Chapter 39

At the moment the bell rang, Park Min-ya quickly grabbed her phone and answered it, trying to prevent Park Ji-hoon from being woken up.

"Hello!" Seeing Park Ji-hoon open his eyes, she had just stood up but sat down again, though she didn't immediately hand the phone to him.

"Uh! Hello." The other party was taken aback, instinctively replied, and then asked, "Who are you? Why do you have Ji-hoon oppa's phone?" There was a hint of questioning in her tone.

"He's my brother! Who are you? What do you want with him?" Park Min-ya, hearing a clear woman's voice, instinctively glanced at Park Ji-hoon.

"Ah!" The other party let out a light exclamation and quickly said, "Hello! I'm Ji-hoon oppa's friend, Krystal. I want to give him a birthday gift. Is Ji-hoon oppa there?" Her voice suddenly became much gentler.

"Wait a moment!" Park Min-ya then handed the phone to Park Ji-hoon.

"It's me, Krystal. Are you off work?" Park Ji-hoon took the phone and said lazily. At the same time, he stretched out a finger to support Park Min-ya's head, who was almost pressing against his face!

"Uh-huh! Is it convenient for oppa to come out? I have a birthday gift for oppa." Krystal said.

"I appreciate your thought, but you can keep the gift for now. I'll come and get it when I have time." Park Ji-hoon said, "I'm almost falling apart today, and I have no energy left."

"How can a birthday gift wait for another time?" Krystal said, "Where is oppa? I'll bring it to you!"

Park Min-ya, hearing this, couldn't help but look at Park Ji-hoon with surprise. This didn't seem like something a regular friend would do!

"I'm at home." Park Ji-hoon said with a bitter smile, "It's easy for you to come over, but how will you get home?" Without a car, it was inconvenient.

"Oppa can take me home!" Krystal said.

"Staying here overnight is also an option; there's an extra bedroom!" Park Min-ya pretended to say to Park Ji-hoon.

Both of them paused during the call.

Park Ji-hoon looked at her helplessly and said, "Alright!" He then gave Krystal detailed instructions on the bus route and the location of the apartment building.

After he ended the call, Park Min-ya couldn't wait to ask, "Brother! Who is this Krystal?"

"A friend." Park Ji-hoon told her about how he and Krystal met. In the past, to avoid disturbing her studies, he never talked about other things with her and rarely mentioned her to others. Krystal only knew of her existence but not her name.

"Ah—" Park Min-ya finally understood why Krystal was so concerned about his birthday. A five-year friendship, for a 17-year-old girl, was already a very deep bond! No wonder they spoke so casually.

However, she felt a bit jealous!

Park Ji-hoon sat up lazily and asked, "Is dinner ready?"

"Enough for two more people!" Park Min-ya said with a smile.

"I haven't had dinner yet!" Park Ji-hoon said.

"Then we'll just have one more person." Park Min-ya stuck out her tongue and held up a finger.

Park Ji-hoon smiled, feeling much more relaxed.

"Oh, right!" Suddenly, Park Min-ya flipped over, hooked his shoulder with one hand, and leaned in to give him a light kiss on the cheek, saying, "Brother, happy birthday!"

It felt like a gentle caress from her mother's hand, soft and warm, making his tense spirit relax a bit.

"Alright! I'll go prepare dinner." After he rubbed her head, Park Min-ya got up and said, "Brother, go freshen up."

Park Ji-hoon nodded.

He received many congratulatory messages, but most were from casual acquaintances, people he had deliberately "cultivated," including the staff he had asked for help and people like Yoo Jae-suk. His true circle of friends was very small, only including his manager, Cho Dae-hee, Krystal, and former friends like Taeyeon.

Now, his relationship with Taeyeon and others had become awkward, making his social circle even narrower. Cho Dae-hee had brought in a new singer, a junior, who had no time; Krystal, he hadn't invited, and there was no need to invite her deliberately.

About ten minutes later, he received Krystal's call again and went downstairs to greet her.

Long hair cascading over her shoulders, wrapped in a scarf, wearing a hat and a mask, her face was unrecognizable. However, Park Ji-hoon recognized her at first sight. She had a cold, casual, and carefree demeanor that was unique to her.

Krystal also saw him and ran over with the cake in her hand.

After nodding, they entered the building without drawing any attention from passersby.

"Oppa said he would invite me over when he bought a house, but he hasn't kept his promise yet!" In the elevator, Krystal pulled down her mask and said to him.

"Sorry." Park Ji-hoon smiled sheepishly and explained, "I've been busy with filming." At the same time, he took the cake and gift box from her.

"When will it be released? Oppa, can you take me to see it then?" Krystal said immediately.

"Sure!" Park Ji-hoon nodded.

"How old is oppa's sister? Should I call her unnie?" Krystal asked, suddenly a bit worried. As she grew older, she became more reserved. If she were the same as she was five years ago, she probably wouldn't have interacted with Park Ji-hoon at all.

"Min-ya, born in 1991, is three years older than you, so you should call her unnie." Park Ji-hoon said.

"Park Min-ya." Krystal repeated the name slowly and then exclaimed, "Seoul National University?" Although she was an entertainer, she was also a student and took her studies seriously. Knowing about Park Min-ya wasn't surprising.

"Uh-huh." Park Ji-hoon nodded.

"Really?" Krystal was a bit skeptical.

"We're here!" Park Ji-hoon understood her feelings and didn't pay attention to her. He stopped at the door and started entering the password.

Krystal suddenly became a bit nervous. As a student, especially a girl, she couldn't help but admire Park Min-ya and had even fantasized about meeting her someday. She never imagined that her relationship with this genius would be so "close"!

Hmm?

Suddenly, she realized that Park Min-ya and Park Ji-hoon didn't look alike at all!

But by then, the door had already opened.

Krystal immediately pursed her lips.

"She's cooking and can't come out to greet you." Park Ji-hoon explained and said to her, "Wear my slippers." There were no extra slippers in the room.

"Uh-huh." Krystal nodded and licked her dry lips, which were a bit nervous.

Before they even entered the living room, the aroma of the food wafted over, and she couldn't help but sniff the air.

The smell of meat!

"Smells good!" Krystal whispered to Park Ji-hoon.

Park Ji-hoon smiled, helped her take off her hat and scarf, and took her mask to put it away.

"Thank you!" Just then, Park Min-ya came out of the kitchen, heard her words, and smiled, saying, "Welcome."

"Uh! Hello." Krystal quickly bowed.

"Thank you for taking care of my brother." Park Min-ya smiled and said, "I'm three years older than you, so if you don't mind, call me unnie." She looked at her with a clear, bright gaze that was not at all unpleasant.

"Unnie Min-ya, hello, you can call me Krystal." Krystal said.

Only then did she have a chance to look at Park Min-ya.

She had a casual apple head, looking playful and cute. Because of the underfloor heating, she wasn't wearing much, just a long-sleeved T-shirt and a dark blue jeans, simple but very beautiful!

Most impressively, she was completely makeup-free!

Yet, this beautiful girl was wearing an apron, her hands wet, looking like a housewife, which made one feel a bit like it was a waste of talent.

Especially, thinking about the professor's comments about her at Seoul National University, she had an impulse to punch Park Ji-hoon!

"Krystal." Park Min-ya nodded and smiled, "I'm cooking, so I can't shake hands. Sit in the living room, and I'll finish dinner."

"No problem, Unnie Min-ya, you go ahead!" Krystal said quickly. Park Min-ya was much more approachable than she had imagined, making her feel relaxed. She had thought Park Min-ya would be a mischievous girl from their phone conversation.

"Brother! Take good care of Krystal." Park Min-ya reminded Park Ji-hoon and smiled at Krystal before returning to the kitchen.

"It's a bit simple, only one sofa." Park Ji-hoon said to Krystal.

"One sofa is enough!" Krystal, feeling more relaxed after seeing Park Min-ya's approachability, took off her coat and sniffed the air again, saying softly, "Really smells good!" She even smacked her lips, looking hungry.

"Ha ha..." Park Ji-hoon smiled and hung her coat on the nearby coat rack.

"No wonder oppa has been getting stronger lately!" Krystal said. He had changed a lot, his physique and demeanor were very different from before! His chest and shoulders were much broader, less soft, and more mature and steady.

"Fortunately, I haven't gotten fat." Park Ji-hoon joked, handing her a glass of hot water and said, "Drink some hot water to warm up."

"Is Unnie Min-ya oppa's real sister?" Krystal finally couldn't resist asking quietly. Their relationship was too close, and she was young, so she didn't have to worry about being too formal. She was just curious, with no other intentions.

"No!" Park Ji-hoon shook his head and, under her curious gaze, said seriously, "She's my child bride!"

"Ah?" Krystal's eyes widened in surprise.

"What child bride?" Park Min-ya, who had just brought out two dishes, heard the last part, "Who is oppa's child bride?"

Krystal realized she had been teased! She glanced at Park Ji-hoon and reported, "Oppa said Unnie Min-ya is his child bride!"

"Ha ha..." Park Ji-hoon laughed, got up, and took the dishes from Park Min-ya, explaining, "I was just teasing her! She was curious why we don't look alike."

"Be careful, don't get burned!" Park Min-ya carefully reminded him and then turned to Krystal, explaining, "I changed my surname to Park when my mother remarried."

"Sorry." Krystal quickly apologized.

"It's okay." Park Min-ya smiled and shook her head, apologized, and returned to the kitchen.

Krystal went to help.

"You don't need to." Park Ji-hoon smiled and stopped her.

But Park Min-ya added, "Brother, you don't need to either! I'll call you if I need help."

As a result, both of them returned to the living room.

Inevitably, Park Ji-hoon was teased a bit by Krystal. She noticed that in the house, the one in charge wasn't the brother but Park Min-ya! However, it fit his personality.

One by one, the dishes were brought to the table, and before they knew it, everything was ready.

Park Ji-hoon had just picked up his phone to check the time and decide whether to cut the cake now when he received a call from Taeyeon.

"Oppa, I'm downstairs with Pani."

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