Chapter 45

Actually, at the time, it was because there wasn't enough money, so only a few of the dove chest badges were made of silver, while the rest were all plastic.

In an instant, the girls who had been filled with countless expectations and curiosity all felt as if they had fallen into a pit, and it was a world-class pit at that.

Because they had learned from Lim Yoon-a about the origin of the dove chest badges, everyone was naturally curious about the sudden appearance of the silver badges. But to put it in the words of a song...

"Never would I have thought, I'd fall into a pit~~~"

"Is it really that simple?" Kim Hyo-yeon stared with wide eyes, asking in disbelief.

Lee Hwan-wook smiled and met her gaze, then nodded and said, "It's really that simple!"

After saying that, he shifted his gaze to Sulli and continued, "So, in fact, the silver chest badges are not much different from the plastic ones. If I have to say, the only difference is that the silver ones are easier to preserve. At the very least, if I step on them like I did last time, they might not break. So, it's fine to give them away. Just take it, so you won't cry when you're in a bad mood!"

Sulli's face turned red again upon hearing this. She thought for a moment, then retracted her right hand and tightly gripped the chest badge in her hand, saying gratefully, "Thank you!"

"No problem. Well, I've apologized, and I've answered your questions. Can we go now?" Lee Hwan-wook asked with a smile.

"Um, we have one more question!" At this moment, Kim Tae-yeon, who had already packed her things, walked over from the sofa, bowed politely, and then said.

"Hmm~~ What other questions?" Lee Hwan-wook was a bit puzzled. Why did these girls have so many questions, one after another?

Actually, this question wasn't just Kim Tae-yeon's; it could be said that it was the shared curiosity of all nine of them.

"Did you write a song called 'Beautiful Girl'?"

"Huh? How did you know... Wait, could it be that you found the sheet music I left on the second floor of S.M. that was torn up?" Lee Hwan-wook instantly thought of the reason. He had only shown the song to Yoo Young-jin, and the melody was one he had written, then had Jung Joon-young help correct and improve it.

He didn't believe Yoo Young-jin would tell others, especially not about the lyrics that recorded Girls' Generation. The only possibility was that someone had picked up the sheet music.

"Ah! It really was you!!" Jung Soo-yeon suddenly called out. The sheet music had actually been picked up by her sister. When they got home, it took some time to tape it back together, and then she handed it over. They really liked this magical praise song but couldn't understand why it had been torn up.

"Why did you tear it up?" Lee Soo-kyung also asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Lee Hwan-wook rubbed his nose again, feeling slightly uncomfortable under the gaze of the nine girls. But after some thought, he smiled and said, "Actually, I originally wanted to apprentice at S.M., but I was given a good scolding. They said the song was terrible and the lyrics were childish, so I destroyed it. I also gave your teacher Yoo Young-jin a lesson!"

Upon hearing this, all nine of them broke out in a cold sweat, thinking, 'He really says and does anything.'

All nine knew that the creator must have had a conflict with Teacher Yoo Young-jin, but they never expected it to be so explosive.

"How did you give him a lesson?" Kim Hyo-yeon suddenly asked weakly, but a hint of excitement flashed through her mind.

"Like this, I locked his throat and slammed him onto the table!" Lee Hwan-wook demonstrated the 'throat lock' move in the air and made a gesture.

"You... How can you treat Teacher Yoo Young-jin like that?" Sulli suddenly called out, her tone weakening, but she still accused him.

Lee Hwan-wook smiled and countered, "Why not?"

"He, he, he is an elder. If you are a composer, then he is also your senior, so you shouldn't treat him like that!" Sulli's voice was very soft, but the others, including Lee Hwan-wook, rolled their eyes.

"Hey, that's just your interpretation. In my definition, an elder should be at least fifty years old or someone with high moral character to deserve my respect. This has nothing to do with age. As for a senior? I don't consider him my senior. And you...!" Lee Hwan-wook finished and pointed at Sulli.

"What about me?" Sulli was still pondering Lee Hwan-wook's words but asked curiously when he pointed at her.

"You, since you like doves so much, why are you so... stupid?" Lee Hwan-wook carefully chose his words, finally settling on a gentle 'stupid.'

"Stupid?" Sulli was confused. Although she often skipped classes, she still studied hard in her free time and her grades were in the upper middle range. She shouldn't be stupid, right?

Seeing Sulli's puzzled expression, Lee Hwan-wook smiled and said, "Rigidly following tradition, in my eyes, makes you a stupid person. Being a stupid person has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that life is relatively peaceful, and you follow the social system. The disadvantage is... well, a stupid person knows whether they are happy or not."

"And you... are one of those few who struggle with being stupid. You yearn to do something, to make a change, but you are afraid or can't take that first step. The hysteria during our last meeting was probably because the expectations in your heart broke along with the chest badge, making you so angry. The way you speak today is completely different from that day, but realistically, knowing how to be angry and knowing how to shout is what makes a normal person, at least a young one!"

"Of course, the most stupid point is that you live by principles you don't know where you learned, and subconsciously or instinctively, you try to instill these principles in others, just like what you said to me just now. I bet you do the same in life. You are really stupid. In comparison, I prefer friends who have their own principles!"

"Alright, I've answered your questions and said a lot of nonsense. I have to go now, and if I don't, your manager will probably get worried!" Lee Hwan-wook said with a smile.

Sulli stared at Lee Hwan-wook, her entire worldview feeling a massive shock. She wanted to argue but didn't know how to start. No one had ever said these things to her before, not even the intern teacher, who had only told her, 'Do what you think is right, not what everyone says is right.'

No one had ever called her stupid. This was the first time someone had seriously called her stupid, but what surprised Sulli was that it felt like he had read her mind.

She did yearn for change and wanted to live more freely. Every time the unnie told her she was too rigid or ignored her, Sulli didn't get angry; instead, she changed... not for anyone else, just to make herself braver.

In fact, Sulli had many things she wanted to try but had never attempted.

"Wait!!"

Seeing Lee Hwan-wook heading towards the door, Sulli suddenly turned and called out, then ran over a few steps.

"Is there something else?" Lee Hwan-wook turned and smiled, asking. In fact, he had met many people like Sulli, not in terms of personality, but in terms of being unable to move forward. Compared to them, Sulli wasn't that severe; at least she had her own principles.

In Lee Hwan-wook's memory, many people had lost even their last bit of persistence, only knowing how to silently endure. They lacked the courage to take a step forward, let alone the strength to lift their heads.

From their last meeting to now, although they had only met twice, Lee Hwan-wook easily noticed Sulli's issues, which might be because she didn't hide herself.

Seeing Sulli, who was a bit flushed and excited, Lee Hwan-wook thought she might want to argue or something. He even thought she might be a very stubborn girl, but the next moment, he was stunned, as were the other eight girls.

'Is this still our maknae?'

This thought crossed the minds of the eight.

"Um, can we exchange phone numbers?"