Chapter 83: Jung Eun-ji

After Chen Zhe greeted everyone and stood in place with a gentle smile, the faces of those present also lit up with smiles. Their impressions and fondness for him rose a few degrees in their hearts.

“Chen Zhe, why don’t you sit between Ji-won and Eun-ji? The main purpose of our gathering today is to help everyone get to know each other. After all, we’ll be working together for the next few months, and we can’t keep acting like complete strangers!”

For reasons unknown, Shin Won-ho was exceptionally gentle today, speaking with a warm smile that was worlds apart from the stern and distant demeanor he’d shown during the auditions. Perhaps he, like Chen Zhe’s music mentor Bae Soo-yong, drew a clear line between his work persona and his everyday self.

There was a deliberate reason behind his seating arrangement. He’d heard from the staff that Chen Zhe had auditioned alongside Eun Ji-won, and the two had encouraged each other during the process. Shin Won-ho surmised they might share a decent rapport offstage. As for placing Chen Zhe next to Jung Eun-ji, he had caught her playful wink towards Chen Zhe moments ago. Given their youth, Shin Won-ho considered that they would naturally share more common ground, so he placed Chen Zhe between the two.

“Yes, I understand, Director! Ji-won and Eun-ji, please take good care of this newcomer!” Chen Zhe’s brows arched slightly as he glanced at Eun Ji-won and Jung Eun-ji, accepting Shin Won-ho’s suggestion. He walked over, settled between them, and nodded with a smile to greet them both.

“Eun-ji, what did your wink mean just now?” After taking his seat, Chen Zhe chatted briefly with Eun Ji-won, who had helped him during the audition, then turned his gaze to Jung Eun-ji, lowering his voice so only the two of them would hear.

“I know, Chen Zhe, you’re close friends with our maknae. We’ve heard all about it from her!” Jung Eun-ji looked at Chen Zhe, whose furtive demeanor amused her. Smiling, she spoke of a certain someone who had promised to keep in touch, only to forget all about Korea’s number one friend once caught up in his own busyness.

“So, Eun-ji, how is Ha-young doing lately? What did she tell you about us knowing each other? Wait, did I mishear? Us?” The warm smile on Jung Eun-ji’s face gave Chen Zhe a slight sense of unease. Carefully asking after Ha-young’s well-being, he suddenly realized the significance of that one word in her reply.

“Yes, us. It’s nothing, really. Ha-young told everyone in the group about you!” Jung Eun-ji waved her hand dismissively, indicating it was a trivial matter, not worth worrying over. As her words fell, Chen Zhe froze in place, as if turned to stone.

“As for Ha-young’s recent state, well, there’s a certain good friend who promised to keep in touch but ended up ghosting her, mysteriously disappearing, leaving her sad and troubled. She’s even lost her appetite lately!” Jung Eun-ji, oblivious to the fact that Chen Zhe was now completely petrified beside her, continued to recount Ha-young’s woes, her words heavy with grievance.

Chen Zhe, lost in his stone-like state, was hit again by Eun-ji’s barrage of complaints. Her words painted a vivid scene: Oh Ha-young, full of resentment, squatting in a corner, drawing circles and cursing him. The words and images stabbed at his heart like sharp blades, leaving him cold and speechless.

“Oh, no response means you admit it, friend of our maknae!” Having vented, Jung Eun-ji finally noticed Chen Zhe’s odd stillness. To snap him out of it, she teased him again.

“I’m really sorry! I’ve been so busy with recording and acting classes lately I completely forgot about Ha-young. Truly, I apologize!” Regardless of whether Eun-ji was exaggerating, Chen Zhe had recently learned that, when interacting with women, the best response upon being called out for a real mistake was to apologize first, leaving no chance for further escalation.

“No need to apologize to me. Just make sure you take some time to contact Ha-young once you’re less busy. After all, you two are friends, but at this rate, you’re barely acquaintances!” Watching Chen Zhe bow his head without hesitation to apologize, Jung Eun-ji shook her head in mild exasperation. She’d only meant to relay Ha-young’s feelings, not make a big deal out of it.

Yet here he was, apologizing so earnestly that she didn’t know how to respond, so she could only feign seriousness and offer a few words of admonition to move past the matter.

“Yes, Eun-ji, I’ll reach out to Ha-young as soon as I get home tonight. Please rest assured, we really are friends!” Relieved by Eun-ji’s scolding, Chen Zhe raised his head, patting his chest with a solemn vow, as if swearing an oath of great importance.

Seeing his earnest, solemn demeanor, Jung Eun-ji couldn’t help but laugh. The corners of her mouth lifted, revealing a smile as radiant and warm as sunlight.

Noticing Eun-ji’s dazzling smile, Chen Zhe felt his breath catch, his expression turning slightly dazed. Her beauty, paired with a smile that seemed to reach into his soul, left him momentarily lost.

Sensing his sudden distraction, Jung Eun-ji, for reasons unknown even to herself, instinctively reached out and tapped his forehead with her finger. At the moment their skin touched, both paused, gazing at each other with a hint of bewilderment.

Chen Zhe’s confusion stemmed from not knowing why Eun-ji had suddenly reached out to tap his forehead, while Eun-ji’s own bewilderment arose from the fact that she’d unconsciously treated him as she would her maknae or younger brother, touching his forehead in a familiar gesture.