Chapter 7

In his past life, Jin Jingcheng knew that Kim Jong-kook was a rare "righteous man" in the Korean entertainment industry who valued brotherhood, especially with his own brother. His elder brother, Kim Jong-myeong, studied plastic surgery in university, which was very expensive, and Kim Jong-kook independently covered all the costs for his seven years of medical school.

In this life, Jin Jingcheng was Kim Jong-kook's favorite younger brother, not blood-related but closer than brothers. In such a situation, even if Jin Jingcheng suddenly asked for $80,000, Kim Jong-kook would not refuse.

Calculating the time, it was now the summer of 2003. At this time, Kim Jong-kook was in a slump. His first solo album, "Renaissance," released in 2001, did not perform well. According to historical records, it wasn't until June 2004 that his second solo album, "Evolution," which marked his second peak, would be released.

At this time, Kim Jong-kook's elder brother, Kim Jong-myeong, was still pursuing a Ph.D. in international plastic surgery at Ajou University in Korea and still relied on Kim Jong-kook's support.

In other words, this was a very difficult period for Kim Jong-kook. Korean ballad singers did not earn much, and in such a situation, Kim Jong-kook decisively agreed to Jin Jingcheng's request for $80,000. Jin Jingcheng even thought that Kim Jong-kook might have to borrow money from others to make up the amount.

Therefore, Jin Jingcheng could not help but be moved. However, he was not the type of person to indulge in sentimentality. After being moved, he immediately began to think about what he could do for Kim Jong-kook. He thought this way because he did not want to feel overly guilty about the $80,000 and because he had developed a brotherly bond with Kim Jong-kook.

After a quick thought, while the call was still connected, Jin Jingcheng hurriedly asked Kim Jong-kook, "Brother, when do you plan to release your second solo album?"

Previously, when Jin Jingcheng asked for $80,000, Kim Jong-kook was not surprised, but now he was surprised by this question. He didn't understand why Jin Jingcheng suddenly cared about his new album.

After a pause, Kim Jong-kook honestly said, "The first solo album released in 2001 performed very poorly. In Korea, if a singer's first solo album fails after leaving a group, the impact is quite severe. However, I am trying to regain the company's trust and hope to release a new album next year."

Jin Jingcheng said, "Yes, so the second album is very important for you."

He then continued, "You know, I have a passion for music. During my studies at New York University, I learned a lot about it, including songwriting. In recent years, I've written some songs, two of which are quite good and very suitable for your voice and style. I'll send you the sheet music via email shortly."

Kim Jong-kook was stunned for a moment, then became excited, "I never thought you would write songs for me one day."

Jin Jingcheng laughed, "Don't get too excited yet; you might not like them."

Kim Jong-kook said, "You are a talented person in our family, and I trust you very much. Of course, if the songs are not good, I will discard them. After all, the new album is very important to me."

Not only Jin Jingcheng, but also Kim Jong-kook and his brother Kim Jong-myeong, were considered talented in their respective fields.

"Right, that's how it should be." Jin Jingcheng thought to himself, "If you don't like them, that would be a miracle." The two songs he planned to give Kim Jong-kook were his representative works from his past life.

After a brief hesitation, Jin Jingcheng couldn't help but remind Kim Jong-kook, "Brother, if you release a new album next year, make sure to participate in more variety shows. This will help promote the new album and might even help you regain your popularity."

According to historical records, the reason Kim Jong-kook became the most popular singer in Korea in 2005, even surpassing the male group GOD, which announced an indefinite hiatus for a final push, and the singer Chae Yeon, who rose to fame with the dance song "Two People," was not only because of his hit songs but also because of the variety show "X-Man."

Kim Jong-kook was surprised again but didn't ask more. Instead, he asked, "When are you coming home?"

Jin Jingcheng honestly said, "I'll be back next year after I finish my degree and will develop in Korea."

This was another surprise for Kim Jong-kook. He thought Jin Jingcheng, with his abilities, could have a high position in the United States, but he didn't ask more, believing Jin Jingcheng had his own plans.

After a brief chat, the call ended.

Without delay, Jin Jingcheng got up and sat at his computer desk to start writing songs for Kim Jong-kook.

In the phone call, Jin Jingcheng had told a white lie. "That Jin Jingcheng" did have a passion for music and had developed it into a skill, and he could write songs, but he had never written any good ones, even though he was a genius, he had his limitations.

The two songs Jin Jingcheng planned to give Kim Jong-kook had to be written on the spot.

It was fine, as Jin Jingcheng was very familiar with these two songs from his past life. He could directly copy the lyrics and melodies from his memory.

On the desk was half a bottle of red wine left over from dinner.

Now, Jin Jingcheng sipped the red wine, feeling nostalgic and emotional, and quickly wrote the simplified sheet music for the two songs on the computer, humming softly as he wrote.

"It seems like a long time, even saying this feels awkward. It's like a friend who understands you just by looking into your eyes, like a shadow that always stays by your side, whether you are tired, sad, or lonely, and even when you are heartbroken, I have wiped your tears."

"There is a man who loves you deeply, a man who dares not say he loves you, standing just within reach, a man who cares for you more than himself and wants to own you, thinking only of making you happy, no matter where or when."

"There is a man who loves you deeply, a man who dares not say he loves you, standing just within reach, a man who cares for you more than himself and wants to own you."

"I have swallowed my feelings a thousand times, oh, and a ten thousand times I couldn't say. I want to say it, I'm about to lose my mind, I want to suddenly hold you in my arms."

"There is a woman who foolishly accepts this love that doesn't understand me, just as I don't understand how to let go of you, who is like a fool, crying, but now, she is crying, yet very happy, oh, because you are by my side..."

This song is called "A Man."

"Living without you, believing I can forget you, but like coffee that's hard to quit, I think of you when I open my eyes. It seems you are the one who has poisoned me, even if I can't see you for just one day, I can't survive."

"I loved you without regret, even if you say it's not true now, how can I forget you, thinking of it makes me cry. I love you, without you, if you die, I will not complain in my thoughts without hope."

"Baby-never-can't-see-you-again, I-so-I-just-can't-forget, Anything-in-my-mind-for-your-love-I-can't-give, Anything-not-in-my-life."

"How have you lost weight again, do you get sick sometimes? You are like a habitual cold to me, impossible to forget. It seems you are the one who has poisoned me, even if I can't see you for just one day, I can't survive."

"I loved you without regret, even if you say it's not true now, how can I forget you, thinking of it makes me cry. I love you, without you, if you die, I will not complain in my thoughts without hope."

"Don't do this to me, if love has left, can we pretend it was never said? Please, come back to me, I want to see you, I want to hold you, without you, I have no strength to go on."

"If it were easier to meet, maybe I would love you less, I would forget everything, try to erase you, I wouldn't look for you, be happy, the me who is hurting after leaving you, did you love?"

"Baby-never-can't-see-you-again, I-so-I-just-can't-forget, Anything-in-my-mind-for-your-love-I-can't-give, Anything-not-in-my-life..."

This song is called "Poison."

Jin Jingcheng wrote the lyrics in Korean, as he was proficient in Chinese, English, and Korean.

The original "Jin Jingcheng" was proficient in English and Korean, and his Chinese was decent. For an ordinary person, this was already quite good, but for a genius like him, it was a bit lacking. He had thought about learning another language but was limited in this area and too busy with other studies.

In just half an hour, Jin Jingcheng finished writing the simplified sheet music for the two songs.

Jin Jingcheng didn't know if history would change. In his view, in the two timelines of this life and the past life, apart from the changes brought by him, other aspects might also change.

By writing these two songs, he ensured Kim Jong-kook's success. He was confident that after singing these two songs, Kim Jong-kook would transform from a dance group singer in the public's mind to a man who could make many women fall in love with his ballads.

Immediately, Jin Jingcheng sent the simplified sheet music of the two songs to Kim Jong-kook in Korea via email.

...

The next day, Jin Jingcheng and Jose returned to New York, while Tony stayed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to work with Mark on the website's programming.

The $80,000 from Kim Jong-kook had been transferred to Jin Jingcheng, and with his own savings, he now had $100,000, enough to launch Facebook.

However, this was just enough to start. Jin Jingcheng knew that Facebook would become a huge money-making machine in the future, but in the early stages, it would burn a lot of money, even a lot of money.

Facebook's early development was fast, and before long, Jin Jingcheng would need to inject a larger sum of money.

The main reason was that Jin Jingcheng had a clear goal: to fund it himself. He didn't want to repeat the economic lawsuits that Facebook faced in his past life, nor did he want to raise a large amount of capital halfway, which would dilute his personal equity and control over the company. He also didn't want Facebook to be acquired by others before it truly grew.

So, he still needed to raise money, at least to secure the funds needed for Facebook's second phase, which would be much larger than $100,000.

"Money, without money, it's really impossible!" Jin Jingcheng sighed to himself. It was already night, and he was walking alone on a street in New York. Perhaps because he had been thinking too much lately and was worried about the funding, he couldn't help but want to walk alone in the dark, enjoy the breeze, and clear his mind.

Suddenly, he saw a teenage girl and a little girl standing by a phone booth. The teenage girl was about 14 or 15, and the little girl was around 10. He was immediately drawn to them.

They were both Asian, and although they were young, they were very pretty.

This wasn't the main reason he was attracted to them. The real reason was that Jin Jingcheng felt they were familiar.

After a brief thought, a light flashed in his eyes.

"How could it be them? If I'm not mistaken, their home in the U.S. is in San Francisco. Why are they in New York?" Jin Jingcheng muttered in confusion, "Interesting, I didn't expect to meet the most beautiful and mischievous sisters in the Korean entertainment industry tonight."

At this moment, the teenage girl and the little girl also noticed Jin Jingcheng. After looking at him cautiously for a while, they approached him, with the little girl leading the way.

PS: To help everyone get into the story quickly, I wrote this chapter overnight. New books are not easy, please generously vote for recommendations!