noveldepot Chapter 65 Moving House: A Battleground
Chapter 65 Moving House: A Battleground
On the third day after the new house was tidied up, Shirley came again.
This time, no prior notice was given. Su Yu was unpacking packages in the living room—after moving to the new house, the delivery address had changed, but some items sent to the company were brought back by Cai Xiubin—when the doorbell rang, he thought it was another delivery.
The door opened, and Shirley stood outside, carrying a bag of fruit.
"Why are you here?"
"Let me see if you've made a mess of the house." Shirley squeezed past him, changed into slippers, and acted as if she were in her own home.
Cai Xiubin peeked out from the kitchen, saw Shirley, paused for a second, then smiled. "Have you eaten?"
"not yet."
"Let's eat together then, I just made kimchi soup."
Shirley placed the fruit on the table, went into the kitchen, glanced at the soup in the pot, and smelled it. "It smells so good, unnie, your cooking is amazing."
Cai Xiubin smiled and took an extra set of bowls and chopsticks.
Su Yu stood in the living room, watching the two women busy in the kitchen, and something felt off. Shirley tied on an apron and helped Cai Xiubin chop scallions, her movements practiced and efficient; the two worked together like best friends of ten years. But Su Yu knew their relationship wasn't that simple.
No one has forgotten about that rubber band.
Halfway through the meal, the doorbell rang again.
Su Yu went to open the door, and this time it was Park Jiyeon. She was wearing an oversized hoodie, her hair was casually tied in a bun, and she was holding a food container.
"My mom asked me to bring this over; it's marinated crab." Park Jiyeon held up the food container. "She said she wants to eat this after moving, it's auspicious."
Su Yu took the food container and stepped aside to let her in. Park Jiyeon smelled the kimchi soup as she changed her shoes and exclaimed in surprise.
"It smells so good! Are you eating? Am I disturbing you?"
"No, come in and eat with us." Cai Xiubin's voice came from the kitchen.
Park Jiyeon walked into the restaurant and saw Sulli sitting at the table. She blinked. "Sulli unnie is here too?"
"I brought some fruit." Shirley picked up a piece of kimchi. "What are you doing here?"
"My mom asked me to deliver some soy-sauce crabs." Park Jiyeon placed the food container on the table, opened the lid, and saw the bright red soy-sauce crabs neatly arranged. "She said it's a must-eat when moving. I don't know anything about the tradition, but my mom said so, so I delivered them."
Cai Xiubin brought out an extra set of bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen, and the four of them sat down around the table. The atmosphere was fairly natural. Park Jiyeon was the kind of person who wouldn't let the atmosphere get awkward, and she talked about everything from soy-braised crab to her mother's kimchi, and from kimchi to the variety shows that had recently aired, her mouth never stopping for a moment.
Shirley didn't talk much, but she wasn't cold-faced either, occasionally chiming in with a few words. Cai Xiubin was busy serving everyone soup and rice, bustling around like a dutiful hostess.
Su Yu kept his head down and ate his food, not saying much.
When the doorbell rang for the third time, he paused for a moment while holding his chopsticks.
On his way to open the door, he glanced at his phone. There were no new messages, and he didn't know who they were from.
The door opened, and Lee Ji-eun stood outside.
She was wearing a white dress with a khaki trench coat over it, looking like she came straight from a photoshoot. She was carrying a paper bag containing a bottle of red wine.
"Representative Su, congratulations on moving." Lee Ji-eun smiled. "I left in a hurry the other day and the champagne was gone in no time. This time I brought a good bottle with me so I can store it."
Su Yu took the paper bag. "How did you know the address?"
"I asked Sulli." Lee Ji-eun changed into slippers and walked into the living room. She paused for a moment when she saw a table full of people in the dining room. "Wow, so many people?"
Sulli turned around and waved to her. "Come in and sit down, Soobin unnie's kimchi soup is especially delicious."
Lee Ji-eun walked over, greeted Chae Soo-bin, and sat down next to Sulli. Chae Soo-bin went to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks, and Park Ji-yeon poured her a glass of water.
There are five people now.
The dining table was originally for four people, but Su Yu had to bring a folding chair from the study to barely sit down. Park Jiyeon and Lee Ji-eun sat on one side, Sulli and Chae Soo-bin on the other, and Su Yu sat in the main seat, surrounded by the four women.
When Yoon Shi-yoon sent the message, Su Yu was considering whether to pretend that something had happened at the company and slip away.
The message consisted of a photo of the parking lot downstairs from Su Yuxin's apartment building, accompanied by the caption: "I'm downstairs, what floor are you on again?"
Su Yu stared at the screen for two seconds, then typed: "What are you doing here?"
"Here's a housewarming gift for you. I brought fried chicken and beer."
Su Yu didn't reply. Thirty seconds later, the doorbell rang, and when he went to open the door, his face was dark.
Yoon Shi-yoon stood outside, carrying a bag of fried chicken in one hand and a case of beer in the other, grinning like a fool.
"Surprised?"
"Could you have let me know before you came?"
"I did call, didn't I just send a message?" Yoon Shi-yoon squeezed past him, saw four women sitting in the restaurant, her smile froze for a second, then quickly recovered, "Wow, so many people? Am I late?"
"It's not too late," Shirley said. "The fried chicken is just right, and the soup is a bit too rich after drinking so much."
Yoon Shi-yoon placed the fried chicken on the table, opened the beer case, and handed out a can to everyone. When Park Ji-yeon took her beer, she glanced at him and whispered, "Oppa, you look so handsome today." Yoon Shi-yoon's ears immediately turned red.
"Stop fooling around." He sat down next to Su Yu and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"
Su Yu did not answer.
Yoon Shi-yoon glanced around—Chae Soo-bin was serving soup, Sulli was unpacking fried chicken, Lee Ji-eun was replying to messages on her phone, and Park Ji-yeon was munching on crab with soy sauce. Four women, each more beautiful than the last, sat around this small dining table, the scene as beautiful as a movie poster.
But the atmosphere was off.
I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong, but everyone speaks so cautiously, their smiles are perfectly timed, no one interrupts, and there's no awkward silence. But this very perfection is the problem. It's like a rehearsed performance; everyone knows their place, no one oversteps boundaries, but no one truly relaxes.
Yoon Shi-yoon picked up his beer, took a sip, and whispered in Su Yu's ear.
"Good luck to you."
When the doorbell rang for the fourth time, Su Yu did not move.
Everyone was looking at him.
"Anyone else coming?" Cai Xiubin asked.
Su Yu didn't know either. He stood up to open the door, thinking to himself that no matter who it was, the doorbell had been ringing more often than the company phone today.
I opened the door, but no one was there.
A cardboard box sat on the floor by the door, with a note attached. Su Yu bent down to pick it up. The note read: "Representative Su, congratulations on moving. This is just a small gift. Also, please don't mind what happened with that building last time. — Zheng Zhemin"
Su Yu looked at the note, his expression unchanged, but his fingers tightened.
He opened the cardboard box, inside was a bottle of vintage champagne and a set of golf clubs. The items weren't cheap, and Zheng Zhemin was generous with his gift, but Su Yu understood the meaning behind this generosity—"I'm watching you."
He carried the cardboard box inside, without showing the note to anyone.
"Who sent it?" Yoon Shi-yoon asked.
"I sent the wrong one." Su Yu put the cardboard box in the corner of the entryway and sat down at the dining table.
Cai Xiubin glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Shirley glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Yoon Shi-yoon sensed something and started telling jokes to warm things up. He told a funny story about something that happened on set, and Park Ji-yeon laughed so hard she almost fell over, Lee Ji-eun covered her mouth and laughed, Chae Soo-bin smiled, and Sulli's lips twitched. Su Yu didn't laugh, but her complexion was a little better than before.
The fried chicken was finished, half the beer was drunk, two pieces of soy-braised crab were left, and the kimchi soup was almost gone.
Park Jiyeon left first, saying she had a date that evening. Lee Jieun followed, saying she had to film "GG" early the next morning. Yoon Shi-yoon said he would walk them both downstairs, but actually he couldn't stand the atmosphere anymore.
After the door closed, only Su Yu, Cai Xiubin, and Shirley remained in the room.
The three people sat in the living room, and none of them spoke.
The TV was on, playing a rerun of a variety show, with bursts of laughter coming in bursts, but the air in the living room was quiet. Cai Xiubin sat to Su Yu's left, and Shirley sat to her right, the three of them forming a delicate triangle, each neither too close nor too far from the others.
"Shirley," Su Yu said.
"Um."
"You've come today because you need something, right?"
Shirley was silent for a few seconds, then smiled. That smile was different from before; it wasn't polite, it wasn't a business smile, it was the kind of helpless smile that comes from being seen through.
"About my contract," Shirley said. "My contract with the company expires in three months, and I don't plan to renew it."
Cai Xiubin turned to look at her.
"I want to sign with Yinguo Entertainment." Shirley looked at Su Yu. "Will you accept?"
Su Yu leaned back on the sofa and tapped her knees lightly with her fingers.
"I can't afford your price."
"I don't want a net worth," Shirley said. "I want shares."
Su Yu looked at her.
"You only have three months left on your contract with SM. Are you sure you can leave if we talk about shares now?"
"If I can't leave, will you help me?"
Su Yu didn't answer. This wasn't a formal question, but a probe. Shirley wanted to know his attitude towards her: was it a purely professional working relationship, or someone willing to do anything for her?
"I've thought it through," Shirley said. "I thought it through when you bought the apartment. You're different from others; you know how to conduct yourself and what you should and shouldn't do. I won't suffer if I follow you."
Cai Xiubin sat beside him, her fingers unconsciously circling on her knees. She didn't interrupt or move away, just sat there quietly, as if waiting for Su Yu's answer.
"Let's talk about it when the contract expires," Su Yu said. "It's too early to discuss it now."
"It's getting late." Shirley took a document out of her bag and placed it on the coffee table. "This is a letter of intent drafted by my lawyer. Take a look. I don't want many shares, five percent is fine. I don't want an annual salary; my income will be based on profit sharing."
Su Yu didn't look at the document, but stared at Shirley for a few seconds.
"You didn't come here today to deliver fruit."
Shirley smiled. "The fruit was just something I brought along."
Su Yu picked up the letter of intent, flipped through it, and placed it on the coffee table.
"Let me see, I'll get back to you in a few days."
"Okay." Shirley stood up, picked up her bag, and said, "I'll be going now."
Cai Xiubin also stood up. "I'll see you off."
"No need, unnie, I can go down by myself."
As Shirley walked to the door to change her shoes, she glanced back at Su Yu.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
"Do you really think the box that Zheng Zhemin sent was sent by mistake?"
Su Yu didn't speak.
Shirley didn't ask any more questions, opened the door and left.
After the door closed, Cai Xiubin walked to the entrance, squatted down and opened the cardboard box. He frowned when he saw the champagne and golf equipment inside.
"Who sent this? What does it say on it?"
Su Yu showed her the note.
Cai Xiubin's expression changed after reading it. "What does he mean?"
"It means he knows where I live."
Cai Xiubin clutched the note, her fingers trembling. "Su Yu, what exactly is this person trying to do? Taking your building wasn't enough, now they've even found your home address?"
Su Yu walked over, took the note from her hand, folded it twice, and put it in his pocket.
"Don't be afraid."
"I wasn't scared." Cai Xiubin's voice trembled slightly. "I was worried about you."
Su Yu reached out and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry."
Cai Xiubin slapped his hand away, but the tension in her eyes eased somewhat. She sealed the cardboard box, moved it to the corner of the balcony, and returned carrying two glasses of water.
"What are you planning to do about Shirley's situation?"
"What? What should we do?"
"She wants to come to the company, and you know why," Cai Xiubin handed him a water glass. "It's not just for the shares."
Su Yu took the water glass without saying a word.
Cai Xiubin sat down next to him and leaned on his shoulder.
"I don't mind."
Su Yu looked down at her.
"If you were so easy to take away, you would have been taken away long ago." Cai Xiubin said with her eyes closed. "What I mind is that you never say anything and always shoulder everything yourself."
"no."
"Yes." Cai Xiubin opened her eyes and turned to look at him. "You didn't tell me about Zheng Zhemin, you didn't tell me about Jin Dongxu, and you didn't know about Sulli before she came today, right?"
Su Yu was silent for two seconds. "I'll tell you later."
"When?"
"When I can speak."
Cai Xiubin stared at him for a long time, sighed, and leaned back on his shoulder.
"Alright, I'll wait for you."
It was getting dark outside the window, and the lights on the Han River were lighting up one by one. In the distance, a cruise ship passed by, its colorful lights leaving a long trail of light on the river.
Su Yu's phone vibrated.
Kim Dong-wook's message: "The fifth transaction has been confirmed, amounting to 15 billion won. Adding to the previous four, the total exceeds 45 billion won. It seems Jung Cheol-min has noticed something and is currently investigating who is digging up old dirt."
After reading it, Su Yu replied, "Got it. Be careful."
Kim Dong-wook responded with an OK sign.
Su Yu put down his phone and turned to look at Cai Xiubin, who was leaning on his shoulder. She was already asleep, breathing very lightly, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.
He didn't move, just sat there, letting Cai Xiubin lean against him.
The TV in the living room was still on; the variety show had finished and been replaced with a documentary. The screen showed a vast ocean, with waves crashing against the rocks in a very slow, gentle sound.
Su Yu closed his eyes and went through the day's events in his mind—Sherry's desire to sign a contract, Jung Cheol-min's gift, and news about Kim Dong-wook.
There are more and more things to do, and the threads are getting more and more tangled.
But he wasn't in a hurry.
He opened his eyes and glanced out the window. The night in Seoul was just beginning.