KFPCA 03

Chapter 03

“That’s truly a gender-swapped version of ‘the hero saves the damsel’!”

“No wonder GD says that in his eyes, Jin Shining is like an angel; under those circumstances, she was completely like a god-like existence!”

“But listening to Oppa tell this, a student like Jin Shining is really a ‘kind version of a Demon King’ in school!”

“A kind version of a Demon King? What kind of description is that?”

“But it’s quite accurate! Such a student, no one in school would actually dare to provoke her.”

“Exactly, exactly. An all-subject top student is the type teachers love most, and since her parents are teachers too, she might even have connections with the teachers or the principal. The most important thing is that she doesn’t have a personality that would let anyone bully her.”

“That’s right, no wonder those students left. They weren’t very old themselves, and when they ran into someone like Jin Shining who wouldn’t give an inch, they just retreated.”

“By comparison, our GD-xi was really too easy to bully back then!”

“No wonder Jin Shining rolled her eyes at him. I want to roll my eyes too, oh my Oppa!”

“But I can understand it. After all, GD had just arrived at YG back then, and kids who are trainees are taught from a young age not to cause trouble. Oppa himself is a very kind person, and he must have been afraid that it would affect his debut!”

“Exactly, didn’t Oppa say it himself? Back then, he didn’t even know if he could debut; he was just holding on because of his passion.”

“I’m begging the heavens for a desk-mate like Jin Shining. Oppa, although you’ve had a very unlucky year this year, you were way too lucky in the past!”

“A perfect-score desk-mate! She didn’t just let him copy her homework, but explained it to him step by step afterward. That’s just amazing!”

“It’s so realistic. Pinching his arm when he fell asleep—that’s a feeling every student understands.”

“Hahahaha, he’s already formed a psychological trauma. He feels like he wakes up the moment a hand gets close. Hahahahaha.”

Chapter 2

“That is truly a beautiful bond. What about high school later on? Were you still in the same school?”

“Ani. After graduating from middle school, we each had our own plans for the future, so we went to different high schools.”

“May I ask which high school she attended? A top student across all subjects like that must have gone to a very impressive high school, right?”

“Na. Shining went to Daewon Foreign Language High School. Because she planned to study abroad from the start, she was in the Global Leadership Program class.”

“Daebak. As expected of a top student. Although it’s amazing, it feels completely within expectations.”

“Yes, I feel like she’s always been this excellent, but it was also really hard for her.”

“Our Shining is not only excellent at studying but also treats her friends very well,” Kwon Jiyong gave an example. “When I debuted, it happened to be the same time she was applying for study abroad in the U.S. The application process is super tedious; she was incredibly busy, but she still came to our official debut stage, our first music show, and our first concert. I felt so bad at the time, worrying that I would affect her school applications. But she said—”

“‘Working hard at studying is for a brilliant life, and friends are a very important part of that brilliant life. If my grades were affected just because I spent those few hours watching a performance, that only proves my ability is mediocre.'” As Kwon Jiyong finished speaking, the corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably.

[Daewon Foreign Language High School? Global Leadership Program class?] [Wow, the same reaction as the MC. I feel like this is just the path for Jin Shining-xi; it’s not surprising at all!] [Oppa, I’m jealous of you. How can someone have such a great friend?!] [A perfect-score friend!] [As expected of our Jin Shining; speaking like that is just too cool.] [Oppa is also very proud; he can’t even control the corners of his mouth.] [Who still remembers that five minutes ago Oppa looked like a little bitter melon?] [Hahahaha, ‘little bitter melon’?] [But Jin Shining is really amazing. Study abroad applications are really troublesome, and the time BIGBANG debuted must have been the peak application period; there was so much to do.] [A true friend, a true friend indeed.]

“Wow, Jin-gap-teu-da-na-da (Jin is truly amazing), that sounds so cool!” The host looked at Kwon Jiyong’s expression and teased, “GD-xi must have been very moved at the time, right? Your friend cares for you so much.”

“Na!” Kwon Jiyong nodded affirmatively, then continued, “Later, in 2009, I went to the U.S. alone to find Flo Rida. She was super busy at the time, often only able to sleep four or five hours a day, but when I got off the plane, she was already waiting for me outside the airport. I stayed in the U.S. for three days, and she dropped everything to accompany me everywhere.”

“On the day I left the U.S., she took me to the airport and said: ‘Things will eventually return to the right path. No matter how chaotic the beginning is, things will eventually follow the correct laws and return to the right track. Incorrect things won’t last long, so just do your best to be yourself.'”

“GD-xi, you must have been very moved then?”

“Of course. I cried at the time.” Kwon Jiyong didn’t shy away from mentioning his tears. “I had been trying to find ways to solve the problem since the incident started, and until that moment, I just hugged our Jin Shining at the airport and cried.”

“Being able to have a friend like that in life is truly very happy.” The host slowly brought the topic back to today’s main theme. “May I ask, which university in the U.S.?”

“Na, Shining said it was okay to say.” Kwon Jiyong looked proud. “Yale University. She just graduated last year, but she went on to apply for a PhD program and re-entered Yale last September.”

“Does a PhD program mean continuing to study for a doctorate?”

“Na!” Kwon Jiyong hadn’t forgotten today’s main purpose. “After she finished her interviews last May, she went to watch the final show of the Japan tour.”

[Wow, she also accompanied Oppa in 2009?] [Aigoo, I’m going to cry…] [2009 was also very cruel. Our country really hasn’t treated our GD-xi kindly even once.] [His nerves were highly tense before the matter was solved, completely unable to attend to his own emotions. But when there was a turning point, and he heard such comfort from a friend, he really couldn’t help but shed tears…] [Oppa is truly lucky to have such a friend.] [Yale?] [It’s really both surprising and not surprising…] [Looking at Oppa’s expression, he’s really super proud.] [Does that mean she applied for a PhD directly after graduating with her undergraduate degree from Yale? Without getting a master’s first?] [Some PhD programs at Ivy League schools like Yale accept direct applications from undergraduate graduates, but the difficulty is quite high; they require research experience during the undergraduate stage.] [Does that mean you have to be very outstanding during your undergraduate years to do that?] [Our Jin Shining is really excellent!]

“So she was in Japan when she called you?” The host had an epiphany.

“Yes. She knew I would have an after-party and was worried I wouldn’t be able to have fun if I had to take care of her, so she didn’t contact me after the concert ended. But then some accidents happened,” Kwon Jiyong explained. “She hadn’t bought a direct flight ticket at the time, and during the layover, the airport staff lost her luggage. They couldn’t handle it on the spot and just said they would contact her later. She waited at the hotel for a long time but never got a call. She had to return to school the next afternoon, and if she didn’t get her luggage, it would have been very troublesome later, so she had no choice but to call me.”

“Did you go straight to find her after receiving the call?”

“Na. Because it was already very late, and it was her first time in Japan, I was worried she wouldn’t be safe, so I didn’t even have time to say hello to anyone before I went straight to find her.”

“We really have to thank her. If it weren’t for that phone call, a big disaster really would have happened.”

“Yes, I am very grateful for that phone call, and even more grateful to our Jin Shining. She is completely my lucky star!”

“Then, please, GD-xi, could you make a phone call to your lucky star, Jin Shining-xi!”

“A phone call?” Because this part wasn’t in the script, Kwon Jiyong was stunned for a moment before taking the phone handed to him by a staff member. “I don’t know if she has time right now.”

After the call was dialed, it was answered within three seconds.

A female voice came from the phone, speaking to someone next to her in perfect American English: “Hold on a second, I need to answer the phone.”

Immediately following that was a soft female voice accompanied by footsteps: “Jiyong-ah? Did you finish recording the show?”

Kwon Jiyong cleared his throat and replied, “Ani. Are you busy now? Are you in a meeting?”

“The meeting is already over; we’re just chatting now! How about you? Did the recording go well?”

“It’s going well, and I listened to you today—I introduced you properly!”

“Chal-hae-sseo (Well done)!”

“Because the introduction was too good, that’s why this is a phone link-up right now.” Kwon Jiyong’s tone was a bit hesitant. Introducing her was one thing, but he wasn’t sure if Jin Shengxi would be willing to appear on the show, even if it was just her voice.

But Jin Shining wouldn’t give him any room for doubt.

Jin Shengxi’s voice was full of surprise. “So you’re currently recording the show? I’m on TV?”

“Hehe…” Kwon Jiyong lowered his head and laughed. “Na, you’re on TV. Shining-ah, say hello to everyone!”

“Na~ Annyeonghaseyo, I am Kwon Jiyong’s friend…” She paused for a moment, as if she were thinking, before continuing, “Jin Shining? That’s how Jiyong introduced me, right?”

[It was truly just the right timing. Although it was unintentional, she really saved Oppa.] [Na, I dare not imagine what would have happened if GD hadn’t left at that time.] [He hadn’t even used drugs and it was such a situation; I dare not imagine how destructive it would have been if he had actually smoked that cigarette!] [Lucky star Jin Shining!] [Omo, is it a phone link-up?] [Oppa was completely caught off guard, too.] [Omo omo, she answered so fast!] [Her voice sounds so good, and her English pronunciation is also lovely.] [Just listening to her voice, she feels like a very gentle and powerful girl!] [Why does it feel like the tone Jin Shining uses when talking to Oppa is like she’s coaxing a child? Hahahaha.]