Chapter One: Takashi Kashiwabara

"Have confidence in the shining you, fighting!!"

The elegant handwriting on the sticky note stood out on his desk. Staring at the signature in the corner, Xia Xing couldn't help but drift into thought.

The note was from a very good friend of his—Xue Yun.

At his grandfather’s insistence, Xia Xing had spent half a year working part-time in a humble convenience store during his final year of university. It was during that time that he had the good fortune of meeting Xue Yun, an intriguing girl.

Whenever he thought of her, Xia Xing would instinctively pull out his phone and scroll through the latest messages on KakaoTalk.

Unfortunately, there was nothing from her.

In the past six months, both had graduated, and their chances to meet in person were now few and far between.

Perhaps it was this scarcity that sparked constant curiosity—what could she be doing right now?

He shook his head, trying to refocus on work, but odd thoughts continued to surface.

Defining their relationship as simple friendship didn’t seem quite accurate.

In his twenty-three years, Xia Xing had never had a friend quite like this.

They would greet each other every morning and check in randomly throughout the day, asking what the other was up to. When both had free time, they’d play games together—not just Overwatch, but even had a Minecraft server just for the two of them…

So, what exactly was their relationship?

Xia Xing turned over every word for “relationship” in his mind, and just as he was about to settle on an answer—

"Hey, Takashi Kashiwabara, what are you daydreaming about?"

A hand landed on his shoulder, snapping him back to reality.

It was his direct supervisor, Shin Ha-ri, of the Peninsula Foods Marketing Department.

At twenty-nine, she was one of the youngest team leaders at Peninsula Foods and even at Peninsula International as a whole. Assigning her to mentor the newly hired Xia Xing was, apparently, the decision of a member of the board at headquarters. As for the specifics, only a handful in the marketing company could guess at the details.

Still, befriending someone with such a background, especially one so elusive, was never a bad idea.

Thus, Shin Ha-ri took special care of Xia Xing at work. She never dumped the grubby, exhausting tasks on him, but instead filtered assignments and handed him projects with growth potential.

Sometimes, Shin Ha-ri wondered who was really in charge.

But when the young man before her, who bore a striking resemblance to Takashi Kashiwabara, came with such connections, who could blame her?

"Team Leader Shin…"

Xia Xing’s mind was racing as he glanced at the stack of documents in her hand, deftly changing the subject. "Do you have instructions for me?"

"Here, this is a file for a new product about to hit the market. The company is looking to choose a spokesperson at the right price point who aligns with the product’s image."

"For example… your Xue Yun?" Shin Ha-ri’s tone was half teasing as she pointed at the sticky note by his screen. "I didn’t know you were a fan of Nmixx."

"Ah, I'm not really a fan of Nmixx."

"So you like Xue Yun?"

"No."

The handsome young man’s evasive eyes only piqued more curiosity, tempting one to guess his thoughts. But Shin Ha-ri, seasoned by years in the business world, knew when to draw the line between banter and work. She steered the conversation back.

"Anyway, draft a suitable candidate list, and then expand it into a PowerPoint report. We’ll discuss it at the meeting this afternoon."

"Alright, I’ll send you an early draft by lunchtime so I can revise it according to your feedback."

Selecting a brand ambassador was only the first stage of a campaign, but it was hardly the kind of task typically assigned to someone like Xia Xing, who’d barely been on the job for two months.

Clearly, Shin Ha-ri was giving him opportunities to shine before the higher-ups while also helping him develop his skills.

This hardly matched the “grassroots training” his grandfather had described.

Yet some principles never change—no matter how much headquarters insisted that Xia Xing start from the bottom, few would take “grassroots training” at face value. If you can’t change them, you may as well go along with it.

It wasn’t a bad deal for either side.

Once Shin Ha-ri returned to her desk, Xia Xing immediately opened the new product file.

Peninsula Foods was launching a new beverage—100% NFC coconut juice.

Its selling points: health, vitality, hydration. Given the price point, the target demographic was health-conscious young people with the desire, but not necessarily the means, to spend.

Extending from this, choosing a spokesperson that matched the product’s appeal would likely mean seeking younger celebrities.

Xia Xing first considered sports stars.

But he couldn’t think of any Korean athletes with the right image.

If he had to choose an entertainer, it would have to be someone from the post-2000 generation.

Male entertainers lacked enough popularity—he dismissed them immediately.

Focusing on girl groups within budget… aespa and New Jeans were too expensive. IVE wasn’t as costly if they didn’t book Jang Wonyoung solo, but given Starship’s reputation and IVE’s string of controversies, that option was out.

In the end, only ITZY and NMIXX remained—both young, reasonably well-known, and affordable.

Back in 2019 or 2020, ITZY would have been out of reach for a new product’s marketing budget, but with the recent fierce competition in K-pop, ITZY’s star had faded somewhat, making them more affordable.

Still, their popularity and foundation gave them a clear edge over their juniors, NMIXX.

But NMIXX… On a personal note, because of Xue Yun, Xia Xing was more inclined to put them ahead of ITZY.

“No, business is business. I can’t let personal feelings interfere.”

Xia Xing rubbed his temples, hesitated for several seconds, then steeled himself and threw himself wholeheartedly into the report.

-----------------

"Xue Yun, you’ve seemed a bit down lately."

Bae Jinrate finished her makeup, admiring herself in the mirror while glancing at Xue Yun, who was lost in her phone.

"Hmm?"

Caught off guard, Xue Yun looked over and repeated the question. "Down lately?"

"Have I? Is it that obvious?"

Bae Jinrate nodded seriously and provided an example. "Usually, when you have free time, you’re glued to your tablet playing Minecraft—either mining or tending crops. But lately, you just stare at your phone, lost in thought. So I’m a little worried."

A warm feeling spread in Xue Yun’s heart. She shook her head. "Don’t worry, I’ve just been pondering something lately."

She and Xia Xing—what exactly was their relationship?

To say it was ambiguous flirtation didn’t quite fit; their daily greetings and exchanges were endlessly enjoyable, but it hadn’t reached that stage.

But if they were just ordinary friends… that was a disheartening thought.

"What’s troubling you? Maybe I can help."

Xue Yun hadn’t intended to continue the topic, but on second thought, she couldn’t help but ask. Sometimes thinking alone simply leads nowhere.

"Let me ask you, if you had a friend with whom you chatted about everyday things almost every day, but compared to other friends, your relationship seemed closer—how would you define that?"

Bae Jinrate was momentarily stunned, then rolled her eyes with exasperation. "Sister, that’s just a best friend, isn’t it?"

Best friend… The term made Xue Yun’s mood sink.

She and Xia Xing weren’t exactly best friends, were they? How could that be?

Noticing Xue Yun’s odd expression, Bae Jinrate, ever quick-witted, ventured another answer. "If it’s a guy, that’s a different story. Is he handsome?"

"Pretty handsome…" Xue Yun blurted out, then quickly corrected herself. "But looks aren’t everything if you’re not an idol, right? Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters." Bae Jinrate recalled a documentary on love she’d watched and analyzed seriously, "If he’s a good-looking guy, in Korea no less, he’d never lack admirers growing up. Wouldn’t he know what it’s like to be loved? If he still maintains a relationship with a girl that’s more than friends, then there are only two possibilities."

"And those are?"

"One, he’s a player. Two, he doesn’t like girls."

A player… huh?