127: Chapter 127 Lim Yoon-a, what do you want to do?

Kim Ye-rim, a young girl barely in her teens, immediately clutched her heart with both hands, a starstruck expression on her face.

"Oh my god, that was so cool!"

"Elder Brother Liu Zijun was already super handsome, but he's that tough-guy kind of handsome!"

"If he wasn't Senior Sulli's boyfriend, I would definitely fall in love with him!

Handsome, cool, and he makes you feel so safe. He's literally my perfect ideal type!"

Park Soo-Young nodded in agreement. "I think so too! I'd heard before that Elder Brother Liu Zijun was amazing and had protected Senior Sulli and Senior Yoona, but seeing it today with my own eyes... I'm really impressed!"

The trainees chattered amongst themselves, their voices filled with wonder and admiration.

Everyone chimed in, sharing the sounds they'd heard and the snippets they'd seen. The entire practice room became as rowdy as a wet market.

Meanwhile, Bae Joohyun sat silently to the side, still not saying a word.

The scenes from moments ago replayed repeatedly in her mind, and her heart was still thumping wildly.

In that moment, she really thought she was finished. She had been so paralyzed with fear that she couldn't even scream.

It was Liu Zijun who had stepped in front of them without hesitation. His broad back was like a solid wall, giving her an inexplicable sense of security.

She remembered how he stood before them, his voice firm as he told them to run back.

She remembered his sharp gaze and swift movements as he fought the thugs.

She remembered how, after subduing the thugs, the sharpness in his eyes instantly vanished when he turned to look at them, replaced by a gentle concern.

These images intertwined, leaving her with a complex mix of emotions.

She had always known Liu Zijun was capable and that he was Choi Sulli's boyfriend, but witnessing him fight off thugs to protect them today brought a level of shock and heart-fluttering excitement she had never felt before.

The 'hero saves the damsel' trope might be cliché, but for a young girl of her age, it was bound to leave an indelible impression.

Kim Ye-rim noticed Bae Joohyun's silence, leaned in next to her, and asked softly, "Joo-hyun unnie, why aren't you saying anything?"

"Are you scared out of your wits?"

Bae Joohyun looked up, her eyes still a bit dazed. She nodded, her voice carrying a faint, nearly imperceptible tremble.

"Yeah... it was really terrifying just now."

The younger girls immediately crowded around to comfort her. "But it's over now, and we're all safe. Plus, we got to see Elder Brother Liu Zijun's cool moment with our own eyes, so it's actually a pretty special experience."

Bae Joohyun didn't speak, only nodding again.

She looked down at her palms, which were still damp with the cold sweat from her nervousness.

She knew that after today, Liu Zijun's image in her heart had become more vivid and even harder to forget.

Kang Seulgi also walked over, sat on Bae Joohyun's other side, and asked, "When Elder Brother Liu Zijun stood in front of us earlier, did you feel especially safe?"

Bae Joohyun gave a soft "Mm."

Kang Seulgi spoke again, her voice filled with envy.

"I think Elder Brother Liu Zijun is so good to Senior Sulli. When Senior Sulli ran over just now, the way he looked at her was so tender it could melt your heart. You can tell he really cares about her."

Park Soo-Young whispered, "But speaking of which, Elder Brother Liu Zijun and Senior Yoona seem to have a very good relationship too. Last time, I even saw Senior Yoona talking to him in the company hallway, and her tone was very intimate."

Kim Ye-rim's eyes lit up. "Some people say he's not just Senior Sulli's boyfriend, but that his relationship with Senior Yoona is also unusual! But whether it's true or not, he's so outstanding that it's normal for many people to like him!"

The trainees began discussing the relationships between Liu Zijun, Choi Sulli, and Im Yoona again, their tones full of gossip and curiosity.

Bae Joohyun sat to the side, listening to the girls' discussion, still remaining silent.

Meanwhile, in the f(x) practice room, Choi Sulli had calmed down and was excitedly describing the scene of Liu Zijun fighting the thugs to Victoria Song, Amber Liu, and Luna.

"Oppa immediately shielded Bae Joohyun and the others behind him, then dodged that steel pipe with a sidestep. He was so fast I couldn't even see clearly!"

"Then he knocked that thug to the ground with one punch before taking on the others. He was just so cool!"

Luna looked amazed. "Is he really that strong?"

"Of course it's true!"

"I saw it with my own eyes! Those bad guys were no match for him at all!"

Im Yoona sat nearby, watching Choi Sulli's excitement with a gentle smile playing on her lips.

She thought of how Choi Sulli had been trembling with fear in the lobby earlier, compared to her current look of pure adoration, and couldn't help but find it amusing.

This little girl really didn't hide her admiration for Liu Zijun at all.

'Seol-ri! I've seen even more impressive scenes from your oppa, like when he fought his way out of a bar.'

Victoria Song laughed and patted Choi Sulli on the shoulder.

"Alright, alright, we know your oppa is the best."

"But you still need to be careful when going out. Today was truly dangerous. It's a good thing Liu Zijun was there, otherwise, who knows what would have happened."

"I wonder what those people were after, doing something like that?"

Everyone looked at Choi Sulli, since she was the only idol there at the time.

Choi Sulli said weakly, "I don't know either. How could I have offended people like that? I've been really well-behaved lately, okay?"

The girls all nodded, but they couldn't figure out the reason either!

Choi Sulli suddenly said, "Oh! I think I heard one of the bad guys growling while he was on the ground that oppa stole someone else's woman, and they were here to teach him a lesson! He said their boss would get revenge for hurting them!"

Kim Taeyeon asked in confusion, "Huh? Joon oppa only has the three of you as girlfriends. Could it be a secret admirer of one of you three?"

Im Yoona shuddered, her face darkening visibly.

That's right! Just yesterday, she had been involved in a scandal with Lee Seung-gi, and he had been humiliated.

The girls all looked at Im Yoona with concern.

Could it really have been Lee Seung-gi's doing?

Im Yoona clenched her fists tightly and then suddenly stood up!

Kim Taeyeon and Jessica Jung grabbed her, shouting, "Yoona! Where are you going? Don't do anything reckless without evidence!"

Just then, the practice room door opened.

Jiang Hongshao entered, holding da lei. She smoothed her wine-red wavy hair and said, "Im Yoona! You're right, this was done by the Four-Harmony Gang on Lee Seung-gi's orders! What do you want to do about it?"

"The BOSS's woman shouldn't be afraid of trouble!"

The girls suddenly caught their breath!

Im Yoona gave Jiang Hongshao a deep look, shook off Kim Taeyeon and Jessica Jung's hands, and headed toward the underground garage.

The girls of Girls Generation and f(x) all looked at Jiang Hongshao.

"President Jiang! Letting Yoona go find Lee Seung-gi like this will cause a huge mess!"

Jiang Hongshao looked at Kim Taeyeon and said, "Heh! I, Jiang Hongshao, am not afraid of trouble! If she wants to be the BOSS's woman, she has to be strong, not hide behind him all the time."

Hearing this, Choi Sulli found courage from somewhere and said, "I want to go with Yoona Unnie too."

Another assistant, Kim Ji-hee, stopped her.

"Sulli! You're different. If I let you go, the BOSS will kill me."

"Besides, this matter has nothing to do with you!"

"Don't worry! I'll have someone follow Im Yoona to make sure nothing happens to her."

She looked around at the girls once more, then turned and left the practice room.

A faint voice drifted back: "Sigh! I wonder what the BOSS is thinking!"