Chapter 94: The Hidden Stat Monster (822)
Choi Ji-soo looked at the exceptionally handsome young man in front of her with confusion. Having seen many celebrities, she was still surprised by his high Appearance when she saw him.
She wasn't a 'face-dog' (someone obsessed with looks), but she would always take a second look at beautiful things. However, it was those extra glances that made her realize something was off.
The way the man looked at her was wrong.
"Hello, beautiful lady." The man opposite her spoke. Even though the elevator doors had opened, he didn't seem to care. Instead, he took out a business card from his pocket and handed it over.
"I am Chairman Jiang Shu of DM Entertainment."
Both the sales assistant and Choi Ji-soo were startled by Jiang Shu's self-introduction.
Jiang Shu had been trending on hot searches for the past few days, and more and more people were getting to know him. Choi Ji-soo and the sales assistant weren't among those who knew him personally, but they weren't unfamiliar with Chairman Jiang Shu of DM Entertainment.
Being on hot searches daily, anyone who frequently browsed the internet would have some impression of him.
Choi Ji-soo hadn't expected Jiang Shu to hand her a business card?
But despite her confusion, her excellent upbringing led her to accept the business card with both hands and bow slightly to Jiang Shu, holding her chest.
"Hello, Chairman Jiang, my name is Choi Ji-soo. It's an honor to meet you."
"Youzhen, are you also going to the fifth floor?" Jiang Shu asked.
"Yes."
"Together?"
"It would be my pleasure." Choi Ji-soo smiled slightly and made a 'please' gesture, "Chairman Jiang, please go first."
Jiang Shu nodded and walked in first, followed by Kim Minju holding a selfie stick.
Then, Choi Ji-soo and the two sales assistants walked in.
Jiang Shu looked at Choi Ji-soo, who was in front and to his right, and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
He hadn't expected to encounter ITZY's final puzzle piece just by visiting an LV Flagship Store.
Choi Ji-soo (B)
Bond: Wangdao Passion (5)
Her data panel wasn't luxurious, but Choi Ji-soo was an indispensable part of ITZY, not only because she was one of the five Wangdao Passion members, but also because of the Special Forces bond that the other four members of ITZY possessed.
The negative effects of Special Forces could currently only be endured by Choi Ji-soo. Even if Kim Minju's adaptive replication included Wangdao Passion and she joined ITZY, she couldn't replace Choi Ji-soo's position.
In the game, Choi Ji-soo was actually a hidden stat monster.
She was different from a mechanism monster like Lee Ji-eun, and not like the BLACKPINK members who openly stacked stats.
Choi Ji-soo's stats were deeply hidden.
Shin Ryujin and the other three all had the Special Forces bond, and similar bonds were mutually immune. This meant that Shin Ryujin's Special Forces negative effects wouldn't affect Shin Yuna. Similarly, Shin Yuna's Special Forces bond's side effects wouldn't affect Lee Chaeryeong.
If all four of them had the Special Forces bond, then who would bear these four negative effects?
Choi Ji-soo.
So the question arises, possessing the same bond allows for mutual immunity. If it were like NMIXX, where all six members had the Special Forces bond and were mutually immune, that would be one thing. But if there was one person in the group who didn't have the Special Forces bond, then the negative effects would have a place to go, and these negative effects weren't just from one person, but from four.
This meant that Choi Ji-soo's stamina limit was slashed four times, and yet she could still barely keep up with the stamina of the other four ITZY members.
What kind of concept is this?
He Anlan bore the Abyssal Heaven, holding up the Primordial Emperor City with one hand, yet remained invincible in the world.
I, Choi Ji-soo, bear negative effects, slashed four times, yet remain a member of a Special Forces girl group, never accused of slacking off.
What! Is! This! Called! Strength!
This is what you call strength!
How did Jiang Shu discover this hidden stat monster?
He idly threw Kim Minju into ITZY and sent Choi Ji-soo to NMIXX to play with their 'Yaoyao Le' (a game).
And then?
Less than half a year after her debut, Kim Minju's character card was downgraded, the reason being that she was almost exhausted to death.
Meanwhile, Choi Ji-soo had integrated with 'Xiao Yaoyao' and was happily living like a slacker.
It was at this moment that Jiang Shu realized that not everyone could bear the negative bonds of Special Forces, especially four of them!
With a 'ding' from the elevator, Jiang Shu snapped out of his thoughts and followed Choi Ji-soo, who was stepping out.
For ITZY, Shin Ryujin was naturally the most important, followed by Choi Ji-soo.
Without the former, there would be no ITZY as a group, and without the latter, the group would be running naked without bonds.
The only one who could put out fires, Kim Minju, couldn't handle it.
It's worth noting that Lia's (Li Bao) hiatus was due to excessive mental stress and tension, not because she couldn't keep up physically and needed rest.
Jiang Shu even suspected that if there was one less negative effect out of the four, she could still rely on her stats and party with her four teammates.
While Jiang Shu was lost in thought, Kim Minju was filming the magnificent fifth floor with her camera.
Compared to the bustling first floor, the fifth floor had significantly fewer people. Aside from the service staff, Kim Minju didn't see a single person dressed as a customer.
"Chairman Jiang and I have something to discuss, you two can go out first," Choi Ji-soo said to the two sales assistants.
"Yes." The two sales assistants bowed to Choi Ji-soo and replied.
Compared to Jiang Shu, who was visiting for the first time, Choi Ji-soo was clearly more familiar to them.
"Chairman Jiang, this way, please."
"Please."
The three arrived at the VIP room. The layout here, compared to a shopping area, was more like an Emirates Airlines airport first-class lounge, except that all the furnishings here adopted LV's design philosophy, allowing familiar people to recognize it as LV's style at a glance.
Jiang Shu and Choi Ji-soo sat opposite each other.
"Chairman Jiang, what do you mean by inviting me to your company?"
No matter how proper her etiquette, she was still ultimately a girl who had just turned eighteen, and not quite able to endure her impatience.
"We are an idol entertainment company, so inviting Youzhen naturally means for her to be a trainee preparing for debut," Jiang Shu said with a smile.
Jiang Shu's words also confirmed what Choi Ji-soo had been thinking.
"I shouldn't be a 'child-faced girl,' right? I was born in 2000. Do trainees need someone my age?" Choi Ji-soo asked, puzzled.
"Of course." Jiang Shu nodded, "Let me introduce you, this is Kim Minju, a trainee from our company, born in 2001."
Kim Minju was a little surprised that Jiang Shu remembered her age, but at the same time, she bowed slightly to Choi Ji-soo.
Choi Ji-soo, seeing this, also nodded in acknowledgment to Kim Minju.
"Besides that, our company also has a trainee born in 1991, debuting this November. And another trainee born in 1995, who just joined the company last month."
Choi Ji-soo's mouth gaped slightly.
1991? Twenty-seven years old?
1995? Twenty-three years old?
When did the age requirements for entertainment companies become so relaxed?
"Our DM Entertainment recruits trainees regardless of age, only whether they meet my personal standards," Jiang Shu said with a smile.
Choi Ji-soo, however, frowned slightly.
Listening to Jiang Shu's description, why did this DM Entertainment sound a bit like a small workshop?