Chapter Thirty-Two: Strike When the Time Is Right

Just as Jiang Xinyu had said, the behind-the-scenes footage was brief, meant as a teaser to surprise the audience. The main scenes captured the unexpected moments between Uhey and Jiang Xinyu at the ANJ apartment. This not only fed the fans’ imaginative pairing of Jiang Xinyu and Uhey but also satisfied their curiosity about the everyday lives of ANJ’s members. True to expectations, once the teaser was released, the hit count skyrocketed.

And so, Uhey found herself facing the “crisis” of officially living with Jiang Xinyu.

In the office, Anna was arranging her upcoming schedule. After reviewing the program plan sent over, she explained that the first episode would film the move, since the teaser had already implied they were “living together.” The company had arranged a spacious temporary residence for them; though it had basic amenities, many things were yet to be purchased. This meant they would be visiting furniture markets and decor shops together.

“This show will be different from anything you’ve done before,” Anna said earnestly. “If you’re not careful, even small bad habits will draw criticism from antis. You must be cautious and keep your temper in check. Even if you’re angry, it should come across as playful or endearing.”

But when it came to Jiang Xinyu, that likely wouldn’t be a problem.

Uhey nodded, as she had always been diligent with work. “Has the filming date been set?”

She recalled that after that stolen-kiss incident, she really didn’t want to see Jiang Xinyu for the time being.

Anna checked the plan. “We’ll start next week. You and Xinyu have a week to get used to each other.”

Uhey pouted and fell silent.

Her album was slated to drop during the show, and with her film’s premiere done, she finally had some free time. She’d been quite active lately, and Anna reminded her to stay low-key to avoid attracting unwanted attention from antis or reporters.

Taking advantage of her break, Uhey arranged to meet Lee Bona and Rachel Liu. She didn’t have many friends, but she’d gotten along well with Rachel Liu recently, so she invited her to join.

Rachel was surprised by the invitation, and Lee Bona teased her for being so pitiful that no one ever asked her out. Rachel only smiled, unbothered.

Truly, the glow of love made all the difference.

Christmas was approaching, and Lee Bona and Rachel Liu were preparing for their final exams. After the January break, they would return as seniors.

After tidying up her books, Rachel called Kim Won to say she’d be having dinner with friends instead. Kim Won sounded busy and distracted, but Rachel didn’t mind, and she went to the appointment with Lee Bona.

Uhey chose a very discreet restaurant for their meeting—located at the top of a business hotel, with entry by reservation only and a card required for access.

Rachel had never been there, but Lee Bona was familiar with the place; its privacy made it a favorite among celebrities. As they walked, Lee Bona explained, “This place was opened by the heir of Robin Hood Hotel, did you know?”

“Robin Hood?” Rachel tried to remember but couldn’t quite place it.

Lee Bona prompted, “You forgot? That’s Yoo Hee-jin’s boyfriend. His name is…”

Before she could finish, they spotted Uhey, who was waving enthusiastically at them. The conversation was dropped, especially since Rachel didn’t seem interested.

Uhey had already ordered three cups of hot tea. Seeing the tea, Lee Bona stared in surprise and then commented, “You’ve really been influenced—never saw you drink tea before.”

Uhey puffed her cheeks, ready to retort, but she couldn’t win against Lee Bona’s teasing and finally just glared at her in frustration.

“You didn’t call us here just to have tea, did you?”

Lee Bona downed her tea, played with her cup, scanned the room for familiar faces, and then ordered some desserts.

Uhey admitted, “Truthfully, I’m just bored. The show starts filming soon.”

At that, Rachel’s eyes lit up. “I saw your teaser! It was great. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Uhey stammered, “Th-thank you…”

Her awkwardness was obvious, and Lee Bona, sharp as ever, pressed, “Alright, what’s really going on?”

Uhey had invited them for advice. Though hesitant at first, after a cup of tea, she recounted everything that had happened that day.

Yet Lee Bona’s attention wasn’t on Jiang Xinyu kissing Uhey, but on something else—“Wait, you said Cha—no, Go Mi-nam pushed you into the water?!”

Uhey was her friend; Cha Eun-sang was her “enemy.” She thought they’d avoided that troublemaker, but now her friend had been dragged into it.

Uhey sneered, “She got lucky this time. If she messes with me again, I won’t let her off so easily.”

Both Lee Bona and Rachel paused. “‘She’?”

Uhey had used the feminine pronoun for “Go Mi-nam.”

While they were stunned, Uhey turned on Lee Bona. “Bona, you must’ve known all along, right? Why let a girl take someone’s place?”

Lee Bona struggled to explain, easing Uhey’s anger. She clarified that Go Mi-nam’s real name was Cha Eun-sang, that they used to be classmates, and that Cha Eun-sang once tried to woo Rachel’s fiancé before dumping him. The look she gave Rachel was now tinged with shared sympathy.

Displeased, Uhey muttered, “No wonder she dumped your fiancé—now she’s all over Tae-kyung.” Thinking of that face made Uhey’s heart ache.

Lee Bona waved a dismissive hand. “Fiancé or not, it doesn’t matter. Our Rachel has someone much better now~”

Rachel blushed at the teasing but couldn’t hide her happiness.

Hearing all this, Uhey couldn’t help feeling a bit down. Women are prone to comparison, especially when both friends have found happiness; it made her feel all the more alone. Still, she couldn’t just date Jiang Xinyu for that reason alone.

Rachel advised her to take things slowly and see if they were compatible—feelings could always be nurtured.

Lee Bona urged her to boldly pursue Hwang Tae-kyung; sometimes love required taking the initiative.

Uhey was left thoroughly confused, but she had to admit, Hwang Tae-kyung still held a significant place in her heart.

After parting from her friends, Uhey grew restless.

Five minutes later, she called Hwang Tae-kyung.

At that moment, Hwang Tae-kyung was staring in bewilderment at something in Cha Eun-sang’s hand.

“Please accept this.” Cha Eun-sang held out a ring, looking solemn. “This is my most precious ring—my father gave it to my sister and me before he died. Please take it. I promise, from today on, I won’t cause any more trouble.”

Tae-kyung was left speechless—where was the logic in this?

Just as he was lost in thought, his phone rang. It was Uhey, which surprised him—why would Uhey call him?

He glanced at “Go Mi-nam” in front of him, considered for a moment, and decided answering the call was a good way to escape reality.

“Hwang Tae-kyung, you’re worried someone will expose Go Mi-nam’s identity, aren’t you?”

Uhey was nervous; she had meant to ask him out, but the words that slipped out were entirely different. She wished she could start over, but time would not rewind.

Tae-kyung frowned. “What do you mean?”

Not knowing what had come over her, Uhey decided to go all in. “Date me, or I’ll make it public.”

Tae-kyung wanted to throw his phone. No one likes being threatened, even if his feelings toward Uhey had begun to change.

“Make it public?” Tae-kyung replied slowly. “Go ahead, do whatever you want.”

Cha Eun-sang was startled by his words. Seeing her pitiful expression, Tae-kyung finally decided to meet Uhey in person.

When he arrived, Uhey was sitting alone on a bench in a remote park outside the city. Because of her public status, she couldn’t risk being seen somewhere more crowded.

Night had fallen. Uhey was just about to leave if Tae-kyung didn’t show up.

But Tae-kyung did come. Clearly, “Go Mi-nam” was special to him.

Uhey looked up at him with a smile. “You came after all.”

Tonight, Tae-kyung looked sharp—more handsome than usual. “What will it take for you to keep quiet?”

Uhey crossed her legs elegantly. “I told you: date me.”

Tae-kyung scoffed, unimpressed. “You?”

Uhey’s smile faded. “What do you mean by that?”

Instead, Tae-kyung asked, “Where’s your car parked?”

Uhey was confused. “Why? It’s pretty far from here.”

Tae-kyung smirked, then swiftly grabbed her wedge heels and tossed them into the artificial lake.

“Hey! Are you crazy?!”

It was late autumn and cold; Uhey, left in only her socks, stood barefoot on the ground, too angry to notice the chill. She hadn’t expected him to react this way, though she realized threatening him was foolish. Still, she didn’t deserve to be treated like this.

Tae-kyung remained unmoved. “Walk back like this. And by the way, whether you expose me or not, it’s up to you. I don’t care.”

He walked away without looking back. Tears suddenly streamed down Uhey’s face. At that moment, she no longer knew what she was holding onto, what she was trying to prove by provoking him. His response made it clear—she was just an ordinary woman, subjected to the same coldness and disregard as anyone else who angered him.

Nothing special at all.

Time passed slowly. Uhey still sat there, unmoving. Her discomfort from earlier had worsened after her feet got wet.

She considered calling Anna, but hung up as soon as she dialed. If Anna found out about this foolish stunt, she’d get a severe scolding—and in her current state, she really didn’t want to face Anna.

That was when her phone rang.

Jiang Xinyu’s gentle voice came through the line, striking straight at her heart.

“Uhey? You’re probably still awake, right?” It was just past nine.

Uhey tried hard to suppress her sobs; she didn’t want to cry, at least not with Jiang Xinyu listening.

Hearing her silence, Jiang Xinyu assumed she was still angry.

He’d been unable to resist kissing her that day, and he knew it hadn’t been right, but he simply couldn’t help himself.

“…Let’s meet tomorrow to discuss the show. Manager Ma said we need to iron out some details.”

Even though he was calling late, it was work-related—but he also wanted to say goodnight.

Still, there was no response. Jiang Xinyu was about to say goodbye when he suddenly heard Uhey crying, “Oppa…”

His heart sank. “Uhey, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

His anxious, persistent questioning—so different from Tae-kyung—made many things clear for Uhey.

She said, “Oppa, could you come pick me up? I’m at Hehu Park.”

It was already dark, and she was alone in a deserted park!

Jiang Xinyu hung up, threw on a jacket, and drove straight to Hehu Park. It wasn’t far—Uhey had chosen it because it was near the dorms, anticipating a meeting with Hwang Tae-kyung.

Jiang Xinyu ran several red lights and arrived within fifteen minutes.

He found Uhey barefoot.

“What happened?!”

He picked her up immediately, his expression grim. Though Uhey was curled up on the bench, her bare feet and shivering body showed how unwell she was—especially after getting soaked earlier.

Uhey felt utterly wronged, but was too embarrassed to explain. Her head was spinning, and soon everything went black.

Jiang Xinyu was frantic, racing to the hospital.

Hwang Tae-kyung, meanwhile, had turned back. He was nearly at the dorm but felt uneasy, so he returned—only to see Jiang Xinyu already there.

Seeing Uhey’s condition, Tae-kyung’s heart tightened. He hated being threatened, but…

Watching the car speed away, Tae-kyung felt a wave of unease. At eleven, Jiang Xinyu still hadn’t returned, and Jeremy joked that he must be spending the night with Uhey. Tae-kyung paced restlessly, then finally called Jiang Xinyu.

Jiang Xinyu’s voice was weary and worried. “Don’t wait for me. Uhey’s in the hospital—I’m still with her.”

Uhey was hospitalized?

Jeremy immediately wanted to go, but Cha Eun-sang stopped him. It was already so late; better to wait until morning. But as soon as she said that, she saw Tae-kyung getting dressed and storming out the door.

Jeremy was left baffled. What was going on?

Author’s note: This is still Abei’s draft box:
Well… you get it now, right? Uhey will definitely fall into Xinyu Oppa’s arms!
Tomorrow I’ll talk about R-sis too; I left a hint today~
Good night, everyone… no, good morning =333=