Chapter 35 Chapter 35
Since moving into her studio apartment, Lia has had a more regular life than ever before. She sleeps until she wakes up naturally, and the hostess brings her lunch and dinner on time.
Without rehearsals or camera time, she finally had a block of time to herself, where she could quietly catch up on all the missed classes. It was midsummer, sunlight slanted in through the window, and the cicadas chirped incessantly.
The air was filled with the steaming heat of summer. Perhaps due to her changing mood, time seemed to slow down, creating a trance-like illusion that the present was no different from the summer she had just arrived in Korea.
Lia sat by the window, a pencil between her fingers, gently spinning it, making a swish sound. She had a good foundation. Although she had missed a whole semester of classes, she relied on the tutoring materials at hand and a self-disciplined schedule to make it through.
It was enough to catch up roughly. Chinese and social sciences relied heavily on memorization, so understanding wasn't difficult, just the volume. She roughly calculated that if she studied steadily for a few hours each day, she should be able to finish by the end of summer vacation.
The math was what really stumped her. Even with reference materials, some formulas and concepts were difficult to digest independently. Even asking Xia Qing about it, she only had a limited understanding.
Lia sighed in distress, her eyes swept over the textbooks on the table, and she hesitated again - should she find a cram school? Even though she had always been smart, it would be much easier to have a teacher's guidance. "Also,
"It's time to choose your major at the beginning of the school year. You have to choose between liberal arts, science, arts and sports. You have to decide in advance. But since you're an overseas student, you should be able to go through the special admissions channel, right?" Xia Qing's message said so.
"I heard that with an overseas identity, you could even get into Seoul National University. I'm so envious..." If Xia Qing hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have even considered these questions. After she stopped considering her debut, her future path suddenly became completely different.
What subjects to study, what major to take, which university to apply for... It's like suddenly getting off a crowded single-plank bridge and standing on open ground, with access to all directions, but no idea which way to go.
She shook her head, took down the to-do list from the bookshelf, and added two more items: "Confirm subject selection" and "Inquire about the special overseas admissions channel for the college entrance examination."
She stared at the two lines of text, hesitating for a moment, then added a small note: [Urgent]. She closed the notebook, twirled the pencil in her hand, and let out a slow breath.
These things sound simple enough to write about, but when faced with reality, they feel unfamiliar and overwhelming. She needed to find some time to thoroughly research the relevant information. * The night the fifth episode aired, Lia felt anxious.
Although she has informed those close to her about her withdrawal, and aside from Kush's usual fuss, everyone else seems to have accepted the matter well.
After much hesitation, Lia wrote a long message to Kwon Ji-yong the day she got the phone. "Thank you, Oppa. I've decided to withdraw from the competition."
It wasn't because of that explosive post; it was my personal decision, so please don't take it too seriously." She briefly explained her motivation and expressed her gratitude.
The long message, attached below the support photo he'd sent, seemed a bit ridiculous. Unexpectedly, the other party called directly. "What are your plans next?" he asked.
"First... prepare for the college entrance exam?" Lia hesitated. "I've already asked Sister Baoheng to help with the contract. If possible, maybe I can stay in the company."
She wasn't really sure how likely that was. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. "Don't give up music, Lia." She was slightly taken aback.
"You're very talented. Otherwise, Teddy wouldn't be willing to let you stay in his recording studio all the time. You know, he's very strict."
"Making music and becoming an idol can be separate." He lowered his voice, as if there were other people around. "If you want to stay behind the scenes and help me with anything, feel free to let me know."
It was rare for him to use such a serious tone and speak to her at such length. "...Yeah," Lia replied softly, "I'll try to stay."
Hearing this, the person on the other side seemed to be relieved, and said with a hint of smile: "Maybe I need your help with my next album." "Huh?!" Lia widened her eyes.
She wasn't arrogant enough to think she could participate in the production of his album, so she blurted out, "You don't have to encourage me like that."
Kwon Ji-yong was amused by her, and there was a hint of distress in his tone: "I'm serious. You know, if the new girl group wants to debut, there won't be many people in the company who can help me." He was telling the truth.
YG Entertainment, while a mature entertainment company, struggled to manage multiple groups simultaneously with its current resources. Lia finally began to seriously consider the meaning of this question: "Is it a Bigbang album?"
"It's my solo album. I have a lot of tracks to choose from, so..." — It's going to be a lot of work. Lia couldn't help but smile, understanding the other person's implication. "Okay. If I can stay, I definitely will."
She promised earnestly. Someone else called him from the other end of the line. "Right away—" His voice was muffled, probably because he had covered the receiver with his hand.
"Go ahead, Oppa. I just wanted to say thank you, nothing else." Lia pretended to be relaxed and urged him to hang up.
"Well, feel free to contact me if you need anything." He thought for a moment and added, "If you can't get in touch with him, you can also contact Brother Teddy first. I often don't look at my phone when I'm on duty." "Okay." She agreed obediently and hung up the phone.
It was strange. Despite receiving such care, she felt no joy. Only close friends would offer a promise of "keep in touch," but it felt as if a transparent wall had gradually grown between them.
She knew this was probably her own problem. Before, just admiring him from afar was enough, but now that she was actually close, she felt even further away from him. She had become the one constantly receiving his help. She didn't like this imbalance.
This wasn't what she wanted. So even though she knew what he said was true, she wouldn't bother him. After the phone call, Lia was silent for a long time. It seemed like something was quietly changing, but she couldn't see clearly. ...
Lia pulled herself back to her thoughts. Even though those close to her had already known about her decision to withdraw, it would be a lie to say she wasn't worried about public reaction. After tonight's show, her withdrawal would undoubtedly spark another round of discussion.
She sighed deeply. She hadn't enjoyed much of the blessing of fame, but she had endured a great deal of hardship. The computer sat on her desk, like a Pandora's box, whispering to her, "Come see me, come see me..."
"Pah—" She grabbed a piece of clothing and covered the computer with it. She hadn't been out for nearly a month, but today was the first time she felt it was unbearable.
In a space of only ten square meters, she couldn't find anything to distract herself. She tossed and turned for a while, and when the clock struck nine, she finally couldn't bear it any longer. She decided to go out.
She changed into a black tracksuit and donned a black baseball cap. She even added a pair of brown-framed glasses over her mask—hopefully, no one would recognize her this way. Fully armed, she sneaked downstairs.
No one recognized her. At this hour, the main street was deserted. She wandered aimlessly. Even through the mask, the air outside was much better than inside.
Being in a place without a ceiling makes you forget your worries for a while. She walked around the apartment in a full circle and felt a little hungry. The benefits of not having to worry about the camera and not having to maintain a good figure finally became apparent - she could eat snacks!
A month later, Lia realized this for the first time. Suppressing her excitement, she walked briskly toward the convenience store. "Welcome—" the clerk repeated the greeting expertly, her head buried in something at the cash register.
It was nearly ten in the evening, and there wasn't another customer in the store. She rushed to the snack section with a familiar air of speed. This convenience store was a frequent visitor, located near her workplace.
In the past, she'd only dared to buy fruit and vegetable juice here—for dinner after practice. Now it was different. Things were completely different. She felt a bit like a "poor-come-rich-quickie," swishing her head as she browsed the shelves.
"Welcome—" the clerk called again. She was clutching a bag of snacks and turned to meet the man's eyes. Lia was stunned. It was Yu Seung-ho. They'd run into each other at the convenience store again.
"Good evening, we meet again." She greeted with a smile, in a good mood. The other party was obviously a little surprised, and raised his eyebrows slightly: "Aren't you filming a show? Can I go out?"
"Ah—" Lia said in annoyance. He had hit the nail on the head. She leaned closer and lowered her voice, "I'm withdrawing." "..." Her tone was so casual that the other person couldn't react for a moment.
Lia ignored the other person's momentary silence and felt her hands, which were holding the snacks, were already sore. So she pointed her chin towards the cashier, indicating that she wanted to pay first. Unexpectedly, he suddenly walked over and took the snacks from her arms.
"?" Lia was a little surprised. Before she could react, Yu Chenghao had already walked to the cashier. "Hello, checkout." The cashier was still the middle-aged uncle.
He looked up and immediately recognized the person across from him, greeting him warmly: "You're here—" The next second, he saw the other person clattering and dumping a bunch of snacks on the counter, and he was a little surprised: "This is the first time I see you buy so much food."
Yu Seungho shook his head and turned to gesture towards her: "It's hers." Lia poked her head out from behind him: "Yeah, yes, it's mine." Then she quietly retreated. It's better to be cautious, what if the uncle is watching the show?
Fortunately, the clerk didn't ask any more questions. He just nodded, glanced at the two of them with a hint of curiosity, and then lowered his head to quickly pay the bill. When Lia finished paying and walked out of the convenience store, she realized that her snacks were in the hands of another person.
"What were you buying at the convenience store?" she asked. For a moment, she felt a flicker of panic cross his face. "Are you going back to the dorm? I'll take you there," he said, changing the subject.
"Maybe they'll get photographed." Lia said with a smile, but she had already stepped forward. "Not many people are taking pictures of me." "Huh? I thought you'd have a lot of paparazzi following you." She turned to look at him. Yu Seungho shook his head.
Actors and idols are different. For actors, at least, the weight of their work far outweighs the weight of their personal lives. "So, is that the reason you withdrew from the competition?" he suddenly asked.
Lia sighed. "So, have all my classmates seen all that messed up news about me?" The thought of going back to school soon made her scalp tighten. "I guess so? I haven't been back in a long time."
"Yeah, I forgot. You're the busy one." Lia shrugged. The other party chuckled.
"It's not because of the news, it's just that I don't really like being an idol," she replied briefly, then asked, "What about you? Do you like being an actor?" He was stunned for a moment. "...Not really."
"Then why do you continue?" "I started this business when I was very young, so... I didn't give it much thought." He said calmly. Lia glanced at him.
His brows were deep, but his expression was calm, as if he didn't care where his life was headed. They were silent for a moment. A gentle night breeze blew past, dispelling a trace of warmth. "What major will you be enrolling in next semester?" he suddenly asked.
Lia looked up at him, somewhat surprised. His expression remained impassive, but there was a hint of hesitation in his voice. "I won't be filming much next semester, so I plan to study hard," he added, as if to explain his concern.
Lia burst out laughing. "Yeah, I think I'll go for the liberal arts," she nodded. She wasn't really biased towards any subject; aside from her native English, where she was slightly stronger, she was pretty balanced in all the other subjects. It was just that she intuitively preferred liberal arts courses.
"But I missed all the classes last semester, and now I can't catch up." She was a little overwhelmed. It was really too much to compress three or four months of courses into just a few weeks. "The school has after-school tutoring-"
Yu Chenghao said this, and seeing that Lia didn't look like she knew about this, he added, "It's voluntary. If you fall far behind in your studies."
Students who value their grades often sign up for extra tutoring classes outside of school to improve their grades. On the contrary, not many people choose to take the public tutoring classes provided by the school to identify and fill gaps.
"I didn't expect you to know more than me even though you've barely been to campus," Lia teased. "Well, when I first arrived, the Academic Affairs Office was worried I wasn't taking enough classes, so they mentioned it to me." Lia suddenly found this quite interesting.
Despite having a cold face, he was surprisingly honest and straightforward, answering questions one by one. He was surprisingly approachable. After a few more small talk, they walked downstairs to the apartment building.
It didn't seem to be the same place he'd taken her back to last time. Yu Seungho looked up at the building. "Since I'm no longer a trainee, the company arranged a new place for me," Lia explained. "It's not far from my previous dorm."
Yu Chenghao nodded and handed her the bag. "Do you like sweet things?" She lowered her head and rummaged through the bag and asked. "No." "......"
She silently put the chocolate pie back and grabbed a bag of shrimp crackers. "Here—this is for you. Salty and delicious." The scene seemed familiar. Yu Chenghao chuckled and took the shrimp crackers. "Thanks for taking me back. See you at the beginning of school!"
Lia waved at him and turned to walk into the hallway. "Okay, see you at the start of school." Yu Chenghao looked down at the shrimp crackers in his hand, then looked up at the direction she disappeared. It seemed like he always took something away. He chuckled softly.
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