26: Chapter 26 The Proposal for a Trip to Japan

Early morning, December 30, 2012; it had started snowing again today.

Inside the Girls Generation dorm.

Wrapped in cream-white plush pajamas, Kim Taeyeon was standing at the open kitchen counter brewing coffee.

The rich aroma of coffee mingled with the toasted scent of bread permeated the air.

Her movements were leisurely, and she occasionally hummed a short melody to her phone, though it was a bit out of tune, clearly showing she wasn't fully awake yet.

Jessica Jung leaned against the kitchen doorframe, holding a piece of toast spread with strawberry jam, her delicate features still carrying a hint of morning drowsiness.

"Taeyeon-ah, make the coffee stronger. I slept too late last night, and my brain isn't working today."

Without looking up, Kim Taeyeon pointed to the milk pitcher nearby and said softly, "Add the milk yourself. I'm brewing Americanos, so I didn't put any sugar in for you."

Jessica pouted but obediently poured milk into her cup before taking a satisfyingly large bite of toast.

In the living room, Im Yoona was sitting cross-legged on the rug, scrolling through a tablet, while her other hand held a seaweed rice ball handed to her by Choi Sooyoung.

Her fingers swiped quickly across the screen, first scanning the trending topics from last night's Gayo Daejeon before clicking on a fan-uploaded live video.

While eating, she muttered quietly, "Sulli and the others' stage last night was amazing. I need to check out the fan cams."

Choi Sooyoung and Tiffany Young were squeezed onto the sofa, fixing their hair in front of a mirror while discussing today's schedule.

Seohyun sat at a desk to the side, reading a book intently, looking every bit like a top student.

Kim Hyoyeon and Kwon Yuri had just returned from a run, wiping their faces with sports towels.

Although they each had homes in Seoul, none of them had gone out last night; instead, they returned to the dorm to busy themselves with the new album.

Tiffany glanced back at Im Yoona's tablet screen and asked curiously, "Yoona, aren't you planning to head out yet? Aren't you hosting the Gayo Daechukje at KBS today?"

Im Yoona was about to answer when her mouth, mid-bite into the rice ball, suddenly froze.

The video on the tablet had just cut to a shot of Liu Zijun cheering for T-ara last night.

In the frame, Liu Zijun's tall figure stood in the staff area, shouting T-ara's professional fan chants toward the stage. His voice came through the tablet's speakers exceptionally clearly.

The director had even thoughtfully given him a close-up (Liu Zijun: Thoughtful my ass!).

One could clearly see the earnestness in his eyes, a complete contrast to his usual icy demeanor.

The rice ball in Im Yoona's mouth was instantly forgotten, her eyes wide with surprise.

She couldn't help but shout, "Eh? Everyone, come look! Isn't this our company's bodyguard, Liu Zijun? He's actually doing fan chants!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it instantly grabbed everyone's attention in the dorm.

Kim Taeyeon walked over holding her coffee, Jessica joined her by the rug, and Choi Sooyoung's eyes flickered as she jumped straight off the sofa.

Even the good girl Seohyun put down her book and gathered around curiously.

In the video, Liu Zijun was shouting the T-ara fan chants over and over, from the members' names to the group's slogans, without missing a word—as professional as a veteran fan.

And the T-ara members on stage, upon hearing his cheers, looked as if their surprise and emotion were about to overflow. Park Soyeon even gave a tearful smile in his direction.

"Daebak!"

Choi Sooyoung was the first to cry out, her hair tie dropping to the floor. One must know, that Yejin Unnie had recently asked about this guy.

Tiffany's eyes also widened, her makeup brush frozen mid-air, a look of defeat on her face.

"Am I seeing this right? He can't even match our names to our faces, yet he can memorize T-ara's fan chants so perfectly? This is such a double standard!"

Jessica crossed her arms, her delicate brows furrowing slightly as she asked with a hint of confusion, "Isn't he Krystal and the others' bodyguard? How can he cheer for a group from another company like that?"

Kim Taeyeon took a sip of her coffee, her lips pressed tight as she watched Liu Zijun in the video; she hadn't relaxed her guard against this man yet.

But clearly, now wasn't the time to say that.

The leader said softly, "It seems we still have a long way to go if we want him to remember the names of Girls Generation."

This sentence instantly struck a chord with everyone.

They were the nation's girl group, Girls Generation.

In all their years since debut, they had never encountered someone like this.

Clearly handsome and skilled, yet he ignored them completely, couldn't even remember the members' names, but was so devoted to T-ara who were in a difficult situation.

Im Yoona kept staring at the screen, her eyes full of inquiry.

She recalled her conversation with Liu Zijun in the fire escape, his cold 'stay away' aura, and the tenderness that only appeared in his eyes when Choi Sulli and Choi Soo-myung were mentioned. Her curiosity about this man deepened.

This man was truly too mysterious.

He was willing to guard f(x), and while he clearly looked down on them, Girls Generation, he would lower himself to shout fan chants for T-ara.

Suddenly, Im Yoona's eyes lit up as if she had thought of a great idea.

She abruptly looked up and said to Jessica, "Sica Unnie, ask Krystal if they have any schedules for the next few days."

She continued, "We're going to Neon the day after tomorrow for our new album promotions, and we'll definitely need extra hands for security."

"We can talk to Section Chief Park Woo-sik and arrange for Mr. Liu Zijun to go to Neon with us. Then we can make sure he gets to know Girls Generation properly!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the dorm went quiet for a few seconds before erupting into a chorus of approval.

Choi Sooyoung slapped her thigh and said excitedly, "Wow! Yoona, your idea is too good! With so many schedules in Neon, we'll be fluttering in front of his eyes every day. I don't believe he won't remember our names!"

What she didn't say was that she also wanted to know how he knew Son Ye-jin.

Tiffany also nodded repeatedly, waving her makeup brush with a competitive spirit.

"Exactly! The fans in Neon are so passionate, so security will be very important. Mr. Liu Zijun is so skilled; it's perfect to have him tag along."

Kim Taeyeon looked at Im Yoona's clever expression and couldn't help but smile.

She also wanted to properly understand what kind of man he was—whether he was good or bad!

She put down her coffee cup and said, "This proposal is feasible. We do need extra security for our Neon trip. Taeyong Oppa also said Mr. Liu Zijun's skills are really strong, so we'd feel safe with him."

"And it's a good chance to let him get to know us properly, so his eyes aren't only on Sulli and T-ara."

Jessica nodded and said, "Fine, I'll call Krystal right now!"

Two minutes later, she said, "Krystal says they don't have any activities lately, they're mainly just going to the company to practice."

Decisive as ever, Kim Taeyeon immediately took out her phone and dialed the number for Section Chief Park Woo-sik of the SM Entertainment security department.

The phone rang a few times before being picked up. Park Woo-sik's raspy voice came through: "Taeyeon-xi, good morning. Is something the matter?"

Kim Taeyeon said in a soft, sweet tone, "Section Chief Park, good morning. It's like this: we, Girls Generation, are going to Neon the day after tomorrow for promotions. I heard f(x) doesn't have any schedules for the next few days."

"Since Mr. Liu Zijun should be relatively free during this time, we'd like to ask him to come to Neon with us to handle security. Do you think that's possible?"

On the other end, Park Woo-sik was stunned, clearly not expecting such a request from Girls Generation.

He was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Taeyeon-xi, Mr. Liu Zijun is specifically assigned to f(x). However, his performance at the SBS Gayo Daejeon site yesterday was a bit over the top; he actually said publicly that SBS Television Station was too small-minded."

"The PR department is making a fuss about kicking him out, but the company leadership said to let him rest for a few days. I was just about to contact him!"

Kim Taeyeon had it on speakerphone, and the girls instantly gasped.

She quickly said, "Section Chief Park, it's fine, right? In that case, having him follow us to Neon might be a good choice."

As soon as Kim Taeyeon finished, Im Yoona and Choi Sooyoung high-fived—our leader is so witty!

Park Woo-sik paused before slowly saying, "f(x) indeed has no schedules coming up. What you said is actually not a bad idea. I'll communicate with him on my end. If he agrees, it shouldn't be a problem."

"That's great! Thank you, Section Chief Park! Sorry to trouble you, I'll wait for your news."

The call ended, and everyone began discussing how Liu Zijun could have said such a thing.