441: Chapter 494 can now be updated regularly.

The birthday party was drawing to a close. The prizes on the wheel were being taken one by one, but "the kings card" still hung lonely at the very top. Kim Minjeong stood in the center of the stage, looking at that golden square that no one had managed to land on, and pouted her lips aggrievedly. The curve of her pout grew larger and larger, enough to hang a bottle of oil from.

"Oppa designed the range to be too small—" Her voice carried a hint of acting spoiled, a hint of accusation, and a hint of "hurry up and comfort me." Someone in the audience immediately responded—"It's okay! Minjeong, don't be sad!" "We're having a lot of fun!" "the kings card isn't important!" Various voices rose and fell.

A voice came from some corner—"Go stage a sit-in protest downstairs at TG!" The audience burst into laughter. Another voice followed immediately, louder and clearer. "Make Jiang Zhiyu take off his shirt and apologize!" Kim Minjeong's face turned red instantly. The redness spread from the base of her neck upwards, past her chin, across her cheeks, reaching the tips of her ears. Her lips trembled a few times, and her voice squeezed out of her throat, sounding muffled, "No, no—that's not good." She waved her hands, making a "please spare me" gesture, which made the audience laugh even harder.

Just as Kim Minjeong was interacting with the fans, a girl with twin ponytails in the front row on the right suddenly stood up from her seat. Her eyes were wide, and she pointed at the large wheel on the stage, her voice sharp and crisp, like a firecracker exploding in the noisy venue. "Minjeong-ah! That wheel looks like it can be peeled off!"

Kim Minjeong turned her head to look—"Eh?" Her voice also rose half a pitch, her eyes becoming as round as the girl's.

The spotlight hit the wheel. From when Karina had spun it and it fell earlier, the wheel had rolled twice on the ground, and the stickers on the surface had curled at the edges in several places. One of the curled edges happened to be at the border of the "Photo with Winter" square, revealing a flash of red underneath—the exact same red as "the kings card" square.

Kim Minjeong walked from the edge of the stage to the side of the wheel, squatted down, and carefully flicked the curled sticker with her index finger. A small piece of the sticker lifted, revealing a bit more of the red underneath. Her heart rate quickened. She pinched the edge of the sticker with her fingers and gently peeled it. "Sssrip—" The sound was faint but exceptionally clear in the quiet venue. The "Photo with Winter" sticker came off the wheel, revealing the neat red background plate underneath. The corners of her mouth slowly curved into an arc—not a smile, but a "I think I understand something" grin. She glanced at the over one hundred expectant faces in the audience, her eyes lighting up, and then she quickly peeled off the next sticker. "Finger Heart with Winter" was peeled off. Below it was still red.

Her movements became faster and faster. "Winter's Hug" was peeled off, "Winter's Hand-written Letter" was peeled off, "A Book Recommended by Winter" was peeled off, "Winter's Signed Polaroid" was peeled off. Like a tireless little squirrel, she circled the wheel, her fingers flying as she tore off those stickers. The squares on the wheel went from being densely packed to completely blank—and beneath the blankness was a neat expanse of red. Underneath every prize square, it was red. The exact same red as the kings card square, the red that belonged exclusively to "the kings card" reward squares.

Kim Minjeong stood by the wheel, a handful of peeled stickers clutched in her hand, her breathing a bit hurried. The spotlight hit her, the stickers in her hand, and the entire bright red wheel.

The audience was silent for a few seconds. Then someone reacted first, their voice exploding over the quiet venue. "Shibal—doesn't this mean everyone can get 'the kings card'?!" Immediately followed by a second, third, and fourth voice—"Every square is the kings card!" "Doesn't that mean you win no matter how you spin it!" "President Jiang is too good at this!"

A female assistant walked out from the side of the stage. She was pushing a small trolley with a large box on it. The box was opened, and inside were neatly stacked—the kings card. Not just the one on display, but many different kinds. Each card was made of acrylic, with different patterns engraved on the surface—Curry Dog and Snowflakes were the main elements, but the arrangement and color combinations were different for every single one, making each one unique. On some cards, Curry Dog was chasing Snowflakes; on others, Snowflakes formed a heart shape with Curry Dog sitting in the middle. Some were close-ups of Curry Dog's face, with big round eyes and a shiny nose. The material was as high-quality as the one displayed.

Embedded within these cards was also a Kim Minjeong photocard. Some were very popular photocards on the market—from music shows, magazine shoots, and MV behind-the-scenes; those "god-tier cards" that fans desperately wanted were embedded in the cards. There were also private photos of Kim Minjeong taken by Jiang Zhiyu, with the shooting dates marked on them—on a certain day in 2017, Kim Minjeong was wearing a Trainee T-shirt, her hair in a ponytail, making a V-sign at the camera with a smile so bright it looked a bit silly. On a certain day in 2018, Kim Minjeong stood at the entrance of the SM Building, wearing a school uniform and carrying a backpack, looking like a high schooler who had just finished classes. 2019, 2020, 2021—over fifty photos, from when she was fifteen to twenty, from a Trainee to aespa's Winter. These private photos had never been made public before, but now they were embedded in these cards and presented to the public.

Every the kings card was a one-of-a-kind limited edition.

Karina sat in the last row, still holding the "Signed Polaroid" gift box. Her gaze passed through the crowd and landed on the box of sparkling the kings card on the stage, and on Kim Minjeong, who was covering her mouth with red eyes, crying and laughing at the same time. Ningning leaned into her ear, her voice very low but every word clear. "Wow, Master is really good at this." Her tone carried an "I knew it all along" sigh of admiration, as well as respect for how "he can always come up with these surprising ideas." Uchinaga Eri raised an eyebrow and moved the Americano away from her lips. "In that case, no matter how they spin it, they'll 100% get the kings card." Her tone was calm, but a very faint arc curved at the corner of her mouth.

Karina looked at Kim Minjeong on the stage, who was both crying and laughing, and she didn't know what to say. Jiang Zhiyu's face appeared in her mind—what was he thinking when he designed these the kings card? Thinking that Kim Minjeong would smile when she saw these cards, thinking that Kim Minjeong's fans would be happy when they received them, thinking that this birthday party would stay on the trending searches for days. He always managed to do things so perfectly, so perfectly that it felt like he wasn't just doing a task, but creating memories. Not memories for the fans, but for Kim Minjeong. When she grows old and flips through her photo album to see those photos from 2017 to 2021, she will remember—this was taken by Zhiyu Oppa.

Karina's voice slipped softly from her lips. "Yeah. Oppa, he really is..." She didn't continue. What should she say? That he's really good at this? That he's really thoughtful? That he's really touching? All of those were true, but none were enough. She picked up the now-cold Americano and took a sip. The coffee was bitter, but the aftertaste was sweet.

The lottery machine restarted. The female assistant poured all the previously removed number plates back into the acrylic box. The sound of the ping-pong balls clattering was like some cheerful background music. Kim Minjeong took the microphone from the staff and took a deep breath. Her eyes were still red, and the tip of her nose was still red, but the corners of her mouth were turned up. "Well then—" Her voice was a bit hoarse, so she cleared her throat, "Now, the competition for the kings card officially begins!"

Thunderous applause broke out from the audience, and light sticks waved into a sea of blue and white.

—

As the birthday party came to a close, the lights on the stage went out one by one, from bright white to warm yellow, from warm yellow to dark red, until finally only the spotlight remained, drawing a lonely circle around Kim Minjeong. She stood in the center of the stage, still holding the microphone, her fingertips turning slightly white from gripping it for too long. The fans in the audience began to leave the venue one after another; some looked back reluctantly, some held up their phones to take one last photo, and some were pulled away by friends while crying.

Kim Minjeong waved to the audience. "Thank you everyone—be careful on your way—message me when you get home—" She said it many times, each time softer and more hoarse than the last.

Staff came up to pack the equipment, removing the wheel, the lottery machine, and the now-empty box of the kings card. Kim Minjeong watched the empty box being pushed away, a smile still on her face, but her eyes were red. Karina walked over and put an arm around her shoulder, "Let's go, time to head back." Ningning hugged her arm from the other side, "Unnie, you looked so ugly when you were crying just now." Kim Minjeong glared at her, "I didn't cry." "You did." "That was sweat." "I can still tell the difference between tears and sweat." Kim Minjeong gave Ningning's waist a pinch, and Ningning laughed as she dodged. Uchinaga Eri walked at the very back, still holding that completely cold Americano, watching the three playful figures ahead of her with a faint arc curving at the corners of her mouth.

The four of them walked toward the waiting room, talking and laughing. The corridor was long, with warm yellow lights shining on the gray carpet. Kim Minjeong walked at the very front, her steps light; the exhaustion and emotion from the stage had mostly been diluted by the playfulness. She pushed open the door to the waiting room—as she turned the handle, she was still looking back to bicker with Ningning, "You're the one who looks ugly when crying, your whole family looks ugly when they cry." Ningning said, "My whole family includes you," and Kim Minjeong was momentarily speechless. Just as she was about to retort, she turned her head back, and the words got stuck in her throat.

Jiang Zhiyu was sitting in a chair. His left hand supported his forehead, fingers slightly spread and buried in his hair, his elbow propped on the armrest, his body leaning slightly to the left. His right hand was on the table, his index and middle fingers rising and falling alternately, tapping the table rhythmically. The "tap, tap, tap" tempo was steady and unhurried, like some ancient timer. His expression showed no particular emotion, neither smiling nor unsmiling, his eyes half-closed, his gaze fixed on a specific point on the table. On the table was that light blue paper bag—tied with a white ribbon, the TG Entertainment logo glinting with a low-key luster under the lights. Next to the bag was his half-drunk herbal tea, with a layer of fine water droplets condensed around the rim.

Kim Minjeong's footsteps, Karina's whispers, Ningning's laughter, and Uchinaga Eri's silence—all the sounds flooded in the moment the door opened, like a tide washing over a beach. Jiang Zhiyu's fingers stopped on the table. Interrupted, he didn't continue tapping. He looked up, his gaze moving from the paper bag on the table to the four girls at the door.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Kim Minjeong's eyes lit up the moment she saw him, as if someone had ignited a lamp within her pupils.

She let go of Ningning's hand and lunged toward Jiang Zhiyu.

She didn't walk over; she "lunged" over—covering those few steps from the doorway to the chair in less than two seconds.

Her fuzzy slippers made a rapid "patter-patter" sound on the floor, like a string of ignited firecrackers.

She dashed before Jiang Zhiyu, bracing her hands on the chair's armrests and leaning forward until her face was right in front of his.

Those eyes, still marked with tear tracks, watched him unblinkingly, her lips curving into a wide arc.

"Oppa!"

Jiang Zhiyu reached out, his palm landing on the crown of her head.

He gave it a rub.

The movement was as natural as if he had done it a thousand times; his fingertips slid through her hair from the crown to the back of her head, pausing there for a fleeting moment before pulling away.

"You worked hard." His voice, neither too high nor too low, carried a gentleness that seemed to say, "I know everything."

Kim Minjeong's nose stung, and the tears she had suppressed on stage threatened to well up again.

She sniffled, forcing the stinging sensation back down.

"It wasn't hard." Her voice was muffled.

Jiang Zhiyu's gaze shifted from her fluffy head to the paper bag on the table.

The light blue paper bag, the white ribbon, the TG Entertainment logo—all waiting quietly.

He smiled to himself.

Minjeong-ah, this is the birthday gift Oppa has for you.

Those the kings cards are for the fans, those photocards are for SM, and those trending topics are for the company.

But the contents of this paper bag are for you.

He patted Kim Minjeong's shoulder and stood up from his chair.

He casually picked up the paper bag from the table, looping the handle around his finger and letting it rest securely in the crook of his hand.

His gaze swept over Karina, Ningning, and Uchinaga Eri, his lips curving into an expression that clearly said, "Time to go."

"I've booked a restaurant. Everyone get ready, and let's head out."

All four pairs of eyes landed on the paper bag at the same time.

Kim Minjeong's eyes were wide, her pupils reflecting the light blue hue of the bag.

Karina's gaze lingered on the paper bag for a moment before shifting away; her expression remained unchanged, though her fingers unconsciously rubbed against her side.

Ningning craned her neck like a kitten spotting a dried fish, her head leaning toward the paper bag as if she wished she could turn her gaze into a hook.

Uchinaga Eri didn't stare like the others; she merely glanced at it before picking up her Americano to take another sip, though the coffee had long since gone stone-cold.

Kim Minjeong's body leaned slightly forward, her neck stretching out bit by bit like a puppy trying to sneak a peek at the snacks in its owner's hand.

She stared unblinkingly at the paper bag, her eyelashes fluttering.

Jiang Zhiyu smiled. It was a small smile, the kind that said, "I see right through you."

He switched the paper bag to his left hand, moving it a little further away from Kim Minjeong.

"The gift—I'll give it to you later."

Kim Minjeong pouted. It was a pout dramatic enough to hang an oil bottle on. She tilted her chin up slightly, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"I didn't even want it." Her voice was light and airy, carrying a deliberate note of "I don't care at all."

"Then I'll give it to Ningning." Jiang Zhiyu extended the paper bag toward Ningning.

Ningning's eyes lit up—startlingly bright.

She pressed her palms together above her head, her voice crisp and bright, filled with an exaggerated air of, "I'm playing along with your act."

"Really? Thank you, Master!" She reached out, making a move to take the paper bag.

Kim Minjeong bristled. The reaction was so fast it was like she'd been electrocuted; she sprang from her chair, grabbed Jiang Zhiyu's arm, and hung onto it.

"Andwae—!!!" The shout was sharp and urgent.

Ningning pulled her hand back, covering her mouth to stifle a giggle, her shoulders shaking.

Karina watched Kim Minjeong's possessive display and shook her head. "Didn't you just say you 'didn't even want it'?"

Kim Minjeong replied righteously, "I don't want it, but you can't give it to Ningning either!"

Ningning widened her eyes. "Why?"

Kim Minjeong thought about it. "Because... because you're the younger sister, you have to yield to your Unnie."

"Since when did you become my Unnie?"

"Since just now."

Ningning looked at her proud "I'm the Unnie" expression, the corner of her mouth twitching.

"You win."

Kim Minjeong triumphantly lifted her chin, let go of Jiang Zhiyu's arm, and pretended to nonchalantly smooth out her clothes.

The buzz online spread faster than anticipated.

After the full recorded video of Kim Minjeong's birthday party (a five-minute edited version) went live on YouTube, the view count soared at a pace visible to the naked eye.

On the trending topics list, "Kim Minjeong Birthday Party," "Karina Bad Luck," "Karina Sent the Lucky Wheel Flying," and "Winter Birthday Limited photocard"—four entries simultaneously surged into the top ten.

On the forums, the discussion thread regarding the limited photocards grew to thousands of replies.

OP: Did anyone manage to snag the kings card from Kim Minjeong's birthday party? Let's hear your offers. A friend of mine pulled one, and she refused to sell even when someone offered 800,000.

1L: 800,000? Your friend missed out. I've seen people offering 1,200,000 for one.

2L: Damn, 1,200,000? The tickets were only 1,000,000, right!

3L: Tickets for 1,000,000? You must have bought a scalper ticket. The original price was only 50,000.

4L: 50,000? That was the fan benefit price. Now, the market price starts at 600,000 at the very least, and front-row seats are even more expensive—some go for 1,500,000.

5L: So, if you spend 1,500,000 on a ticket and pull a photocard that someone offers 1,200,000 for, that's basically like attending a birthday party for only 300,000! Plus, you get so many gifts—that's a steal any way you look at it.

6L: You make a compelling point; I can't even argue with that.

7L: Stop doing the math, you're just making me want to cry. I didn't even manage to snag a ticket.

Another thread also went viral.

OP: Did you guys see those photocards? Every single one is different! Damn, just how many photos has Jiang Zhiyu taken of Kim Minjeong?

1L: Over fifty private photos from 2017 to 2021. Each one has the date it was taken.

2L: From 2017 to 2021—that's six years of Kim Minjeong's life, from age fifteen to twenty.

3L: Has anyone noticed the earliest photo? A date in 2017, Kim Minjeong wearing a Trainee T-shirt, hair in a ponytail, making a V-sign at the camera. She hadn't even been revealed to the public yet, right?

4L: That photo is truly meaningful; fans will tear up just looking at it.

5L: There's another one from 2018—Kim Minjeong standing at the entrance of the SM Building, wearing her school uniform and carrying her backpack, looking like a high schooler just getting out of class. She would've still been in middle school then, right?

6L: Jiang Zhiyu was at SM all those years, serving as a mentor for aespa. These photos must have been taken back then.

7L: So he's been documenting Kim Minjeong's growth since then? Damn, what kind of "raising" dynamic is this?

8L: "Raising" dynamic? Don't talk nonsense. That's just a brother's care for his younger sister.

9L: Regardless of whether it's as a brother or something else, being able to document someone so earnestly for six years is truly touching.

Another thread, specifically discussing the prices.

OP: I just want to ask, what's the market price for those photocards now?

1L: 1,200,000 each, I think.

2L: 1,200,000? That was the price when they first came out. People are offering 1,500,000 now.

3L: 1,500,000? Damn, that's the price of a used car.

4L: Used? You could buy a brand new sedan for that.

5L: Stop driving up the prices, or I'm going to have to sell a kidney.

6L: These photocards are priceless, okay? Limited to one hundred, one per person—who's going to sell them if they pull one? They're keepsakes.

7L: Exactly. Those photocards have a record of Kim Minjeong's growth from age fifteen to twenty; each one is unique. You can't buy time with money.

8L: Damn, you make such a good point, I want to cry even more now.

9L: So the people who pulled them aren't selling at all; they'd rather keep them for themselves.

10L: I hope all talent agencies don't pick up this bad habit! SM, are you listening?! Don't do it!

11L: But honestly, these photocards with time stamps are truly priceless. The "age attack" is just too painful.

12L: It really takes sincere dedication to document something like this. Jiang Zhiyu—how should I put it? Everything he does makes you feel like he's not just working, but putting his heart into it.

A black van was parked at the entrance of the lounge.

Kim Minjeong snatched the passenger seat from Jiang Zhiyu—she opened the door quickly, sat down even faster, and fastened her seatbelt with lightning speed.

Karina stood outside the car, watching Kim Minjeong already sitting properly in the passenger seat, the corner of her mouth twitching.

Ningning poked her head out from behind her, opened the car door, and pushed Karina inside. "Unnie, get in, don't block the way."

Uchinaga Eri followed at the very back, silently seating herself in the innermost spot, leaning against the car window.

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror.

Karina was sitting in the middle, with Ningning on her left and Uchinaga Eri on her right.

Ningning was scrolling through her phone, and Uchinaga Eri was drinking that cup of Americano, which had long since gone cold.

He started the engine, and the headlights flickered on, illuminating the hazy parking lot ahead.

He spoke, his tone as calm as if he were saying, "The weather is nice today."

"After we finish dinner, we're going to see a movie."

Four pairs of eyes looked at him simultaneously.

"A movie?" Kim Minjeong tilted her head.

"What movie?" Ningning looked up from her phone screen.

"Where are we going?" Uchinaga Eri moved the Americano away from her lips.

Karina didn't say anything, but her fingers tapped lightly against her knee.

"To support 'the crab'." Jiang Zhiyu tapped his fingers against the steering wheel twice.

"After the birthday party, we'll head over to support our senior's movie. It's to promote our family spirit and also to help share the buzz."

He enunciated the words "family spirit" with just the right amount of emphasis.

Kim Minjeong was the first to respond. "Nae! Let's support Yoona Unnie!"

Ningning nodded as well. "We should."

Uchinaga Eri gave a soft "Mm."

Karina said, "Okay." Her voice was soft.

Jiang Zhiyu's lips curved slightly. He pressed the accelerator, and the car pulled out of the parking lot, merging into the traffic on the main road.

"Let's go!"

The streetlights outside the window flickered past one by one, casting alternating patterns of light and shadow inside the car.

Kim Minjeong leaned back in the passenger seat, her fingers scrolling across her phone screen, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips that she couldn't quite suppress.

She snuck a glance at the paper bag. It was light blue, tied with a white ribbon, and sat on the seat next to Jiang Zhiyu.

She rubbed her fingers against her knees, resisting the urge to take a peek.

"Oppa," she said.

"Hm?"

"What's the gift?"

"It's a secret."

"Tell me, please—"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Kim Minjeong pouted and didn't press further.

The night scenery outside the window blurred as it sped by, Seoul's lights appearing like a gentle sea in the darkness.

The ship was sailing toward an unknown horizon; they were on board, and he was at the helm.