Peninsula Steel Love

Chapter 829 Yuri's Secret

"buzzing"

In the kitchen of Girls' Generation's dormitory, the blender quietly started up, while Yuri, dressed in pajamas, stood in front of the table, lost in thought.

She has always maintained a regular sleep schedule of going to bed early and waking up early, and besides, she didn't drink much last night, not to the point of being hungover.

Unlike a certain Gui who can get drunk all by himself when he has nothing to do, he is currently snoring loudly in his bedroom upstairs and probably won't wake up until noon.

Time ticked by, until the blender's motor suddenly stopped. Yuri then snapped out of her daze, hurriedly removed her disposable gloves, and poured the prepared yam juice into a cup.

The sky outside was overcast, making the large living room appear somewhat dim.

Yuri didn't turn on the lights. She just sat quietly on the sofa, her hands gripping the glass tightly, staring blankly out the window. It was clear that she was quite unsettled inside.

If Yuri could maintain a detached, spectator attitude during the first half of last night's dinner, everything changed instantly with the arrival of Lee Tae-hyun and Goo Kwang-woo.

When the two men noticed Yuri sitting there, they were taken aback for a moment, then stared at her with incredulous eyes for several seconds, making Yuri feel uneasy.

This is not hard to understand; Lee Tae-hyun and his sister were well aware of the role her older brother, Kwon Hyuk-joon, played in the Chen Xingye case.

Although Zhou Jing ultimately let that bastard go for some special reason, given what he had done, it was already a mercy that Zhou Jing didn't throw him into the Han River.

Therefore, even with Jessica's connection, Zhou Jing had no reason to be so close to Yuri. In this situation, only close relatives were qualified to participate. Could it be...?
To offer herself in marriage to atone for her brother's sins?

"Daiba," a classic melodramatic trope from Korean dramas, Lee Tae-hyun thought with a sense of relief, secretly praising Joo Kyung for finally getting it.

Seriously, what's with this "pure love warrior" nonsense? It's insane. It's just Girls' Generation. Forget about Kwon Yuri, if you like all nine of them, it's nothing.

So what if they're a national girl group? In the end, they're still just idols, haha.
Yuri had no idea what Lee Tae-hyun was thinking. At this moment, she was filled with anxiety and could only be described as sitting on pins and needles.

There was nothing she could do; Kwon Hyuk-joon had been blacklisted by LG before, and she didn't believe that chaebols had such bad memories or were so magnanimous.

Fortunately, neither Lee Tae-hyun nor Goo Kwang-woo seemed to pay much more attention to her afterward, which made Yuri secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

However, what was bound to happen eventually did happen. After finally getting through the dinner party, everyone exchanged pleasantries and said goodbye. At this moment, when no one was paying attention, Lee Tae-hyun quietly walked up to Yuri and casually asked:
"Yuri-ssi, how is your brother, Kwon Hyuk-joon-ssi, doing lately?"

"He should be alright, right?" Yuri's heart tightened and her face instantly turned unnatural. "My brother and I don't usually keep in touch, so I don't know much about his situation. I'll send him to Hamida."

“Jinjia? No wonder.” Lee Tae-hyun was not surprised by Yuri’s explanation. On the contrary, he nodded and showed an expression of knowing it.

Little did Yuri know that her heart was in her throat. She wasn't naive enough to think that the other person was simply trying to greet Kwon Hyuk-joon.

What a joke! What merit does Kwon Hyuk-joon have to deserve the attention of a chaebol? He'd be more like a death notice. Yuri could no longer hide her fear.

"Yuri-ssi, please don't misunderstand, I didn't mean anything by it." Lee Tae-hyun quickly explained, knowing what Yuri was worried about.

"Brother Zhou Jing saved my life. Considering your relationship, I can guarantee that LG will definitely not make things difficult for Kwon Hyuk-jun. However, I have a few words from the bottom of my heart, and I hope Yuri will forgive me."

"Huh?" Yuri felt a bit overwhelmed for a moment.

What do you mean by "because of her relationship with Zhou Jing"? What is her relationship with Zhou Jing? At most, she's a sister-in-law who got the benefits, and that's only because she benefited from Jessica's connections.

Just as Yuri was momentarily stunned, Lee Tae-hyun sighed and continued:

"How should I describe your brother, Quan Hejun? There's an old Chinese saying, 'Once the wound heals, the pain is forgotten.' If things continue like this, he'll eventually end up in that circle and be eating tofu."

“Yuri-ssi, you are a popular artist, and Joo Kyung-hyung is also a public figure now. If Kwon Hyuk-joon-ssi causes any trouble, it will have a very negative impact on both of you.”

"So please don't blame me for being nosy. There are some things you might not know, but I have to tell you, Zhou Jing. I don't mean anything by it. This is all for the sake of your relationship. Mianyeo."

After saying that, Lee Tae-hyun bowed slightly and left, leaving Yuri standing there with wide eyes.

"Ani, is there some misunderstanding?" Yuri was about to call out to Lee Tae-hyun when she suddenly felt Joo Kyung-jung looking at her from not far away. This glance made Yuri inexplicably decide not to clarify anything anymore.

The journey home was silent. Yuri returned to her dorm, washed up, and lay down on her warm bed.

The night was deep, and normally she would have been fast asleep long ago, but tonight she was destined to be sleepless. Lee Tae-hyun's words replayed in Yuri's mind again and again, bringing her surprise, endless shame, and lingering fear.

There was nothing she could do; it was Lee Tae-hyun's intentional or unintentional revelation that revealed a secret buried deep within her heart: she liked Joo Kyung.

To be honest, Yuri herself finds it hard to accept this fact. She used to be the number one anti-Joo Kyung of Girls' Generation.

The reversal stemmed from the yacht incident, a near-death experience amidst gunfire and bullets—something she and Zhou Jing had gone through together, and it was unique.

Yuri could never forget the scene of bullets whizzing past her ears, but she wasn't afraid at all, because a man had selflessly pressed down on her and protected her with his body.

Even though he was about to be riddled with bullets as he withdrew from the cabin, the only bulletproof vest he had was put on her. It was only much later that Yuri realized that from that moment on, it was hard for her not to fall in love with Zhou Jing.

Despite trying to convince herself with the "suspension bridge effect," Yuri was horrified to discover that the more she interacted with Joo Kyung, the more likely she was to succumb, because this man was toxic.

This poison isn't just some funny quirk of Cui Laoqi; it's like the apple in the Garden of Eden, captivating women and drawing them in.

Girls' Generation alone accounts for half of the group. Jessica and maknae Seohyun are the obvious choices, but all the members know that leader Taeyeon and second maknae Yoona are probably also caught in the trap of love.

Getting involved under such circumstances would only make things worse, so Yuri suppressed her love-struck mind and chose to silently bury this doomed relationship.

"Zhou Jing oppa, if you were even a little bit of a jerk, maybe we'd be saved a lot of trouble, sigh."

Yuri took a big gulp of yam juice and couldn't help but sigh. Just then, the dormitory door suddenly opened, and Choi Soo-young walked in looking weathered.

"Sooyoung, why are you back? Didn't the company say the rehearsal wouldn't be until tomorrow afternoon?" Yuri asked, grinning, puzzled.

After getting drunk on New Year's Eve, Sooyoung went home the next day. She was unwilling, but no matter how much her mother, Min So-hee, nagged, Sooyoung didn't dare to miss visiting her maternal grandfather's house on New Year's Day.

As for the rehearsal that Yuri mentioned, SM Entertainment has confirmed that Girls' Generation will participate in the Sunshine Bud Project flash mob event, and will release Girls' Generation's first single of the new year, "Catch Me If You Can," at the same time, officially firing the first shot of their comeback.

However, a nine-member reunion is unrealistic. Taeyeon is about to debut as a solo artist and is extremely busy, while Yoona has a ton of commercial commitments and simply can't spare the time. Furthermore...
This event was jointly organized by SM and JYP, with 2PM being the main force. Natpani immediately declined.

Jessica's reasons were pretty much the same. Not long after her debut, she was rumored to be dating Taecyeon. Now, to have her appear in the same frame as 2PM, well, thank you so much.
Therefore, after careful consideration, SM decided to form a five-member subunit consisting of Sunny, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, and Seohyun to represent Girls' Generation in this event.

With four people missing, the dance and part assignments had to be rehearsed all over again. Because of this, SM didn't care about the Lunar New Year and ordered everyone to go back to the practice room for extra practice.

"Of course I came back for something. Aigoo, it's much more fun in the dorm." Sooyoung took off her coat and plopped down next to Yuri, snatched the yam juice, smelled it, and pouted.
"Except for this one, I really admire you, you've remained the same all these years, ugh."

Sooyoung made a disgusted face, which made Yuri glare at her. Seeing this, Sooyoung quickly changed the subject.
"Does the company have any schedules for you today?"

"What? Annie, what are you doing?" Yuri looked at Sooyoung in confusion.

"That's great! Come with me to pay New Year's visits later, hehe." Xiuying chuckled awkwardly, her eyes unusually pleading.

What the heck? This is so unlike Sooyoung! Yuri thought this Choi Laoqi was acting strangely, so she subconsciously asked:
"New Year's greetings? Who are you sending them to? And why did you include me?"

"It's Zhou Jing oppa, there's nothing we can do about it."

"puff"

Yuri, who was drinking yam juice, immediately sprayed it all over Sooyoung's face, creating an extremely awkward scene. The next second, Sooyoung exploded.

"Hey, you idiot, are you crazy? I went to a beauty salon to get my makeup done, ouch!"

As Sooyoung wiped the yam juice residue off her face with a tissue, she muttered curses. Suddenly, she stopped what she was doing and stared blankly at Yuri, which made Yuri, who was already in a state of panic, even more nervous.

"Yuri, your reaction just now was a bit off." Sooyoung looked Yuri up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

Unexpectedly, her questioning calmed Yuri down. Why? It's all because once a woman has someone she likes, her sixth sense becomes like a long-range early warning system.

From the text alone, Sooyoung's question seemed reasonable and consistent with the characteristics of most onlookers. However, Yuri sensed something unusual in Sooyoung's tone and expression.

Please, it's not incongruous to replace it with crystal in such a condescending and menacing manner, but what are you, Choi Soo-young, trying to do? It's not like you're the one catching a mistress.
Wait a minute, a bad feeling suddenly popped into Yuri's mind. Could it be that Sooyoung was like her?
This is the sixth one already! What kind of situation is this? Yuri was on the verge of tears and had no heart to answer Sooyoung. At that moment, she only hoped that Sunny, Tiffany, and Hyoyeon would hold on. They were the last bit of dignity left for Girls' Generation.

Ugh, that damn bad oppa.
(End of this chapter)