Chapter 8: Lee Hyori's Invitation

  After leaving the alley, Zhang Chengyuan continued to look for job opportunities until late in the evening when he found a temporary porter job at a construction site through an intermediary agency. Although it was more tiring than other types of work, the hourly wage was higher, more than twice that of working as a service staff in a fried chicken restaurant, which suited Zhang Chengyuan's large appetite and physical strength. The downside was that the job was unstable, and he might have to find another job after working for a few times.

  However, in today's South Korea, the number of unemployed people has surged, and it is really difficult to find a satisfactory job. Jang Sung-won also didn't pick and choose, and in order to be able to work as a long-term temporary worker on construction sites, Jang Sung-won even gave the intermediary company a little more commission, asking them to pay attention to suitable jobs for him.

  Time flies, and before he knew it, the year-end had arrived. Zhang Chengyuan's height had increased by a bit, exceeding 175cm, making him of medium build. Due to his long-term practice and labor, there was not an ounce of excess fat on his body, and his muscles and bones were becoming increasingly robust. However, unlike ordinary people, Zhang Chengyuan's body did not have exaggerated muscle lines, and when he wore loose clothing, it was impossible for others to notice anything out of the ordinary. The only thing that pained him was that some of the money originally used to make offerings at the Temple of the Five Organs had been taken out by him to make two sets of enlarged school uniforms. The exorbitant price of the uniforms made him feel a deep sense of pain, and he couldn't help but scold the Korean government severely for strictly requiring high school students to wear uniforms during school hours.

  It's been over half a year since Zhang Chengyuan arrived in this era, and he has almost completely adapted to all aspects of South Korea, whether it's food, clothing, shelter, transportation, study or work. He is no different from the Koreans, except that his heart is always tied to the mainland, longing for the day when he can return to the secret realm on Wangwu Mountain.

  These days, Zhang Chengyuan's life has been dull to the point of being frightening, but he is content with it. Every day, he either goes to school or work, or stays at home practicing his inner energy, occasionally exchanging a few words with his father or having a heart-to-heart talk with Li Xiaoli.

  When it comes to Lee Hyori, Zhang Chengyuan's heart softens a bit. Although cultivators do not cut off emotions and righteousness, they also don't pay much attention to the romantic feelings of mortals, and even look at familial relationships with great indifference. In his past life, Zhang Chengyuan had a biological sister who seemed to take good care of him when he was young, but at the age of four or five, he was taken in by his master into the sect and started a life of cultivation that knew no day or night, and never saw his sister again.

  Lee Hyo-ri seems to be Jang Sung-won's destiny in this life, and when he sees her, it brings up the deep-seated sibling affection that makes him want to get close to her. No matter what Lee Hyo-ri says, Jang Sung-won listens carefully with a smile, although he often doesn't know how to make her happy, but his silent and taciturn personality has made him the best confidant for Lee Hyo-ri to relieve her depression.

  As the leader and eldest sister of an idol group, Lee Hyori often listened to her members' concerns and helped them with their problems. However, when she herself was feeling down, she couldn't easily open up to those around her and had to keep it buried deep within. It was then that Jang Sung-kyu, who was like a wooden doll, entered Lee Hyori's emotional world, and the two gradually developed a close relationship like siblings.

  On this day, Zhang Chengyuan received another call from Lee Hyori, who asked how he was doing before immediately stating her intention.

  "Chengyuan, you'll be having winter break soon. Come visit me often when you're free, okay? Also, we have a performance at Yongdengpu Square on Friday the 23rd, come check it out and let's catch up afterwards, sound good?"

  Jang Sung-won smiled and said: "Hyo-ri sister, I know." As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Lee Hyo-ri's bright laughter on the other end of the phone.

  "Alright then, I'll ask my manager oppa to send you the ticket later, so be sure to check for it!"

  Zhang Chengyuan softly said "en" and nodded in agreement.

  Christmas, although originating in the West, has been popular in Korea for decades and has become a legal holiday. Whether or not people believe in Catholicism or Protestantism, they take this opportunity to relax their tired bodies and minds.

  Two or three days before Christmas, whether it's Dongdaemun, Myeong-dong as a shopping center, or Hongdae and Ewha University areas where young people gather, they are all filled with decorated Christmas trees. Every store is also dressed up in new clothes, and the whole city of Seoul is filled with a strong festive atmosphere.

  Fin.K.L's performance venue is located in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Yeongdeungpo-dong 4-ga, only about 4-5 kilometers away from the fried chicken store where Jang Sung-won works. It takes less than half an hour to get there by subway. That's why Lee Hyori invited Jang Sung-won, knowing that he is busy making a living and doesn't have much free time, if it were too far away, it would definitely interfere with his schedule.

  That night, Zhang Chengyuan asked the store manager for leave and got off work early. He rushed to Yongdengpu Square and it was almost 10 pm when he arrived. The performance had already passed halfway, but fortunately, Fin.k.l hadn't appeared yet. Although Fin.k.l debuted only a little over half a year ago, they were already deeply loved by people of all ages in Korea, with explosive popularity, second only to their seniors S.E.S and BabyV.O.X who debuted earlier among girl groups, but the gap was getting smaller and smaller, even with a momentum to surpass them. Therefore, Fin.k.l's performance tonight was relatively later, which was to prevent the large number of loyal male audience from leaving early.

  Jang Sung-won has no interest in K-POP music, which has just emerged in Korea and is sweeping across Asia. If it weren't for Lee Hyori's invitation, he would rather stay home watching family dramas that talk about family affairs and nagging forever, than come to watch this performance, because family dramas can at least help him deepen his understanding of Korea.

  At this time, the stage was flashing with neon lights, full of dynamism; under the stage, people were cheering and dancing; in a corner somewhere, Zhang Chengyuan was staring blankly. Everything around him seemed to have nothing to do with Zhang Chengyuan, and in this beautiful scene, the signs of revelry that are commonly seen on most young people's bodies could not be found on Zhang Chengyuan at all. Others might think that Zhang Chengyuan was a young man who had just tasted the bitter fruit of lost love.

  At this time, Zhang Chengyuan's mind was thinking about the future prospects. After half a year of hard work, his cultivation had reached a critical point and could no longer make progress. This was due to the fact that the spiritual energy in the city was too thin and the quality of food he took in every day was too ordinary. Thinking back and forth, the road to cultivating immortality seemed almost hopeless, it was time to consider another way out. But he was confused about which path to take, thinking about what kind of path would be more wonderful and meaningful. This made him feel very puzzled.

  At some point, Fin.K.L finally took the stage, and Lee Hyori's familiar voice woke up Jang Sung-won, who listened with great interest to the passionate singing of the four sisters. Whether they sang well or not, Jang Sung-won didn't understand at all, he was just looking at them. Lee Hyori and others were originally very beautiful, and after wearing white performance costumes, they looked even more lovely and handsome. Not only did it make male audiences scream with excitement, but also many female fans watched with admiration, wishing they could sing and dance on stage like Fin.K.L.

  After Fin.k.l's performance ended, Jang Sung-won made a private phone call to Lee Hyori at a telephone booth by the road. Lee Hyori then asked Jang Sung-won to wait for her on the street in front of the square. After about ten minutes, an unassuming small car stopped in front of Jang Sung-won, and a young man in his mid-twenties got out. This person was someone Jang Sung-won knew, one of Fin.k.l's management assistant, who had been driving the car that Jang Sung-won's previous self had crashed into, causing him to be docked several months' worth of salary by the company. However, he didn't hold any grudges against Jang Sung-won and instead felt very apologetic, so he treated Jang Sung-won with great enthusiasm.

  Zhang Chengyuan stepped forward, slightly bowed and called out: "Zheng Junxian senior, hello", then got into the car and headed to Fin.K.L's dormitory.