Chapter 61 Chapter 61
Senior year was undoubtedly a fierce battle for every student. As if under some spell, upon entering this realm of time, everyone seemed possessed by their own minds, their minds focused solely on running in one direction.
Classes, exercises, mock exams, more classes, more exercises, more mock exams... Time is compressed in the small classroom. Even the most noisy students on weekdays gradually become silent under the pressure of the college entrance examination.
The days flew by. Even Lia, considered by Xia Qing to be the "King of Admissions," needed some time to regain her composure. Shortly after school started, the results of the interviews for the overseas special admissions program began to be announced.
As expected, she received offers of admission from Yonsei University and Sungkyunkwan University, but not Seoul National University. In this city, a dream city for countless students every year, the door to Seoul National University seemed particularly narrow.
Lia hesitated for a few days, but ultimately decided to continue taking the college entrance exam. This was a very risky decision. Although she had received offers from both Yonsei and Sungkyunkwan, the acceptance letters clearly stated the deadline for confirming her offer.
Missing out was like giving up. It was like trading a certain future for an unknown possibility. Xia Qing lamented this for a long time. For a long time, whenever she saw him at school, she would repeatedly ask, "Are you really not going to Yonsei University?"
"What a shame." "Really, you're really not going?" It wasn't until Lia, tired of being asked and making a solemn statement, that Xia Qing finally stopped the barrage of questions. For most people, that would certainly be the safe choice.
But she has enough patience and perseverance to pursue the best result. To this end, she also asked Teddy for leave and temporarily stopped going to the studio. Fortunately, Teddy did not have any new projects at hand.
I supported her college entrance exam without hesitation. * After Friday night study session, Lia, carrying her schoolbag, slowly walked home along the path leading from the bus stop, her mind still rapidly reviewing the day's mock exam.
The light from the convenience store streamed through the glass, illuminating a warm yellow against the pitch-black night. The air was thick with a damp, earthy smell. A breeze occasionally blew through, rustling the leaves on either side of the street before returning to silence.
It seemed like a sign of a rainstorm. She quickened her pace and turned into the store. This was probably a bad habit only high school students develop—eating late-night snacks.
It took just a few days to develop this habit. Only by filling her stomach could she concentrate on studying late at night. She grabbed a bottle of low-sugar coffee from the shelf and a box of instant rice balls.
It was too late, and the only person in the store was the part-time student on night shift, who was yawning and leaning against the cash register in a daze. While checking out, Lia glanced at the TV in the corner.
The TV usually played prime-time news or commercials on repeat, and she rarely paid attention. But for some reason, she looked up that day.
The screen happened to switch to that frame, with the album cover of "Heartbreaker" in the center, and the news headline jumped out word by word - [Kwon Ji-yong is suspected of plagiarism, the original American author Flo
Rida has yet to respond, with YG stating they are "under investigation." Her hands paused as she searched for change. The TV volume was turned down, but the host's announcement still reached her ears clearly:
"... Currently, more than 30,000 people have signed a petition to suspend his entertainment activities and give a formal explanation of the controversial content." "It is reported that the controversy originated from the American singer Flo
Rida released the single "Right" in early 2009.
Round", which has been on the Billboard charts for many weeks... The chorus melody of "Heartbreaker" is similar to "Right
Round, raising public doubts about its originality…” Almost simultaneously, a flash of white light split the night sky. Then, “BOOM—” thunder exploded overhead, shaking the glass windows.
Without any warning, bean-sized raindrops pounded down, blanketing the eaves, the ground, and the glass windows, instantly engulfing the entire street. The part-time student glanced out the window and saw that she was still staring blankly at the TV, so he couldn't help but start a conversation.
"I can't believe it, they actually plagiarized it." He sighed seriously while scanning the barcode on the coffee, "Just like the weather, it changes at any time." The sound of rain hitting the glass was so loud that it almost drowned out the voices.
There was an indistinguishable excitement in his tone, as if he had witnessed this plagiarism case with his own eyes and finally had someone to discuss it with, even the sleepiness from the night shift had dissipated. Lia glanced at him and didn't say anything.
The part-time student seemed to realize he'd said too much, and he uttered an "uh" as if to ease the awkwardness. His words hung in the air as he lowered his head and put his things into the bag. "The news could be fake."
The glass door of the convenience store dinged, and at the same time, a voice, neither loud nor soft, was heard. A figure rushed in with the wind. The person stood by the door, his coat soaked, water dripping down the hem.
He raised his hand to push away the wet hair from his forehead, water droplets falling along his fingertips. His eyes swept across the store, finally landing on the two people in front of the cashier.
The part-time student was stunned for a moment, somewhat unsure of the atmosphere, and chuckled dryly: "That's right, the news always talks nonsense nowadays." As soon as he finished speaking, he finally saw the other person's face clearly. "Eh——"
His tone suddenly rose, with a hint of surprise. "You are...that...Aren't you the—" It's Yu Seungho!!!
He silently shouted in his heart, then subconsciously stood up a little straighter, and the sleepiness on his face disappeared. Of course he recognized this face. For a while, he watched the TV station on time every night to follow the episode of "Queen Seondeok".
Besides, celebrities have a different aura than ordinary people. Even if they're drenched in rain, they still have a strong presence. He glanced at the door secretly, secretly glad that he hadn't said anything too outrageous, while pushing the packed bag towards Lia.
Lia finally came to her senses and followed the part-time student's gaze. Yu Seung-ho didn't approach, but simply stood by the door, nodding politely at the part-time student and smiling at her. He didn't seem surprised, probably having recognized her.
Drops of water trickled down her hair and fingertips, forming a small puddle at her feet. Lia instinctively opened her mouth. "Long time no see." ... The rain didn't stop for a moment.
Inside the small space of the convenience store, the three of them were lost in their own thoughts. Yu Chenghao, seemingly unwilling to bring his dampness into the store, simply stood on the small patch of ground near the door, not moving a step.
The part-time student hesitated for a moment, swallowed hard, and said to the two of them, "The rain won't stop anytime soon, so let's wait in the store."
Then he pointed to the dining area in the store and said, "Don't worry about getting the floor wet. I have to mop it again before I hand over my shift anyway." Lia thanked him softly and walked over first. Yu Chenghao nodded and followed quietly.
The part-time student watched them sit behind the shelves, trying to act nonchalant as he tidied the cash register, but he couldn't help but glance over there. That girl looked familiar, too. Did they know each other? She'd just said, "Long time no see."
A series of questions exploded in his mind, and he even forgot that he was still working the night shift. In just a few minutes, he was as energetic as if he had been injected with chicken blood. Lia had already walked to the table and chairs by the window and took out a few tissues from her bag and handed them over.
Yu Seung-ho took it, his fingertips cold. His jacket was already soaked, so he took it off, folded it, and draped it over the back of a chair. The convenience store air conditioning hummed. The two sat across the table from each other, speechless for a moment. After a long pause, he spoke first.
"What's going on with the news?" Lia was startled. Her knuckles were white as she clutched her newly bought coffee.
"I... didn't pay much attention." She whispered, her eyes falling on the small ball of paper he had just used to wipe the water stain. "I haven't been online much recently." Ever since they parted on the rooftop that day, she has deliberately avoided company-related news.
Life in the third year of high school is too full—so full that if she hadn’t seen the news here tonight, she might not even know about this incident until it was settled.
"The company will find a way to solve it." She forced a smile and changed the subject stiffly, "What about you? Aren't you going to continue studying?" Yu Chenghao was keenly aware of something and looked at her intently.
Lia fiddled with the coffee in her hand, her eyes wandering around. After a long moment, he slowly replied, "...Yeah." The trip was already scheduled for a year later, so there was really no reason for him to hesitate.
Lia nodded. "So, are you filming a new drama now?" she asked again. As if to fill the void before her, she kept finding new topics. Unrelated topics. "Yeah, filming a school drama."
Yu Seung-ho withdrew his gaze and answered her questions one by one. "I'm also in talks about the movie script you gave me." Lia was slightly surprised. "It's a good script, but the investors don't have any clues yet, so we have to wait a little longer," he explained.
"Investors?" "Well, the subject matter is unpopular, so it may not make money after it is filmed." ... Between the question and the answer, the topic was quickly exhausted, and the two fell silent again.
Outside the window, the rain gradually subsided, and the raindrops on the glass slid down the slope, gradually forming thin streaks of water. Neither the speaker nor the listener's mind was on the subject, and time seemed to be stretched into a sticky mass of glue.
Lia lowered her head and fiddled with the coffee can, twisting the cap over and over again. After an unknown amount of time, Yu Seungho suddenly spoke, his voice low but clear. "...I'm sorry about that day."
Lia didn't react and looked up at him. "Hmm?" He didn't say anything, just looked at her quietly. After not seeing him for a few weeks, his hair had grown a little longer, shaved short on the sides, and the top of his head was wet from the rain and stuck to his forehead obediently.
A hint of moisture still hung on his eyelashes, and his dark eyes were like a pool of deep water, still and yet concealing everything. In just a second, she understood what he meant. It was an apology. For his care for her on his birthday.
Because of that thought, she might have indirectly damaged her relationship with that person. It was also about being honest. He wanted to see her. He liked her. Lia didn't say anything.
He just laid out his hidden selfishness before her. He knew, of course, that this was the worst time. But it was also the best time. Lia suddenly had a very subtle feeling——
They hadn't seen each other for a long time, but they didn't feel unfamiliar; they had only known each other for a short time, but they seemed to have known each other for a long time.
The convenience store's air conditioner was still humming slowly. Outside, the sound of rain had subsided, leaving only the occasional drip of water from the eaves, "ticking" onto the road. "The rain has stopped." He glanced out the window, breaking the silence. "Let me take you home."
Lia nodded, stood up, and walked out. Outside was a world washed by rain. The streets were wet, and the night breeze brought a chill after the rain. "It's okay," she suddenly whispered. Yu Chenghao was startled and paused in his steps to follow her.
"And...thank you." She turned to look at him. Seeing that he seemed puzzled, she repeated her words again word for word. "Thank you." It was clear that playing dumb was also possible. Yu Chenghao's eyebrows curved slightly.
He seemed to be joking, but also seemed to be seriously confirming her: "...Next time, we will meet again, right?" Lia also smiled. "Yes," she said, "We will meet again."
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