Chapter 61: What Is Love

"Older sister?"

She massaged her still somewhat hazy temples, gazing at the window across the street where a light had just flickered on and then turned off.

Although that magnetic voice had done as she asked, unexpectedly, it spoke in halting Japanese.

His rebellious yet mischievous tone was like a dash of tequila added to a glass of lemonade—green, exhilarating, with a lingering aftertaste.

Though the flavor was quite different from anything she had tasted before, surprisingly, it felt rather nice.

It was almost addictive, much like alcohol; though she was somewhat allergic to it, she always found herself unable to resist tasting it.

Swirling the stem glass in her hand, Myoui Mina licked her slightly dry lips, only then realizing the glass was empty.

By now, the sky was growing dim. The glass window of the balcony acted as a one-way mirror due to the contrast between the dark outside and the bright inside, blurring the view of the opposite apartment building.

"Though I don't know when our destined affinity will begin, or in what way."

"For some reason, it feels like it will be wonderful, like a romance grander than movies and TV dramas will descend upon us."

"I have a hunch that one day it will hit the mark, right? Hurry and appear, I am ready."

Twice's 2018 hit *What is Love*, which had won the grand prize at the Golden Disc Awards in South Korea, seemed to echo in her ears.

The tipsy intoxication gradually rose to her head, causing a mature, rosy charm to spread faintly across her fair skin.

Her slender, pure white fingers traced her own reflection in the glass. Myoui Mina narrowed her eyes, pondered for a moment, and parted her lips to murmur:

"Even though his Japanese isn't very standard, but... as long as I can understand it, that's enough."

Her other hand unlocked her phone, the home screen still lingering on that recent Instagram update.

After pondering for a brief moment, the corners of her lips curved up slightly. She took a screenshot of the Instagram post and sent it to Yuna.

"Did you dye your hair this afternoon?"

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"Do you think I should be angry?"

As if to vent her frustration, a small fist lightly pounded against Xia Xing's arm.

Rocket punch—that was the superpower assigned to Karina in the group aespa.

Yu Jimin pouted, biting into her lips stained with the newly applied Gucci 208 lipstick, and shot a sidelong glance at the tall man dressed in GK style.

Because she had also obtained some potentially useful information from her company over the past two days and intended to share it with Xia Xing, coincidentally, he had also mentioned that there were some things he needed to explain to Yu Jimin...

And so, just like usual, at ten o'clock at night, the two of them appeared once again in Hangang Park.

She was wearing a white hoodie borrowed from Xia Xing, paired with a plaid long skirt and thick-soled black clogs, blending casual ease with a touch of sophistication.

Perhaps it would be more apt to describe her vibe using the name of her lipstick shade, "Sweet & Fierce Peach."

Yet, having gone through all the trouble of running over here, she ended up listening to this scumbag talk about his date. Who wouldn't feel gloomy after hearing that?

As if she still hadn't vented enough, she let out another sullen huff:

"Although for the sake of this collaboration, we need to remain completely open and transparent with each other so we can prepare countermeasures in advance..."

"Actually, when it comes to things like your dates, it would be better if you just kept them from me. Why even tell me?"

"Talking about it only puts me in a bad mood."

Xia Xing drank his milk tea, somewhat baffled. Another cup of ultra-high sugar beverage went down his throat; his sugar intake for the day had seriously exceeded the limit... Tomorrow, he'd have to tell the housekeeper to use less sugar when cooking.

"Is it because in your eyes, I'm already someone who plays around a lot?"

"So as long as you keep it hidden well and it doesn't affect our subsequent scandal hype, you can just turn a blind eye? I can understand that kind of mindset."

"But... why the gloomy mood? May I interpret that as jealousy?"

"Please, the person sitting right beside you is Yu Jimin."

She tore open the seal of the milk tea and fiercely stabbed the thick layers of taro paste at the bottom with her straw. Her face, exquisite as a quail egg, was filled with unspoken thoughts.

As for this milk tea...

It had been made by that part-time worker who was just about to finish his shift. Seemingly resigned to his fate, he had dumped all the leftover taro paste into it, radiating a resentment that practically screamed, "Drink up, let's see if anyone can consume as much as the two of you!"

Resignedly channeling her depression into the thick milk and taro paste, Yu Jimin let out a muffled huff and continued:

"You can actually go on dates with other people with a clear conscience? Rather than jealousy... it just feels unreasonable."

"Am I worse than them?"

Reading no particular emotion in his eyes, Yu Jimin seemed to deflate slightly as she added a faint, defensive afterthought:

"It's not female rivalry, it's simply that I seem to have started doubting my own charm."

"You are very pretty, interesting, and have your own thoughts and ambitions. Your charm is quite unique," Xia Xing paused, "but is someone supposed to fall in love with another person simply because they are charming?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Yu Jimin raised an eyebrow. "There are quite a few people who like you, right?"

He blinked silently at Yu Jimin, then nodded. "Ever since I was little, quite a few."

"True enough, the heir to a chaebol family, very handsome, not a terrible personality, and quite fun to bully. Even if you play around a lot in private, old and young alike probably adore you, right?"

"Mina-senpai treats you to cookies, you pretend to be lovers with Karina, and you go on a date dressed like high schoolers with Yuna..."

"If Yoona-senpai didn't already not know you, she'd probably be interested in you too."

Yoona... Xia Xing indeed didn't know Im Yoona, but he did know another Yoona.

Yu Jimin's interpretation of "ever since I was little" might have strayed slightly, but honestly, he had never really thought about matters of the heart from an age-related perspective.

Still, just as Yu Jimin said, even if he did nothing at all and just sat there quietly, he would still be adored by many.

Bypassing Yu Jimin's misunderstanding of "ever since I was little," Xia Xing keenly captured another word in her speech.

"Are you interested in me too? Myoui Mina even complained today, saying my romantic luck is quite good."

Yu Jimin, who had originally intended to explain something, swallowed her words back, let out another sullen hum, and spoke in a tone that seemed to say "So what?":

"Look at how smug that makes you. Everyone is very realistic."

"Money, power, good looks—if you possess even one or two of these three elements, it's enough to make countless people like you."

"So being interested in you is only natural. Is that strange?"

An unarguable statement.

"But that's different from love, isn't it?"

"..."

Yu Jimin couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, sighing leisurely:

"Do you need to draw the line so clearly? We're not middle or high school kids anymore; there's no need to go around talking about love and romance."

"Where in this world are there so many people you simply cannot live without? You give me what I need, and I give you what you need—that is the state of affairs for the vast majority of people."

"Aren't you someone who plays around quite a bit? Why are you still agonizing over things like this? Since we've already talked to this point, I'll be completely honest with you too."

"Actually... I wouldn't mind turning play-acting into reality."