Chapter 14

Looking at the sparse smoke—more like black smoke—rising from the open kitchen not far away, Li Huanle immediately and decisively turned around, quietly walked over the wooden boards at the door, and was about to return to the green lawn in the courtyard when... a voice that he should have been eager to hear but was not very happy to hear after all rang out.

"Oppa, are you back?!!!"

Turning his head to look at Kang Min-kyung, who had run to the living room door, with her lips curled up and cute dimples showing, she looked so pure and adorable, but why was she so cold?

Li Huanle shivered, turned around, tightened his clothes, lowered his head, and remained silent for a moment. Suddenly, he raised his head, stood up straight, and marched... to the banquet.

...

Location: Earth, South Korea, Seoul, Gangnam, a certain row of townhouses.

Time: January 1, 2009, 9:50 PM.

Characters: Li Huanle, Kang Min-kyung.

Event: Korean food 'poisoning'.

"Ah~~~~ Damn it, Kang Min-kyung, I won't let you off!"

"Oppa!!!! There's no more paper, bring it up quickly!"

In the two bathrooms upstairs, a man and a woman were both roaring loudly. Within two hours after dinner, they had already run to the toilet more than five times.

The dinner cooked by Kang Min-kyung, except for a part that didn't look very good, wasn't so bad that they couldn't swallow it, but that was all.

At first, to reassure Li Huanle, Kang Min-kyung happily tried the somewhat burnt beef, her two big eyes squinting, and the dimples reappeared on her face. As a result, Li Huanle also ate it.

The result... was it coal slag?

But with the idea that waste is shameful and thrift is glorious, the two of them forced themselves to eat most of the dishes. Although it wasn't the lunar new year, it was still the first day of 2009, so they decided to celebrate a bit.

The result... was like this now.

"I~ want~ to~ cry~~ but I can't~ cry, can't cry, can't cry, hmm~~~" Li Huanle, who already had a hoarse voice, sang even more pitifully. This way, he would definitely be 1000% unable to practice tomorrow. Ignoring the shouts from upstairs about 'no paper,' Li Huanle took out his phone and sent messages to Zheng Junying and Kim Hye-ran, saying he would take a day off tomorrow, but he instructed Zheng Junying to perfect the song first.

Li Huanle wasn't a rigid person. A good man needs three helpers. Although he was still lacking in skills and theoretical knowledge, it didn't mean others were also lacking. So today, after playing a segment, he gave the sheet music he had recorded the previous two days to Zheng Junying and asked him to perfect it, making many requests.

Anyway, he didn't plan to submit these three songs but to start his own plan. For the two songs that appeared in future talent shows and one that was normally released, Li Huanle thought they were perfect for testing the waters and gaining popularity. Although he didn't know if there were original creators in this world, if there were, Li Huanle could only pray that he would be successful by then and would make up for it later.

After all, the other party's age should be very young now. If Li Huanle had plagiarized from well-known producers, he wouldn't feel pressured. He could just find an excuse, like, "You haven't even created it, so how can I be plagiarizing?"

Six minutes later, Li Huanle pulled up his pants and stood up from the toilet, then leaned against the wall, feeling weak in his legs, and left the bathroom. He then took some paper and went to the bathroom in his bedroom on the second floor.

"Oppa!! You're a jerk, you're selfish, you're using public resources for personal revenge!"

"Oppa, I hate you, how can you do this to me!"

"Oppa, I'm sorry, okay, bring me some paper quickly!"

"Oppa!!! Big bad guy!!!"

"Bang!"

"What are you shouting for! I'm a big bad guy, so you want to poison me, right!" Li Huanle gently pushed open the bathroom door, reached in, threw the paper inside, and then closed the door.

At this moment, Kang Min-kyung, sitting inside, had completely lost her usual youthful and cute appearance. Her pale face and sweaty head made her look as haggard as Li Huanle. If the two of them walked out together now, no one would say they weren't siblings.

After Li Huanle threw the paper in, he was about to leave the room and go downstairs, but Kang Min-kyung, who had picked up the paper from the floor, suddenly called out.

"Oppa, wait, I have something to say to you!"

Li Huanle, feeling tired, sat on the edge of the bed and then lay down on the large bed with the covers already spread out. It seemed this girl had tidied up.

"Go ahead, I'm lying on the bed!"

At this moment, the two of them were in a rather peculiar position. One was lying on the big bed, and the other was sitting on the toilet.

After a moment, hearing the flush, Kang Min-kyung's voice finally rang out.

"Oppa, I'll endorse the company!"

Kang Min-kyung's somewhat determined voice came from the door, and Li Huanle immediately sat up, but after less than two seconds, he fell back down, replying, "You can't!"

"Why not!!! I have a stake in that company, isn't it good to endorse my own company!!!" Kang Min-kyung, sitting on the toilet lid, called out with a pale face, looking somewhat sensitive.

Li Huanle, lying on the bed, laughed and said, "It's because you have a stake in the company, and it's a company left by your father, that you can't. With your current popularity, if you endorse your own company's products, especially such special ones, the company has a 90% chance of going bankrupt, and your career will suffer a major setback. Besides, you're not even 20, so it's not very suitable. So, just wash up and go to bed early!"

Kang Min-kyung, in the bathroom, stared blankly at the opposite tiles. Li Huanle's words made her realize that it wasn't as simple as just having an artist endorse the company.

Kang Min-kyung, who was 19 this year, had not even started university. Due to her debut, she had been on leave for a long time and didn't even take the college entrance exam last year. How could she know about these complicated company matters?

Kang Min-kyung suddenly realized that apart from singing and dancing, she didn't know anything else.

This wasn't surprising. This was the current state of the Korean entertainment industry, especially for these boys and girls who went from trainees to artists. They spent a lot of their youth practicing dance, singing, etiquette, acting, and so on. Reality didn't give them more time to learn other skills.

Perhaps after debuting, their understanding and handling of social interactions and interpersonal relationships would improve, but beyond that... nothing.

For a moment, Kang Min-kyung suddenly felt a bit empty and a bit afraid.

"By the way, does your company have any trainees who sing well, are young, and are cute?" Li Huanle, seeing that the room had been silent for a long time, thought for a moment and suddenly asked.

Kang Min-kyung, who had been lost in thought, came back to her senses at Li Huanle's voice, shook her head, and walked to the glass door.

"Whoosh!"

The bathroom door opened, and Kang Min-kyung, with a slightly red and somewhat dejected face, walked out and looked at the Oppa lying on the bed, replying strangely, "Why is Oppa asking this? Are you looking for a trainee to endorse?"

Li Huanle, looking at the sister who had sat down by the bed, replied casually, "Not really, just have something to do. Forget it, I'll call you in two weeks. Now we need to talk about your problem!"

"My problem??" Kang Min-kyung, turning her body, looked at Li Huanle in confusion, not understanding.

Looking up from the bed, Li Huanle suddenly realized that he hadn't paid much attention before, even after Kang Min-kyung's debut. He had been so focused on the company that he hadn't had time to pay attention to the entertainment industry.

But now, looking at her, he suddenly felt a sense of "our little girl is growing up." Seeing the beautiful lines of the white turtleneck sweater she was wearing, Li Huanle sighed, "I didn't realize time had passed so quickly."

His gaze moved up to meet Kang Min-kyung's eyes, and he said seriously, "Of course, it's your problem. Last year, you took a leave of absence for your debut and didn't take the college entrance exam. I don't care about your future decisions or plans for this year, but by the end of this year, you must take the college entrance exam and get into university. Otherwise... hmm!"

Li Huanle made a small threat. Regardless of Kang Min-kyung's choice, he didn't want her to waste all her time on so-called dreams. At the very least, he wouldn't allow her to neglect her studies. But if he thought about himself, Li Huanle would realize he had no right to say this. If it weren't for his stepfather's connections and money, how could he have entered university with his poor record?

But as a 'great' brother, Li Huanle finally woke up, or rather, recovered some of his past personality. He realized that he had been too neglectful of this step-sister over the past two years, especially during the time when his adoptive parents were gone. He hadn't comforted her properly, and he felt a bit guilty.

So, Li Huanle's resolve quickly rose, almost reaching the level of a parent.

Kang Min-kyung was a bit surprised to hear Oppa say this, but she didn't feel repelled. The thoughts in the bathroom had made her a bit afraid. Continuing her education and taking the college entrance exam could help her learn more. In Korea, the importance of education... or rather, academic credentials, was highly valued.

Graduates from prestigious universities and those from lesser-known universities received very different treatment in society.

Like Li Huanle's alma mater and his major in mechanical engineering, out of fifty students, there was only one girl... of course, that wasn't the point.

Simply put, Li Huanle's degree and major weren't very useful.

Although Kang Min-kyung agreed in her heart, Li Huanle's tone was somewhat commanding, and her instinctive resistance kicked in, "Why should I listen to Oppa? I'll handle the university thing myself!"

"No negotiation. If you don't make a decision, I'll show you what the 'Brother's Restraint' technique is." Li Huanle replied very firmly, with no room for negotiation.

Kang Min-kyung's eyes widened, and she pouted, replying unhappily, "Dictator!! I'm grown up, I won't listen to you!"

...

PS: Please vote, collect, and click.

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends