432: Chapter 485 Prequel (within the text)

(Damn Domino's collaboration, the rug turned out to be a game item, shibal! I f*cking thought it was a physical item... What am I supposed to do with this thing???)

(The striped mosquitoes at the station are biting me to death.)

——

The car slowly pulled away from the restaurant entrance and merged into the nighttime traffic. Neon lights outside the window flickered past one by one, casting shifting shadows inside the cabin.

In the backseat, Im Yoona had no intention of settling down. Leaning on Lee Tima's shoulder with her eyes half-open, she was talking incessantly about her "business empire" plan.

"I'm telling you guys," she said, drawing a large circle in the air with her hand, "take beef smuggled from abroad, package it as Hanwoo, and sell it for five hundred thousand won a serving!"

Kim Taeyeon, sitting in the passenger seat, felt her lip twitch upon hearing this. She glanced at Im Yoona in the rearview mirror; the girl's eyes were shining, not looking like a drunk person at all.

Im Yoona continued her calculations, counting on her fingers with a serious face: "Selling fifty million a day, in a year that would be..."

She counted for a long time but couldn't figure it out. However, her expression suggested that the number was definitely astronomical, so large that she felt she was already rich.

"I'm going to be rich!" she shouted happily, her voice so loud that Lee Tima shrank back slightly from the shock.

Jiang Zhiyu held the steering wheel, looking straight ahead, but the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up. He finally couldn't help but speak: "Noona, packaging fake Hanwoo is already being done by someone."

Kim Taeyeon suddenly turned her head to look at Jiang Zhiyu. Her eyes were full of shock and doubt. "Fake Hanwoo? For real?"

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at her with a smile that carried a hint of teasing and a touch of seriousness. "Maybe Noona has never even eaten real Hanwoo beef."

Kim Taeyeon was stunned. She opened her mouth to argue but found she couldn't say anything. Because she truly didn't know if the Hanwoo she had eaten was real or fake.

Jiang Zhiyu continued, his tone as casual as if they were chatting about family matters: "But even if two servings of beef were placed in front of you, people might not necessarily be able to tell the difference."

Kim Taeyeon fell silent. She watched the street scenery receding outside the window, her mind in a mess. What he said seemed to make sense, but something felt wrong—could all the Hanwoo she'd eaten over the years have been fake?

In the backseat, Im Yoona didn't care about their conversation at all. She only heard one keyword—someone was already doing it.

Her expression changed instantly. From the smugness of a moment ago, it turned into a ferocious anger. She looked exactly like a mob boss in a movie who just had his business stolen.

"Ah, shibal—!" she yelled, her voice so loud and clear it made the car windows buzz. "Which son of a bitch dares to steal my business!"

She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, looking as fierce as could be. "I'm going to stuff him into a steel barrel and sink him in the Han River!"

Kim Taeyeon turned around and looked at her, completely petrified. Is this girl serious? The gentle Im Yoona, the one known as the "Nation's Goddess"—is she actually talking about stuffing someone in a steel barrel and sinking them in the Han River?

It was certain—tomorrow's trending search was set.

#Im Yoona Threatens to Sink Someone in the Han River After Drinking#.

Jiang Zhiyu, however, wasn't scared at all. A smile played on his lips as he spoke in the tone of a sycophantic lackey: "Yoona Noona is exactly like Lee Joong-gu from the movie New World. You're right!"

He paused, his tone becoming even more sycophantic: "Yoona Noona will be the Empress of the Korean Underworld from now on! Code name—Corn Dog!"

Kim Taeyeon's lip twitched. Are these two role-playing? One acting as a mob boss and the other as a lackey?

The cabin fell silent for a second.

Then Im Yoona erupted: "No!"

She wrinkled her nose in disgust, her expression looking as if she'd been forced to eat something she hated. "I want a cool nickname! Lion King! Lioness Simba!"

Kim Taeyeon couldn't help but turn her head to glance at her. Simba? That little lion from The Lion King? That was a male.

Jiang Zhiyu thought of this too and said softly: "Simba is a guy."

Im Yoona was stunned.

Jiang Zhiyu thought for a moment: "Noona should be called Cindy. Cindy is good."

Im Yoona savored the name and then nodded: "Okay, I'll be called Cindy."

She paused and looked at Jiang Zhiyu: "Zhiyu, what are you called? Pumbaa?"

After saying that, she started laughing first. "Hahaha, wild boar, wild boar Pumbaa!"

That laughter, loud and clear, echoed throughout the car.

Jiang Zhiyu didn't laugh. He corrected her solemnly: "Pumbaa is a warthog, not a wild boar."

Im Yoona glared at him and said in a "what do you know" tone: "I'm talking about you! You're a wild boar! Dummy."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Kim Taeyeon finally couldn't take their conversation anymore. She took a deep breath, her voice carrying a hint of helplessness and amusement: "Zhiyu, stop talking to Yoona about this. Let her sleep!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Im Yoona leaned in between her and Jiang Zhiyu. Her face was toward Kim Taeyeon, her eyes sparkling with the pride of being "the boss." "Taeyeon Unnie!"

Kim Taeyeon looked at her, having an ominous premonition.

Im Yoona announced loudly: "I am the President of TG! From now on, you can sing whatever song you want! If I'm not around, just use a whip to lash Jiang Zhiyu and make him write for you!"

Kim Taeyeon's face turned red instantly. She imagined the scene—holding a whip and lashing Jiang Zhiyu to make him write songs for her. That image, well, it was a bit tempting. But she quickly suppressed the thought and tried to make her voice sound normal: "Alright, alright, I get it. Yoona, hurry up and go to sleep!"

Im Yoona looked at her and nodded obediently. "Mhm."

Then she added: "I want to ride on Jiang Zhiyu's back while I whip him."

Kim Taeyeon turned her head, her voice sharp and loud: "Ya! Close your eyes and go to sleep!"

Startled by the shout, Im Yoona shrank her neck back piteously. "Oh."

She closed her eyes, leaned against Lee Tima, and within seconds, her breathing became steady—she was really asleep this time.

Kim Taeyeon breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back against the seat, only then realizing she had been so tense that a thin layer of sweat had formed on her back.

The cabin fell quiet. There was only the low hum of the engine and the sound of the wind whistling past the windows.

After a while, Jiang Zhiyu spoke. "Noona, should we take Yoona Noona to her house, or to your place?"

Kim Taeyeon thought about it. To her house? Then she could forget about sleeping tonight; if that girl Im Yoona woke up in the middle of the night, she'd definitely cause a scene. Send her to her own house? Then she could hand Yoona over to her assistant and go home herself.

"Let's go to Yoona's house." She paused and added, "I don't want to be startled by her realization and screaming tomorrow morning."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded and said nothing more, silently changing direction.

Silence returned for a while. The car stopped at a red light, and the light from the streetlamps fell across Jiang Zhiyu's face in alternating shadows.

Kim Taeyeon looked at his profile, an inexplicable emotion suddenly surging in her heart.

Jiang Zhiyu suddenly spoke.

"Next, the deep cooperation between TG and Noona is about to begin."

Kim Taeyeon was taken aback: "Ne?"

Jiang Zhiyu repeated himself, his tone becoming serious: "Noona, do you have any thoughts on the musical style you're looking forward to?"

Kim Taeyeon was silent for a few seconds. Musical style? Of course she had thought about it. From the moment she got this cooperation opportunity, she had been thinking about what kind of music to collaborate on with Jiang Zhiyu.

She took a deep breath and spoke slowly: "The type I want..."

She paused, seemingly organizing her words. "Actually, I want to show an apology for past immaturity that comes with growing older."

She gave a light laugh, one that carried a hint of self-deprecation. "I've actually done many things that seem immature now. Haha."

Jiang Zhiyu didn't answer immediately. He held the steering wheel and looked at the road ahead, the neon lights flashing across his face.

Kim Taeyeon watched him, waiting for him to speak.

After a while, Jiang Zhiyu spoke.

His voice was very calm, as if he were stating a very simple truth. "Things done while young and reckless don't require an apology."

Kim Taeyeon was stunned. Jiang Zhiyu continued: "On the contrary, you should understand them."

He paused. "Age and experience are not equivalent."

Kim Taeyeon's brow furrowed slightly. She didn't quite understand what he meant.

Jiang Zhiyu seemed to sense her confusion and explained further: "Just like Noona wanting to apologize for the mistakes of her past self. But I believe you should say thank you to your past self."

His voice grew even softer. "Thank you for the mistakes, which allowed me to have such reflections and insights."

Kim Taeyeon fell silent. She chewed over those words in her mind. Thank you for the mistakes? She had never thought of it that way. She had always been regretting, always apologizing, always thinking it would have been better if she hadn't done that. But she had never thought to thank those mistakes.

She turned her head to look at Jiang Zhiyu. His profile flickered under the streetlights, his features well-defined. He was very young, several years younger than her. But what he said sounded like the insights of someone who had traveled a long road.

"Zhiyu, you say age and experience aren't equivalent," Kim Taeyeon said, her voice soft. "But you became a president at such a young age..."

She didn't finish, but her meaning was clear. How can you say such things when you're so young? Jiang Zhiyu pursed his lips and didn't answer immediately. It was only after a while that he slowly spoke.

"Noona, everyone's growth comes from experiencing and understanding various things."

His voice was very calm, without a single ripple. "It's not that I'm unique, but because life is forcing us to grow and become mature."

Kim Taeyeon looked at his profile. That face was young and handsome, yet it carried a depth that shouldn't belong to this age. She suddenly really wanted to ask: What have you been through? What made you this way? But she didn't ask. she just took a deep breath and turned to look out the window.

The street scenery was receding, and neon lights flashed by in her field of vision. Those points of light were like shooting stars, vanishing as soon as they brightened. She watched those lights, but her mind was on what he just said.

Life is forcing us to grow.

She didn't know what he had experienced, but she knew those experiences certainly weren't easy.

The cabin fell into silence. There were only the breathing of the four people and the roar of the engine. It was so quiet she could hear her own heartbeat.

After a long time, Jiang Zhiyu broke the silence.

"Does Noona want a more conservative style or a more radical style?"

Kim Taeyeon was startled. "Ne?"

She had been thinking about other things just now and hadn't heard clearly.

Jiang Zhiyu repeated: "Musical style, conservative or radical?"

Kim Taeyeon heard clearly this time, but she didn't understand his meaning. "What is conservative? And what is radical?"

Jiang Zhiyu explained: "Conservative means creating within the musical styles and vocal comfort zones Noona is used to. Radical means redesigning the style and breaking out of your comfort zone."

Kim Taeyeon fell silent. Comfort zone? She had stayed in that area for many years. From her debut with Girls Generation to her solo debut, her musical style had been very stable. Ballads, slow songs, occasionally adding some electronic elements, but never any major breakthroughs. It wasn't that she didn't want to; it was that she didn't dare. She was afraid fans wouldn't accept it, afraid the market wouldn't recognize it, afraid she wouldn't do it well.

She weighed the pros and cons and then spoke: "Conservative."

She paused and added: "After all, it's the first collaboration with TG."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded. "I understand."

Kim Taeyeon listened to him finish, and then—

She seemed to hear a soft chuckle. It was very faint and brief, like an illusion. She couldn't help but look at him.

His expression was as usual—calm, focused, showing no emotion. It was as if that chuckle just now had been her hallucination.

Kim Taeyeon turned her head and looked out the window. But in her heart, she asked herself: Did I really hear it wrong?

The car continued to drive forward. The neon lights outside were still flickering.

But something in her heart swayed gently.

"Zhiyu."

"Hmm?"

Kim Taeyeon opened her mouth, wanting to ask—did you just laugh?

But she didn't ask it.

"It's nothing."

She said softly.

The cabin fell silent again.

Im Yoona turned over in the back seat, mumbled something, and continued to sleep.

Lee Tima's head slid off her shoulder and leaned against the car window with a soft "thud," but she didn't wake up at all.

The car continued forward.

The night grew deeper and deeper.