Chapter 2

Li Shenglin had a very long dream. Perhaps it was due to the stimulation from his girlfriend and Li Shengji. In the dream, he turned into a Korean, still named Li Shenglin, born in 1989, and had been flying back and forth between Japan and Europe with his parents since childhood.

In the dream, he was a half-grown boy, 17 years old, 18 by Korean standards. He was rebellious, fought, had tattoos, and was even a trainee at some company called YG!

A trainee? What's that? It must be a term his ex-girlfriend mentioned before. He didn't expect his subconscious to remember it. But it's just a dream, right? What kind of company is YG, anyway?

His family was a scholarly one. His grandfather was a physics professor, his father followed in his footsteps, not only as a physics professor but also as a fairy tale writer and manga artist. His mother was a ceramic artist. He really didn't understand how such a family could produce someone like him, so undisciplined and unappreciative of his family. Li Shenglin was quite critical of his dream self.

However, he wasn't the only odd one out. He had a younger sister, Li Cailin (future CL, the leader of 2NE1), who made him shudder just thinking about her. She seemed to have bullied him since childhood, a formidable woman. He had no idea how she grew up...

Fortunately, his other younger sister, Li Xialin, who was 7 years younger, was a well-behaved and sensible child, inheriting the family's refined qualities and studying abroad...

...

Li Shenglin's consciousness returned from the dream. It had been a long time since he drank so much. He felt terrible, with a headache and body aches, as if he had been slashed with a knife in a territorial dispute.

The door opened, and he seemed to be in a hospital... A middle-aged couple entered. The man wasn't particularly handsome, but his aura made Li Shenglin's heart race. Damn, he must be a teacher. Why am I so afraid? But he looked familiar. My junior high school teacher?

The woman was beautiful, with an artist's aura, gentle and noble, and also familiar. As Li Shenglin observed the couple, the woman, who had been crying over her son's trouble, rushed over, "Shenglin, you're awake?"

Isn't that obvious... But, are we that close, Aunt? Watching the aunt touch him, Li Shenglin felt uncomfortable, especially when he noticed her husband's face turning sour...

"OMA, I'm fine!" The words were on the tip of his tongue, and Li Shenglin froze. It seemed he had spoken in Korean... and naturally called the aunt "Mom." Upon closer inspection, she looked like his mother in the dream. The man with a greenish face and a complex expression, was that his father?

What's going on? Why isn't the dream over? Could it be the穿越 (time travel) mentioned in the novels he read while drinking coffee?

"Fine? Brat, I'll tell you, the situation is serious. Three of the people you fought with are severely injured, two are lightly injured, two have severed hand tendons, and three are in a coma with moderate brain concussions. We don't know if there will be any aftereffects. You three are quite capable..."

Listening to his father, Li Shenglin's memories resurfaced. He and his two good friends, Choe Ji-jong and Hong Chan-min, were dancing at a nightclub to celebrate his birthday. Chan-min had his eye on a young delinquent girl, but before he could make a move, her boyfriend and a group of people came to teach them a lesson.

Despite their young age and small numbers, they were skilled. They fought from the nightclub to the street, using the advantage of a small alley and weapons they had taken, such as baseball bats and knives, for a final showdown. Although all three were injured, the other side was worse... Then the police came... He climbed over a wall and ran home, where he fainted...

"Hey, Dad, how are Chan-min and Ji-jong?"

"Severely injured, hospitalized, no formal detention, but they have to do community service for a year under supervision!"

Phew, that's a relief. Li Shenglin sighed. It was good they didn't go to jail. No matter the country, going to prison would definitely take a toll.

Li Jizhen had pretty much given up on his unambitious son, hoping only to have a grandson. "This time, it's over, but you must learn your lesson. You can't do this again. Here's a 500 million won check, for you!"

Taking the check from his father, Li Shenglin was puzzled. This was 500 million won, equivalent to several million RMB. Why wasn't he being punished, but instead given such a generous gift?

Seeing his son's confused face, Li Jizhen was speechless with anger. He turned to his wife, "You tell him. I need some fresh air!"

Hong Youlu, seeing her husband's anger, also blamed her son for being heartless, "Shenglin, you just turned 18 yesterday. Don't forget the Li family rules!"

The Li family rules? Oh, that's it, Li Shenglin understood!

The Li family rules: When a male turns 17, he receives a sum of money from the family and is kicked out of the house. He is not allowed to return home for five years without permission.

Secondly, within five years, he must double the money using any legal means. If he fails, he will be disowned.

As for why Li Shenglin received 500 million won, it was due to his uncle, an economist. After various analyses, considering inflation and future economic growth, he set this amount, much to Li Shenglin's frustration. You were an economics professor, weren't you? Back then, it was only 1 million won...

"Hey, Shenglin..." Seeing his mother hesitate, Li Shenglin had a bad feeling.

"Shenglin, after a discussion with your grandfather, your uncle, and your father, they decided to add a rule to the family rules. You must bring home a fiancée we approve of within five years, get married the next year, and the year after that, I can have a grandson."

Seeing his mother lost in fantasy, Li Shenglin was speechless, "Did you add this yourself...?"

His mother was indignant, "Who said that? I just suggested it, and your father and the others agreed..." Her voice grew softer...

Even she felt embarrassed...

"Oh, right, and you must get into Sungkyunkwan University..." Hong Youlu was a bit embarrassed. She knew her son's level, and with his trainee life, it would be very difficult to get into Sungkyunkwan University.

This was a death sentence, "Mom, you know, I'm a trainee... My dream is to be on stage..." What a dream. Even in his previous life, Li Shenglin had only used being a trainee as an excuse to skip school. He didn't know how he was chosen as a trainee. After this period of adjustment and memory, Li Shenglin understood what being a trainee meant.

"Hey..." Seeing his mother hesitate again, Li Shenglin was speechless, "What now?"

"YG has informed us that you've been fired."

"Why? How could this happen?" Li Shenglin couldn't accept it. How would he skip school now? Did he really have to go to Sungkyunkwan University? He wasn't cut out for it...

"Ah, it's because the fight was exposed..."

"No way..." YG was too powerful...

Hong Youlu didn't answer but took out her phone and opened a video titled "The Virgin Work of a New DV."

Damn, what a creepy title! But after watching the video, Li Shenglin hated the person who made it. Damn, why did you bring a DV to a nightclub? Why were your skills so good? A DV user, not only did you not shake the camera in such a situation, but you even followed us running without the camera shaking. Oh, and you gave me a close-up, showing my red hair, the wolf head tattoo on my shoulder, and the scars from previous fights.

Of course, what made Li Shenglin angriest were the comments:

First floor: The red-haired guy is so strong, he took down six or seven people.

Second floor: What's strong? He's so feminine...

Third floor: What's feminine? That's called delicate... I like it.

Fourth floor: Agree.

Fifth floor: +1

...

Nth floor: +10086

There were some comments from their classmates, saying they knew who he was, but they were ignored. People were clearly more interested in Li Shenglin's delicate appearance and strong fighting skills, as well as the tattoos and scars that didn't match his looks...

This was probably what Li Shenglin disliked most about his current body. As a delinquent, he wanted to be dominant and masculine. In his previous life, he despised those pretty boys. He never thought it would be his turn. Ah, who knew he would take more after his mother. If he took more after his father, it would be better. Men, it's okay to be a bit ugly.

If his father heard this, he might really send a white-haired person to send off a black-haired one.

But Li Shenglin didn't notice a message from the video's author in the middle: "Congratulations to me, I've passed the interview and officially become a VJ at MBC. Thank you for your support, especially to the participants in the video..."

If Li Shenglin saw this, he might spit blood...

Now, Li Shenglin was just worried that this video would take away his excuse to skip school and the comments about his appearance. In the future, when this video resurfaced, it would cause a social media storm due to anti-fans.

"By the way, Mom, why does it have to be Sungkyunkwan University? Can we lower the requirements a bit?" The video was just for entertainment; the important thing was the real issue.

"Brat, do I need to say it?" Hong Youlu blushed, "Your father and I met there..."

Ah, I see...

...

On July 26, 2006, after more than a month of hospitalization, Li Shenglin was finally discharged. He had no aftereffects, but his body now bore more "manly" marks, especially a large scar on his chest, which he found very satisfying. This was a man's body...

During this month, only his parents, his uncle, and his younger sister Cailin visited. Others were not informed to avoid worrying them.

His uncle didn't say much, just hoping that Li Shenglin would behave well from now on and complete the family's task.

As for his sister Li Cailin, she showed her fierce side, patting his shoulder, "Good job, be a man!" She also expressed her dissatisfaction with YG firing her brother, thinking it was a slight to their family. She decided to reapply to YG as a trainee and become the brightest star, as she had been applying for three years due to her brother but had not been accepted.