Chapter Thirteen: The Unparalleled Charm of Lina Lian.

"Special training?"

Minjun’s curiosity was piqued, but Mingyan refused to say anything, adopting an air of mystery.

By now, she had somewhat grasped her uncle’s style—if she held back from asking, sooner or later someone else would slip up.

The student council president wasn’t in her position for nothing; she was quite clever.

“Ahem, Minjun, if you want to pass S.M.’s evaluation, your skills can’t be too weak,” Mingyan said as he saw his niece obediently refraining from questions and felt compelled to explain.

Actually, he could have easily used his connections to get Minjun into S.M. after all, a trainee spot isn’t the same as a debut spot. Even among the top three agencies, trainee spots were relatively easier to secure.

Mingyan had already left Minjun with contact information for Lee Minwoo, just in case things didn’t go well.

The reason he hadn’t guaranteed her a spot right away was to temper Minjun’s attitude and make her appreciate this hard-won opportunity.

Being a trainee was like fighting through a narrow bridge against thousands; countless people would be eliminated along the way. Without a strong core, one couldn’t endure. At the very least, Minjun needed to understand the harsher realities.

“Uncle, I’ve never formally studied dance. Can I still get into S.M.?”

Minjun was genuinely a bit intimidated.

Unlike those kids who had been professionally trained from childhood and were single-mindedly pursuing a trainee path, dance was merely a hobby she enjoyed outside her studies. Receiving a scout’s business card had been a complete surprise.

It was precisely this casual scouting that ignited her dream of performing on stage.

Hmm... perhaps Mingyan’s own career as an actor played some role as well.

Mingyan smiled, “Don’t worry, that’s exactly what the special training is for. I’m bringing in an expert for you.”

“Is it Jisoo unnie?” Jisoo, a member of BLACKPINK, had won a major award just thirteen days after debut, earning the title of a ‘monster rookie.’ Coaching trainee auditions would be beneath her.

“No, it’s someone else.”

“The pretty sister who gave you the phone case?”

“...”

Minjun had a knack for zeroing in on the heart of the matter.

“Ahem, pretty she is, and she’s a sister as well,” Mingyan cleared his throat gently. “You know Twice, right?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Minjun nodded.

Twice was arguably the hottest girl group this year. Their song "Cheer Up" had a vibe reminiscent of Girls’ Generation’s “Gee” back in the day—an absolute hit.

They were currently preparing for their second comeback of the year, eager to capitalize on their momentum.

“The instructor I found for you is a member of Twice.”

***

“Then why not just ask Jisoo unnie directly?” Minjun was still a bit puzzled.

The little girl had already noticed that Jisoo and her uncle shared a relationship beyond ordinary; probably even the average aunt couldn’t reach that level.

Kids these days knew everything—they spent who knows how much time browsing online.

Without hesitation, Mingyan replied, “Jisoo already told me some stuff about trainee evaluations last time, so this time I wanted to switch it up.”

If it had been someone else, they’d have to keep some face for each other, but Mingyan and Jisoo didn’t—they both knew each other’s embarrassing histories and weren’t shy about teasing one another relentlessly.

He had even given Jisoo the nickname “Show Bro” at one point, though he had to back down under threat of force later.

“...”

Minjun found her uncle’s relationship with Jisoo quite amusing—a classic love-hate dynamic.

Still, whether it was BLACKPINK or Twice mentoring, either would be more than enough. These were seasoned seniors; she wasn’t even a formal trainee yet.

The little girl silently marveled again at her uncle’s wide network.

“Everywhere he goes, it’s idols; no mere mortals in sight.”

With so many beautiful older sisters around, she wondered which one was actually his girlfriend. Not Jung Soojung, not Jisoo, and probably not the Twice members either…

From that perspective, maybe the person Mingyan secretly met earlier that morning was her real aunt.

Kim Eunsoo: ?

Teacher-student, age gap, pseudo mother and son—none of these labels would likely pass muster.

“Alright, let’s order some pig trotters later. I’ll make a call first,” Mingyan said, thinking about how busy Twice had been lately. It was quite difficult to reach Lim Nayeon now.

Minjun, who was improving rapidly, had already started taking the initiative to order: “I want sweet and sour pork.”

“Do you want black bean noodles or seafood noodles?”

“Black bean noodles.”

Minjun wanted to try the difference between Seoul’s version and the one from Liangshan.

Mingyan gave an OK sign and stepped aside to make a call.

“Hello~” came a sweet female voice over the phone.

“Hello, is this the esteemed Lim Nayeon of the leading girl group Twice?”

“Yes, it is. May I ask who’s calling?”

“Nayeon, are you busy lately?”

“Busy, crazy busy,” Lim Nayeon sighed, “We have so many schedules, and our second comeback is in October. We’re practicing singing and dancing for the new songs.”

***

Twice debuted in October 2015. By this timeline, they were having three comebacks per year.

This level of activity was unparalleled among rookie girl groups.

“I just finished filming recently and don’t have much going on. I can bring you some jelly snacks.”

Lim Nayeon loved sweets. During school, she especially adored jelly, often pestering Mingyan to buy it for her, then happily sharing it with Jisoo.

That habit remained unchanged.

Nayeon’s tone was full of suspicion: “That doesn’t sound right. Since when have you been so kind?”

Free help usually meant ulterior motives.

“Oh, Nayeon, I’ve always been like this since I was young,” Mingyan complained, clearly dissatisfied with her reaction.

“You only treat Jisoo like that. I…”

“Pats your conscience.”

“I’m patting Momo’s conscience, and it’s huge.”

Momo, real name Hirai Momo, was Nayeon’s sakura teammate in Twice. Mingyan had met her a few times.

No need to mention anything else—her conscience was indeed very big, very, very big.

Mingyan was too lazy to waste words with Nayeon: “My niece…”

“You should’ve said it’s about adorable Minjun from the start. What’s up?”

“You haven’t even met Minjun, so how can you call her adorable?” Mingyan was unsurprised by Nayeon’s sudden change of tone.

“Is it possible Jisoo is also my good friend?” Nayeon was too tired to comment on his obliviousness. “Whatever it is about Minjun, it’s my business too. Just say the word.”

“Minjun wants to be a trainee, and I want you to coach her.”

“Sure, leave it to me.”

Since childhood, Nayeon had been enthusiastic and loved helping others. She had even been late to school once because she stopped to help an elderly lady cross the street.

“You said you didn’t have time?”

“Then come to JYP!”