Peninsula: These female celebrities are all so neurotic.

"Unnie?"

Park Soo-young called out, but no one answered.

At the dormitory entrance, Bae Joo-hyun bent down to change her shoes.

The movements are very slow.

She filmed the show all day and tried to smile the whole time.

Although most of them were business smiles.

I laughed so hard my lips almost cramped up.

Red Velvet only debuted in Japan in July, and now is the time for them to gain exposure; they simply can't afford to waste these variety show opportunities.

But... I'm so tired.

"Unnie?" Park Soo-young called out again.

"Inside."

"You've snapped out of it." Park Soo-young glanced at her but didn't ask any further questions.

She's used to it.

This is how Bae Joo-hyun looks when she's not smiling; she's cold and aloof.

It wasn't intentional.

When you're tired to a certain extent, you just don't bother with managing your facial expressions.

Aren't the others the same?

After being a pampered idol all day, all I want to do when I get back to my dorm is laze around.

Park Soo-young first took two bottles of water from the refrigerator, handed one over, and then went into the room to get her pajamas.

"I'm going to take a shower first."

Bae Joo-hyun leaned back on the sofa and took a sip of water. It was cool, and it made her throat feel a little better.

The living room was very quiet.

The TV wasn't on, and my phone wasn't ringing.

The members went back to their rooms, and you could hear Kang Seulgi humming a song inside.

Do they like this kind of life?

Half and half...

But what are your true thoughts?

Go to hell, all of you.

Bae Joo-hyun returned to her room and threw her belongings on the bed.

She didn't turn on the light.

Standing there, the only light coming through the gaps in the curtains from the streetlights was from the streetlights, and it was a bit cold.

There was a pile of my personal clothes that I would wear tomorrow on the bed.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked down at her hands.

Her fingers were long and slender, and her nails still had the shiny manicure she had done in Japan a few days ago.

Liu Zimu.

The name suddenly appeared without her even realizing it.

By the time she realized it, she had already remembered that man.

The coffee shop owner is Chinese, and he's Choi Sulli's boyfriend.

As for why Choi Sulli suddenly said something like "My boyfriend is your fan" downstairs at the company.

That was truly inexplicable.

His face.

He's not super handsome, but he's not bad-looking either, and his eyes are very clean.

Unlike the eyes of other men in the industry, which are filled with ambition, desire, or flattery.

His eyes seemed to hold nothing, yet also seemed to find everything amusing.

He just looks like a male fan.

She laughed at herself in exasperation.

He's just a stranger, why bother thinking about him?

It's probably because Sulli's hostility was too obvious.

She had seen that kind of wary look many times during her trainee days.

When competing for a debut spot, many trainees view each other in this way.

Not to mention those within the industry.

He smiles politely on the surface, but his eyes are full of thorns.

Sulli was far more sophisticated than those young girls; she smiled as she linked arms with them, declared her ownership, and handed over the autograph book.

But vigilance is vigilance, so obvious, so domineering.

Does it hurt?

It doesn't hurt.

I just feel uncomfortable.

The feeling is somewhat like being bitten by a mosquito; it's not fatal, but the itching is incredibly annoying.

Bae Joo-hyun stood up and went into the bathroom.

Park Soo-young had just finished washing up, her hair was wrapped in a towel, and she had no makeup on, but her skin looked incredibly good.

The maknae line of Red Velvet, Park Soo-young and Kim Ye-rin, have skin so good it's enviable.

"Unnie, I'm going out now." Park Soo-young stepped aside to make room.

"Um."

Bae Joo-hyun closed the door.

The mirror showed a face with half of its makeup removed.

The eye makeup was still on, but the mascara had smudged a bit, and most of the lipstick on the lips had come off, leaving only a light layer of pink.

A woman's face with exquisite features.

But she looked very haggard.

In the girl group scene, among the most capable girl group leaders, she is considered to be among the oldest.

She's a senior from Wonder Girls, but she's already married and has children.

What about her?

She is still staying in the dormitory.

They're still jumping and skipping around with girls in their early twenties.

She is still being told by the company to "pay attention to image management," "not to go out alone," and "not to have any scandals."

Go and go.

I'll do whatever you say.

She looked down and reached out to squeeze out the makeup remover oil.

When I looked up, there was another person in the mirror.

No, it's not that there's one more person.

It was that person's shadow that appeared in the mirror.

He stood right behind her.

Very close.

I was so close I could see the curve of her lips.

That lazy smile.

The reflection in the mirror was also staring at that shadow.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall! Who is the fairest of them all?"

Bae Joo-hyun raised her head, her eyes completely changed. She was no longer the icy captain on screen, nor the adorable older sister in private.

Rather, it is the controller who is testing the limits of madness on the edge of a precipice.

She reached up and touched her face, then smiled, "You really are the prettiest one!"

Combined with the smudged eyeliner, it looked rather eerie.

The person in the mirror is still asking, "So, do you think Sulli is prettier, or you...?"

Bae Joo-hyun's eyes were filled with excitement: "Of course it's me... Bae Joo-hyun, the prettiest!"

She laughed, laughed freely.

The way Choi Sulli looked at me.

That vigilance, that hostility, that dominance...

Bae Joo-hyun stared at herself in the mirror, her lips gradually curving into a smile.

interesting.

That's really interesting.

Choi Sulli, what are you afraid of?

Are you afraid I'm prettier than you?

Are you afraid that I'm too charming?

Are you afraid that man will fall in love with me?

"I don't know what's so great about your man, but Choi Sulli, you've started a war!"

......

Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

A barbecue restaurant.

Liu Zimu picked up a piece of pork belly and flipped it over and over on the grill.

The meat sizzled on the hot plate.

Choi Sulli sat opposite him, propping her chin up as she looked at him, her eyes crinkling as she smiled happily.

"Oppa".

"Um."

Are you wondering why I depend on you so much?

"Yeah, you're a beautiful female celebrity, why are you clinging to me? I can't just spank you and you'll turn into a masochist, can I?" Liu Zimu looked up at her.

Choi Sulli moved her chair closer to him: "Although that's part of the reason, you know what, I'm the person who understands you best in this world."

Liu Zimu flipped his body over, not looking up at her: "You're doing it again, aren't you?"

"I'm serious," Choi Sulli said excitedly, "I know everything about what you were doing for most of those eight years, from 2011 to 2019."

Liu Zimu paused for a moment while picking up the meat.

This system is a total rip-off.

Although he had some suspicions before, he now finally understood why this woman was treating him this way.

He domineeringly declared that he belonged to him.

"I looked at your memories; there were so many things, so many events, so many women you had loved."

She held up her chopsticks, pointing at Liu Zimu as if she were holding a microphone: "Bae Joo-hyun, Im Yoon-ah, Park Ji-yeon, Bae Suzy, Park Chae-young, Son Ye-jin, Kim Ji-won... Oh, and Ji-eun unnie."

Liu Zimu's face twitched: "Alright, alright, stop counting. You've seen it, so you should know that I just like watching variety shows."

"I know, but guess what my first reaction was after seeing these images?"

"What?"

"Wow! This Chinese man is so devoted, because the number of Korean actresses he likes could fill twenty girl groups. And Bae Joo-hyun is the most amazing, she's your white moonlight idol, Oppa."

After saying that, Choi Sulli laughed, laughing so hard she leaned on the table, her shoulders shaking.

Liu Zimu took a deep breath and put the grilled meat into her bowl.

"Eat your flesh and shut up."

"Are you feeling guilty?" Choi Sulli looked up, her eyes sparkling like a cat that had stolen a fish.

"What are you feeling guilty about?"

"You know I can't refute your guilt because what I said is true."

Liu Zimu ignored her and continued grilling the meat by himself.