ryethenovel Chapter 1271 I Would Rather
Chapter 1271 I Would Rather
Chapter 1271 I Would Rather
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The SM Entertainment guests walked into the backstage area of the "Knowing Bros" studio.
Bae Joo-hyun walked ahead in a simple beige linen dress. Before she could even greet anyone, the MCs, who were chatting together, reacted. Kim Heechul dramatically stood up and, watching her walk towards him, exclaimed excitedly, "Aigoo, who is this?"
Kang Ho-dong's eyes widened, and he exaggeratedly took two steps back: "Wow, Irene! ...Is this really the Irene we know? Why does the studio feel so much more upscale when we walked in today?"
Lee Soo-geun jogged forward and pretended to wipe the floor, even shouting in a serious tone: "Attention everyone, we are now entering the GUCCI section. Please do not touch the artists without permission. You will have to pay for it if you get it dirty!"
"Hahaha~"
Bae Joo-hyun, who was already halfway bent over in preparation for a bow, was caught off guard by the group's exaggerated reactions. She could only cover her mouth with a middle-aged woman's laugh to hide her embarrassment before continuing her bow and greeting, "Annyeonghaseyo..."
Although it was clearly a joke, Bae Joo-hyun still sensed the attitude of the show's MCs from the details and their reactions.
It's normal for Kim Heechul to be so dramatic since they're acquaintances, but Kang Ho-dong and the others are all senior figures in the industry and don't have any connection with her.
When she last came to "Knowing Bros," although the MCs were quite nice to her in private, they weren't very enthusiastic. They just treated her like an ordinary guest who came to record the show. At most, they said a few more words because of Kim Heechul, an MC from the same company, but they still acted like seniors.
Don't be fooled by how enthusiastic everyone is during filming; behind the scenes, when there are no cameras around, these seniors are actually quite difficult to work with.
But the moment we met today, and this little welcome performance started, the feeling immediately changed...
Although she was extremely pleased inside, she did not show it. She still bowed politely to the MCs and PDs and greeted everyone with a smile.
Sehun followed behind them; the guests on today's "Knowing Bros" special are these two SM artists who just received high-end luxury titles.
"Oppa~"
Bae Joo-hyun smiled and bowed to Min Kyung-hoon sitting next to her. Min Kyung-hoon carefully looked her up and down, then suddenly asked tentatively with curiosity, "So what should I call you now? Should I call you Irene-xi, or Madame Bae?"
"Hahahaha~"
Bae Joo-hyun was amused again, covering her mouth and laughing so hard she almost fell over, then quickly waved her hand in embarrassment.
These past two days have felt like a dream to her. The leap in resources, the sudden increase in workload, and the widespread attention from the outside world are all just superficial things.
The subtle shifts in attitude shown by the artists, seniors, colleagues, and staff she interacted with in the industry were what truly made her feel the most direct and happy.
However, Wu Sehun, who was standing next to him, sensed that something was wrong.
Why is everyone fawning over Irene? These guys are all acting so over the top.
Looking at Bae Joo-hyun, who was surrounded by people and covering her mouth while laughing, Wu Sehun felt as if he had become a mere supporting character, and his heart ached a little.
Didn't I also secure a high-end luxury collaboration and come here as a guest?
Can't you see me?
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"...I've suddenly had so many more schedules lately, and I heard that many of them are special episodes that have been rushed to completion. I recorded a program all night last night, and after only a few hours of sleep, I was busy from morning until just now. Luckily, I got off work early today."
"...Gye Soo unnie was transferred to another job a while ago, and then she was transferred back a couple of days ago."
In the video, Bae Joo-hyun chattered incessantly, describing even the smallest things that had happened in the past few days in vivid detail. Although her voice was a little hoarse and she seemed somewhat tired, her tone was cheerful and had an unusual sense of excitement.
"Han Guixiu? The one who was always next to you back in 'Music Bank'?"
Hearing her words, Chi Jingyuan, who had been looking down at his tablet scrolling through the news, looked up at the phone propped up in front of him and casually asked, "Han Guixiu? The one who was always next to you during the 'Music Bank' days? She was transferred before?"
"Yeah, I was transferred to another group a long time ago because I didn't have many personal schedules... But she came back a couple of days ago and said she wouldn't be transferred again, haha."
There was a strange sense of satisfaction in Bae Joo-hyun's tone: "Gye Soo unnie is a pretty nice person, she's very caring."
"Hmm... I remember she was very perceptive."
Ji Kyung-won nodded. He had a deep impression of Bae Joo-hyun's personal assistant. When they worked together as MCs on "Music Bank," she was very perceptive. Many times, she didn't even need to say a word or give a look; she would disappear on her own when the atmosphere was right.
"Anyway, it's not bad."
Bae Joo-hyun echoed her agreement, then suddenly her tone rose as she thought of something: "Today Sehun and I went to record 'Knowing Bros.' The MCs seemed much more enthusiastic than before, and Heechul oppa too, hehehe, guess what they called me?"
She made no attempt to hide her smile and cheerful mood, and before she could even keep everyone in suspense, she answered her own question: "Hehehe, they call me Madame Bae, doesn't that sound amazing?"
"Wow, Bae Joo-hyun's done it! You've become Ms. Bae now?"
"Hahahahaha."
Chi Jingyuan also pretended to be surprised and flattered her, and immediately heard Bae Joo-hyun's somewhat rustic but pleasant and unrestrained laughter.
It seemed like it had been a long time since he had heard her laugh so freely and unrestrainedly. Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but look up at his phone screen.
In the video, Bae Joo-hyun is looking down slightly, very close to the camera, and only half of her face can be seen, but the smile in her eyes is evident. Especially after removing her makeup, her cheeks below her forehead look moist, fair, and very delicate, making people want to pinch them.
Even with a bare face just before bed, she looks vibrant and beautiful.
If Bae Joo-hyun hadn't just talked about how her schedule had suddenly become much busier these past two days and she hadn't had much rest, judging from her expression and energy, people would probably have thought she had eaten and drunk her fill and slept very well these past two days.
Chi Jingyuan stared at half of her face in the video, both admiring and somewhat sighing.
Fame, fortune, popularity, and the recognition of others can bring a truly uplifting sense of well-being.
Just a few days ago, Ji Kyung-won met Bae Joo-hyun privately as her hand double, and at the time he didn't realize how lively and energetic she was.
A rosy complexion is good for you; for female idols, a rosy complexion is the best beauty treatment.
However, seeing Bae Joo-hyun so genuinely happy, and knowing that the resources he had obtained for her had truly helped her, Ji Kyung-won also felt a sense of accomplishment, and his mood lightened along with hers.
"What are you doing? Why are you looking down like that?"
As Ji Jingyuan admired Bae Joo-hyun's face, he noticed that although she was talking to him, she kept her head down, clearly doing something else, and he could only see half of her face, which made him somewhat dissatisfied.
"Clipping my nails, ouch~"
The young lady responded crisply, then raised her foot to show Chi Jingyuan in the camera: "My nails have grown a little longer these past two days, and I'm fixing them."
Her small feet looked especially pink and tender under the lens filter, and Bae Joo-hyun seemed to be getting excited, holding up her feet and waving them back and forth in front of the camera, as if she was showing them off.
Having made love countless times, she was already well aware of Chi Jingyuan's preferences. Besides his most important attribute of being attracted to good looks, which made appearance the most basic requirement, he also had many other personal hobbies and his own set of standards for evaluating women.
It looks like a waist, like a leg... like a foot.
These are precisely the areas where she is relatively confident.
She giggled as she looked at the camera, meeting Chi Jingyuan's gaze through the lens, her eyes playful and alluring: "Want to touch me?"
"Not at all."
Chi Jingyuan looked serious, but his words were insincere; his gaze, however, naturally drifted over.
"Hehe, I won't let you touch me even if you want to~" Bae Joo-hyun laughed happily.
Seeing her smug look, with her eyes crinkling into slits as she smiled, Chi Jingyuan snorted inwardly.
What nonsense are you spouting?
Not to mention feet, he can touch any other part of the body, even the whole body, whenever he wants... and he knows the size and feel of everything by heart.
"By the way, did you know I've opened a personal Instagram account?"
As she spoke, she remembered another happy thing... There really were a lot of happy things happening these past two days; it seemed like nothing but happy events had occurred.
"Didn't you already have Instagram?"
"That's a secondary account, one that can't be made public. I'm talking about the official personal Instagram account. The company didn't allow me to open one before, so I always used a secondary account. Now that I have a public Instagram account, it feels much more interesting."
The young woman corrected him, her tone quite excited: "The fans are really enthusiastic; in just over two days, they've already gained nearly two million followers."
"Several senior unnies I know have followed me, such as Yoona unnie, and Taeyeon unnie has interacted with me several times. Taeyeon unnie has so many fans."
"Not even half as much as me."
Hearing Bae Joo-hyun's envious tone, Ji Kyung-won was rather disdainful... But he wasn't bragging; Kim Tae-yeon's fanbase of just over ten million was less than half of his.
"Tch, you have a lot of followers but you don't follow me."
Bae Joo-hyun, however, did not go along with him and gave a soft snort.
"With so many people watching my big account, how can I possibly get any attention? If I have even the slightest scandal, it'll be all over the place."
Chi Jingyuan frowned and retorted, then looked at the video and boasted, "But since the company gave you an Instagram account, shouldn't you thank me?"
"How can I thank you?" Bae Joo-hyun asked with a smile as she looked at the camera.
"..."
Without hesitation, Chi Jingyuan blurted out what was on his mind: "I want to see you brush your teeth... I'll squeeze toothpaste for you."
"Pah! Go to hell!"
Upon hearing this, the young lady immediately spat out a light spit, looking extremely disgusted.
But the smile in his eyes didn't fade, and they were still glistening with moisture.
At her age, and having been married to Chi Jingyuan for so long, she wouldn't be shy about it at all.
On the contrary... I'm actually looking forward to it?
"By the way, you've been making quite a splash these past few days... have your members said anything about it?"
After watching the video for a while, Chi Jingyuan seemed to remember something and asked a question out of concern.
Bae Joo-hyun's sudden surge in resources, securing high-end luxury deals, has made her the hottest female idol recently. Both her company's attention and the outside world's admiration have risen several levels... Ji Kyung-won knows without a doubt that the atmosphere in the group must be extraordinary.
Especially considering that Red Velvet has been around for so long, Bae Joo-hyun's resources have never been particularly good, making the contrast even more striking... I wonder if she has any experience in handling this.
"Have you guessed all this?"
Speaking of this, Bae Joo-hyun's tone wasn't one of dissatisfaction; instead, it became amusing. She chuckled softly, her fingers unconsciously playing with a stray strand of hair by her ear: "When I came back today, someone said things like 'Unnie's back' or 'So busy,' and didn't give me a very friendly look... Guess who it was?"
"Guess who it is... JOY?" Chi Jingyuan thought for a moment: "She seems to have a rather straightforward personality."
"I feel like you know more about this than I do."
Bae Joo-hyun's tone suddenly became subtle, with a slight rise at the end, whether it was teasing or some other emotion was unclear: "But I ignored her, and I didn't give her a nice look either. After she said a couple of things, she saw my expression and didn't dare to say anything more."
“She’s always had the best personal resources. When she was the lead actress in her previous films, we didn’t say anything. But now she’s jumping out again. Humph, if I weren’t in a good mood, I definitely would have scolded her.”
Her voice suddenly lowered, her fingers twirling the ends of her hair: "Although the other members aren't like her, I can tell they all have feelings... they're all envious of me."
Resource allocation in girl groups is the easiest place for conflicts and infighting to arise. Most members of a girl group are colleagues, teammates, and competitors.
Even if some people have a good relationship, such a large difference in treatment will definitely make them feel uncomfortable.
Bae Joo-hyun is a very smart person, so she naturally sensed the subtle atmosphere within the team.
Some things are too blunt to say within the team, but they have no reservations when talking to Chi Jingyuan.
"...You'll get used to it."
Upon hearing this, Ji Kyung-won remained silent for two seconds. Sensing the unusual tone in Bae Joo-hyun's voice, he still offered a reassuring remark: "Red Velvet has been around for almost three years now, and everyone is quite mature."
"What, are you worried I'll feel burdened?"
His words of comfort did not move Bae Joo-hyun. A sly glint flashed in the young lady's delicate eyes: "Hmph, do you think it's still a few years ago? Don't underestimate me."
She gave a slightly slanted smile, looking rather nonchalant, and casually tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a face that still retained some youthful features but had long since lost its naivety.
Her youthful face appeared remarkably mature; she raised a delicate brow slightly and smiled with a knowing look: "Women..."
She drew out the last syllable, with a touch of languid charm: "You have to live in the envy of others to keep getting younger."
She paused slightly, exchanged a glance with Chi Jingyuan through the camera, and before she could finish speaking, she lowered her head again as if nothing had happened, her slender fingers gently fiddling with the chain on her wrist. The silver chain swirled at her fingertips, reflecting tiny glimmers of light.
His expression was somewhat nonchalant, yet it seemed to contain a thousand words; his light tone carried the weight of growth.
"I'd rather be envied than envy others."
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