004 A Special Relationship?

Back at their seats, Li Junhao, ever the curious type, asked,
“Who is that? Somehow, she looks a bit familiar.”
“Dean Liu’s youngest daughter. You should’ve met her mother,” Yunhui casually replied, as if recalling something.
“Oh, I get it now. She’s the deputy head nurse at St. Francis Xavier Hospital in Bundang, Songdu Hospital, right? Then yes, I have seen her…”
Li Junhao shuddered at the memory.
More than just having seen her, he vividly remembered enduring countless injections as a child, which made him dread hospitals ever since.
“Is the young lady here visiting Seoul? Wait, didn’t you mention SM Entertainment earlier? Could she be a trainee there?”
Li Junhao pieced together the clues from Yunhui’s earlier words and naturally arrived at the correct conclusion, though he was surprised:
“Ah? I recall Dean Liu’s eldest daughter got into medical school, right?”
“That’s right. Her older sister started her residency this year at Songdu University Hospital in Incheon,” Yunhui said, displaying an unusual attentiveness to the family’s affairs.
“As for Zhimin, she didn’t even finish high school before becoming a trainee… Is there a problem? I’m an actor myself.”
“Heh, no problem at all.”
Li Junhao immediately straightened up. Coming from a chaebol family like his, he dared not look down on actors. The elder beside him was not someone to mess with. Yet, his attitude toward idols was somewhat casual.
After all, he managed twenty-one female idols under his wing—twelve from Izone and nine from fromis_9.
“Zhimin, that’s her name, right? How old is Liu Zhimin?”
“She was born in 2000. How old do you think?”
“So she’s still with SM Entertainment?”
“Most likely.”
Yunhui had been too busy lately to keep up much with Liu Zhimin.
Suddenly, Li Junhao brightened:
“If that’s true, then Liu Zhimin must be debuting soon!”
“Hm?”
Yunhui nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“They say the lineup for SM Entertainment’s new girl group is set and they’re expected to debut by year-end. Zhimin is turning twenty, which is just perfect for an idol.”
“That, I really didn’t know.”
Yunhui glanced back toward where Liu Zhimin was seated.
“Hey, Hui bro, when is your show ‘Penthouse’ airing?”
Li Junhao winked. The filming hadn’t even started yet, but he was already asking about the broadcast date.
The implication was clear: If it aired late, he’d have to be the junior to others!
Though it wasn’t technically how it worked, Li Junhao was simply fishing for an answer.
“…”
Yunhui was speechless.
He hadn’t expected this, yet it felt as if Liu Zhimin was shouting in his ear, demanding he address her as senior.
That was something he definitely wanted to avoid!
“Damn it, a dog’s mouth can’t spit out ivory, drink up!”
“Heh heh, Hui bro, I salute you.”
“Heh.”

———

“Heh.”
Liu Zhimin sneered, her smirk mirroring Yunhui’s own.
Kim Minjeon looked disappointed.
“What! I thought you were my brother-in-law!”
“Say that one more time and see what happens.”
Liu Zhimin stared at the babbling Kim Minjeon, already plotting how she’d put her in her place once back at the dorm.
“Blah blah, Zhimin unnie is so mean~”
Kim Minjeon’s faint jealousy surfaced, her puzzled questioning:
“Why have I never heard you mention this Yun something guy? Aren’t we both in Seoul?”
“Well…”
Liu Zhimin patiently explained:
“We both joined the company in 2016 and became full-time trainees in 2017, right?”
“Yeah! You were the first person I met back then, unnie!”
Kim Minjeon was clingy and couldn’t hide her little feelings.
“Yunhui oppa got accepted to Yonsei University in 2016, but freshmen spend their first year at the Incheon campus.”
“Oh…”
“In 2017, because he wasn’t studying well and was always out on the streets, his grandfather arranged for him to enlist. He only resumed school in 2019. Then his grandfather passed away, and he had many affairs to handle…”
As Liu Zhimin spoke, she sampled the whiskey tasting set Yunhui had recommended. She casually picked up a glass, but instantly grimaced—the taste was strange.
“Ah~”
She puckered her lips:
“Anyway, he’s now a senior, the student council president at Yonsei University. And think about it: how much rest do we get? It’s basically the same as military service.”
Liu Zhimin’s sharp critique shocked Kim Minjeon.
Being a trainee equals serving in the military???
Uh…
That actually makes a lot of sense…
“My good relationship with Yunhui oppa is also because he’s my mom’s and sister’s boss now,” Liu Zhimin simplified the connection between the hospital and the memorial foundation.
Kim Minjeon quickly understood and looked at Liu Zhimin with newfound respect:
“Zhimin unnie… you’ve really been through a lot…”
“Ahaha…”
Liu Zhimin sensed Kim Minjeon might be misunderstanding things, but decided to let it slide.
Nearby, Nae Youngji’s face was full of inner turmoil.
She watched helplessly as Liu Zhimin completely spun Kim Minjeon around, yet Kim Minjeon remained oblivious.
Aren’t you supposed to be the clingy unnie who gets insanely jealous?
The green-tea little dog prone to bouts of jealousy?
But Liu Zhimin never even explained why she was so close to Chairman Yun.
It hardly seemed explainable by childhood friendship anymore.
As a passionate fan fiction writer, Nae Youngji’s extraordinary intuition told her that Liu Zhimin herself might be unaware:
The way Yunhui looks at you is far from innocent.
Nae Youngji had already imagined a lengthy essay on the subject.
Time to ship!
Shipping everything for a balanced diet of emotions!
From Liu Zhimin’s account, Nae Youngji seemed to have figured out who Yunhui was.
The Songdu Memorial Foundation was quite famous.
One of her family elders had attended the late chairman’s memorial service last year. It was said that the family was a true aristocratic lineage, legendary power players.
Yet...
The name didn’t quite match. Was it really Yunhui?
“Aeri, is this one good?”
After convincing Kim Minjeon, Liu Zhimin turned to the quietly savoring Nae Youngji, who hadn’t quite developed such a refined palate.
“Your guy has good taste. This whiskey tasting set features representative brands from renowned regions.”
“Aeri, don’t say nonsense. What do you mean ‘your guy’?”
Liu Zhimin couldn’t hold back a smile.
She could easily fool Kim Minjeon because they’d been friends for years and she knew her inside out.
But facing the newcomer Nae Youngji, who was her peer, Liu Zhimin couldn’t treat her the same way.
“If you say there’s no one, then there’s no one.”
“Tsk!”
Liu Zhimin was annoyed.
Speaking ill of others and being spoken ill of were two very different experiences, and Liu Zhimin was a habitual offender. She had been spoiled by her warm family.
“Zhimin, I told the bar owner to remind you to head back early. Don’t stay out too late. I’m leaving now.”
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Yunhui came over to Liu Zhimin.
“Oppa is so annoying, just like my mom!”
Liu Zhimin sighed.
She remembered that Yunhui oppa hadn’t always been like this. After the passing of the old chairman, his attitude toward her suddenly changed.
She had always regarded Yunhui as a brother, but now, he no longer wanted to be her brother. He wanted to be her father!
Who willingly wants an extra elder out of nowhere?
Damn it!
“Hmph.”
Yunhui just shook his head, waved at Liu Zhimin without another word, and left the bar.
“Ah…”
Liu Zhimin felt a little downcast.
“He’s gone…”