Peninsula: These female celebrities are all so neurotic.

SM Entertainment CEO's office.

Kim Young-min sat behind his desk, looking at the computer screen with a slight frown.

Choi Sulli stood in front of the desk and did not sit down the entire time.

Park Jung-soo stood beside him, his face screaming "I'm going to die!" His soul seemed to have already drifted three floors away.

Kim Young-min didn't speak, but looked up at Choi Sulli.

The female artist in front of us became a hot potato for the company after leaving the group.

Romantic scandals, various controversies, and questions about his mental state have caused his commercial value to plummet.

But now, standing here, she seems to have transformed, radiating a confidence that is unfamiliar to others.

But this confidence is unsettling.

"Sulli." Kim Young-min finally spoke, his voice filled with an overwhelming sense of pressure.

"Hmm," Choi Sulli replied casually.

"What did you just do with that temporary assistant in front of so many colleagues?"

Sulli picked at her nails: "Kiss!"

Kim Young-min tapped his finger on the table: "Don't you know your own situation? How much effort has the company put into you? And what do you do? You come back and start acting crazy?"

The tone became increasingly harsh as he spoke.

"President," Choi Sulli interrupted him, "My boyfriend and I were just kissing. Dating isn't illegal, is it?"

Kim Young-min's expression froze for a moment before he stood up.

With his hands on the desk and his whole body leaning forward, he looked like a beast ready to pounce on its prey.

"Dating? You think I'm angry because you're dating?" Kim Young-min's voice rose. "What kind of state are you in right now? How many eyes online are waiting to see you make a fool of yourself? Are you still walking into the line of fire at a time like this? Do you know that those anti-fans are just waiting for you to embarrass yourself?"

"I don't care."

Kim Young-min was so choked by those four words that he almost couldn't breathe.

"Don't care? That's an easy way of putting it."

"You forcibly kissed a man in the company lobby—"

He paused, then continued, "That person is just a temporary assistant at the company. What will others think of you? What will the company do?"

"A forced kiss?" Choi Sulli smiled. "President, I like that word. Besides, he's my boyfriend. We're in a relationship freely, it's not illegal, right? My no-dating rule is lifted."

Kim Young-min was so angry at her madness that he almost fainted.

Park Jung-soo stood in the corner, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the wall.

Kim Young-min is so angry that he dares to yell at even the directors, let alone a mere manager like him.

He suppressed his anger: "But your behavior today was too outrageous. You declared your ownership of Bae Joo-hyun in front of everyone. Tell me, what does that mean?"

"What do you mean?" Choi Sulli tilted her head. "I only said a few words to her."

"That's all?" Kim Young-min's tone darkened. "Choi Sulli, do you think I can't see it? You and Bae Joo-hyun are fighting over her."

Do you know how many people saw it?

"So what if they see it?" Choi Sulli retorted. "President, you're so powerful, whether it gets out or not is just a matter of your word, isn't it?"

Kim Young-min looked directly at her, saying each word clearly, "You know how much resources the company is investing in Red Velvet right now. They just debuted in Japan not long ago, and this is a crucial period for them. The company has invested a huge budget, and there are a series of plans coming up. And what about you?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was extremely damaging: "To put it bluntly, her commercial value is much higher than yours right now."

The office fell silent.

Park Jung-soo's face turned pale.

Saying such things is no different from slapping Choi Sulli in the face.

Choi Sulli's expression didn't change much.

Park Jung-soo thought she would get angry.

"So, the president is trying to tell me," Choi Sulli paused for a few seconds, then looked up and said, word by word, "that I should behave like a coward in front of Bae Joo-hyun, right?"

Kim Young-min didn't reply, but the expression on his face already confirmed it.

Choi Sulli smiled.

She picked up the water glass on her desk, took a slow sip, and then put it down.

The movements were extremely elegant.

"President, I haven't done anything wrong from beginning to end."

"I didn't breach the contract, I didn't make any sensitive comments, and I didn't post anything I shouldn't have on Instagram. I just kissed my boyfriend on the cheek, that's all."

"If you would say this is wrong."

"The company can terminate my contract; I don't mind. That way, I'll have more time to open a coffee shop with my man."

Kim Young-min's face darkened completely: "Are you threatening me with contract termination?"

"This isn't a threat, it's a statement of fact. I'm aware that I've caused the company a lot of trouble over the past few years," Choi Sulli said calmly. "Since the company thinks I have no commercial value, then they shouldn't waste resources on me."

Kim Young-min fell silent.

The woman standing before him was no longer the Choi Sulli who could be manipulated at will.

Kim Young-min took a deep breath, trying to regain his authority as president: "Sherry, you need to understand, the company..."

"President," Choi Sulli interrupted him, looking into Kim Young-min's eyes, "If there's nothing else today, my boyfriend is still waiting for me downstairs, so I'll be going now."

She picked up the water glass on the table and took another sip.

"By the way, President, if you want to talk to me next time, please call. I was in a good mood today, so I just happened to be passing by. I won't be so cooperative next time. I'd be happy to terminate the contract. Also, keep an eye on your money-making beauty, Bae Joo-hyun."

After saying that, Choi Sulli opened the office door and walked out.

The door closed.

Kim Young-min stood in the middle of the office, staring at the closed door, his eyes icy: "Terminate the contract? Can you afford the compensation? Can you afford to drag this out?"

Park Jung-soo didn't dare to breathe loudly in the corner.

Kim Young-min didn't look at him.

He slowly took his phone out of his pocket, found a number, stared at it for a while, but didn't dial it.

After a long silence, he spoke: "Park Jung-soo."

"Inside."

"When did she start becoming like this?"

Park Jung-soo opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He recalled the scene of Liu Zimu patting Shirley's butt that day, and the tone of Shirley's voice when she called the next day and said, "We're sleeping."

"The day Liu Zimu and Shirley had their accident," Park Jung-soo said.

Kim Young-min threw his phone on the table: "Just a few days, and you can turn a person into this?"

Park Jung-soo could not answer.

"Have Kim Eun-jin tell Bae Joo-hyun to come to my office!"

Park Jung-soo quickly left.

Choi Sulli pressed the elevator button and watched the numbers on the door change one floor at a time.

My mind was filled with the image from just now, Kim Young-min's face when he said, "Bae Joo-hyun is more important than you."

Nausea.

That's disgusting.

The elevator doors opened, and the next second she smiled.

Because she saw Liu Zimu leaning against the wall waiting for her, looking down at his phone, appearing somewhat lazy.

The fire in Choi Sulli's heart was extinguished instantly.

It was replaced by something warmer.

She walked over gently and took his hand: "Oppa, I'm out, let's go."

Liu Zimu looked up at her: "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing." Choi Sulli leaned on him as they walked into the elevator. "I just got bitten by a dog twice."

Liu Zimu was stunned: "A dog? Your company president keeps a dog in his office?"

Choi Sulli smiled so hard her eyes curved into crescent moons.