38: Chapter 38 A Lone Green Tree Among the Flowers

When the three reached the entrance, they saw warm yellow light spilling through the carved window lattices of the two-story SEEK restaurant building; the atmosphere inside seemed very lively.

When Liu Zijun followed Victoria Song and Choi Sulli into the restaurant, the diners on the first floor instinctively turned their heads to look.

It wasn't that they recognized the two girls, but rather that Liu Zijun's left shoulder, wrapped in gauze, was somewhat eye-catching.

The restaurant owner saw Liu Zijun and the other two and greeted them with a smile: "Table for three? We have private rooms upstairs."

Liu Zijun replied.

"Thank you, our friends are already upstairs."

Fearing the owner would recognize them, Victoria Song specifically pulled Choi Sulli and hurried up to the second floor.

Pushing open the door to the private room, the liveliness inside quieted for a moment, then erupted into even louder shouts.

"Sulli! Older Sister Victoria Song! Joon oppa! You're finally here!"

Sunny was the first to see Choi Sulli and quickly stood up to wave, a freshly peeled tangerine in her hand and her face blooming like a flower.

This "Little Sun" was indeed the most observant person in Girls Generation.

A large round table was set in the room. The nine members of Girls Generation plus the three from f(x)—twelve people in total—sat around the table, which was covered with cups, plates, bowls, and chopsticks. The scents of Sweet and Sour Pork and Mapo Tofu wafted through the air.

When Krystal saw Victoria Song, she quickly moved over to make space and shouted to Liu Zijun, "Joon oppa, there's an empty seat here!"

This familiar manner made Jessica Jung, who was beside her, raise an eyebrow.

Liu Zijun scanned the room, his gaze lingering on the faces of the female stars filling the table.

Taeyeon's small sheep-like eyes crinkled in a smile, Tiffany Young's dimples were faint, and Kwon Yuri tilted her chin up and waved at him.

When Im Yoona saw him enter, her eyes lit up, then she quickly lowered her head. She then suddenly stood up to come to his side, looking at his arm with concern.

The room was full of beautiful women, each a big star standing in the spotlight, with fair skin and varying styles. Yet he was the only male, instantly becoming "a speck of green in a cluster of ten thousand flowers."

Victoria Song led Choi Sulli to the table and greeted the members of Girls Generation with a smile.

"Senior Taeyeon, sorry to keep you all waiting. I just took Ji-Jun for a follow-up on his wound, which took a bit of time."

"It's fine, it's fine, Victoria Song unnie. There's no need to be so formal in private from now on. We only arrived a short while ago ourselves."

Taeyeon waved her hand, her gaze falling on Liu Zijun's shoulder, her tone carrying genuine concern.

"Mr. Liu Zijun, what did the doctor say? Is the wound alright?"

"It's just a superficial injury; it'll be fine in a few days."

Liu Zijun walked to the table, initially wanting to find a seat on the edge because he was just a small bodyguard.

However, Choi Sulli grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the empty seat right in the middle of the round table, then nimbly sat down on his left side.

Afterward, she didn't forget to shout to Krystal, "Krystal, move over that way and make some room for Victoria Song!"

Im Yoona's original seat was next to Jessica Jung, but seeing this, she actually sat down directly on Liu Zijun's right side.

Victoria Song quickly shifted and sat on Im Yoona's right side.

Now it was perfect; Liu Zijun was sandwiched between Choi Sulli and Im Yoona.

On his left was the charmingly naive and dependent Choi Sulli, and on his right was the delicate and thoughtful Im Yoona. The fragrances from both sides surrounded him, and they were pressed quite close, making him feel inexplicably uneasy.

Seeing this arrangement, Lee Soonkyu couldn't help but whistle.

In the Korean language, she teased, "Joon oppa, your treatment is way too good! Being sandwiched between the two main visuals of Girls Generation and f(x)—you're truly a winner in life!"

This remark caused a burst of laughter.

Hearing this, Choi Sulli immediately puffed out her chest, gently supported Liu Zijun's forearm, and leaned her head closer to him, her tone full of possessiveness.

"Of course. Oppa is my bodyguard; he should be sitting next to me."

After speaking, she pointedly glanced at Im Yoona, a trace of subtle defensiveness flashing in her watery, peach-like eyes.

Im Yoona acted as if she hadn't seen the look. She just picked up a disinfectant wipe from the table, handed it to Liu Zijun, and said softly, "Joon oppa, wipe your hands first. You must be hungry, let's eat soon."

Liu Zijun took the wipe and thanked her. His right hand was a bit inconvenient, so Choi Sulli grabbed it and, twisting her body, started wiping his hand for him.

This scene left all the girls present somewhat dazed.

The four members of f(x) already knew about Choi Sulli's feelings for Liu Zijun, but they didn't know what to do or how to handle the situation.

Because given Choi Sulli's current state, what would she do without Liu Zijun?

But if they were to let them be together, how would they explain it to the company? And how would they explain it to the fans?

However, the members of Girls Generation were all quite puzzled; Sulli and Liu Zijun were truly far too intimate.

This wouldn't be good for Sulli's future!

Liu Zijun smiled helplessly and patted the back of her hand with his right hand. "Thanks, Jin-ri, you little busybody."

This intimate nickname made Choi Sulli's cheeks flush instantly, but she didn't care. Instead, she doubled down, picking up the utensils from the table, unwrapping them for him, and placing the spoon by his right hand.

"Oppa, you can't move your shoulder. Shall I serve you some soup?"

As Choi Sulli spoke, she picked up the soup bowl to serve some mushroom soup into Liu Zijun's bowl.

Sitting to the side, Im Yoona watched Choi Sulli bustling about and also silently picked up the serving chopsticks, placing a piece of Sweet and Sour Pork on Liu Zijun's plate.

She softly reminded him, "Joon oppa, the doctor said your wound shouldn't touch anything spicy. This Sweet and Sour Pork is sweet and sour, so you can eat some."

Just as she finished speaking, Choi Sulli immediately pushed the pork Im Yoona had given him aside and placed a piece of steamed fish on Liu Zijun's plate herself.

Frowning, she said, "Oppa just got injured; eating fish is more nutritious. The pork is too sweet, it'll be sickening if you eat too much."

Im Yoona's hand froze in mid-air. Seeing Choi Sulli's obvious defensive posture, a hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes.

She didn't say anything more, though, and just silently pulled back the serving chopsticks.

Liu Zijun also gave her a polite smile, but he comfortably accepted Choi Sulli's care.

The other members at the table also noticed the undercurrent between the two.

But they just assumed Choi Sulli was dependent on Liu Zijun, while Im Yoona was repaying him for saving her life.

Seeing this, they all started adding food to Liu Zijun's plate one after another to ease Im Yoona's embarrassment.

Our Im Yoona, the little deer, was different from Choi Sulli; she wasn't someone who would fall for a man so easily.

That Lee Seung-gi had been pursuing her lately, and she hadn't paid him any mind.

In their eyes, although Liu Zijun was handsome, compared to Lee Seung-gi, Lee Seung-gi was much more suitable.

Taeyeon placed a spoonful of tofu on his plate and said, "Ja-joon-xi, try this Mapo Tofu. You're Chinese, so you should like this."

"And this Boiled Fish, it's also only mildly spicy. Want to try?"

Choi Sooyoung also added a piece with her chopsticks, her eyes full of curiosity.

Listening to the table full of concern and questions, Liu Zijun only felt his head throbbing.

He had to deal with everyone's questions while also being mindful of Choi Sulli's emotions and occasionally responding to the concern Im Yoona sent his way; he was truly the center of protection in the private room.

Sitting next to Krystal, Victoria Song watched this scene and couldn't help but whisper to Krystal, "Look at Sulli, she's becoming more and more clingy to Ji-Jun. What are we going to do?"

Krystal pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "I don't know either. Sulli is in a state where she won't listen to any advice right now."

The atmosphere of the dinner became increasingly lively as the members began chatting about interesting stories from their trainee days.

Talking about how Kim Hyoyeon sprained her ankle practicing dance, and Kim Taeyeon sang until her voice went hoarse, the room erupted in nostalgic laughter from time to time.

Liu Zijun sat in the middle, hardly speaking. Most of the time he just listened, but his gaze always remained on Choi Sulli beside him.

This girl had drunk some juice, and perhaps because the heating was very strong, her cheeks were rosy. She leaned against him while listening to everyone chat, letting out a honking laugh every now and then.