Chapter Fifty: A Gathering of Friends, An Ever-Growing Circle

As she pushed open the door to Girls’ Generation’s lounge, the scene that greeted Choi Sooyoung made her pause in surprise. Compared to when they’d left, the room now held several more people.

“Yuqing unnie! Sooyoung unnie!” The others in the room were drawn by the sound of the door, and among them, a tall girl with a sweet face stood up, waving enthusiastically as she jogged over to Sooyoung and Chen Yuqi, her face radiant with a sun-bright smile.

Sooyoung reached out her arms, ready for a long-overdue hug with the company’s little princess, but the girl skipped past her and leapt straight into Chen Yuqi’s embrace, clinging to her affectionately.

“It’s been so long, Sulli!” Though Choi Sulli was even taller than Chen Yuqi, she nestled against Yuqi’s shoulder like a little girl, while Yuqi stroked her hair with all the gentle affection of an elder sister.

Watching this display of sisterly affection, and seeing Chen Yuqi’s gentle, nurturing demeanor, Chen Zhe nearly dropped his jaw to the floor in shock.

Comparing the way his own sister treated him to the way she treated Sulli, Chen Zhe grumbled inwardly. Oh, Chen Yuqi, Chen Yuqi—anyone would think Sulli was your real sister, and I was just some stray you picked up.

“Sooyoung noona, it’s been ages for us too!” Abandoned by Sulli, Sooyoung stood frozen in place, arms still raised, her smile as stiff as her posture. Seeing her awkward predicament, a tall, handsome young man with deep, expressive eyes quickly approached, arms open.

“Choi Minho, are you just trying to take advantage of your noona?” As Minho reached her, Sooyoung, recovered from her embarrassment, dropped one arm and pressed a finger to his forehead, teasing him with a half-joking tone.

“Sooyoung noona, how could you think me that sort of person? You have to believe me!” Minho, catching her playful mood, realized his attempt to ease the tension had succeeded, and responded with mock indignation.

“Annyeonghaseyo! You must be Yuqi noona’s younger brother, Chen Zhe, right? I’m Choi Minho, pleased to meet you!” After his banter with Sooyoung, Minho turned to Chen Zhe, his smile as warm as a spring breeze, and offered his hand.

“Yes, Senior Minho, I’m Chen Zhe. It’s great to meet you too!” Chen Zhe grinned brightly as he shook Minho’s hand. Compared to interacting with the girls, who seemed to operate on a completely different wavelength, he much preferred connecting with guys who shared his temperament. Minho was exactly the kind of person he could see himself befriending.

“No need to be so formal, Chen Zhe. Just call me hyung!” Minho patted his arm, noticing the firm muscle beneath his sleeve. His smile grew even more genuine; he couldn’t help but like guys who clearly enjoyed sports, since he was a huge fan of athletics himself.

Before Chen Zhe arrived, Minho had already heard plenty about him from the seniors in Girls’ Generation and Super Junior. He’d formed a decent impression, and now, considering the good relationship SHINee had with Chen Yuqi—similar to their bond with Girls’ Generation—Minho decided he’d go out of his way to look after this new little brother. So he invited Chen Zhe to use the more familiar address.

“Okay, Minho hyung. You can just call me A-Zhe!” Though he didn’t quite understand why Minho wanted to draw closer, Chen Zhe was more than happy to make friends with someone so much to his liking.

Thanks to Sooyoung’s guidance, Chen Zhe had also developed some understanding of the entertainment industry’s social dynamics. He knew this was a valuable opportunity for networking, so he didn’t hesitate to call Minho “hyung.”

“Don’t just stand around at the door—come have a seat!” Just as Minho started to say something else, a man with long blond hair came over, draping an arm around both Chen Zhe and Minho, steering them toward the sofa.

“Heechul hyung, you’re here too?” Because Sooyoung had blocked his view earlier, Chen Zhe hadn’t seen exactly who was in the lounge—and hadn’t noticed Kim Heechul’s presence.

“Jessica and the others called us over for dinner. Shindong and Ryeowook came too, to back you up!” Heechul muttered in a low voice, nudging Chen Zhe in the direction of two figures on the sofa. Following his gaze, Chen Zhe spotted Shindong and Kim Ryeowook, both looking rather glum.

When Jessica called Heechul, she explained that they were taking the f(x) members and Chen Zhe out for dinner, with no other guys present, so she wanted Heechul and his friends to come along for moral support—lest Chen Zhe get overwhelmed by the girls.

Heechul had broken into a cold sweat at the thought, silently applauding Chen Zhe’s courage. He himself wouldn’t dare face the formidable group alone—especially with the addition of the f(x) girls. After Jessica hung up, Heechul gritted his teeth, determined to live up to his promise to look out for Chen Zhe, and half-coaxed, half-cajoled the unsuspecting Shindong and Ryeowook into coming along.

“So, Minho hyung, how did you end up here?” Now that he understood why the Super Junior trio was present, Chen Zhe was curious about Minho’s reason for being there.

“Actually, I was roped in by Sulli and Jonghyun hyung.” Minho pointed to the quiet young man sitting beside Shindong and Ryeowook, scratching his cheek in embarrassment as he confessed how he’d gotten involved.

“You must be Yuqi’s younger brother, Chen Zhe. Hello, I’m Victoria Song. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” As the trio reached the cluster of sofas, a striking woman with a unique air stepped forward, her smile bold and cheerful in a way only someone from the northeast could manage. She extended her hand to Chen Zhe in greeting.