Peninsula: I'm being supported by a top idol.

Old man—

8:30 AM

↱【Are you awake yet?】

buzz-

8:46 AM

Are you still angry?

buzz-

9:02 AM

↱【You're such a cheapskate! །–_–།】

buzz-

9:30 AM

↱【(ᇂ_ᇂ|||)】

buzz-

9:51 AM

【You're such a cheapskate! You're such a cheapskate! You're such a cheapskate!】

buzz-

10:15 AM

↱【(｀∀´)Ψ】

buzz-

10:40 AM

↱【If you don't talk to me again, I'll... I'll... I don't even know what I'll do! (╯°□°）╯︵┻━┻】

buzz-

11:05 AM

↱【Okay, I admit I went a little too far yesterday… just a tiny bit! (..•˘_˘•..)】

buzz-

11:30 AM

【But you insulted me too! Can't we even things out?】

buzz-

12:00 PM

↱【Hey! Choi Si-an! (ˉ▽ˉ；)...】

buzz-

12:10 PM

【Then I'm angry too!!!】

"Lunch is here!"

Ningning happily carried a bunch of fast food with her manager into the dressing room: "Unnie, come and eat!"

"I'm not eating!" Liu Zhimin crossed his arms, looking sullen.

"Hmm?" The girl looked at me suspiciously. "Didn't you just say you were hungry?"

"I have no appetite."

Liu Zhimin left the lounge in a huff after uttering those words.

"Oh my god~ This unnie's mood has been so unpredictable lately..."

Upon hearing this, the agent immediately became suspicious: "Is Karina in a relationship?"

"No!" Giselle denied it outright.

The other two also shook their heads: "Absolutely not!"

"Unnie is with us every day, how could she possibly have time for romance? You're overthinking it~"

"Then she..." The agent felt something was off the more she thought about it. She had been suspicious since she made the phone call alone yesterday.

"She's constipated."

"Yes, yes, yes, unnie has been constipated these past few days."

The teammates offered various excuses and evaded the question.

However, Yoo Ji-min did go to the restroom.

And then here, she ran into the person she least wanted to see.

Zhang Yuanying of ive.

If they were to meet by chance, they would probably nod to each other politely or exchange a few pleasantries to maintain a superficial harmony.

Liu Zhimin had originally planned to do the same today, but while washing her hands, Zhang Yuanying suddenly asked:

"I heard you're in love, unnie? Congratulations~"

Liu Zhimin was stunned for a moment: "What, a relationship?"

"Really?" Zhang Yuanying covered her full lips in surprise. "I thought Unnie was really dating a man named Cui Shi'an."

Liu Zhimin's mind went blank, and he stared at Zhang Yuanying in disbelief: "How did you know... that name??"

Seeing her so nervous reaction, Zhang Yuanying became even more certain of her guess and pretended to be surprised, saying:

"I only heard it from someone else."

After saying that, she hurriedly apologized, "Unnie ah ne, I didn't know, really ah ne..."

At this moment, Liu Zhimin's mind went blank, and he didn't care about her apology at all, or what he heard from others.

Has word of this already gotten out?

How could this be?

So after a while, when Liu Zhimin returned to the lounge, the remaining three members of aespa suddenly felt uneasy.

The reason, of course, is that a pair of eyes are scanning them.

Gisele? She's always been tight-lipped, so it probably isn't her.

Ningning? That's even less likely. That girl doesn't have many friends in her circle, so why would she go around spreading rumors?

Is it winter?

Jin Dongtian, who was eating, suddenly shivered for no reason. When he turned around, he happened to make eye contact with the captain.

Just as she was about to ask what was going on, the latter suddenly walked over:

"Come out with me for a bit in winter."

Liu Zhimin pulled Jin Dongtian to an empty fire escape, and the door clicked shut, shutting out the noise from outside.

"Tell me, was it you?" Liu Zhimin lowered his voice, his eyes sharp.

Kim Dong-won was completely bewildered by her question, looking utterly innocent: "Unnie, what do you mean, is it me?"

"How did Cui Shi'an's name reach Zhang Yuanying's ears?!" Liu Zhimin asked through gritted teeth.

"Of all of us, you're the one who loves to join in the fun the most, and you never know how to keep your mouth shut!"

"Unnie! I really didn't!" Kim Dong-won cried out pitifully, raising her hand to swear.

"I admit I like to joke, but when it comes to things that concern my unnie's privacy and future, even I, in my naivety, know what's important! How could I possibly tell the people at IVE about this?"

Seeing her pale face, which didn't seem fake, Liu Zhimin's tense expression eased slightly, but his doubts remained: "Then how did she know?"

Jin Dongtian frowned, trying hard to recall, when suddenly her eyes widened as if she had remembered some crucial detail:

"Unnie! Could it be... could it be when Lee Seo came to the waiting room to greet us last time, we... we were joking around, and it seems... it seems like we mentioned that name?"

Upon hearing her words, Liu Zhimin instantly remembered. Someone had shouted "Cui Shi'an" at that moment!

Could it be that the walls have ears and the IVE members, who might have been outside the door at the time, overheard it?

A chill crept up my spine.

If Li Rui overheard this by accident, what was Zhang Yuanying trying to do by deliberately pointing it out now? Was it a test? Or... a threat?

"Damn it..." Liu Zhimin cursed under his breath, turning to rush out. "I'm going to find Li Rui and get to the bottom of this!"

"Unnie! Calm down!" Kim Dong-won quickly grabbed her arm, startled. "If you go and ask now, wouldn't that be like admitting guilt? What if they were just testing you? If you go, it'll just confirm it! Then things will be even more complicated!"

Liu Zhimin's chest heaved violently. Reason told her that Dongtian was right, but a surge of anger and intense worry burned through her nerves.

"What should we do? Are we just going to wait for her to gossip and end up on the news?" She scratched her hair in frustration.

"If it really makes the news, the company will definitely make me deny it, but..."

But what she was worried about was far more than just her own scandals.

Once Cui Shi'an's name is placed in the spotlight, can his identity as "the other overlooked one" and the supernatural things around him still be hidden?

When that time comes, it won't be reporters coming after him, but something far more terrifying!

Seeing her changing expression, Jin Dongtian assumed she was just worried about her relationship being exposed, and quickly comforted her:

"Unnie, don't scare yourself. Even if... even if the worst happens and it makes the news, we'll just deny it. You should also get Choi Si-an's side to stick to the same story and firmly deny it. Without solid evidence, the hype will die down in a few days."

Liu Zhimin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

Winter's suggestion is standard practice in the entertainment industry for handling these kinds of things, but this girl has no idea that Cui Shi'an is the biggest time bomb, forcing him to face the media cameras?

Just thinking about it makes my head tingle.

"I understand." When she opened her eyes again, she had managed to suppress her emotions, but the worry in her eyes lingered.

"Go back first, just pretend nothing happened... leave me alone."

She picked up her phone, walked to the side, and called Cui Shi'an.