People on the Peninsula: I Became a Lucky Koi

The New Year is over.

The competition for "SIXTEEN" has reached a fierce stage, and Park Jin-young, like a cunning fox, has yet to reveal the list of trainees participating in the audition to the trainees.

Jin Can's life is simple, even somewhat boring.

Occasionally, I would chat with Jackson Wang and Bambam, and take all sorts of practice classes. Similarly, in just over a week, the arrangement for "Untitled" was officially completed, and the rest was just recording in the studio.

February 25, Gwanak-ro 1, Gwanak-gu, Seoul National University's main gate.

A large number of returning students and bewildered freshmen flocked to the campus to register, check into dormitories, select courses, enroll in student status, and complete the necessary procedures.

At the nearby bakery.

Yoo Jeong-yeon wore a small black beret, a white round-neck polo shirt, and a pair of slim-fit black trousers.

He was also wearing a transparent face shield to protect against droplets on his chin.

Apron, cutting board, kneading dough...

The store manager smiled and glanced at Seoul National University across the street: "It's really lively..."

"..." Yu Dingyan's eyes were blank as he continued to assist.

Thanks to the start of the school season, the bakery is extremely busy.

As for why she was here...

The reason was that the previous weigh-in, coupled with a series of setbacks in her debut, brought Yu Jeong-yeon to the brink of a mental breakdown.

Currently, her training has been suspended by the company, and her debut plans have been frozen.

Yoo Jeongyeon is seriously considering whether she should give up her idol career and become an ordinary office worker...

Just as she was having an internal struggle.

A somewhat familiar voice rang out: "Sausage bread, an iced Americano."

Jin Can ordered food at the front desk and paid.

He happened to bump into Yoo Jeongyeon, who was looking up, and paused for a moment in surprise: "What are you doing here, Jeongyeon-ssi..."

Seoul is so small.

"...Part-time job." Yu Dingyan's expression froze, and she stammered.

I never expected to run into this member of the company's royal family at the bakery.

Jin Can stepped back half a step, making room for the customers queuing behind him, his eyes filled with a strange look: "Didn't you practice at the company? Coming here part-time..."

His sharp "eagle eyes" alerted him to the presence of numerous hidden cameras in the vicinity.

A few scattered exclamations and whispers arose in my ears.

"Oh my!"

"Aigoo, are you a celebrity?"

"Wow... amazing... that face is really..."

"Why does it look so familiar?"

Jin Can noticed some sticky gazes and subconsciously pulled his scarf up a little.

"Training has been suspended..."

Yu Dingyan looked somewhat helpless.

However, after hearing the surrounding chatter, she quickly greeted the shop manager, "Shop manager, may I go and say a few words to my friend?"

After obtaining the store manager's consent.

Yoo Jeongyeon quickly led Kim Chan to the back door of the bakery. "Kim Chan-ssi, why are you here?"

She asked curiously.

"Has your weight not gone down yet?" Jin Can asked with a frown. He actually felt that Yu Dingyan was quite cool and had the potential and personal characteristics to debut. "I'm here to complete the enrollment procedures."

Yoo Jeong-yeon first replied, "I didn't do anything... I gained another 1kg."

Jin Can thought the wry smile on his face had a "what's the use" vibe.

However, Yu Dingyan quickly looked up at Jin Can with a puzzled expression, "Enrolling in school?"

"Hmm~"

Kim Chan took the sausage bread and coffee from another employee, took a bite of the bread, and said, "Seoul National University."

"I see..." Yoo Jeong-yeon nodded, but a second later...

She jerked her face up, her lips twitching: "What did you just say?"

Kim Chan glanced at her shocked, clueless expression and secretly smirked, but still smiled faintly on his face: "I'm here to enroll at Seoul National University."

"And... take a break from school."

He had just come out of Kim Se-joon's office to complete some formalities. As for Kim Se-joon, he is Kim Chan's third uncle and currently serves as the chairman of the board of trustees at Seoul National University.

His grandfather retired, but his third uncle continues to contribute to the country.

Interestingly, in this land, after 2010, there were clear laws explicitly prohibiting parents and children, or immediate family members, from directly staying on to teach/professor at the same national university, and also prohibiting professors from directly passing on their laboratories, positions, or research topics to their sons/daughters.

However, in reality, academic cliques adopt a strategy of passing on the legacy through a shell and forcing hereditary succession.

The law cannot stop cliques; academic elites pass on power and resources through roundabout inheritance methods. For example, the children of academic elites go through a straight-up path from high school to undergraduate to master's and doctoral programs, with virtually open access for insiders but hellish difficulty for outsiders.

Succession to academic positions is achieved through university exchange programs.

Direct relatives cannot attend the same university → succession by exchange: the son of a professor at Seoul National University goes to Korea University to become a professor, the daughter of a professor at Korea University goes to Yonsei University, and the daughter of Yonsei University goes back to Seoul National University. The circle is closed, and the benefits do not go to outsiders.

Laboratories, national-level projects, collaborations with conglomerates, and government connections—all passed down from father to son or from teacher to student. Externally, this is called "academic succession," but internally it's simply hereditary succession.

But in a sense, this roundabout approach has made the academic cliques' academic qualifications, positions, connections, and resources more secure, and has indirectly expanded their influence—these are all open secrets.

That's why some characters in Korean dramas complain:

"Seoul National University? That's their family's private school, isn't it!"

"The father is a professor, and the son is a natural-born professor candidate. No matter how hard we try, it's useless."

...

Are you a student at Seoul National University?

Yu Dingyan stared in shock, her mouth agape.

Jin Can nodded, "Mm."

"newborn…"

He chuckled and shrugged, abruptly interrupting Yoo Jeong-yeon's fascinating expression, "Hey, stop talking about me."

"You look disheveled. Since you've stopped training, you should try to lose weight..."

Yu Dingyan patted her chest, pulled up a chair, and sat down.

"Debuting is too far away, Kim Chan-ssi."

Jin Can looked at her helpless smile, slightly raised his eyelids, and asked, "So you're planning to give up?"

"I have this thought..." Yoo Jeongyeon didn't mind confiding in the royal family member next to her, otherwise she would feel suffocated if she kept it inside. She dared not confide in her friends, Nayeon and Jihyo.

Once these two find out, they'll definitely come to the bakery and chatter away trying to drag me back to the company.

Jin Can took a sip of coffee and smiled, "So that means it's not decided yet."

"It's hard to make a choice..." Yoo Jeongyeon smiled at him with feigned nonchalance, but staring into Kim Chan's bright eyes, she felt completely seen through, and her smile became awkward.

Jin Can didn't say anything and put down his coffee.

He picked up the still-warm sausage bread and held it up in front of Yoo Jeong-yeon. "Here, take a good look."

After saying that, Jin Can broke the sausage bread in half and handed the uneaten half to Yu Dingyan, "Have a bite~ Your store's bread tastes amazing!"

It has a salty and savory flavor.

"Oh dear~ I've gained another 1kg." Yu Dingyan quickly waved her hand, looking distressed. "How dare you still eat random things?"

"And it's so high in calories..."

Jin Can chuckled, withdrew his hand, and said, "Here you go~"

"You've already made your choice... why are you still wasting your time at the bakery?"

"Ani! I'm conflicted," Yoo Jeong-yeon retorted.

But as soon as she raised her head, her gaze fell on the half-eaten sausage bread, and she froze on the spot.

…behind the bread was a golden, smiling face.

It's a very simple test: people who say one thing but mean another will subconsciously give the most honest answer.