The number one playboy on the Peninsula!

Chapter 322 Kim Jisoo: I'll kill you with one left hook! (Seeking monthly votes)

"..."

Kim Jisoo opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her rapid breaths hit her throat, turning into soft sobs. The unbearable news pressed down on her chest like an ice-cold stone. Her delicate face had lost all color, as white as paper, even her lips had lost their former rosy hue…

...The Cartier bracelet, with its wide band set with small diamonds, the diamonds weren't large, but they were so dazzling that they almost suffocated her.

In the midst of that sharp, piercing pain, a string seemed to snap suddenly. In an instant, she understood everything.

Suddenly, I recalled the seemingly casual words spoken by the head of Dior's Asia-Pacific region a few minutes earlier, as he held up a wine glass: the brand was still considering other candidates, including myself, Momo Hirai of TWICE, and Joo-hyun unnie of Ryder Baby...

No wonder... no wonder Joo-hyun unnie won Dior's favor.

"Xiuxiu! Say something!"

"Why does your face look so pale..." Gong Cheng's originally smiling eyes instantly disappeared when he saw Kim Ji-soo's increasingly pale face, and a bad premonition rose in his heart!

But we don't know which part went wrong.

Jisoo finally slowly withdrew her gaze, her unfocused pupils only slightly sharpening when they caught sight of the figures moving around her and the celebrities laughing and talking with their glasses in hand. She took a deep breath, and her voice, which fans had praised as having an "exquisitely clear and cool tone," sounded particularly hoarse and unpleasant at this moment. "You... come out with me for a moment..."

Her chest ached; the ruins that had long since crumbled in her heart seemed to have collapsed once more. The murky dust corroded her heart, leaving her feeling numb and mechanical. But her clenched hands and the bulging veins on the back of her hands concealed an anger about to erupt...

"..."

"I'm not going..."

Gong Cheng quickly recalled his every move with Lin Nayan at the fashion week today. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have given anything away, right? Big stars are even more cautious than him these days, after all, their solo careers are just around the corner.

A top idol like her wouldn't be so love-struck as to want to tell the whole world about her relationship!

As for Hyun, that's even less likely. She's probably just getting up at her villa in Itaewon right now, happily eating the breakfast I made for her.

So why is Kim Jisoo looking like she's about to kill him?
"There are a lot of people at the event, don't force me to slap you in front of all these people!"

Upon hearing Gong Cheng's reply, Kim Ji-soo didn't even glance at him. Her gaze was fixed on the gray marble floor, lost in thought. But her clenched teeth and resentful tone sent chills down the spines of those who heard her.

I'm so stupid...

"...When will you be gentler with me?"

Gong Cheng forced a calm smile, his tall figure following behind Kim Ji-soo's downcast back. When he saw her not watching where she was going and almost bump into a waiter walking by, he raised his hand, tugged at her wrist, and reminded her, "Watch where you're going."

Kim Jisoo didn't say anything, but raised her eyelids and gave him a cold look before shaking off his arm.

"..." Following Kim Jisoo, they wandered aimlessly around the fashion week venue and courtyard. With nowhere to speak, Gong Cheng sighed and gestured to Armani's Asia-Pacific head to arrange a private room where no one would disturb them.

The two walked in silence. Gong Cheng observed Kim Jisoo's pink dress, an off-the-shoulder style with the hem falling at the knee. He couldn't understand YG's aesthetic. What era is this? The hem of the dress is still wavy.
At this point, he wasn't really in the mood to pay attention to Kim Jisoo's dress; he was just checking if she was hiding any weapons, like a fruit knife or a kitchen knife! But the sleeveless dress didn't even have a pocket...

As they silently entered the private room, Gong Cheng clearly noticed that Kim Ji-soo's fair shoulders were trembling more and more violently, as if a tsunami was about to erupt in her heart.

Just as he was about to turn on the lights, his reaction time and coordination were extremely sharp, thanks to his past experience as an underground boxing fighter. In the dimly lit private room, Kim Jisoo suddenly turned around, a sharp slap landing on her pale arm in the air, the cool breeze from her arm mingling with the scent of perfume from her hair as it brushed against her cheek...

As for the sound of something cutting through the air, that's pure nonsense! It's just a funny "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound that my beloved disciple makes when he's practicing his punches.

"...Again?"

With a "click," Gong Cheng stood behind the door of the private room, his left hand gripping the wall to press the light switch. In the instant the room was suddenly illuminated, his right hand easily grabbed Kim Ji-soo's wrist in mid-air. His handsome face tilted slightly, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "Didn't I already tell you, don't hit me in the face? I have to make a living with my looks!"

The lights illuminated Kim Jisoo's face clearly. She gritted her teeth, her cheeks puffed out, and even though her right hand was being gripped just like three years ago, her arm was still being pushed forward with all her might, her knuckles turning white from the force. "You still have the nerve to bring up the past?"

Her voice trembled like a string being pulled by the wind, yet she gritted her teeth and forced a cold laugh.

Seeing Gong Cheng's nonchalant expression, she suddenly raised her left hand, her clenched fist whistling as it slammed into his cheek, giving him a hard slap. "You never learn!"

"It's been three years, and you're still using the same old tricks?"

"Playing both sides?"

She gave a mocking laugh, the solid feel of the punch on her fist intensifying her resentment. "Don't you know how to evolve your techniques? Even I know that if I hit you, you'll be stopped. I'll just throw a left hook!"

As she spoke, she broke free of Gong Cheng's grip on her arm and coldly stared at Gong Cheng, whose face was grim.

Gong Cheng's face was turned to the side by the slap, his cheek burning with pain, and his expression instantly darkened. He looked at the furious Kim Ji-soo in front of him; her right hand, which had been freed, was still trembling slightly, but her eyes burned with an inextinguishable fire.

The air in the private room seemed to freeze, leaving only their rapid breathing and the lingering tension that had persisted for three years...

“…Damn it,” Gong Cheng licked the blood off his tongue and cursed under his breath. The punch that came at him had accidentally made his teeth hit the flesh in his mouth, but when he looked up at Kim Ji-soo’s angry expression, he gave a bitter smile. “Do you know that my face is worth hundreds of millions of dollars?”

From signing portrait rights for film and television investments to demanding photoshoots for luxury brand endorsements, his face had long been valued by his management team as a commercial asset with a clear price tag. But now, numb from the blow, those numbers suddenly seemed insignificant, far less real than the face before him, etched with frustration.

"Good for you!"

Gong Cheng shook his head, his voice slightly hoarse from being hit. He reached out and gently pushed away Kim Ji-soo, who was still blocking his way. His fingertips touched her bare shoulder, but she immediately pulled away.

As for that punch, it was no different from a slap; I had expected it...

He turned and walked to the velvet sofa next to him, sitting down and sinking his back into the cushions. When he looked up, he saw Kim Jisoo still standing there, her chest heaving, her bare shoulders gleaming delicately under the light, and the hem of her pink wavy dress swaying slightly, like a little animal that had been provoked but refused to back down.

Now that things had come to this, Gong Cheng forced a smile, his mouth still stinging. "Are you feeling a bit calmer?"

"How about another right hook, a combination punch? Just don't hit me in the face, okay?" He narrowed his eyes, chuckled, and, realizing that Kim Jisoo had already discovered his affair with the big star, slowly began, "Me and..."

Before she could finish speaking, Kim Jisoo asked coldly, "When did you and Irene start dating?"

"Me and...what?"

"Who did you say?" Gong Cheng suddenly raised his face and looked at Kim Ji-soo, who was standing there like a statue.

How could it be Joo-hyun?
Could it be that the woman from Daegu told her? And what's with the nickname "Irene"? Aren't you two best friends who felt like you'd known each other forever? The anger she felt after being punched had also subsided!

"Still pretending to be stupid?"

Kim Jisoo sneered, the pent-up frustration and resentment in her eyes bursting forth like a punctured boil. She stormed up to Gong Cheng, grabbing his left wrist tightly until her knuckles turned white from the force. With her other hand, she rolled up his sleeve, pointing at the Cartier bracelet: "Didn't expect that, did you?"

"A matching couple's bracelet, you're so proud of yourself, aren't you?" Her voice rose higher and higher with uncontrollable rage. "I even paid half for this gift! And why is it on your wrist?!"

The last few words were almost shouted out, his voice cracked, and spittle flew onto Gong Cheng's face, burning his eyelids.

“On the day you returned to Seoul, I went shopping in Apgujeong with my sister…” Kim Jisoo’s voice suddenly rose, then trembled violently in the next second, “She told me that she was going to pick out a gift for her boyfriend, and what a joke! A bracelet, and I even went with her to pick it out! I was like an idiot and paid for the women’s version for her.”

"At the last minute, the men's version of the matching couple's item ended up on your wrist?!"

By the end, her voice, which had been strained, was hoarse and gradually faded. Her clear eyes were fixed on the bracelet, and her shoulders slumped. All the rage she had felt earlier had dissipated, leaving only the embarrassment of being caught and an overwhelming sense of frustration…

"You...you deserve to..."

"Meiyan?"

"I'm worthy of it..."

Gong Cheng gazed at Kim Ji-soo's powerless and disappointed eyes, his heart aching as if stabbed. He truly hadn't expected the bracelet given to him by the woman from Daegu to have such a backstory. He felt somewhat helpless in the face of the situation, but still managed a forced smile. Looking at her eyes, which always held a touch of aloof pride, now red as a rabbit's, he said, "If you want to cry, here's a strong chest you can lean on..."

He didn't know why he said that cheesy thing, but he just wanted to lighten the mood, to make the dull atmosphere a little more relaxed.
"Gong Cheng! You messed up!" As if ignited by these words, Kim Jisoo suddenly raised her voice, filled with sarcasm, "You messed up again!"

Looking at his shameless, forced composure, she suddenly felt a pang of sadness. This man was always like this, cracking jokes when it was least appropriate, and glossing over things lightly when he should have been serious.

She took a sudden step back, her clenched fist turning white at the knuckles, and the bloodshot veins in her eyes became even more prominent: "Do you think everyone can be fooled by your appearance?"

“Ani…” Gong Cheng shook his head, leaned back on the sofa, and suddenly felt unusually calm. “Haven’t I already been caught by you for the second time?”

Are you going to report me?

"Whatever, whatever..."

He never even considered "bribing" Kim Ji-soo or anything like that; it was impossible.

"Whatever?" Kim Jisoo opened her mouth as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world, forcing a smile that was more like a grimace. "So after you failed to get what you wanted from me, you just kicked me to the curb and treated me like a stranger for a year?"

"You even acted like nothing happened when we met during your debut activities? What kind of person are you?"

Looking at the face in front of her that was clearly full of frustration but pretended to be indifferent, Kim Ji-soo suddenly laughed in exasperation.

"What's that?" Gong Cheng didn't care if Kim Jisoo punched him, but when he heard her bring up the past, the anger he had been holding in suddenly erupted. "I kicked you?!"

"Who was it that deleted all my contact information without a word? Who was so self-righteous? Who pushed me towards Zhao Meiyan and then hypocritically said, 'You two should stay together,' it wasn't you, it was me, Mo? Kim Jisoo, how could you be so loyal?"

"I've always been this kind of person in your eyes. Now that you know about this, what's so surprising about it? What kind of relationship do we have now? If you were in Joo-hyun and Mi-yeon's shoes, you could do whatever you wanted!"

"Even if I can't handle these feelings well, that's my business and has nothing to do with you!" He suddenly turned his head away, refusing to look at her reddened eyes. The hostility in his voice gradually dissipated, leaving only a tired hoarseness.

"What happened back then was my mistake, but you shouldn't have made that decision so easily. I didn't know what to do, but you don't need to make the choice for me and put on a show of sisterly love!"

Prabhu! He's been sold out and he's still counting the money for the other person!

Upon hearing Gong Cheng's somewhat out-of-control voice, the private room fell into a deathly silence, with only the two people's rapid breathing colliding in the air.

"After you broke up with her..."

"Why didn't you come looking for me..." Kim Ji-soo stared blankly at Gong Cheng's troubled face, finally able to ask the question that had been buried in her heart for three years. Zhao Meiyan and this bastard in front of her had indeed been single for a period of time after their breakup...

As for the reason for their breakup, Zhao Meiyan and Gong Cheng have never revealed it.

She remembered that winter vividly. Zhao Meiyan, with red eyes, said "We broke up" in a coffee shop. Her heart pounded, thinking she had finally found her chance. She counted down the days until he was free, and even secretly went to Yonsei University a few times, but she never saw him.

Gong Cheng took a deep breath, his chest heaving. The surging anger in his eyes gradually subsided, leaving only a weary gray. He looked up at Kim Ji-soo, his tone calm: "You've already made the decision for me, why should I bother with you?"

"Your self-righteous sisterhood, plus your obsessive desire to debut." He suddenly laughed, but the laugh was hoarse. "Faced with these two things, would you really nod and say 'Let's date'?"

"I……"

Before Kim Jisoo could finish speaking, Gong Cheng rubbed his cheeks with both hands and interrupted, "Jisoo, there's no point in bringing up the past. Just like during that time, I didn't look for you, and you didn't look for me either..."

"Don't answer questions that haven't happened."

The private room fell silent again, save for the faint sounds of fashion week outside, making the silence all the more heavy. Gong Cheng's words were like a dull knife, slowly cutting open fragments of the past…

Kim Jisoo opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't say a word. She never thought that her seemingly thoughtful "You guys take good care of yourselves" would make this guy care so much.

When did you and Irene start dating?

"About a month..." Gong Cheng didn't want to hide anything anymore.

Do you really like her?

"I like it, I can't quite explain why I like it."

"..."

The interrogation-like questioning gradually came to an end, and both of them calmed down. Kim Jisoo sat absentmindedly on the sofa, her gaze refusing to meet his. "I thought you'd been a Tarot for so long that you'd forgotten you were Gong Cheng..."

She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen that bastard beside her lose control of his emotions; instead, he always had a businesslike smile on his face.

"I am a human being..."

Gong Cheng leaned back on the sofa, staring at the magnificent ceiling of the private room. The anxiety he felt before being exposed had strangely disappeared, and now he felt unusually calm, even though he didn't know what would happen next.

Jisoo suddenly chuckled softly, a self-deprecating laugh laced with deep emotion. Her fingertips dug into the sofa armrest, her knuckles turning white. "You know what? At the beginning of the year, Irene unnie told me that her sister had a crush on a boy..."

She paused, her voice trembling, as if she were telling someone else's story: "I even foolishly helped her come up with ideas, teaching her how to give gifts without being abrupt, how to find excuses to ask the other person out... Now that I think about it..."

“There is no sister!” She raised her eyes, her eyes misty with tears, but her vision was exceptionally clear. “That so-called ‘sister’ is just herself, isn’t it? The time you two were dating matches the date she later told me the good news.”

Kim Jisoo leaned forward, tears falling onto her knees: "And then? That day when I accompanied her to pick out couple bracelets, it was the same thing... When you and she were being ambiguous, watching me get closer and closer to her, did you feel very proud? Did you feel a great sense of accomplishment?"

"Will you secretly curse me in your heart, 'It's you again, Kim Jisoo'? Will you think I'm in your way and call me a third wheel you can't get rid of?" As she spoke, Kim Jisoo burst into tears, "I'm like a fool, completely fooled by you all..." Tears streamed down her delicate face, ruining her light makeup...

Gong Cheng's Adam's apple bobbed as his gaze fell on her trembling shoulders. "Ani, every time I see you, I'm reminded of how you dumped me! I was really upset about it, and I still am..."

"So, targeting Irene is revenge on me?" Kim Jisoo turned her head to look at him, tears still streaming down her face.

"Revenge? Don't overthink it..." Gong Cheng shook his head. "We're over a long time ago, Jisoo! No, it seems like we never really started. I'm not someone who can't take a joke! But to say that my relationship with Irene is revenge against you is really an insult to me..."

"I really like Joohyun~" he said, glancing at Jisoo's tear-streaked face, and chuckled, "I like her even more than I liked you back then..."

"This is true revenge!"

Upon hearing these words, Kim Ji-soo's sobs choked in her throat, as if something had blocked them. She stared at Gong Cheng's undisguised seriousness, his gaze almost cruelly honest, a faint smile even playing on his lips…

"You've always wanted to save face, so how are you going to handle this now?"

Gong Cheng adopted a resigned, death-waiting attitude, showing no sign of surrender or remorse. Back then, Kim Ji-soo had hastily ended her relationship in what she considered a dignified manner.

He clearly told Kim Ji-soo that as long as she and Cho Mi-yeon trust each other, the three of them can live a good life together! So what if it's monogamy? He is Kim Ji-soo's husband, and Cho Mi-yeon is Kim Ji-soo's wife, so how can it not be monogamy?

"Decent?"

Kim Jisoo took out a tissue from her bag and wiped away her tears. She couldn't cry anymore! Being betrayed by a close friend and hurt by her first love was something she only needed to experience once! And she had actually acted like a clown, giving Bae Joo-hyun advice!

She never wants to experience that again!

"Shouldn't you say something nice to me? Try to comfort me?"

“You won’t be bought off by me! You hate evil like a madman, hehe…” Gong Cheng pulled over a trash can, lowered his head, and spat out the bloody, fishy-smelling water from his mouth.

Seeing the blood he coughed up, Kim Jisoo realized that her punch before entering the room had been a bit too hard, but the surge of bitterness in her heart overwhelmed the fleeting regret. "You really like Irene more than you liked me back then?" Her usually cool and aloof voice trembled slightly...

"Inside."

Gong Cheng's long eyelashes cast a shadow beneath his eyes, concealing the fleeting complexity in them. He asked himself honestly, he still liked Kim Jisoo, but how could a complete stranger like her hold any place in his heart compared to his current girlfriends? As he spoke, he saw Kim Jisoo suddenly grab his collar, and she opened her mouth in annoyance.

"I'll say it again, don't hit me in the face!"

Upon hearing this almost reflexive warning, Kim Jisoo's shoulders trembled uncontrollably, as if stung by the aloofness in those words. She then narrowed her red, swollen eyes, "Are you that afraid of me?"

"If you're going to do it, do it quickly!"

Gong Cheng didn't want to argue with Kim Jisoo anymore; it was pointless. His dark eyes stared at the stubborn Kim Jisoo in front of him, who was full of fierce energy. She pretended to raise her fist, which made his eyelids twitch. "Ugh..."

Just as he was about to push Kim Jisoo away, a delicate face with smudged makeup from crying, carrying the scent of fresh perfume and the heavy sobs of a sob, suddenly leaned in and bit his lip hard.

The next second, a sharp pain exploded from the corner of my mouth!

It hurts~~
The pungent smell of blood filled the air. In an instant, Gong Cheng knew that his lips had been torn open by Kim Ji-soo's cynical teeth!

"Since you like Irene so much, then I won't be polite this time!" Kim Jisoo released his collar, licked the warm blood from the corner of her mouth, and said coldly, "What you fear most is what's bound to happen!"

"Why do you look like you're about to turn evil?" Gong Cheng raised his hand to touch the burning sensation at the corner of his mouth, where blood was streaming down his fingertip.

"Don't you dislike making choices? You can only choose one between Miyeon and Irene, or they'll both dump you!" Kim Jisoo's resolute eyes, her heart filled with resentment at the thought of Bae Joo-hyun treating her like a fool.

And that bastard in front of me...

Gong Cheng stared at the surging emotions in her eyes. Was it hatred? But first he was punched, then he was bitten, and now she was brazenly acting as if she had been sentenced to death. The anger in his heart rose rapidly!

Especially when you see Kim Jisoo's cold, sneer face!

Gong Cheng grabbed Kim Ji-soo's shoulders, pushed her onto the sofa, and kissed her directly. "Didn't I tell you, you look ugly when you cry?" He kissed her from her fair neck to the corner of her mouth...

"..."

With rapid breathing, Kim Jisoo wanted to shove the bastard in front of her who had revealed his true nature, but she felt very frustrated as she tried to push him away with both hands.

"We're even..."

Gong Cheng looked up, his scoundrel grin undisguised, and considerately helped Kim Ji-soo pull up the hem of her off-the-shoulder dress that covered her chest. "You can do whatever you want with the rest. I'm leaving now..."

He slowly stood up, pulled out a tissue to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and prepared to go straight back to his dorm. There was no point in staying any longer at Fashion Week. What was truly worrying was what would happen after Daegu's mother and Zhao Meiyan found out about this…

"About Dior..."

Jisoo watched his retreating figure, sat up from the sofa, and gritted her teeth, wanting to refuse the Dior endorsement offer.

"Dior choosing you has nothing to do with me. You were already your ambassador, so why should I refuse?" Gong Cheng knew exactly what Kim Ji-soo was thinking and calmly said, "Besides, your objection to the endorsement is useless..."

"Yg won't let you refuse."

The voices faded into the distance, and the door to the private room was slammed shut!

The private room was deathly silent. Kim Jisoo remained sitting upright for a few seconds, her previous feigned fierceness and stubbornness vanishing completely. Suddenly, as if all her strength had been drained, she curled up into a ball, burying her delicate face in her knees. The sobs she had suppressed for so long finally broke out of her throat, and she burst into tears!
She couldn't understand why, just as Gong Cheng said, even though she knew what kind of bastard he was, she felt a deep, stabbing pain in her heart after learning that he was dating Irene again!

And the one who betrayed me was my best friend, Joo-hyun unnie...

Especially that line, "I like her even more than I liked you back then..."

"dududu~"

Jisoo didn't look up until her phone rang in her bag. She glanced at the call from Lisa, hurriedly wiped away her tears, forced back a sob, and answered the phone, listening to her teammates' anxious questions.
"Unnie, where did you run off to?"

"The fashion show is about to begin..."

"...I'll be right there." Kim Jisoo forced a smile through her weak voice before immediately hanging up the phone.

Immediately afterwards, she took out some cosmetics and lipsticks that she always carried with her from her bag and started touching up her makeup again... After doing all this, she picked up her phone and opened Bae Joo-hyun's Kakao chat window, "Let's meet today, I'll make a reservation."

The chat window still held yesterday's messages, still affectionately calling each other "Unnie"—that last bit of friendship had vanished. After sending the message, Kim Jisoo glanced at another friend, Jo Mi-yeon's, phone number, deciding to meet Bae Joo-hyun tonight first, and then tell Jo Mi-yeon about it, hoping to arrange a meeting…

She wasn't afraid of Gong Cheng, but rather that the two of them would start fighting on the spot. But thinking about it carefully, it would be fine if they fought, since it wouldn't concern her. However, remembering how close Bae Joo-hyun had been to her in the past, she felt a little soft-hearted.

……

In the bathroom, Gong Cheng washed his face, spat blood from his broken mouth into the sink, and felt a surge of irritation.
After composing himself, he went inside and found the four big stars: Minato, Tzuyu, and Mina. They were sitting in the front row near the runway, waiting for the show to start...

Gong Cheng rubbed his cheeks, put on a relaxed smile, and walked over. "Ziyu, Nayeon, I'm not feeling well, I'm going back to the dorm first." Fortunately, the lights dimmed as the fashion week was about to begin, so nothing unusual could be seen, nor could his faintly bleeding lips.

"uncomfortable?"

"..."

"what happened to you?"

The four spoke one after another, their concerned gazes falling on Gong Cheng's somewhat dim face.

"It's nothing serious, I just feel a little dizzy. I probably caught a chill from the air conditioning last night." Gong Cheng gave a lame excuse, but he really did feel a tightness in his chest that made him feel like he couldn't breathe, which made him extremely uncomfortable and uneasy.

"Why do you sleep with the air conditioner on in such cold weather?"

Nayeon said with a mix of concern and complaint, "Winter is almost here, who still uses air conditioning? Using warm air would be more reasonable!"

"Going to the hospital?"

Sana Minato raised her aloof face, her eyes revealing concern.

"Why don't you go to the hospital to get it checked out, brother?"

Chou Tzu-yu hesitated for a moment before saying that she could also check on her brother's psychological issues at the same time; she had always kept this in mind!

“…” Mina stared silently at Miyako’s face, vaguely sensing that something was wrong with him. His forced smile and furrowed brows suggested that he was hiding something in his heart.

But she wasn't sure, after all, two of the three people sitting next to her were his female relatives, and they were all getting along perfectly well!

"Maybe I drank too much yesterday?" Gong Cheng felt his agitation ease a bit under the concerned looks of his women. "Kenchana, I'll be fine after a good night's sleep. It's probably just a hangover..."

"It seems I really need to quit drinking."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly...

But Mina still noticed that bitter smile, and her heart skipped a beat.

"I told you so!"

"He should have quit drinking a long time ago!"

Lim Nayeon tilted her head back in satisfaction, thinking that her boyfriend really wouldn't learn until he hit a brick wall! Now that he had a headache and wasn't feeling well, he knew to quit drinking! Then, she smiled and said, "Then you should go back and rest first. If you get off work early today, we'll bring you some hangover soup..."

"it is good."

Gong Chengrou smiled and nodded, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Kim Jisoo walking towards them not far away.

He turned and walked away, until he brushed past Kim Jisoo...

……

Ever since Gong Cheng left the private room, Kim Ji-soo had been unsure how to face him in the future, but at this moment, her heart truly felt a slight shattering...

Her previous fresh and elegant makeup for Fashion Week was now replaced with a heavy base, but it still couldn't hide her slightly red and swollen eyes and pale complexion. As she walked to BLACKPINK's seating area in her high heels, she gave a knowing smile and explained, "I just chatted with a friend from my trainee days for a while."

TWICE's seats were not far from theirs.

Lim Nayeon, ever the energetic girl, eagerly greeted her elementary school friend, her rabbit teeth flashing as she darted over with a grin. But then she noticed her friend's eyes were bloodshot and looked like they'd been crying, and she sensed something was wrong.

"Jisoo, what's wrong?"

"Is someone bullying you?" Rabbit Teeth spoke up righteously, glancing around at the brand representatives in suits and ties around him. Could it be that someone was trying to take advantage of him?
"fine……"

Seeing her friend notice her unusual mood and feel a pang of emotion upon seeing her worried expression, Kim Ji-soo felt a surge of warmth in her heart!
This is a true friend! Over a decade of friendship—unlike Bae Joo-hyun! She and that bastard Gong Cheng…played with me…

"How can it be okay?"

"If anyone bullies you, I'll stand up for you!" Lim Nayeon blinked, her heart still pounding a little as she said this! But the person in front of her was her friend, and if Jisoo was really being bullied, she would definitely help her!
Regardless of how many years the two have known each other, Zhuge Zhixiu deserves immense credit for bringing her and her boyfriend together!
"Don't worry, with Gong Cheng around, he'll definitely be able to help you get revenge!"

Lim Nayeon has complete faith in her boyfriend's abilities. She still vividly remembers how he helped Momo deal with Kim Heechul's situation last year! He values ​​friendship and will stand up for his good friends!

"Gong Cheng?"

Upon hearing this, Kim Jisoo's forced smile froze. Looking at her bewildered friend, she earnestly reminded her, "Nayeon, about Gong Cheng, he..."

She originally wanted to tell her friend directly that this person was a novice and a scumbag!
But she couldn't bring herself to say it... As for the love triangle between Bae Joo-hyun, Cho Mi-yeon, and Gong Cheng, she couldn't tell her friend in front of her. They were all celebrities; these kinds of things couldn't be said or spread carelessly...

If word gets out, it will be bad for everyone. She wanted Bae Joo-hyun and Gong Cheng to pay the price, but she didn't expect Bae Joo-hyun to be so disgraced…

Being careful with one's words and actions is something the company taught us during our trainee days.

"What's up with him?"

Nayeon's interest was piqued; she really wanted to hear her friend's opinion of her boyfriend! If the evaluation was great, she might even smugly tell her, "This amazing guy is dating me!"
Surprised?!

surprise!

"He's not someone we can afford to mess with..."

Kim Ji-soo couldn't help but warn her friend, saying that she could tell at a glance that she had a crush on some bastard and was someone she couldn't afford to mess with. It wasn't that she was saying how powerful that person was; indeed, the wealth that bastard earned in a year was probably more than they could earn in a lifetime.

That's not an exaggeration. Even the most popular idols are like ants trying to shake a tree when it comes to income compared to Gong Cheng. It's really overestimating their abilities. Yoona is famous enough, but after so many years in the industry, her wealth has only reached ten or twenty million US dollars. And IU, the current top female solo artist, has also accumulated a fortune of around tens of millions of US dollars over the years.

And that guy, just one endorsement alone, earns him at least $2000 million a year... not to mention album sales, copyright fees, tour box office revenue... he's a walking money-printing machine, no joke.

What she really couldn't afford to offend was that bastard's womanizing personality. Kim Ji-soo knew this all too well, and she didn't want her silly, carefree friend to repeat the same mistake.

"..."

On the other side, Mina, who was sitting, adjusted the neckline of her white dress, crossed her legs, and watched the opening fashion show with an elegant smile.

But her thoughts wandered far away, and the more she thought about it, the more something seemed wrong!
Makoto, something must have gone wrong!

……

……

With a "thud," Gong Cheng returned to his dorm, sat on the sofa in the living room, pulled out an unopened pack of cigarettes from a drawer, and lit one. He hoped it would suppress the restless unease in his heart!
The ultimate heartbreak, Haki Makoto, is here...

As soon as he got back, he received a call from Kim Dae-woo, who told him about the schedule starting the day after tomorrow, as he was going to Singapore and other places to continue his tour.

But now, one unpleasant thing after another is happening...

After the cigarette burned out, Gong Cheng stared blankly at the tobacco that had been sitting in the ashtray for a long time, which he had quit smoking. After extinguishing it, he threw the ashes and cigarette butt, along with the newly opened cigarette pack and lighter in the drawer, into the trash can!
……

At noon, just after the fashion week in Seocho-gu ended, Kim Jisoo hurriedly got into her van, preparing to go back to the company to change her clothes and go find Bae Joo-hyun!
Meanwhile, Lim Na-yeon and the other three hurriedly returned to the company to prepare for their next trip.

"..."

At JYP, Nayeon pulled Mina aside, "Mina, Sana and I have schedules later. Remember to bring some hangover soup for that kid Gong Cheng. If it's serious, let us know, okay?"

"Unnie, you seem quite concerned about him?"

Mina nodded with a smile on her fair face, unable to resist making a teasing remark.

"Aigoo, no way!" Lim Nayeon's face immediately turned as red as a monkey's bottom. "We've all been together for so long, so it's natural for us to be close~ It's only right that we care about him. Didn't you say he's the tenth member of TWICE?"

Mina subtly pursed her lips, "Okay, unnie, don't worry, I'll go back to the dorm to check later~"

"..."

……

Having just returned her personal clothes from YG, Kim Jisoo washed her face, removing all her makeup. Staring at her swollen, red eyes in the mirror, she put on a baseball cap.

Scum!

"Beep beep!" She pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw a message from the person she was despising.

【First Dawn】: "Joohyun doesn't know about me, you, or Jo Miyeon. I'm not telling you this to plead for you. She cherishes your friendship. The bracelet thing was a misunderstanding. She didn't mean to tease you..."

“I think she just didn’t want you to be caught in the middle between her and Zhao Meiyan, so she didn’t tell you about our relationship. So you don’t need to be so hostile towards Zhu Xuan. It’s all the result of my hiding it. Blame me if you have to.”

"You're actually defending her?" Kim Jisoo replied angrily, now regretting not punching this upstart Dongxi to death!
A few seconds later, she glanced at the message notification: Read but not replying!

He was so angry that he was trembling all over!

"What's wrong?"

"Now that you're facing certain death, you're starting to stand up like a man? Let me tell you straight, Gong Cheng!"

"I'm going to find Bae Joo-hyun right now. You must be suffering, right?" Kim Ji-soo stood by the pool, typing furiously in the chat box. "Are you regretting it?"

"Didn't you beg me properly during Fashion Week?"

The more she spoke, the more the frustration that had subsided in her heart surged up again!

"Meiyan probably still thinks you're completely in love with her. Guess how she'll react when she finds out?"

"As for Bae Joo-hyun, you two have only just started dating, what do you think she'll do?"

"Gong Cheng! The most undignified part is yet to come! You just wait!"

Kim Jisoo unleashed a long string of messages, and just as she was about to go to her appointment, she saw his reply.

【New Dawn】: "Kim Jisoo, you better watch out, I'm going to give you a phoenix-like rebirth, and show you what it means to destroy before you can build!"

"You little bastard!" Kim Jisoo was furious that even when he was about to die, this guy was still being stubborn.
……

Mina, wearing a hoodie and carrying a bowl of hangover soup, took the elevator to Miyako's apartment.

With practiced ease, I entered the password.

"Click~" The door opened without any obstruction, and as soon as Mina entered, she saw Makoto's slippers on the carpet next to the shoe cabinet.

A question arose in my mind: Hasn't he come back?

"Makoto-chan~"

"Makoto-chan~~~"

Mina raised her voice, took off her hoodie, and with her pretty face raised, shouted twice.

No one responded...

She first placed the hangover soup on the dining table, then opened the refrigerator and looked inside. The neatly arranged bottles of liquor hadn't been touched. Then, she confidently walked up the stairs to the duplex with a penguin-like gait.

If he didn't drink, it means I was overthinking it. Makoto should be fine, right?

After wandering around the bedroom without finding Gong Cheng, Ming Jingnan yawned and went to the living room. But as soon as she sat down on the sofa, her pretty face and brows furrowed instantly. There was a smell of smoke.
She quickly knelt on the carpet, pulled open the drawer under the coffee table, and sure enough... the pack of cigarettes inside was gone!
Mina glanced at the trash can next to the coffee table; even the trash bags had been taken away. Her heart instantly raced with panic!

It is said that the enemy knows the enemy best. Since Cheng-chan quit smoking in the summer of 16, she and the other members have never seen him relapse!
"Where are you?" Mina took out her phone and asked quickly.

[The bastard who judges people by their bear appearance]: "Sleeping in the dorm~ What's wrong, Mina-chan~"

Mina's face changed instantly, turning ashen. She turned on her phone's recording function, pointed it at his dorm's living room, and started filming. While recording, she yelled, "Makoto-chan!!!"

Immediately afterwards, the video was sent, followed by the message, "Come on, tell me where you sleep in your dorm."

"Did you find a mouse hole to crawl into?"

[The bastard who judges people by their appearance]: "Okay, I'm out taking care of some personal matters. Don't worry, I might be back a little late."

"What's wrong?" Mina asked anxiously, but finding it troublesome, she simply made a voice call and hung up. As soon as the call connected, she demanded, "Where have you been? How did you relapse?!"

"Hey! What are you talking about? What do you mean by relapse? It's like I'm a drug addict..." Gong Cheng's dissatisfied voice rang out from the other end, then he quickly explained, "It's really okay, Mina-chan~"

"Shall I tell you when we get back?"

"Why didn't you tell me now?" Mina gripped her phone, her voice tense. "It sounds like you're going to your death..."

"Hey! I'm driving!" Gong Cheng's helpless voice was mixed with the whooshing sound of the wind. "What are you talking about?"

Mina quickly covered her mouth, her face turning pale with shock. She then hurriedly spat several times, realizing how unlucky those words were! She couldn't say them carelessly! "Mina, Makoto-chan..."

"I'm just really worried about you..."

……

As the Aston Martin drove across the Han River Bridge, Gong Cheng pulled off his headphones and hung up the phone.

Regardless of what Zhao Meiyan and Bae Zhuxuan decide today, the time it takes to smoke a cigarette has given him a lot to think about…

Many things are bound to happen sooner or later, aren't they? He wasn't one to complain or blame others, and he quickly made up his mind: "We men will die with our heads held high!"

Consider this a training exercise using the cases of Kim Jisoo, Cho Miyeon, and Bae Joo-hyun! Leveling up by grinding monsters? Gaining experience...learning lessons so we can better handle other female-related scandals in the future!
Ultimately, Gong Cheng just felt that this was a bit sudden! After all, he had only been dating Daegu's girlfriend for about a month.

If we give Hyunna more time, we can slowly let her know about Cho Mi-yeon's situation, like we did with the puppy and the penguin, gradually pushing the boundaries and testing the waters. We can keep it localized for now…

But right now, Kim Jisoo! Don't let yourself fall into my hands!
Fortunately, Bae Joo-hyun and Jo Mi-yeon's situation is a small-scale battleground. Whether they separate or continue dating, Gong Cheng isn't sure he can guess what the women are thinking. If they separate, the cards will be reshuffled; if they continue dating...

He himself was too embarrassed to think about continuing the relationship, but he still had to be thick-skinned; he couldn't really give up, could he?
That's too naive! Not suitable for our pure love story!

However, seeing Jisoo's stubbornness today, Gong Chengzhen felt a pang of heartache and sadness. If even Irene was like this, what about the big stars? Anyway, before heading to the Singapore and Thailand tour…

We need to get an answer to this today.

I, Haji Cheng, stop pretending to be confused!

……

The afternoon sun shone on Seongmun-dong in Gangnam District.

Kim Jisoo had just walked out of that inconspicuous earring shop at the end of the alley, her right earlobe still throbbing with a dull, pricking pain. She raised her hand to touch her newly pierced ear, her fingertips brushing against the tiny silver stud. The cool metallic sensation brought a bit of clarity to her muddled mind.

The black jacket he was wearing was zipped up all the way, making his jawline look even sharper. The brown wide-leg pants he was wearing swayed gently with his steps, and the cuffs brushed against the fallen leaves on the roadside, making a soft rustling sound.

Feeling lost, she arrived at the coffee shop she had booked earlier... Upon entering the private room, Kim Jisoo sat by the window, looking down at the street below, quietly waiting for Bae Joo-hyun to arrive!

She now deeply regrets not killing that bastard.

But when she thought of what Gong Cheng said at Fashion Week, and how her decision had embarrassed and made him so uncomfortable... her heart was in turmoil!
But it's also true that he wronged Miyeon! Kim Jisoo made up a cruel excuse for herself!

She had to expose this bastard to Zhao Meiyan and Bae Joohyun! Even though she knew that what Bae Joohyun did to her was unintentional! But she just couldn't stand hearing him say that he liked her even more than he used to like her?
"..."

A moment later, a figure wearing a baseball cap and a white mask appeared in Kim Ji-soo's line of sight and hurriedly walked into the coffee shop.

coming!

She sat up straight, picked up her phone, and glanced at her reflection in the dark screen. She desperately wanted to hide the look of someone catching someone cheating, along with her somewhat distorted and unsightly features, but no matter how hard she tried to control her expression, it only made her look more unnatural…

She tried to relax, pulling at the corners of her mouth and forcing herself to blink, but the more she tried to control her expression, the stiffer her facial muscles became, and even her breathing became difficult.

"Jisoo-ah~"

The door to the coffee shop's private room was suddenly pushed open.

Bae Joo-hyun wore an oversized black sweatshirt and flowing white wide-leg pants. She casually took off her baseball cap, letting her smooth black hair fall down. She then pulled off her mask, revealing a smiling face with slightly upturned eyes and a lazy look as if she had just woken up. Her cheeks were flushed with a healthy pink, and she radiated a glow of love.

"Didn't you say you were going to Fashion Week today?"

She chuckled and put down her bag, but when she looked up and saw Jisoo's strange expression, she asked curiously, "What's wrong, Jisoo? You look unwell, and your eyes are a little swollen? Didn't you get enough rest?"

Her voice was soft, filled with genuine concern and warmth. Looking at her completely unguarded state, Kim Jisoo's hands, resting on her knees under the table, quietly clenched into fists. She didn't know how to tell Bae Joo-hyun the cruel truth...

Jisoo took a deep breath, her chest feeling suffocated as if filled with a damp cotton ball. She forced a stiff smile, each word seeming to be squeezed out through clenched teeth: "Unnie, are you dating the famous Tarot?"

Upon hearing this, Bae Joo-hyun's concerned face froze for a moment. She blinked, her gaze quickly sweeping over Kim Ji-soo's tense jawline and unnatural brows. After a few seconds of silence, she slowly spoke, her voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of probing: "You know everything?"

"Um... I saw that men's Cartier bracelet."

"That's a gift I paid half for!" Kim Jisoo gritted her teeth and said in a muffled voice, "Aren't we best friends, unnie? Why didn't you tell me you were dating him?"

"Jisoo, I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's because of his past relationship with Jo Mi-yeon. I know you two are close, so I didn't know how to bring it up..."

Bae Joo-hyun guessed that her best friend was angry about this, and quickly explained!

For a moment, he didn't know if her anger was because he had kept it from her, or if it was because he was standing up for Zhao Meiyan.

"...Has Unnie forgotten?"

"Didn't I tell you to tell me first if you like a boy... so I can help you vet him?" Kim Jisoo's smile was somewhat bleak. "If I had known earlier that you liked that kind of man, I definitely wouldn't have let you be with him..."

"Why do you say that?" Bae Joo-hyun sensed that something was amiss, and her smile vanished instantly.

(End of this chapter)