Chapter 304: Chance Encounter
IU…
Kim Tae-yeon’s mind replayed the scene of her first meeting with Lee Ji-eun.
Despite it being their first encounter, they found each other constantly displeasing; even as artists from the same company, Kim Tae-yeon rarely interacted with Lee Ji-eun.
Their occasional meetings were limited to simple greetings, with virtually no further contact—they were purely colleagues.
Kim Tae-yeon had always maintained a distance from Lee Ji-eun, avoiding interaction with her as much as possible.
If you were to ask why…
She didn't know either; she simply didn't want any connection with her.
Now, as both their popularity grew, and being two of K-pop’s four major female solo artists, they had even fewer opportunities to interact.
What kind of friendship could rivals have?
And now, Kim Tae-yeon hadn't expected that the song she favored would also be desired by Lee Ji-eun. This truly was…
The unspoken understanding between rivals?
“If Ouni wants this song, she’ll have to go talk to the Chairman,” Sun Shengwan reminded her from the side.
If multiple artists were interested in the same song, the decision rested with the producer.
Kim Tae-yeon’s expression stiffened.
She really didn’t want to see Jiang Shu.
Admittedly, Kim Tae-yeon deeply respected the person who had guided her into stardom, but she instinctively feared him whenever she saw him.
Yet, she really liked this song…
Kim Tae-yeon’s fair face was etched with indecision.
Sun Shengwan watched from the side, feeling quite speechless. She wondered what the Chairman had done to scare her so much that she was so unwilling to meet him.
She thought the Chairman was a pretty nice person.
But despite her doubts, Sun Shengwan didn’t interrupt Kim Tae-yeon’s thoughts.
This was Kim Tae-yeon’s own business; she had said all she needed to say, and the decision was ultimately up to her.
After a long internal struggle, the conflicted look on Kim Tae-yeon’s face was replaced by determination.
“I’m going to see the Chairman!”
“Then I wish Ouni good luck,” Sun Shengwan said with a smile, but she was muttering to herself.
Why does it feel like she's going to an execution?
Is it really that exaggerated?
Kim Tae-yeon didn’t know what Sun Shengwan was thinking, but she indeed felt a sense of desolate resolve.
She stood up abruptly.
“I’m going to change and head to the company right now!”
“So fast?” Sun Shengwan asked, surprised, watching Kim Tae-yeon walk towards the cloakroom.
“Of course, something like this needs to be done quickly. It wouldn’t be good if someone else got to it first.”
Watching Kim Tae-yeon disappear into the cloakroom, Sun Shengwan pondered for a moment before standing up.
“Ouni, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Okay, I won’t see you out!”
“No need.”
Sun Shengwan said, pulling out her phone and sending a message to their Red Velvet group chat.
Wendy: Is anyone at the dorm right now?
A reply came within seconds of her sending the message.
Yeri: Everyone except Irene Ouni is here.
Wendy: What did Ouni go do?
Yeri: A friend came over, so she went to host her friend.
Wendy: Okay, I’ll head back now.
Bae Joo-hyun’s friend?
Sun Shengwan thought about it for a moment, but didn’t dwell on it.
…
In front of the DM Entertainment building, Kim Tae-yeon had just parked her car and gotten out when she looked up and saw a black Mercedes GLS approaching in the distance.
She took off her sunglasses and squinted her short-sighted eyes to clearly read the license plate.
Isn’t that the Chairman’s car?
Kim Tae-yeon was stunned. It was… such a coincidence?
Kim Tae-yeon watched in astonishment as Jiang Shu’s Mercedes GLS pulled into a parking space, standing still and waiting for “Jiang Shu.”
Once the car was parked, the front and rear doors opened, and Bae Joo-hyun and three unfamiliar young girls stepped out.
“Wow, this is the famous DM Entertainment Company.”
“It’s truly magnificent!”
“Much better than SM’s dilapidated building. As expected of DM Entertainment, the face of K-pop!”
Each of them spoke a sentence, in Chinese, which Kim Tae-yeon didn't understand but knew was Chinese.
Upon seeing that it wasn't Jiang Shu who got out, Kim Tae-yeon couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
If she wasn’t mistaken, that was Irene, right? Why was she driving the Chairman’s car?
Kim Tae-yeon stood there dumbfounded, making it hard not to notice her. Bae Joo-hyun and the trio of Su Xueqi quickly noticed her as well.
Bae Joo-hyun’s eyes lit up when she saw Kim Tae-yeon standing there looking at them.
“Xueqi Xi, I see a colleague from the company; I’m going to say hello,” Bae Joo-hyun said to Su Xueqi.
She spoke in Korean, but Su Xueqi and her two friends understood.
“A colleague? Is it an artist?” one tall, well-built girl asked excitedly.
“Yes, it’s Taeyeon Ouni,” Bae Joo-hyun said with a smile, walking towards Kim Tae-yeon as she spoke.
Su Xueqi and her two friends looked over and saw Kim Tae-yeon standing in the distance.
“Taeyeon Ouni,” Bae Joo-hyun greeted Kim Tae-yeon with a smile.
“What a coincidence, Irene,” Kim Tae-yeon replied, then looked at Su Xueqi and her two friends, “And these are…?”
“This is Xueqi, the Chairman’s younger sister, and these two are Xueqi’s classmates,” Bae Joo-hyun introduced them to Kim Tae-yeon.
Her eyes lit up when she heard that one of them was Jiang Shu’s younger sister. This was her first time meeting Jiang Shu’s family.
“Taeyeon Ouni is even prettier in person than online!”
“Taeyeon Ouni really looks so youthful!”
Su Xueqi’s two classmates were clearly K-pop enthusiasts, chattering excitedly around Kim Tae-yeon.
Due to Su Xueqi’s identity, Kim Tae-yeon had no choice but to respond to each of them.
After a brief exchange, Kim Tae-yeon finally managed to ask her question.
“Irene, did you go pick up Xueqi and her friends?”
“Yes, I was in the Chairman’s office listening to his instructions and learned that Xueqi and her friends were coming to Seoul, so I went to pick them up on his behalf,” Bae Joo-hyun explained.
To be given such a task and to be driving the Chairman’s car, she saw Bae Joo-hyun as having the potential of Liu Yuan.
“Taeyeon Ouni doesn’t come here often. Are you here for something this time?” Bae Joo-hyun also asked her question.
“I came to see the Chairman,” Kim Tae-yeon hid her true purpose, only saying she was there to see Jiang Shu.
“Then let’s go together. I was just about to return the car keys to the Chairman,” Bae Joo-hyun invited.
“Okay.” Kim Tae-yeon nodded. In fact, besides Lee Ji-eun, her relationships with other artists in the company were quite good, even with the NMIXX juniors who mostly stayed at JYP.
It was just Lee Ji-eun; they were like oil and water, unable to get along and unwilling to try.
Su Xueqi didn’t say much, only looking at Bae Joo-hyun, then at Kim Tae-yeon, remaining mostly silent.
The group arrived on the fifth floor. In front of the Chairman’s office, Su Xueqi was about to knock, but Choi Ji-yeon stopped her with a hand.
Su Xueqi looked at Choi Ji-yeon in confusion. Choi Ji-yeon had been there when Jiang Shu returned to the country, so she couldn't not recognize her.
So… someone was inside?
“The Chairman is speaking with IU Xi, Miss Xueqi, please wait a moment.”