123: Chapter 123 Online Feud

The digital lock on the apartment door gave a slight click as it unlocked. Son Ye-jin walked in carrying freshly bought ingredients; her cream-colored knit cardigan complemented Sister Fairy Son's fair skin perfectly.

Just as she finished changing her shoes, she heard intermittent, bashful sounds coming from the second floor, mixed with Im Yoona's tearful pleas for mercy and Liu Zijun's low, soft laughter. Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson.

"These two... they haven't even had dinner yet, and they didn't even close the door. So thoughtless."

Son Ye-jin shook her head helplessly and placed the ingredients on the kitchen counter, her tone carrying a hint of reproach.

After starting the rice cooker, she sat down on the sofa.

She casually opened her phone, and an entertainment news push notification on the screen made her frown.

Terms like #Lee Seung-gi Pursuing Im Yoona at Dongguk University# and #Im Yoona's Suspected New Romance# had already quietly climbed the trending charts, and the comment sections below were already exploding.

Son Ye-jin shouted toward the second floor, her voice clear but carrying a trace of unquestionable seriousness.

"Hey! You two, that's enough! Yoona, your scandal is causing an uproar online, and you two still have the heart to be getting up to no good here?"

The sounds from the second floor came to an abrupt halt.

Hearing Son Ye-jin's voice, Im Yoona felt as if she had caught a life-saving straw. Taking advantage of the moment Liu Zijun was dazed, she violently broke free from his embrace and began scrambling to put on her clothes, her cheeks so red they looked like they could drip blood.

While panting, she glared at Liu Zijun, her eyes full of both shame and angry reproach.

She complained in a low voice, "It's all your fault!"

She reached out to grab her phone which had been tossed by the bed; the dense list of missed calls on the screen made her pupils shrink.

There were over a dozen calls from her Manager Oppa, Taeyeon unnie, and even the company's PR department.

Im Yoona's heart skipped a beat. She quickly went over to Son Ye-jin's side and called her Manager back, her fingers still trembling slightly.

That jerk.

"Hello, Ji-ho Oppa!"

On the other end of the phone, Manager Park Ji-ho asked urgently, "Yoona! What on earth are you doing? It's going crazy online!"

"Students at Dongguk University took photos of you and Lee Seung-gi in a classroom. The internet is about to explode right now. Get back to the company immediately!"

Im Yoona quickly said, "Oppa, let me explain! He insisted on treating me to dinner, but I clearly refused!"

Son Ye-jin poured a glass of warm water and handed it to Im Yoona. Looking at her slightly disheveled clothes and the lingering flush on her face, she shook her head with a smile.

Meanwhile, Liu Zijun leaned against the wall with a lingering smile on his face, though he didn't tease Im Yoona any further.

Im Yoona took a sip of water, steadied herself, and continued into the phone, "Oppa, there's really nothing between me and Lee Seung-gi. He kept pestering me, and I never agreed to eat with him."

The sound of Park Ji-ho sighing in relief came through the phone.

"That's good! Quickly pacify the fans; the company will arrange the PR immediately."

"Lee Seung-gi's side also just contacted us saying they're willing to cooperate with the clarification. Align your stories and say you're friends who ran into each other; you originally intended to eat together, but you had a sudden matter and left early."

Im Yoona immediately refused, "No! Oppa, I don't want to say we're friends. Just say we're a senior and junior who have collaborated professionally. I don't want to have too much involvement with him."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end before Park Ji-ho said somewhat helplessly, "Just get to the company first. I'll communicate with the higher-ups."

After hanging up, Im Yoona let out a long sigh and slumped onto the sofa, the remnants of her flush and exhaustion still on her face.

She was really worn out just now!

Son Ye-jin sat beside her, gently patting her back as she comforted her, "Don't worry. If the PR is handled in time, there shouldn't be too big of a problem."

"It looks like you won't be able to eat this dinner. Go back first!"

Im Yoona looked up, and seeing Liu Zijun's half-smiling expression, she gave him a fierce glare.

Then she hugged Son Ye-jin and muttered, "unnie! Can you please control him? I'm almost being killed by him."

Son Ye-jin smiled and comforted her, "Okay, we'll listen to our Yoona. I'll give him a good lesson in a bit!"

"Go change your clothes first, then head to the company!"

Im Yoona glared at Liu Zijun indignantly once more before going to the bedroom to change.

Son Ye-jin rolled her eyes at him and said, "You too! You don't know how to pick a time. It seems we really have spoiled you too much!"

Liu Zijun stepped forward to hug her and said, "I just heard a certain someone say they were going to teach me a lesson, but I wonder who will be teaching whom in a bit!"

"Don't worry, I've already called Jiang Hongshao. She'll handle it!"

Im Yoona came out after changing her clothes. Seeing the two of them hugging, she glared at him fiercely again and scolded, "It's all your fault! I don't even have any strength left now!"

Then she pulled Son Ye-jin into a hug and said, "Yejin Unnie! You can't let him get his way today. Let him suffer through the frustration!"

After Im Yoona left, Liu Zijun didn't actually "fight" with Son Ye-jin. Instead, he went to the kitchen and started cooking.

Son Ye-jin, meanwhile, looked at the news online.

Indeed, the scandal regarding Im Yoona and Lee Seung-gi had already fermented like wildfire.

The photos taken by the students at Dongguk University were being frantically forwarded. In the photos, Lee Seung-gi was sitting next to Im Yoona; although there was a distance between them, it was enough to trigger infinite imagination.

"Oh my god, are Yoona and Lee Seung-gi together?"

"There were rumors before, and now it looks like they're real?"

"Lee Seung-gi, stay away! My Yoona doesn't even like him!"

"Im Yoona, don't cling to him! Seung-gi Oppa was just being polite and greeting her!"

...

The fans had already started tearing into each other in the comment section.

Not long after, Lee Seung-gi's agency was the first to release a statement:

"Lee Seung-gi and Im Yoona are good friends. They happened to meet at Dongguk University that day. He intended to invite Im Yoona for dinner to catch up, but Im Yoona had a temporary work arrangement and left first. Thank you for your concern, and we hope everyone does not speculate excessively."

Immediately following that, SM Entertainment also released a statement, but the content was slightly different from Lee Seung-gi's agency's version:

"Im Yoona and Mr. Lee Seung-gi only have a senior-junior relationship through past collaborations. There was no agreement to have dinner together. Im Yoona left early due to private matters. Thank you for your attention, and please do not believe unfounded rumors."

Both companies' statements seemed to be clarifying the scandal, but the subtle difference between "good friends" and "senior-junior" instantly triggered more speculation among observant netizens.

"The stories don't match! Lee Seung-gi says they're good friends, while Yoona's side says they're senior and junior. Who's lying?"

"It's obvious Im Yoona wants to distance herself. Lee Seung-gi just got slapped in the face, didn't he?"

"I think Lee Seung-gi unilaterally wanted to create hype, and Yoona's side didn't want to cooperate, so they said that."

...

The fans' arguments became even more intense. Lee Seung-gi's fans felt that SM Entertainment's statement was too disrespectful—calling them senior and junior when they're clearly good friends was looking down on Lee Seung-gi.

Im Yoona's fans felt the company did the right thing; they should clearly distance themselves to avoid more pestering later.

At the company, Im Yoona felt somewhat irritable as she looked at the online comments.

After seeing Jiang Hongshao nod, Lee Soo-man also nodded somewhat helplessly.

She picked up her phone and edited a social media post: "I just ran into a senior at school and said a simple hello before leaving. Everyone, please don't over-interpret~ I've been busy with my studies and new works lately, and I'll keep working hard!"

After the post was published, smart fans guessed roughly what the situation was.

This was Im Yoona's way of rejecting Lee Seung-gi, which made Lee Seung-gi's fans even more upset.

Many netizens seized on the term "senior" and compared it with Lee Seung-gi's agency's "good friend," making the discussion even more heated.

"Look, Yoona said it herself—he's a senior. Lee Seung-gi's side was clearly trying to lean into being friends. It's a bit intentional, isn't it?"

"Maybe it's just wishful thinking on Lee Seung-gi's part to be friends, and Yoona was just responding out of politeness?"

"They're really tearing each other apart now!"

Lee Seung-gi's agency and Lee Seung-gi himself posted again to explain the situation and pacify the fans, and only then did the heat slightly subside.

Liu Zijun walked into the living room carrying the prepared dinner. Looking at Son Ye-jin, he said with a smile, "Stop looking. Time to eat; these are all your favorite dishes."

Son Ye-jin smiled. Online fans were blind and easily led by public opinion.

"Lee Seung-gi is a bit embarrassed this time, actually liking our Yoona!"

"President Jiang is also impressive, allowing Yoona to act so willfully. If they had aligned their stories, there wouldn't have been so much trouble!"

"Yoona is just like Sulli; both little girls are so stubborn."

"As long as it's something involving you, they consider your interests deep in their bones!"

Liu Zijun looked at her and smiled, "Yejin, aren't you the same?"