Chapter 3: Takashi Kashiwabara, Is That You?

For Shin Yuna, today was truly an unpleasant day.

Although she was clearly not in her comeback period, she was chosen as ITZY’s representative to attend a meeting at the company.

Though it was related to endorsements, as an idol, she had no real say in business matters; she was merely there to sit and listen to the middle-aged men bickering.

But since it was a directive from the leadership, she had no choice but to comply.

“If there’s no work, who actually wants to come to the office?”

Feeling frustrated, Shin Yuna sighed deeply and began to think about what she could do to lift her spirits.

Maybe she could go watch her juniors practice dance? She recalled that the practice room was booked by NMIXX today. What could be more delightful than watching her juniors dance?

With that in mind, she changed direction and headed toward the elevator that led to the practice room.

Shin Yuna expertly pulled out her employee card and swiped it to access the elevator when a figure suddenly rushed past her and entered the elevator ahead of her.

It was a young man who looked familiar, though she couldn’t quite place his name.

As Shin Yuna stepped into the elevator, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her mind racing to match his face with the names of trainees she knew.

But if there really was someone in JYP who was more handsome than Takashi Kashiwahara, how could she have not known?

Could he be a new trainee?

She decided to ask jokingly:

“Takashi Kashiwahara, is that you?”

At the sound of this nickname, Ha Seong instinctively turned his head and realized that the woman standing beside him was none other than Shin Yuna, the person he was scheduled to meet in the afternoon for the meeting.

She was dressed in sporty attire that perfectly complemented her 1.7-meter frame. Unlike other refined idols, her appearance exuded a bright, vibrant energy—an aggressive, wild kind of beauty.

If she were featured in an advertisement, it would surely fit the theme well.

Realizing she had been lost in thought, Ha Seong decided it would be rude not to respond.

He extended his hand and introduced himself: “Hello, I’m Ha Seong, representing Peninsula Foods. I’m here this afternoon to discuss endorsement matters with JYP.”

Usually, clients wouldn’t arrange meetings with two potential endorsers at the same time.

Ha Seong’s plan was to first discuss the possibility of collaborating with NMIXX; if that failed, then they would consider signing ITZY as endorsers.

But the JYP business team had scheduled both groups together—a truly strange decision.

After all, the two groups belonged to the second and fourth divisions, respectively, and had a certain competitive relationship.

Shin Yuna didn’t think as much as Ha Seong, but her extended hand did freeze for a moment.

She had assumed Ha Seong was also a colleague from the entertainment industry, but upon realizing he was the client she would be sitting opposite that afternoon, her relaxed demeanor stiffened.

“Ah, Representative Ha, nice to meet you.”

Shin Yuna quickly adjusted her expression, mimicking the poised greetings she had seen from her seniors when meeting clients.

After all, she had been debuted for over four years; handling situations like this should be within her capabilities... or so she hoped.

But the remaining time in the elevator became somewhat awkward.

Should she ask why he was heading to the practice room?

Scratching her head, Shin Yuna awkwardly struck up conversation with a somewhat silly tone: “Representative Ha, you really look like one of our company’s employees.”

The moment she said it, regret washed over her.

She had fancied herself capable of handling clients alone after four years in the industry, but having been well protected by her manager and seniors, she still lacked experience in casual conversation with clients.

What she said came out very differently from what she had intended.

Moreover, she had meant it as a compliment on Ha Seong’s good looks, but the way she expressed it sounded strangely off.

Shin Yuna wished she could just bang her head against the elevator door.

Of course, she wanted to take the leader who chose her as the group’s representative with her.

Fortunately, Ha Seong didn’t take it personally and steered the conversation back to work.

“Since we still have some time before the meeting starts, I brought some gifts to browse around first. If I happen to meet any members of ITZY or NMIXX, I plan to hand them out.”

He lifted the large bag he was carrying.

Shin Yuna quickly glanced inside and judged that most of the gifts were quite expensive, likely over 200,000 won each.

If anything was relatively affordable, it might be the game controller in the bag.

“Would you like to pick one too?”

Ha Seong offered the bag, but quickly realized a problem—he had forgotten to put the controller away.

Worse still, Shin Yuna’s eyes had landed on the controller.

To her, the conversation in the elevator was already awkward enough; how could she pick one of the pricier gifts? It was better to leave the finer gifts for the juniors.

Tentatively, she reached out and took the controller.

“Thank you, Representative. I hope our collaboration will be pleasant and successful.”

Her mind almost blank and unsure what to do next, Shin Yuna made a polite reply, all the while thinking about escaping.

After all, she was just a 20-year-old girl.

Her gaze flicked to Ha Seong, noticing his lips pressed together as if he wanted to say something.

But as soon as the elevator doors opened, her legs obediently moved forward first.

“Um... Representative Ha, I still have some things to attend to. See you this afternoon!”

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The music of “Run for Roses” drifted from inside the practice room, and Ha Seong listened silently through the door to the synchronized footsteps.

They were strong and powerful.

Yet, for some reason, Ha Seong suddenly felt hesitant to meet Seol Yoon.

Even though he knew the girls inside were about his age, an inexplicable nervousness crept over him.

When the song finished, the footsteps grew uneven, and Ha Seong wasn’t mentally prepared to enter and greet them.

After all, he hadn’t even contacted Seol Yoon in advance.

Just as he was hesitating, the door to the practice room opened.

Out came Bae Jin-rye with short hair.

Their eyes met; both were bewildered.

“Takashi Kashiwahara? Is that you?!”

That familiar phrase—Ha Seong thought he had just heard it in the elevator.

Sensing something was wrong, he had no time to react before Bae Jin-rye pushed him aside and began scrutinizing him from head to toe.

In Ha Seong’s memory, he had never interacted with Bae Jin-rye.

So how did she know him?

In an instant, countless fragments flashed through Ha Seong’s mind.

One was an imagined scene of Seol Yoon introducing Ha Seong to her teammates.

Thinking of this, Ha Seong’s irritation at Seol Yoon’s lack of replies eased considerably.

But now he faced the tricky Bae Jin-rye.

“My name is Ha Seong. I’m the representative from Peninsula Foods, the one meeting you this afternoon.”

Peninsula Foods? Bae Jin-rye’s mind raced just as fast.

When the members heard this news that morning, she and Seol Yoon had exchanged a look unlike the others.

While everyone else celebrated the prospect of a new endorsement deal, the two simply shook their heads.

Seol Yoon explained that Ha Seong was just a new employee and unlikely to come to JYP.

But now, seeing this Korean-Chinese mixed version of Takashi Kashiwahara standing before her, her brain was almost about to smoke.

What on earth was going on here?!