I Will Raise This Family to Greatness - Chapter 117

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 117
Ye-jin smiled softly at me and took a step closer.
Thump-thump-thump.
Why was my heart racing as Ye-jin approached?
“Sung-guk, why are you staring so intently?”
“It’s nothing. Please teach me the choreography.”
“Alright. Shall we begin?”
“Yes!”
I pressed my trembling chest with my hand.
When I’d seen Ye-jin half a year ago, I’d felt nothing, but today was different.
I couldn’t tell if my racing heart was because of Ye-jin or some kind of arrhythmia.
Ye-jin began stretching her arms and legs first.
“Sung-guk, warming up before dancing is really important. You’re not going to be an idol for just one or two years. If you get injured, it’ll affect the other members, so don’t forget to stretch.”
“Yes, Ye-jin.”
I followed her lead and began stretching slowly.
Ye-jin quickly connected her MP3 player to the speaker.
“Sung-guk, what song did you decide on for the end-of-month evaluation?”
“For the song, I chose Just’s ‘It’s a Lie,’ and for the dance, Legend’s ‘The Perfect Man.'”
“Oh, that’s unexpected.”
“What is?”
“Since you’re going to school in the United States, I thought you’d naturally prepare with pop songs.”
American boy groups, even when they were called that, only did basic rhythmic movements, and the groove and soul of Black artists were skills I couldn’t possibly imitate.
“Then, shall we practice Legend’s ‘The Perfect Man’ together?”
“Yes!”
* * *
“Sung-guk, raise your hand a bit higher to your chin. Yes, like that!”
“Sung-guk, when your head turns, your gaze should follow with it.”
“Alright, start with your right foot and execute the turn!”
For the entire hour, Ye-jin watched my choreography without pause.
“Huff. Huff. Haaah—”
I breathed heavily, bent over.
“Sung-guk, you’re not uncoordinated at all.”
“Haaah— Really?”
“Tired? Should we stop practicing?”
Ye-jin turned to look at me, her face glistening with sweat.
Thump. Thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump-thump.
It had been fine during practice, but my heart was racing wildly again.
[Is it hormones?]
At my age, puberty hormones were indeed becoming increasingly active.
Click.
At that moment, I heard the door open.
Ye-jin greeted her warmly.
“Sun-hee. What brings you here?”
Sun-hee—the girl who would become a member of Wonder Woman alongside Ye-jin—made her entrance.
Sun-hee certainly lived up to her reputation: tall, lithe, with perfectly sculpted features that seemed to radiate even now.
[Right, I should just ask Sun-hee to confirm….]
In my past life, Sun-hee had definitely been more my type than Ye-jin with her round face—she was closer to a classical beauty.
And that aloof charm of hers.
It was exactly the style I’d been obsessed with.
“Ye-jin, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, this is Sung-guk, a trainee. I was just teaching him a few things.”
“Wait, are you the face genius?”
[So that’s the nickname I’ve earned around JP Entertainment.]
I quickly straightened up and bowed to Sun-hee.
“Hello. I’m Jeon Sung-guk, the face genius.”
In an instant, Sun-hee’s face crumpled like crumpled paper.
“Who introduces themselves like that? You lived in the United States, didn’t you? Seems like you don’t quite understand Korean social dynamics.”
This coldness… I’d never encountered a woman who treated me so coolly before. Yet in my past life, this was exactly the type I’d adored.
Without realizing it, the corners of my mouth began to lift slightly.
But my heart didn’t race at all.
I placed my hand over my heart, but it remained calm.
“Why, did my words offend you?”
“No, ma’am. I just misunderstood what you said. That’s my mistake.”
“But I’ll admit, you are quite handsome. How old are you?”
“Fourteen.”
“Ah, so you’re two years younger than Ye-jin and me.”
“Yes.”
Ye-jin interjected.
“You even watched our monthly evaluation last break. Don’t you remember?”
[I usually don’t forget once I see someone… Is Sun-hee pretending not to know?]
Sun-hee tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
“There are so many trainees around.”
[Wait. Is she really saying she doesn’t remember me, Jeon Sung-guk? Is she provoking me right now?]
Sun-hee casually shook out her long hair as if it were nothing.
Unlike Ye-jin, Sun-hee carried a different, sweeter fragrance.
Sniff. Sniff.
My nose reacted first.
Finally, the timing for adolescent hormones to activate was approaching. Yet strangely, my heart still didn’t race.
[At least it’s not arrhythmia. Thank goodness….]
Suddenly, I lifted my head and looked at Ye-jin with the round face.
[Could it be… in this life, my taste is really that dumpling-faced girl? No, I like classic beauties…]
While I was flustered, Sun-hee glanced back and forth between Ye-jin and me.
“Aren’t you going to practice?”
“Of course we are.”
“Sun-hee, after we’re done, let’s go eat at that new snack restaurant in front of here.”
“Since you taught me today, I’ll buy us dinner.”
“Sounds good, Sung-guk.”
Ye-jin was pleased, but Sun-hee didn’t seem enthusiastic.
“But I haven’t taught you anything yet?”
“You can start teaching me now. Besides, you danced really well during the monthly evaluation.”
I deliberately spoke to Sun-hee more naturally.
[Why am I doing something so pathetic like Mark would…]
“That’s right. Sun-hee dances the best among trainees our age.”
“Then let me see what your skill level is first.”
“Yes!”
I raised my hand enthusiastically.
* * *
“Sung-guk, eat plenty.”
Ye-jin took careful care of me.
“Sung-guk, don’t be too disappointed.”
Sun-hee consoled me with a cool voice from beside me.
I was watching a video of myself dancing to the legendary “The Perfect Man,” recorded on a digital camera.
I had wanted to convey the reckless feeling of a weary moth in summer diving toward a flame, but in the video, I was nothing but a cricket caught in a spider’s web, flailing helplessly.
My head drooped on its own.
“Sung-guk, it’s actually kind of human that someone as perfect as you can’t dance?”
[Sun-hee, are you making fun of me right now?]
“Yeah, Sung-guk. You’ve only been practicing for a few days. We were worse than you back then. Come on, let’s eat.”
At Ye-jin’s consolation, I barely picked up my spoon.
“By the way, Sung-guk, you really don’t have a girlfriend in the United States?”
At Ye-jin’s question, Sun-hee also stared at me intently.
“In the United States, all my classmates were older than me, and I wasn’t interested in dating anyway.”
This was the truth.
“Don’t you older sisters date?”
I asked the question subtly.
[Yeah, that was natural. Jeon Sung-guk!]
“Dating is forbidden among us JP trainees.”
In that moment, my mind went blank.
Dating is forbidden?
That means I can’t be with Ye-jin!
[Wait, why am I even surprised about a dating ban? I was never interested in dating anyway…]
These pubescent hormones were truly beyond my control.
“Sung-guk, why do you look so surprised?”
“Oh, it’s just… I was surprised by the dating ban. I mean, I’ve been living in the United States.”
I brushed it off vaguely.
“Ah, right. But everyone does it secretly anyway.”
Ye-jin kindly informed me.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you have a boyfriend, noona?”
“I don’t.”
[Phew— thank goodness….]
At Ye-jin’s answer, my heart began to flutter once more.
Worried it might look suspicious, I quickly asked Sun-hee the same question.
“What about you, noona?”
“Me? I don’t either. We’re too busy with practice.”
I felt my spirits lift again.
“Please eat a lot, noona. I’ll treat you.”
“By the way, Sung-guk. Can I get your number? You’re coming back for practice tomorrow, right?”
[Of course!]
“If we practice together, you’ll improve quickly.”
I quickly entered my phone number into Ye-jin’s phone.
“Give me yours too.”
“Sure!”
I entered my phone number into Sun-hee’s phone as well.
Either way, the thought of seeing Ye-jin again tomorrow made my heart soar.
* * *
I put on and took off my hoodie several times.
But no matter what, I couldn’t find a fit that satisfied me.
Knock. Knock.
“Sung-guk. Come eat breakfast.”
Mother’s voice came from outside.
“Okay.”
I reluctantly put on the hoodie with the awkward fit and headed out.
“Sung-guk, are you going to practice again today?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you made many friends?”
“A few. Mother, doesn’t this hoodie look bad on me?”
“You said hoodies were comfortable, so that’s all I bought.”
“Don’t you have any other clothes….”
There was no way I did.
I’d abandoned all memories of my fashionista tycoon days and thrown myself entirely into work, so it had been quite a while since I’d bought anything but hoodies.
My entire winter wardrobe consisted of wearing a duffle coat or padding over a hoodie.
“Sung-guk, want to go shopping? I was thinking you needed some new clothes anyway. Should we hit up the Department Store after practice today?”
[But I need to eat with Ye-jin after practice ends….]
I found myself lost in deep deliberation.
“Mother, let’s go this weekend instead.”
“Alright. Sung-guk, the female trainees at JP are pretty, aren’t they? Has anyone asked to be friends with you?”
“Mother, we have a dating ban.”
“When did I say anything about dating? I just asked if you had any friends.”
Caught.
The thief’s own feet had betrayed him.
“Mother, I need to get going soon.”
“Sure. Eat up quickly.”
Mother gazed at me with a mysterious smile.
[Mother, don’t look at me like that. Even if I do get a girlfriend, I’ll never go public about it. Private relationships are my style anyway.]
* * *
“Huff. Huff. Huff.”
I exhaled in ragged breaths.
I’d been practicing dance alone in the Practice Room for over an hour, but Ye-jin never showed up.
[She definitely said yesterday that we’d practice together! Was she just asking casually? Did I misunderstand….]
My emotions swung back and forth again.
Just then, the Practice Room door opened and Sun-hee and Ye-jin walked in simultaneously.
[Ye-jin! Why are you so late?]
As always, my heart began racing first.
As I approached them eagerly, Ye-jin spoke first with an apologetic expression.
“Sung-guk, I don’t think I’ll be able to practice with you today. And it looks like I won’t be able to practice with you going forward either.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sun-hee and I were selected for the debut lineup.”
I already knew well enough that the two of them had been chosen for the debut group and would debut with Wonder Woman.
“It’s just… from now on, Sun-hee and I will be living in the Dormitory. The Manager picks us up in the morning, we practice, and then we practice some more… I probably won’t be able to help you with dance practice individually anymore.”
“So… I won’t see you all anymore?”
[Ye-jin! This can’t be happening!]
Ye-jin’s expression was truly apologetic.
“It’s not that we can’t see each other at all. But once we start preparing for the debut lineup, there really won’t be any personal time from morning to evening. Sung-guk, I’m sorry.”
“Sung-guk, you work hard too and debut. Got it?”
I clenched my teeth.
“Please debut for sure, you two. I’ll cheer you on!”
Ye-jin and Sun-hee thanked me and left the Practice Room.
I simply sank down where I stood.
My heart, which had been racing so foolishly, fell silent.
[Sigh… Is this my first heartbreak….]
The door creaked open.
I reflexively looked toward it.
I’d hoped it was Ye-jin coming back in, but it was Lee Yu-mi instead.
“Sung-guk, Han So-ri says she’s coming up for your vocal lesson.”
“Oh….”
* * *
“You’re singing ‘It’s All a Lie’ for the end-of-month evaluation, right? Have you been practicing?”
“Yes… I have, but I’m not sure how well.”
“Let’s just sing it comfortably today.”
“Okay.”
Han So-ri began playing the keyboard.
And I started singing Just’s “It’s All a Lie.”
“Every glance you gave me was a lie. Every gesture you made was a lie. Every promise you made was a lie! A lie!”
For the first time, I sang “It’s All a Lie” all the way through.
Han So-ri stared at me with astonished eyes.
“Sung-guk, when did your emotion become this good?”
“Huh?”
“You’re singing like someone who just got dumped. Sung-guk, I think I misjudged you. Your pitch is still pretty shaky, but your emotion is incredible. Vocalists with that kind of emotional depth are really hard to find.”
So why did I feel nothing but emptiness hearing Han So-ri’s praise?
* * *
That night, I came home and uploaded a video of today’s vocal practice to Face Paper.
– January 2, 2004. Covered Just’s “It’s All a Lie.” Give it a listen.
Comments started flooding in immediately.
– Your vocals got so much better!
– This song is seriously catchy. It’s all a lie. It’s all a lie. K-pop addiction is no joke.
– The emotion is killing it. You sound like someone who just got dumped.
I quietly savored the lyrics of “It’s All a Lie” once more.
That smile in your eyes when you looked at me.
That promise you made to teach me to dance.
“It was all a lie. Sniff—.”
I wiped away hot tears.
So this is how we grow up….

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————