Chapter 28

Because Li Jingming was the one treating, the location was also chosen by him.梨大 (Yonsei University area) is indeed great, with its abundance of beautiful women and a crowd of hungry wolves. However, now Li Jingming was with Jessica, not with Bai Jieqian and the others, so he wasn't in the mood for that kind of excitement.

Upon arriving at the location, pedestrians could see a banner hanging in the air, written entirely in Chinese: "Welcome to Myeongdong—Myeongdong Tourism Special Zone Association." Li Jingming suddenly laughed at the comma, finding it really amusing. The comma was placed in such a funny spot, living up to its name. Even if the sentence was broken up that way, there was no need to add a comma.

Jessica was puzzled, wondering if this guy had seen a beautiful woman, making him laugh so lecherously.

When it comes to Korean street food, many people first think of Dongdaemun, Yonsei University area (Seodaemun), Hongdae, and even Sinchon is quite famous. Myeongdong, being a paradise for women, gives people the first impression of having a lot of cosmetics. In fact, the street food here is also excellent, with many famous and old shops setting up here. The underground street is a bit cheaper, while the upper part is more expensive.

The main street of Myeongdong is about one kilometer long, not as exaggerated as the 27-kilometer Sunset Boulevard, but it's still not small. Everything young people like can be found here. Turning left into a small alley at the crossroads of the 6th entrance, this intricate network of small alleys is their destination. Good food often has the characteristic of being in narrow and cramped places, where great surprises can be found.

Li Jingming thought for a long time as he walked down the street, not knowing why he could go shopping with Jessica after only meeting her twice. In the end, he could only attribute it to the magic of free spirits and fate.

"Do you want to try Jeonju bibimbap?" Li Jingming asked, pointing to the "Gungung" bibimbap restaurant. This restaurant is well-known, having been in business for forty years, and many diners in Myeongdong specifically come here for the bibimbap.

"No, there are too many people," Jessica said.

Li Jingming looked inside and saw that it was indeed crowded. It wasn't the weekend, so there were fewer people, but only slightly. He estimated that if they really wanted to eat there, they would have to wait a long time. Li Jingming himself didn't like eating in a crowd, so they continued walking.

"How about naengmyeon (cold noodles)?" Li Jingming saw a sign with a picture of cold noodles that looked quite good. It was perfect for the summer. Jessica was a bit tempted but still shook her head; she couldn't eat cold things these days.

"I don't like cold things," Jessica said. She actually liked them, but saying she couldn't eat cold things was embarrassing, so she just said she didn't like them.

Finally, when they passed a Dunkin' Donuts, Jessica stopped, staring at the glass case with a deep affection.

Li Jingming noticed Jessica had stopped and turned around. He was at a loss for words, seeing her infatuated expression. Just a minute ago, she had said she didn't like cold things, and now she was staring at the ice cream. "If you want ice cream, just say so. The one from LK is better than this."

"I'm not looking at the ice cream!" Jessica, usually proud, couldn't stand Li Jingming's teasing gaze, even though he hadn't asked anything. She had just admitted it without being asked.

Li Jingming didn't plan to tease Jessica further. He wanted to quickly buy something she liked to appease her. Otherwise, they would keep wandering around, not eating anything, and who knows how long that would take. He asked, "Then what are you looking at?"

"Donuts," Jessica said, looking at the donuts on display.

So Jessica now had a donut in her hand. It was covered in a layer of chocolate and sprinkled with fine chocolate shavings, looking quite good. However, S.M. Entertainment didn't even allow them to eat chocolate pies, let alone this.

Jessica took a small bite, very politely, truly embodying the image of a lady. Li Jingming, who had already finished his donut, walked ahead with a cup of coffee. He often went to Dunkin' Donuts in the U.S., where the headquarters is in Boston. During his college years, he would buy sweets from there when he wanted something sweet.

Jessica took a few bites, leaving a small bite mark. Then, reason overcame her desire for sweets. She felt she couldn't eat any more. Dieting and exercising were very painful, especially for someone lazy like her. But this was something she had asked for, and she hesitated about what to do, whether to throw it away. Li Jingming reached out and took the donut.

Li Jingming didn't understand women, but his observational skills were honed over the years. Seeing Jessica's hesitant face, he knew she didn't want to eat it but was embarrassed to throw it away because she had ordered it. So Li Jingming took it to ease her awkwardness. "This is really good. I liked it a lot in the U.S. I didn't buy more just now, so can I have yours?"

Jessica was secretly happy but put on a reluctant face. "Okay, then."

After this small incident, the two of them sat down at a restaurant, one of the famous places in Myeongdong called "Myeongdong Mandu." The knife-cut noodles with dumplings here were very famous, served with four dumplings and several chicken shreds. The noodles were smooth, and the soup was rich, said to be simmered for six hours, making it very nourishing.

Jessica had chosen this place because she and Tiffany had come here a few times and found it delicious. The food wasn't expensive, and the taste was good, so when Li Jingming said he would treat, she came here.

Li Jingming was very dissatisfied, extremely dissatisfied. First, this place was even more crowded than the "Gungung" bibimbap restaurant. He and Jessica were now queuing at the door, and in the scorching summer, there was no air conditioning or even a fan. Eating here was not a good idea, even with a beautiful woman by his side. Second, this wasn't knife-cut noodles with dumplings; it was just wonton noodles. Li Jingming, who had lived in China since he was 14, had Chinese habits and concepts. This thing was just a large wonton (actually a yuanbao dumpling) in China, while in Korea, they called it knife-cut noodles with dumplings, pretending to be the leader of dumplings!

With a grudge, Li Jingming finally finished the pre-meal crowd game and waited with Jessica for a rare seat. By then, he had already sweated a lot. He didn't order the knife-cut noodles with dumplings but a simple plate of dumplings. Jessica also didn't order the knife-cut noodles with dumplings but a simple plate of knife-cut noodles. Jessica couldn't eat any fat, so she never ate dumplings, fearing they might contain fat. The noodles and dumplings were served quickly, living up to the reputation of a famous restaurant.

"Aren't you debuting soon?" Li Jingming asked Jessica after eating, puzzled. He thought someone who had practiced for seven years and was finally debuting should be completely excited and nervous, playing with pillows at home, not so relaxed and dining out with someone they weren't familiar with.

Jessica pouted, her chin wrinkling, sulking, though she looked very cute in Li Jingming's eyes. She had almost forgotten, but Li Jingming reminded her of her recent experiences.

Her teammates were debuting, but she wasn't the leader.

Jessica had practiced for seven years at S.M. Entertainment to get a chance to debut. In the upcoming debut group, most of the members were her long-time sisters, whom she treated like her own younger sisters, protecting and caring for them so that other senior trainees wouldn't bully them. But now, someone else was coming to replace her as their big sister and leader. Jessica couldn't feel comfortable about that.

She didn't care about being the main vocalist, but she didn't bother to argue about it.

Jessica's face often looked cold and even a bit fierce, but she had a very warm personality. She liked to care for others and be cared for. She was too shy and too bad at expressing herself, so she just chose not to say anything.

Jessica stirred the soup with her spoon unconsciously. "Yes, in one or two months."

"Why are you so relaxed?" Li Jingming asked curiously. Many children with dreams of stardom took debuting very seriously.

"Everything is ready at the company now. The debut song, choreography, and debut channels. We're about to take the photos for the debut song. We just need to practice," Jessica said lazily. "But we've practiced countless times. What's the point of practicing a thousand more times?"

Jessica's voice was very charming. The first time they met, Li Jingming thought her voice sounded like a happy, innocent child. Even now, with her lazy tone, it was still clear.

"Aren't you happy?" Li Jingming looked at Jessica's face. When she was quiet, Jessica always had her eyelids lowered, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and a small pout on her face.

Jessica didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. She just didn't want to face the familiar people and let them see her vulnerable, sensitive side. Even though she had only met this person twice, Jessica felt she didn't need to hide anything from him. She felt a sense of comfort from him.

"The lady next to us is about to kill us. Let's go," Li Jingming said softly, gesturing to Jessica. There were too many customers, and the restaurant had to encourage quick turnover. Li Jingming didn't want to stay in this oppressive atmosphere.

"Where to?" Jessica asked, confused.

Li Jingming had to scratch his chin again. After accompanying her for so long and finishing dinner, why didn't Jessica want to go back? He tried asking, "Don't you want to go back?"

"I don't really want to go back," Jessica said, feeling a bit listless. Many people feel suffocated at times and want to escape to somewhere else. Jessica was feeling that way now. She wanted to run away but was afraid to do it alone. She would scream in fear even walking alone at night, definitely a symbol of timidity.

Li Jingming felt strange. He experienced something he had never felt before. It seemed that making this small, thin, and weak girl happy was very important to him. Seeing her listless and weak, he especially wanted to take care of her.

"Let's go somewhere with more people, somewhere lively," Li Jingming said. "Is there such a place in Seoul?"

"Isn't this it?" Jessica's small face was full of confusion. Myeongdong is indeed one of the liveliest places in the city.

"Even more lively, more noisy, where the noise makes it impossible to think about anything. Is there such a place?" Li Jingming explained his method of dealing with bad moods: "People can never deceive themselves. The quieter and more open a place is, the more you focus on your inner self. Only in a crowd can you hide your heart."

"If you can change the sad things, do it. If you can't, forget them." No matter whether you are strong or not, you have the right and opportunity to make your own choices.

"Let's go to Hongdae then," Jessica looked up at Li Jingming, her face now bright.

Li Jingming smiled.