Chapter 56

Li Jingming was very curious. Could this be a dinner arranged by heaven for the lead actors of "Confession"? There were only three people who appeared in this MV, and now they all met at this unassuming barbecue restaurant. Actually, Li Zhiyan's CCM company was in Nonhyeon-dong, even closer than Jessica's dormitory. She came here to be able to practice earlier. Li Zhiyan's appearance was that of a classical beauty, with a certain ethereal charm, but she was actually a very fashionable person. She liked fashionable clothes, accessories, and even preferred places with a fashionable vibe for eating.

This morning, Li Zhiyan received the MV performance fee from LAD company, a total of three million won. This amount was not much for established artists, but for trainees appearing in MVs, it was rare to receive such a sum, usually only 800,000 or one million won. The reason Li Jingming gave this amount was simple: the "Confession" MV was fourteen minutes long, about three times the length of a regular MV, so he paid three times the usual amount. For Li Jingming, there was no real difference between one million won and three million won.

The money Li Zhiyan received was delivered by the trainee supervisor. Although the job was a private gig she took on her own, LAD company still had to follow the rules, and the payment went through CCM company's procedures rather than directly to Li Zhiyan. When the assistant sent by Song Seok-jae arrived, he praised Li Zhiyan's acting and dedication, saying many good things about her.

There were certain etiquettes in company interactions. Publicly praising another company's artist might just be a formality to maintain good relations, but privately praising another company's artist was a way to probe the other party's intentions, implying, "If you don't want this trainee or plan to keep her hidden for a while, our company might make a move."

Kim Gwang-soo had been following Li Jingming's "Confession" MV these past two days. After all, Li Zhiyan was one of his trainees. The MV released only a three-minute segment each day, but he always found time to watch it. On one hand, he was shocked by the strength of this newcomer, Li Jingming, who could sing, act, compose, and write lyrics, no wonder he could debut solo. On the other hand, he had a new appreciation for Li Zhiyan.

Kim Gwang-soo knew about Li Zhiyan, a face-zan trainee with a very good image, but she was a bit shy, often not speaking a word all day. He thought it would be difficult for her to debut because she would be awkward on TV shows, which would only invite anti-fans. However, this MV had a significant impact on him, changing his perception of Li Zhiyan. Her acting was measured and natural, with no trace of her usual shyness.

Some people were "stage hams," like Liu Zaishi, who was quiet at home but became a god-like figure on stage, even annoying the cameramen with his chatter. Others had a special talent for acting, like the late Heath Ledger, who was quiet at home but could effortlessly portray any character on stage. Regardless of which type, Kim Gwang-soo felt he had found a gem. Li Zhiyan's singing and dancing were good, and he could position her as a variety show regular. Focusing on acting would surely bring her success. Kim Gwang-soo immediately told LAD company's assistant, "Li Zhiyan is a non-transferable asset of our company. She's not going anywhere. CCM's transfer window is closed for the year."

In the morning, Kim Gwang-soo specially went to the practice room to visit the trainees, mainly to see Li Zhiyan. The more he saw, the more he liked her, and he couldn't help but praise her, even patting her on the shoulder and saying, "The company is your home. Debuting will happen, fame will come, and you'll be remembered in entertainment history..."

Under the envious gazes of her friends, Li Zhiyan confidently announced that she would treat everyone to beef, but only two people were willing to go with her. The other trainees believed Li Zhiyan was going out to "play" because she was already set to debut, and they needed to practice during their lunch break. After all, how many people could fit in a group, and every bit of skill increased their chances of debuting.

The only ones willing to go out for a big meal with Li Zhiyan during lunch break were Ham Eun-jeong and Park Ji-yeon. Ham Eun-jeong was Li Zhiyan's roommate, and they were good friends who often went out together. Park Ji-yeon was the beloved little sister, a natural foodie who couldn't miss the chance to eat beef. So, three beautiful girls appeared in front of Li Jingming.

"Come and sit, Zhiyan." Li Jingming, acting like a senior, called out to the group, "Let's introduce ourselves."

"This is Senior Li Jingming, you've seen him in the MV." Li Zhiyan smiled at the two girls, then turned to introduce them to Li Jingming, "This is Ham Eun-jeong, a trainee from our company, born in 1988."

Ham Eun-jeong quickly bowed, as a debuted senior was much higher in status than a trainee, "Hello, Senior."

"This is Park Ji-yeon, our little sister, also a trainee, born in 1993."

"Hello, Senior. But you don't look like the person in the MV at all. You seem much younger, younger than Zhiyan-ssi?" Park Ji-yeon greeted and then asked a question.

Li Zhiyan's face turned sour. Was this girl indirectly saying she looked old?

"That's just the makeup effect. Zhiyan and I are the same age." Li Jingming smiled at the straightforward girl, thinking her frank and direct personality was similar to someone else's. He glanced at Jessica, who was frowning and poking the meat on the grill with her chopsticks.

"Same age? But you always call him 'OPPA' in the dorm." Park Ji-yeon completely ignored the red-faced Li Zhiyan and the awkward Ham Eun-jeong.

"I was born in December, so I'm half a year younger than Senior, of course, I call him 'OPPA'." Li Zhiyan quickly explained, seeing Jessica's face getting colder. She silently complained about the girl's lack of tact.

"Sit down and eat. Don't you like Yoshinoya?" Li Jingming casually asked, remembering Li Zhiyan had mentioned it during the MV shoot, which was only two days ago.

This finally triggered someone's dissatisfaction. "Clack!" Jessica slammed her chopsticks on the table, turning to look at the posters on the wall, refusing to look at Li Jingming. Since she came in, he had been calling "Zhiyan, Zhiyan" affectionately, not asking her a single question. Even knowing her food preferences, she suspected Li Jingming was deliberately trying to upset her, maybe even sending a secret text under the table!

"It's just closer to the company. Let's wait for another table. It's too crowded here." Li Zhiyan, seeing her girlfriend's anger, knew better than to be inconsiderate. She had always assumed Jessica was Li Jingming's girlfriend. If they weren't, they wouldn't have been so natural on set, with her NGing countless times while they performed flawlessly, either due to exceptional acting or genuine feelings.

"Fine, let's wait. I don't want to seem petty." Jessica finally spoke, not wanting to appear petty.

"Right, brother-in-law, since you know each other, let them sit." Krystal looked up, pouting her shiny little mouth. She was exasperated with her clumsy sister. This was a critical moment to test a woman's skills, and she couldn't afford to be petty. In Krystal's eyes, Li Zhiyan was even more beautiful than her sister (maybe due to familiarity), and clearly had a crush on Li Jingming, making her a formidable rival.

"Brother-in-law?" The three standing girls stared at Li Jingming, watching his reaction.

"Kids say silly things, hehe." Li Jingming couldn't slap Krystal, so he had to endure it.

"Let's sit, we still have practice later." Park Ji-yeon couldn't resist the smell of the meat, especially seeing Krystal eating so happily.

"Order more, I'll pay." Li Jingming didn't mind the meal, but someone did, and a soft "hmm" sounded in his ear.

"That's not right, Senior has already been very kind to me." Li Zhiyan refused. The MV opportunity was given by Li Jingming, and it seemed their relationship was always tied to barbecue restaurants.

Li Jingming swallowed the meat in his mouth, "Since you call me Senior, how can I not pay for a meal?"

Li Zhiyan reluctantly sat down, ordering a modest portion of beef. To avoid suspicion, she sat next to Krystal. The table was a four-seater, with Jessica inside, Li Jingming outside, and Krystal opposite them. To anyone, it looked like a brother-in-law and sister-in-law dining with their young sister. Now all four seats were occupied, and two more people were seated at the ends, but it was an old-style tatami, so no extra chairs were needed.

Park Ji-yeon, as soon as she sat down, grabbed the chopsticks the server just brought and quickly put a piece of beef in her mouth. It was the meat Li Jingming had grilled, and he didn't mind, but Krystal was not pleased, her "happy smile" turning into a "stern face." Jessica always felt embarrassed eating out with her sister, especially when there was meat on the table. Anyone who dared to touch the food Krystal had her eyes on would be glared at, even her mother at home.

Park Ji-yeon, focused on the meat, was a skilled eater. She cut the meat, brushed it with sauce, and started grilling, happily waiting for it to cook. Just as she thought it was almost ready, a pair of chopsticks suddenly reached out and quickly took the meat. Turning her head, she saw Krystal with her cheeks puffed up.

The air crackled with tension, a fateful encounter between two foodies.

Ps: We had a ritual at home, and the sixteen monks invited came in various cars, with the master arriving in a BMW 740. I was so envious...

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