Chapter 38

It's not like we're strangers; we're all family—parents and siblings. It's just a casual family dinner. Everyone eats contentedly. After the meal, they sit together watching TV. The MBC daily drama "Mermaid Lady" is currently airing. Excluding the eldest daughter, Lee Jin-gyu, who is already married and a mother, the family of four has three members in the entertainment industry.

Lee Soon-gyu, who usually argues with her mother over watching "Mermaid Lady" every episode, today seems unusually quiet. She sits on the side, fidgeting with her fingers and spacing out, which makes her mother, Wu Min-yeong, feel a bit uncomfortable. She even reaches out to stroke her forehead, checking if her daughter is unwell.

Lee Soon-gyu is startled, pouts, and dodges her mother's hand, "Oh Mom, what are you doing?" Wu Min-yeong looks at her with a strange expression, "Why are you so quiet today? You didn't even argue with me over the TV." Lee Soon-gyu pauses, then wraps her arm around Wu Min-yeong's and smiles coquettishly, "You're my mom, how can I compete with you? That would be so disrespectful."

Wu Min-yeong's eyes widen, and she turns to look at Lee Eun-gyu, who chuckles, "What's going on? You haven't been home for a few days, and you've changed so much... Eun-gyu, who educated your sister at the company?" Lee Eun-gyu stands up, stretches, and looks at Lee Soon-gyu with a playful expression, "Who educated her, you should ask Dad. I'm so busy every day, how would I know why she suddenly became so sensible?"

Lee Soon-gyu bares her teeth and glares at Lee Eun-gyu, "I've always been sensible. I do the most housework, like washing dishes for Mom." Lee Eun-gyu pouts, "But I can support Mom financially. Can you? You're still a kid, always asking Mom for pocket money." She then greets the absent-minded Lee Soo-yeong and Wu Min-yeong, and heads upstairs.

Lee Soon-gyu makes a show of being aggressive towards Lee Eun-gyu's back, but Wu Min-yeong pulls her into her arms and laughs, "I knew it, it's for pocket money, right? What are you buying this time? The game console you mentioned last time, how much does it cost? Girls, you're actually into that."

Lee Soon-gyu quickly frowns, "Ah, Mom, it's not for that..."

"Soon-gyu, come with me for a moment." Lee Soo-yeong suddenly speaks, instructing Lee Soon-gyu. He stands up first and heads towards the study. Lee Soon-gyu and Wu Min-yeong exchange glances, and Wu Min-yeong pats her head, signaling her to follow. Inside the study, Lee Soo-yeong sits at the desk. Lee Soon-gyu sits on the sofa, curiously asking, "Dad, what's up?"

Lee Soo-yeong nods, tapping his fingers on the desk, and leans forward to look at Lee Soon-gyu, "For the past two months since Jeong-woo joined SW, you've been responsible for helping him get familiar with the environment. Tell me, how has he been performing?" Lee Soon-gyu chuckles, "Dad, you know as much as I do. What kind of performance can he have? He just started practicing dancing today, and you haven't even arranged singing, performances, or variety shows for him." Lee Soo-yeong waves his hand, "I'm not talking about that."

After a moment of contemplation, Lee Soo-yeong looks at Lee Soon-gyu seriously, "I'm talking about his determination to become an idol... how strong is it?" Lee Soon-gyu is taken aback, her eyes widening, "You're asking me? How would I know how strong his determination is?" She pouts, "All he does is irritate me and speak harshly. What else has he told me?"

Lee Soo-yeong frowns, then smiles and waves her over to sit opposite him. After a moment of thought, he sighs softly, "Soon-gyu, I won't say this to your older sister, only to you. But you should keep it to yourself." Lee Soon-gyu, seeing her father's seriousness, sits up straight and nods solemnly.

Lee Soo-yeong leans back in his chair and speaks softly, "Your older sister is in charge of Suger, the only idol group in SW. But to be honest, SW's future doesn't lie with them." Lee Soon-gyu frowns, "Dad, Suger is quite popular now. I may joke about the idols from Uncle Fan's company, but I've always followed SES. They are very popular, but they might eventually go solo..."

Lee Soo-yeong shakes his head with a smile, "I'm not talking about that." He purses his lips and continues, "But it is related to that. Can SW, with just Suger, compare to S.M.? The Korean entertainment industry, especially the music industry, has already formed its power structure. S.M. is undoubtedly the top. DSP has Fin.K.L and Sechs.Kies, but they haven't launched any new boy groups since Sechs.Kies. However, they were the only ones who could compete with S.M. in the past, so they can still be considered a major company. With just Suger, who are only moderately popular, when will we become one of the major companies?"

Lee Soon-gyu looks at Lee Soo-yeong with confusion, "Dad, what are you saying?" Lee Soo-yeong leans forward, his eyes fixed on Lee Soon-gyu, "After JYP launched the solo singer Rain last year, he alone was enough to support the entire company. JYP has become a major entertainment company because of him. So, Soon-gyu, I need to confirm Jeong-woo's determination, and then..."

Lee Soon-gyu looks surprised, "Jeong-woo?! You mean that kid?" Lee Soo-yeong waves his hand, scolding, "Girls should watch their language." Lee Soon-gyu says, "Dad, you're the one who found him and even did the groundwork to get him to join. Now you're unsure about his determination? This..."

Lee Soo-yeong sighs, "I didn't think about this before, but today, seeing that he doesn't seem as passionate about Leslie Cheung as I expected, I'm a bit shaken." Lee Soon-gyu chuckles, "Is that your fault? Just because he hasn't been exposed to the entertainment industry doesn't mean he can accept a deceased senior. Why don't you use Rain from JYP as an example? In terms of looks, Jeong-woo can outshine him even without makeup. Using a similar solo singer as a role model might be more effective... Oh, Dad, are you planning to make him a solo artist?"

Lee Soo-yeong says, "Whether he becomes a solo artist or not is another matter, but I'm not sure if his lack of interest in Leslie Cheung has reduced his enthusiasm for the industry. But his high praise for Leslie Cheung doesn't seem genuine." Lee Soon-gyu is taken aback, looking at Lee Soo-yeong curiously, "What exactly did he say to you?"

Lee Soo-yeong pauses, then recounts what Jeong-woo said to him today. Lee Soon-gyu thinks for a moment and smiles, "Dad, don't worry. If it's not something he's interested in, he won't put in the effort. So I can guarantee he will give it his all." Lee Soo-yeong's eyes light up, but he quickly becomes puzzled, "How can you be so sure? What did he say to you?"

Lee Soon-gyu recalls the roundabout way he borrowed her computer and how he stayed up all night watching Leslie Cheung's films and albums. She can't help but think of the time he bit her shoulder. Biting her lip, she remains silent for a moment, then looks up and waves her hand, "Dad, just trust me. Arrange his training normally. He's already a trainee, so he needs to debut first. The goals you mentioned are the highest. If he can't even debut as an idol, talking about these things now is pointless."

Lee Soo-yeong is taken aback, pointing at her with a mix of amusement and frustration, "You brat, you sound just like that kid. Why are kids these days so practical? They have no dreams anymore?" Lee Soon-gyu smiles and steps forward, pushing the tea towards him, "Sure, sure. President Lee has the most dreams, and we are practical. But even so, don't you need us to fulfill your dreams?"

Lee Soo-yeong shakes his head, taps her nose, takes a sip of tea, and falls silent. After a moment, he turns to look at Lee Soon-gyu, his words sounding like a question but also a decision, "Soon-gyu, what do you think if I become his teacher?"

Lee Soon-gyu's smile freezes, her eyes widening in disbelief, "You... you want to be his teacher?" Lee Soo-yeong chuckles, looking at a photo on the wall, not responding. The photo is life-sized, showing a handsome young man in elaborate clothing. Upon closer inspection, he bears a resemblance to Lee Soo-yeong.

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It's time for the daily thank-you session for donations. First, I want to thank Yuri & Tiffanyxi for your donations and update votes. Your consistent support is greatly appreciated. I know I always say thank you, but I can't express my gratitude in any other way. Thank you sincerely. Next, I want to thank my friend Kinggao. Your support and donations are always in my heart. But I have to mention, your update votes... Qinka... and the reverse pattern of love, which is a veteran of the Three Kingdoms. I won't say more, you know what I mean. The last one is our new member, SOOYEON, who seems to be a standard Sone. Sones are adorable, but the big destiny might have unintentionally hurt many Sones. I have no regrets, but I can only say sorry. I hope we can truly understand each other one day.

PS: A few words unrelated to donations. My book, "The Great Destiny," has reached 4 million words. But what I want to talk about is not the word count, but the style. It's slow-burning, striving for realism and detail. Perhaps it's because of a quote from a famous author, "A novel is a world." I write my books the same way. I always try to show everything that happens around the protagonist after they appear, making you feel that their experiences have shaped a living, breathing person. However, this means the plot progresses more slowly. I once discussed with a loyal reader whether I should speed up the pace. The result was that speeding up would indeed make the story progress faster, but it would also affect the rhythm, leading to a domino effect. If "Lianzhan Xingmeng" has made many changes compared to "The Great Destiny," at least for now, I want to stick to the slow-burning and rhythm. I won't say more, but "The Great Destiny" has left a lot in my heart. But perhaps in the hearts of readers, it has left only integrity. I will use this integrity to promise the readers. I will put my heart and effort into this book. I swear on my integrity, I can do it. O(∩_∩)O

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{Piaotian Literature}