Chapter 6

"Pan, are you drooling over some handsome guy again?" A delicate little face peeked out from behind Huang Meiying, "Ah, Jin Taeyeon, you scared me again!" Huang Meiying was startled.

A little girl, who looked only 13 or 14 years old, jumped out from behind Huang Meiying. After playing a prank and scaring Huang Meiying, she leaned on the railing, watching one ship after another pass under the Han River Bridge... one, another, and another...

Huang Meiying calmed down and said to the girl named Jin Taeyeon, "I just don't understand what's so good about this place. You all like to daydream here."

"Hehe, good Pan, thank you for coming here with me. This is my little secret," Jin Taeyeon said, looking at the sunset.

"Back when I came to Seoul from Jeonju, I had no one to turn to and no support. I often practiced until midnight, and I was often so tired that I didn't want to practice anymore. I never told you this. One time, in the middle of my practice, I was scolded by my teacher for not working hard enough. The teacher told me to reflect on myself. I thought, 'I practice until midnight every day, how can I not be working hard?' So, out of frustration and exhaustion, I secretly ran back to Jeonju and told my father that I didn't want to be a trainee anymore and that I didn't want to be a singer."

She brushed the wind-blown hair from her face and continued, "But my father was silent for a while, then drove me back to Seoul. He stopped at this spot on the Han River Bridge, took my hand, and said, 'The Han River Bridge is the link between Seoul. On one side is Gangnam, the prosperous area of Seoul, and on the other side is Gangbuk, the less developed area. But even in Gangbuk, many people are drawn to it. Every Korean with dreams wants to come to Seoul, and those who come to Seoul all want to go to Gangnam. It's a place where risks and opportunities coexist, a place where dreams can be realized.'

"Back when I didn't know your mother, I came to Seoul with dreams. At that time, it was still called Han City. But the harsh reality proved that I wasn't suitable for Seoul, or you could say I was eliminated by the environment in Seoul. So, I returned to Jeonju with regret, then met your mother, and had your brother, you, and your sister. Your brother has already started working hard for his dreams, striving to get into a university in Seoul. You passed the S&M's massive exam and successfully entered the largest dream factory in Korea. When you decided to become a trainee, I didn't oppose it, even though your mother strongly disagreed. I recognized your right to pursue your dreams, to stand, develop, and succeed in Seoul. When your dreams come true, mine will too. That's my dream now. But you are all just at the first step of your lives. Even if your brother gets into a university in Seoul, if he doesn't study hard and enrich his experiences, he will be eliminated by Seoul's fast pace. If you work hard now, you can stay here and realize the dreams of many people. And isn't your dream to stay here, on the stage, and even on a bigger stage? But if you give up now, you'll have to go back to Jeonju, return to school, and walk the thorny path of the college entrance exam. Do you have the confidence to give yourself a new dream?" Jin Taeyeon looked at Huang Meiying, who was listening intently.

Huang Meiying was completely absorbed, but when the story suddenly stopped, she saw Jin Taeyeon looking at her, "What's wrong? Keep going, did you start practicing again?"

"Look, I'm about to debut, of course I went back to practice, and even harder. But I just remembered, you said 'we'? Who else likes it here? I know everyone you know."

"Ah, right, right. I just met a screenwriter here. You know, the kind who writes movies and TV shows. He's an uncle!" Huang Meiying, perhaps thinking about Li Zhong's words about her debut, smiled with her eyes closed.

"Wow, you can meet a screenwriter? Really? Are you sure you're not being tricked?" Jin Taeyeon was a bit skeptical of the dazed girl in front of her.

"Of course, he even praised me," Huang Meiying happily recounted what had happened with Ruan Ruan, emphasizing, "I cheered for him, hoping his script gets made, and when I earn money, I'll buy him a handbag."

Jin Taeyeon was speechless, "You're really a fool. He said the handbag is worth 2 million won, and you believed him? And you even agreed to pay interest. If he said the key is worth 10 million won, would you give it to him too? Besides, you've seen our rookie contract, right? We won't earn much money in the first two years. Lee Hyori is a senior who has been in the industry for years and is at the peak of her career, and she can create a nationwide Lee Hyori effect. It will take us a long time to earn 2 million won..."

Huang Meiying was really confused, "Ah, there's that? But, but I already promised him. Besides, it's only 2 million won. I can pay it back later, the interest isn't expensive... only 10,000 won. Come on, Ruan Ruan, it's getting dark. Let's go back to the dorm. It's the last day of free time. We start filming the debut video tomorrow. Let's go back early."

The girl named Jin Taeyeon was a bit helpless, "You'll really get taken advantage of like this..."

"Okay, okay," Huang Meiying smiled.

The two girls took a taxi to the dorm in Cheongdam-dong. In the taxi, Jin Taeyeon was still nagging at Huang Meiying, "Pan, you can't do this in the future. You can't easily agree to anyone's conditions, do you understand? Interest, credit loans, what are these things, and you agreed to them..."

At this moment, the taxi driver said, "Credit interest? Did you borrow from a loan shark? At your age, you shouldn't borrow from loan sharks. Ask your family for money to pay it back quickly, or you'll get deeper and deeper into debt, and it will be even harder to pay it back..."

"Ah, loan shark? We didn't, I just need to pay 2 million won to someone, and he said it has to be paid with credit interest," Huang Meiying said quickly.

"Credit interest is the interest rate of a loan shark. You've been tricked, little girl. The credit interest on 2 million won, even at the lowest rate of 0.5%, is 10,000 won per day. It won't take long before it doubles..." the taxi driver explained.

"Ah..." This time, both Huang Meiying and Jin Taeyeon were stunned...

Meanwhile, Li Zhong had returned to the apartment and was rewriting the script, making some changes. Finally, he thought for a moment and solemnly wrote "The Chaser" on the blank space of the first page.

[Page Ad Start]

[Page Ad End]