Chapter 9

The turmoil caused by the movie quickly subsided, and Jin Zhongming's life returned to normal. No one on the street patted his head anymore. Love letters still came, but not as many as before. After all, even if Jin Zhongming wasn't a child star, he was still a prominent figure in the school, excelling in academics, baseball, and even his looks, which could be considered one in a thousand. However, the number of letters was indeed much less than before. Notably, as Jin Zhongming had guessed, his body had started to develop. In just five months, he had grown 3 centimeters taller, and some features had begun to show.

Thus, the second Saturday of November arrived quickly. Jin Zhongming arrived early at Incheon International Airport with a group of people. Today was the day the Jin and Jeong families were returning to Korea to settle down, and many of their close friends and relatives were waiting at the airport to welcome them.

At 10 a.m., a warm electronic announcement in the airport's welcome area said, "The direct flight KE-060 from Los Angeles, USA, has arrived." A crowd of people began to flow out of the terminal. Jin Zhongming leaned forward to search for familiar faces among the crowd.

"Wood, I'm over here!" Sica, carrying a small backpack, spotted Wood first.

"Wow, Momo, your teeth are finally all ruined by sweets. I was wondering when I would see this happen!" Jin Zhongming almost immediately noticed something that caught his interest.

"Hey, Wood, I heard from Auntie that the movie you acted in was very popular in Korea. Are you a star now? Has anyone asked for your autograph?" Sica covered her mouth with both hands, but the questions kept coming.

"Momo, being a star in Korea isn't that easy." Jin Zhongming saw four adults pulling luggage and carrying what seemed to be a sleeping Krystal, slowly walking towards them. He turned to Sica, who was excited, and poured cold water on her enthusiasm. However, it was clear that Sica didn't feel it and remained very interested in the topic. Jin Zhongming, feeling helpless, tried to change the subject. He gestured to the height difference between Sica and himself and teased, "Momo, five months ago, you were only 1 centimeter shorter than me. Now, you're 2 centimeters shorter. At our age, this is usually the best time for girls to surpass boys in height, but the gap is getting bigger. It looks like you'll always be shorter than me."

Jin Zhongming's words thoroughly annoyed Sica. In fact, she had already noticed her height problem a few months ago. Her peers were growing rapidly, and while she was growing too, her growth rate was much slower. Before coming, she had already become the shortest girl in her class. Jin Zhongming's teasing hit her where it hurt the most. As a result, she ignored him for the next three days.

Of course, Jin Zhongming didn't care at all, as this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.

The world continued to grow and develop in an orderly manner. Even without Jin Zhongming's involvement, things still moved forward healthily. After his parents and the Jeong family returned from the United States, they quickly settled down. They found jobs and a house in the eastern part of the city. Sica transferred schools smoothly, and Baker also arrived home safely. During this process, the only thing Jin Zhongming did was to pick up Baker.

However, this was good, as things seemed to have returned to their normal track, and Jin Zhongming's long-standing routine was restored.

Another summer vacation arrived, and the new millennium began. Rapid advancements were not limited to technology; Korean cinema also developed rapidly. In fact, Jin Zhongming roughly calculated that this momentum would slow down only after the 2007 U.S. subprime mortgage crisis led to a global financial crisis. However, strangely, in Jin Zhongming's memory, Korean cinema persisted even during the most severe period of the financial crisis. When the crisis subsided and the global economy, including Korea's, gradually recovered, Korean cinema fell into a funding drought. By then, according to Jin Zhongming's plan, he would have already transitioned into variety shows or semi-retirement.

Over the past half year, Jin Zhongming had participated in the filming of three movies. However, these movies were not led by child stars; he was just a supporting actor, usually appearing in the main character's childhood or teenage memories. Since he had decided to take this path, he couldn't refuse such roles. Participating in movies this way was mainly to gain recognition from the audience and media. And don't underestimate the value of being recognized; it would significantly help his future career.

Now, Jin Zhongming was eating ice cream on the street after watching a movie he had participated in with his two younger sisters. In just half a year, the three of them had undergone significant changes in appearance.

Jin Zhongming was still in his growth phase. The lines on his face were no longer as soft as they were in his childhood; they were gradually becoming more defined and harder. A layer of down had appeared on his upper lip, which would likely make it difficult for him to participate in movies for the next two years.

The two girls, on the other hand, had developed differently. To be fair, when they were younger, Krystal wasn't very attractive. Her eyes and lips were bunched together, and her inverted eyebrows made her look a bit clumsy, with no hint of a goddess. Jin Zhongming had taken care of Krystal since she was born, and because she was very obedient, he always thought she was an adorable little princess. Sica, on the other hand, was a true goddess from a young age, with good skin, a well-proportioned face, and lively eyes, and she was also very smart.

However, over the past half year, Krystal had become a true little princess. As she grew older, her nose became more refined, resembling her father's. The elongation of her nose also opened up the surrounding facial features, and with her large forehead, she looked incredibly cute. Moreover, the young Krystal was no longer as clumsy as before; she had already shown "the same intelligence as her brother Zhongming" (as Mr. Jeong put it) upon entering school. Sica, on the other hand, could have continued to be a goddess. However, her endless consumption of sweets had led to severe consequences. Her permanent teeth were already showing signs of decay, which was starting to affect her face shape. Fortunately, she had been fitted with braces early, which the doctor said should be worn until she was 16. Additionally, Sica loved singing and dancing but disliked studying.

Although to the Jeong and Jin families, the two sisters were still their own, in the eyes of others, their status had completely changed.

In Korea, ice cream is a very common treat, with a large industry. The ice cream division of the Lotte Group was acquired through a share swap within the group.

Therefore, even with braces, Sica could still find sugar-free fruit ice cream, one of the few treats she could enjoy.

"Oppa, why do you have so few scenes? When will you be the lead again?" In half a year, Sica had already adapted to Korean customs and terms.

"Being a lead at this age isn't easy. It's already a good opportunity to have such a role. I think it will be even harder to find such opportunities in the next few years."

"Oppa, do you know, even such a role, your sister envies a lot. The last time someone asked for your autograph, she secretly told me she wants to be a bigger star than you."

"Hey! Jeong Soo-kyung, do you want to die?"

Such a pleasant daily routine was satisfying, but there were always people who lacked tact and came to disturb.

"Excuse me, are the three of you siblings?" A man in a floral shirt, brown sunglasses, and large shorts approached, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth. Honestly, in a country where brushing teeth five times a day is common, it's not easy to have such yellow teeth.

"Hey, mister, stay away from my sister. Talk to me if you have anything to say." Jin Zhongming immediately stood up, protectively placing Krystal, who was closest to the man, behind him.

It was summer, and the chairs in front of the ice cream shop were full of people. When Jin Zhongming shouted loudly, at least ten strong men looked over, and one even stood up.

"Little brother, you misunderstood, you misunderstood." The man, touching his sunglasses, revealed small eyes similar to Jin Zhongguo's. Fortunately, his lean build resembled Liu Zaishi, or he might have been mistaken for someone else. "I'm a talent scout from ** Company. Here's my business card."

Jin Zhongming calmly took the card, thinking to himself: "It's finally here!" But he asked with feigned confusion, "Is this the ** Company of the Myth group?"

Hearing this, the people around them relaxed, and the man who had stood up sat back down. The relieved talent scout quickly introduced himself: "Yes, our company not only trained top male groups like Myth and HOT but also excellent female groups like SES. And this year, BOA, who just debuted, has been a huge success. We are always looking for talented young people. When I saw the three of you just now, I felt that you could become true idols, like superstars. What do you think? Would you like to join our company as trainees? With your talent, you will surely debut successfully. Our ** Company is the absolute number one in the Korean music industry!"

Krystal was still young and didn't understand what being a trainee or debuting meant, but Sica was already very interested: becoming as radiant as HOT and Myth, wearing beautiful clothes and dancing and singing on stage like SES, and being famous throughout Korea at just 14 like BOA—wasn't this what she aspired to?

Jin Zhongming glanced at the almost entranced Sica and sighed inwardly. What was this? Inertia? But it didn't matter. After ten years of brotherly affection, if she really liked it, he would support her in the entertainment industry and ensure she wouldn't be hurt.

The "hurt" Jin Zhongming referred to wasn't the kind involving black sea scandals.

In his view, the reason why Girls' Generation became the top female group in Asia was partly due to the black sea incidents. A group of naive girls, if they hadn't gone through such experiences, would find it hard to understand the concept of solidarity. How many excellent groups were there in their era? These groups weren't uncooperative, unexcellent, or unpopular. Some groups were even more talented than Girls' Generation, but they lacked something that held them together, leading to their eventual failure in the face of societal norms and human nature.

The "hurt" Jin Zhongming referred to was Sica's departure and helplessness.

In his previous life, he didn't fully understand the reasons behind it. But this time, Jin Zhongming was determined. Whether it was external pressure or Sica's own fatigue, he would pull her back and let her enjoy this beautiful youth. Because this time, even after just ten years of knowing each other, Jin Zhongming felt a basic responsibility and duty as an older brother to make the next 20 years of the little girl he had watched grow up beautiful.

Jin Zhongming smiled, looked at the business card in his hand, and interrupted the talent scout's pitch: "I understand. You are Mr. Liu, right? Mr. Liu Daheng, I understand your intention. But as you can see, there are no adults with us. I will take the card home and show it to my parents. They will contact you later. How about that?"

Mr. Liu Daheng had no choice but to agree.

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