Chapter 8 (Exclusive Release)

The couple exchanged a glance, both seeing disbelief and worry for their daughter in each other's eyes.

"Yalin, do you know how tough it is to be an artist's assistant? It sounds nice to call you an assistant, but you're really just a nanny. You have to take care of the artist's life, you know that?"

Jiang's mother tried her best to explain to her daughter in a calm tone that being an artist's assistant was not a simple matter, and she really didn't understand what her daughter was after in order to become an assistant.

If she wanted to become an entertainer, she could understand. After all, it's only natural for a young girl to yearn for the life of being in the spotlight. Every year, countless children in their country become trainees, and many work in the entertainment industry, so it's perfectly normal for them to have such thoughts.

However, it's incomprehensible that her own daughter, with this face, would say she wants to be an artist's assistant. She even began to suspect that her daughter already had a target, and that she wanted to get closer to that person by becoming an assistant because she liked them.

Thinking about it this way, Jiang's mother became even more unbearable. She couldn't stand that her beautiful daughter was so humble. After all, in her eyes, her precious and beautiful daughter should be the center of attention and have countless suitors, not be a humble suitor like a lapdog.

"Yalin...can you tell Mom which artist's assistant you want to be?"

"...I'm just thinking about this for now, I don't have a specific goal yet, and I'll wait until I graduate from university to consider this issue. I'm just saying this now to give you a heads-up."

Jiang Yalin ultimately decided to tell a white lie. Besides, it was 2005, she was already a junior in college, and she would graduate in a year next year. It was reasonable for her to consider what industry she wanted to work in after graduation.

She majored in Chinese Literature at Seoul National University and enrolled in the program because she was quite interested in Chinese. Now, she can use this to increase her employment chances. After all, the market for Korean groups is indeed expanding into China. She can earn not only an assistant's salary but also a translator's salary. Plus, she can get the money she earned by associating with Kwon Ji-yong. Before she knows it, she can become rich.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yalin couldn't help but smile. Seeing her daughter's genuinely happy expression, although they didn't quite believe what their daughter had just said, the couple couldn't bring themselves to say anything to dissuade her.

Thinking about it, I feel that some things should be experienced by her own experience. Maybe she will regret it after experiencing them. Anyway, she is still young, has the opportunity to take risks, and has her family to support her. She won't have a bad life.

Once the couple understood this, their expressions gradually relaxed.

"Alright, that's your idea, and we respect it. However, I don't have any involvement in the entertainment industry. If you want to make your own way in that field, you'll have to rely on yourself."

Jiang Yalin wasn't surprised that her family couldn't offer her any help in this regard, since finance and entertainment seemed completely unrelated.

So she never thought of relying on her family for help; her parents' lack of objection was already the greatest help they could give her.

Having resolved the most important matter on her mind, Jiang Yalin's days became much easier. Her schoolwork was quite manageable, so she went to school while also trying to bump into Quan Zhilong, watching the show and basking in his good fortune.

Under these circumstances, one day the plot suddenly took a big turn. When she saw the female lead and Kwon Ji-ryong appear in front of her hand in hand, a big question mark appeared on Kang Ah-rin's head.

Isn't this how the plot jumps around?

Yesterday, the two of them were still in an ambiguous stage, with the second female lead causing trouble in the middle. How come they are holding hands and together today?

Perhaps because her gaze was so shocked, the young couple who were reluctant to part couldn't ignore her. After turning around and seeing that it was Jiang Yalin, they both breathed a sigh of relief and nodded and greeted her in a very friendly manner.

Kim Jin-ah was a little embarrassed that her neighbor had found out about her relationship with Kwon Ji-yong so soon, but she also wanted to share her joy with her neighbor. However, she was too embarrassed to admit that she didn't know her neighbor very well, so she had to give up on the idea.

Her attention returned to Kwon Ji-yong; her heart and eyes were filled with him, and she couldn't suppress the sweetness in her heart. She was finally with him. Thinking of her own future, Kim Jin-ah thought that everything was different now; she wouldn't end up like him.

He was excited to finally be with his goddess, but after the excitement, he still felt a little empty. He quickly recalled Li Yanzhen's lonely expression, the way Cailin and the others looked at him after they found out he was with Nuna, and Yongbae's hesitant look. All of these made him feel uncomfortable.

He couldn't help but wonder if he had really made a mistake by being with Nuna. He truly loved Nuna and had pursued her for so long; if they couldn't be together, he would be truly unwilling to accept it.

Jiang Yalin stuffed a mouthful of fish cake into her mouth. She was not optimistic about the future of this young couple. Jin Zhen'er was now treating Quan Zhilong as her lifeline. Although she didn't know what would happen to him in the future, she felt that putting her future on a man was an extremely foolish thing to do.

It's obvious that the male lead doesn't really like the female lead that much; it's just that the pursuit has become an obsession. Once the obsession is gone, can this kind of feeling last?

In addition, based on what she had gleaned from various brief introductions, Kwon Ji-yong was someone who didn't take relationships seriously, had a short attention span, and ended relationships after only three months. Given this attitude towards relationships, and considering the other female leads' eagerness to pursue him, she didn't believe that Kwon Ji-yong and Kim Jin-ah could have a long and lasting relationship.

She hoped that the day of their breakup would be dignified, and that Kim Jin-ah would be strong; otherwise, she couldn't even imagine how dramatic the scene would be.

Jiang Yalin firmly denied that she had any expectations in her heart. After all, she wasn't the kind of person who would gloat or enjoy watching a spectacle.

After witnessing Kwon Ji-yong bringing Kim Jin-ah over after their two dates at her doorstep, Kang Ah-rin never saw Kwon Ji-yong again.

She thought that as long as she stayed at home, she could wait for the dragon to come to her, but who knew that the dragon would not come. Since he was not coming, she could only try to run into him whenever she had the chance. She just hoped that if she appeared in the vicinity too often, it would not arouse the suspicion of the female protagonists.

"Yalin, you haven't gone shopping with me in ages~"

After class, Jiang Yalin quickly packed her things to leave, when she heard Li Naying's extremely resentful voice beside her. This voice made her pause in packing her books, and she had to turn around to look at her.

"I... I've been quite busy lately."

"What are you busy with? What are you busy with? You don't even have time to talk to my lovely friend? Or do you have another dog outside?"

After saying that, Lee Na-young gave him a look that said, "If you dare answer yes, I'll die right now." Kang Ya-rin couldn't help but facepalm. Na-young really was something else...

"I...I've recently become quite interested in following celebrities, so..."

"who?"

"What?"

Jiang Yalin was somewhat bewildered by Li Naying's sudden and inexplicable excitement.

"I'm asking who this amazing person is who managed to drag you into this mess. Tell me, I want to go and pay them homage!!!"

"Ah...Seven?"

Jiang Yalin couldn't recall the names of those celebrities for a moment. The only one she could remember now was Lee Na-young's idol, the one named Seven.

"Ahhhhhh!!!! Yalin, I knew you had good taste! You finally saw the shining point of our Seven oppa! Just thinking about sisters supporting each other makes me so excited I want to scream!!!"

Jiang Yalin: Hehe....You've already screamed.

Honestly, at this point, Jiang Yalin already regretted mentioning the name Seven. After all, it was just an excuse to appease her; she didn't really like this person. Her understanding of him was limited to the fact that he was a man named Seven and came from the same agency as the male lead. She knew nothing else.

"So, how much do you know? What songs have you listened to? What variety shows have you watched? Have you bought any albums?"

After all that questioning, Jiang Yalin felt dizzy and somewhat guilty, and wanted to change the subject.

"Um...I...don't know much about it, and I haven't had a chance to buy an album yet. How about we go to a music store near YG and buy one?"

"Alright, as a seasoned fan, I have to explain the process of being a fan to you..."

Perhaps because she was too excited, Li Naying did not notice Jiang Yalin's guilty conscience, and even excitedly pulled Jiang Yalin to walk outside.

When they arrived at the music store, Jiang Yalin breathed a huge sigh of relief, because Li Naying stopped talking incessantly the whole way.

Along the way, she finally understood just how talkative fangirls can be when they start discussing these topics. It was terrifying; she couldn't get a word in edgewise because the audio was so full, there wasn't a single gap.

Lee Na-young pulled Kang Ya-rin to the shelf displaying albums. Because she didn't know how to do it, she left everything to Lee Na-young. After taking the albums she had chosen, they prepared to go to the cashier to pay. Just as they turned a corner, they heard two little girls chatting there.

"I heard YG has some new developments, it seems like they're going to launch a new boy group."

"Really? Is Ji-yong oppa in there too?"

A note from the author:

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