Actually, before coming here, Liu Xin'an had prepared himself for Korea's somewhat terrifying age concepts.
But as it stood, he was only here to travel and hadn't really interacted with various kinds of people; Bae Juhyun was his only Korean friend so far.
The other party had never brought up this topic, so Liu Xin'an subconsciously treated her just like he would treat friends back in China.
However, now that she had brought it up so abruptly, he realized that calling someone by their name directly was quite impolite.
His mom told him that here, he should call those older than him "brother" or "sister," or at the very least use a term of respect.
Of course, with those younger than him, he could be more casual.
Thinking back to the Bae Juhyun he met yesterday, the girl was very pretty, but she seemed young, probably younger than him, right?
With this thought, Liu Xin'an slowly began, "I was born in '93, um... according to the age calculation here, I should be 28 this year, right?"
Because the calculation methods vary by country, their age calculations differ as well.
In his home country, he'd be 27 years old, which is one year younger than in Korea.
"Oh~ you're 28 this year."
"So, shouldn't you be calling me 'brother'? I know the customs here."
"Although I'd like to do that, unfortunately, I'm a bit older than you."
"Hmm?!" Liu Xin'an found it hard to believe. Bae Juhyun looked barely in her twenties... how could she be older than him?
"Lying is a very bad habit, Miss Bae Juhyun."
"Who's lying to you? If you don't believe me, I can show you my ID card; I was born in '91."
As Bae Juhyun spoke with a hint of pride, she naturally faced Liu Xin'an's skepticism.
"I don't believe it. You don't look anywhere near 30. If you said you were just 24 or 25, I'd be more convinced."
Being mistaken for younger is usually a joyful occasion for a girl.
But Bae Juhyun wasn't pleased; on the contrary, she felt a tiny bit angry that Liu Xin'an didn't believe her.
She didn't know why she was so upset; there were so many people in the outside world who didn't believe her, and she never felt discontent with them. Instead, she felt a significant amount of dissatisfaction with a neighbor she had met just over a day ago.
The girl pursed her lips; her posture, curled up on the lounge chair, finally changed.
She stretched her legs out, revealing her smooth, fair legs under her sleep pants, and because she had been curled up for so long, her toes arched to their maximum.
After comfortably stretching herself with a yawn and scrunching her nose, she quickly ran back to her room.
She wanted to get her ID card to show him and make him believe her!
Meanwhile, Liu Xin'an hadn't noticed that Bae Juhyun was no longer on the balcony. After waiting a while without hearing a reply, he continued, "Being younger isn't something to be embarrassed about. Plus, I'm a foreigner. I don't place as much importance on age as people do in your country."
He was met with silence.
Liu Xin'an waited patiently for a few more seconds. After still getting no response, he asked, puzzled, "Bae Juhyun?"
Again, silence.
However, the doorbell ringing caught him off-guard.
Having nearly missed a delivery earlier, he had come out to the balcony without closing the door.
Similarly, the door that connected the bedroom to the living room was also left open, so the doorbell could be heard from the balcony.
Liu Xin'an, confused, thought Bae Juhyun was still in the next apartment. He hurriedly put on his shoes and didn't forget to tell his neighbor, although he didn't realize that she was no longer on the balcony.
"I'm going to answer the door, hold on a moment."
After that, he rushed to the door.
He reached the entrance and swung the door open without bothering to check the peephole.
"May I help you with... um?"
The diminutive girl standing there made him freeze.
The visitor was none other than his neighbor from next door, Bae Juhyun, whom he thought was still on the balcony.
Bae Juhyun was wrapped in a coat, wearing a pink and white T-shirt, and loose sweatpants, her long hair cascading down as she looked up at him while holding something in her hand.
"Uh... what's up?"
This sense of déjà vu, reminiscent of meeting an online friend, made Liu Xin'an somewhat uneasy. Clearing his throat, he asked with puzzled discomfort.
Bae Juhyun didn't make a sound but simply lifted the ID card she was holding.
The card bore a beautiful headshot of Bae Juhyun, and alongside was some of her personal information.
Her pale fingers pointed at the birthdate section, and then she arched an eyebrow at Liu Xin'an with pride.
"March 29, 1991... you really were born in '91?"
Liu Xin'an's evident shock made Bae Juhyun frown; did this guy still doubt her?
"You don't believe it?"
"Uh... it's not that I don't, it's just that no matter how I look at you, you don't seem like a 30-year-old woman... cough, woman."
Calling someone who is 30 a "girl" would certainly be unreasonable.
But 30 isn't old; it's just that Bae Juhyun looked younger than that. It's not surprising,
though; even though Liu Xin'an is a public figure, he doesn't come in contact with as many people as a real performer like Bae Juhyun does.
Performers often spend exorbitant sums on self-care, so many artists in their 40s, even 50s, appear as if they're in their 20s or 30s; this is not unusual.
But Liu Xin'an had never seen such things. The largest event he had ever attended was a minor station's top 100 awards show, where he had indeed met a few performers, but he wasn't acquainted with them and wouldn't brashly strike up a conversation.
Besides, in his eyes, Bae Juhyun was just an ordinary person.
"At 30, one should look quite old, right?"
Bae Juhyun was very dissatisfied with Liu Xin'an's notion, but it seemed she had forgotten that she was usually quite shy with strangers.
At this moment, she actually dared to say such impolite words to a neighbor she had only met a day ago.
"Ah, of course not, I was complimenting you.."
Liu Xin'an quickly explained himself, while subtly flattering the girl in front of him.
"Hmph..."
Seeing that the other party believed him, Bae Juhyun gradually came down from her agitated state.
She slowly lowered her head, no longer daring to look directly into his eyes as she had before, and her whole demeanor shifted from aggressive to somewhat withdrawn.
What was she doing... Suddenly getting worked up with a neighbor?
She must be crazy.
Liu Xin'an noticed that something was off with Bae Juhyun. He was about to say something when he suddenly remembered they were still standing at the door; Liu Xin'an glanced back at his living room, making sure it was presentable for guests, and then stepped aside.
"Uh... do you want to come in and chat?"
Now sober, Bae Juhyun shook her head vigorously. Don't be silly, even if she wasn't a public figure and just an ordinary person, she couldn't possibly visit a man's home alone at this time.
Liu Xin'an knew what Bae Juhyun was worried about. He spread his hands and stepped back, clearly showing he had no ill intentions.
"Just to chat for a bit, I'm pretty bored myself. If you're not comfortable, you can keep the door open, or let a friend know with your phone."
"Ah?"
Liu Xin'an smiled and made an inviting gesture, then bent down to find a pair of brand-new slippers in the shoe cabinet.
Looking at the snow-white hotel slippers placed before her, Bae Juhyun paused for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and whispering, "Then... I'll be intruding."
She really must be crazy.
———
Liu Xin'an's home was much simpler than Bae Juhyun's.
The spacious living room lacked any decorative pieces, and didn't even have a decent chair.
There was just a large TV hanging on the TV wall and a TV cabinet beneath it.
In front of the sofa was a table that had nothing on it. He had bought the table that afternoon from outside since a home without a proper coffee table was rather improper, although it wasn't really needed, Liu Xin'an had still got one.
But today, it proved to be useful, and Liu Xin'an felt smug about his foresight.
After leading Bae Juhyun into the living room, Liu Xin'an pointed to the sofa.
"You sit first, I'll go grab the fried chicken I left on the balcony."
"Oh..."
"This is the TV remote, in case you want to watch any program."
"Hmm..."
Bae Juhyun wasn't really listening; visiting a man's home alone was a first for her in her nearly 30 years of life.
How to say it...
It's not so much nervousness; after coming in, she felt she had overthought things. It was very clear Liu Xin'an didn't know who she was, and her erratic thoughts indeed somewhat insulted Liu Xin'an
If not nervous, then the only emotion left was regret,
Even if he indeed had no thoughts about her, putting herself in "danger" like this was too rash.
The so-called danger wasn't that Liu Xin'an was exceedingly dangerous, but rather her actions were too risky.
A female artist visiting a man's home at midnight... If it got out, she could indeed retire at lightning speed.
Um... Not just retire, she probably would have to pay back all the money she had made over the years.
Lost in her wild thoughts, Liu Xin'an returned from fetching the fried chicken.
He set the fried chicken on the table and then sat on the other side of the sofa, smiling friendly at Bae Juhyun, who was sitting far from him.
"Care to have some?"
"No, no... I'm not a big fan of fried chicken."
"You really don't like this, huh?"
"Hmm..."
Actually, she felt embarrassed to admit the reason why she didn't like fried chicken.
Before her debut, she had once gorged on too much fried chicken to the detriment of her digestion.
Since then, she had been somewhat wary of fried chicken.
"Then do you want to eat something else? It's on me. You're the first friend I've made since I came here."
She knew about the generosity of Huaxia people from her interactions with Huaxia fans.
So, she thought about it and still shook her head in refusal.
"I'll just order my own."
She was declining Liu Xin'an's kindness, but sharing a meal...
Actually, ever since Liu Xin'an mentioned he was eating on the balcony, she had been hungry.