Reboot the heyday

Wang Taika still has a conscience.

Yuri had many impressions of Wang Taika, but this was the first time she had seen him as having a conscience.

In reality, Yuri didn't ask for much most of the time. All she thought about was mutual exploitation, and that was it.

When Yuri first debuted, she was incredibly proud. She would have looked down on someone like Wang Taika. Yuri doesn't deny her past arrogance, and it's nothing shameful about it.

But the repeated setbacks over the years have made her much more pragmatic, and she no longer judges people and things superficially. Although Wang Taika looks like a lump at first glance, upon closer inspection, he doesn't seem so bad.

On a third glance, it even has a somewhat perverse beauty. The fourth glance is the last; if you don't immediately vomit after three glances, it means the person isn't completely unlikable, so that's acceptable.

This is Yuri's own opinion. Wang Taika actually climbed higher and higher along the way, until he didn't even have the courage to get close to people anymore. So Yuri often thinks to herself with self-deprecation that she used to be so judgmental of others, but now she sees herself as no different from a clown.

She kept these feelings to herself, only Yuri knew them. However, Wang Taika's words today relieved a lot of her mental anguish.

A warm feeling of being recognized and trusted flowed through her heart, dispelling her previous embarrassment and unease. Yuri raised her head and looked at Wang Taika, her eyes becoming clear and firm. The invisible barrier that had always existed between them seemed to be quietly melting away.

"Thank you, can I call you Oppa?" Yuri asked.

Wang Taika shrugged: "Calling me 'Dad' is fine too."

Although he was speaking Chinese, Yuri understood him and pouted, "Just call him Oppa."

“That’s right, that’s how it should be.” Wang Taika laughed. “Don’t be shy.”

Yuri nodded vigorously, a relieved and genuine smile appearing on her face. It was no longer the standard idol smile, but rather a relaxed one, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders: "From now on... I won't be so polite anymore. I might trouble Oppa quite often, who knows?"

Seeing that she finally relaxed and even started making a little joke, Wang Taika smiled and said, "It may be troublesome, but I'll just refuse you when I don't want to bother you."

"Hey!" Yuri couldn't help but playfully slap his arm, her movements much more natural, carrying an intimacy she herself didn't even realize: "How can you be like this! At least there should be a honeymoon period for friendship, right?"

The honeymoon period of friendship?

Is there any maternity leave available for friends?
All he does is spout this useless nonsense. Wang Taika really wanted to complain, but he didn't say it.

The two chatted idly for a while, and the topic naturally turned to goldfish.

"But to be honest, I really didn't expect that." Yuri looked at Wang Taika with curiosity in her eyes: "The way you treated the goldfish just now really reminded me of your father. I never thought you had this side to you."

Wang Taika touched his nose, a little helplessly: "What does 'Dad's feeling' mean?"

To be honest, Wang Taika misunderstood those words.

People with a bad heart see everything as dirty. Wang Taika told himself this.

"Yeah, he seems responsible and he even pampers people." Yuri didn't think too much about it; she just felt that Wang Taika really had the charm of a mature man now. At least in front of Jinyu, he had that kind of charm.

Wang Taika nodded and smiled, "Goldfish, she really is too good at getting things done, it's hard to ignore her. She's young but has a lot on her mind. At first, it was indeed troublesome, but you get used to it. But how should I put it, after spending a lot of time with her, seeing how hard she tries to grasp something, I feel a little sorry for her. Besides, she is really good at making people happy. I can't just ignore her."

Because of Yuri's relationship with Wang Taika, they were definitely not close friends before. So even though people know that Wang Taika is not a bad person, they can't help but wonder if Wang Taika and Yuri are really acting like father and daughter, or if they are just playing cosplay. Given Wang Taika's personality, he is definitely capable of doing this kind of cosplay.

This isn't just Yuri's wild guess; Wang Taika has practically taken over most of their group members. Even just overhearing what others say is enough to guess a lot. For example, Taeyeon suddenly developed a taste for a sexy style, Taika suddenly started ordering tons of stockings, and Chung-ah occasionally wears her performance outfits home, claiming it's to constantly feel the stage atmosphere.
Many things, if not said, do not mean that we do not know.

So Yuri still had a little doubt about the goldfish thing. Who knew how twisted Wang Taika could be?

However, at this moment, seeing the helpless yet indulgent expression on Wang Taika's face, Yuri's last bit of doubt about whether Wang Taika had ulterior motives towards the goldfish completely disappeared. This was clearly the look a father gives his naughty daughter.

At that moment, Yuri suddenly felt that the powerful and unpredictable man before her wasn't so distant and frightening after all. He, too, had the emotions and troubles of an ordinary person, such as how to deal with an overly eccentric daughter.

Thinking about it that way, it's actually quite charming.

"It's good," Yuri said softly, a faint smile playing on her lips. It was unclear whether she meant Wang Taika and the goldfish had a good relationship, or simply that she felt it was nice to be able to chat with Wang Taika like a friend.

Wang Taika glanced at her but didn't ask any further questions. He simply picked up an unopened drink prepared by the production team and handed one to Yuri: "Have something to drink, Kwon Xiaodai. Just work hard in the future and don't make me lose money."

Yuri took the juice; the cool touch warmed her heart. She unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and the sweet flavor spread in her mouth.

Wang Taika laughed and said, "I won't stand you up anymore."

"Ugh!" Yuri was genuinely amused and exasperated this time: "You dare bring that up! I'll remember that for the rest of my life! How could you stand someone up three times in a row like that!"

"See, you really are holding a grudge, aren't you?" Wang Taika raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile in his eyes.

Yuri raised her chin slightly, a hint of smugness in her voice, and retorted with a touch of naivety, "So what? I just have a good memory. And this isn't the thing I hold a grudge about the most."

Wang Taika was amused by her expression: "What's wrong? Do you mean that we've just gotten a little closer, and you're already taking advantage of me?"

“No, um.” Yuri paused. “At least not entirely. But now is the best time to bring up old grievances, while we’ve just gotten closer and the affection level hasn’t dropped yet.”

Wang Taika was both amused and exasperated: "You seem quite certain that your favorability rating will definitely drop."

"That's not quite it." Yuri didn't want to dwell on the issue and instead continued with her past grievances: "Oppa, do you know why my initial impression of you wasn't very good?"

Wang Taika suddenly realized: "Oh? You didn't have a good impression of me at first?"

How infuriating!

Yuri was speechless. What did all her little grudges over the years even amount to? Didn't the person involved have any self-reflection at all?

Oh, right, Wang Taika is that kind of person.

Yuri let out a long sigh and said, "Because at that time, Oppa said that Yoona and I look alike, and at first we couldn't tell who was who."

Wang Taika chuckled dryly: "Oh, right, that happened, I remember. And I also remember saying I didn't know Stupid Ka, and always thought Tiffany was Jessica."

"Oh right! So you remembered." Yuri smiled as she thought about it. So many memories unfolded little by little during a few casual conversations. Her thoughts drifted far away.

That year, all of us from the group were still living in the dormitory, working hard and striving for success. The nine of us, who had just left the Black Sea, were noisy and chatty, but we were all working hard towards a common goal.

That year, even f(x) were newcomers, a group of younger girls from the same company. Wang Taika had just gone from being a food delivery worker to a regular TV VJ.

Everything seemed to be viewed from a parallel universe, or like the cicadas of eight years ago in the height of summer, poised to burst forth in this season.

But everything, when I think of it now, feels as if it were right before my eyes.

But before I knew it, many years had passed. (End of Chapter)