459: Chapter 512 2022 SPRING SPECIAL - OPERATION SUNNY (1)

The trending search list completely exploded the moment Karina returned to the SM Building. "Kimchi Ji-min's Next Level" surged to the top spot at an astonishing speed, and the color of the "Explosive" tag changed from orange to deep red, like a burning fire. Closely following it were "Kimchi Karina SM Building Reuters Photo" and "Karina's Permanent Kimchi Skin." The view counts following the entries were constantly jumping, and the frenzy of fans in the comment section continued.

"I'm going to frame this Reuters photo of Ji-min—walking from TG Entertainment to the SM Building in a kimchi mascot costume, what kind of professional dedication is this!" "The zipper head broke, she can't take it off, it's a permanent skin, hahahaha! Kim Minjeong is laughing the loudest." "From Pig 51 to Kimchi Karina, aespa's variety show sense must have been developed by Lee Tima!" "Please, make this kimchi skin into merchandise, I'll buy it no matter the price." "Did you guys notice? The background is the top floor of the TG Entertainment building. What kind of place is that? It's full of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs!" "Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs + Kimchi + Next Level, this combination is too abstract."

The heat in the comment section continued to climb, but Karina didn't look at her phone. She sat in the lounge of the SM Building wearing that kimchi mascot costume she couldn't take off, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the gray, hazy sky outside the window. Kim Minjeong was squatting in the corner, her shoulders still shaking. Ningning held her phone up, aiming it at Karina, her fingers tapping on the screen; it was unclear whether she was taking photos or recording a video. Uchinaga Eri stood by the window holding a cup of Americano, her expression calm, though her eyes glanced at Karina from time to time. Kim Minjeong said, "Unnie, this look is really suitable for being aespa's mascot, Kimchi Warrior, guarding the peace of the Earth." Karina didn't answer. Anything she said would be useless; today's social death was destined to go down in history.

Lee Tima was no longer at the SM Building. The moment Karina walked into the SM Building, she had quietly slipped out of the crowd, carrying a paper bag, hailed a taxi, and gave the address of Kim Taeyeon's home. The paper bag contained a premium Hanwoo gift box, as well as fresh vegetables and fruits just picked from the medicinal herb garden on the top floor of TG Entertainment. Mint, basil, rosemary, and even a few strawberries. She decided to "share" them; these ingredients would soon become delicious food on the table.

Kim Taeyeon's life recently had been very comfortable. The light blue marine Lemm Anne and the gray little teddy Zero were both great at keeping her company. Anne would wake her up, remind her of her schedule, and play soothing music when she was in a bad mood. Zero would lie on her lap and lick her hand, carry a toy ball for her to throw, and jump up to nestle in her arms when she was lying on the sofa. One was artificial intelligence, and the other was a small animal; neither could speak, but both were accompanying her in their own ways.

Kim Taeyeon had recently discovered that Zero especially liked to lie on Anne. That afternoon, the sunlight shone in through the window, and Zero curled into a gray fur ball, lying on Anne's translucent light blue body. Anne's body was glowing slightly, and Zero's belly rose and fell gently with its breathing. She took a photo and posted it to her personal account with the caption "Good friends." The comment section exploded, and Sunny's crazed, jealous comment was still the fastest. "Why does Zero get to lie on a Lemm and I don't?!" followed by a long string of angry emojis. Kim Taeyeon replied with a smiling emoji and didn't say anything else.

The doorbell rang. Anne's clear, boyish voice sounded from the charging dock: "Taeyeon Noona, Lee Tima is at Kakao—" It paused, probably reading the message content. "Unnie, I'm at the door, open it quickly!" The tone was imitated vividly, and even that sense of urgency in "You hurry up and open the door" was learned very well.

Kim Taeyeon raised an eyebrow and stood up from the sofa. Zero jumped off her lap and followed at her heels, its little paws making a soft "pitter-patter" sound on the floor. Anne's eyes were still lit, and a faint blue light filled the room.

Kim Taeyeon walked to the door and opened it. Lee Tima was holding the Hanwoo gift box and the bag of fruits and vegetables, blocking her face. The wrapping paper of the gift box was printed with patterns of Hanwoo, and through the transparent bag opening, one could see the bright red strawberries and green mint leaves inside. She moved the gift box down a little, revealing two eyes curved into crescent moons. "Ta-da—Good afternoon, Unnie!" The voice came from behind the gift box, crisp and bright.

Kim Taeyeon smiled and reached out to take the bag containing the fruits and vegetables into her hands. The bag was quite heavy, and the sweet fragrance of strawberries and the refreshing scent of mint wafted out from the opening of the bag. "Come in quickly."

Lee Tima slipped past her with a grin, her slippers making a "clack" sound on the floor. Zero poked its head out from behind Kim Taeyeon's heels, its black, beady eyes staring at this strange visitor. Lee Tima squatted down and reached out a finger to poke its belly; Zero kicked its legs in the air and made a "woof" sound. She reached out again to rub Anne's body; the touch was cool and smooth, like touching a piece of jelly warmed by the sun.

An emoji " " appeared on the surface of Anne's body. Its large mechanical eyes blinked, and Lee Tima's face was reflected in its pupils. "Super-level authorized user detected—Lee Ji-eun. Unlocked. Tima, good afternoon." The voice was still that clear, boyish tone.

Lee Tima withdrew her hand from Anne, stood up, and the corners of her mouth curved into an arc. "Hello, Anne. Search the TG Entertainment database for the document of the new aespa variety show project, 'Black Mamba Invading Kwangya.' Extract it and project it onto the wall."

Anne's eyes lit up. "Received—Connecting to the TG Entertainment database—" Kim Taeyeon's eyelid twitched. "Updating database content—" Kim Taeyeon's mouth opened slightly.

"Anne actually has this function?" Her voice was soft and urgent, her gaze shifting from Anne to Lee Tima's face, and then back from Lee Tima's face to Anne. Lee Tima tilted her head and smiled. "Unnie, didn't you know?"

Kim Taeyeon's face flushed slightly, the red spreading from her apple cheeks. "How could I possibly know!" Her voice raised by half a degree. "And this counts as stealing company secrets, right!"

Lee Tima looked at Kim Taeyeon's slightly flushed face and smiled meaningfully. Jiang Zhiyu had given it to her, which was equivalent to opening up TG Entertainment's information access to her. But she had never asked about TG Entertainment related matters at all. If it were IU, she definitely would have asked; the moment she got Anne, she would have turned the TG Entertainment database upside down, from financial data to project plans to the progress schedule of every project. She would have used that information to do many things, things Lee Tima dared not even imagine. At the thought of a "darkened IU," her back felt cold again.

Kim Taeyeon's voice pulled her thoughts back. "Tima, is there anything you came to see me for?"

Lee Tima smiled. "Unnie, come and make a guest appearance on the variety show!"

Anne's voice sounded from the side. "Data update complete, document reading finished—projecting." Its large mechanical eyes began to glow, and blue-white light projected from its pupils, landing on the blank wall of the living room. Beams of light intertwined, combined, and formed an image on the wall. A few lines of text slowly appeared on the wall—"aespa new variety show project, Black Mamba Invading Kwangya."

Kim Taeyeon looked at the large characters slowly appearing on the wall, her lips slightly parted. Zero squatted by her feet, looking up at the glowing wall, its tail sweeping gently on the floor. Lee Tima stood in the center of the living room, her twin tails swaying slightly in the light, the arc at the corners of her mouth remaining.

"Unnie, this variety show needs a special guest. After thinking it over, the most suitable candidate is you." Her tone was the certainty of "I have already decided."

Kim Taeyeon was silent for a moment. The words on the wall had fully appeared, and below them was dense project content. "Why me?"

Lee Tima tilted her head. "Because Unnie is the leader of Girls Generation. aespa's senior, SM's great senior, the existence that juniors look up to." She paused. "In the concept of Kwangya, a guardian role is needed. Not a warrior, not a weapon master, not a hacker, not a linguist—a guardian."

Kim Taeyeon's gaze fell on the words "Guardian" on the wall, and she read it softly. "Guardian..."

"Yes. Guarding the balance between Kwangya and the real world, guarding those young warriors from being eroded by Black Mamba, guarding them so that when they are fighting at the front, there will be no fire in the rear." Lee Tima's voice softened, carrying a solemnity of "I am seriously talking about something." "Unnie, you are the most suitable person."

Kim Taeyeon's eyelashes trembled. She remembered a long time ago in the Girls Generation dormitory, the maknaes also looked at her like this, with that kind of "Unnie, lead us" look in their eyes. Her fingers tightened slightly on her knees. Lee Tima's gaze had been on her face the whole time, that gaze carrying the certainty of "I already know the answer." "What do I need to do?" Kim Taeyeon pursed her lips.

Lee Tima smiled. "Very simple. Appear on the variety show, say a few lines, and interact with aespa. No need to dance, no need to sing, no need to do anything that would make you feel embarrassed." She thought for a moment. "Probably just a few minutes of screen time."

Kim Taeyeon looked at Lee Tima's sparkling eyes, looking at that smile with curved corners of the mouth, exactly the same as her brother's. She nodded. "Okay."

Lee Tima was happy, jumped up from the sofa, and pressed her hands together. "Thank you, Unnie!" That "thank you" was crisp and bright. Anne's eyes curved. The project document on the wall was still scrolling slowly, Kim Taeyeon looked at the line of "Guardian," Zero rolled over by her feet, revealing its white belly, its little paws curled in front of its chest. She bent down to pick up Zero and put it on her lap, gently scratching its belly with her fingers. Zero squinted its eyes.

Lee Tima sat back down on the sofa, picked up a strawberry from the coffee table, and popped it into her mouth. The strawberry was very sweet, and the juice exploded on the tip of her tongue. "Unnie, do you know? Before my brother left, he said something to me." She said indistinctly with the strawberry in her mouth.

Kim Taeyeon's fingers paused on Zero's belly. "What did he say?"

Lee Tima swallowed the strawberry. "He said, 'Tima, don't bully Taeyeon Noona.'" The arc at the corners of her mouth grew even larger. "Unnie, what do you think he meant? When have I ever bullied you?" Those eyes clearly wrote, "I'm just here to bully you."

Kim Taeyeon looked at Lee Tima's "I'm so innocent" face and hugged Zero tighter to her chest. Zero let out a "woof" from being hugged. She took a deep breath and suppressed it in her chest. "When you said that just now, the arc of your mouth was exactly the same as your brother's." Her voice was calm.

Lee Tima's smile froze for a moment, and then she laughed even more happily. "Is that so? Then can I be the CEO too?"

Kim Taeyeon did not answer.

The sky outside changed from gray-blue to dark blue. The streetlights turned on, and the orange light leaked through the gap in the curtains, drawing a thin strip of light on the living room floor. An emoji appeared on the surface of Anne's body, its large mechanical eyes half-open and half-closed. Zero turned over in Kim Taeyeon's arms and closed its eyes again. Lee Tima was eating strawberries, one after another. Kim Taeyeon watched her. "Remember to add more garlic when we grill the Hanwoo later." Zero snored a little in its sleep.

——

Kim Taeyeon held Anne, her fingers gently stroking its semi-transparent body. Anne made a "purring" sound, its large mechanical eyes half-open and half-closed, like a kitten dozing off. Zero lay on her lap, its little paws resting on the edge of Anne's base, its tail gently sweeping across the sofa cushion. One dog, one cat, and one Lemm—the scene was harmoniously unreal.

Lee Tima sat cross-legged at the other end of the sofa, still holding the half-eaten strawberry, juice dripping down her fingers. "The guiding Moon Goddess." She repeated it again, her tone carrying a solemnity that said, "I have thought this through carefully."

Kim Taeyeon raised an eyebrow. "Tima, Moon Goddess?" When those four words came out of her mouth, the tail end of her voice rose slightly, carrying a playful tone that asked, "Are you kidding me?"

"Unnie was so beautiful in INVU!" Lee Tima shoved the half-strawberry into her mouth, speaking indistinctly, her eyes shining like two ignited stars. She chewed twice, swallowed, and gestured in the air. "It's that kind of feeling—standing under the moonlight, wearing a white dress, hair blowing in the wind, expression indifferent, eyes cold, but not the kind of cold that says 'I'm ignoring you,' it's the kind of cold that says 'I'm watching you, but you can't see me.'" She drew a circle in the air with her hand. "Doesn't Unnie have a scene in the MV where you're standing on a crescent moon? That's it! Moon Goddess!" Her voice grew higher and more excited.

Having been complimented, Kim Taeyeon couldn't suppress the curve of her lips. She smiled until her eyes squinted, the smile spreading from the corners of her mouth, across her cheeks, past the corners of her eyes, her whole person radiating a satisfaction that said, "Even though I know you're just coaxing me, I'm still very happy." She hugged Anne closer to her chest. "So what do I need to do?" Her voice carried a hint of urging: "I've already agreed, so tell me quickly."

Lee Tima waved her hand. "Unnie just needs to say a few pretty words. As for the rest—" She paused, a meaningful curve forming at the corner of her mouth. "It's all Sunny Unnie's business."

Kim Taeyeon's smile faded slightly. It didn't disappear, but the upward curve pressed down a bit. She frowned. "Sunny?" When those two words came out of her mouth, they carried a hint of confusion: "What are you talking about?" "She's coming to make a cameo too?"

Lee Tima blinked innocently, her large eyes filled with "I'm telling the truth." "Sunny Unnie will definitely come." Her tone was as certain as saying, "The sun will rise again tomorrow."

Kim Taeyeon was somewhat skeptical. Sunny, that homebody, would come to participate in a variety show? She didn't even want to leave the dorm; every time she was asked out for a meal, it required booking days in advance, and she would often cancel at the last minute. Such a person, would she take the initiative to guest star on a variety show? Her gaze fell on Lee Tima's innocent face, trying to find a trace of lying in those curved eyebrows and sparkling eyes. She found nothing. She smiled indifferently. "Alright then, let's eat barbecue first."

Lee Tima's eyes lit up, and she sprang up from the sofa. "Okay!" The voice was crisp and bright, and she looked like a little bird released from a cage.

Watching her jubilant appearance, Kim Taeyeon couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair. Her fingers slid into her hair, from the top of her head to the back of her neck, her fingertips lingering for a moment at the ends of her hair. Lee Tima squinted her eyes as she was petted, making a "hehe" sound. "Tima, are you bored because no one is playing with you?" Kim Taeyeon's voice was very soft, like coaxing a child throwing a tantrum.

Lee Tima opened her eyes and thought about it. "Oppa went to Yunnan, Sooyeon Unnie is busy with work, IU Unnie is also busy forming a production crew—" She counted on her fingers, one by one. When she counted to IU, her tone obviously paused. "As for me... hehe, I just had to wander around." That "hehe" carried a hint of heartache that said, "I'm very pitiful but I won't say it," and also a hint of cheekiness that said, "So I came to find you to play, and you can't refuse me."

Kim Taeyeon looked at her "I'm very busy but I still made time to come see you" expression, smiled, and didn't expose her.

The Hanwoo sizzled on the grill, grease dripping onto the charcoal and sparking tiny embers. Lee Tima picked up a piece of grilled pork belly, dipped it in sauce, wrapped it in lettuce, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed, her eyes squinting into two slits. Kim Taeyeon sat opposite, holding a piece of ungrilled Hanwoo, her gaze falling on Lee Tima. Her lips moved several times, closing each time just as she was about to make a sound, and then she finally couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Tima, why are you so sure Sunny will come to make a cameo?" Her voice wasn't loud.

Lee Tima's chopsticks paused. The corners of her mouth slowly curved up—the curve wasn't her usual "innocent" smile; it was a deeper, heavier smile, carrying a hint of smugness that said, "I know something you don't." She looked up at Kim Taeyeon, her amber eyes reflecting the white smoke rising from the grill. She didn't answer, just smiled.

Kim Taeyeon looked at that smile and didn't ask again. Because she knew that even if she asked, she wouldn't get an answer; Lee Tima was just like her brother—if there was something they didn't want to say, you couldn't pry it out of their mouths even if you held a knife to their throats.

On the internet, the official account of the TG Entertainment variety department updated a post at exactly 6 PM. It wasn't a teaser, nor was it behind-the-scenes footage; it was an announcement with yellow text on a red background. The red was a true red, and the yellow was a golden yellow; the color scheme was as festive as couplets posted for the New Year, and as tacky as a clearance sale banner for a roadside hardware store. It read— "The application channel for special guests for 'Invading Kwangya's Black Mamba' is now open!" Below it was a line of small text— "Requirements: Female, height 155cm, loves to drink, lies flat, owns an orange cat, third oldest among second-generation girl group members, short-stature group. Interested parties please report to the TG Entertainment variety department on April 3, 2022. After reporting, you can receive a limited-time experience of the TG exclusive Red Velvet Laimu, codenamed 'Pig Yeri'."

When Sunny was lying on her sofa scrolling through this post, she almost spat out the mouthful of cola in her mouth. She choked, coughed several times, and cola spilled from the corner of her mouth, dripping down her chin. She didn't wipe it, her eyes staring fixedly at that line of text on the screen—Female, she fit; height 155cm, she was a little off but it could barely count if rounded; loves to drink, she fit; lies flat, she was practically the spokesperson for lying flat; owns an orange cat, she owned one; third oldest among second-generation girl group members, she was indeed the third oldest in Girls Generation; short-stature group, she was short, couldn't be shorter.

Every point felt like it was calling her name. Every point made her back go cold. She put down the cola can, picked up her phone, and opened the comment section. The comment section had already exploded.

"This is recruiting Sunny, right? This is clearly recruiting Sunny, right?" "Hahaha, every point is written for Sunny, Lee Tima, are you doing this on purpose?" "155, Sunny Unnie, you've been publicly executed." "Loves to drink + lies flat + owns orange cat + second-gen third oldest + short-stature group—Sunny Unnie, do you have anything else to add?" "After reporting, you can receive a limited-time experience of the Red Velvet Laimu codenamed 'Pig Yeri'. Yeri: ??? Where is my Laimu?"

The next post was published immediately after. A nine-grid GIF; in the center grid were five Red Velvet Laimu, with coffee on their heads, lined up in a row, bouncing forward in the office corridor. Their steps were as neat as trained penguins, the coffee cups on their heads didn't move a bit, and the liquid in the cups didn't even ripple. The other eight grids were close-ups of the Laimu and various ability demonstrations—one Laimu was using a tentacle to unscrew a bottle cap; one was wrapping its body around an iced cola to cool it down, a layer of fine water droplets condensing on the surface of the iced cola; one was scanning a document, the words "Scan Complete" appearing on the surface of its body; one was tapping on a keyboard with tentacles, the document on the screen scrolling rapidly; one was wirelessly charging a mobile phone, the charging symbol pulsing on the surface of its body. Each Laimu's body was red and semi-transparent, with golden threads embedded on the surface, shimmering with fine light under the lamps.

Sunny stared at the nine-grid for a long time, her gaze slowly moving from the first grid in the top left corner to the ninth grid in the bottom right corner, then slowly moving back from the ninth grid to the first. Her fingers gently stroked the screen.

Yeri was also looking at that post. She was lying on her dorm bed in her pajamas, the fluorescent light of the phone screen reflecting on her face. Her eyes looked from the first post to the second post, and from the second post back to the first. "Pig Yeri". That was her Laimu, Jiang Zhiyu had promised her, Red Velvet Laimu, exclusive to Red Velvet, one for each person, her Laimu's codename was "Yeri". It was "Yeri", not "Pig Yeri". She took a deep breath, her fingers poking rapidly on the screen.

The comment section exploded. Sunny's comment was pinned at the very top, a string of question marks, like some kind of silent questioning. Her fingers must have been poking the screen very hard, as a furious emoji followed the question marks. Yeri's comment followed immediately, urgent and hurried, that "Ya" seemed to jump out of the phone screen. "That is my Laimu!" followed by a long string of exclamation marks. Sunny's reply was quick, only two words— "What?" Yeri replied again, "Unnie, what are you playing dumb for!" Sunny sent an emoji. Yeri sent an emoji.

Others started to stir the pot. Someone said, "Sunny Unnie, aren't these conditions tailor-made for you?" Someone said, "Height 155cm, loves to drink, lies flat, owns an orange cat, second-gen third oldest, short-stature group—they might as well have just given out Sunny's ID number." Someone said, "Red Velvet Laimu codenamed 'Pig Yeri', Yeri you've been certified." Others said, "TG's planning department is too good, these conditions are so tight, no one can apply except Sunny."

Sunny replied with three words under the comment "they might as well have just given out Sunny's ID number"—"Shibal-ya". Yeri replied under the comment "Red Velvet Laimu codenamed 'Pig Yeri'"—"I do not agree with this name". Someone replied to her, "This was named by TG, go find TG." Yeri replied with an emoji.