yournovel Chapter 8 | Meal
Chapter 8 | Meal
When I went out, the sky was a bit overcast, and the clouds were hanging low, making me reluctant to look up.
The two walked side by side, neither of them in a hurry to speak.
"My current company..."
Cao Rouli suddenly spoke, then paused.
It was as if he was wondering whether he should continue talking.
"You've probably heard of WAKEONE, right?"
Cao Yisen nodded.
"A subsidiary of CJ."
He said, "Although it's not large in scale, it's not exactly lacking in resources either."
She glanced at him sideways, clearly a little surprised.
"You actually know that?"
She smiled and said, "Sometimes I tell people that they've never even heard of the name."
She put her hands in her coat pockets, her tone gradually relaxing.
"Actually, there's nothing to hide."
"It's... a small company."
When she said this, there was no complaint in her voice, but rather a hint of self-deprecation.
"Back when I was in the group, the company was big and the system was mature, so everything was taken care of."
"Now that I'm here, I have to do a lot of things myself."
She thought for a moment, then added:
"Sometimes you even have to ask yourself 'What's next?'"
The traffic light turned red, and they stopped. A chilly wind blew in from the street corner.
"But it's not all bad."
She continued, "At least the people in the company are quite hardworking."
"only……"
She smiled and said, "Effort and results are not necessarily proportional."
Cao Yisen didn't reply immediately. He looked at the pedestrian lights across the street, which ticked by second by second.
Then he began to speak:
"It's really tough for small companies."
Cao Rouli hummed in agreement.
It seems they've become accustomed to this kind of evaluation.
"But it's not your problem either."
Cao Yisen continued.
She paused for a moment, then turned to look at him.
"Um?"
She responded softly.
"The company is small and has limited resources; this is a structural problem."
He said, "It's not that you're not good enough, nor that you chose the wrong path."
You're currently standing on a path that hasn't been paved yet.
Cao Rouli stopped in her tracks.
The red light just turned green, but she didn't leave immediately. She looked at Cao Yisen with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Why did you suddenly..."
She paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"You can even comfort people?"
This was originally a joke, but the tone clearly carried a hint of genuine surprise.
Cao Yisen was taken aback by her words and scratched his head.
Is this considered consolation?
he asks.
"Yes, it counts."
Cao Rouli nodded. "And she actually quite enjoyed it."
She crossed the zebra crossing, her steps a little lighter than before.
Sometimes I doubt myself.
She continued, "Could it be that I'm not good enough, which is why I can only work for companies like this?"
"But what you just said..."
She looked up at the road ahead, "At least it makes me feel that this isn't just my problem."
Cao Yisen did not provide further analysis.
He only said one sentence:
You shouldn't be limited by the word "only".
This time, she did not respond immediately.
He just lowered his head and smiled.
As she reached the corner, she suddenly said:
"If I never become famous, will you say, 'I knew it all along'?"
Cao Yisen thought for a moment.
"No way."
He said.
I would say, "It's not time to draw conclusions yet."
After hearing this, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"You've really changed."
She said, "You wouldn't have said something like that before."
"Maybe I didn't listen to that much before."
She suddenly paused for a beat.
Then she gave a soft "hmm".
The restaurant's sign was already visible in the distance.
It's inconspicuous, but very clean.
Cao Rouli took a deep breath.
"Let's go."
She said, "Yena is probably already here."
Cao Yisen nodded and followed her forward. Those words, to her, weren't something that "encouraged" her. Rather—
Someone took some of the responsibility off her shoulders.
And that's exactly what she needs right now.
—--------------------------------------------------
The restaurant is on the second floor, with wooden sliding doors. The hinges are a bit old, making a slight sound when pushed open. The lunch rush has passed, so the restaurant isn't too noisy, and there's a faint aroma of oil and sauce in the air.
They had barely sat down when the door was pushed open again.
"Oh—am I too late?"
The sound arrived first.
Choi Ye-na, wearing a hat and a mask perched on her chin, glanced around instinctively as she entered, making sure no one was paying attention before quickly walking over. She tossed her bag aside with a swift, decisive movement, her entire demeanor seemingly guided by a natural rhythm.
"This place is so hidden!" she said with a laugh. "I almost walked right past it."
Cao Rouli stood up and hugged her, the movements were very familiar and almost without pause.
"Haven't you always been like this?" she said.
"Hey, I tried my best to be on time today," Choi Ye-na immediately retorted, then noticed Cao Yi-sen next to her, and paused for a moment, "Eh? You're here too?"
Cao Yisen nodded. "Long time no see."
"Really?" She blinked. "I thought you only existed in legends now."
"What legend?" Cao Rouli glanced at her.
"'Yuri unnie's quiet younger brother,'" Choi Yena said seriously. "I've seen him a few times backstage before, and he's always standing in the corner."
Cao Yisen chuckled. "That doesn't sound like a very good image."
"No way," Choi Ye-na waved her hand. "That's called the mysterious type."
The waitress came over to take our order. She barely glanced at the menu, quickly ordered a few items, and finally looked up to ask, "What would you like to drink?"
"Water is fine," Cao Rouli said.
"Me too," Cao Yisen replied.
"You two are so alike," Choi Ye-na couldn't help but laugh. "Even in places like this, you're in sync."
The food hadn't even been served yet, and the conversation was already rambling on.
"So how's it going now?" She leaned back in her chair, looking at Cao Rouli. "Is the company preparing to officially launch you into the first stage of your solo career?"
Cao Rou thought for a moment, "It's still under research."
"I understand." Choi Ye-na nodded. "Even when I was tired before, at least I didn't have to deal with it all by myself."
After she finished speaking, she quickly added, "But I'm actually busier now."
"Variety shows, conferences, filming—my schedule is even fuller than before," she smiled. "At least I have a clear direction."
"You were born for that path," Cao Rouli said.
"It suits me well, but it's really tiring." Cui Yena shrugged, then turned to Cao Yisen, "What about you? What are you doing right now?"
That's a very natural question.
Cao Yisen paused for a moment, "It's not completely decided yet."
"I might go to Seoul."
"An entertainment company?" Choi Ye-na's eyes lit up a little.
Cao Rouli spoke up for him, "I plan to ask about the operations department for him."
"That's great," Choi Ye-na nodded. "At least I won't be followed by cameras every day."
She glanced at Cao Yisen again, "And you don't look like someone who would be pushed around by those things."
These words were spoken casually, as if they were just a casual comment, but they made Cao Rouli pause for a moment.
The dishes arrived just then, and the aroma of fried chicken immediately filled the table. Choi Ye-na had already started eating.
"This is good," she said. "Eat quickly, don't just stand there."
The three of them finally started eating, and the conversation gradually drifted away from being so focused.
"Sometimes I wonder," Cao Rouli suddenly said, "if we hadn't been in a limited-time group, would things have been different?"
Choi Ye-na took a bite of chicken, thought for a moment, and said, "Maybe."
She swallowed, then said, "But if that were the case, we wouldn't be who we are today."
"And to be honest, I don't regret it at all."
Cao Rouli didn't reply immediately, but simply nodded.
Cao Yisen sat to the side, watching them talk without interrupting. They weren't reminiscing about the past; it was more like they were confirming where they had come from.
Cao Rouli put down her chopsticks, seemed to think for a while, and then spoke.
"Oh, right."
She looked at Choi Ye-na, "Don't you know a lot of people? Why don't you... keep an eye out for jobs for him?"
The tone was very light, as if it were just a casual remark, not something deliberate.
Choi Ye-na paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Work?"
She looked Cao Yisen up and down. "The operations type?"
"Okay." Cao Rouli nodded, "We won't go to the front of the stage."
"The first thing that comes to mind is, of course—" Choi Ye-na said almost without hesitation, "SM Entertainment."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Yisen's fingers visibly paused for a moment.
It wasn't an exaggerated action.
The chopsticks stopped in mid-air, and he didn't even realize it immediately.
My heart felt like it had been suddenly tugged by something.
SM Entertainment.
This name never came to mind as a company.
It is a whole period of memories that cannot be avoided.
Her past life.
Stage lights.
News headline.
That final scene, the relationship that was forced to be severed.
He almost instinctively raised his head.
"no."
The sound came faster than he expected, and the two people at the table looked at him at the same time.
Cao Rouli was a little surprised. "What's wrong?"
Choi Ye-na blinked as well. "Such a big reaction?"
Cao Yisen then realized that he had lost his composure.
He took a deep breath and softened his tone a bit.
"I mean... this isn't appropriate."
"What's wrong with it?" Choi Ye-na asked naturally. "Didn't you just happen to want to check out a larger system?"
That's the problem. Because he knows all too well what kind of system it is.
He glanced down at the table, his mind racing, but he couldn't find a reason he could bring up.
He cannot say it, nor should he say it.
Because all those reasons belong to another life.
"I don't really want to go to SM."
Finally, he only said this one sentence, very concise, yet deliberately leaving room for interpretation.
Cao Rouli looked at him but did not reply immediately.
She knew his tone all too well. It wasn't capricious, nor was it a casual denial. It meant—he had already made up his mind.
"Is there a reason?" she asked.
Cao Yisen looked up, met her gaze, and paused for a second.
"For personal reasons."
This answer is incomplete, but it is honest.
Choi Ye-na said "Oh" and didn't ask any further questions.
"That works too."
She shrugged. "It's not like there's only one."
She thought for a moment, "JYP? HYBE? Or some production companies?"
"A production company is fine too," Cao Rouli continued smoothly. "Operations and planning, we'll take it slow."
Cao Yisen nodded.
He could sense that his reaction just a moment ago had been seen.
But no one forced him to explain.
This, in turn, made him realize even more clearly—
In this life, he must learn to hide certain things.
Choi Ye-na changed the subject, continued picking up food, and her tone became light and cheerful again.
"But seriously."
She casually remarked, "Your reaction just now was quite startling."
Cao Yisen gave a wry smile.
"I didn't expect this myself."
Cao Rouli glanced at him, neither exposing him nor offering comfort, but simply responding softly.
"Then I won't go."
There's no need to force things into places that aren't suitable.