhiyu!!!"

Sunny was about to stand up again, but was held down by Hyoyeon and Yuri.

"I'm joking," Jiang Zhiyu said, his tone as casual as if he were talking about the weather. "These are just game props; they'll be useless once the game is over."

He paused and added: "However—if Noona doesn't listen in the future..."

He didn't finish, but that meaningful smile said it all.

Sunny's face completely collapsed.

She knew that from today on, she had one more piece of leverage against her.

A fatal piece of leverage.

And this leverage was in the hands of Jiang Zhiyu.

She slumped in her chair, staring blankly at the ceiling, muttering to herself: "Why did I play this game... Why did I spin the bottle... Why did I say I was bold..."

Hyoyeon patted her shoulder: "Because you're silly."

Yuri nodded: "Because you're stupid."

Sooyoung analyzed it seriously: "Because you lack self-awareness."

Tiffany concluded: "Because you were schemed against by Zhiyu."

Sunny: "..."

She closed her eyes, completely giving up on resistance.

In the private room, the laughter continued.

Kim Taeyeon sat in the corner, watching all of this, a faint smile on her lips.

But in her heart, she was still thinking about that sentence from before.

"Jang Wonyoung is the only natural-born idol."

She looked at Jiang Zhiyu, watching him surrounded and teased by the sisters, watching that indifferent smile on his face.

When he said that, was he joking, or was he serious?

She didn't know.

She only knew that the question in her heart was becoming clearer and clearer.

Who exactly do you like?

Im Yoona was thinking about the same question.

She looked at Jiang Zhiyu, watching him calmly handle the sisters' teasing, watching that smile on his lips that always left people guessing.

Karina.

Jang Wonyoung.

When these names came out of his mouth, were they jokes, or—

She lowered her eyes and didn't continue thinking.

Outside the window, the night grew deeper.

The warm yellow light of the izakaya enveloped the room full of laughter.

Jiang Zhiyu picked up his glass and took a sip.

His gaze inadvertently swept over Kim Taeyeon, over Im Yoona, and then landed on the night scene outside the window.

In his pocket, those few pieces of paper were still there.

He gently patted his pocket, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

The game wasn't over yet.

—

The laughter in the private room hadn't completely subsided. Sunny was still immersed in the shock brought by those two notes, the blush on her cheeks spreading from her earlobes to her neck. She looked like a cat that had its tail stepped on, fur bristling, glaring at Jiang Zhiyu, ready to pounce and take a bite at any moment.

But Jiang Zhiyu clearly didn't intend to give her a chance to breathe.

He slowly pulled the third piece of paper from the stack, unfolded it in his hand, took a look, and then the curve of his mouth deepened.

"Noona," he said, his tone as light as if he were reading the weather forecast, "the third one."

Sunny stared at the paper in his hand, a surge of intense unease rising in her heart.

There was a third one?

How many did this guy prepare?

She took a deep breath and bit the bullet, reaching out her hand: "Give it here!"

Jiang Zhiyu handed the paper to her.

Sunny took the paper and looked down—

[Long live Comrade General!]

There were only these six words on the paper.

The handwriting was neat, and he had even drawn a small North Korean flag on the side.

Sunny's expression changed from alert to shocked, from shocked to angry, and from angry to—a kind of indescribable complexity.

She suddenly raised her head, glaring at Jiang Zhiyu, her voice cracking:

"Jiang Zhiyu! Are you trying to frame me as a North Korean spy?!"

The room went quiet for a second.

Then, laughter erupted like a volcanic eruption.

Hyoyeon laughed so hard she slid off her seat, lying on the floor, her shoulders heaving, completely unable to stop. "A spy! A North Korean spy! Sunny, you're going to be taken away for investigation by the National Intelligence Service!"

Yuri held her stomach, unable to straighten up, tears streaming down her face. "Comrade General! Hahahaha! Comrade Sunny! May I ask when you are going to Pyongyang to report for duty!"

Sooyoung laughed so hard she slapped the table, her hand turning red, but she refused to stop. "Sunny! Did you hide a portrait of Kim Il-sung in the dorms!"

Tiffany laughed so hard she leaned against Sooyoung, shaking all over, unable to even speak, only able to keep pounding the table.

Seohyun couldn't help but laugh either, although she laughed quite restrainedly, her shoulders were heaving, and she couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth.

Im Yoona laughed so hard she couldn't hold her glass steady, spilling alcohol all over the table, but she didn't care at all, lying on the table, gasping for air from laughter.

Even Kim Taeyeon couldn't help but cover her mouth, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Sunny's face turned from red to white, from white to purple, and finally to an indescribable color. She gripped that piece of paper tightly, her knuckles turning white, as if she would tear it into pieces in the next second.

"Jiang Zhiyu—!!!"

Her voice was sharp enough to shatter glass.

Jiang Zhiyu blinked, looking innocent, but the curve of his mouth betrayed him. He spoke unhurriedly, his voice as calm as if he were correcting a common factual error:

"Correction, it's the DPRK."

Sunny froze.

North Korea and the DPRK—aren't they the same place?!

She opened her mouth, her voice full of disbelief: "Yah shibal! Isn't that the same thing?! What's the difference between North Korea and the DPRK! Aren't they both that—"

She realized what she was saying halfway through her sentence and slammed her mouth shut.

The laughter in the room grew even louder.

Hyoyeon laughed and rolled on the floor. "Sunny, do you want to keep talking! Do you really want to go to Pyongyang!"

Yuri wiped away tears, pointing at Sunny, her fingers trembling. "Comrade General! Please calm down! Your identity has been exposed!"

Sooyoung slapped her thigh, her thigh turning red. "The National Intelligence Service is already on their way! Sunny, get your luggage ready!"

Tiffany laughed and burrowed into Kim Taeyeon's arms, curling into a ball, her shoulders heaving.

Seohyun laughed out loud, although she quickly suppressed it again, the amusement in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

Sunny stood there, looking at this group of heartless teammates, her teeth itching with anger. She opened her mouth, wanting to curse back, but found she couldn't get a word in. With this group of people laughing like this, anything she said would be useless.

Her gaze landed on Jiang Zhiyu.

The culprit was leaning leisurely against the back of his chair, holding a glass, with a smile on his face that made people want to punch him. He looked at her, his eyes full of "I knew it would be like this" smugness.

Sunny gritted her teeth, cursing Jiang Zhiyu eight hundred times in her heart.

Just then, a voice came from the side.

"Zhiyu."

The voice was not loud, but it carried a serious, probing tone.

Everyone turned their heads to look at the source of the sound.

Seohyun.

She sat there, frowning slightly, her gaze falling on the paper that had already been crumpled by Sunny.

"Did you write this, or..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.

If the things written on this paper got out, it wouldn't be as simple as a joke.

"North Korean spy," "Comrade General"—in South Korea, words like these could cause social death. Although everyone knew it was a joke, what if it was screenshotted and spread by malicious people, what if it was taken out of context by clickbait accounts, what if it trended on social media—

Seohyun's worry was not unreasonable.

The laughter in the room gradually died down, and everyone's eyes focused on Jiang Zhiyu.

Jiang Zhiyu looked at Seohyun and was silent for a second.

Then he smiled.

That smile was different from all his previous goofy, smug, or evil smiles.

It was a kind of—dashing, confident, slightly flamboyant smile.

He raised his chin slightly, light flickering in his eyes.

"Senior Seohyun."

He said, his voice not loud, but as clear as a bell.

"I am an American."

The room went quiet.

Completely, totally quiet.

It was quiet enough to hear the charcoal crackling in the stove, quiet enough to hear the occasional passing car outside the window, quiet enough to hear everyone's breathing.

"I am an American."

This sentence was scrolling frantically in everyone's mind.

Hyoyeon's mouth hung open, forgetting to close it.

Yuri's eyes were wide, as if she had heard something incredible.

Sooyoung was stunned, her glass suspended in mid-air, forgetting to put it down.

Tiffany blinked, then slowly revealed an "I see" expression.

Seohyun opened her mouth slightly, then slowly closed it and nodded.

Im Yoona was stunned, looking at Jiang Zhiyu with a complex expression.

Kim Taeyeon also looked up, looking at the man standing in the warm yellow light, something in her heart stirred slightly.

Sunny had the biggest reaction.

Her mouth opened into an O-shape, her eyes wide as copper bells, her whole body frozen in place, motionless.

An American?

He is an American?!

Her brain spun rapidly, connecting all the information—

American.

American citizenship.

In South Korea, what does having American citizenship mean?

It means—walking sideways.

It means—not having to fear saying anything.

It means—even if he poked a hole in the sky, as long as he retreated to America, no one could touch him.

Countless thoughts flashed through Sunny's mind. Those artists in the Korean entertainment industry who suffered social death because of one sentence, those stars who were banned by the whole internet because of one controversy, those careers that were completely buried because of "political incorrectness"—none of that had anything to do with Jiang Zhiyu.

Because he is an American.

Anything he says can be explained as "freedom of speech."

Anything he does can be brushed off as "cultural differences."

If he gets cursed at, he can go back to America. If he gets banned, he can continue to develop in America. If he gets boycotted by the whole internet, he can throw out a sentence: "I am an American, I don't understand the rules of Korea," and then walk away unscathed.

Sunny suddenly had an urge to cover her face.

"Yah..."

She let out a weak groan.

"This son of a bitch..."

The others reacted too.

Hyoyeon was the first to cover her face, her voice full of helplessness. "Shibal... American... no wonder he's so arrogant..."

Yuri also covered her face, leaning back against the chair, letting out a desperate sigh. "It's over, we were worried for him, but he's not afraid at all..."

Sooyoung covered her face, her shoulders heaving—not with laughter this time, but with a mix of crying and laughing. "American... He's an American... Then why were we nervous for him just now..."

Tiffany didn't cover her face, but her expression was also quite spectacular. She blinked those signature smiling eyes, then slowly turned to look at Kim Taeyeon.

Kim Taeyeon was still stunned there, looking at Jiang Zhiyu, not knowing what she was thinking.

Tiffany gently nudged her and whispered: "Taeyeon, you..."

Kim Taeyeon regained her composure, her face flushing slightly as she lowered her head.

Seohyun, however, was the calmest of them all. She looked at Jiang Zhiyu, nodded, and a faint, relieved smile appeared on her face. "So that's how it is."

Jiang Zhiyu watched the reaction of the Noonas—some covering their faces, others sighing or looking between laughter and tears—and the corner of his mouth curled up further. He shrugged and said in a tone that suggested, "Isn't this common sense?" "It's the free and democratic United States, after all. Freedom of speech."

That tone, that expression, that infuriatingly smug posture—it was practically screaming, "What are you going to do about it?"

The private room fell silent for another second.

Then, everyone's gaze shifted in unison to one person.

Tiffany.

Tiffany.

She was American, too.

Sunny's eyes lit up instantly. "Tiffany! You're American too! You read the next one!"

Tiffany's face flushed a deep red.

She shrank her neck and burrowed into Kim Taeyeon's arms, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "I... I don't want to..."

"Aren't you American?!" Hyoyeon leaned over, her eyes brimming with the excitement of someone looking for trouble.

"It's freedom of speech, Tiffany!" Yuri chimed in, egging her on.

"Come on, come on, Tiffany, you read it!" Sooyoung reached out to grab the paper.

Tiffany buried her face in Kim Taeyeon's arms, refusing to budge. Her earlobes were so red they looked ready to bleed, and she mumbled something indistinctly that no one could make out.

Kim Taeyeon, pushed backward by the movement, quickly reached out to steady her and couldn't help but laugh. She looked down at the ball of a person in her arms and whispered, "Tiffany, didn't you agree with him just a moment ago?"

Tiffany's voice came out muffled from within her embrace: "Agreeing is one thing, but reading it out loud is another..."

Another wave of laughter filled the private room.

Sunny watched Tiffany, who was curled up in Kim Taeyeon's arms and refusing to come out, then looked at Jiang Zhiyu, who was standing there with an expression that said "this has nothing to do with me," and suddenly felt a deep sense of frustration.

She took a deep breath and was just about to say something, when—

Jiang Zhiyu moved.

He walked to the table and pulled the paper with "Long Live Comrade General" written on it from the stack. His movements were slow and composed, as if he were doing something completely ordinary. He then picked up the paper and walked over to the charcoal stove.

Inside the stove, the charcoal fire was blazing, the orange-red light reflecting on his face and casting a warm glow over his features.

He brought the paper close to the fire. As the edges touched the flames, they curled instantly, a charred yellow color spreading from the edges toward the center. The flames licked the paper, emitting a faint crackling sound. The handwriting on the paper twisted and warped in the firelight before turning to ash.

Jiang Zhiyu let go, and the last scrap of paper fell into the stove. The flames flared up violently for a moment, then settled back into stillness.

Inside the stove, only a small pile of greyish-white ash remained.

The private room fell silent.

Everyone's gaze remained fixed on the charcoal stove, watching the ashes, unsure of what to say.

Jiang Zhiyu turned around to face them. His expression was calm, and a faint smile still played at the corners of his mouth, but it no longer held the teasing complacency of before; it was now a gentle, reassuring calm.

"This was just a joke," he said. His voice wasn't loud, but it rang out as clearly as a bell.

He walked back to the table, pulled the remaining papers from the stack, unfolded them in his hand, glanced at them, and then looked up.

"The rest of the papers also contain some very interesting things about the entertainment industry."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's face.

"Once you've read one, throw it into the fire."

He paused again, the corners of his mouth curling slightly deeper.

"If you don't dare to say it, then you drink."

The private room fell silent for a moment.

Then—

"Now that's more like it." Hyoyeon was the first to speak, her tone laced with relief.

Yuri nodded. "Drinking is good, drinking is good. I choose to drink."

Sooyoung laughed. "Zhiyu, you really know how to give people an out."

Tiffany finally poked her head out from Kim Taeyeon's arms and whispered, "Then I... I'll choose to drink too..."

Seohyun looked at Jiang Zhiyu, a hint of admiration in her eyes. "Zhiyu is very thoughtful."

Im Yoona picked up her glass and swirled it gently, watching the amber liquid shimmer under the lights. "So," she said, her voice tinged with a smile, "who's going to take the next one?"

Everyone's gaze turned, without exception, toward Sunny.

Sunny's expression stiffened.

"Why are you all looking at me?!"

She jumped up, her voice loud enough to lift the roof. "I've already read two! I even read 'Lee Soo-man is a hypocrite' and 'aespa is a plastic surgery girl group'! Isn't that enough?!"

Hyoyeon laughed so hard she slapped the table. "Who told you to be the chosen one?!"

Yuri nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Whoever the bottle points to, that's who it is! It's fate!"

Sooyoung had already picked up the bottle. "Come on, come on, I'll spin it for you!"

Sunny looked at the bottle, then at the stack of papers in Jiang Zhiyu's hand, and finally at the pile of greyish-white ash in the charcoal stove—she took a deep breath and sat back down in her chair.

"Bring it on!" She slapped the table, her voice as booming as a charge on the battlefield.

"I'm Sunny! What kind of scene haven't I seen before?!"

The private room livened up again. Sooyoung gave the bottle a forceful spin, and it whirled across the table, everyone's eyes glued to it.

Jiang Zhiyu stood to the side, holding the stack of papers with a faint smile on his lips.

He glanced at the ashes in the charcoal stove, then looked out at the deep night sky beyond the window.

Paper can be burned.

But some things cannot.

Like the two sentences Sunny just read.

Like the fact that "I am American."

Like—what this farce tonight will leave behind in everyone's heart.

The bottle stopped. The neck pointed directly at Hyoyeon.

"Hahahaha!" Hyoyeon burst into laughter, slapped the table, and stood up. "Come on! Give it here!"

Jiang Zhiyu pulled a paper from the stack and handed it to her. Hyoyeon took it, glanced at it, and read aloud:

"Yoo Young-jin's music hasn't changed in twenty years; he should have retired long ago."

After reading it, she crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it into the charcoal stove. The flames flared up, and the paper ball turned to ash.

The private room erupted in cheers.

"Nice! That was refreshing!"

"Hyoyeon, you're so cool today!"

"Yoo Young-jin is going to be furious if he hears this!"

Hyoyeon raised her chin triumphantly, picked up her glass, and downed it in one gulp.

Next round.

The bottle spun and stopped at Yuri.

She took the paper and read: "SM's rookie boy group all look exactly the same; I can't tell who is who."

After reading it, she threw it into the fire and toasted.

The cheers grew even louder.

Next round.

Sooyoung.

She took the paper, unfolded it, and her mouth twitched before she read it aloud: "JYP's songs are the only ones that Park Jin-young himself thinks sound good."

The room exploded.

"Hahahaha—!!!"

"That's brutal!"

"Park Jin-young is going to cry when he hears this!"

Sooyoung smiled triumphantly, threw the paper into the fire, and toasted.

Tiffany, curled up in Kim Taeyeon's arms, whispered, "Thank goodness it didn't point to me..."

But before she could finish her sentence, the bottle pointed right at her. Tiffany's face went pale instantly.

"No, no, no—"

She shook her head frantically, shrinking further into Kim Taeyeon's arms like a frightened little rabbit. Jiang Zhiyu smiled and pulled out a paper, handing it to her. "Noona, you can choose to drink instead."

Tiffany glanced at the paper, then at the glass, and then—she snatched the glass and downed it in one go.

"I'll drink!"

Her voice was hurried and loud, drawing a burst of laughter from everyone.

Hyoyeon laughed so hard she slapped the table. "Tiffany, you're so obviously chickening out!"

Yuri laughed and shook her head. "Is that all the courage an American has?"

Tiffany, curled up in Kim Taeyeon's arms, her face as red as a cooked shrimp, muttered, "Freedom of speech is one thing, but saying it out loud is another..."

The laughter grew even louder.

Next round.

The bottle spun and stopped at Seohyun.

The private room fell silent for a moment. Everyone stared at the "model student," their eyes filled with anticipation—would she choose to read the paper or to drink?

Jiang Zhiyu pulled out a paper and handed it to her with a smile. "Seohyun, you can choose."

Seohyun looked at the paper and was silent for a second.

Then she reached out, took it, unfolded it, and glanced at it. Her expression didn't change, though she raised an eyebrow slightly.

Then she spoke, her voice as calm as if she were reading the news: "The idol dating ban is the most hypocritical rule in this industry."

After reading it, she folded the paper, walked to the charcoal stove, and gently placed it inside. The flames licked at the paper; it slipped from her fingertips, fell into the stove, and turned to ash.

She walked back to her seat, picked up her glass, and took a sip.

The private room fell silent for a second.

Then—

"Nice!!!"

"The maknae is so cool!!!"

"That was well said!!!"

Seohyun smiled slightly and sat back down.

Kim Taeyeon watched her back, a flash of complex emotion in her eyes.

The dating ban...

She picked up her glass and took a sip.

Next round.

The bottle stopped at Sunny again.

This time, Sunny didn't hesitate and reached out immediately. "Give it here!"

Jiang Zhiyu pulled out a paper and handed it to her.

Sunny unfolded it, her mouth twitched, and then she took a deep breath and read aloud:

"The Girls Generation Black Ocean was just SM's own publicity stunt."

The private room fell silent instantly. It was so quiet that one could hear the crackling of the charcoal. Everyone's smiles froze on their faces.

Sunny finished the last word, crumpled the paper into a ball, and threw it into the charcoal stove. The flames flared up violently, and the paper ball curled, warped, and turned to ash in the fire.

She picked up her glass, downed it in one gulp, and slammed it down hard on the table.

"Next round."

Her voice was as calm as if nothing had happened.

The room was silent for a few seconds.

Then Hyoyeon picked up the bottle and gave it a forceful spin.

"Come on, come on! Next round!"

The atmosphere grew lively again. But Kim Taeyeon noticed that Jiang Zhiyu glanced at the ashes in the charcoal stove, his eyes darkening. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she knew that the last statement hadn't been a joke.

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink. The warm yellow light of the izakaya bathed the room in its lively, yet tense atmosphere, while the paper ashes flickered faintly in the charcoal stove, looking just like the secrets that could never be spoken aloud.