Chapter Thirty-Eight: Visiting SM and Honko’s Daily Life, Part Two

“Unnie, I know I was wrong! I shouldn’t have hidden snacks behind your backs!” Startled by Choi Sooyoung’s low, grinding voice behind her, Im Yoona turned her head stiffly and slowly, as if she were a jammed machine. Her tone was unusually rigid.

“Oh? So all you know is that you were wrong?” Standing behind Yoona, Choi Sooyoung loomed like a dreadful demon king, her enormous and terrifying shadow engulfing her.

“Then what do you want me to do, unnie?” Hearing Sooyoung’s words, Yoona more or less understood her intention, but still asked in a hopeful tone, praying it wouldn’t be the worst outcome she could imagine.

“Shouldn’t you hand over all the snacks you’ve been hiding, so your dear unnies can share them?” Sooyoung’s hands clamped down on Yoona’s shoulders with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, her tone icy and laced with a chilling threat.

Under the pressure of “Food Goddess” Sooyoung and the other older girls, along with her sly younger sister Seohyun’s tattling, Yoona could only reluctantly reveal several of her secret stashes, letting her sisters plunder the snacks she’d hoarded.

“Oh, by the way, Sooyoung unnie, I also saw Yoona unnie carrying a pile of snacks to Heechul oppa’s practice room not long ago,” Seohyun added after a moment of thought, deciding to report that Yoona had another stash hidden in the Super Junior practice room.

“Seohyun!” Yoona stared at her in disbelief, never expecting her own “baby sister” to betray her so quickly, even exposing another of her hiding places.

Seohyun didn’t answer, only gave Yoona a sly, ambiguous smile that made her scalp tingle. Having grown up together, Yoona easily read the meaning in Seohyun’s eyes.

Unnie, I spared you the snack stash at SHINee’s room—I haven’t reported that one. I’m already being nice, so don’t force me to reveal your last hiding spot.

“Oh, yes, now that you mention it, I do remember something like that. Unnie, I’ll take you all to Heechul oppa’s practice room to retrieve them!” Realizing “Little Devil” Seohyun wasn’t planning to go all the way, leaving her at least one last stash, Yoona forced a flattering smile at her, despite silently cursing Seohyun’s slyness. Still, for the sake of her remaining snacks, she played along.

She also understood she’d have to hand over the stash in the Super Junior practice room—if she didn’t, the unnies behind her would never let her off. So Yoona volunteered to lead the way to collect her hidden snacks.

But she comforted herself: after all, once they brought them back, half the snacks would end up in her stomach anyway, even if the other half went to Sooyoung, that gluttonous unnie. Ugh, Choi is hopeless—eats so much and it’s wasted, since nothing ever grows where it should. What a waste of food.

Yet as Yoona silently grumbled about Sooyoung, she failed to realize that, in a sense, her criticisms fit herself just as well. As Chen Zhe would say, why should one flat chest make things difficult for another?

“We don’t need so many people to go. Zhe, you’re the only guy and strong, and with Crocodile Yoona, the three of us can handle bringing the snacks back!” Just as everyone was preparing to head out, Sooyoung cut in, seeing an opportunity to introduce her “little brother” to Super Junior and help him expand his network, using Yoona’s snack stash as the perfect excuse.

She had been thinking of introducing Chen Zhe to the Super Junior oppas, to help him make more connections, and this was the perfect chance.

“True, Sooyoung unnie is right. The two of us can go with Zhe to get them.” Yoona was quick-witted and immediately understood Sooyoung’s intent, her smile returning as she supported Sooyoung’s plan.

“Is that so? Zhe, what do you think?” Hearing the two of them, Taeyeon also thought that having the whole group storm in would be over the top, so she turned to Chen Zhe, asking if he was okay to go help.

“No problem, I’ll take care of it, Taeyeon noona!” Chen Zhe, who had been munching chips and watching the Girls’ Generation drama unfold, was caught off guard but quickly recovered, assuring her that it was no trouble.

“Alright then, Yoona, Sooyoung, and Zhe, you three go together.” Seeing him agree, Taeyeon clapped her hands and nodded to Sooyoung’s plan.

Chen Zhe naturally took the wet wipe passed to him by Seohyun, wiped his greasy hands from the chips, tossed the used wipe in the trash, said a word to the Girls’ Generation noonas, and followed Yoona and Sooyoung out of their lounge.

After the three had been gone for a while, Chen Yuqi, Taeyeon, and the others were sitting on the sofa eating snacks and chatting when the lounge door was suddenly flung open.

“Yuqi unnie, I heard from Luna unnie that she saw you downstairs when she went to buy something, so I guessed you must be here in the unnies’ lounge!” A beautiful girl with luminous fair skin and striking, cool features appeared before them.

“Little Crystal, what brought you here?” As soon as she saw the girl, Taeyeon stood up to greet her, as if she were her own little sister, while Jessica Jung pursed her lips a little, clearly displeased that the girl hadn’t greeted her first.

This was none other than Jessica’s own sister, Krystal Jung, who was also like a little sister to Girls’ Generation. At Jessica’s request, Chen Yuqi had helped tutor her in the past, and over time they’d grown close.

“Yuqi jie, what brings you to SM Entertainment today? Are you here to tutor Yoona unnie and Seohyun unnie?” After greeting Taeyeon, Krystal turned her attention back to Chen Yuqi, tilting her head curiously.

After all, aside from coming to tutor, Krystal couldn’t think of any other reason for Chen Yuqi to be at SM, and she happened to need some help with her homework.

She’d been planning to call and invite Chen Yuqi out for coffee in a few days and ask for her help, but upon learning she was already at SM, Krystal immediately guessed she’d be in Girls’ Generation’s lounge.