Chapter 54

"Ah! What a beautiful wind chime." Hyoyeon noticed the sailboat wind chime hanging by the window, let out a soft exclamation, and walked over, gently tapping it with her finger.

"Oppa's backpack..." Tiffany saw Park Ji-hoon's backpack and said with a smile. Park Ji-hoon didn't have such a backpack, so he brought Park Min-ah's backpack because his briefcase was too small and unsuitable.

However, these three were being completely at ease, as if they were in their own dormitory.

"Ah—What's this? So disgusting!" Tiffany, about to sit on the sofa, saw the "Phantom" model that Seohyun had bought. She exclaimed and pinched it with two fingers, dropping it on the floor.

She was afraid of such things and had once been scared to tears by a cockroach model that YoonA used.

Park Ji-hoon picked it up wordlessly and put it aside.

At this moment, Taeyeon picked up the couple mugs they had bought together and played with them. Park Ji-hoon had once suggested buying matching accessories, but she had refused due to the situation with Girls' Generation. After that, Park Ji-hoon never mentioned it again. Now, thinking about it, she suddenly felt she had wronged Park Ji-hoon in many ways.

"Did you even bring this?" Tiffany, seeing something, suddenly asked Seohyun.

Park Ji-hoon felt a headache coming on.

When he was dating Taeyeon, he had never seen them so lively! There were only three people here.

While talking, they helped tidy up the living room and took out their gifts.

Hyoyeon gave a couple apron, and Taeyeon and Tiffany bought a new juicer together. Additionally, Taeyeon bought some fruit.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward as they quieted down.

Seohyun went to cut the fruit, and Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Hyoyeon sat on the sofa. Park Ji-hoon sat quietly beside the sofa, and no one spoke.

After a moment, Taeyeon suddenly turned her head to look at Park Ji-hoon and asked, "How's your guitar practice going, Oppa?" Seohyun often played the guitar in the dorm, so she naturally knew about their agreement.

"I've learned a little bit," Park Ji-hoon replied.

"Can you play for us, Oppa?" Taeyeon suggested. She remembered that Park Ji-hoon should be clueless about musical instruments.

Tiffany looked at the two of them nervously.

"Sure!" To everyone's surprise, Park Ji-hoon readily agreed, got up, took the guitar, and after tuning it, said, "I'll play a segment of 'Gee.'"

"Great!" Seohyun, holding the fruit, walked over and sat down next to Tiffany, looking at him expectantly.

A soft and gentle guitar melody began, quite different from the lively tune of 'Gee.'

Taeyeon and the others couldn't help but look surprised, and then they were amazed.

"What can I do? I'm so nervous..." Park Ji-hoon even sang, clearly having adapted 'Gee'! He transformed the girls' lively song into a man's gentle version, which had a unique charm.

Tiffany, Hyoyeon, and Seohyun were all stunned.

Taeyeon tightly pressed her lips, her face tense, trying to suppress the surging emotions in her heart—after two years of being together, she didn't know he could sing so well!

Without the professional training of a singer, he still sounded really good!

"...Cool eyes, ohye; charming scent, ohyeyeye." Park Ji-hoon only sang a small segment.

When the last note faded, Taeyeon and the others didn't say anything but looked at him with different thoughts.

"Too good!" After a moment, Seohyun was the first to clap and praise him. The pressure suddenly increased, as she had suggested it, but he played so well, what could she do?

"Really too good! I didn't know 'Gee' could be sung like this." Taeyeon followed Seohyun's lead and clapped.

"Learned from a guitar teacher." Park Ji-hoon explained. He knew he didn't have time to learn much and had no foundation in this area, so he focused on mastering just this small segment. If he tried to play something else, it would be obvious he couldn't.

Seizing the opportunity, he asked Seohyun to play a small segment. She played very well and knew more than Park Ji-hoon.

"I asked Trax's Jungmo Oppa to teach me." Seohyun explained shyly when Park Ji-hoon praised her.

Tiffany secretly nudged Seohyun. How could this little one mention that?

However, to her surprise, Park Ji-hoon just nodded without any unusual reaction.

It shouldn't be like this!

At this moment, a familiar ringtone sounded, and everyone in the living room was startled.

Park Ji-hoon's phone, Taeyeon's "If"! He had forgotten to change it and hadn't expected Taeyeon to come today.

Taeyeon suddenly bit her lip, her half-closed eyes suddenly lifted, a glint of clarity in her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly like willow leaves in the spring breeze.

Seohyun also bit her lower lip, her eyes slightly narrowed, her face expressionless—upon hearing the song, she felt an uncomfortable sensation in her heart for some reason!

"I've always liked this song." Park Ji-hoon, who had always been calm, showed a rare look of panic, explained dryly, and then answered the phone.

The atmosphere in the living room suddenly changed.

Taeyeon became radiant, Tiffany let out a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted, Hyoyeon blinked, a look of understanding flashing across her face, and Seohyun pouted slightly, like a little girl who had been wronged.

"I'll go out to meet someone." After the call, Park Ji-hoon told the four of them and walked out.

"Remember to take an umbrella!" Taeyeon hurriedly reminded him.

"Ah!" Seohyun, who also got up to greet, accidentally kicked a chair.

"Are you okay?" Tiffany, Hyoyeon, and Taeyeon all looked over, and Park Ji-hoon, who had already turned the corner, also came back.

"I'm fine." Seohyun said with a slightly red face, feeling embarrassed. She felt guilty seeing everyone worried about her.

Park Ji-hoon waited for her to come over before going down to greet together.

Taeyeon suddenly felt a bit hungry—she hadn't been eating much lately, and this morning she had only had a box of milk—she picked up a strawberry and put it in her mouth.

One, then another.

Hmm, the strawberries this time tasted good; she would buy from here again.

Downstairs, a petite girl stood, holding an umbrella in one hand and a bag in the other. Seeing Park Ji-hoon and Seohyun, she quickly bowed and said, "Senpai, hello."

"Let me introduce you." Park Ji-hoon took the bag from her and said, "This is my wife, Seohyun, and this is IU."

"Hello." Seohyun bowed formally.

"Hello." IU quickly bowed again.

"Come on up." Park Ji-hoon said with a smile. He didn't have many close friends, so he couldn't ask Park Min-ah to come. However, a housewarming party with no friends would look too meager, so he invited IU. He also called Krystal, but he wasn't sure if she had time.

Inside, when Taeyeon and the others heard the footsteps, they stood up to greet the senior, but they were all surprised to see a junior who was even younger than them, and they looked at Park Ji-hoon.

How come he only knew such young girls?

Park Ji-hoon introduced them again. When introducing IU, he added the title "my guitar teacher."

"Ah—" Tiffany and Hyoyeon suddenly understood why Park Ji-hoon didn't show any jealousy when Seohyun mentioned "Jungmo Oppa." The reason was here!

"Senpai, hello!" IU kept bowing, very nervous. In her eyes, Girls' Generation were like stars in the sky, unreachable!

"Don't be so formal." Taeyeon and the others were very friendly.

However, even so, after sitting down, IU still kept her hands on her knees, her back slightly hunched, her eyes blank, looking nervous and not knowing where to look.

She even forgot to introduce the gift she brought! Park Ji-hoon had to help her take it out—it was fruit.

To ease the atmosphere, Park Ji-hoon asked IU to show off her guitar skills.

It was really amazing! Taeyeon and the others were all amazed.

For some reason, Taeyeon suddenly "drew" a lot, dancing along every time IU sang their songs and occasionally laughing in her habitual "auntie laugh."

"When did IU meet Ji-hoon Oppa?"

"How long has Ji-hoon Oppa been learning guitar from IU?"

"IU..."

Tiffany and Hyoyeon had so many questions, and IU was sweating from all the questions!

Taeyeon listened to their conversation with a smile. Although she was reluctant, she had a schedule and had to leave.

"More and more people like you, and your popularity is gradually increasing, fighting!" Before leaving, Taeyeon encouraged Park Ji-hoon. She meant it! It was just a show, and when she participated in "We Got Married," he had also cheered for her.

"Uh-huh." This time, Park Ji-hoon didn't thank her but responded with a low voice.

"Don't bully Seohyun!" Taeyeon, who had already turned around, paused, turned back, and warned Park Ji-hoon before leaving.

Seohyun thought she was really worried that Park Ji-hoon would bully her and wanted to explain for Park Ji-hoon, but she saw that Taeyeon didn't wait for Park Ji-hoon's response and left.

She blinked.

After returning to the room, the atmosphere became even more relaxed without Taeyeon. Even on a show, they couldn't completely abandon personal feelings.

Soon, IU also left due to her schedule, and she and Park Ji-hoon weren't very familiar yet. Coincidentally, Sooyoung and Krystal arrived.

"Didn't you say you didn't have time?" One sentence revealed how close Park Ji-hoon and Krystal were.

"Just wanted to make Oppa look forward to it!" Krystal pushed the gift into his arms and said, "It's not like I was told at the last minute. If I wanted to come, I definitely could!"

Park Ji-hoon smiled brightly and welcomed her in.

However, he soon regretted inviting Krystal. When Girls' Generation and f(x) met, even with just a few members, it was like a chemical reaction.

"Oppa, what do you like about Seohyun-ssi?"

"Have you ever had a crush?"

"I heard Oppa bullied our Seohyun last time?"

Questions rained down. Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Sooyoung, and Krystal chattered nonstop, occasionally teasing each other, making a lot of noise, and giving him a headache!

For lunch, they ordered takeout, and Krystal complained while eating about why he didn't have cooking skills like Park Min-ah!

When sending the four of them off, Park Ji-hoon felt as if he had just returned from a soccer match, his ears still ringing, and it felt like someone was still talking.

"Ji-hoon Oppa, goodbye." Strangely, when they parted after the shoot, Seohyun used the highest form of respect.