Chapter 76

"Earlier this morning, Sister Sica told me that she would come over if she had time," Park Min-ah said.

"Oh." Park Ji-hoon thought for a moment and said, "How should I put it? We’re not very close, no, I should say she’s not very familiar with me."

"Is it just a polite remark?" Park Min-ah asked. She found it a bit strange. Although she was already very familiar with Krystal, this was the first time she had met Jessica, so she wanted to ask if Park Ji-hoon and Jessica were close. She wanted to figure out whether Jessica was coming as her friend or as Park Ji-hoon’s friend.

"Don’t worry about it. It’s enough that she’s a friend," Park Ji-hoon smiled and said.

"Oh!" Park Min-ah suddenly thought of something, turned around, and asked, "Brother, did you get hurt when you were kicked?" She was a bit nervous. Park Ji-hoon was the only boy in the family, shouldering the responsibility of continuing the family line. It wouldn’t do for him to get hurt there! Her parents were very particular about this, and she had been influenced by them. It wasn’t unusual; many families in Korea were like this, and it was common for sisters to share their earnings with their brothers.

"I’m fine!" Park Ji-hoon, reminded by her, couldn’t help but think of Jessica’s kick, feeling a slight pain in his lower body. He frowned and said.

"Good, I’m relieved," Park Min-ah said. "If you feel any discomfort, remember to see a doctor!"

"I know!" Park Ji-hoon said somewhat helplessly. Sometimes, being taken care of too meticulously could be a bit frustrating.

Park Min-ah noticed his helplessness, her gaze flickered, and she suddenly said with a light laugh, "I just realized, Brother, in the ten years since your debut, you’ve made ten female friends!"

Park Ji-hoon was taken aback and then said helplessly, "It’s rare to have true friends in the entertainment industry!"

Park Min-ah ignored his words, stuck out her tongue, and left.

Park Ji-hoon shook his head, unable to help but laugh, and continued writing the director’s statement. The director’s statement is an important preparatory task for a film director before shooting, used to explain the director’s creative ideas, concepts, and requirements based on the literary script, to unify the understanding of the director’s creative intentions and the overall appearance of the future film among all the creative departments.

Although he was a novice, he had a lot of experience in observation. He had also been inspired while reading books, thinking about what he would do when he directed a film in the future. With his experiences as an assistant director and deputy director, he picked up many things very quickly! Choi Ho-jun had even suspected that he had directed something before.

He wrote the director’s statement not only for others to read but also for himself. The ideas in his mind, like ideals, seemed full but were actually far from reach. Writing them down was the first step, and it could also help fill in any gaps.

In front of others, he never considered himself a new director and never hesitated in his work; but in private, he constantly reminded himself that he was a new director and had to be more serious and meticulous.

This was an attitude.

"Ding—" Just as he was getting into the flow, he was suddenly interrupted by a clear, melodious piano sound, the notification for his text message.

"Are you awake?" It was a message from Taeyeon.

His furrowed brows slowly relaxed. He thought for a moment and then directly called Taeyeon’s phone number.

This was the first time he had initiated a call to Taeyeon this year.

"OPPA!" Taeyeon’s voice sounded like the fine sunlight dancing on the water’s surface, bright and cheerful.

"Uh-huh." Park Ji-hoon responded softly and asked, "Have you had dinner?"

"Just finished, had some fried chicken!" Taeyeon said, "What about OPPA?" Her voice was sweet and sticky.

"Buckwheat noodles," Park Ji-hoon replied, paused for a moment, and added, "In the summer, it’s better to eat light and easy-to-digest meals." She tended to accumulate food in her stomach during the summer.

"Uh-huh!" Taeyeon’s voice carried a hint of a nasal tone.

"Phew—" Park Ji-hoon sighed lightly and asked, "Is your schedule over?"

"Not yet. Just had dinner, and I had some time. Sica told me you were very tired from shooting yesterday, so I wanted to check on you," Taeyeon said softly.

"I’m fine, a good night’s sleep will do the trick," Park Ji-hoon said.

"Oh." Taeyeon responded again. She was completely unprepared for the surprise and didn’t know what to say.

The phone suddenly fell silent.

"Cough!" Park Ji-hoon cleared his throat and said, "That’s all for now. I’m busy, we can talk later."

"Oh, okay." Taeyeon hesitated for a moment and then said somewhat dejectedly. She was a bit upset with herself for suddenly not knowing what to say.

"Take care of yourself." Park Ji-hoon reminded her and waited for her to hang up.

"You too, don’t overwork yourself. I’m looking forward to your first film." Taeyeon hung up the phone after saying this, not wanting to keep him waiting.

Park Ji-hoon put down his phone after hearing the hang-up sound.

However, he couldn’t concentrate for a while. Matters of the heart were the most disruptive.

Since that "I’ll listen to you," his hardened heart had softened again. Taeyeon’s pursuit and efforts over the past six months had also touched him. He had thought about starting over, but there was always a barrier in his heart that couldn’t be overcome by force.

After a while, he cleared his thoughts.

But just as he was getting back into the flow, another text message arrived.

"What is OPPA doing?" It was from Sulli, which was rare since she wasn’t with Taeyeon.

"Writing the director’s statement, what about you?" Park Ji-hoon hesitated for a moment before replying.

Forget it, he wouldn’t call her. His relationship with Sulli was in an awkward phase, not because of any conflict, but because of the stage they were at. At first, although they knew each other, they weren’t very close, so their relationship progressed quickly. From acquaintances to good friends, and then to a brother-sister relationship, it was all relatively easy, but when it came to taking it to the next level, it became the most awkward period!

The couples on "We Got Married" were "acting," but to act well, there had to be some genuine feelings. Park Ji-hoon could tell that Sulli was quite satisfied with him—she wasn’t very good at hiding her feelings—but he and Taeyeon were still in a state of unresolved tension, which put their relationship in a deadlock.

When he prepared a birthday gift for Sulli, the innocent girl was very happy and liked it a lot, but she suddenly became quiet after receiving the roses, for this very reason.

The filming of that episode was so dull that even the production staff felt it! It was like a very exciting buildup, just as the climax was about to come, it suddenly took a sharp turn and became boring.

The "Sweet Potato Couple" also entered a low point with their relationship.

"What is it? I’m on my way back to the dorm, just finished my schedule," Sulli’s message came back quickly. She was conflicted, wanting to do well in the show but also afraid of developing real feelings for Park Ji-hoon. Especially when she received her first serious gift of roses from a boy, she had a sudden realization of what it felt like! She was very afraid, so she couldn’t concentrate during the filming. But after some time, she thought it was just a show and felt a bit guilty, so she took the initiative to contact Park Ji-hoon, like today.

Because of Park Ji-hoon and Taeyeon’s relationship, she didn’t dare to tell the other members and could only keep it to herself, constantly struggling and wavering!

"Are you off work so early today? It’s not convenient to explain in a text, you can look it up online," Park Ji-hoon replied. For this innocent girl, he was more careful and cautious. He didn’t want to burden her too much, but he was also cautious and protective of her innocence. Good girls were becoming rarer in this world.

He didn’t get a reply but received a call from Sulli. Although she was innocent and easily embarrassed, she wasn’t introverted or quiet.

"Hyun!" By some strange impulse, Park Ji-hoon pressed the answer button and called her by their show nickname.

He could clearly feel the pause on the other end of the phone.

"OPPA, hello," after a moment, Sulli’s clear and crisp voice sounded, making one think of a water lily swaying in a cool breeze.

"Cough!" Park Ji-hoon cleared his throat and explained the director’s statement to her.

"Oh." Sulli responded softly, then asked curiously, "What do directors usually do?"

"Study the script, select actors, choose locations, create storyboards..." Park Ji-hoon answered without hesitation.

Although she didn’t understand, Sulli listened very attentively. She respected people with a lot of knowledge, which was why she was still somewhat satisfied with Park Ji-hoon, even though she knew about his relationship with Taeyeon.

"I might have explained a bit too much, did I take up too much of your time?" Park Ji-hoon suddenly realized that Sulli wasn’t familiar with this field and quickly stopped. One of the biggest challenges between him and Sulli was finding common topics, but fortunately, they were learning guitar together.

"No, not at all! I really enjoyed listening!" Sulli said. She liked any knowledge that was beneficial to life, just like healthy food.

"Oh." Park Ji-hoon responded and then said, "If you have time, come over to the apartment. Aren’t you friends with Min-ah?" Although he had met Min-ah once, Sulli had never come to the apartment.

"Ah—" Sulli let out a soft sound, hesitating about how to refuse. She wasn’t as convenient as YoonA or Krystal.

"Come with Sica," Park Ji-hoon guessed her thoughts and added, "Sica told Min-ah that she wants to come over when she has time."

"Oh, okay!" Sulli’s heart immediately relaxed, no longer feeling conflicted.

At this point, the call should have ended, but after a slight hesitation, Park Ji-hoon pursed his lips and said softly, "Liking someone doesn’t mean having feelings, a little liking is okay."

"Ah!" Sulli’s face instantly turned red. This hidden thought, which she had never shared with anyone, was suddenly revealed, making her feel extremely awkward and embarrassed.

"Don’t feel burdened, goodbye." Park Ji-hoon also understood and ended the call at the right time. Revealing a girl’s most secret thoughts had two possibilities: one was to break the deadlock and move in a positive direction, and the other was to make things even more awkward! That’s why he only said it now.

Sulli held her phone, her face flushed as if it were about to bleed.

There was a deeper secret. After the "We Got Married" filming on June 29th, she dreamed about Park Ji-hoon that night!

She didn’t understand why, but she had indeed dreamed about him, scenes of studying and living together.

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