Chapter 33: I quite like Ji-won unni.

"Wow, this place really does taste great."

Ming Yan gave Kim Ji-soo a thumbs-up; old friends truly knew his tastes best. Kim Ji-soo looked at him with utter disdain, waving her hand without saying a word.

"It's delicious. Ji-soo, thank you for the trouble today," Zheng Yuanlong said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He leaned forward to grab two more sheets to dab his lips; the lunch had indeed been excellent.

Kim Ji-soo smiled. "You're welcome, Yuanlong Oppa. I just bought it from that stall in the Mapo-dong market."

In her heart, she had already credited Park Chae-young; that younger sister of hers really had a knack for finding good food.

"Got it, I'll remember that."

An agent’s scope of work included managing an artist's diet. Now that Kim Ji-soo had mentioned it, Zheng Yuanlong knew exactly where to go the next time Ming Yan wanted to eat there.

"Ah, now that I'm full, all the exhaustion from the morning has vanished." Ming Yan polished off the remaining food like a whirlwind. "Thank you, my dearest Ji-soo."

"Please, don't talk to me," Kim Ji-soo said, digging into her pocket to pull out a pack of tissues. Seeing the oil stains on Ming Yan’s hands, she pulled out two sheets and wiped them for him.

"Yuanlong-hyung, just drop us off somewhere secluded in a bit."

Ming Yan said it offhandedly; he had done this often enough that Zheng Yuanlong was used to it.

Kim Ji-soo backhanded him on the head. "Hey, what do you mean by 'us'?"

"Do you have something else to do later?"

"No... but I wanted to go back to the dorm to rest. Someone was supposed to play the guitar for me."

(Park Chae-young: That is indeed the situation, but the way you describe it makes it sound like a job.)

Zheng Yuanlong completely ignored the bickering between the two in the back seat. The kids had grown up; a couple of years ago, they would have been physically fighting. Ming Yan pulling Kim Ji-soo’s hair was practically a staple of their routine.

Therefore, whatever happened between them was their own business, having nothing to do with him. One of the most important skills for an agent was knowing when to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear.

When they were nearly at their destination, he stopped the car without a word and just tapped the horn twice.

"Ah, sorry to trouble you, Yuanlong-hyung," Ming Yan said, stretching his limbs as he prepared to exit the car.

Kim Ji-soo wrinkled her nose and complained before stepping out, "Yuanlong Oppa, serving this guy is really hard work. You should get a raise."

"Then why don't you talk to Xiao Yan for me? He listens to you."

"Does he? I don't think so."

"Take your time. Call if you need anything."

Ming Yan and Kim Ji-soo watched as Zheng Yuanlong drove away. They were currently in a quiet, secluded little park with almost no one around; it was impressive that Zheng Yuanlong had managed to navigate the car here.

However, for an actor and an idol, this place was quite suitable. Ming Yan and Kim Ji-soo’s status no longer allowed them to wander around as recklessly as they once did. If the media were to catch them in their usual dynamic, the resulting headlines were unimaginable. The consequences would certainly be more severe than back in elementary school.

"Hey, do you want me to give you my hat? It’s too dangerous for a popular actor to be walking around bare-headed," Kim Ji-soo said. She had come fully prepared.

Major entertainment agencies were no joke; artists had to undergo extensive training before debut. Beyond professional singing and dancing, there were language lessons, posture classes, etiquette, and even media training—which included how to disguise oneself when going out.

An idol was essentially a manufactured commodity, and every aspect had to be perfected. Of course, some learned well, some poorly, and others simply didn't care.

Ming Yan brushed his hand over his head. "My head is bigger than yours; it won't fit."

"That's not important. As long as it covers your face, it’s fine."

"Why go through all that trouble?" Ming Yan said with a laugh. "If we really get caught, we can just have Jiyoon-noona bring out those photos of us from when we were kids running around naked to prove we're just childhood buddies."

"Hey! You were the one running around naked!"

Kim Ji-soo felt this guy was infuriating. They had been six or seven years old when they met; who would still be running around naked at that age?

"Oh, almost forgot. You're an idol now; can't talk about being naked," Ming Yan said, feigning sudden realization.

Kim Ji-soo gritted out each word through her teeth: "If you say that word again, I will make sure you don't live to see tomorrow’s sun."

"Then I'm going to tell Nayeon that you're bullying me again."

"Fine, go ahead and tell Nayeon that we were discussing being naked."

Kim Ji-soo ended the argument with a single sentence. It was indeed a touchy subject; if Im Nayeon found out, he might end up getting a double-team beating.

"I was wrong, I was wrong," Ming Yan said, pressing his palms together in a gesture of apology.

"Hmph, that’s better." Kim Ji-soo nodded in satisfaction. "Now tell me, what’s this about you breaking up?"

Ming Yan paused. "Since when did you start caring about this?"

"Because I can't think of anything else that would make you so troubled."

"Who says I'm troubled?" Ming Yan reflexively wanted to deny it, but after meeting Kim Ji-soo’s eyes, he felt it was pointless. "Fine, maybe a little."

He still hadn't figured out how to face Kim Ji-won. Or rather, he felt a bit guilty.

"Ji-won-unnie is a truly wonderful person. You must have been the one in the wrong."

Kim Ji-soo didn't spare Ming Yan even a shred of face.

"You really like my ex-girlfriends, don't you?" Ming Yan sat down on a random spot, wiped the ground with his sleeve, and signaled for Kim Ji-soo to join him.

Kim Ji-soo reflected for a moment. "Your ex-girlfriends have all been quite high-quality."

She understood Ming Yan; that poker face combined with his silver-tongued, reliable nature made it very easy for him to attract young girls. Back when she was still a trainee, girls from her batch would try to sneak him love letters, but he would always toss them away without even looking, never once hesitating. Kim Ji-soo had even been curious—she thought some of the trainees in the company were quite pretty, yet Ming Yan simply wasn't interested. It was strange.

"When has my taste ever been bad?" Ming Yan suddenly felt something was off. "Anyway, it's not about the quality of my exes. I'm taking on a new role soon. Guess who the female lead is?"

"Ji-won-unnie."

Kim Ji-soo had met Kim Ji-won a few times and had a good impression of her.

Ming Yan slapped his thigh excitedly. "Spot on."

"Hey! Can you slap your own thigh? That hurts!" Kim Ji-soo winced; she knew he didn't have good intentions when he asked her to sit there. "That wasn't hard to guess, you know. I'm not stupid."

"What do you think it feels like to act with an ex-girlfriend?"

"Wait until you finish filming and tell me, then I'll know."