Chapter 4

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Jung Ki-shi, born in 1984 and now 34 years old, had been in more relationships than one could count. The most notable was his long-term romance with Lady Jane that spanned several years. Being a rapper who spent much of his time in clubs and entertainment venues, he had encountered countless women. So, it was impossible for him not to notice the attentive gaze directed at Yoon Hee-woo.

He greeted everyone present with nods and smiles, his eyes naturally moving in sequence until they rested on the girl sitting at the far end of the sofa. The reason he called her a “girl” rather than a “woman” was due to the clarity and innocence shining in her eyes. Out of politeness, Jung Ki-shi only glanced at her briefly before averting his gaze. Yet, those few seconds were enough for him to remember her.

She had a very pure and clean face, bright almond-shaped eyes, and an expression that was somewhat shy and innocent, making her appear quite young.

Jung Ki-shi took the seat opposite her, his lips unconsciously curling into a slight smile. When Yura served as the little bridge to introduce them, his gaze openly returned to her face, and his ears caught her crisp, sweet voice.

“Hello~ I’m Yoon Hee-woo.” She blinked and then added slowly, “Um… I’m an actress.”

Her adorable demeanor immediately made Yura’s lips curl into a smile, and Jung Ki-shi also showed a faint smile, nodding gently. “Hello, Simon D.”

After a brief pause, perhaps intentionally, he added, “I’m a rapper.”

The moment he spoke, Yoon Hee-woo’s expression froze in surprise. Realizing his teasing, she puffed out her cheeks like a little goldfish, looking adorably resentful.

Noticing Jung Ki-shi’s subtle smile, Yoon Hee-woo clicked her tongue silently and whispered to her companion, “Fate really has a twisted sense of humor…”

Her companion, Little U, calmly replied, “Clearly, you’re the one who’s too invested.”

Yoon Hee-woo pouted. “You don’t understand. This is called being responsible to my character.”

Jung Ki-shi felt he had guessed why Yoon Hee-woo had been staring at him since he entered—perhaps she was a fan?

Otherwise, how else could it be explained? If her attention was simply drawn by looks, while he did consider himself quite handsome, it probably wasn’t to that extent. The thought that Yoon Hee-woo might be his little fan inexplicably lifted his mood.

The production team’s writers were cueing the upcoming recording’s schedule and details. As a guest from the first season, Jung Ki-shi naturally bowed his head and pulled out his phone, openly taking a brief break.

Recalling what he had just heard, he instinctively opened Naver and typed three characters into the search bar. When the first profile appeared, Jung Ki-shi raised an eyebrow. Was it really those three words he had guessed?

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Tapping lightly, he was a bit surprised to see her birth year listed as 1995. Honestly, he had thought she was barely twenty. Her calm and composed expression gave away none of her inner thoughts.

Still, at twenty-three, she was indeed quite young compared to him.

Jung Ki-shi sighed silently. But when he saw her height listed as 170 cm, he was genuinely shocked. He even couldn’t help but glance over at Yoon Hee-woo again. Sitting down, she looked quite petite. Yet, she was actually 170 cm tall?!

He felt a bit of heart palpitations and silently vowed to keep a respectful distance when he got up later. In his mind, he cursed quietly, wondering what today’s youth were eating to grow so tall.

Yoon Hee-woo caught Jung Ki-shi’s doubtful glance and instinctively looked back at him. To her, his golden hair shimmering like a halo was too dazzling to ignore.

After a moment’s thought, she decided to take the high road and generously forgive his earlier teasing. She curved her lips into a sweet, friendly smile. But before the smile could fully form, she noticed him quickly lowering his gaze.

…

Actually, her temper wasn’t that good, really.

Little U, hearing her muttering quietly in her mind, remained calm and said, “See? He’s finally lost it.”

Jung Ki-shi quickly skimmed through Yoon Hee-woo’s profile. He saw that her debut work was the drama that Loco and Chae-won’s mother had mentioned several times recently. He recalled the day of Chae-won’s birthday at the hotel entrance—perhaps she was there that day too? But he hadn’t noticed.

After the pre-recording meeting ended, everyone stood up to head to the studio. Yoon Hee-woo naturally walked alongside the familiar Yura, while Jung Ki-shi paired up with comedian Lee Yong-jin. As he stood, Jung Ki-shi glanced discreetly and noticed Yoon Hee-woo and Yura were several people away from him, feeling satisfied with the distance.

In truth, he wasn’t so bothered by her height. Well… at least that’s what he told himself.

But somewhere along the way, something went wrong. As they left the lounge and Jung Ki-shi finished speaking with Lee Yong-jin, he suddenly sensed a faint citrus scent from his other side. He instinctively turned his head and met Yoon Hee-woo’s sparkling gaze.

The rapper, who outwardly claimed not to care but secretly obsessed over height, felt a lump rise in his throat. His smile stiffened slightly. Though her beautiful face was a sight to brighten anyone’s mood, this lovely girl was exactly his height—or even taller, since she wore low-heeled shoes today. The strange feeling of having to look slightly upwards at her was honestly quite unsettling for a somewhat macho man from Busan.

“Is something wrong, Simon D?” Yoon Hee-woo’s voice was soft and polite.

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Jung Ki-shi shook his head. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly asked, “Do you like hip hop?”

Yoon Hee-woo was caught off guard. She scratched her head and shook it, then cautiously added, “But I’m quite interested. I wouldn’t mind learning more.”

Jung Ki-shi pressed his lips together. She wasn’t his fan. Well, that was alright.

He was just in a slightly bad mood—sometimes you have to forgive a 34-year-old single man without a partner for his occasional little tantrums.

The recording went smoothly. Among the guests, except for Yoon Hee-woo who was new, the other three were veterans from the first season and had built a solid rapport. Though new, Yoon Hee-woo was quick-witted and sharp. Her timely quips were both precise and funny, making the atmosphere light and enjoyable. The little girl’s expressions held a hint of playful pride—probably an ENFP trait—making her the life of the party.

Jung Ki-shi laughed several times at her antics. Seeing her bright, adorable eyes, his mind unexpectedly drifted to a previously stalled, unstarted ambiguous relationship. After months of no contact, and her somewhat cold replies back then, he wouldn’t have thought to pursue anything further—the whole thing had started as a fleeting impulse at a club, hardly serious.

Yet now, he couldn’t help but feel a bit curious. During a break in the recording, Jung Ki-shi pulled out his phone and, after some effort, found her contact. The chat history remained stuck at his last message, a caring inquiry about her health.

He pondered for a while, deleting and rewriting his message multiple times before settling on something satisfactory.

“Recording ‘Switch Love 2’ today. Suddenly thought of you.”

Polite, not too abrupt, like friends catching up but with a subtle hint of flirtation. He silently congratulated himself and pressed “send.”

The next second, his expression froze. A red exclamation mark appeared beside the message he was proud of, with a line of small text mocking him.

“Sorry, please add the friend before sending your message.”