Chapter 71

Maybe it was because of the awkwardness? Or perhaps for some other reason, after the joke ended, Yoon Hyun and Ham Eun-jeong both fell silent without any prior agreement.

The silence in the car was not only uncomfortable for Yoon Hyun, who was driving, but also from the perspective of the program recording, it was not up to standard.

"Year-end is approaching, and you just released a new album, right? Your schedule must be quite packed?" Finally, Yoon Hyun broke the silence.

"Yes, these three days were squeezed out with great effort," Ham Eun-jeong nodded.

"What are Juri, Jiyeon, and the others doing these two days?"

"Performing! These three days, they only had five people on stage," Ham Eun-jeong said a bit embarrassedly.

"Serves them right! For plotting against people," Yoon Hyun said mischievously.

"Hey! Don't you try to sow discord among us members!" Ham Eun-jeong decisively stood by her group sisters.

"By the way, where did you go after that day?"

"Which day?"

"Last... last week, after you left my studio."

"Last time... I went... I went back to the dorm."

"... Didn't Soo-yeon tell you that I looked for you for three hours?"

"Look for me? Look for me what?"

"... Forget it, it's fine. You should get some sleep. It will take a few hours to get there," Yoon Hyun said, noticing that Ham Eun-jeong didn't seem to have much energy. It's better to just let that matter go...

"It's fine." Ham Eun-jeong said it was fine, but she yawned at the right moment.

Yoon Hyun pulled over to the side of the road, a bit speechless.

"Do you have a neck pillow?" Yoon Hyun asked.

"No... I forgot to bring one when I left."

Yoon Hyun shook his head, turned around, and grabbed his backpack, pulling out a neck pillow. "If you don't mind it being a bit dirty, you can use it."

"Oh, thank you, oppa." Ham Eun-jeong obediently took it.

After getting back on the road for less than 10 minutes, Ham Eun-jeong fell asleep...

Yoon Hyun saw this, shook his head, and smiled, turning down the music.

The car drove quietly for nearly four hours before reaching the destination.

"Eun-jeong, we're here, wake up!" After parking the car, Yoon Hyun gently called out to the sleeping Ham Eun-jeong.

"Mm..." Ham Eun-jeong instinctively responded, still half-asleep.

"Your saliva has soaked my neck pillow..." Yoon Hyun said, a bit dejected.

"Um... Oh..." Ham Eun-jeong finally slowly regained consciousness, and her face turned red.

"Let's go, get out of the car." Yoon Hyun indicated that Ham Eun-jeong, who had been sleeping, should put on her coat before opening the car door.

"Sorry, oppa, I was sleeping so deeply just now." Ham Eun-jeong was a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine, it looks like you haven't had a good sleep in a long time, right?" Yoon Hyun said while helping Ham Eun-jeong put on her down jacket.

"Since the preparation for the album started, I haven't had such a good sleep for over a month." Ham Eun-jeong sighed.

"Right, you didn't even send me your new album, I'm so sad." Yoon Hyun took the opportunity to express his grievances.

"Oppa, shouldn't you buy it yourself and buy 1000 copies to support us?" Ham Eun-jeong countered promptly. It seemed she was fully awake now.

"Looks like you're awake, let's go, get out of the car." Yoon Hyun opened the car door, and a cold wind blew in.

"Wow! This place is so beautiful!" The four-hour drive was not in vain. Ham Eun-jeong only noticed the scenery around her after getting out of the car. A white snowscape interspersed with the green of pine trees, under the blue sky, was as beautiful as a painting.

"We... um..." Yoon Hyun didn't know what to do next, so he was a bit flustered.

"Oppa, isn't this the trip you planned to apologize to me? What should we do next?" Ham Eun-jeong smiled mischievously at Yoon Hyun.

"First... of course, we should have lunch! Are you hungry?"

"I slept all the way, of course I'm hungry!"

"... Is there any connection between what you said? But I think that restaurant over there looks good, let's check it out?" Yoon Hyun's eyes keenly caught sight of some staff members entering and exiting a restaurant...

"Infinite Challenge" really trains people! The PD holding the task card was stunned... How did he know they were supposed to find a restaurant for lunch and even found the target so quickly...

When Yoon Hyun brought Ham Eun-jeong into the restaurant, the busy staff members were stunned and then looked at Yoon Hyun and the camera crew following them with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Hey, please move aside, everyone is here to eat, don't interfere with others!" Yoon Hyun pretended not to recognize them and created a path through the crowd to the restaurant.

Ham Eun-jeong followed Yoon Hyun with a smile.

"What should we do next?" The staff on the scene looked at the PD, whose expression was stiff.

"Let them do as they please. Sigh, if we knew they wouldn't be awkward, we wouldn't have to go through so much trouble to prepare various tasks for them." The PD sounded a bit resentful.

On the other side, Yoon Hyun had already brought Ham Eun-jeong to sit at a table.

"Eun-jeong, what do you want to eat?" Yoon Hyun called the owner to take their order.

"I don't know, owner, what's the best here?" Ham Eun-jeong's smile hadn't faded. From T-ara's debut to now, Ham Eun-jeong had participated in many variety show recordings, but she had never seen anyone as uncontrollable as Yoon Hyun during a recording. Last time in the studio, it was still somewhat understandable since it was his own place, but this time the location was chosen by the program... Yoon Hyun, this oppa, is really quite interesting.

"Our chicken soup is very famous here," the owner said without hesitation.

"Then let's have a bowl of chicken soup, and some side dishes. Owner, do you recognize us two?" Yoon Hyun nodded and smiled at the owner.

"I recognize Yoon Hyun, but this beautiful girl is the first time I've seen her," the owner said naturally.

"I'm Eun-jeong from T-ara, please take care of me!" Ham Eun-jeong introduced herself professionally.

"Owner!" Yoon Hyun didn't hesitate, pulling the owner to sit next to him and putting his arm around the owner's shoulder, looking like an old friend of ten years, "You're really harming me! Saying you only recognize me and not her in front of my wife, are you going to say you have a daughter next..."

"My daughter is a fan of Yoon Hyun, an official fan," the owner added promptly...

"Owner, you're really harming me! This will make it impossible for me to sleep in the bedroom tonight!" Yoon Hyun was taken aback, then put on a pained expression, "What should we do?"

"..." The owner was a bit stunned.

"How about this, owner, you give my wife two more side dishes as an apology, and give us a discount when we pay, what do you think?" Yoon Hyun showed his true colors...

"Can Yoon Hyun give my daughter an autograph?" The owner seemed to be a bit of a daughter-lover...

"Of course! Every fan is my greatest treasure!" Yoon Hyun said proudly, with no trace of insincerity, full of genuine emotion.

"General, you have a great relationship with your fans!" After the owner left, Ham Eun-jeong said enviously.

"Although I've only been in the industry for a little over two years, I've experienced a lot during this time," Yoon Hyun said reflectively, "At the most difficult times, I almost wanted to give up. Although that difficulty was entirely due to my own capriciousness."

Ham Eun-jeong smiled but didn't respond.

"At that time, I closed the new member registration for my fan café and watched as one person after another left the forum. I felt quite desperate. But many fans stood firmly by my side," Yoon Hyun said gratefully, "I'm not a handsome guy, and although I've written some songs, I don't have much talent. So their support made me very grateful and also very puzzled."

"If you don't count as talented, we might as well leave the entertainment industry," Ham Eun-jeong was a bit annoyed by Yoon Hyun's excessive modesty.

"At that time, I started a poll on the forum, asking why they stayed. Over 85% said they stayed because they believed what I said and supported my choices. From that moment on, they were no longer just my fans, but my friends and family," Yoon Hyun smiled, not arguing with Ham Eun-jeong on this point, "So later, even though I started activities again, I never reopened the member registration for my official fan café."

Ham Eun-jeong nodded seriously but didn't say anything.

"From the company's perspective, this approach is completely crazy," Yoon Hyun mimicked the company's representative in an exaggerated tone, "Do you know how many fans you will lose? Do you know how many people who liked you will turn to hate you because of this?"

The scene became a bit cold.

"But I told the company's management that I am grateful to those who like my music. I hope they can quietly listen to my songs and sing along. As for supporting and attending events, although I am grateful, I don't want them to go out of their way for me. If they pass by my event and have time, they can stop and cheer me on. If they don't have time, I don't want to inconvenience them."

"Then your company allowed it?" Ham Eun-jeong found Yoon Hyun's explanation hard to believe.

"Maybe because our company's main income doesn't come from this," Yoon Hyun laughed.

Ham Eun-jeong was taken aback, then laughed as well.

Yes, LOEN Entertainment doesn't really rely on that for income...

"So, you see, I've been in the industry for two years, and my second album isn't even finished yet. You debuted over a year later than me, and your second album is already released," Yoon Hyun laughed.

"Do you like our new songs, oppa?" Ham Eun-jeong knew Yoon Hyun was giving her a chance to promote her new songs.

"I like them. Can you show me a dance on the spot?" Yoon Hyun encouraged her.

"I'm so hungry! I don't have the energy to dance." Ham Eun-jeong grasped the atmosphere well.