Chapter Forty-Five: Visiting SM, Joyful Mischief, and Someone Courting Disaster

When everyone heard Im Yoona’s muttered words, their reactions varied widely.

Chen Zhe looked at Im Yoona with an utterly speechless expression, scoffing at her comment. He couldn’t fathom what on earth she saw to think he and Jung Soojung would make a good pair.

Jessica’s gaze toward Yoona, on the other hand, brimmed with a murderous chill—as if she had already sentenced Yoona in her mind. At the same time, she glanced at Chen Zhe with open suspicion, as if Yoona’s words had reminded her to beware; perhaps Chen Zhe might take an interest in her younger sister, so it was best to be cautious.

Chen Yuqi and Choi Sooyoung, meanwhile, both brightened at Yoona’s words—they struck a chord with them, and they secretly gave Yoona their silent approval.

The other members of Girls’ Generation simply put on their “watching a good show” faces. Yoona had really dug herself a hole this time, and they were just waiting for the fierce Jessica to step in and settle accounts.

But what happened next surprised everyone. Instead of Jessica exploding with fury as they expected, it was the slightly flushed Soojung who spoke up with a hint of complaint, “Unnie, what nonsense are you spouting?”

“I’m not wrong, though! You and Zhe really do look perfect together, Soojung. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the other unnies!” Yoona, apparently unaware she was skating on thin ice, continued to tempt fate, even trying to drag others into her mischief.

Noticing Yoona’s scheming gaze, Taeyeon, Tiffany, and the rest quickly averted their eyes, looking elsewhere or dropping their gazes so as not to be caught up in Yoona’s mess.

“Im... Yoon... Ah, do you... know... what... you’re saying?!” At last, Yoona’s reckless words triggered the final boss: Jessica. She had appeared behind Yoona, her voice cold and low, each word bitten off with icy fury, as if she could barely contain her rage.

“Unnie, I know I was wrong!” The moment she heard Jessica’s shark-like tone, Yoona surrendered without hesitation.

(Just marking a placeholder—discussing something with a client. Will edit once I’m back.)

“Sooyoung’s noona is actually my college classmate and close friend!” Chen Zhe thought it over and decided to use this explanation with Yoona and the others.

“Actually, my best friend Shihan—who is also Zhe’s noona—called me before and told me her brother was going to debut in Korea, so she asked me to look after him!” Sooyoung, seated beside Chen Zhe, quickly chimed in to help explain.

“The first time I met Zhe, I just felt an instant connection. His personality really suits me, and since he’s Shihan’s younger brother, I’ve treated him like my own little brother ever since!” Sooyoung added, her tone earnest and serious.

“So you and Zhe have that kind of relationship, unnie!” Yoona mumbled around a mouthful of food, her words slightly muffled.

“I see, so Sooyoung unnie and Chen Zhe xi have a relationship like that!” Soojung, sitting beside Yoona, picked up the thread, her curiosity piqued as she began to study Chen Zhe with new interest.

“That’s right! So, I’m Zhe’s support here in Korea now—as his noona, it’s my job to take care of him!” Sooyoung suddenly stood up, thumping her chest with pride.

“Noona!” Seeing Sooyoung acting up, Chen Zhe instinctively played along, looking at her with a face full of emotion.

“Zhe!” Sooyoung, seeing his response, matched his performance with a look of benevolent affection.

Their little act amused Soojung and the others, making Soojung cover her mouth to stifle a laugh and instantly lightening the previously tense mood at the table.

“Soojung, from now on you should call Sooyoung’s younger brother Zhe as well. You’re close in age—think of each other as siblings or good friends,” Jessica, seeing her sister’s delighted expression, felt her own mood improve.

Jessica knew her sister’s temperament well—Soojung had mild social anxiety and had always wanted to overcome it. She hadn’t expected Chen Zhe’s earnestness and Sooyoung’s playful performance to make Soojung laugh so easily.

Moreover, Chen Zhe had great potential. As a singer-songwriter, the fact that his previous company had gone to such lengths to recruit him, even giving him a tour, said a lot. Although he’d joined LOEN now, they had plenty of resources and connections—he might develop even better there than he would have at SM Entertainment.

With these thoughts, Jessica hoped her sister could interact more with Chen Zhe—maybe she could learn from him and overcome her social anxiety. And if their relationship deepened, perhaps Chen Zhe might write a song for Soojung someday.

“Yes, Krystal sunbae, you can just call me Zhe in the future—I was born in July 1996!” After Jessica spoke, Chen Zhe seized the opportunity to address Soojung directly. He’d been wanting to get closer to her but hadn’t found the right opening until now.

“Alright, Chen Zhe xi... Zhe, you can just call me Soojung! I was born in October 1994—let’s use informal speech from now on.” Soojung, understanding her sister’s intentions perfectly, changed the way she addressed Chen Zhe right after Jessica spoke.

Although she’d been back in Korea for a while, she still wasn’t used to all the honorifics and formalities. Normally, she had no choice but to adapt to her surroundings—now, finally meeting a foreigner close to her own age, she preferred to use informal speech for comfort.

From the very beginning, Soojung had been curious about Chen Zhe, especially after he’d written a song sharing the same title as her solo single. For someone so young to create such a meaningful song made her want to know him better.

“Alright, Soojung! We’re friends now!” Chen Zhe replied with a gentle smile, extending his hand.

“Yes, Zhe! We’re friends from now on!” After a brief hesitation, Soojung accepted his handshake politely.

“Very good—not bad for my little brother, making friends with Crystal so quickly!” Just as Chen Zhe sat down, Sooyoung clapped him on the shoulder with a loud smack, giving him a proud, “That’s my little brother!” look.

“Unnie, you’re too rough! You’ll hurt Zhe if you keep that up! Are you okay, Zhe?” Seohyun, seeing Chen Zhe lurch forward from Sooyoung’s slap, chided her and turned to check on him.

“I’m fine, Seohyun noona! I’m really strong!” Chen Zhe responded quickly, even flexing his biceps for emphasis.

“See, Seohyun, Zhe says he’s fine, so don’t worry. This rascal is so strong—he’ll be just fine!” Sooyoung, though still looking unconcerned, had already started massaging the spot on Chen Zhe’s shoulder where she’d hit him.