Peninsula: I can steal the luck of disgraced celebrities

Everyone began to introduce themselves.

Ha Joo-hee put down her teacup and nodded slightly: "Ha Joo-hee."

Her tone is polite yet distant, which is her standard practice in social situations.

Kim Tae-yeon's gaze lingered on her for a moment, as if trying to discern something, but in the end she asked nothing.

Lu Han took half a step forward from the wall, and when he stopped, his knee almost hit the table leg again.

His ears were still red, but his eyes had shifted from panic to a light that was somewhere between tension and seriousness. He clenched his fists slightly against his trouser seams and took a deep breath.

"Kim Tae-yeon sunbaenim, Im Yoon-a sunbaenim, I'm a newly signed trainee at SM Entertainment. My name is Lu Han, and I just signed my contract last month."

His voice was a little dry when he said the word "trainee," but it became more and more stable as he continued, and the last syllable no longer trembled.

Taeyeon nodded, then looked at Luhan again: "You know us?"

"I recognize her. I ran into Taeyeon before at the entrance of the Blue Sky and White Clouds practice room. Maybe she doesn't remember me."

Lu Han's ears turned even redder. He wanted to scratch the back of his head, but he held back and withdrew his hand halfway to continue pressing the seam of his pants.

"You gave me some pointers when I practiced singing in the practice room last time," he said, his neck turning red as he said the last sentence.

Taeyeon's expression changed slightly, then her tone softened and her speech slowed: "So, how's your practice going?"

"I'm still taking basic classes. My vocal teacher says I'm quite talented, but I feel my breath control isn't very stable when singing high notes, especially my Korean pronunciation isn't as natural as native speakers. However, recently I've increased my physical training classes from three to five a week, and my lung capacity has improved—it's a bit better than before."

He answered very seriously, as if he were reporting his learning progress to his teacher.

Lim Yoona crossed her arms and said something in a voice only Taeyeon could hear. Taeyeon didn't turn her head, but the corners of her mouth clearly curved up slightly. Then she said to Luhan:

"You speak Korean very well now."

Lu Han seemed to have been switched on, his eyes shining brightly like searchlights: "Thank you, senior!"

The two former idols covered their mouths and chuckled twice.

Lin Zhixun reached for the soup spoon, and just as his fingers touched the handle, Taeyeon's gaze suddenly shifted from Lu Han and landed steadily on his face.

The speed and precision with which his eyes switched were like a sniper shifting targets.

"Junior Lin Zhixun!" She emphasized the word "junior" in her tone.

"Why don't you set a good example for your juniors? Even people younger than you know to greet their seniors."

"I don't have any seniors who expose someone's shortcomings on the first meeting," Lin Zhixun retorted.

"Taeyeon." Yoona gently patted her shoulder from the side.

"It's okay, I'll reason with him." Taeyeon stepped aside, but her eyes were still on Lim Ji-hoon. "Then I'm sorry, I take back my previous comment."

"Oh? Is that what you meant by calling me the guy who cheated on Song Joong-ki with a romantic pairing?"

"No, it's the line that you're even more handsome in person than on TV."

"Thank you, I do look good on camera," Lin Zhixun shamelessly twisted the meaning of his words.

"You?!" Taeyeon gritted her teeth in anger.

Taeyeon never expected that just coming out for some fresh air would lead her to run into someone from the same circle, the guy who had been gossiping with Sulli before.

Originally, she heard from Shirley that Lin Zhixun often bullied him, and she wanted to help her junior colleague in the agency get revenge and make him angry.

But to my surprise, instead of making the other person angry, I almost got chest pain from anger.

Taeyeon's grief and anger turned into a hunger, and she picked up the empty bowl on the table and began to eat.

Premium Wagyu beef, sea cucumber and abalone – I only order the expensive items.

The goal was to make Lin Chih-hsun feel sorry for himself.

Yoona felt embarrassed to see her leader eating and drinking so carelessly at someone else's table.

So he tugged at Taeyeon's arm and whispered:

"We came out for some fresh air, let's go back quickly, otherwise the others will worry."

Taeyeon was pulled a couple of steps, then turned around and waved to Lim Ji-hoon.

The waving gesture still carried the lingering smugness unique to Girls' Generation leader Kim Tae-yeon, a smugness that no one could possibly be angry about.

Lin Chih-hsun must be heartbroken to see that De-Yin ate so much expensive food.

The paper sliding door closed, and the shadows on the wooden lattice window disappeared one by one.

Lu Han was the first to speak: "Kim Tae-yeon sunbaenim is really... a character."

He didn't feel bad about it, after all, it was just treating his SM seniors to a meal, and the seniors had given him singing pointers before.

"I think she's more like a mafia boss, completely different from her on-screen persona," Lin Chih-hsun commented.

"After all, SM Entertainment creates personas for its artists, and fans only like their masks," Ha Joo-hee explained.

"So what kind of persona do you think SM will give me?" Lu Han asked curiously.

"You?" Ha Joo-hee and Lim Ji-hoon looked Lu Han up and down, making him feel embarrassed.

"Aloof and handsome man."

"Silly roe deer."

Lu Han's forehead turned black.

Meanwhile, in the next private room.

Kim Tae-yeon sat back in her seat with a smug look on her face, while Im Yoon-ah looked at her helplessly.

"Why did Unnie and Yoona take so long?" Seohyun asked, sitting upright in her chair.

Kim Tae-yeon first gave a smug "humph," then brought up the topic:

"Do you know who we ran into when Yoona and I went outside for some fresh air just now?"

"Who?"

"broker?"

"A twisted fangirl?"

"Sergeant Keroro?"

The previous answers were all normal, but Kim Tae-yeon couldn't hold back any longer when it came to Seo Joo-hyun's last answer.

"Maknae, the tokusatsu show is fake."

"Eh—Unnie's lying, right? How could a tokusatsu show be fake?"

Seo Joo-hyun retorted like a child who couldn't accept that Santa Claus didn't exist.

Kim Tae-yeon ignored the maknae (youngest member), knowing that if she continued, the topic would veer off course.

She bent down, as if sharing a shocking secret, and said:

"I ran into that guy who always talks about climbing over walls."

"The guy who climbed over the wall?" Several members exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

Who is "Climbing Over the Wall Guy"?

The last question was asked by Seo Joo-hyun, who was unaware of gossip.

Kim Tae-yeon was extremely satisfied with her teammates' reactions.

She shifted to a more comfortable position, crossing her right leg over her left, and then began to recount everything that had just happened.

She recounted how she preemptively called him "Climbing-the-Wall Guy" the moment the paper sliding door was pushed open.

How to respond to each other's moves in the upcoming verbal sparring.

How to accurately calculate which dishes Lin Chih-hsun eats most expensively, and then how to pick them all up with chopsticks and put them into your own bowl.

Choi Soo-young pressed for follow-up: "What was his reaction? Did he turn hostile on the spot?"

"Turning his back? What's he going to do? Who am I! I'm the leader of Girls' Generation!" Kim Tae-yeon stood up and said.

Everyone clapped enthusiastically.

"Unnie." The voice was sweet and soft, and it sounded like Seohyun's.

"What if the person paying in the next private room isn't Lin Chih-hsun?"

The entire private room fell silent.

Kim Tae-yeon's smile froze on her face, then she quickly regained her composure.

People who have been captains for a long time have an instinct: when everyone is watching you, you can't let your face fall.

"Impossible! How could he not have paid? When we went in, there were only three people at the table: Lin Zhixun, his friend, and a new trainee from SM Entertainment."

"I know his friend. Lin Chih-hsun must have treated her to this meal in order to curry favor with her for resources."

"Interns, on the other hand, were called in to accompany customers for drinks."

Everyone looked as if they had just realized something.