Jieun Decision

After the whole Boa incident—which, honestly, still gave him secondhand embarrassment whenever he thought about it—Jihoon finally went back to his version of a "normal" life.

It wasn't exactly what you'd call boring.

He still popped by the school occasionally, mostly to remind people he hadn't dropped out, checked in on the company, and spent most of his time obsessing over his script.

The first draft had already been sent to Jim in the States, who practically exploded with excitement over it.

Jihoon remembered opening Jim's email—full of all caps and excessive punctuation—and laughing. But of course, being the perfectionist he was, Jim also sent a few "tiny notes" that turned into a full-on revision list.

Still, things were moving.

Jihoon had already scheduled his upcoming trip to the States with Jim and even told Fox to start prepping the set, casting calls, and coffee machine.

Jihoon was aiming for a smooth touchdown-to-shooting transition the moment his feet hit American soil.

No delays. No drama. Just action—both on and off-screen.

Meanwhile, back in Korea, SNSD was nearing debut.

The girls were practically living in the practice rooms, sweating buckets over choreo and rehearsals.

Jihoon had tried to swing by and say hello once, but after seeing them all running the routine for "Into The New World" for the tenth time without even stopping for water, he felt too guilty to interrupt.

"They're working harder than I ever did," he muttered as he tiptoed out of the building like a burglar.

SM had started rolling out the group's pre-debut promotions by revealing one member per day.

It was genius.

Each reveal came with fan buzz, internet theories, and more fan buzz.

But nothing prepared the public for the day Taeyeon, the mysterious voice behind Jihoon's OST, was unveiled.

That alone caused a spike in online searches.

And then—boom—Yoona, the dazzling lead of Jihoon's film "Your Name," was revealed next.

It broke the internet before breaking the news cycle.

Fans lost their minds.

So did Jihoon—though for different reasons.

SM, seeing the chaos, launched a full-on reality show for the girls: "Girls Go to School," airing on Mnet.

It followed them through dorm life, practice sessions, surprise performances, and even the filming of their first MV.

Jihoon made time to watch the MV premiere.

He wasn't the kind of guy to fangirl, but seeing Taeyeon dressed as a little pilot in the "Into The New World" music video?

"Okay. That's unfairly cute," he admitted aloud, alone in his living room, trying not to smile like an idiot.

After finishing his composition work for SNSD, Jihoon went back to school, trying to keep up with his own studies.

Time zipped by, and suddenly, it was April. 

Jieun, now fifteen, was about to leave middle school and head into high school.

But on this sweltering summer day, the two of them were camped at home, choosing air conditioning over adventure.

Jihoon lounged on the sofa in shorts and a t-shirt, script notes abandoned on the table.

Jieun lay sprawled out beside him, her head resting lazily on his lap.

She wore a loose gray t-shirt with a giant monkey face on it and gym shorts—clearly in full vacation mode.

The TV was on, playing "Girls Go to School."

"Oppa!" Jieun suddenly called out, pointing at the screen.

"Huh?" Jihoon glanced down at her with a smile—only to suddenly freeze.

Her oversized collar had slipped off her shoulder, and with the way her head was angled, he unintentionally caught a glimpse of her developing small buns.

His brain went into full emergency shutdown.

"YA!! Lee Jieun! Sit properly, will you?!" Jihoon blurted, flustered and looking away like he'd just witnessed a crime scene.

Jieun just slapped his thigh lazily and groaned, "Aww come on, oppa! Don't be stingy. I'm comfy like this!"

"YA! Everything's exposed! Get your butt up right now!" Jihoon nearly fell off the couch trying to sit upright. 

Jieun blinked, realized what he meant, then shrieked and bolted upright, her face turning bright red.

"Oppa! You're such a perv!!" she accused, clutching the loose shirt around her.

Jihoon stood up, arms crossed like a tired dad. "You're blaming me? Who told you to wander around braless in a circus shirt? If I catch you like that again, I'm grounding you. No guitar. No TV. No snacks!"

"Humph!" Jieun huffed and stormed off into the bedroom.

A few minutes later, she came back out wearing something more appropriate—still sulking but with less risk of wardrobe malfunctions.

She plopped down cross-legged on the sofa, arms crossed and cheeks puffed out.

Jihoon couldn't help but chuckle and ruffled her hair. "Sorry, okay? Oppa didn't mean to peek. You called me, I looked down, and—bam—trauma."

Jieun looked away, mumbling, "I'm not mad… just embarrassed. But since you're oppa… I guess it's okay."

"Don't say weird stuff," Jihoon said and flicked her forehead gently.

"OW! I'm gonna end up dumb because of you!" she yelled, holding her head.

"You're not dumb! Just academically… challenged." Jihoon grinned. "But hey, the guitar teachers at SM say you're a natural!"

There was a pause, then Jieun looked at him seriously.

"Oppa… I want to be a trainee."

Jihoon's smile faded slightly.

"I want to debut too," she said softly, twiddling her thumbs. "I want to sing… perform… like the unnies. I want to be on stage."

Jihoon didn't say anything right away.

He just looked at her.

Really looked.

His little cousin—the shy girl with the big voice and even bigger dreams—wasn't that little anymore.

At fifteen, Jieun was blooming like spring.

He didn't even notice when it happened.

One minute she was a scrawny kid trailing behind him, the next—she was this beautiful, bright-eyed girl with soft features and a spark that was unmistakably hers.

Those wide eyes, always so full of curiosity and quiet determination, blinked up at him now with hope.

And worry.

Truth be told, Jihoon knew she could make it.

In SM of all places, where visuals were practically a requirement, Jieun fit the mold effortlessly—and yet, also stood out. She had this natural charm that felt… different.

Less polished. More real.

And Lee Sooman had already told him—if Jieun trained under SM, he'd debut her as a solo artist, maybe even make her the next Boa.

It was a big deal. A golden ticket.

And Jihoon felt like tearing that ticket in half.

He scratched the back of his head, sighing quietly.

If he could help it, he didn't want Jieun anywhere near the entertainment industry.

Even if, in his past life, she had gone through the fire and come out a superstar, it didn't mean he could sit still and let her do it again.

He had seen too much. Even in just two years, Jihoon had already brushed shoulders with the dark side of the spotlight—fake smiles, backroom deals, sabotaged careers.

And that was his experience as a director. He didn't even want to imagine what it was like for young girls trying to debut.

He was scared for her.

Scared that this world might chew her up before she even got her first paycheck.

Still, the more he thought about it, the more he realized—he couldn't lock her up in a glass box forever.

She had dreams. And no matter how much he wanted to shield her, dreams weren't things you could suppress without eventually breaking someone's spirit.

So he looked at her, long and hard, then finally broke the silence.

"You can try to convince me."

Jieun blinked. Her hopeful expression faltered, and her lips quivered slightly.

Jihoon's heart sank.

She'd misunderstood.

To her, his words weren't a challenge—they were a soft rejection. And it hurt, because Jihoon never said no to her.

Not once. No matter how ridiculous her requests were—ice cream at midnight, sneaking out late for supper—he always caved."

This was the first time he didn't give her an immediate yes.

And her eyes were turning glassy.

"I-I don't want to be a trainee anymore…" she mumbled, and then all at once, she burst into tears and flung herself into his arms. "Oppa, please don't leave me…"

Jihoon was stunned for half a second. Then he wrapped his arms around her and let out a small laugh.

"YA! YA! Are you taking advantage of me now? When did I say I was leaving you, huh?"

"You said it with your eyes!" she sniffled, her face buried in his shirt. "You looked like you were saying goodbye!"

"I looked like I was deep in thought, you drama queen."

Jieun rubbed her damp cheek against his chest like a cat and mumbled, "Same thing."

Jihoon sighed again, but this time with a smile. He gently patted her back. "Okay, okay. Enough tears."

"Let's talk like actual humans, tell me what's really in that head of yours, huh? If you don't say anything, how am I supposed to understand?"

Jieun slowly pulled back, sniffling and rubbing her eyes. Her cheeks were streaked, her nose a little red, but her voice was steady when she finally spoke.

"I… I've always liked singing," she said, almost in a whisper. "That's why I asked you to find me a vocal coach."

Jihoon nodded.

"But then… I talked to Mom and Dad on the phone a few days ago," she continued. "Things aren't going well. They didn't say much, but I could tell. They're struggling out there."

Jihoon's expression softened.

Jieun bit her lip. "Then I saw this article… Lee Hyori sunbae signed a contract—three years, 2.2 billion won."

"That's… that's so much money, oppa. I thought… if I could become a singer, maybe I could help. I could support them. I just… I don't want to be a burden anymore."

Jihoon's heart clenched.

There it was. The real reason.

She didn't just want fame. She wanted to give back. To feel in control of something in her life. That was so Jieun it hurt.

He smiled gently and pulled her back into a hug.

"You're not a burden, you idiot. You're family."

"But—"

"No buts," Jihoon cut in, leaning back and meeting her eyes with quiet seriousness. "If this is really what you want—not for your parents, not for the money, just for you—then I've got your back. Okay?"

For a heartbeat, she froze.

Then her eyes lit up—not with tears this time, but something warmer. Brighter.

Hope.

"Really?" she whispered, like she almost didn't believe it.

Jihoon grinned. "Really. But I'm gonna have to grill a few people in the industry first. Big brother duties and all."

She let out a soft laugh, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "Fine, fine. Deal."

"Good," he said, giving her a light nudge on the forehead. "Now stop crying, you're gonna make me look like the bad guy."

Jieun smiled through the last of her sniffles, and just like that, the weight in the room lifted.

And Jihoon knew then—he couldn't stop the world from spinning or the future from coming.

But he sure as hell wasn't going to let her face it alone.

[Author's Note: Heartfelt thanks to Wandererlithe, JiangXiu and OS_PARCEIROS for bestowing the power stone!]