7: Chapter 7 The Girls' Generation I Don't Recognize

The onboarding process was simpler than Liu Zijun had imagined, or rather, it was the result of special care from Section Chief Park Woo-sik.

Kim Young-chul had completely changed his previous disdain; after witnessing Liu Zijun's combat prowess, a warm and enthusiastic expression was now plastered on his face.

Leading Liu Zijun through the corridors of the SM Entertainment building, he introduced the functions of various areas, his words laced with boastful emphasis on SM Entertainment's dominant position in The Peninsula's entertainment industry.

Security personnel like Kim Young-chul and his team weren't just old men guarding gates; they were bodyguards, each possessing genuine skills.

Their level of freedom was actually quite high.

"Mr. Liu Zijun, we'll be colleagues from now on! Although the security department is hard work, it carries great responsibility—especially protecting our company's artists. You have to take extra care; they're the company's precious gems!"

"Come on, the paperwork is done, and it's about time to eat. Don't rush home just yet; I'll take you to the cafeteria for a meal so you can taste our company's food!"

"Between you and me, although our company's food can't catch up to JYP's, it's still pretty good."

"Most importantly, if you're lucky, you might even see Girls' Generation. They've been practicing at the company these past few days."

Kim Young-chul patted Liu Zijun on the shoulder, his tone so familiar it was as if they were old friends of many years, showing none of the previous contempt he had for Liu Zijun being a foreigner.

Liu Zijun was slightly taken aback, then nodded; he was indeed hungry.

He followed behind Kim Young-chul; at 183cm, he was considered tall and sturdy.

Furthermore, his handsome face caused several passing trainees to whisper amongst themselves, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"Young-chul Hyung, who is this?"

A male trainee, drenched in sweat and just finishing practice, couldn't help but ask as they brushed past each other.

"A new security colleague, Mr. Liu Zijun! Everyone, please look after him!"

Kim Young-chul introduced him proudly, as if Liu Zijun's handsome face belonged to him.

Lee Taeyong caught up at some point as well.

"Ji-Jun, that martial arts skill of yours is truly incredible! You must teach me when you have some free time later!"

Liu Zijun glanced at him; though Lee Taeyong looked rugged, his mind was indeed simple.

He gave a faint "Mhm" in response.

He was no stranger to this kind of pure worship of martial power; in his past life within the organization, he never lacked fans.

And in this life, with the experience of his past life and the younger body of this one, his combat strength exceeded that of his previous life.

SM Entertainment's cafeteria was quite spacious and bright, with a bustling street view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

It was currently the peak lunch hour; trainees, staff, and a few artists were all either getting food or looking for seats.

Is this what an entertainment company's cafeteria is like?

"Quick, quick, quick, there's an empty spot over there!"

Kim Young-chul was sharp-eyed, pointing to a four-person table by the window.

Seeing this, the three of them carried their trays over and sat down.

There was a lot of food on Liu Zijun's tray; he wasn't a picky eater, and he certainly wouldn't mistreat his own stomach.

The taste wasn't particularly good, but it wasn't bad either.

He ate quietly, his gaze calmly scanning the cafeteria out of habit.

Seeing various people bowing, he found this ridiculous senior-junior hierarchy system somewhat leaves him speechless.

"Sigh, it's the end of the year, these artists are busy out of their minds! We're busy out of our minds too!"

"Yesterday we just finished sending Girls' Generation to KBS, this afternoon we have to run to SBS, and tomorrow it's MBC..."

"It's really non-stop!"

"These girls, every one of them looks thin and small, but their energy levels are terrifying!"

Lee Taeyong shoveled rice into his mouth, speaking indistinctly.

Kim Young-chul took a sip of soup and put down his spoon, speaking with the tone of someone who had seen it all.

"That's nothing. The year-end Gayo Daejeon is the real main event! The backstage is as chaotic as a battlefield; we security have to be on high alert!"

"By the way, Ja-joon-xi, back when you were in China, did you follow our Peninsula's artists? Otherwise, why would you come to our company to work in security?"

"And looking at you, you don't seem to care much about the salary or anything!"

Liu Zijun swallowed the food in his mouth, looked up, and said calmly, "I don't know much about the artists here. I only came to work here at a friend's request."

Kim Young-chul was a bit surprised, then said with a hint of boastfulness, "No way? You don't know much?"

"Then you must have heard of Girls' Generation, right?"

"They're the national girl group! The pillars of our company!"

"And then there's TVXQ, Super Junior..."

"Tsk tsk, our SM Entertainment stars are very famous in your China too!"

Lee Taeyong also chimed in, "Yeah, yeah! I'm responsible for Girls' Generation—Taeyeon, Yoona, Tiffany, Jessica, Sunny, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Seohyun..."

"Every one of them is a big star!"

"Especially Yoona, with those looks, I heard she's super popular in your China too! I've even gone there with them a few times."

"You've really never heard of them?"

Liu Zijun's chewing motion paused for a moment, as if he were trying hard to remember.

After a while, he still shook his head and said, "Girls' Generation, I have heard that name."

"As for the members..."

"I only vaguely remember one named Im Yoona?"

"I can't put a face to the others."

"That friend of mine mentioned it a few times before, and that's the only name I remember."

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of Kim Young-chul and Lee Taeyong instantly became extremely colorful, as if they were looking at an alien.

The spoon in Kim Young-chul's hand fell into the soup bowl with a "clatter."

His eyes widened, his mouth hung open, and it took him a long time to say, "Huh? Really? You only remember Im Yoona? You can't... put a face to the others?"

"Ja-joon-xi, you're not joking, right?"

"This is Girls' Generation!"

"In The Peninsula, not knowing Girls' Generation is like not knowing our kimchi!"

Lee Taeyong was even more exaggerated; he almost choked and had to gulp down several mouthfuls of water before recovering to say, "Gosh! Brother! Do you know what you just said? You've really missed out on so much beauty!"

"Have you heard Taeyeon's 'If'? Jessica is the Ice Princess."

"And the others—Yuri, Hyoyeon, Sooyoung, Sunny, Seohyun... which one isn't a household name?"

"You actually only know Yoona?"

Liu Zijun looked at their shocked faces, his expression remaining unperturbed.

He truly didn't know much about Hallyu; in his past life, he struggled amidst a hail of bullets, and in this life, he came here only to fulfill a promise.

Otherwise, those glamorous stars were to him either targets that needed protection or irrelevant background noise.

Moreover, the reaction of these two really made it seem like the world revolved around their Peninsula—what a twisted sense of confidence.

Speaking of which, the reason the name Im Yoona left an impression was purely because in his past life, when Choi Soo-myung was in Africa, he would always hold up his phone screen with that pure and beautiful face and repeatedly emphasize: "Captain! Look! This is our Peninsula's visual center! Im Yoona! Pretty, right?"

At the time, seeing that face was indeed stunning, leaving him with some impression, but he hadn't really taken it to heart.

Liu Zijun calmly confirmed, "Mhm, she's the only one I remember from Girls' Generation."

He picked up a napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth, as if stating the most ordinary fact.

But in his heart, he thought: Now I also know f(x), T-ARA, and Son Ye-jin.

Oh right, there are also a few variety show hosts whose names I should be able to recognize, but I'm not entirely sure; after all, it's been a long time.

"Pfft..."

Suddenly, an irrepressible laugh burst out from behind them.

The smiles on Kim Young-chul and Lee Taeyong's faces froze as they snapped their heads around.

They saw three young women sitting at the table behind them, wearing loose clothing but still unable to hide their clear and elegant aura.