Chapter Thirty: Tenderness Is

When Jiang Xinyu climbed ashore, everyone immediately gathered around. Uhey’s face was drenched, making it impossible to tell if she’d been crying—her eyes stung and burned, so she kept them shut, her brows tightly furrowed in pain. What was supposed to be a joyous day had been ruined by Che Eun-sang’s carelessness.

Che Eun-sang herself hadn’t escaped unscathed, but she’d been rescued by Hwang Tae-kyung. Yet, everyone’s attention was on Uhey, so no one noticed her. Besides, as she was currently presenting as a man, it wasn’t likely anyone would go out of their way to comfort her. Only Hwang Tae-kyung noticed that, now that her clothes were soaked, the curves she’d tried to hide were all too visible. While everyone was focused on Uhey, he quickly fetched a bathrobe and handed it to Che Eun-sang, displeased. “Go change your clothes.”

Seeing Hwang Tae-kyung’s worsening attitude toward her, Che Eun-sang felt deeply aggrieved. It wasn’t as if she could control slipping and falling, and she certainly hadn’t meant to bump into Uhey.

She glanced at Uhey, who was surrounded by the others. Thinking it wasn’t the right moment to apologize, she slipped off to the women’s locker room under Hwang Tae-kyung’s cover to change.

The locker rooms were upstairs while the pool was on the ground floor. Hwang Tae-kyung stood at the railing, looking down. Jiang Xinyu was holding Uhey protectively, speaking softly to her now and then, gently patting her back to soothe her. In truth, Uhey’s situation wasn’t too bad—she’d been rescued quickly and only swallowed a little water, though the experience itself was unpleasant.

Perhaps because he’d realized that “Go Mi-nam” was actually a woman, Hwang Tae-kyung’s act of dropping everything for her had been greatly magnified in Uhey’s heart, and the more she dwelled on it, the sadder she felt.

Jiang Xinyu, on the other hand, was even more distressed than she was.

Since Uhey was all right, the production crew resumed filming, quietly capturing this tender moment.

Uhey, of course, knew Jiang Xinyu had been by her side all along. Once she had gathered herself, she decided to put Hwang Tae-kyung out of her mind for the time being.

“Thank you, oppa.”

Jiang Xinyu smiled at her. “It’s nothing, really, but…”

“But what?”

“Your hair is all stuck together. You look even more like a steamed bun now.”

…Was this really the time for jokes? But his lightheartedness drew laughter from those around, and even Uhey felt her mood lift. That’s when she realized she was still in Jiang Xinyu’s arms, both of them sitting on the edge of the pool.

Her clothes were soaked through—a white shirt clinging tightly to her body, the black undergarments beneath clearly visible. It was embarrassing, especially with the cameras still rolling.

Jiang Xinyu noticed this too, but Uhey still had a towel draped over her, so nothing was exposed yet. He told the crew, “Could you please turn off the cameras for a moment? I’ll take her to change her clothes.”

Only then did the crew realize the problem, quickly apologizing and switching off the cameras. Jiang Xinyu helped Uhey to her feet and led her upstairs, with Anna hurrying to fetch clean clothes from the car and following after them.

Once out of sight, both Uhey and Jiang Xinyu felt much more at ease. Uhey’s nose still felt uncomfortable, and she wanted to sneeze. Jiang Xinyu said, “It’s really cold now, and the pool wasn’t warm. When you get home tonight, remember to drink something to ward off the chill.”

Uhey, unfamiliar with such things, just nodded absently. Seeing this, Jiang Xinyu added, “How about I bring something over for you tonight?”

He had a car, after all, so it wouldn’t be any trouble.

But Uhey felt terribly guilty. “No, no, that’s too much trouble.”

“It’s never any trouble.” Jiang Xinyu looked at her earnestly, his eyes brimming with deep affection, making it impossible for Uhey to evade. “Anything for you is never a bother to me.”

Uhey was at a loss for words, even feeling a little guilty herself.

“Oppa…”

“It’s all right, don’t say anything.” As they were about to reach the second floor, where Hwang Tae-kyung and Che Eun-sang were waiting, Jiang Xinyu quickly said, “Don’t rush to refuse me. I can wait for your decision.”

Uhey said nothing more. The two of them reached the second floor, where Hwang Tae-kyung realized “Go Mi-nam” hadn’t come out yet, but Uhey needed to go in to change.

Just as Uhey was about to enter, she ran into Che Eun-sang coming out. Uhey’s disheveled appearance needed no explanation, while Che Eun-sang looked distinctly uneasy, believing that neither Jiang Xinyu nor Uhey knew her secret.

“Go in and change quickly,” Jiang Xinyu prompted Uhey. It was too cold to linger.

Uhey shot Che Eun-sang a cold glance and, brushing past her, whispered, “I won’t let you keep hiding it.”

A chill ran through Che Eun-sang, and she looked at Hwang Tae-kyung for help.

He turned his gaze away, annoyed.

…

Jiang Xinyu asked, “So what do we do?”

Hwang Tae-kyung knew what he meant and frowned. “Postpone it. The MV will be delayed a few days anyway. But tonight you…”

“Hyung! How’s Uhey?” Jeremy barreled up the stairs, cutting off Jiang Xinyu and Hwang Tae-kyung’s conversation.

Hwang Tae-kyung had intended to ask about Jiang Xinyu’s birthday that night, but the question never left his lips.

As he reached the top, Jeremy spotted Che Eun-sang and shouted, “Get out of ANJell!”

He looked like a ruffled puppy, unmistakably resembling Jolie.

Che Eun-sang hung her head. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Of course you didn’t!” Jeremy fumed, having nowhere else to vent his anger but to yell, “But you’re a walking disaster zone! Just being near you feels like standing in the middle of a catastrophe.”

Hwang Tae-kyung nodded slightly. “That’s a pretty good description.”

It was hard to tell if he was pleased or not.

Jeremy seemed poised to press the attack when Uhey emerged, hair still wet—the room had no hairdryer. Her body was by no means frail, but Jeremy always found himself worrying about her, hovering at her side, fussing over her wellbeing.

Uhey liked Jeremy, too, so she smiled. “I’m fine, honestly. It’s not a big deal.”

She cast a feather-light, unfriendly glance at Che Eun-sang in the corner. There was no helping it; she truly disliked her now.

Perhaps it was jealousy, but if the girl hadn’t repeatedly dragged her into trouble, Uhey might not have displayed such open hostility.

Uhey was sweet and a little spoiled with those she knew—hardly a virtue—but with strangers or those she didn’t like, she became imperious, radiating an aura that warned others to keep their distance. Her sidelong glances could be chilling; she was clearly not someone to cross.

Che Eun-sang had a vague sense of foreboding. In high school, Rachel Yoo and Lee Bo-na had disliked her, but there was still something childlike in their antagonism—she had the courage to fight back, even thrive on adversity. But Uhey, who had risen to fame in the often-murky world of entertainment, was a different sort of opponent entirely.

Jiang Xinyu walked over, perfectly timing his move to shield Che Eun-sang behind him and said to Uhey, “Let me take you home.”

“I want to come too!” Jeremy chimed in eagerly.

Jiang Xinyu didn’t object, but “suddenly” remembered, “Oh, the fruit cake we prepared for the birthday is probably ruined by now.”

Jeremy’s face twisted in conflict—should he accompany Uhey, or go eat fruit cake?

Uhey saw his dilemma and couldn’t resist wanting to pinch his cheek. “Go eat the cake, and have my share too.”

At last, Jeremy made his choice and dashed off to embrace the cake.

Truth be told, Uhey was still a little resentful.

Hwang Tae-kyung, watching her, finally asked, “Are you… all right?”

His words were awkward and stiff, delivered with obvious discomfort—it must have cost him dearly to voice any concern. Uhey felt a flicker of happiness.

“I’m… I’m fine.” She lowered her head, a little embarrassed, avoiding his gaze.

Jeremy thought the atmosphere had gotten even stranger. Not only was Jiang Xinyu acting odd, the leader was as well.

That night, Jiang Xinyu’s birthday went uncelebrated. The tie Uhey had meant to give him remained hidden in his room, its existence entirely unknown to him. Anna drove Uhey home while Jiang Xinyu rushed back to prepare ginger tea to ward off her chill. Anna was so moved by his thoughtfulness that she couldn’t stop mentioning it on the drive. Finally, Uhey asked, “Anna, how should I respond to Xinyu oppa’s feelings?”

Jiang Xinyu had asked her not to refuse, but she knew that ambiguous feelings, left unresolved, could hurt more than anything.

Anna sighed at Uhey’s anxious expression. “Silly girl, tell me—does Hwang Tae-kyung like you?”

Uhey was stunned to realize Anna knew everything. She lowered her head, a faint sadness in her eyes. “Probably… not.”

Her feelings for Jiang Xinyu were more complicated than Hwang Tae-kyung’s indifference toward her. And girls tended to be soft-hearted, easily moved.

So, when Jiang Xinyu arrived at her apartment with ginger tea, barely having touched the ground in his haste, Uhey felt more deeply moved than she had in a very long time.

Author’s note: Influence works in subtle ways—oppa is determined to eliminate every potential danger. By the time Hwang Tae-kyung develops feelings for Uhey, it will already be too late.

Love you all, happy 520!