Chapter 16

"Why are you still here?" Yoon Hyun walked out of the LOEN company building and saw Lee Ji-eun still wandering outside. He greeted her, "Aren't you going back to class?"

"I... haven't been to school for a long time," Lee Ji-eun said a bit embarrassedly.

Yoon Hyun was momentarily speechless. It seemed that none of the trainees in the entertainment industry had good academic performance...

"Then, aren't you going home?" Yoon Hyun changed the topic.

"Well... there's a meal provided during the interview today..." Lee Ji-eun said a bit embarrassedly.

Yoon Hyun was taken aback, looking at the young girl in front of him with a bit of disbelief.

At this moment, he noticed that the girl's clothes were quite ordinary. Was her family in a difficult situation? Yoon Hyun wasn't sure. Just as Yoon Hyun was about to leave, he seemed to see a mix of shyness and anger in the girl's eyes.

Was she embarrassed because of her own situation?

Yoon Hyun himself felt a bit embarrassed.

"If you're not worried about my intentions... I'd be happy to have a meal with you..." Yoon Hyun thought for a moment and said, "To celebrate that we both passed the interview."

"This... there's no need to trouble you, senior," Lee Ji-eun hesitated and shook her head.

"Come on! Unless you think I'm a bad person, at least give me some face, okay?" Yoon Hyun insisted.

Lee Ji-eun lowered her head, a bit embarrassed.

"We might be seniors and juniors in the future! It's not a problem to build a good relationship now!" Yoon Hyun tried to help Lee Ji-eun save face. This girl seemed to have a bit of a middle school second-year's pride... Well, her age was probably around that of a second-year middle school student.

"In that case... I'll trouble you, senior!" Lee Ji-eun bowed respectfully.

"Come on! Do I look like a bad person?" Yoon Hyun joked again.

"No! You're definitely a good person, senior." Lee Ji-eun shook her head seriously.

In any case, Yoon Hyun finally managed to comfort this somewhat rebellious and shy girl.

"What do you want to eat?" The two got into the car, and Yoon Hyun asked Lee Ji-eun with a smile.

"Whatever you say, senior." Lee Ji-eun was very obedient... Well, she was still a bit shy.

"Stop calling me 'senior' all the time. Didn't we agree before that you should call me 'OPPA'?" Yoon Hyun waved his hand. "What do you want to eat? Let's go for some barbecue?" Yoon Hyun asked while looking at Lee Ji-eun's face.

Lee Ji-eun's eyes flickered, but she still shook her head and said, "Barbecue is too expensive..."

"It's fine." Yoon Hyun laughed, realizing that this girl really wanted to eat... "Let's go, I know a place where we can get a discount on barbecue..."

Then, Yoon Hyun drove Lee Ji-eun to a barbecue restaurant owned by Kang Ho-dong.

"OPPA, do you know the owner of this restaurant?" Lee Ji-eun looked at Yoon Hyun with disbelief.

"I just happened to meet him once, and we got along well, so he gave me a membership card for this restaurant, which apparently gives a discount," Yoon Hyun said with a smile. In fact, Kang Ho-dong's card was just a VIP number for booking a private room, and the discount was usually just a small amount. But Yoon Hyun wouldn't tell Lee Ji-eun that.

"Is that so..." When Lee Ji-eun looked at Yoon Hyun again, her eyes were full of respect. She didn't know that Yoon Hyun was telling the truth about "meeting once" and "getting along well"... These words sounded like polite modesty... If it was modesty...

No one in the entertainment industry didn't know that this barbecue restaurant was owned by Kang Ho-dong... Being able to know Kang Ho-dong... Even for an unsigned artist, it meant a bright future...

Since there were only two of them, Yoon Hyun didn't ask for a private room but sat in a corner of the hall with Lee Ji-eun.

"OPPA, you ordered too much, can we finish all of this?" After Yoon Hyun finished ordering, Lee Ji-eun said a bit embarrassedly.

"It's fine, eat more. We should celebrate such a happy occasion," Yoon Hyun said with a smile.

"OPPA, don't you need to go back and celebrate with your family?" Lee Ji-eun asked, a bit surprised.

Yoon Hyun was taken aback. He hadn't really thought about celebrating with his family... His father was one thing, but his mother wasn't very supportive of his career in the entertainment industry. His sister... Well, this job was introduced by his sister, so celebrating with her? She would probably act like a big shot. So, let's not...

But wait... Why didn't this girl go back to celebrate with her family? She came to the interview alone today and even had to eat the provided lunch... Could she have run away from home?

"I don't have anyone to celebrate with either!" Yoon Hyun decided not to say too much. After the meal, he would take the girl home... "So, let's celebrate together."

Lee Ji-eun nodded, saying nothing.

Soon, the food arrived, and the two started eating.

Although Lee Ji-eun had been saying that there was too much food... Well, Yoon Hyun took it as a polite remark. The girl's appetite was comparable to another 1993-born girl he knew.

"Ji-eun, slow down, don't eat too much, it's bad for your stomach," Yoon Hyun finally couldn't help but say. He could see the difference between Lee Ji-eun and Park Ji-yeon. Park Ji-yeon had a naturally large appetite, but Lee Ji-eun... seemed like she hadn't eaten like this for a long time.

"Sorry..." Lee Ji-eun immediately put down her chopsticks.

Yoon Hyun was at a loss, "Ji-eun... I'm not worried about you eating too much... I'm worried about your stomach..." Yoon Hyun said, then wrapped a piece of barbecue and handed it to her. "You haven't eaten like this for a while, have you?"

Lee Ji-eun nodded, a bit embarrassed.

"How long have you been away from home?" Yoon Hyun asked, pretending not to care.

"OPPA..."

"Is it because your family doesn't agree with you becoming a trainee?" Yoon Hyun asked, "According to what you said, you should have..."

"It's not like that..." Lee Ji-eun quickly defended herself, then fell silent.

Yoon Hyun was taken aback and didn't say anything more. If she didn't run away from home, then... did she have no home?

Was the girl an orphan? She should be in an orphanage... Wait, in his previous life, he also lived alone for many years...

Suddenly, Yoon Hyun felt a sense of closeness to this girl...

Under Yoon Hyun's intervention, although Lee Ji-eun continued to eat, she clearly wasn't eating as fast as before. Yoon Hyun didn't push her to control herself. He had been hungry before and understood this feeling. Back then, the restaurant owner also smiled and watched him eat the delicious dishes he prepared, stuffing them into his stomach without hesitation...

Eat, eat... It's better to be full and uncomfortable than to be hungry and uncomfortable...

Just as Yoon Hyun was smiling and helping the girl with the barbecue, a shadow loomed over them.

"Hey, you're back again?" A hearty voice.

"Ah! Brother Ho-dong!" Yoon Hyun was taken aback and saw the big, smiling man. He had been a regular at his restaurant for over a year, and the two had become quite familiar.

"Keep it down." Kang Ho-dong made a gesture to be quiet, then sat down next to Yoon Hyun without any hesitation, "So, is this little girl your girlfriend today?"

"Brother Ho-dong..." Yoon Hyun had a black line on his forehead, "Even if it's true, you saying it like that would probably make it not true... Are you doing this on purpose? Let me introduce her, she's a trainee our company is planning to sign, her name is Lee Ji-eun."

"Senior Kang Ho-dong, nice to meet you!" Lee Ji-eun, who had been scared stiff, quickly regained her composure and saluted.

"Your company? You signed with a company?" Kang Ho-dong was more concerned with practical matters.

"Yes. I signed with a small company. I might be able to release an album soon," Yoon Hyun said with a smile.

"You! You finally took this path!" Kang Ho-dong laughed heartily, "I told you years ago that you had the potential for the entertainment industry, but you said you weren't interested..."

"I never said I wasn't interested, Brother Ho-dong. I said I wanted to finish my studies first. Now that I'm almost done with my master's degree, I decided to try the entertainment industry... Actually, it was your encouragement that gave me the confidence to try!" Yoon Hyun said half-jokingly.

"Me? So, I did something great!" Kang Ho-dong laughed, "But you're releasing an album? So fast? Did you write the songs yourself?"

"Yes... Otherwise, how could I release an album so easily?" Yoon Hyun said with a smile.

"Wow! I thought you only had the potential to be a comedian, but it seems I underestimated you!" Kang Ho-dong was taken aback and laughed heartily, "Great! When you release your album, come on my show to promote it!"

"I might not have the chance as a newcomer, Brother Ho-dong!" Yoon Hyun said with a smile, "If I get the chance, I'll definitely come!"

"Okay..." Kang Ho-dong nodded, then looked at the nervous girl and laughed, "I'll leave you two to eat. I can see this girl has lost her appetite with me here."

"Brother Ho-dong, can you treat us today?" Yoon Hyun said with a mischievous smile.

"No..." Kang Ho-dong shook his head, not being polite with Yoon Hyun, who was a regular at his restaurant, "I already saw your bill... I don't know how a student knows so many girls with such good appetites..."

At this point, Kang Ho-dong seemed to remember something, "By the way, you said you're almost done with your master's degree?"

"Yes..." Yoon Hyun nodded.

"Then... Wait, do you know...?" Kang Ho-dong pointed at Yoon Hyun, taken aback.

"Well... If you're asking if I'm from Seoul University... Yes, that's me," Yoon Hyun said a bit proudly.

"Then you must know Kim Tae-hee, right?"

"Well... You still remember that news about me and Tae-hee-ssi? That was a long time ago..." Yoon Hyun nodded.

"Looks like I did something great..." Kang Ho-dong's expression suddenly became serious.

"Brother Ho-dong... You're making me feel awkward..." Yoon Hyun was really embarrassed.

"Alright, for Tae-hee-ssi's sake, I'll treat you today..." Kang Ho-dong said generously.

"..." Yoon Hyun didn't know what to say.

"Hey! You, I treated you and you don't even say thank you!" Kang Ho-dong said, a bit annoyed.

"It's for Tae-hee-ssi's sake, right? I should thank her..." Yoon Hyun said with a bold face.

Kang Ho-dong was taken aback and laughed heartily.

After a bit of small talk, Kang Ho-dong left. It was mealtime, and there were still many people he knew who would come to his restaurant, so it was necessary to visit them as a courtesy.

But...

"Ji-eun, what's wrong?" Yoon Hyun looked at Lee Ji-eun, who had a complex expression on her face, and was a bit confused.

"Yoon Hyun... senior..."

"I told you to call me OPPA... Do I look old?" Yoon Hyun interrupted her.

"OPPA... You and Brother Ho-dong are very close..." Lee Ji-eun's expression was cautious.

Yoon Hyun laughed, wrapped a rice ball, and stuffed it into the girl's mouth, "Just eat!"

The atmosphere became lively again.

"OPPA... You know Senior Kim Tae-hee... Can you introduce me to her?"

"OPPA... You're a graduate student at Seoul University... That's amazing..."

"OPPA... All the songs on your upcoming album are written by you... That's amazing!"

"OPPA... If I ever release an album, you have to write songs for me..."

Yoon Hyun hadn't even signed or debuted, but he had already won his first little fan with a barbecue...

The meal lasted longer.

"I'll take you home..." After the meal, the two left the barbecue restaurant.

"No need to trouble you, OPPA... I can go home by myself," Lee Ji-eun said, a bit embarrassed.

"It's fine, where do you live? I'll take you there," Yoon Hyun insisted.

Lee Ji-eun seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded.

Following Lee Ji-eun, Yoon Hyun drove to a residential area.

This area looked quite good! Gangnam... and close to JYP... Was this girl really that poor?

Yoon Hyun became curious.

"I'm temporarily staying in this building," Lee Ji-eun pointed to a building, "On the third floor. But I should move to LOEN's trainee dorm soon if the signing goes well."

"Okay..." Yoon Hyun's eyes caught a sign at the entrance of the building, and his eyelids twitched, but he didn't say anything.

No wonder she mentioned going to many other agencies for auditions but not JYP...

Lee Ji-eun went upstairs, and Yoon Hyun drove away.

That night, after learning that Yoon Hyun's audition was almost over and he might soon release an album, Yoon Ji-hui issued a dinner invitation to Yoon Hyun.

But it was just the two of them. Yoon Ji-hui didn't notify the girls who were still on good terms with Yoon Hyun.

Although it was a happy occasion, it might be a bit complicated for girls like Jeon Bora and Lee Ji-hye... To avoid having to comfort the girls later... Let's skip it!

When it was time for dinner, Yoon Hyun left home.

But just as he drove out of the garage, he saw a