Chapter Forty: Visiting SM, The Elder and Younger Masters of SJ

"Ryeowook oppa, do you know the wildly popular 'Melody' lately?" Upon hearing Kim Ryeowook's question, Yoona stepped forward and retorted, a hint of pride in her voice.

"'Melody'? Of course, it's super popular. Even Heechul hyung and the others filmed imitation videos and uploaded them to YouTube!" Ryeowook wasn't quite sure why Yoona was asking, but he replied in a slightly puzzled tone.

"You know 'Melody', but you don't know who performed it?" Watching Ryeowook's confused expression, Yoona stroked her chin, clearly dissatisfied with his reaction.

"Wait, Ah Zhe, are you the performer of 'Melody'?" Heechul, suddenly realizing something, turned to scrutinize Chen Zhe, matching him against someone in his memories; the resemblance seemed uncanny.

After hesitating for a moment, Heechul finally asked Chen Zhe in a somewhat uncertain tone.

"If you're asking about Chen Zhe, the performer of 'Melody', then yes, that would be me." Meeting Heechul's intense gaze, Chen Zhe replied with a half-joking tone.

"So it really is you!" Heechul stared at him in disbelief. He had been unsure, which was why he asked with such uncertainty.

"Right, I remember watching a fairly complete video, where Ah Zhe said he was just a visitor and hadn't joined any entertainment company. So, is Ah Zhe here at SM today to join our company?" Now that Shindong had confirmed Chen Zhe's identity as another creative singer, he became aware of even more possibilities.

"Does that mean Ah Zhe is about to become our colleague?" Heechul raised his eyebrows, gripping Chen Zhe's shoulder even harder.

"Ah Zhe didn't come to SM today to join us, but was invited by the teacher and president to tour SM!" Chen Zhe was left confused, unsure how to respond to the sudden topic of joining SM, but Sooyoung quickly chimed in to answer for him.

"I see. Well, let's sit down and continue chatting!" Shaking his legs, which had turned numb, Heechul finally remembered that they had been standing and talking all along, never moving to the sofa. No wonder his legs felt so numb. He hurriedly suggested they sit.

"The snacks on the table are up for grabs. No one knows which member hid them, but the three of us discovered them while cleaning the lounge out of boredom earlier, hidden in various corners." After Chen Zhe, Yoona, and Sooyoung sat down, Heechul gestured, noticing their eyes had already fixated on the snacks.

"Hidden and found snacks!" Yoona, who had been eyeing the snacks, caught a crucial detail in Heechul's words, looking at him nervously. A faint sense of dread crept in, but she clung to a last glimmer of hope and protested.

"That's right!" Seeing Yoona's anxious look, Heechul was a little baffled, but went on to explain in detail where they had found each snack.

"My snacks!" Comparing Heechul's list of locations with her own hiding spots, Yoona suddenly realized she was the true owner of the snacks. She was stunned for a moment, then quickly feigned anger.

"Oh, you claim they're yours—do you have any proof?" Heechul immediately believed Yoona when she said they were hers, since members hiding snacks wouldn't be unknown to others. But, wanting to tease her, he decided not to admit it right away.

"These snacks are obviously mine! Heechul oppa, you're bullying me!" But to Heechul's surprise, Yoona didn't respond as expected. Instead, she pouted, looking pitiful and on the verge of tears, leaving Chen Zhe momentarily stunned.

Before Heechul could say anything else, Shindong and Ryeowook, sitting beside him, grabbed his hands, motioning for Chen Zhe to help hold down his legs.

Ignoring Heechul's playful protests—"Ah Zhe, I'm your Heechul hyung, how could you treat your brother like this!"—Chen Zhe grabbed his legs and, with Shindong and Ryeowook, rewarded Heechul with several spinning swings.

"Ah Zhe, Shindong, and Ryeowook, just you wait! Don't let me catch you alone, or you'll be sorry!" Sitting on the sofa, Heechul was still dizzy, but managed to prop himself up and point at the three, issuing his vow of revenge.

"Oh? Is Heechul hyung looking for another round?" Chen Zhe, recovered and ready, eyed Heechul with a smirk, as if prepared to spring into action again.

"No, no, I was just talking nonsense!" As soon as the dizziness faded, Heechul saw all five pairs of eager eyes fixed on him, realizing he was outnumbered. He promptly surrendered, knowing better than to tempt fate.

(Too sleepy to continue, placeholder for the second update, will revise after waking up tomorrow afternoon.)

Watching the trio's sudden antics, Sunny, who had been quietly observing Chen Zhe, couldn't help but smile wryly. Their chemistry was remarkable—they could synchronize instantly and catch each other's thoughts.

Heechul, munching on snacks, was briefly stunned by the group's actions, then suddenly sensed their bond had grown stronger. Perhaps this was the friendship of food lovers; indeed, their world was quite different from others.

Meanwhile, Chen Zhe and his companions, engrossed in their snacks, paid no heed to the bemused looks cast their way, instead diving into sharing treats among themselves.

"Nuna, Yoona nuna, try these shrimp crisps—they taste amazing!" Chen Zhe handed his shrimp crisps to Sooyoung and Yoona. After sampling them, both their eyes lit up and they took more.

"Ah Zhe, these lime-flavored chips are really good!" After finishing the shrimp crisps from Chen Zhe, Sooyoung offered her own chips to him and Yoona.

Later, Yoona shared her snacks too. After their mutual sharing, the three felt their bond deepen. Their eyes confirmed it—they were all the same kind of people.

After eating more snacks, the trio had their treats confiscated by Seohyun, who insisted too many snacks weren't good for their health and took them away for their own good.