I'm Actually Very Aloof Too

Red Velvet's schedule for the year was essentially over after they released their fifth mini-album, "RBB," on November 30th.

Their manager announced instructions from SM Entertainment's higher-ups: Red Velvet would be taking about six months off to recharge before making a comeback with a new album in June of the following year. This was a common strategy for popular girl groups in South Korea.

After all, Red Velvet had an incredibly packed schedule this year, with concerts and new albums one after another, leaving them almost no rest for the entire year. Continuing like this, aside from the artists' potential exhaustion, fans could easily experience aesthetic fatigue.

So, with the decision made for a six-month break, the members of Red Velvet's minds started to wander, with everyone wanting to go on a trip abroad.

They pleaded with their manager for approval. As the leader, Bae Joo-hyun initially just wanted to stay home and had no intention of traveling abroad. However, seeing how excited her members were, she helped to persuade the manager, and ultimately, everyone was granted a half-month vacation.

During this two-week period of free time, Bae Joo-hyun spent the first ten days holed up at home, not stepping out at all. It was only in the last five days that she decided to visit China, a country relatively close by. She didn't want to be left out when Kang Seul-gi, Son Seung-wan, and the other members returned and started sharing their travel stories.

Traveling alone in China carried its own risks for a famous artist like her. Although China had the Korea Ban, Red Velvet had been incredibly popular recently, arguably one of the hottest girl groups in East Asia. Therefore, she wore large sunglasses almost the entire time she was there, even when ordering takeout at the hotel.

Thanks to her excellent "disguise," no one recognized her during this time. Moreover, her trip to China turned out to be unexpectedly enjoyable. She quickly grew fond of the local cuisine and culture, even developing a sense of reluctance to leave.

But no matter how reluctant she was, she had to return to South Korea. Otherwise, Red Velvet's manager, who had only approved a half-month leave, would go crazy. This was the downside of being an artist; even during vacation, freedom remained limited.

Bae Joo-hyun didn't have too many complaints. Having decided to become an artist, these were the necessary sacrifices. She could always visit China again during her next break, and she would do so immediately!

She thought her trip would end uneventfully, with just a touch of regret. But then, yesterday, while picking up her visa, she encountered a strange person!

In front of that strange person, she accidentally let her disguise slip for the first time, revealing her true appearance. But she was completely ignored?

It was hard to say how she felt. While a part of her was secretly pleased, as the leader of a popular girl group and a celebrated Fourth Generation Visual in South Korea, she couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration.

So, I'm not as popular as I thought.

The last day of her vacation passed like this. To Bae Joo-hyun's surprise, despite having enjoyed so much and eaten so much in China, as she lay on the soft, fluffy hotel bed before falling asleep, it was the strange person who occupied her thoughts.

Perhaps it was because it was the first time someone had made her feel frustrated. It wasn't that unusual, really.

Little did she know, today, as she was about to board her flight back to South Korea, she ran into the same strange person on the plane!

The strangest thing was, what was he saying now?

Bae Joo-hyun widened her beautiful, clear eyes and reread the translation on Xu Junyan's phone multiple times, completely bewildered.

First, it was "Who are you?" then "Have we met before?", "You must have me mistaken for someone else," "Sorry, I'm going to sleep"...

That strangely familiar tone!!

After confirming it multiple times, Bae Joo-hyun finally understood. This strange person was clearly playing dumb and had no intention of talking to her further.

"Ah! ...Hoo!!"

Bae Joo-hyun had to take a deep breath and lightly pat her chest before exhaling. Here we go, there it is again, that peculiar feeling of frustration.

Even setting aside her identity as the leader of the popular girl group Red Velvet, she was also a renowned Fourth Generation Visual in South Korea. At the very least, she was pretty, wasn't she?

Yet this guy was acting so dismissive?

Bae Joo-hyun turned her head, looking out the small airplane window. I'm Bae Joo-hyun! Bae Joo-hyun! If I try to talk to this guy again, I'll be a dog!

Next to her, Xu Junyan saw Bae Joo-hyun turn her head away and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he wouldn't be extorted.

Putting his phone away, Xu Junyan prepared to rest his eyes. The flight attendants walking up and down the aisle reminded passengers to fasten their seatbelts.

Xu Junyan looked down to confirm he had fastened his seatbelt... Wait, what was this extra strap? He reached behind him and grabbed it. A quick glance revealed Bae Joo-hyun's lap was empty next to him.

"Hey, your seatbelt."

Xu Junyan gently nudged her arm with his elbow to remind her.

Bae Joo-hyun turned her head back. Her delicate and beautiful face showed no particular expression, and her eyes were calm, intending to convey an air of "I'm actually quite aloof." However, due to her ingrained politeness, her aloofness immediately softened when she saw Xu Junyan reminding her about her seatbelt. Her response became a habitual, gentle, "Kamsahamnida~"

Xu Junyan blinked in surprise. The way this girl looked when she put on a cold expression was surprisingly captivating. Shaking his head, he switched his phone to airplane mode and closed his eyes again, ready to conserve energy.

Bae Joo-hyun lowered her head and carefully fastened her seatbelt. When she looked up again, she couldn't help but steal a couple of glances at Xu Junyan.

He did have a very handsome face, and he was a handsome man. Of course, she had to admit he was still a strange person.

Actually, maybe he's not that strange. He just doesn't follow South Korean girl groups, so he doesn't recognize me, and he doesn't have the habit of approaching pretty girls to strike up a conversation. If anything, he's actually a good man.

Bae Joo-hyun suddenly contradicted her previous thoughts. Shaking her head, she took off her regular glasses, preparing to put on her large sunglasses and rest her eyes again. Unexpectedly, her stomach suddenly rumbled.

"Cough!" Bae Joo-hyun's pretty face flushed. She quickly bent over, covering her stomach, and muttered, "I should have eaten a proper meal last night~"

She had been a bit too unrestrained with her eating and drinking during her trip in China. But yesterday, on the last day of her trip, as she was about to return home, the uncanny self-discipline of a girl group leader resurfaced, and she had actually managed to go without eating for the entire day.

Now it was all falling apart!

Her stomach growled again, followed by an overwhelming wave of hunger, leaving her feeling completely empty and starving.

Bae Joo-hyun's expression faltered slightly. With a miserable sigh, she covered her stomach and looked down at her shoes, silently praying for the in-flight meal to arrive soon.

The flight from Shanghai International Airport to Incheon did include a meal. Although it was likely just a dry little bun, it was better than nothing, wasn't it?

Bae Joo-hyun maintained this posture, the easiest way to resist hunger, for a full half hour.

Finally, after thirty minutes, the flight attendant pushed the meal cart and began distributing the small buns, handing one to each passenger.

Xu Junyan was woken by the commotion. He took two small buns and two bottles of water from the flight attendant and handed one of them to...

Whoosh!

Before he could even finish, the bun he was offering had already smoothly slipped out of his hand and was gone!