Chapter Forty-One: Visiting SM and Meeting Soojung for the First Time

“Prodigy oppa, don’t you think you’re being a bit too greedy?” Hearing his words, Yoona raised her brows and was about to speak when Sooyoung’s somewhat dissatisfied voice rang out beside her.

The moment Prodigy finished, Sooyoung noticed that Yoona hadn’t acted yet and became anxious. In her eyes, half of those snacks belonged to her. After all, they would be taking them back for everyone, but the others wouldn’t eat that much—ultimately, it would be split between her and Crocodile Yoona.

But what Prodigy was doing now was snatching food from her very mouth. He actually wanted to take a portion from the snacks already divided between the two of them. This was something Sooyoung simply couldn’t accept.

“Unnie is right, absolutely not!” Yoona, realizing this herself, grew stern, crossing her arms in front of her to form a big X, making it clear she would never agree to Prodigy’s demand.

“No way! If you don’t leave us a storage fee, you can’t take these snacks!” After being flatly refused by both girls, Prodigy was also unhappy. With so many snacks in front of him, how could he possibly let them go empty-handed?

Yoona, Sooyoung, and Prodigy quickly devolved into a noisy quarrel, neither side willing to back down, negotiating fiercely. Only after a long standoff did they finally reach a compromise: leaving a small portion of the snacks with Prodigy and his group, while the rest would be taken by Yoona and Sooyoung.

Off to the side, Zhe, Heechul, and Ryeowook, who had been watching the show, smacked their lips in mild disappointment—just when things were reaching their climax, the scene wrapped up.

“Hmph, Zhe, grab the snacks. Let’s go back; we shouldn’t keep everyone waiting!” After the haggling ended, Yoona snorted coldly, clearly displeased that their snacks had been snatched away. She ignored Prodigy’s smug look and immediately ordered Zhe to come help carry the snacks.

“Oh right, Zhe, we haven’t exchanged contacts yet. Let’s do that before we go!” As Zhe was about to pick up the snacks at Yoona and Sooyoung’s urging, Heechul suddenly seemed to remember something and called out to him.

When Heechul spoke, Prodigy and Ryeowook shot him a surprised glance, but quickly caught on to his meaning. After a brief pause, they both echoed Heechul’s suggestion, asking Zhe to swap contacts with them.

“Oh, okay, Heechul hyung, Prodigy hyung, and Ryeowook hyung, let’s exchange contacts right now. My number is…” Heechul’s words caught Zhe off guard for a moment, and seeing Prodigy and Ryeowook agree as well, he found it a bit unbelievable, not responding immediately.

It wasn’t until Sooyoung nudged him with her elbow that he snapped back, quickly agreeing, reciting his Korean phone number, jotting down theirs, and adding each other as friends on KaKao. Only then did he bid farewell to the three and head back with Yoona and Sooyoung, each carrying a load of snacks.

“Hm? Whose voice is that?” The trio soon arrived at Girls’ Generation’s lounge. As they approached the door, they could clearly hear laughter and chatter from inside. Upon catching one particular voice, Sooyoung’s eyes lit up, as if she’d found something very interesting.

“Noona, why do you look so excited, like you’ve found a new toy?” Zhe, who’d been swapping foodie stories with Yoona, noticed the change in Sooyoung’s expression. It was a look he knew well—his older sister, Yuki, always wore the same face whenever she’d come up with new ways to torment him.

Even though it probably wasn’t directed at him, Zhe decided to ask outright, just in case his so-called “Toxic Sooyoung” noona was up to something. For the record, it wasn’t because his sister had given him a complex—he was simply being cautious, or so he firmly believed.

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that a little sister has come to visit, and that makes me quite happy!” Knowing that if she didn’t give an answer, Zhe’s wariness—cultivated by his best friend Yuki—would immediately kick in, making it much harder for her to pull off whatever mischief she had in mind.

So Sooyoung chose to answer with a half-truth, chuckling to herself inside. What she said was true, just not the whole truth; no matter how shrewd he was, he’d never guess what she was really planning.

Right now, Sooyoung was weighing the possibility of matchmaking Zhe and Krystal. That kid might seem like a warm-hearted guy, and from his past blind date, he certainly knew how to talk, a little too smooth at times. But from recent observations, he was clearly not the type to actively pursue girls; in interactions with unfamiliar women, he tended to stay on the passive side.

“Unnie, come help us with the door. There are too many snacks; we can’t get it open ourselves!” As Sooyoung was still lost in thought, Yoona had already started mimicking a child’s voice, calling for someone inside to open the door. Hearing this, Zhe couldn’t help but frown, goosebumps prickling on his arms.

Yoona’s childish tone also broke Sooyoung’s concentration, making her frown in perfect synchronicity with Zhe—just like siblings sharing a secret understanding.

“Unnie, you’re back!” Just as the two were about to step in and stop Yoona, the door swung open to the sound of rapid footsteps. A distinctly unique and cheerful female voice rang out, one that sounded oddly familiar to Zhe.

Standing before him was a beautiful girl with fair, luminous skin and delicate, cool features—a unique cold beauty. Zhe was momentarily stunned; he hadn’t expected to meet, in this life, his favorite idol from his past one: Krystal, the younger sister of Jessica Jung, one of f(x)’s two maknaes. But what was she doing here? The thought left him momentarily dazed.

After greeting Sooyoung and Yoona, Krystal also noticed the boy following behind them, arms full of snacks. His face looked vaguely familiar, but she was certain she didn’t know him. Instantly, her smile faded, replaced by her signature ice-queen demeanor when facing outsiders.