Chapter 49: Kim Minjeong's Confusion.

Ming Yan did not eat the seaweed soup.

That usually smiling little uncle simply said thank you, pushed the door open, and walked straight out, leaving behind a completely bewildered Kim Minjeong.

The little one felt somewhat heartbroken and aggrieved. She had gone through all the trouble to prepare seaweed soup to celebrate Ming Yan's birthday, and she had no idea why his expression had suddenly turned so unsightly.

She hadn't even given him her birthday gift yet.

"Ask Jisoo unnie. Yes, Jisoo unnie would know."

After pondering for a moment, Kim Minjeong suddenly grabbed onto it like a straw in the wind.

Based on her observations, Ming Yan and Kim Ji-soo shared an extraordinary relationship, and that older sister was very likely the closest person in her little uncle's life.

The girl strongly suspected that even if her little uncle got a girlfriend in the future, that person wouldn't be able to replace Kim Ji-soo's position.

Kim Ji-won: What on earth do you mean by "in the future"...?

"Hey, Jisoo unnie, do you have time right now?" The little one dialed Kim Ji-soo's number. Ever since they first met, the two of them had been getting along quite well.

Kim Ji-soo's tone carried a sense of honest warmth mixed with a touch of maternal affection: "I do, Minjeong. Did you miss me?"

She genuinely liked her good friend's niece, who vaguely reminded her of her own childhood.

"Jisoo unnie, I think I made my little uncle angry."

Kim Ji-soo's voice instantly took on a tearful tone.

When someone falls, they might stay strong if they are all by themselves, but once a spectator is present, certain emotions become impossible to suppress.

"Minjeong, don't cry yet." Kim Ji-soo quickly comforted the little one: "Tell me slowly, what happened?"

The girl understood Ming Yan; that fellow was not someone of a petty nature, especially not when dealing with Kim Minjeong.

Others might not know, but Kim Ji-soo saw it as clearly as a bright mirror.

He absolutely treasured his little niece.

"Jisoo unnie, today is my little uncle's birthday. I originally wanted to..."

"Alright, just wait for me at home."

Kim Ji-soo didn't even need to hear the rest; from the opening sentence alone, she could roughly guess what it was about.

Ming Yan's birthday was the one she remembered the most deeply, yet he had never celebrated it.

From childhood to adulthood, not even once.

...

By the time Kim Ji-soo arrived, what she saw was a sniffles-ridden Kim Minjeong and a bowl of seaweed soup that had already gone cold.

"Jisoo unnie."

Kim Minjeong wiped her eyes and shyly shrank back a little.

Bursting into tears in front of her little uncle's friend made the little one feel rather embarrassed.

"Even when our Minjeong cries, she's still so pretty." Kim Ji-soo smiled and patted the girl's head: "Though you should still cry less, be careful your eyes don't swell up like peaches in a bit."

"I didn't cry~"

Kim Ji-soo walked over to the dining table: "Ah, then I must have seen wrong. I was actually planning to go and teach that fellow a lesson."

"Jisoo unnie, maybe I didn't do something right and made my little uncle mad." Kim Minjeong was still blaming herself.

"He isn't mad at you at all; he's mad at himself."

Kim Ji-soo sighed and sat down with a thud.

For others, a birthday might be a day worth celebrating, but there was a folk saying: a child's birthday is a mother's day of suffering.

On this day, it should rightfully be spent together by the child and the mother.

Ming Yan...

Kim Minjeong stopped her tears: "Jisoo unnie, I don't understand what you're saying."

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. You just need to know that fellow isn't angry with you." Kim Ji-soo looked at the bowl of seaweed soup before her: "There are some things he will tell you himself, so I won't go meddling."

"Oh~"

Kim Minjeong was fifteen years old, and from Kim Ji-soo's expression, she could tell there was a hidden story behind all this.

She had hardly ever heard her mother mention anything related to her little uncle regarding this matter, and for a moment, she couldn't figure out any clues.

"Mmh... Minjeong, did you make this bowl of seaweed soup?" Kim Ji-soo diverted the little one's attention.

"Yes, I made it for the first time."

Kim Ji-soo asked with a smile: "I haven't eaten since I woke up this morning. You wouldn't mind if I drank this seaweed soup, would you?"

She had rushed over in quite a hurry, not even having time to greet her group members.

"Jisoo unnie, let me heat it up for you." Kim Minjeong made to reach for the bowl. She had originally prepared it according to Ming Yan's appetite, and there was still quite a bit left in the pot.

"Then I'll trouble Minjeong."

"It's no trouble at all, no trouble."

Kim Minjeong had been worried that leftover seaweed soup wouldn't taste good, so Kim Ji-soo's suggestion played right into her wishes.

She took the bowl to heat it up and then carefully placed it before the older sister.

"It smells so fragrant." Kim Ji-soo put on a hungry expression, picked up her chopsticks, and could barely wait: "Minjeong-ah, you honestly can't tell at all that this is your first time making it."

The little one was complimented to the point of slight embarrassment: "Jisoo unnie, I just blindly followed an online guide."

"The flavor is very fresh."

"It's beef, I added beef."

...

"Brother Wonryong, you've written down everything I mentioned, right?"

Ming Yan looked at Jung Wonryong.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll communicate this with the production crew. Deputy Director Kim Donghwi is the one in charge of these issues." Jung Wonryong nodded, indicating that everything was fine on his end.

As the male lead, Ming Yan was fully qualified to put forward certain demands regarding treatment.

"Mm."

Jung Wonryong looked at Ming Yan, who still showed no signs of wanting to leave, hesitating with words on the tip of his tongue: "Xiao Yan, don't work too late today."

"Don't worry, Brother Wonryong, I know."

Ming Yan raised his head and smiled.

Jung Wonryong had been by this guy's side for over three years, and he had gradually picked up on certain matters.

Ming Yan was looking over the materials sent by Kim Eun-sook regarding Han Jae-rim at the company. Jo In-sung had mentioned taking him to meet this prominent director last time, but they hadn't found a suitable time yet.

He had discussed it with that older brother; the filming for *The King* should take place in the latter half of next year.

The script in Han Jae-rim's hands had been brewing for a long time, and he wouldn't easily start shooting until everything was fully prepared.

That would probably stagger the timeline with *Fight for My Way*, avoiding the risk of a clash.

Who knew how much time passed? The sky outside had turned completely dark. Ming Yan sent Kim Minjeong a message telling her not to worry about him, and only then did he get up and leave the company.

Driving his car, he unconsciously wound up at a small restaurant.

Back when they were children, Ming Yan and Kim Ji-soo used to frequent this place. The auntie who ran it was extremely kind and would always give them extra food.

Even after growing up, the two of them would still come here to drink and chat. After all, the auntie's culinary skills were truly exceptional, and they had grown up accustomed to her cooking.

"You're here, Jisoo has been waiting for you for ages." Catching sight of Ming Yan's figure entering, the auntie, who was busy cleaning up, looked up and recognized him.

"What?"

Ming Yan raised his gaze and saw that Kim Ji-soo was indeed sitting in their usual spot, with two bottles of soju placed in front of her.

"Auntie, who says I was waiting for him? I came here specially to eat the food you make today."