429: Chapter 482 Aespa's new single KKK is in production.

(aespa's unselected debut song, Kiss Kill Keep, KKK, in the works...)

Late October in Seoul, the autumn atmosphere was already so thick it couldn't be dispersed. The ginkgo trees along the streets were draped in golden coats, and as the wind blew, fallen leaves swirled down, rustling under the footsteps of pedestrians. But for the idols of SM Entertainment, the most profound memory of this autumn wasn't the ginkgo leaves, but the Bubble live broadcasts that they both loved and hated. Especially the "romantic feeling" mode designed by Jiang Zhiyu, which had simply become a nightmare for everyone. No, not just a nightmare. It was that kind of complex emotion—wanting to escape but being unable to, wanting to curse but not daring to, and feeling ashamed after doing it.

Inside the private room of the BBQ restaurant, the charcoal fire was burning bright, and the aroma of meat filled the air. Warm yellow light enveloped the entire space, and the table was already covered with various side dishes and several plates of fresh meat waiting to be grilled. However, only a few people were in their seats; the others were still on their way.

Sunny slumped in her chair in the most comfortable position possible, her whole body like a puddle of melted butter sliding down the backrest. She held her phone in her hand, and on the screen was a clip of Karina's Bubble live broadcast. The "Director of the First Intelligence Bureau" of Girls Generation had recently been tormented to the point of exhaustion by this "romantic feeling" Bubble.

"Shit—" She let out a long, resentful sigh, "Damn Jiang Zhiyu."

Yuri was studying the menu and looked up upon hearing this, her face full of confusion: "What's wrong? I think it's pretty good."

Sunny rolled her eyes and tossed her phone onto the table: "You think it's good? Why don't you try taking five athletic-style photos for me?"

Yuri blinked: "I ran six kilometers yesterday and took five photos. What's wrong with that?"

Sunny suddenly sat up straight, her eyes wide as she looked at her: "Six kilometers? Five photos? Aren't you tired?"

Yuri shrugged, looking like it was only natural: "I'm tired. But the fans like it, so I took them." She paused and added, "Besides, my persona is 'Athletic Girl,' so isn't it normal to go running?"

Sunny stared at her for three seconds, then slumped back into her chair, letting out a soul-weary "Ah—" Her persona was "Lying Flat," and the company wanted her to take lazy-style photos. At first, she thought it was simple—wasn't it just lying down? That was her specialty. But once she actually started filming, she realized there was a trick to lying flat too. The angle, the light, the expression, the atmosphere—every single photo had to look "lazy but not sloppy, casual but not careless."

She had spent two hours filming and selected four photos.

Meanwhile, that fellow Kim Taeyeon only took one minute to capture that "I'm thinking of you" vibe. Sunny had looked at Kim Taeyeon's photo for a long time, then silently placed her phone face down on the table.

Unfair. This world is just too unfair.

Hyoyeon held her water glass and spoke slowly: "I'm the 'Sharp-tongued Unnie' type. Speaking of which..." She paused and frowned, "Am I very sharp-tongued?"

The private room went silent for a second.

Sooyoung picked up her glass, took a sip, and then said calmly: "It's not being sharp-tongued."

Hyoyeon breathed a sigh of relief.

Sooyoung continued: "You just don't know how to talk."

Hyoyeon's face instantly fell: "Ya!"

Sooyoung wasn't afraid at all; instead, she laughed: "What? I'm just stating facts. During your last broadcast, a fan asked you 'Unnie, does my new dress look good?' and you looked at it for three seconds before saying 'Hmm, it makes you look dark.'"

Hyoyeon opened her mouth to defend herself but found she couldn't say anything. Because she really did say that.

Yuri was laughing so hard she was slapping the table: "Hyoyeon Unnie, do you know that sentence made it to the trending searches? 'Kim Hyoyeon, makes you look dark'—it was up there for a whole day."

Hyoyeon's face grew even darker. She took a deep breath and decided to change the subject: "But speaking of which, Yoona's gentle overbearing CEO persona is actually quite good."

This topic was like a stone thrown into a lake, sparking everyone's interest.

Yuri immediately took up the conversation, her hands over her heart and a look of enchantment on her face: "Aigoo, our Yoona has changed from being cute to the type who is cold in her career and gentle in her life. That movie costume photo was so beautiful! It's completely my type!"

Sooyoung raised an eyebrow at her fan-girling look: "You don't actually have those tendencies, do you? Speaking of which, did Son Ye-jin really with you—"

Yuri's face instantly turned green: "Ya, shit! Don't talk nonsense if you don't know anything, okay?"

Hyoyeon added a cutting remark from the side: "Isn't Son Ye-jin with Hyun Bin now... that?"

The private room went silent for a second.

Sunny suddenly sat up from her chair and slapped the table, her expression as certain as if she were announcing a major historical fact: "Ya, shit! It must be that Son Ye-jin had her heart broken by Yuri and then chose Hyun Bin out of spite! That's it, no arguments accepted!"

Yuri's face went from green to purple, and from purple to black. She glared at Sunny, gritting her teeth: "This dead girl—"

Sunny didn't care at all; instead, she laughed even more brightly. Yuri took a deep breath and decided to ignore this lunatic. But Im Yoona's movie costume photo involuntarily popped into her mind anyway.

Black combat gear, a cold gaze, a slightly raised chin—that aura of "I can protect you, but you have to listen to me" completely struck her heart. As Yuri thought about it, she suddenly felt a bit of a blush.

Sooyoung noticed her change in expression, and the corner of her mouth twitched—this girl, she couldn't really be...

Just as she was thinking, the door was pushed open.

A figure walked in. Seohyun was wearing a beige trench coat over a simple white knit sweater, her long hair draped over her shoulders, and she held a professional-looking notebook in her hand. Her expression was calm and composed, but her eyes were unusually bright.

Sunny was the first to cry out: "Aigoo, our little Seohyun has gotten prettier again!"

Yuri followed suit: "Come, come, sit here!"

Hyoyeon nodded: "The maknae looks in great spirits today."

Sooyoung waved with a smile: "Sit down quickly, the meat just arrived."

Seohyun blushed slightly, walked quickly to the empty seat, and placed the notebook on the table. Sunny's sharp eyes immediately caught a label stuck on the cover of the notebook—TG Official Website.

She raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Yuri leaned over and poured a glass of water for Seohyun: "Little Seohyun, what is your Bubble persona lately?"

This question clearly touched everyone's gossip nerves, and several people leaned in. Sunny leaned back in her chair and answered for Seohyun in a boisterous manner: "The academic overachiever girl!"

Yuri shook her head: "No, no, it's the traditional Korean woman persona, the Perfect Wife."

Hyoyeon thought for a moment and analyzed seriously: "It should be the serious type, right? The kind that says—" She cleared her throat and mimicked Seohyun's tone, "'As long as it's about you, I will treat it seriously.'"

After hearing this, Sooyoung nodded and then added: "So it's the serious housewife. Not bad at all."

Sunny's eyes suddenly lit up, and she leaned forward, propping her hands on the table, looking at Seohyun with a face full of sincerity: "Little Seohyun, do you want to come stay at my house for a few days? Let's enhance our sisterly bond?"

The private room went silent for a second.

Hyoyeon was the first to react, almost spitting out her water: "Sunny! You totally just want to use Seohyun as a free maid!"

Sunny pulled a stern face and made a big 'X' with her hands in front of her chest: "Don't talk nonsense! I'm doing this so Seohyun can better immerse herself in her persona!" She turned back to Seohyun, her expression even more sincere, "Think about it, at my house you can practice cooking, cleaning, and organizing—isn't that the daily life of a 'Perfect Wife'?"

Yuri rolled her eyes: "That's exactly the same thing!"

Sunny glared at her, but Yuri wasn't afraid at all; their eyes clashed, sparks flying.

Meanwhile, Seohyun just sat there smiling quietly. In her mind, she was thinking about something else.

Lately, she had to refresh the TG Official Website every day—no, not every day—she checked it every time she picked up her phone. She checked once when she woke up, once at lunch, once before bed, and sometimes she'd even get up in the middle of the night to check if she had insomnia.

But that website seemed to be under some kind of spell, always displaying those same few projects: the crab movie, the Red Velvet variety show, the aespa single, and the JYP collaboration.

There were no new projects. No ancient political drama scripts. Not a single word about "monarchs," "power struggles," or "the imperial court."

Seohyun even began to suspect if Lee Tima had been lying to her that night. "A noble lady kills the king to seize the throne"—that story was so brilliant, so brilliant that she had spent the entire night researching materials after she went back.

The next day, she had even asked a few screenwriter friends in the industry if they had heard of any similar projects. Everyone shook their heads, saying they hadn't, and someone even asked if she had dreamed it. Seohyun just smiled then and didn't explain.

But in her heart, a voice kept saying: Lee Tima wouldn't lie to her. Although that girl seemed mischievous, her eyes were serious when she said those things. So the project must still be in preparation and hasn't been made public yet. It must be so.

Seohyun gripped the water glass in her hand and silently told herself: Wait a little longer, just a little longer, it will definitely happen.

And if—she meant if—if that project really existed, if she could get that role... Seohyun didn't dare think further because that image was too beautiful, so beautiful that she wasn't sure if she was worthy of it.

But she still couldn't help but think about it.

Sunny's voice pulled her back to reality: "Seohyun? Seohyun!"

Seohyun snapped out of it and found everyone looking at her. Her face turned slightly red: "Ah, sorry, I was lost in thought."

Sunny looked at her with a meaningful gaze: "What were you thinking about? You were so absorbed."

Seohyun opened her mouth, but in the end, she just smiled: "Nothing, just thinking about the Bubble persona."

This answer was safe, and everyone believed it. Only Yuri raised an eyebrow slightly. She noticed the notebook Seohyun had placed on the table; next to the label on the cover, there was a line of small words—"Early Morning Soy Milk Shop."

What was that?

Yuri blinked but didn't ask anything. Because she knew that Seohyun would say it when she wanted to.

Hyoyeon raised her water glass: "Come, come, let's have a toast first. We'll start eating officially once Yoona arrives!"

Everyone raised their glasses. The crisp sound of clinking glasses echoed in the room.

Sunny took a sip of water and then slumped back into her chair: "Why hasn't Yoona arrived yet? Isn't she usually the most enthusiastic?"

Yuri smiled: "She's an 'overbearing CEO' now, so of course she has to arrive last to make an entrance."

Sooyoung nodded: "That makes sense."

Hyoyeon glanced at her phone: "She said there's a traffic jam on the way and she'll be here soon."

Sunny sighed: "Forget it, I'm not waiting—" She picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of raw meat, and placed it on the grill with a fluid motion, "Let's start grilling. It'll be ready just in time for when she arrives."

Yuri watched her practiced grilling technique and couldn't help but mock: "When you're 'lying flat,' I don't see you lying very flat at all."

Sunny said righteously: "Grilling is grilling, and lying flat is lying flat. They are two different things."

Hyoyeon laughed and shook her head.

Sooyoung picked up her water glass and took another sip.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Seohyun picked up her chopsticks and helped Sunny flip the meat, her movements elegant and composed. The charcoal crackled, and the aroma of the meat grew stronger. Outside the window, the night deepened.

— — The underground parking lot was dimly lit, with only a few fluorescent lights overhead buzzing, echoing in the vast space. Im Yoona sat in the driver's seat of her white Porsche, not in a hurry to get out. She looked ahead through the windshield, her gaze unfocused, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips.

Her mood lately was truly excellent. So good that sometimes when she woke up in the middle of the night, she couldn't help but laugh out loud while staring at the ceiling.

A successful transformation. The term sounded simple, but only she knew how much effort went into it. From the visual of Girls Generation to a questioned actress, from mocked acting skills to the now universally praised "cold-faced mercenary." The set of promotional photos for "the crab" was still hanging on the trending searches, with the comment section refreshing every day, and comments like "Hubby is so handsome" pouring in like a tide.

She had never imagined that one day she would be called "Hubby" by her fans. In her dozen or so years since debut, she had played pure girls, intellectual older sisters, cute, gentle, strong, fragile characters—she had tried all kinds of roles, but no persona had ever felt as comfortable and natural to her as this one.

Gentle yet possessive, cold on the outside, gentle on the inside. That female CEO persona was practically tailor-made for her. Every photo she posted, every caption she wrote, seemed to grow from the bottom of her heart; there was no need to deliberately perform, no need to put effort into maintaining it. She was just like that; it was just that she hadn't had the chance to show it before.

The fans bought into it too; the voices calling her "Hubby" grew louder and more uniform, and some even seriously discussed in the comments, "If Yoona were really a CEO, I would go apply for a job at her company."

Thinking of this, the curve of Im Yoona's lips widened a little more.

She could already foresee tonight's gathering. The sisters would surround her, asking all at once: "Yoona, how did you come up with this persona?" "Yoona, teach me!" "Yoona, did Jiang Zhiyu give you special treatment?" She would smile and shake her head, saying, "No, I just thought of it myself," and then enjoy the feeling of being looked up to in her heart.

She knew it was a bit vain to think this way, but—whatever, it wasn't like it was like this every day.

Im Yoona leaned back against the seat, looking at the sunroof. You couldn't see the sky in the underground parking lot, only gray concrete beams, but she felt her mood at that moment was as bright as sunshine.

She couldn't help but chuckle a few times.

Not far away, a silver-gray Mercedes-Benz coupe slowly drove in and parked precisely in the adjacent spot. The sound of the engine echoed in the empty parking lot, then died out. The car door opened, and Kim Taeyeon climbed out from the driver's seat, wearing a beige trench coat, her long hair draped over her shoulders. She wasn't wearing makeup, and there was a faint weariness on her face, but her eyes instantly lit up when she saw the white Porsche.

"Yoona-ah!" Kim Taeyeon walked over quickly, her voice filled with a smile.

Hearing that call, some images suddenly flashed through Im Yoona's mind—that day at the gathering, the subtle atmosphere between Jiang Zhiyu and Bae Joo-hyun, the way Kim Taeyeon lowered her head to drink water, and later, how Kim Taeyeon had secretly asked her: "How is Zhiyu doing on set lately?" "Is he very busy?" "Was that Bubble live stream plan his idea?"

And that sentence: "Yoona-ah, your Bubble persona... was it designed by Zhiyu for you?"

When Kim Taeyeon asked that, her tone was very casual, as if she were talking about the weather. But Im Yoona saw the trace of nervousness in her eyes, that hint of caution, as if she were afraid of hearing a certain answer. Im Yoona had said at the time: "No, I thought of it myself." Kim Taeyeon smiled, and there was a sense of relief in that smile.

Recalling it now, Im Yoona felt an indescribable discomfort in her heart.

But Kim Taeyeon had already walked to the car window, her smile so sincere, so warm, like the joy of a real older sister seeing her younger sister. That smile infected Im Yoona, and she smiled too, pushing open the car door and stepping out.

"Unnie, did you just arrive too?"

Kim Taeyeon nodded and naturally linked her arm with Im Yoona's, and the two walked toward the elevator.

"Sunny has been driven crazy by the Bubble persona lately," Kim Taeyeon said as they walked. "She says she wants to throw her phone whenever she sees it now. Fans urge her to post 'romantic' photos every day. She posted one of herself lying flat with the caption 'Another day of not wanting to move,' and the fans said, 'Unnie, get up, the sun is shining on your butt'—she was so angry she almost threw her phone."

Kim Taeyeon couldn't help but laugh at this point. "Zhiyu is really something, how did he come up with such a plan."

Listening to this, Im Yoona heard the name "Zhiyu" spoken so naturally, so familiarly, as if it were a name she had been calling for many years. Im Yoona's fingers moved slightly.

Unnie... why is your tone so proud? It's like you're saying "Look how amazing my Zhiyu is." But Im Yoona didn't show any abnormality on her face, just smiled and said in that flat tone: "President Jiang, he has always been the type of person with such unconstrained ideas, hasn't he."

Kim Taeyeon nodded, her tone matter-of-fact: "That's true." She paused, then added: "Do you think I should go ask Zhiyu too? My persona hasn't been decided yet."

Im Yoona's right hand clenched slightly. She was gripping nothing but air. But that invisible force made her knuckles turn faintly white.

"Unnie," Im Yoona began, her voice as calm as if they were chatting about what to have for dinner, "didn't you always say you didn't want to mess with these flashy things before?"

Kim Taeyeon thought for a moment and said: "That was before. Now that I see you all having so much fun with it, I want to try it too."

Im Yoona didn't respond, just smiled. Kim Taeyeon didn't notice that smile. She was looking at the numbers on the elevator door, waiting for the elevator to come down.

"And," Kim Taeyeon continued, her tone carrying a hint of emotion she couldn't quite define, "Zhiyu's planning ability is indeed very strong. Look at Ji-min, one live stream made her legendary, and now the whole internet is calling her 'Tsundere Girlfriend.' And you, Yoona, that CEO persona, that was his idea too, right?"

Im Yoona opened her mouth, wanting to say "No," but for some reason, those two words were stuck in her throat and just wouldn't come out. She just vaguely responded: "Hmm... I guess so."

Kim Taeyeon nodded and didn't press further. The elevator door opened, and they both walked in.

The elevator was mirrored on all four sides, with soft lighting reflecting their images. Im Yoona looked at Kim Taeyeon in the mirror—she was looking down at her phone, a faint smile on her lips, not knowing what she was looking at. Im Yoona kept watching her from the corner of her eye.

If only—if only Taeyeon Unnie weren't so close to Jiang Zhiyu. This thought suddenly popped up, like a thorn pricking her heart. If they didn't have that "deep cooperation" project, if Kim Taeyeon hadn't been the first person selected, if Kim Taeyeon were just an ordinary artist at SM and had only a normal working relationship with Jiang Zhiyu... If only Taeyeon Unnie and Jiang Zhiyu had stayed in a cold war.

Im Yoona suddenly snapped back to reality. She looked at herself in the mirror; the reflection was a bit blurry, but she could see the flash of darkness in her own eyes. How could she think such things?

Kim Taeyeon was her Unnie. Since she debuted in her teens, she had been her Unnie. All those years, practicing together, crying together, standing on stage together, facing the world's doubts and applause together. Kim Taeyeon would buy her medicine when she was sick, drink with her when she was sad, and listen to her pour out her heart when she was lost. She was her best Unnie, already an existence like family.

How could she think about things like "a cold war would be better"? How was this any different from those vicious female supporting characters in dramas?

Im Yoona lowered her eyelashes, feeling some self-loathing. She remembered that day on the bench by the sunset beach.

During a break in the filming of "the crab," she sat there alone, watching the sunset sink into the sea. Jiang Zhiyu walked over and sat down next to her. They didn't speak, just watched the sea dyed red. Then he said: "If I had met Noona earlier, I would have done the same." At the time, she didn't understand what he meant, and she didn't fully understand now either. But she remembered that tone, that "Noona," called so gently and composedly, as if he were calling someone very important.

Met earlier... did they meet very late? Not really. In 2017, when he first joined SM and wrote a song for Kim Taeyeon, they met for the first time. Later, they had meals, chatted, complained, filmed variety shows together, and now she was even starring in his movie, the only main character, the female lead. The amount of time they had known each other was no less than that of Karina and the others. It was just that from beginning to end, she had never treated him as an "object from which to obtain resources." He was just a friend, a very smart, very talented, sometimes mouthy, but good-hearted younger brother.

If she had ever thought about wanting resources, if she had actively tried to please him, to get close to him like artists from other companies—would Jiang Zhiyu have treated her the way he treated aespa?

Im Yoona didn't know. She only knew that he had never voluntarily given her anything, except for that role. The role in "the crab" was one she had fought for herself; she had given her all in the training camp, poured everything into the audition, and only then stood out from so many candidates. This was what she deserved.

But Karina's first role was given by Jiang Zhiyu. Minjeong's first solo was written by Jiang Zhiyu. Kim Taeyeon's deep cooperation was handpicked by Jiang Zhiyu.

Im Yoona looked at herself in the mirror; the reflection was somewhat abstract, as if separated by a layer of fog. She remembered a sentence Jiang Zhiyu had once said to her: "Water is unfrozen ice." She still didn't understand what that sentence meant. Did it mean he had misjudged her? Or that she had disappointed him in some way? Or was it just a casual, artistic remark with no deep meaning? She forgot when she started remembering that sentence, only knowing it had always been in some corner of her heart, occasionally popping up like a riddle without an answer.

"What's wrong, Yoona?" Kim Taeyeon's voice pulled her back to reality. Im Yoona snapped back to reality, looked at Kim Taeyeon's concerned gaze, shook her head, and smiled.

"Nothing, just thinking about eating my fill tonight."

Kim Taeyeon smiled and patted her hand. "Don't worry, Sunny is treating today, order something expensive."

"Unnie, long live!"

The elevator door opened, and the two walked out arm in arm, like real sisters, inseparable. Their laughter echoed in the corridor, warm and sincere. But in Im Yoona's heart, that riddle remained. Water is unfrozen ice. What could it possibly mean?