Chapter Seventeen: Youth Never Returns

“Getting into such a huge mess, Oppa—are you going to lose your job? If so, maybe you should seriously consider preparing for the civil service exam! I can support you!”

Seojeong grit her teeth as she voiced her thoughts. This man still had some savings, and with what she had put aside, they could afford to pay for a course or something. He had always been a good student since childhood, unlike her, who could only sing and dance.

“Let’s wait and see. Let the dust settle for a while; maybe there’ll be a turning point.”

Rarely resting these days, the two of them found a quiet little hole-in-the-wall restaurant like old times. They ordered pork belly kimchi stew with rice. Their adorable way of eating made them look like two little piglets, sweat pouring down their faces. Coming from a poor family, Seojeong never carried much pretension or airs, even as a female entertainer.

“What turning point? If there’s any, it’s for Bae Suzy, not for some lackey like you!”

Seeing him still so calm and composed, Seojeong glared at him with some dissatisfaction. How could they ever live a happy life if he stayed like this? She could only chew the pork belly resentfully and turn her head away.

Chulunhou chuckled softly. He had been keeping up with Reporter Chen’s updates every day, coordinating whatever conveniences he could. In the end, he might have to shoot an interview or something. The newspaper believed his image and temperament were suitable, and his account could serve as the highlight of the story.

“Hey! Oppa, don’t be anxious. Life’s a journey that can be taken slowly. Just find another job. Honestly, putting you in front of Bae Suzy scares me! What if you lose control and give in to temptation?”

Realizing she had been a bit harsh, Seojeong softened her tone to comfort him. Although she knew he usually didn’t lie to her and that there was probably nothing between him and Suzy, she still felt uneasy after reading that news article.

Besides, Bae Suzy wasn’t exactly an innocent soul. Seojeong’s worry was less about Chulunhou and more about Suzy. Maybe she saw her handsome Oppa and thought, “Why waste the money? I’ll get two benefits from one fish.”

After all, Chulunhou was not exactly a tightwad. She had turned a blind eye to his past nightlife escapades. Now that he had found a decent job, was he going to do something improper again?

Chulunhou shook the homemade rice wine in his hand. This kind of drink, similar to makgeolli, was brewed locally. If left too long, the thick rice sediment would settle at the bottom. It was a local specialty brought by Somi, a teammate from Jeonju, and today he had brought it to share with his girl.

He had liked this kind of low-alcohol, cheap drink since school days. Sometimes his family brewed it too. Because of its low cost and simple process, it was often used by South Korean farmers to refresh and relieve fatigue during busy farming seasons.

He wondered if Somi had taken his advice to heart. Living freely as one wishes was everyone’s dream, but as the saying goes, when eating from someone else’s bowl, you must obey their rules. If you are living off your fans, you must be responsible to those who pay, or else you become like a detonated mine with the fuse exposed—dangerous.

“That girl, Jeon Somi, how come you’re so close? She doesn’t seem like your type. Don’t go playing around with her.”

Having spent so long in the nightlife scene, he knew it was hardly a good place. That playful girl, however, had been free-spirited from an early age, reckless and utterly indifferent to her outrageous behavior. As the saying goes, a tiger’s nature is hard to change. Chulunhou didn’t think a few words from him could alter her mindset.

“What’s wrong with Somi? Did she cause trouble? She’s not really a bad person.”

Seojeong thought he was still holding a grudge over her tattling on her little sister, so she quickly defended Somi. Even though they were rivals during the 101 days, ranked first and second, with many fans believing she should have had the center position, she surprisingly got along very well with this younger sister who was five years her junior.

Chulunhou naturally wouldn’t expose the nightclub fight incident. He still had some principles. He knew Somi wasn’t a bad person, but sometimes she had no concept of what she should or shouldn’t do, making her hard to control. Seojeong, on the other hand, had no such problem.

They say youth poverty is hard to buy with money. Though their hardships in adolescence caused some limitations in perspective, it also taught both Seojeong and him how to face life’s challenges. The tenacity and self-reliance this girl showed were not something money could simply buy.

“It’s nothing serious. I just feel she’s acting strangely. She’s about to debut but seems completely unbothered, like nothing’s at stake.”

Chulunhou’s words puzzled Seojeong, but she didn’t dwell on it, instead vigorously defending Somi—talking about foreign education, modern openness, that drinking and clubbing doesn’t necessarily make one a bad girl, how well she understood Somi, and that she knew her limits. Somi herself would probably blush if she heard those words.

Patting her round little belly, Seojeong put on her mask and hopped onto Chulunhou’s secondhand Vespa. The small restaurant was in a very secluded area. As long as they took proper precautions, they had no fear of paparazzi or unauthorized photos—they could just deny any such claims.

Leaning on Chulunhou’s waist, Seojeong felt like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, with this man as her leading man. Even a poor girl could have her princess dreams.

“When you have time, Oppa, let’s go back to Gimpo together! The city’s cultural organization invited our group to perform there! I haven’t been back in years, and now that I think about it, I really miss it!”

Not rushing back to the dorm, Seojeong put on her new cute helmet. The hum of the engine accompanied them as they rode along the sparsely populated riverside, reminiscing about their childhood—a freedom and joy unparalleled. When tired from riding, they would lie down on the grassy hillside, experiencing pure happiness from the heart.

They say flowers bloom again, but youth never returns. Since their mother brought Seojeong and her brother to live with relatives in Gyeonggi Province, the memories of her hometown had gradually faded. Perhaps the only connection left was the man beside her.

This girl’s idol career hadn’t been smooth. At sixteen, she participated in a small audition and was selected by YG Entertainment’s CEO Yang Juhua with priority, but after only two weeks of training, she was dropped, which left her down for a long time. Chulunhou remarked, “Who’d want to go to YG anyway? Being dropped wasn’t due to lack of talent, but because she didn’t fit their corporate culture.”

The so-called “one in three thousand” strict selection by Jellyfish was likely an exaggeration. Such a small company didn’t have the capacity to hold such grand auditions. But it was precisely because it was a small company that Seojeong had her chance to shine. In hindsight, it was the best arrangement.

“Sure! I haven’t been home in a long time either. Disobeying orders is disloyalty; at this rate, I might as well be unfilial too!”

If not for that incident, maybe she could have proudly gone home to visit family. But now, if she went back often, she’d probably become a disgrace in the eyes of relatives and neighbors. Being expelled from the military, everyone would assume she had committed some crime; no one would believe otherwise.

“How could that be? Oppa, you’re a hero! No matter what, I support you!”

Feeling the hard helmet pressed against her back, a smile involuntarily curved Chulunhou’s lips. Yet, for some reason, the windscreen of the helmet fogged up.