12: Chapter 12 That Cup of Coffee

Seoul's Myeongdong district was currently enveloped in a thick Christmas atmosphere.

The Peninsula was a country quite enthusiastic about these Western holidays.

A massive Christmas tree stood in the center of the mall, its branches entwined with string lights and adorned with golden bells and red bows. Inside the mall, customers bustled about.

Although it was winter, quite a few young women inside were still showing off their long legs, making Liu Zijun unable to resist stealing a few extra glances.

The laughing and lively customers made the chill of Seoul's winter seem a little less biting.

f(x) was invited to perform a brand event on the mall's outdoor stage. The stage was set up in the atrium on the first floor, surrounded by layer upon layer of fans, packed tightly together.

Support light sticks shimmered, and voices calling out the members' names rose and fell in waves. Among them, the shouts of "Sulli," "Krystal," and "Victoria" were particularly loud.

These were also the three pillars of popularity for the little struggling group.

Liu Zijun stood at a security position to the side of the stage, his gaze constantly fixed on the girls.

He wore that custom-made black suit, his hands tucked into his trouser pockets, his posture as straight and tall as a pine tree, standing out starkly from the mall's uniformed security staff.

On stage, f(x) was performing "Electric Shock." The powerful, rhythmic melody started, and the five girls moved in sync with the choreography, their movements sharp and precise.

Choi Sulli stood on stage, her short hair slightly lifted by the wind, a faint smile on her face, her eyes curved into crescents. Yet, within that smile, there was still a trace of lingering fatigue.

After all, Choi Soo-myung's funeral had only just passed a couple of days ago, and she was forcing herself to muster the energy to participate in this performance.

This SM Entertainment really was a bitch, exploiting its artists relentlessly.

Even so, this girl's stage presence was truly radiant and captivating.

He noticed Sulli's face was flushed red from the cold. Money really wasn't easy to earn for artists in The Peninsula!

Right at that moment, two discordant shouts suddenly rose from the audience, so jarring in the live atmosphere, instantly shattering the performance's fervor.

"Choi Sulli! How could someone like you possibly be worthy of our oppa?"

"Exactly! And Victoria, how dare you stir up rumors with our Nichkhun oppa? Take a look at yourself! Go back to China!"

The voices came from the back of the fan crowd, sharp and piercing, dripping with malice.

Victoria Song's face instantly paled with panic. Choi Sulli's dance steps faltered abruptly, her smile freezing completely, a flash of panic in her eyes as she instinctively looked toward the source of the voices.

The other three girls on stage also heard these abusive words. Though they sensed something was wrong, they only exchanged worried glances, not daring to let their performance movements falter in the slightest.

"aishiba! These antis! When did our Sulli ever stir up rumors? And the show with Victoria and Nichkhun was over a year ago! These people are really...!"

Han Jaeran, standing beside Liu Zijun, couldn't help but curse under his breath!

Liu Zijun's brows instantly furrowed. His gaze swept over the crowd like a hawk's, quickly locking onto two young women wearing black hoodies.

They had pulled their hoods low, obscuring most of their faces, and held coffee cups in their hands as they stood on tiptoe, shouting towards the stage.

Their tone grew increasingly outrageous:

"That's right! Stop pretending to be innocent! Just leave the group already!"

"You've even changed your face! How dare you stand on stage? Since when did our oppa's taste become so poor?"

Liu Zijun suddenly asked Han Jaeran, "Brother Jaeran, can I take action?"

Han Jaeran immediately grabbed Liu Zijun's arm, saying, "Ji-Jun, don't! If you take action, then Sulli and the others will truly be finished!"

Liu Zijun gritted his teeth and said, "So we just let them keep shouting like this?"

Han Jaeran suddenly addressed the event organizers and the mall's head of security, "Please, handle this!"

Meanwhile, f(x)'s fans also thought the two girls at the back were insane. They began cheering even louder, their voices instantly drowning out the two girls.

Devoted fans even started shouting "Shut up!" at the two anti-fanss, and some tried to step forward to push them away. For a moment, the scene became somewhat chaotic.

Victoria Song leaned close to Sulli and whispered in a low voice, "Sulli, ignore them. Keep performing!"

She patted Choi Sulli's back encouragingly.

Choi Sulli nodded, forcing back the stinging in her eyes, and raised a smile again, continuing to dance with the music. But the smile seemed particularly strained, and the light in her eyes dimmed considerably.

She clenched her fists tightly, a wave of grievance surging up inside her like a tide.

She had done nothing wrong. Why was she being attacked like this?

Seeing Choi Sulli's forced composure, Liu Zijun's anger instantly flared.

But for the sake of the girls' dreams, he had no choice but to endure it.

Right then, seeing the other fans starting to drive them away and the mall staff approaching, the two girls also began to panic.

Suddenly!

One of the girls suddenly raised the takeaway coffee cup in her hand and hurled it fiercely towards Choi Sulli on stage!

The attack was sudden and swift, heading straight for Choi Sulli's face. Even a few drops of warm, brown liquid splashed out mid-air.

The fans below let out a collective gasp. Of course, Choi Sulli also saw the flying coffee cup. Her pupils contracted in fright, her body froze in place, completely forgetting to dodge.

Victoria Song shouted, "Watch out!"

She tried to reach out and pull Choi Sulli, but it was already too late.

At this critical moment, Liu Zijun moved.

Like a bolt of black lightning, he charged from the side of the stage, taking a swift step to shield Choi Sulli.

His movements were so fast they almost left an afterimage, far beyond a normal person's reaction speed.

*Splash—*

The coffee cup hit Liu Zijun's back. Warm coffee flew out, most of it splashing onto his custom-made black suit.

The dark brown liquid quickly soaked into the expensive wool fabric, much of it dripping down the hem of his suit jacket onto the stage floor.

Naturally, quite a bit of coffee also splashed onto Liu Zijun's face and neck, emitting a faint coffee scent.

Choi Sulli stared at Liu Zijun shielding her, at his face smiling at her. Her mind went completely blank.

She was truly terrified!

She could clearly smell the coffee in the air and see the coffee starting to drip from Liu Zijun's body. Her heart felt very unsettled.

Liu Zijun didn't turn around. Instead, he first raised a hand and gently patted Choi Sulli's arm, smiling as he said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

His voice was still low, yet it made her feel so reassured.

Was this the feeling of being protected? It was just like Oppa Soomyeong!

She actually managed to show a genuinely relieved expression!

Only then did Liu Zijun slowly turn around, his gaze falling on the two fleeing anti-fanss below. His eyes were cold.

But he did not go after the two girls.

Very well!

Just wait!