Chapter 99

Jin Taeyeon looked up, wanting to tell her father that she had thought it over, but for some reason, she couldn't say anything when she saw the coat at her feet that her father had dropped. She hurriedly picked up the coat, folded it gently, and placed it on the back seat. Only then did she realize that she had never done such a thing for her father, even as the eldest daughter of the Jin family.

"Ahpa..." Jin Taeyeon bit her lip, looking at her father.

Her father shook his head and smiled, "Maybe it's because you have an exam coming up that I thought about these things. I didn't want to put pressure on you while you're busy practicing and self-studying. But Taeyeon, you're at a crossroads now. The classes you missed during your month off can be caught up with effort. If you really make it to the final of the selection competition, you'll officially become a trainee and start preparing for your debut. Choosing either path now means giving up the other. You need to make a decision while you still have time to walk down either path."

Jin Taeyeon remained silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, "Ahpa, actually, idols can still go to university."

Her father's lips curved into a smile, and he shook his head, "Ahpa went to university too and even formed a band. But I didn't see many stars back then. Maybe there weren't many so-called idols then."

As they passed a gas station, Jin Taeyeon's father slowly drove in. After refueling and getting back in the car, he continued, "How many idols who got into university chose careers unrelated to film, television, or music? It's just a degree, not a skill that can support them."

Jin Taeyeon thought about it carefully and realized it was true. Out of ten celebrities who went to university, seven or eight of them chose majors related to the arts, such as acting, singing, or other fields, but rarely finance, management, or information technology.

Her father looked at her and knew she understood his point, "There's no such thing as a free lunch. Letting idols study majors unrelated to the entertainment industry, with so many missed classes and their habit of the glamorous life in the entertainment industry, would they still have the motivation to study?"

He glanced at his daughter, who was frowning and lost in thought, and suddenly smiled, "Besides, it seems you don't even have the idea of going to university, right? Your brother even secretly told me."

"Mo ya? Jin Ji-yong this... uh." Seeing her father suddenly frown at her, Jin Taeyeon stuck out her tongue and giggled, turning to draw on the car window.

Her father shook his head helplessly but felt a sense of fulfillment. In a happy family, arguments between children are a sign of a healthy relationship. If they were always polite to each other, it would be boring.

Suddenly, he sobered up and pursed his lips, "Taeyeon, if Ahpa didn't support you, I wouldn't be driving you to practice singing every day, a six-hour round trip. I once had dreams too, and you've heard me talk about playing the guitar. I won't comment on your future, but even though you're young, I leave the choice to you. A month has already passed, and I've never given you a long break to do things unrelated to your studies. Now, while your mother isn't around, tell Ahpa. Which path will you choose, and you must stick to it from now on."

Jin Taeyeon's fingers, which were drawing on the window, suddenly stopped. She turned to look at the white hair that had appeared at her father's temples, and her tone became firm, "I want to sing. I want to keep singing, earn money to buy a big house with three bathrooms for Ahpa, buy myself a car, not a domestic one. I don't want Ahpa to have to drive me around anymore."

Her father smiled, a happy smile, "Really, you didn't mention your mother at all. Are you not going to let her live in the house you buy?"

Jin Taeyeon was taken aback and scolded, "Of course not! Ahpa and Ohma are together, if you live there, she will too."

Suddenly, her expression became strange, and she tried to suppress a laugh, looking at her father, "Or is Ahpa thinking... about not having Ohma anymore?"

Her father was embarrassed, turned to glare at her, and raised his hand, "Brat! You dare say anything. If your mother hears this, she'll probably deal with both of us."

Jin Taeyeon giggled, not hiding her mature voice in front of her father.

But after a moment, she pouted and fiddled with her fingers, "Anyway, Ohma always only cares about Jin Ji-yong, only Ahpa is good to me."

Her father frowned, "He's your brother! Don't call him by his name, it's impolite."

Jin Taeyeon's indifferent attitude left her father with no choice. The atmosphere improved after she made her choice.

After a while, her father shook his head, "Taeyeon, since you've made your choice, don't think too much about it from now on. Your future has only three stages: from a regular child to a trainee, from a trainee to a debut idol, and from a debut idol to the most popular one. Anything else is a distraction. Do you understand?"

Jin Taeyeon slowly put away her smile and looked at her father's profile, "Ahpa..."

Her father shook his head, "If you were going to school, it wouldn't be considered entering society. Girls don't have to serve in the military, and until you graduate, you have time to think about how to enter the real world and support yourself. But if you become a trainee, you've chosen this path. Ahpa can't help you much, and your competition starts now. There, they won't let you coexist peacefully, and you won't learn with your partners. If you can't make it, you'll be eliminated, and if they can't, they'll leave. After debuting, it's not limited to your own company; you'll compete with all the artists in the entertainment industry. This cruelty, you need to be prepared for. You need to keep improving your abilities and not be distracted by other things."

He turned to look at his daughter, who seemed a bit at a loss, and continued, "Ahpa isn't in this industry, but supporting this family means competing every day. If their business is good, Ahpa can't earn money to support the family, buy you a phone, or let you practice. I didn't tell you this before because you were young. Now, I'm not telling you to make you understand how hard it is for Ahpa to support the family. In fact, in Jeonju, we live quite well. At least supporting you three isn't a problem. You can eat and drink whatever you want, as long as you don't ask for things like the rich. But now, you're facing competition. Entering a company means entering society. It's not like middle school, high school, or university. There's only waiting, and only whether you can make it or not. If you can, they can't, or if they can, you can't."

Finally, he got to the point, looking at his eldest daughter, who was biting her lip and looking down, and shook his head, "Are you still thinking about the boy whose vocal cords were damaged because of you? Don't deny it, Ahpa knows you've been thinking about it. But Taeyeon, even if you think about it for a lifetime, his vocal cords will either recover or he won't be able to sing anymore, and that's up to the doctors, not you. On the contrary, if you keep thinking about it, or if you think about other things, it might affect your mindset, your future path, and your success in doing things. If you can't learn to let go, there will be many more things that will bother you in the future. Without competition, you'll defeat yourself first. Are you willing to do that after all your hard work?"

Jin Taeyeon couldn't say a word. After saying so much, her father didn't continue. He gave her time to digest it. Not every father can successfully guide their children, but they all try their best to educate them well.

The rest of the journey was silent. They went home, ate, and slept. The next day, Jin Taeyeon returned to school, but it didn't cause much of a stir. Schools and children are like that; many things are forgotten or ignored soon. They like new and exciting things, always looking for fresh changes.

Jin Taeyeon sat there, filling out her exam paper, occasionally looking around at her classmates, and was glared at several times by the proctor. She lowered her head and smiled, thinking about her future. If she became an idol, wouldn't her fans be around this age? Their attitude towards her would be similar to how they treat idols?

If she doesn't keep moving forward, she might be forgotten. Ahpa was right; she couldn't afford to be distracted by other things. From the moment she set her goal to become a trainee, even before entering the company, just participating in the selection competition meant competition and elimination. She had made her choice, and there would be no turning back.

But before giving up everything, I still want to go there. That place that carries so much for me, my last haven, and a place I probably won't have many chances to visit again. And the person who left me a message, and the one whose paths crossed with mine, will I have the chance... to see them again?

(Happy April Fool's Day. O(∩_∩)O I've updated again. First, thank you to kinggao.xi and zhi'ai yan yunxi for your support. Thank you. Also, thank you to everyone who voted, clicked, and favorited. I bow to you. zzang. zzang. O(∩_∩)O)

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