Chapter 148: The Very End (End of Volume One: Setting Sail)

The result held no great surprises. Chen Zhe, having accumulated a massive amount of popularity and buzz in advance, narrowly edged out PSY’s "Gangnam Style" in the music show’s first-place voting. He successfully claimed his very first music show trophy, drawing a flawless starting point for his resume.

After stepping onto the stage for the encore performance of his win—and fulfilling Kim Heechul’s prior promise that whoever came to support Chen Zhe would be treated to a group dinner should he win—the group set off for the restaurant once Chen Zhe finished removing his stage makeup.

"Since it's a dinner for such a large group, the most suitable choice is definitely a barbecue restaurant. Is that even a question?"

Right as they were about to leave, Kim Heechul suddenly asked the others for their opinions on where they should go. While the rest were still deep in thought, Chen Zhe and Im Yoona subconsciously exchanged a glance before speaking up simultaneously with enthusiastic tacit agreement.

"If it's barbecue, we've been eating a bit too much of it lately. I think we should go for hot pot instead, how does that sound? Chinese hot pot is fantastic for group gatherings, especially the dual-flavor mandarin duck pot. It can satisfy both those who like spicy food and those who don't, paired with frozen Tsingtao beer—it's practically a slice of heaven."

Faced with the proposal from the two carnivores, Shindong crossed his arms, waved a hand dismissively, and offered a counterargument. He painted a vivid picture of the wonders of the mandarin duck hot pot, and by the time he mentioned the iced Tsingtao beer, he unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Indeed, I think Shindong oppa makes a lot of sense. Spicy hot pot and iced Tsingtao beer are absolute perfection together!"

The moment Shindong’s voice trailed off, his first supporter immediately jumped out, causing Im Yoona and Chen Zhe, who had been glaring daggers at Shindong, to instantly shift their gazes.

Turning toward the source of the voice, the two of them were greeted by Kwon Yuri, who sported a healthy sun-kissed wheat complexion and a stunningly curvaceous figure. Noticing the pair staring at her, Kwon Yuri didn't back down in the slightest; instead, she raised her hand even higher and proudly puffed out her chest at them, instantly filling the two with a helpless, teeth-grating frustration.

"So, does anyone else have any suggestions? If not, let's put it to a vote to decide whether tonight's dinner will be barbecue or mandarin duck hot pot!"

Seeing that a two-versus-two deadlock had formed, Kim Heechul rubbed his chin with a feigned troubled look, then turned his inquiring gaze toward the others outside of the four, hoping to hear their thoughts.

Hearing Kim Heechul’s prompt, the rest exchanged glances, then looked at the quartet who looked as fired up as battle-ready soldiers, and hurriedly shook their heads. None of them wanted to insert themselves into that crossfire.

"Well, in that case, let's take a vote. Those who want barbecue, raise your hands; those who want hot pot, don't raise your hands. Let's see everyone's opinion!"

Seeing that not a single person was willing to step into the battlefield, Kim Heechul sighed with mild resignation and could only let everyone vote to choose a side.

***

"Well, it looks like the outcome is quite clear. The majority chose the mandarin duck hot pot, so tonight's dinner is hot pot."

Seeing that only Krystal Jung had kept her hand raised among the remaining people, the result was obvious. The Korean beef barbecue team led by Chen Zhe and Im Yoona had suffered a total defeat; the majority had been swayed by Shindong and chose the hot pot.

Realizing their faction consisted of only three people, both Chen Zhe and Im Yoona drooped in dejection. Their Korean beef barbecue plan was officially declared a failure, leaving them with no choice but to honestly accept the mandarin duck hot pot.

Hours later, the hot pot gathering was officially brought to a close. Everyone was thoroughly satisfied, including Chen Zhe and Im Yoona, who had initially lobbied for barbecue—the meats scalded in the spicy broth of the hot pot ended up delighting them just as much.

As for Park Chorong and Oh Hayoung, perhaps their biggest harvest was getting to know these seniors, exchanging contact information with all of them, and expanding their personal network resources.

As for why Eun Jiwon, Kim Heechul, Shindong, and the Girls' Generation members were willing to exchange contacts with Park Chorong and her companion, apart from doing it somewhat for Chen Zhe's sake, the primary reason was the realization that the two girls were indeed pleasant company worth interacting with.

———————— Time Passed Swiftly ————————

In the blink of an eye, the time arrived in November. Over a month had passed since Chen Zhe's official debut. Having only participated four times each on Music Bank and Inkigayo, he clinched a triple crown as a solo artist.

For his fourth music promotion cycle, he performed a duet version with Krystal Jung. After securing another first-place trophy, he concluded his music show runs under the pretext of focusing on acting.

Having wrapped up his busy acting and music promotion schedules, Chen Zhe returned to his routine of three points on a map: school in the morning, the practice room in the evening, and home to rest, though a new schedule of going on dates with Krystal Jung from time to time had been added to the mix.

"Sorry, sorry! My coursework today was a bit heavy and took longer to finish, so I'm late!"

Fully bundled up, Chen Zhe trotted over to Krystal Jung, who was sitting on a bench, similarly wrapped up tight against the weather. He rubbed the back of his head with a somewhat apologetic and awkwardly amused smile.

"Hmph, I thought you were planning to stand me up. You didn't show up for so long, and you didn't even reply to my messages! Alright, stop acting, get up, you're forgiven!"

Silently standing up, Krystal Jung first delivered a solid punch to her unreliable boyfriend's abdomen, causing him to double over in mock agony, before speaking with a tone tinged with lingering dissatisfaction.

After she finished her disgruntled words, seeing that Chen Zhe was still clutching his stomach and acting as though he couldn't stand up from the pain, Krystal Jung—knowing full well he was putting it on—delivered a slightly exasperated remark.

"As expected of a boxer's daughter, that punch packs a real punch! I almost got punched right through the abdomen. Luckily I've been working out with Jongkook hyung lately and my physical fitness has improved immensely, which is why I could take it."

Hearing Krystal Jung say she forgave him, Chen Zhe finally dropped his poorly executed fake act, reached up to wipe away some nonexistent sweat from his forehead, and exaggeratedly described the might of her punch while incidentally flattering his future father-in-law.

As Chen Zhe and Krystal Jung chatted and giggled, an airplane departing from Canada streaked across Seoul’s blue-and-white sky and slowly descended, touching down at Incheon Airport, where they had once arrived.

Wearing a beige trench coat, a blue-and-white checkered shirt, casual jeans, and black sunglasses, a dark-haired girl pulled a silver suitcase and slowly emerged from the Incheon Airport arrivals exit.

"Long time no see. I've arrived, Seoul, South Korea!"

Son Seungwan slowly removed her sunglasses, gazing up at the familiar yet unfamiliar sky. She couldn't help taking a deep breath, and disregarding the gazes of those around her, she shouted out toward the sky.

*(The first volume has finally drawn to a formal close. Hehe, many people said my writing was dragging and dragged out, but I simply wanted to write with more detail. However, since everyone dislikes it, I'll pick up the pace in the next volume!)*