Please! My relationship with the girl group leader is purely platonic.

Chapter 105 New Friends in the Practice Room

Kang Woo-jin received Kim Tae-yeon's reply while he was having lunch. It was already past noon, and their morning practice had barely ended. According to her instructions, after a half-hour break, they would have to attend a series of classes.

They were very tired, but they were all quite satisfied.

This half hour included the time for dinner, so Jiang Youzhen quickly made an excuse to leave the private room. While he was calling the girl, he was already downstairs at the restaurant reordering.

When Kim Tae-yeon received the call, she was still a little confused. "Anders?"

"When I get to your company, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I happen to be at the restaurant," Jiang Youzhen said, handing the circled menu to the waiter.

"Wait a minute? Me, Tiffany, Yoona, and... and a new friend you haven't met yet, we're talking about what to eat later."

Then I went back to the trainee station to catch up on some light sleep... Even though I couldn't sleep for many minutes, it was still nice to rest with my eyes closed.

Knowing that Kang Woo-jin was not far from SM Entertainment, she told her friends.

Lunch is ready.

If it can get picky eaters to buy lunch, then the taste can't be too bad.

Tiffany overheard Taeyeon's conversation while they were in the practice room. It was unusual for them to be so quiet, largely because they wanted to hear what was going on on the phone.

"A Hollywood veteran? When did he return to the country?" Tiffany was a little surprised, but it had been more than four months since the New Year, and she rarely heard the name Kang Woo-jin.

Occasionally, when I'm staying up late at night, I'll chat with Kim Tae-yeon about the latest news from her "Hollywood seniors".

All she heard was news about making and promoting movies; she couldn't hear anything more.

Even Tiffany could only hear this much information, let alone others.

It's important to know that Kim Tae-yeon's mouth is as tight as stone; she rarely speaks to others on her own initiative. Trying to get any private matters or anything related to men from her is a huge risk...

It's highly unlikely.

"I came back this morning, saying there was something going on at the company," Kim Tae-yeon explained briefly, then she avoided the others and walked towards the back door of the company.

The gazes in the practice room were too intense, but she didn't want to talk about her private matters, so she tried to avoid them as much as possible, especially since she could feel that these people were practically staring her out of the woods.

She didn't wait long at the company's back door before seeing Jiang Youzhen appear. He seemed to have lost some weight after not seeing him for several months. He was wearing a baseball cap, which covered his slightly long hair. However, judging from his complexion, he seemed a little... haggard?

Perhaps it was because time had passed and the two of them hadn't mentioned that day, but there was no awkward period, and their communication became as natural as before.

"Are you very tired? You look like you just came back from military service."

Noticing that Kang Woo-jin's face was still a little sweaty, Kim Tae-yeon tried to take out a small pack of tissues from her pocket, but after searching for a while, she couldn't find anything in her pocket.

...

"What's wrong?"

Seeing her movements, Jiang Youzhen assumed she was putting a drink or something in her pocket. He quickly raised the insulated bag in his hand and said with a smile, "Drinks? I bought a few cans of fruit juice, but they're not high in sugar."

"It's not a drink... I noticed you were sweating a lot, so..."

Recalling that Tiffany had taken her pack of tissues, Kim Tae-yeon closed her eyes. She wanted to reach out and help wipe the sweat, but halfway through her hand, the two insulated bags were placed over.

"This should be just right for four people. It's not too high in carbs. I picked some shrimp and beef, and it's low in salt and oil. I just don't know if you guys will like it."

"The head of the department has been really good at managing his weight lately, which is actually a good thing."

Looking at the two bags of food in her hands, Kim Tae-yeon swallowed back the thought that had just popped into her head. She seemed to understand why Tiffany always said that she and Kang Woo-jin were people she couldn't handle.

You can't blame her! It's just that she has absolutely no tact or understanding...

After reflecting for three seconds, she decisively forgot about the matter and asked about the previous phone call.

"So, you came here halfway through your meal? I remember you said your manager was also in the country, huh? How come you're the only one here?"

"Tony and my mom are still eating. You know I'm a picky eater, so I didn't eat much. But do you have time? I have some things I wanted to bring you."

Kang Woo-jin glanced towards FFF Company and remembered that Park So-yeon, who had been in the same practice room as the girl before, should now be considered a trainee at FFF Company.

"Oh, by the way, when I came back today, I saw that guy downstairs at FFF... the one who used to practice in the same room as you guys."

"Soyeon unnie?"

Upon learning that it was someone she knew, Kim Tae-yeon's expression changed noticeably.

"I contacted her two months ago and told her that if she wanted to return to her agency, she could try FFF Entertainment. Although the writer has high standards, Soyeon unnie is also quite talented, so I think she can be selected."

But that was two months ago. A few of them knew the reason why their former practice room partners suddenly left the company, and given Kim Tae-yeon's personality, she wouldn't ask about it.

Unfortunately, she was one of the few people who knew the reason why Park So-yeon left the company.

Perhaps out of reluctance and regret for her partner, she asked Jiang Youzhen one more question during their phone call that day about the requirements for FFF Company to recruit trainees.

"FFF really welcomes her. Thanks to her, the company now has two trainees."

Since the company started recruiting trainees, we've eliminated hundreds of people, and only today have we had a second trainee. We're quite picky, you could say.

Knowing that Park So-yeon had joined FFF Entertainment, Kim Tae-yeon was happy for her. She told Kang Woo-jin that a new trainee had recently joined their practice room.

What made the girl happy was that her new friend was only a tiny bit shorter than her.

Upon hearing this reason, Kang Woo-jin subconsciously raised his eyebrows. He glanced towards the back door of SM Entertainment and clearly saw three heads piled on top of each other, staring in his direction.

One of them was a stranger; it seemed to be the new friend the girl had mentioned.

"A new friend... Hmm~ I think I've already seen him."

"Eh?"

Kim Tae-yeon was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned her head. Her reaction was fast enough, but she could only see three black hairs that had retracted.

"It's Pani and the others... We don't have much time for lunch break, so thank you for the lunch. But I need to take it back and feed them first, otherwise they'll start making a fuss."

"Okay... alright then."

Jiang Youzhen's face was full of displeasure. They hadn't even exchanged a few words yet, and now they had to part ways?

"We've been in touch by phone, but I'm still very grateful to you for telling me about Soyeon unnie. I'm really happy that she got into FFF Company; at least the writer is much gentler than our manager."

This was the best news she had heard today. As for Jiang Youzhen returning to the country...

More than four months have passed, and if he doesn't return to China soon, she feels like she'll almost forget he even exists.

Kim Tae-yeon picked up the bag in her hand, turned around, and took two steps toward the door, but then stopped and looked back at him.

Compared to when they celebrated New Year's Eve, Jiang Youzhen did look a bit more haggard, which made her think that he must be very busy in New York.

After a few seconds of contemplation, she decisively turned around, raised her hand, and wiped his face haphazardly with her sleeve.

Jiang Youzhen was rubbed in the face several times by her, and before he could even say that he had tissues in his clothes, he watched her hurriedly go back to the building.