Chapter 44: My Good Sister

"Huuu..."

Ming Yan was running along the quiet morning corridor.

"Fight for My Way" was about to start filming. The male lead, Ko Dong-man, is someone who loves Taekwondo and later becomes a professional mixed martial artist, so he needed to maintain his physique.

Ming Yan was also contemplating losing weight because Ko Dong-man is a lightweight fighter and shouldn't look too bulky.

If Lee Kwang-soo wasn't so tall, that guy would actually fit the image quite well; just standing there provides natural comedic effect.

On his way back, he bought breakfast to share with Kim Minjeong. The days of feeding only himself without a care were long gone; whatever he did, he had to keep that little one in mind.

"Little Uncle, actually you don't have to eat the same thing as me." Kim Minjeong was chewing on a bland salad, feeling slightly touched when she saw that the food on Ming Yan's plate was similar to hers.

The most crucial hurdle for a trainee is weight management. The monthly evaluations start with stepping on the scale, and failing means getting scolded.

This was no small test for Kim Minjeong, who had always loved to eat.

Difficult, far too difficult.

She could only endure it by occasionally sneaking food with Kim Chaewon at school; otherwise, eating those tasteless, watery foods every day was sheer torture.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm losing weight for my drama." Ming Yan struggled to swallow the food in his mouth. "And remember to drink your black coffee; it reduces swelling and burns calories."

"Is my face very swollen?"

Kim Minjeong raised a hand to touch her cheeks. The little one had already started caring about her appearance; after all, both Hanlim Multi Arts High School and S.M. Entertainment placed great emphasis on that aspect.

"I didn't mean that, I just mentioned it in passing." Ming Yan smiled and comforted his niece.

Having such a cute little darling at home made even the beginning of the day feel not so bad.

"Do you want me to drop you off at school?"

"No need, Chaewon and I agreed to meet at the subway station."

Tsk tsk, once she got friends, she tossed her uncle to the back of her mind.

She was making progress.

...

Ming Yan hadn't forgotten the promise he made to Im Nayeon.

He bought several large bags of gummy candies—probably enough for all nine members of TWICE to eat for a while—just to keep Im Nayeon from accusing him of playing favorites.

If she had the thick skin of Kim Jisoo, he would have bought them for her long ago.

"You guys actually have time to rest today."

The two met near the TWICE dormitory. It was a rare day off for the girls.

"We're going to film Running Man this afternoon, which is why we have the morning free." Im Nayeon's two playful rabbit teeth were exposed, showing that their owner was currently in a good mood.

"Running Man, Kwang-soo hyung's show? Want me to put in a good word for you?"

Ming Yan had also appeared on this famously long-running South Korean variety show, though its internal lineup seemed to be changing soon—he had heard Lee Kwang-soo mention it once.

Im Nayeon raised an eyebrow. "Of course."

Being able to enjoy the care of Ming Yan's friends was a testament to her own ability.

Besides, girls liked to expand their influence within someone's social circle.

"Alright, I'll make a call in a bit." Given the relationship between Ming Yan and Lee Kwang-soo, putting in a good word was just a matter of a single sentence—essentially guiding more conversation toward Im Nayeon and securing her more screen time.

With nine members in TWICE, treating everyone equally and distributing things evenly was impossible.

Variety show presence had to be fought for proactively.

"No, call right now."

"When doesn't it amount to the same thing... Fine, fine, calling now."

Ming Yan held up his phone and dodged a couple of times as Im Nayeon bounced around as if she wanted to snatch it from him.

Compared to Kim Jisoo, this one was a bit more clingy and relied on aegyo more often.

"Beep... Kwang-soo hyung, what are you up to?" Ming Yan signaled for Im Nayeon to stay quiet while slowing his pace. "I have a favor to ask. Aren't you guys filming this afternoon?"

"Yeah. If you want to come, I'll tell the PD to add one more person."

"Stop joking, I'm afraid Jong-kook hyung still holds a grudge from last time."

Ming Yan had appeared on Running Man back in 2014, where he used a little trick to rip off Kim Jong-kook's name tag. That guy's pettiness was legendary.

"Then why are you asking?" Lee Kwang-soo almost thought the youngest was messing with him.

"Isn't the afternoon guest TWICE? Nayeon and Jeongyeon are good friends of mine, do me a favor and take good care of them."

Im Nayeon walked around Ming Yan with her hands behind her back, muttering something under her breath.

Lee Kwang-soo agreed readily, "Small matter, don't worry. Since Nayeon and Jeongyeon are your younger sisters, they're my younger sisters too. I'll team up with them later."

When it came to winning or losing, Lee Kwang-soo usually lost more often since his variety persona was a cursed-hand, coward, and betrayer, but his screen time was guaranteed.

At least half of Running Man's comedic effect came from Yoo Jae-suk and Lee Kwang-soo.

"Then thanks a lot, Kwang-soo hyung."

"Next time I invite you on the show, just say yes without hesitation."

After the call ended, Im Nayeon frowned slightly. "Why did Kwang-soo oppa call me your younger sister?"

"I have two good younger sisters, you and Jisoo. That's common knowledge to everyone." Ming Yan's iron-triangle lineup was no secret in his social circle; in fact, it was quite well-known.

"Hey... we're the same age."

Im Nayeon seemed to want to object, but in the end, she only argued about age.

"Nayeon-ssi, Jisoo was born in January so that's one thing, but you were born in September, so don't try to squeeze in."

"You're not even Korean, why do you care so much about seniority?"

"..."

Hiss, that was a tricky angle. Ming Yan held permanent residency, but he was ethnically and legally Chinese.

Ming Yan helplessly shook his head. "You've definitely been corrupted by Jisoo. Let's go get your gummy candies; I bought a lot this time."

Im Nayeon took a few steps before suddenly remembering an important question.

"Hey, why did you mention Jeongyeon earlier?"

"I've known Jeongyeon for a long time too. Besides, you can't just go around grabbing people's butts for free."

"You must have ulterior motives."

"Stop it. If I had ulterior motives, I wouldn't have brought you up just now."

...

In the afternoon, at the Running Man filming location.

TWICE arrived early to greet the MCs, as the surprise appearances seen on the show were all rehearsed in advance.

"Please take good care of us, senior-nims."

Under the leadership of leader Park Jihyo, the nine girls bowed and greeted the Running Man cast.

" Wow, today's recording is going to be so much fun; we've got the trendiest girl group here," Yoo Jae-suk said with a smile. Filming with pretty young girls made it much easier to create good variety content.

Tossing around a few lovelines would suffice, and Lee Kwang-soo was already raring to go.

Lee Kwang-soo had gotten into character ahead of time. "Nayeon, Jeongyeon, team up with me later, I'll take care of you."

Im Nayeon smiled politely, while Yoo Jeongyeon looked slightly surprised.

How did she end up involved in this?