Chapter 5

The little girl looked very much in agreement and nodded hastily, saying, "Exactly, exactly, I never thought that the trainees' training would be so tough compared to vocal practice, but it's good this way, I can learn more things, I'm really looking forward to the day of debut!"

This older sister So-jeon looked at the little girl with a bit of envy, perhaps envying her youthful vitality. Thinking of herself, born in 1986, she was already 22 years old this year. After graduating from university, she still chose this path, not knowing whether to call it persistence or foolishness. Perhaps sometimes there was no difference between the two.

"Then let's break up. You'd better debut successfully, or I will definitely appear in front of you again and mock you, mock you for being the biggest fool in the world!"

Those words from the man echoed in her mind again. So-jeon's eyes suddenly reddened, and then she stood up and began practicing alone.

"So-jeon, you are already 22 years old. You have to work harder, harder than others, to succeed!"

The little girl, seeing So-jeon suddenly start practicing, was full of question marks in her mind. But after thinking for a moment, she stood up and joined So-jeon in the dance practice, filled with anticipation for her newly begun training life.

...

The news of Park Bo-young's car accident appeared on major media websites by noon. The cause of the accident was a brake failure, followed by a collision with another car at a crossroads. The person who was hit, understanding the cause, did not escalate the matter. Park Bo-young's agency issued a statement, stating that they had gained Mr. X's understanding and would cover all his medical expenses and provide a certain amount of compensation. Of course, the car repair was... impossible, but fortunately, there was insurance, and with the help of the agency, a new car would likely be provided.

Most netizens expressed concern.

Comments under some news articles included:

"Is our national younger sister okay?" "Is Bo-young alright? Why was the agency so careless?"

"The photo looks terrifying, the car's rear is completely deformed. Is Mr. X really okay?"

"Mr. X is such a kind person. Does anyone know where Mr. X lives? We want to visit him!"

"What? She hit someone and is fine? Is this a privilege of celebrities?"

There were many fans offering comfort and relief, but there were also plenty of sarcastic and critical comments. However, the reality was that this accident did not bring any negative impact to Park Bo-young. On the contrary, because the accident scene looked very serious, it attracted a lot of attention, and her popularity increased significantly.

This is the reality of the entertainment industry; any kind of news can potentially turn into something positive. The greatest tragedy is when no one pays attention.

...

"Bang!"

"Who is it!"

Closing the door and plopping onto the bed filled with stuffed animals, Park Bo-young grumbled angrily. Thinking of that guy who looked somewhat decent, who had deceived her with a lot of talk, even making her feel a bit excited, but in the end, he just wanted her to endorse something. How could there be such a person?

"Talking about young people's love views, it turns out he was trying to trick me. What a scoundrel! No wonder my agent always says... cough, cough, that when you come out to work, you have to be careful, even with jobs introduced by friends or relatives, to avoid signing any harmful contracts. Luckily, I'm smart and clever, or it would have been bad!"

Park Bo-young mumbled, then happily hugged the little bear on the bed and started... rolling around.

I roll, I roll, I roll, I roll...

But after a while, Li Huale's words suddenly came back to her mind.

"Having a son at sixteen, the boyfriend who got her into trouble disappeared, and at twenty-two, she's wandering with a six-year-old son, looking for the father. How do you feel about that?"

Park Bo-young, hugging the stuffed animal, stared blankly at the ceiling, and the words that guy said, like an advertisement, flashed through her mind.

"Little umbrella, little umbrella, little umbrella~~~!"

...

"Achoo!!"

"Did I catch a cold from being splashed with water?" Li Huale thought, somewhat speechless.

"Are you okay? Your nose is red... like Captain Kiba... it's so funny, hahaha!!!"

"It's Captain Buggy!"

Li Huale, somewhat speechless, looked at the long-haired man laughing joyfully beside him, almost throwing the small knife on the bedside table at him.

But Li Huale didn't do that. Instead, he sighed and said, "Stop laughing, Lee Won-jae, you look like an idiot. I'm not feeling good either. Damn, how could I run into such bad luck?"

Lee Won-jae's laughter abruptly stopped, and he didn't respond to Li Huale. His face turned bitter, and his eyes looked out the window at the starry sky. He said sadly, "I'm preparing to study abroad again!"

Li Huale's face changed, and he looked at Lee Won-jae, who turned his head away, not daring to look at him. His fists, which had suddenly clenched, relaxed after a moment.

"Continuing your studies in energy and chemical engineering?" Li Huale asked casually. This man was three years older than him but was a high-achieving student who had returned from abroad. His father was a close friend of Li Huale's adoptive father and a co-founder of SAFE Happiness Corporation.

SAFE Happiness Corporation was once very successful, with its products ranking in the top ten in the Korean market.

However, Li Huale's adoptive father chose to collaborate with foreign research organizations to develop a new type of "little umbrella," which consumed a large amount of funds. In the end, they did achieve some results—a female "little umbrella" that could dissolve automatically in the body, effectively preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Experts said this "cautious protection" could protect women from HIV by "melting" and releasing chemicals, developed using microfibers through "electrospinning."

Of course, the development of this project was not complete. Achieving results was one thing, but bringing it to market was another. Since it was funded by Li Huale's adoptive father, both parties jointly owned the patent. However, the foreigners focused on research and did not care about marketability. The female "little umbrella" they developed, while more effective in preventing diseases and ensuring safety, was as cumbersome to use as traditional female "little umbrellas," and there was no better solution.

In the end, Li Huale's adoptive father, along with several Korean researchers, including Lee Won-jae and his father, began new research. Although they couldn't say it was a complete success, they did incorporate some advantages into male "little umbrellas." However, due to changes in materials and machinery, the cost increased significantly.

Initially, they also put it on the market, but compared to similar products, it had no significant advantages other than safety. So it quickly flopped. The factory's equipment had been completely overhauled, and while it could still produce traditional products, the production process and materials were quite different. This wasn't something that could be changed easily. Unless they chose to abandon the new product and restart production of traditional products, they would have to wait for the right opportunity.

But Li Huale's adoptive father had invested so much money, and changing course now would be a disaster. Moreover, while their company was declining, others were rising. Even if they tried to make a comeback, without any advantages, it would be a lose-lose situation.

So, SAFE Happiness Corporation firmly embarked on... the path to failure.

As a key member responsible for product development and production, Lee Won-jae had been with the company for two to three years, not a long time but not short either.

He, like Li Huale, had put in a lot of effort for the company. Both were young and had a future ahead of them. Now, Lee Won-jae had chosen to give up and pursue his own life, a choice that was understandable.

But the two young men, Li Huale had made his choice... or rather, had no choice, two years ago.

'Never give up until the last moment' was the motto of Rukawa Kaede from Slam Dunk, and it was very admirable.

But Li Huale's motto was 'Even at the last moment, never give up.' According to his promise, unless the company went bankrupt and closed, Li Huale would keep it running.

"Yes, I will continue my previous studies and set off around the end of December!" Lee Won-jae said somewhat helplessly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Li Huale nodded and smiled, "Next month, it looks like our time together is running out. Don't worry, I'll come to see you off. It's getting late, so go back and rest. I think I can be discharged in a few days. This time, I was quite lucky, just a bump on the head, no other problems!"

Li Huale's obvious dismissal made Lee Won-jae even more embarrassed. He had done all he could, and the last chance had been lost today. He had indeed lost all confidence in SAFE.

"Alright, I'll go first. Take care of yourself. My father is still at the company, so don't worry too much!" Lee Won-jae stood up, concerned, and left the room with Li Huale's smiling farewell.

After the door closed, Li Huale's smile instantly disappeared, and his fists clenched, looking very angry. But this anger was not because of Lee Won-jae's departure...

Pursuing a better future was nothing to be blamed for; it was something he wanted to do too.

But the company had really reached this point, and Li Huale was more angry than ever, as if angry at his own incompetence.

"I won't give up. There's still a chance, I can do it!"

"Ah!"

In a fit of anger, Li Huale punched the bedside table, knocking over the metal cabinet. Then...

Seeing the water bag fall to the ground, Li Huale suddenly remembered he was getting an IV, so...

"Doctor, doctor, I'm bleeding, I'm bleeding, it hurts so much!!!"

"Patient in Room 103 is calling for help..."

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