Chapter 30: A Reserved Weekend

Was it because I slept too well this afternoon?

The mechanical alarm clock ticked away in the quiet bedroom. As the second hand circled round and round, the hour hand had unconsciously shifted from 11 to 3. Shin Yuna tossed and turned, her long hair becoming frizzy and tangled, while her body temperature remained stubbornly high, leaving her restless and irritated.

Even though things were progressing exactly at the pace she had hoped for, she felt an inexplicable sense of nervousness.

This weekend... would it really be their first official date?

It was not so much that she was unprepared, but rather that she had no idea what kind of preparations one should make for such an occasion. Makeup, a pretty outfit, planning the itinerary... was that all it took?

Lost in these thoughts, Yuna opened her phone and stared at the chat room that was still stuck on yesterday’s messages. It felt as if a tiny flame was flickering against her chest.

"Xia Xing: It’s been resolved, though Yoo Jimin seems to have some misunderstandings about me."
"Xia Xing: I’ve been pegged as a club-goer (speechless)."
"It’s not really a misunderstanding, is it? You do look like a dangerous man."
"Xia Xing: Then make sure to lock your doors and windows tonight. I’m going to come and burgle your dormitory."

In truth, something had already been stolen...

She had once truly wanted to send that sentence, but she was forced to delete it halfway through as her body temperature surged.

In the quiet chat room, the "Other party is typing..." indicator appeared from time to time, causing both of them to pause their fingers, waiting for the other's message, or biting their lips while editing lines they could never quite bring themselves to send.

In reality, Yuna already knew that even if she sent something flirtatious, he wouldn't be put off by it. But it was so strange—she could be so bold and physical with him in person, yet back here on the phone, she felt reserved.

Normally, shouldn't it be the other way around? People were usually uninhibited online and timid in real life.

Perhaps it was just a fleeting impulse, but Yuna decided to take the initiative online for once.

"Are you free this weekend? If so, I need to reserve your time."

With a tone that was slightly assertive and brooked no refusal, the message was marked as "read" the moment it was sent. Just a few seconds later, his reply arrived.

"Xia Xing: There is actually one very important thing. Would you be willing to help me with it?"

Looking at this message, which she had already read dozens of times, Yuna grabbed her hair and buried her face completely into her pillow.

Who else could she ask for help? The other members of her group, while they had been pursued by male idols before, were only capable of giving theoretical advice when it came to a proper date.

Love theorists were the most unreliable people, even less reliable than economists.

Could she... ask her own sister? She had been in the professional world for many years and had dated three or four people. She should be able to provide some seasoned advice. But if she told her sister, wouldn't that mean the whole family would know?

***

"The legal department just emailed me back saying the contract approval has reached President Ahn Seung-woo."

"I’m aligning with all of you business associates here: once our marketing and PR departments start working on the promotional materials for the new product, you all need to coordinate with the distributors on stocking plans."

"As for the sales targets for each region and channel, I will confirm them with the Sales Management Department later."

"Thank you all for attending this meeting. If there are no further questions, we’ll conclude here."

Xia Xing exited the online meeting, finally finding a moment to breathe after a busy morning. He checked his phone for unread messages. As expected, during the time he was in the meeting, Yuna had sent several links to Google Maps.

"Yuna: We can go here for lunch. I heard the Sichuan food there is very authentic."
"Yuna: After eating, we’ll have plenty of time to stroll around that street."
"Yuna: There are a few nice gift shops there. Maybe we can find a birthday gift your grandfather would like."

Just as Xia Xing was about to reply, a familiar voice, though one with a rather strange tone, reached his ears.

"Specialist Xia, could you come here for a moment?"

Wearing a small suit, Shin Hael-ri stood with her arms crossed, looking sternly at Xia Xing, who had been smiling foolishly at his phone.

"Is something the matter?"

Xia Xing followed Team Leader Shin toward the breakroom, reviewing his work progress over the past few days in his mind. He had already scheduled a meeting for next week with the JYPE representative and the artist to sign the formal endorsement contract; the draft of the marketing plan had been revised and submitted to Shin Hael-ri and Department Head Kim for approval; and the coordination with the Sales Management Department on the subsequent sales plan had only just begun this morning...

Why had the team leader called him out separately?

"I’m just checking in—how have you been lately? Is work busy?"

"The work is quite fulfilling. It’s challenging and helps me grow. It’s all thanks to your arrangements, Team Leader, that I’ve been able to grow so quickly in my two months here."

Shin Hael-ri’s eyelid twitched. With her hands on her hips, she looked at the tall man, who was busy drinking water with a serious expression, with a complex gaze.

Of course it was fulfilling—he was taking advantage of work to charm the vendor.

When they were originally selecting someone to go to JYPE to discuss the endorsement, it should have been Shin Hael-ri, as the team leader, who accompanied Xia Xing to meet the vendor. However, because she had a direct family relationship with Shin Yuna (the vendor side), she had to recuse herself from the business negotiations. That was why Department Head Kim had made the final decision to let Xia Xing try to handle the contact on his own.

Now, the endorsement was about to be finalized, and the performance bonuses for Shin Hael-ri’s team for the past few months were securely in the bag. But it seemed her own sister had been swindled away as well...

That was Shin Hael-ri’s biological sister, JYPE’s popular idol, Shin Yuna.

With a scrutinizing gaze, Shin Hael-ri scanned Xia Xing from head to toe.

One meter eighty-five, a lean and fit physique, features that resembled Kashiwabara Takashi but with a bit more heroic flair, a top-tier student from Seoul National University, and you could tell from his attire that his family background was very wealthy...

Judging by these external factors, Xia Xing was indeed impeccable; even if her parents were here, they probably wouldn't find any faults. If Xia Xing and Shin Yuna had spent a long time together and confirmed their feelings for each other, as a sister, she wouldn't have any objections.

But the mere thought that this guy had managed this in less than a few days made Shin Hael-ri’s blood pressure soar.

"Aren't you a fan of Seol-yoon? How did you end up getting involved with Shin Yuna?"