As for the rest of the work that requires a public face...
Forget it, the company plans to keep her on ice for a year, and it’s only been six months.
The real hard days are still ahead.
Waking up the sleeping Kang Seulgi, only Kang Seulgi had activities this morning, the other members were more relaxed.
Returning to the dormitory, Bae Juhyun picked up the cooking skills she had put aside for some time.
She couldn’t make complicated dishes, but simple things like frying an egg and making a sandwich, Bae Juhyun was quite good at.
Considering Seong Taekyon would accompany Seulgi today as well, Bae Juhyun planned to make a bit more.
Since their debut she had always taken care of the staff around them whenever she could. This wasn’t to craft a persona or anything; she just felt that their fame was never just their own doing. They owed their popularity to the hard work behind the scenes of their staff, unseen by the fans.
"Wow~ Juhyun unnie, why are you up so early too?"
The sleepy Kang Seulgi rubbed her eyes, wearing cute bear pajamas as she walked out of the bedroom and laboriously looked into the kitchen where Bae Juhyun was busy.
Bae Juhyun turned to look at Kang Seulgi and gave a gentle smile.
In front of her younger sisters, she was always the reliable older sister.
"Mmm... Juhyun unnie, didn’t you sleep well?"
Bae Juhyun shook her head, not admitting it.
While brushing her teeth, she paid particular attention to whether she had dark circles under her eyes.
"I slept very well, just woke up a bit early."
Of course, she was lying, and Kang Seulgi immediately saw through it. How could she possibly have slept well... after all, it was Liu Xin’an’s first day back home.
Even if she didn’t know the two of them already slept in the same bed, the departure of a partner who had always been with her must have made Bae Juhyun feel uneasy.
It would have been strange if she could sleep well under such circumstances.
But clearly, Bae Juhyun didn’t want her to worry, so she went along with it and didn’t expose Bae Juhyun.
Even though she was her close younger sister, during such moments, there was nothing she could do to help.
Bae Juhyun would have to get used to days without Liu Xin’an’s company on her own.
After washing up quickly, Kang Seulgi had finally washed away the sleepiness.
She wandered over to Bae Juhyun’s side, eyes shining at the beautiful sandwiches in front of her.
"Wow~ Juhyun unnie’s sandwiches are the best."
"I made a bit more, you can take some to Seong oppa and the others."
"Mhm, will Juhyun unnie come to the company with me later?"
"Yeah, I’ll drive you there."
Bae Juhyun didn’t plan to return to the dormitory today.
She thought the dormitory bed was too cold, making her feel empty at night.
If she went to Liu Xin’an’s house and slept in the bed that still carried Liu Xin’an’s scent... she probably wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep.
Of course, she didn’t plan to tell anyone about this, including Liu Xin’an, who might video call in the afternoon.
She didn’t want to seem like some strange woman with odd fetishes.
"In that case, I’ll go change my clothes first. Juhyun unnie can drive me directly to the company, and then I can go to the beauty salon with Taekyon oppa."
"Mhm, I might not come back tonight, I forgot to wash some clothes at home, so I’ll come back tomorrow."
"Okay, then I’ll just have Taekyon oppa take me directly back to the dormitory... or should I go stay with you?"
"Why? Look down on me, do you? Don’t think that just because Liu Xin’an isn’t here, I’ve lost my spirit. That guy isn’t that important."
Bae Juhyun snorted lightly, waving her hand, pretending to be very capable.
Kang Seulgi saw through it but didn’t say, nodding and spreading her arms like a little bear.
But, Bae Juhyun’s bold words quickly turned into a joke after a day.
She thought returning to Liu Xin’an’s house might lessen her longing.
But when she walked into that familiar room and came to the familiar sofa, an overwhelming sense of loneliness instantly surged from all corners of the room, flooding Bae Juhyun’s small body.
Her beautiful eyes became tearful in an instant. She curled up, staring hopelessly at the TV with a black screen in front of her.
It’s only been a day!
She already missed him so much she was going crazy.
It’s not that Liu Xin’an didn’t contact her all day. On the contrary, Liu Xin’an was afraid she would miss him, so he would chat with her on his phone whenever he had time.
But no matter what, it was just a temporary relief, not a permanent solution.
Video calls helped a bit, but only a little bit.
The little notebook filled with her complaints had already been lost somewhere.
Anyway... one notebook probably wouldn’t be enough.
She decided to count the so-called "big one" directly at the maximum scale.
Was that unfair to Liu Xin’an?
Casually opening the takeout app, Bae Juhyun ordered herself a bibimbap for dinner.
Missing someone doesn’t mean she shouldn’t eat dinner.
This time, though, no one would help her pick up the food from the door....
Ugh... it’s these small details that make someone miss another person even more!
Turning her longing into anger, Bae Juhyun stomped into Liu Xin’an’s bedroom and threw herself on his bed, rolling around in frustration.
Then, she hugged Liu Xin’an’s blanket, messing up the neatly made bed with her rolling.
The beautiful woman hugged the blanket filled with Liu Xin’an’s scent and took a deep breath, her face showing a dreamy blush.
First, she wasn’t a pervert, she just thought it was a pity for such a smell to dissipate into the air, better to let her inhale it deeply. Second, she really wasn’t a pervert, she would wash all of Liu Xin’an’s blankets and such after this!
Yes, she wasn’t a strange person.
Successfully brainwashing herself, Bae Juhyun showed a fascinating smile and curled up into Liu Xin’an’s blanket.
The familiar feeling made her eyelids start to droop.
After an unknown amount of time, the ringing of her phone woke Bae Juhyun up suddenly.
She picked up the phone that was still ringing and found it was from an unknown number, pinching her nose as she answered it.
"Hello, you can leave it at the door."
She carefully uncovered the blanket, quickly re-wrapping it to keep the scent inside, protecting the "Liu Xin’an" scent within.
She really wasn’t a strange woman!
Without Liu Xin’an’s company, the TV became a substitute.
She held the bibimbap in her hands, scooping a small bite and putting it in her mouth, chewing.
The TV played her favorite variety show, one that made her laugh.
But after watching for a while, she couldn’t help but sigh.
She wanted to eat in bed, creating an illusion that Liu Xin’an was by her side. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
But she was afraid of accidentally spilling the bibimbap on the bed.
That would make sleeping uncomfortable.
Bae Juhyun swallowed the bibimbap in her mouth, poking at the mushy rice with her spoon.
If Liu Xin’an could suddenly push the door open and appear in front of her like a godsend, she would be extremely excited and happy.
She might even satisfy some of Liu Xin’an’s strange requests, like doing weird things with her little jiojio.
As she thought about this, Bae Juhyun showed a ridiculous smile.
She might have really gone crazy; not long ago, Liu Xin’an was just video calling her at home, how could he...
The doorbell’s ringing stopped Bae Juhyun’s spoon in mid-stir, her beautiful eyes wide with a bit of disbelief as she looked toward the door.
The doorbell rang again.
This time Bae Juhyun confirmed she wasn’t hallucinating. She frantically put down the bibimbap, wearing only a pair of gray socks, she ran quickly to the door.
Due to her excitement, she didn’t even put on shoes, running down the entrance to the door, standing on tiptoe, peeking through the peephole.
The familiar girl outside the door dampened the once brilliant eyes.
It wasn’t the person she had longed for day and night.
The door was opened by Bae Juhyun.
Li Chenglu, waiting at the door, was already impatient.
But the sudden appearance of Bae Juhyun left her stunned.
"Irene unnie? Why is it you?"
"Chenglu, why are you here?"
The two women stared at each other, both utterly confused.