Chapter 29: I Never Intended to Comfort You

"I have a question, actually."

"Isn't dating the biggest taboo for idols? Why would your company choose to use scandal as a promotional tool?"

Abandoning the attempt to defend himself against the label of a club-goer, Xia Xing seized the moment before the taxi Karina had hailed arrived to ask something he had been curious about for a long time.

"It's hard for me to speak for the company's perspective. Even if I could understand their logic, as an artist, I have no way of influencing their decisions."

"But dating... really, as long as you can keep it hidden from the fans, it's fine."

"We're all young men and women in our twenties. How many can actually resist the urge to date?"

Karina spoke nonchalantly, as if this were already a universal phenomenon within the industry.

If that were the case... why did Sullyoon feel so burdened by their intimacy?

If other idols dared to date as long as they kept it under wraps, could his simple, secretive trip to JYP Entertainment really have placed such a heavy burden on her? Perhaps... he had just overestimated their relationship.

"But idols who have just debuted should be more restrained, right?"

Looking at Xia Xing, who also seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts, Karina seemed to realize something, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. "Why ask that? Are you planning to chase some newly debuted female idol?"

"Just purely curious."

"Xia Xing-xi, you're quite obvious when you lie."

"Really?"

"Just teasing."

Karina smiled at him as if she had succeeded, the color returning to her face, which had been drained by the autumn chill, bringing a new sense of vitality to her features.

Xia Xing thought of Yuna. She was more like a semi-ripened apple; having experienced both the peak of a debut and the valley of a slump in digital sales, her exterior might have been forced to mature, but inside, she still held the sweet, tart, and green innocence that belonged to a twenty-year-old.

As for Sullyoon, despite having known her the longest, he suddenly felt as though he didn't know her as well as he thought. Though she had faced rejection and skepticism upon her debut, at least she had her fellow members to endure the winter with, like a winter plum blossom just beginning to bloom. Or perhaps, the group NMIXX gave the impression of holding their breath, waiting to bloom fiercely in the coldest of times. Therefore, whether out of consideration for her own career or the pressure from other members, she would choose the path that was most beneficial to NMIXX as a whole. That meant keeping a certain distance from Xia Xing.

As for Karina... although Xia Xing’s understanding of her was limited to the news he saw online, he had faintly begun to grasp her personality.

She was less like a snake lying in wait for its prey and more like a rose blooming in the desert, amidst a thicket of thorns.

"Why... are you staring at me like that?"

She pretended to look toward the street corner as if searching for the taxi that should have arrived by now. Her toes shifted slightly, her hands—having nowhere to rest—clutched at the corner of her hoodie, and she quietly moved a step further away from Xia Xing.

"Huh?"

Xia Xing was pulled back to reality. Before he could compose his thoughts, he skipped the parts about Yuna and Sullyoon and spoke according to his previous reflections: "It might just be my habit. I'm a sensitive person; I tend to ponder other people's personalities and thoughts."

"Although I don't know you well, I feel like you're a rose growing wildly in a thicket of thorns. The process is accompanied by bleeding and pain, but perhaps it allows you to bloom into an even more brilliant flower."

The sudden sincerity and slightly melodramatic phrasing made Karina, who had been quietly edging away, stop and stare blankly at Xia Xing under the streetlight.

Under the warm yellow glow, he almost looked like a male lead stepping out of a romance manga. It wasn't that she had any designs on him; it was just that, for a fleeting moment, she felt his logic didn't belong to someone from the three-dimensional world. A player who frequented clubs, yet he could say things that felt both cheesy and sincere. This contrast made him seem unreal. Was this some kind of routine or script of theirs? She had to admit, it was certainly effective on girls.

"It seems that spending so much time in clubs really has taught you how to please women."

"Thanks for the consolation. My taxi is here. Goodbye."

Watching Karina quickly dive into the taxi and disappear down the street, Xia Xing scratched his head, feeling somewhat dejected. It seemed Karina’s misunderstanding of him... had only deepened.

...

In the ITZY dormitory in Mapo District, Yuna hid under her covers, looking at the mattress she had added to her shopping cart. After a moment of thought, her slender fingers tapped the plus sign, adjusting the quantity to two. One to be shipped to Lia’s home, the other to the ITZY dorm.

Then, she dialed a video call to Lia. It was answered almost immediately.

"Unnie, I bought you a mattress online. Why don't you give it a try?"

"Haven't you been saying lately that you're so anxious you can't sleep?"

In truth, despite Yuna being the youngest member whom the older girls protected and liked to tease, she had always known how to take care of her unnies. As she often said, "Give and take"—if it weren't for that, no one would have looked after her as the maknae until now.

"Yuna-ya, thank you so much for caring about me."

"Have you tried this mattress yourself? How does it feel?"

Tried it...

She had indeed tried it. But unlike lying down for a quick feel at a flagship store, Yuna had actually slept on it for an entire afternoon.

"Yeah, it feels really great. Just lying on it feels like being cradled by a pair of large hands. It's very comforting."

As her thoughts returned to that afternoon, Yuna recalled the delicacy of her skin against the bedding, the faint, clean scent, and the mattress that offered just the right amount of softness and support... That peaceful sleep was truly nostalgic.

But did such a mattress really exist in this world? With a hint of doubt, Lia began to observe Yuna carefully. Looking at her appearance, while she was as bright and beautiful as ever, there seemed to be a feeling about her that Lia couldn't quite name. If Yuna used to rely on her like a child, eager to share everything on her mind, now she seemed like a teenager bashfully sharing her experiences at school with her older sister.

"Have you met anyone interesting lately?"

Lia asked this purely out of a sixth sense, not expecting any interesting response. But Yuna’s visibly stunned expression seemed to reveal a lot.

"So, there is someone?"

"Unnie... how did you know?"

Lia pointed at the screen, somewhat helplessly. "Your cheeks are so red, isn't it obvious regardless of how you look at it?"

"Lately... I did meet someone."

"We've only known each other for a short time, but I can't help but be curious about him, to wonder what he's thinking."

Lia knew Yuna was the type of girl who couldn't hide her feelings. Even though they hadn't seen much of each other this month and were still speaking through a phone screen, she could feel the girl’s blossoming heart nearly overflowing.

"So, what's on his mind? Have you confirmed that yet?"