Inside the president’s office, nine girls were kneeling in a row against the wall, sitting in a “line up and eat fruit” pose. When the two entered, they all stood up together and bowed in greeting: “Annyeonghaseyo! We are Girls’ Generation Imida!” Their synchronized cuteness made it feel like stepping into a comic book. Brian Bennett could even see Ashley Carter quietly counting “one, two, three” under her breath, and the bruise on her neck hadn’t even faded yet.

Chapter Six: Nine Tools

Seeing Brian Bennett’s carefree smile, Ashley Carter glared at him through gritted teeth. Of course, she didn’t dare act out in front of Lauren Carter, so she immediately lowered her head and stood in line with the other members, looking like hostesses waiting to be chosen in a KTV.

Lauren Carter stepped forward, wanting to make introductions. Brian Bennett waved his hand, walked straight up to them, and pointed at each one: “Ashley Carter, Jessica Reed, Molly Thompson, Tiffany Baker, Hannah Carter, Julia Grant, Rachel Cooper, Emma Clark, Lily Howard.”

With each name called, the girls looked up in surprise, their faces full of disbelief. A world-class master, Grammy winner, Oscar winner, and PhD from the US, actually knew them so well! It would be one thing if he recognized each of them—at most, it would mean he’d carefully studied their photos beforehand. But he called out their real names, not their stage names! Obviously, the public only knows their stage names; only someone who likes and understands them would dig up their real names. Even more impressive, he listed them in order of their birthdays, without a single mistake! And their standing order wasn’t even based on birthdays! How could they not feel flattered and overwhelmed?

At the very least, it showed that Brian Bennett respected them, paying attention even to such details. Struggling in the “black ocean” and severely lacking confidence, the girls felt a sense of “a soldier dies for the one who truly knows him” from this respect.

This is the difference that status brings. If it were a SONE, no matter how familiar they were, all they’d get was a thank you; but from a world-class master, even a smile could make them deeply grateful.

On the side, Lauren Carter stood with his mouth agape, wanting to say something but unable to. In fact, he really wanted to ask, Young Master An, are you a SONE?

The resentment in Ashley Carter’s eyes had long since vanished. Thinking of their bizarre encounter and not-so-friendly conversation last night, she felt a bit nervous, but also inexplicably expectant.

No one noticed that, besides surprise, there was something else in Rachel Cooper’s eyes.

Brian Bennett smiled: “SM really is famous for its visuals—every one of you is beautiful. But President Carter, I originally thought you’d take me to watch their practice. You know, without observing their stage performance up close, it’s hard to tailor songs for them.”

Lauren Carter smiled awkwardly: “Yes, it’s just that I thought sending you straight to the practice room would be disrespectful. Meeting here first to get acquainted is good too. So, would you like to see their performance now?”

“Since we’re already here, let’s chat first.” Brian Bennett smiled. “I remember Emma Clark is still filming a drama. Is it okay for you to take time off like this? You might have to keep taking days off in the coming days.”

Emma Clark hadn’t expected Brian Bennett to speak to her first. She looked delighted and smiled sweetly: “The president already notified them, so the crew will prioritize filming other scenes these days. Oppa, I’m actually your fan. All nine of us have registered for your Fans Club!”

“Oh?” Brian Bennett instinctively glanced at Ashley Carter: “All nine of you?”

Ashley Carter said softly, “Yes, we all registered last night.”

Brian Bennett looked at her meaningfully. Clever girl—she specifically mentioned registering last night to show she wasn’t trying to curry favor just because she knew he’d be writing songs for them.

That’s right, it’s this cleverness that made all those years of being her fan worthwhile. But how could such a smart girl end up dating that kind of guy? Truly incomprehensible. Oh, right, I heard he has 800 million fans—never judge a book by its cover, cough cough…

Beside them, Julia Grant excitedly raised her hand: “I was the first to discover Oppa’s Fans Club!”

Molly Thompson raised her hand: “I was the first to register!”

Hannah Carter raised her hand: “I recommended Ashley to register!”

Rachel Cooper scoffed: “Well, I was the one who recommended you!”

Grace Howard said weakly, “Unnie, what are you guys doing…”

Awkward silence. Only then did the nine girls realize they weren’t in their own dorm, and all shrank back, falling silent.

Brian Bennett looked at Lauren Carter’s face, black as the bottom of a pot, and couldn’t help but laugh: “Listening to you all, my FC sounds like a pyramid scheme…”

The nine girls looked even more embarrassed. Emma Clark said weakly, “How could that be? Oppa’s fan club president is none other than Jun Ji-hyun sunbae, using her real name.”

“……” This time it was Brian Bennett’s turn for his face to darken. He immediately thought of Kim Tae-hee’s several hesitant moments during dinner, and finally understood why the FC was spreading so unreasonably fast. Kim Tae-hee must have registered with her real name too, and maybe a few others as well. The attention this group could attract together was simply off the charts—there was no way this FC could stay under the radar.