428: Chapter 481, the water chapter.

(Due to a lack of inspiration and the reduction in word count per chapter, the word count for this chapter and subsequent ones will be expanded today and tomorrow.)

(Previous chapters are also undergoing continuous revisions.)

——

October 21, 2021. There are exactly two months left until IVE's official debut.

Autumn in Seoul has deepened. The ginkgo trees lining the streets are dyed golden yellow; when the wind blows, fallen leaves twirl in the air like butterflies. But for the trainees of Starship Entertainment, these beautiful scenes have nothing to do with them—their world consists only of practice rooms, mirrors, and never-ending music.

The lineup for IVE's debut group has finally been finalized.

In addition to the long-confirmed An Yujin and Jang Wonyoung, there are Kim Gaeul, Liz, Rei, and the maknae, Leeseo. Six people, six temperaments, six different stories.

Jang Wonyoung sits on the floor of the practice room, leaning against the mirror. Looking at this group of new teammates, an indescribable feeling wells up in her heart.

After IZ*ONE disbanded, she thought she wouldn't get used to a new team. But standing together, she realized—Gaeul is very gentle, Liz sings beautifully, Rei has a unique 4D charm, and although Leeseo is young, she is very sensible.

And then there's An Yujin.

The Unnie who has been by her side since the IZ*ONE era.

Wonyoung's gaze falls on An Yujin, and her heart warms slightly. With her around, it seems like everything isn't so scary anymore.

But her most complex emotions stem from another identity.

In IZ*ONE, she was the maknae, the "Princess Wonyoung" pampered by everyone. The Unnies would ruffle her hair, secretly give her snacks, and pull her into their arms when she was tired.

But now, she isn't the smallest one anymore.

In the group, there's Leeseo, a little girl born in 2007, three years younger than her, with a round face and big eyes, curious about everything she sees.

Looking at Leeseo, a thought suddenly pops into Wonyoung's head: Am I an Unnie now? Do I have to take care of the maknae?

This thought makes her feel dazed for a moment.

But soon, reality gives her a wake-up call.

—Leeseo is currently playing with Tami.

Tami is that water-blue Lemm, with a miniature version of the "400,000 Won Premium Aquarius" balanced on its head.

Every time Wonyoung sees that water bottle, she remembers the scene from Twelve Star Messengers: Records of Survival in the Mortal Realm where she had a water bottle on her head, and then she feels completely out of sorts.

She takes a deep breath and tells herself: Forget it, don't lower yourself to a robot's level.

Jang Wonyoung's popularity has been very high since the Produce 48 era.

During the IZ*ONE era, it reached its peak.

Add to that her "aquarius saintess" persona in Twelve Star Messengers: Records of Survival in the Mortal Realm, plus the crazy output from the "guardian of princess wonyoung" account—

Even though she hasn't debuted again yet, she is already a top-tier idol star.

That is a fact.

But this fact makes her both proud and annoyed.

She's proud that she, Jang Wonyoung, doesn't need to rely on anyone to stand at the top.

What's annoying is—

Why on earth is that "guardian of princess wonyoung" Jiang Zhiyu?!

Wonyoung recalls the Bubble live broadcast project Jiang Zhiyu came up with a while ago.

Karina alone swept the entire trending search list, pampering fans in Chinese, English, and Korean. With 116 text messages, 56 selfies, 36 video replies, and a 4-hour "girlfriend live stream"—the popularity was ridiculously high.

Then, the entire Korean entertainment industry went crazy.

Every company was copying it.

Starship was no exception.

Wonyoung was assigned a "tsundere, sharp-tongued younger sister" persona.

When Wonyoung heard it at the time, she felt completely out of sorts.

Tsundere? Sharp-tongued? Younger sister?

When she usually faces fans, she goes for the cold goddess route!

That kind of "ice queen" who can be admired from afar but not trifled with, that sense of contrast that makes one's heart race at a single glance—

That is her comfort zone!

What the hell is a tsundere, sharp-tongued younger sister?!

Wonyoung tried to resist, but the company's reply was: "Wonyoung-ah, think about how you are at home."

Wonyoung fell silent.

When she's at home—

She would scream at her older sister Jang Da-ah because Tami was taken away.

She would bicker and fight with her sister because the other person was teasing her on purpose.

She would be toyed with by her sister's various commands and then do them while puffing out her cheeks in anger.

Tsundere?

It seems there's a bit of that.

Sharp-tongued?

It seems there's a bit of that too.

Younger sister?

She indeed is the younger sister.

Leaning against the practice room wall, Wonyoung couldn't help but shudder as she thought about it.

If the "Jang Wonyoung at home" were to be moved to a Bubble live stream—

Wouldn't that let the whole world see her being bullied by her sister?

She definitely didn't want that!

Wonyoung took a deep breath, repositioning herself in her mind.

Her persona had to be cold and elegant.

An ice queen goddess.

The kind of contrast where she looks like Winter but is actually Spring.

Not tsundere, not sharp-tongued, not a younger sister.

A goddess.

She told herself this.

Wonyoung didn't want to pay attention to Karina.

It wasn't because the internet was always comparing them—she actually didn't care about those things. Whether it was the top female idol or who was prettier, those were just fans arguing; what did it have to do with her?

She thought Ji-min Unnie was very beautiful and a very good person; she really wanted to be friends with her.

Those words on the internet weren't said by the person herself.

But there was one thing bad about Karina.

It wasn't a small problem.

But the biggest reason she didn't want to get in contact.

Jiang Zhiyu.

That's right, Karina and Jiang Zhiyu have a very good relationship.

Or rather, aespa's relationship with Jiang Zhiyu and TG is very good.

Kim Minjeong calls him "Oppa," NingNing calls him "Master," and Uchinaga Eri smiles and greets him when they meet.

And Karina—she was practically watched by Jiang Zhiyu as she grew up.

Wonyoung thought of Jiang Zhiyu's face, his grinning appearance, and those days when he designed her to have a water bottle on her head—

She felt completely out of sorts.

Jiang Zhiyu came from SM and had been teaching Karina since 2017.

As for people who could be on good terms with Jiang Zhiyu—

Wonyoung had always kept them at a respectful distance.

They were all lunatics!

Just look at Karina!

A few months ago, at the Opening Ceremony, she was set up by Jiang Zhiyu to steal a pig's head, losing all face.

What would a normal person do? Get angry! Protest! Never talk to that bastard again!

But what about Karina?

Not only was she not angry, she actually starred in a short drama!

What "Phantom Thief Zhimin"!

What "Pig Head Struggle"!

Ji-min Unnie has just stayed with that son of a bitch Jiang Zhiyu for too long and has been contaminated!

Wonyoung thought indignantly, getting angrier the more she thought about it.

She pulled out her phone and opened YouTube.

On the homepage, the recommended large image for "the pig head struggle between withe and phantom thief zhimin" was prominently displayed.

Karina was wearing a purple phantom thief trench coat, a top hat, and a mask, with a wicked smile on her face.

Beside her was Im Yoona, in a black combat suit, with a cold face and sharp eyes.

Wonyoung stared at the large image, her expression as serious as if she were going to a battlefield.

"I will watch this drama with a critical eye!"

With a sense of mission, she took a deep breath and clicked the play button.

...

A few minutes later.

"Hahahahahahaha—!"

Wonyoung's laughter exploded in the practice room, startling everyone.

An Yujin was drinking water; hearing this laughter, her hand shook, and water spilled all over the floor.

Gaeul was stretching her legs and almost lost her balance and fell to the floor.

Liz was practicing her vocals and her voice cracked immediately.

Rei was looking at her phone and looked up with a dazed expression.

Leeseo was organizing her dance moves and was startled into a little jump.

Everyone turned their heads at the same time, looking at the source of the sound.

Wonyoung lay on the sofa, clutching her stomach, shaking all over with laughter. Her eyes were narrowed into two slits, her mouth was wide open, and tears were almost coming out.

"Hahaha—that pig head! That pig head can actually fly! Hahaha—Yoona Unnie's expression! 'You invited me here to protect a pig head'—hahaha—"

An Yujin and Gaeul glanced at each other.

Gaeul said in a low voice, "Wonyoung... what's wrong?"

An Yujin shook her head, also looking confused: "I don't know, but... she seems to be laughing quite happily."

Liz added silently, "She even laughed so hard she fell off the sofa onto the floor."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wonyoung really rolled off the sofa, landing on the floor with a "thud." But she didn't stop at all; instead, she laughed even harder, curling up on the floor like a kitten laughing itself into a fit.

Rei walked over and glanced at her phone screen: "But what did Wonyoung see that made her so happy?"

Leeseo ran over, lay down beside Wonyoung, leaned in to look at the phone, and her eyes instantly lit up.

"Ah! It's Karina-sunbaenim and Im Yoona-sunbaenim's phantom thief pig head short drama!"

Everyone was stunned, then simultaneously looked at Wonyoung, who was still laughing wildly on the floor.

The corners of Gaeul's mouth curled up slightly: "That indeed... is quite funny."

An Yujin shook her head and sighed, but the smile at the corner of her mouth couldn't be hidden.

Liz and Rei looked at each other and laughed at the same time.

They had also watched that short drama.

It was indeed very funny.

A few minutes later, Wonyoung finally laughed her fill.

She climbed up from the floor and sat on the sofa, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her hair was a mess, her face was flushed, and she exuded a sense of satisfaction from having laughed until she was exhausted.

"I can't... I can't... Karina Unnie's expression... Hahaha..."

She was still relishing the moment.

Just then, her phone vibrated.

The "guardian of princess wonyoung" account had updated.

Jang Wonyoung froze for a moment. It was that lunatic again. Ever since that Bubble livestream, the "guardian of princess wonyoung" account had been quiet for a while, with the posting frequency dropping from over a dozen times a day to once every two or three days. But every time something was posted, it made people want to crawl through the internet cables and hit them.

She clicked on the picture.

In the image, she herself had that iconic 400,000 won water bottle on top of her head, with a benevolent smile on her face—truly benevolent, like the Virgin Mary looking down on all living beings, loving, compassionate, as if saying "I forgive your ignorance."

She slowly took the water bottle off her head, turned the opening downward, and aimed it at an arrogant pig-headed monster on the ground.

The face of that pig-headed monster looked remarkably like—

Karina Unnie?!

Then, the water bottle emitted a beam of light, sucking the pig-headed monster inside.

A few words slowly appeared on the bottle:

"Pig 51 Shelter"

Jang Wonyoung stared at the picture, her smile vanishing instantly.

"What is this—?!"

Her voice exploded in the living room, startling the others.

Kim Gaeul leaned over to glance at the screen, and her expression immediately became subtle. Liz also leaned over, took a look, and the corners of her mouth began to twitch. Rei was more direct, letting out a "pfft" before quickly covering her mouth. An Yujin walked over holding a cup of milk, and when she looked down, the milk almost sprayed out of her nose.

Leeseo stood the furthest away and couldn't see anything, but seeing everyone's expressions, she knew it wasn't anything ordinary.

“Jiang— Zhi— yu—!!!”

Jang Wonyoung held up her phone and roared at the ceiling. The sound echoed throughout the dorm, making even the succulents on the windowsill tremble.

An Yujin silently took a step back. Kim Gaeul looked down and pretended to continue reading a magazine. Liz turned around, her shoulders shaking. Rei stuffed a whole chocolate bar into her mouth, her cheeks bulging as she didn't dare make a sound.

Only Leeseo stood there with an innocent look on her face.

She didn't know who "guardian of princess wonyoung" was, she didn't know what the "Pig 51" meme was about, and she didn't know why Jang Wonyoung was so angry.

But she saw something.

Tami in Jang Wonyoung's arms moved. It rolled out of the crook of Jang Wonyoung's arm, wriggled slowly down her arm, and finally stopped by her hand. It looked down at the GIF on the phone screen—the "Pig 51 Shelter" scene—and then, it seemed to think for a moment.

"Boop~"

A soft sound. Tami extended two tiny tentacles from the top of its head and firmly grasped the miniature version of the 400,000 won premium water bottle. With a sharp pull—

The water bottle was removed.

The living room fell silent instantly.

Everyone watched Tami, looking at the bald little dot left on its head after the bottle was pulled off, and watching it hold the water bottle with its tentacles.

Then, Tami slowly wriggled onto the top of Jang Wonyoung's head.

The water bottle was placed steadily on top.

Jang Wonyoung felt that familiar sensation on her head—cool, heavy, and with an inexplicable sense of solemnity.

Her expression went from shock, to shame and anger, to—

"Ya!!!"

Her scream was even louder than before, making the whole building tremble.

"Tami!!! What are you doing! What do you think you're doing!!"

Tami slid down from her head and landed on her shoulder. Its round cartoon eyes looked at her, and then several words slowly appeared on the surface of its body:

"Long live Princess Wonyoung!"

The golden words sparkled under the warm yellow light.

Jang Wonyoung stared at the words, her mouth opening and closing.

She wanted to scold it.

But it was a robot. If she scolded it, it wouldn't feel sad.

She wanted to hit it.

But it was soft. If she hit it, it would only bounce back.

She wanted to throw it away.

But she couldn't bear to.

She took a deep breath, and then another.

Jang Wonyoung scooped up Tami, held it in front of her, and stared into those innocent cartoon eyes.

"Thank you. You hateful Tami."

Her tone was through gritted teeth, yet it carried a hint of doting that she hadn't even noticed herself.

Tami blinked, and a smiley face symbol appeared on its body.

In the living room, the others finally couldn't hold it in anymore.

Kim Gaeul lowered her head, her shoulders shaking violently. Liz turned away, leaning against the wall, twitching with laughter. Rei was already squatting on the floor, clutching her stomach, laughing wildly but silently. An Yujin held her milk cup, the curve of her mouth impossible to suppress, the milk almost spilling out.

Only Leeseo still had that innocent and naive look. She watched the interaction between Jang Wonyoung and Tami, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"Wonyoung Unnie—"

She spoke up timidly.

Jang Wonyoung turned her head.

Leeseo looked at Tami and said softly:

"Can I hug Tami?"

Jang Wonyoung was taken aback. Then she looked at Tami in her arms, and then at Leeseo's sparkling eyes.

A smile slowly curled onto her lips.

"Sure thing."

She stood up and walked over to Leeseo. But instead of handing Tami over, she leaned down and whispered into Leeseo's ear.

"However—"

She lowered her voice, her tone carrying a hint of mischief.

"Seo-ya, you have to do something for Unnie."

Leeseo blinked.

"What is it?"

Jang Wonyoung's smile grew more and more brilliant.

That smile sent a chill down An Yujin's spine.

That smile made Kim Gaeul put down her magazine.

That smile made Liz and Rei stop their wild laughter at the same time and look over warily.

That smile—

How did it look so much like Jiang Zhiyu's?

Jang Wonyoung suddenly realized this, and her smile froze for a split second.

Then she cursed Jiang Zhiyu again in her heart.

That son of a bitch.

Even her smile had been contaminated by him.

But she quickly put that thought away and looked back at Leeseo.

"It's simple, just hold Tami and take a photo."

Leeseo was stunned: "Just that?"

Jang Wonyoung nodded: "Just that."

She paused, then added:

"But—"

Jang Wonyoung picked up Tami, reattached the water bottle to its head, and then placed it in Leeseo's arms. She took two steps back and looked at the scene—

Leeseo had her hair in two little braids, her face still had baby fat, and she was holding the water-blue Lemm. Tami had the miniature water bottle on its head, its cartoon eyes blinking, its soft body pressed against her chest.

This scene looked adorable no matter how you viewed it.

Jang Wonyoung nodded with satisfaction and pulled out her phone.

"Smile~"

Leeseo obediently smiled for the camera.

*Click.*

The photo was captured.

Jang Wonyoung looked at the photo, the smile on her lips deepening.

She opened Instagram and edited the text.

The caption was only two words:

"Cute?"

Send.

A few seconds later, the comment section began to flood in.

[Ahhhh who is this! So cute!]

[Water bottle on the head! It's Tami! Jang Wonyoung's Lemm!]

[Who is this little sister? She's so small! I'm dying from the cuteness!]

[It's IVE's maknae Leeseo! Born in 2007!]

[Her holding Tami is just too precious!]

[This scene looks like an older sister showing off her toy!]

[Wonyoung lent Tami to her little sister? So sweet!]

[That "Cute?" tone, why does it sound so much like a girlfriend asking?]

[Classic tsundere! Asking if it's cute, she must be thinking 'of course it's cute' in her heart!]

Leeseo leaned over to look at the comments, her eyes shining brighter and brighter.

"Wow... so many people..."

Jang Wonyoung ruffled her hair.

"More people will like you in the future."

After saying this, she suddenly remembered something.

She turned her head to look out the window.

The autumn afternoon sun was beautiful, spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows and spreading a layer of warm light across the floor.

That son of a bitch, what was he doing right now?

He must be planning something crazy again.

Jang Wonyoung withdrew her gaze and picked up Tami.

"Alright, your turn."

Tami blinked.

Jang Wonyoung stared at it and said seriously:

"Apologize to me."

A few words slowly appeared on Tami's body surface:

"Long live Princess Wonyoung"

Jang Wonyoung took a deep breath.

"Not that!"

Tami's words changed:

"Long live Her Majesty the Queen"

"Ya!!!"

Tami's words changed again:

"I was wrong"

Jang Wonyoung stared at those three words for a while.

Then she gave a soft hmph.

"That's more like it."

She sat back on the sofa, holding Tami.

The sunlight outside was beautiful.

Her mood—

Didn't seem so bad anymore.