Chapter 8

After having lunch with Park Dongzan, taking advantage of a temporary break, Lee Jung-hee and Jang Dong-guk busied themselves with the registration of "Empire Entertainment," only returning home around five.

At first, before getting permission to take a year off from school, Lee Jung-hee didn't dare tell his mother about his work as a screenwriter. Now, with permission, the situation was different.

This matter would eventually come to the attention of his family, so it was better to prepare them in advance rather than explain it later. Of course, preparing them also required a strategy.

It was almost seven, and dinner time had arrived. In the pleased and joyful gaze of his mother and grandmother, Lee Jung-hee diligently set the table, served the dishes, and handed out spoons and chopsticks. After everything was ready, he first placed a pair of chopsticks with their favorite food for each of them, then said in a playful tone, "I'm going to start eating!"

Lee Jung-hee's grandfather had passed away early, and his grandmother, Gao Xiuzhen, didn't want to live with her son's family, fearing it would be a bother. For over a decade, she had been living alone. Although she was in good health before, she had become noticeably thinner and almost skeletal after her recent illness, which was heart-wrenching to see.

This was one of the reasons why Lee Jung-hee's mother, Kim Mi-yeon, wanted to stay and take care of her for a while.

And the effect was evident. In recent days, her health had improved significantly. At this moment, she was smiling, "You're such a big boy, yet you still act like a child!"

After a brief pause, she added with a touch of nostalgia, "Time flies so fast. I remember over a decade ago, I would get up every morning to make the sticky rice pancakes that Jung-hee loved. Now, Jung-hee has grown up, and I'm so old I can barely move..."

"Mom!" Kim Mi-yeon's eyes were a bit red, but she quickly dispelled the slightly heavy atmosphere with a light and scolding tone, "You always say this, making it seem like I was lazy and didn't even cook for Jung-hee!"

This finally made Gao Xiuzhen laugh, and Lee Jung-hee also smiled, teasing her a bit, though he still felt a bit uncomfortable and guilty. He remembered in his previous life, over a decade ago, his grandmother lived with them and would always wake up early to busy herself, especially doting on him. But ten years later, when his grandmother passed away, he couldn't attend the funeral because of a trivial job!

So, he decided to start making up for it now! After a while, Lee Jung-hee took a deep breath, adjusted his mood, and once again served his grandmother and mother, then cheerfully joined them for dinner.

After nearly half an hour, as they were finishing their meal, it was the perfect time to bring up the matter. Even if there was a disagreement, it wouldn't affect their appetite.

"Oh, right, Mom!" Lee Jung-hee, as if just remembering, casually turned to Kim Mi-yeon and said, "I just got a job as a screenwriter on a TV drama set..."

"Ah!" Kim Mi-yeon was clearly unprepared, looking at him in surprise. Lee Jung-hee, however, remained cheerful and explained in detail, "It happened like this. A few days ago, I ran into Brother Dong-guk, who is now a talent agent. We chatted, and it suddenly made me think about the topic for my doctoral thesis, which is 'The Impact of Economic Environment on the Entertainment Industry.'

Brother Dong-guk saw my interest, and since their production team was hiring, he suggested I try out. You know, for someone as talented as me, it was a piece of cake..."

He was partly joking, but the topic of his doctoral thesis was genuinely what he had in mind, giving his words strong credibility.

"Oh, I see!" Kim Mi-yeon was an open-minded mother and understood that research required practical experience. So, after the initial surprise, she quickly became more relaxed.

However, this didn't mean she fully approved. She had some reservations about the entertainment industry and was worried that Lee Jung-hee might be corrupted. Therefore, she slightly frowned, and Lee Jung-hee, seeing her expression, became a bit nervous. He clearly remembered how angry and hurt Kim Mi-yeon had been in his previous life when he insisted on joining the entertainment industry.

If she couldn't accept it this time, he would have to keep it a secret, Lee Jung-hee thought.

Ding dong! Just as the atmosphere became tense and both Kim Mi-yeon and Lee Jung-hee were about to speak, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Lee Jung-hee sprang up, feeling relieved, and quickly ran to the door.

Gao Xiuzhen saw everything and, being a shrewd old woman, couldn't help but laugh and scold him, "Slow down, your mother won't eat you alive!" This made Kim Mi-yeon chuckle, thinking about how nervous Lee Jung-hee had looked, and realizing she might have been too serious.

Lee Jung-hee had always been obedient and the youngest, so he was especially dear to her. But he had grown up, and she needed to learn to let go. Sometimes, holding on too tightly could have the opposite effect.

While Kim Mi-yeon was lost in thought, Lee Jung-hee had already run to the courtyard and opened the door. Seeing the visitor, he was taken aback.

At the door stood Kim Tae-hee, wearing a beige fur hat, a black knee-length down jacket, gray-white jeans, and brown leather boots. She glared at him, "What, don't you recognize me?"

Of course, he recognized her, but the deep connection between them made him a bit dazed after being reborn. As he was about to speak, Kim Tae-hee erupted again.

"Hey, didn't you see I was carrying something?" She thrust the box in her hands into his arms and pouted, "The bigger you get, the less gentlemanly you become, really!"

The Andong Kim clan was a super prestigious family from the former Korea, but later fell into decline. Kim Tae-hee's family and Lee Jung-hee's mother, Kim Mi-yeon's family, were part of the Andong Kim lineage, sharing a common great-grandfather.

Later, Kim Tae-hee's great-aunt married Kim Mi-yeon's uncle, who was also Lee Jung-hee's maternal grandfather, making the two families even closer. They often visited each other, and Lee Jung-hee and Kim Tae-hee had a close relationship from childhood, even sharing a bed.

However, that was in the past. Now and in the future, everything had changed because of him. Lee Jung-hee sighed, looking at Kim Tae-hee's red cheeks from the cold and a strand of black hair that had been blown by the wind onto her lips. He reached out to help her fix her hair but stopped, softly saying, "Come in quickly, it's cold outside!"

He was acting very strangely today, not at all like the slightly proud and confident person he usually was around her. He was unusually quiet, and his gaze was peculiar, making her feel a bit uneasy, though she didn't dislike it. The gentle greeting even touched her deeply.

Originally, she had planned to act wild, but she just wrinkled her nose, huffed, and stomped inside.

PS: New shop opening, dear readers, please collect and recommend!

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