Chapter 80

Just when Li Chong felt that he was about to lose it, Lee Ji-hyeon brought Jeon Bora to Li Chong's side, "Oppa Li Chong, this is my college classmate, Jeon Bora."

Li Chong looked at the petite beauty next to Lee Ji-hyeon, estimating her height to be around 155 cm. Her small frame and face made her look more like a classmate of Park Ji-yeon than a college student. "Hmm, she's your classmate? I feel like she looks more like a classmate of Ji-yeon."

Li Chong thought that this CCM company trainee was as unique as some of the members of Girls' Generation.

"Ah, I really am a college student, I just have a baby face," Jeon Bora quickly defended herself. However, she was often mistaken for a middle school or high school student, so she had gotten used to it.

At this moment, Teacher Yoon returned from the door with some items: a temporary entry pass, two sets of practice clothes, and a meal card. "Lee Ji-hyeon, these are your things. Starting tomorrow, you'll come at 8 AM. We'll have a group dance and singing technique training session, followed by group and free practice time. You can familiarize yourself with the environment today."

"Um, thank you, Teacher Yoon," Lee Ji-hyeon bowed slightly.

After handing the items to Lee Ji-hyeon, Teacher Yoon turned to the other girls and said, "Bora, take Lee Ji-hyeon around in the morning, and come back for practice in the afternoon. You've had enough rest, so dance the song three times, then do free practice."

"Ah, we have to practice again? I'm so hungry!" Park Ji-yeon exclaimed.

Li Chong looked at the few girls in the practice room and felt a bit sorry for them. They were all young girls, training hard for their dreams. Li Chong himself had never found the entertainment industry to be very difficult. Even when he first returned to Korea, his identity as a New York University film directing graduate made it easy for him to enter the industry.

After leaving CCM, Li Chong found a Western restaurant that delivered and ordered three pizzas. He then called Lee Ji-hyeon and told her to let the girls know that he was treating them to lunch, and that he wouldn't be involved in anything else.

Recently, Girls' Generation had been very busy and content. The success of "Kissing You" brought them countless appearances and commercial performances. The unexpected popularity of Kim Tae-yeon's OST "If" showcased the singing ability of the small-statured captain. Moreover, Lin Yoon-a had successfully auditioned for the lead role in a drama, which made the members of Girls' Generation extremely excited. This was a sign that the group was about to become a huge success!

So everyone decided to celebrate. Recently, the number of advertising endorsements for Girls' Generation had increased, and they had all earned some money. After Kim Tae-yeon returned from Sung Yuri's birthday party yesterday, the group collectively decided to hold a birthday party for Tae-yeon on March 9th, inviting all their friends to gather.

"Should we invite Uncle Li Chong?" Park Nae-yeon asked timidly.

"Of course, why not? Let him buy an expensive gift. He bought a 20 million won crystal piano for Senior Sung Yuri. That's 20 million won!" Lin Yoon-a interjected. When Tae-yeon came back yesterday, she told everyone about the gift Li Chong had bought for Sung Yuri. When they heard it was worth 20 million won, they were all stunned. A 20 million won birthday gift, it turned out Li Chong was so rich. Several of them even said they wanted to marry Li Chong on the spot.

"Alright, then this tough task is yours," Sooyoung said to Yoon-a.

"Ah!" Yoon-a was frustrated. Not only did she have to invite him, but she also had to make him buy a gift. This was too much to ask.

"Ha ha, Yoon-a, just invite Uncle Li Chong. As for the gift, it doesn't matter. As long as he comes, that's fine," Tae-yeon said with a smile to her sisters.

Jung Soo-yeon had always hoped to see Li Chong, but recently she had seen him very rarely. The less she saw him, the more she missed him, and the more she liked that peach-colored tie. Now, that peach-colored tie was cherished like a treasure.

Everyone was discussing who to invite, what to eat, and whether to drink or not. Kwon Yu-ri sat quietly on the side, knowing that although Tae-yeon had said she saw Li Chong last night, only Kwon Yu-ri knew that Li Chong hadn't returned to the apartment. After Tae-yeon came back, Kwon Yu-ri sat unusually in the living room watching TV until late at night. She turned the volume down to the minimum, intending to listen for the sound of the door opening next door. But by 2 AM, there was still no sound, and Kwon Yu-ri couldn't hold out any longer, so she went to bed. In the morning, she was the first to wake up and checked the door, finding it still tightly closed.

Kwon Yu-ri had been thinking about Li Chong all morning, wondering if something had happened, but she hadn't had a chance to call him alone. When everyone mentioned inviting Li Chong, Kwon Yu-ri thought this was a good opportunity, so she asked Yoon-a to take over the task. Yoon-a also felt that she had been too hasty earlier, and it was better for someone else to take on this difficult task.

Kwon Yu-ri called Li Chong, "Uncle Li Chong, are you free on the 9th?" she asked under the watchful eyes of the others.

Li Chong was on his way home, having eaten breakfast too late and not feeling hungry. He was planning to find the material for the theme he had thought of yesterday, hoping to write a rough outline. Kwon Yu-ri's call came, "Little Yu-ri, what's up?" Li Chong called her "Little Yu-ri" out of habit.

"Um, Uncle Li Chong, the 9th is Tae-yeon's birthday. We've achieved some success and earned some money, so we want to celebrate. This is a formal invitation!" Kwon Yu-ri said under the pressure of everyone's eyes.

"9th?" Li Chong thought for a moment, "If you don't mind me being a bit late, I should be able to make it. That day is the start of Director Zhang Xun's new movie. If he doesn't plan to work through the night on the first day, I should be able to come."

Kwon Yu-ri covered the phone and whispered to everyone, "Uncle Li Chong said he has a new movie starting that day and will be a bit late. What time do we plan to start?"

"That's no problem. We'll probably be here until 12, right? He won't come by then?" Sunny continued.

"Right, at least until midnight." "It's not too much to ask for one night of fun." "We have two bottles of good wine." There was another commotion.

Li Chong could faintly hear the noise through the phone, guessing it was a lot of chatter. "Is there anything else? I'm driving."

Kwon Yu-ri, hearing that Li Chong was driving, quickly tried to hang up, but Yoon-a was quick and took over the phone, "Uncle Li Chong, don't forget to bring a gift!" "Ah, Yoon-a!" The call was hung up.

Li Chong smiled bitterly, it seemed he still had to buy a gift...