Chapter 49

As the Spring Festival approaches, the festive atmosphere becomes increasingly thick. Walking through the streets and alleys of Seoul, one can almost see the smiles on people's faces.

Indeed, after a hard year of work, the Spring Festival has finally arrived. On this day, everyone can relax, and all family members can reunite.

To take care of Kim Yubum, Grandma Lee Jinna specially came from Busan to Seoul and decided to spend the Spring Festival in Seoul this year. Anyway, in Busan, Grandma Lee Jinna had no friends other than family, as she had been taking care of the extremely introverted Kim Yubum. So, it didn't matter where they spent the New Year, as long as her grandson was by her side.

Kim Yubum had no idea what ingredients were needed for the Spring Festival. Fortunately, Grandma was not at all confident in Kim Yubum's ability to help with the shopping. She decided to buy everything herself, personally selecting each ingredient.

According to Grandma Lee Jinna, the Spring Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival were the only two days of the year that could not be taken lightly. Every corner of the house, every ingredient for the dinner, and every small detail must be given the utmost attention.

Not needing Kim Yubum's help, he did not force himself. After all, this was his first Spring Festival in Korea. Although he had experienced it once before, at that time, he had just arrived and was still in a daze, not fully accepting his current identity. He had no mind to pay attention to other matters.

Not needing to help, Kim Yubum did not idle. He frequently visited DSP Entertainment and unapologetically occupied Fin.K.L's dedicated practice room. Taking advantage of the rare free time, he practiced more to solidify and strengthen his skills, which was the most important thing.

Kim Yubum knew very well that the trainee period was the time to lay a solid foundation for his future career. The harder he worked during this period, the more his efforts would pay off after his debut, providing him with the capital to survive in the fiercely competitive entertainment industry.

The more he practiced and worked hard during the trainee period, the smoother his path in the entertainment industry would be in the future.

After all, only during the trainee period, before debuting, did he have enough time to practice. Once he debuted, even if he wanted to practice, it would be too late, and he would have no time.

After debuting, there were only three possibilities: one, he could become an instant sensation, in which case he would be busy with schedules and have no time. Two, he could have some popularity and recognition but not enough, in which case he would need to work even harder to increase his exposure and promotional efforts, leaving him even less time. Three, he could fail completely, in which case the company would try to extract as much value as possible from him to recoup their investment in his trainee period before discarding him.

In short, no matter which of the three outcomes after debuting, there would be no time to practice. Therefore, if he wanted to practice and enhance his skills and versatility, he needed to do so during the trainee period.

This was why people like Yoon Ji-yoon and Lee Hyori envied Kim Yubum for having ample trainee time. Only those who had relied on their talent and quickly debuted, and who had struggled in the entertainment industry, knew how difficult it was to succeed without a solid foundation and practice.

Even Lee Hyori, after launching her solo career and becoming a national sensation with "Ten Minutes," often faced criticism about her singing skills.

Fortunately, the strong-willed Lee Hyori ignored these criticisms and, over time, improved her singing skills through performances and experience.

If Lee Hyori had had sufficient time to practice during her trainee period, everything might have been different, and she might have achieved even greater success.

Of course, Kim Yubum did not just focus on practicing dance, singing, and stage performance. Instead, he spent more time in Kim Jideok's office, learning acting from him, seizing every second to improve.

After all, whether you admit it or not, in Korea, Asia, and even the world, actors generally have a higher status than singers, a fact that cannot be denied.

In terms of fame, influence, income, and career longevity, actors are far superior to singers. This is a widely recognized fact.

Unless you could reach the level of MJ, the situation would be different. However, there is only one MJ in the world, and throughout the history of the global entertainment industry, only MJ has managed to overshadow actors as a singer.

Kim Yubum did not think he was bad, but he also did not delude himself into thinking he was better than MJ. At least for now, he had no such unrealistic thoughts. Therefore, for his future development in the entertainment industry, without reaching MJ's level, Kim Yubum placed more emphasis on his acting career.

Of course, Kim Yubum hoped to be like his brother Leslie Cheung, excelling in both music and acting. However, this dual-track development was much harder than a single-track career, especially since Kim Yubum aimed to be the best in the world, a goal as difficult as climbing to the heavens.

However, Kim Yubum was a steady person, knowing that he needed to take one step at a time and clearly understanding what he needed to do to maximize his benefits.

Just as he stepped out of Kim Jideok's office, a staff member, who had been waiting, reminded him that President Lee Ho-yeon needed to see him.

Well, Kim Jideok's status was so high that even President Lee Ho-yeon did not dare to interrupt his teaching. This time, when he needed to see Kim Yubum, he had a staff member wait outside Kim Jideok's office.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Nuna!" Looking at the young woman in her twenties with a slight baby face, Kim Yubum vaguely remembered that she was President Lee Ho-yeon's assistant. After bowing to thank her, he walked towards President Lee Ho-yeon's office with a hint of curiosity.

He knocked on the door and, upon receiving permission, pushed it open and walked in.

"President, what do you need?" He bowed to greet President Lee Ho-yeon and then asked curiously.

"Oh, Yubum, it's like this. Take a look at this first!" Seeing Kim Yubum, President Lee Ho-yeon smiled and handed him a stack of papers.

"What is this?" Glancing at it, Kim Yubum's heart raced. This could very well be his debut contract in Korea.

"Originally, we planned to send you to Taiwan to adapt, but you gave me such a pleasant surprise by quickly gaining recognition in Taiwan and being scheduled to debut. Since you are part of DSP Entertainment, we know you better and have more confidence in your abilities. Therefore, you should debut in Korea first. Otherwise, people might say that DSP Entertainment lacks foresight, letting such an excellent trainee debut abroad."

Kim Yubum understood President Lee Ho-yeon's Korean pride and did not comment, just smiling faintly. He then lowered his head to look at the contract prepared by President Lee Ho-yeon.

After a quick glance, Kim Yubum was stunned. He looked up at President Lee Ho-yeon, who was smiling and nodding, indicating that the contract was indeed fine.

Seeing this, Kim Yubum lowered his head again and began to carefully read the contract. The more he read, the more he marveled: "This contract is truly out of this world. If it were to be leaked, other agencies would likely criticize and attack DSP Entertainment, as this contract would make their artists feel envious."

However, it did not matter. This was an internal matter between DSP Entertainment and President Lee Ho-yeon. Comparing this contract to the one he had signed with Taiwan's Universal Music, Kim Yubum could not help but sigh: "It's still better to be with your own family!"