nucmednet Chapter 42 A Little Bit of Thought
Chapter 42 A Little Bit of Thought
"Buzz..."
The roar of the hairdryer came through the door. Jiang Yan paused, glanced back at the corridor, and frowned slightly.
Based on his understanding of Kim Minjung, this little girl would always tell him crisply whether she was going back to her room or to the bathroom, but today she went in without saying a word.
"Hey, what are you doing standing here blocking the way?" Choi Sulli reached out and pushed him from behind, then pulled off his apron and tied it around her own waist. "Go set the table and hurry up with the little one, the meat will get tough if you keep grilling it."
Jiang Yan was still thinking about the problem and didn't want to argue with her, so he turned around and went to the cupboard to get the bowls and chopsticks.
He neatly arranged three sets of bowls and chopsticks on the dining table, then placed the army stew on the induction cooker before wiping his hands and walking to Kim Minjung's door.
The door was ajar, and warm yellow light shone through, while the hum of the hairdryer continued.
He raised his hand and gently knocked on the door frame: "Minjung."
The hairdryer stopped abruptly, and Kim Min-jung's muffled voice came from inside: "Hello?"
"Come out and eat when you're done blowing on the broth. The last plate of beef brisket is almost ready."
"Yes, coming right away!"
Jiang Yan shook his head as he listened to the deliberately raised, clear voice.
Perhaps I'm overthinking it. This girl has always been quite shy, and it's normal for her to be a little reserved when meeting such a big star as Choi Sulli for the first time.
He had just turned to leave when the door clicked open.
Clutching the silver dolphin necklace in her hand, Kim Minjung ran up to him and looked up at him, saying, "Oppa... could you help me put it on? I've tried to fasten the little clasp myself so many times."
As she spoke, the corner of her eye quickly glanced towards the dining table.
That glance fell squarely on Choi Sulli, who was carrying a plate of barbecue meat as she came out.
Choi Sulli raised an eyebrow with interest, and Kim Minjung's ears instantly turned red to the roots. He quickly lowered his head and stared at the toes of his white canvas shoes, picking at his toes inside the shoes.
Seeing this, Choi Sulli couldn't help but burst out laughing.
This little girl is so naive! She's really acting out a scene from a TV drama. It's both cute and funny.
Jiang Yan took the necklace and went around to Jin Minzheng's back.
The clasp was indeed pitifully thin, a whole size smaller than a regular necklace clasp. He tried to align it with his fingertips twice, but couldn't get it right.
"These buttons are indeed a bit too small."
Jiang Yan frowned slightly and moved closer. His fingertips accidentally brushed against the warm skin on the back of her neck, and Jin Minzheng subconsciously shrank her neck.
On the third try, I finally managed to get it in.
The dolphin tail pendant rested steadily in the middle of Kim Min-jung's collarbone, its silver tail slightly upturned, perfectly complementing her slender and fair neck.
Jiang Yan took a step back, looked him up and down, and nodded: "It looks good, it suits you very well."
Kim Minjung looked down at the small pendant on his chest, gently flicked the dolphin's tail with his fingertips, and whispered, "Yes, thank you, oppa."
"Why thank me? Thank you, Zhenli unnie." Jiang Yan gestured with his chin towards the dining table. "She bought the necklace."
Kim Minjung took a deep breath, walked briskly to Choi Sulli, and bowed deeply: "Jinri unnie, I really like the necklace, thank you."
Choi Sulli smiled slightly and reached out to tidy up the stray hairs hanging over her necklace. "I'm glad you like it. The spirits of the sea will bless Minjeong so that he can debut smoothly."
Her tone was sincere and gentle, without any airs of a senior. Looking into her smiling eyes, Kim Minjun felt his inexplicable awkwardness dissipate a little.
She felt that her previous random thoughts were really childish. She had actually been secretly competing with such a nice person as Mari Unnie.
"Alright, alright, everyone sit down and eat."
Jiang Yan came out of the kitchen carrying the last plate of spicy stir-fried rice cakes. Seeing that the two were still standing, he immediately said, "Jinri, you sit over there, and Minjun, sit next to me."
As he spoke, he pulled out a chair and sat down, picked up Kim Minjung's bowl and served her army stew, scooped up a full spoonful of luncheon meat and cheese rice cakes, and then placed two slices of the tenderest grilled beef brisket on the lettuce leaves on the side of her bowl.
Kim Minjung looked at the mountain of bowls piled up in front of her and said softly, "Thank you, Oppa, but there's too much for me to finish."
"Give me the leftovers if you can't finish them," Jiang Yan said casually, then picked up a lettuce leaf, wrapped a piece of grilled meat in it, and prepared to stuff it into his mouth.
Choi Sulli's gaze lingered on the overflowing army stew for a second, then she expressionlessly reached out and snatched the freshly wrapped piece of grilled meat from Kang Yeon's hand.
"Hey, can't you wrap it yourself?" Jiang Yan glared at her.
"No." Choi Sulli stuffed the meat into her mouth with a straight face and said indistinctly, "I just love the ones you make. Hmm... I must say, this sauce is definitely much tastier after I gave you some pointers."
Jiang Yan shook his head helplessly at her smug look, then wrapped another one and placed it next to Jin Minzheng's bowl.
Kim Minjung kept his head down as he ate, but his eyes kept darting between the two of them.
She swallowed a bite of cheese-covered rice cake, then looked up and mustered her courage to ask, "Jinri unnie, can I ask you a question?"
"Yes, you ask."
"What was Oppa like when he was little? Can you tell me?"
Choi Sulli paused, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, then looked up at Kim Minjung with a mischievous smile: "When your oppa was little, he was really fierce. There was a pine forest behind the orphanage, and he could climb trees faster than a monkey. He never came back empty-handed from stealing bird nests."
"Once, he climbed the tallest pine tree to raid a magpie's nest, slipped, and fell off the tree. His pants were torn by a branch, leaving such a big hole."
She gestured with her hand to indicate the approximate length, laughing so hard her shoulders twitched: "Later, when I got back, the nanny chased me all over the yard with a broom, shouting so loudly that the whole orphanage could hear me. It was hilarious."
Jiang Yan's face darkened. "We're eating, why are you talking about this?"
Choi Sulli stuck out her tongue. "Why can't I say it? I didn't lie. I was just stating the facts."
Kim Minjung pretended not to hear Kang Yeon's words. In any case, based on what she had learned in this short time, it seemed that her oppa had no way to deal with this Jinri unnie.
"And then what? What happened next?"
"And then..." Choi Sulli's smile faded slightly, her chopsticks unconsciously poking at the rice in her bowl. "Actually, life at the orphanage was pretty much the same: attending classes, working, eating, and sleeping every day. Then, Father Kang came and took him away."
"What a heartless man! He left without even saying goodbye, leaving me crying and running after him for three blocks but I still couldn't catch him."
Jiang Yan picked up a soup spoon and scooped a spoonful of thick army stew soup into her bowl. "Okay, it's my fault. So many years have passed. Let's eat first."