Chapter Twenty-Three: The X-Files (Part One)

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The Story of Entertainment Beside Me
Story takes place in January 2005
Recommended song: TVXQ – Darkness Eye
Disclaimer: This is a work of pure fiction. Any resemblance to real persons or events is entirely coincidental!

The performance on January 16th was a resounding success, but for Jiang Yihan, when he thought back on that day, his memories were scattered and fragmented. Most of it was a blur, as if it were a dream—a sudden, beautiful dream.

The next day was Monday. Life was no different than before; classes went on as usual. It was winter, so people wore more clothing, with scarves wrapped tightly, and as a newcomer, Jiang Yihan didn’t know many people yet. His journey through classes was uneventful, as calm as ever—sometimes dozing off, sometimes being called on by Professor Shin, and then, with a nudge from his classmates, managing a good answer. All Professor Shin could do was smile helplessly, having no way to deal with this endearing student.

This left Jiang Yihan with the clear impression that he was still just an ordinary student—no different from anyone else, let alone feeling any of the popularity that Li Tong and the others kept talking about. He simply didn’t sense it at all.

Back at the company’s practice room, Jiang Yihan was about to begin training when Li Ran called him out. The two of them went to Li Tong’s office, where Li Tong’s expression was grim. Even after Jiang Yihan sat down, Li Tong remained silent.

Jiang Yihan nudged Li Ran, silently asking what was going on—why did Li Tong look so serious?

Li Ran shrugged, indicating he wasn’t sure either.

After a while, Li Tong finally spoke. “Yihan, for the next few days, don’t say anything out of line in interviews. Just say you’re a newcomer and don’t know much.”

“Uncle Li, what happened?” Jiang Yihan couldn’t suppress his curiosity. “Did something go wrong with my performance yesterday, or is there some move from * Company again?”

“No, something big happened in the industry today.” Li Tong rubbed his brow. “Last November, an advertising agency called First Planning commissioned DSR Research to collect data on most of Korea’s celebrities, compiling a dossier to assess their value and foresee potential personal issues after contract signing—this was to reduce risk for advertisers. The report detailed stars’ situations in seven areas: current status, prospects, charm, talent, private life, rumors, and more. It even gave them scores. Most importantly, it included their personalities, tempers, scandals, and some of the industry’s darkest secrets. The file was titled ‘Expert In-Depth Interview Report for Building an Advertising Model Database.’ The problem is that this report was leaked online this morning. The industry won’t be at peace for a while.” Li Tong sighed in concern. There were many unspoken secrets in the entertainment world that everyone knew but never acknowledged. Now that these hidden rules had been laid bare, the impact would shake the whole industry—no wonder Li Tong was troubled.

Jiang Yihan was dumbfounded by this explosive news. Li Ran grabbed a thick stack of files from the desk, and the two of them began flipping through it together. The contents were shocking, involving nearly every top star in Korea—Lee Byung-hun, Choi Ji-woo, Bae Yong-joon, Kwon Sang-woo, BoA, Won Bin, Rain, Lee Young-ae, Song Hye-kyo, Jun Ji-hyun, Jang Nara, Chae Rim, and more. Each of these names, if linked to negative news, would be enough to shake the industry—now they were all implicated at once. The scale of the aftermath was unimaginable. Even as outsiders, Jiang Yihan and Li Ran were stunned by the magnitude of it.

Li Ran looked up. “Uncle Li, how much of this report is credible?”

Li Tong fell into a long silence. The only sound in the office was the occasional rustle of turning pages. He looked weary, pulling a cigarette from his pocket. It took two tries to light it before he began to smoke slowly. “Actually, our industry is very dark, just as Yihan said. This circle is terrifying. About sixty percent of the report is true—of course, there are also some frightening rumors written in as fact, some truths exaggerated, and some parts entirely fabricated. Still, much of what’s in there is real.” After he finished, Li Tong coughed, then fell into another long silence, the tip of his cigarette glowing and fading as smoke curled and dispersed. “What matters isn’t whether the content is true or false, but how much the public will believe. Even if it’s all lies, if the public buys it, we’re finished. These stars have fought so hard to reach their positions, and with the Korean Wave sweeping Asia these past two years, who can say what impact this leak will have?”

After a long silence, Jiang Yihan and Li Ran left, leaving only Li Tong’s exhausted, powerless figure behind.

“Do you think I made the right choice coming into this industry?” Jiang Yihan looked up at the sky, thick with clouds, dull and colorless. The wind was strong, occasionally sending dead leaves tumbling helplessly through the air. People hurried along the street, going to and from work—some happy, some burdened, some indifferent, all living their lives not knowing what the future would bring or what consequences might follow.

“Right or wrong, what we need is perseverance,” Li Ran said, coming to Jiang Yihan’s side and patting him on the shoulder.

“We persevere… perhaps so.”

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Jiang Yihan knew this path had been his own choice. He didn’t know what lay ahead, but at least he was mentally prepared—just not for it to come so quickly, so suddenly, so fiercely. Should he feel fortunate that, having just debuted, he’d been spared from being swept into this scandal? Or should he feel dismayed that an artist could be dragged down or misunderstood, reduced to a mere figure in a report, standing naked and exposed in the center of a bustling street as onlookers gawked and passed judgment? Or perhaps he should be wary that one day his own name might appear in such a document, passed around by everyone…

At the very least, Li Ran was still by his side, just as he had been since childhood. Jiang Yihan glanced at Li Ran, then at the dark, oppressive sky outside, and seemed to come to some understanding.

Pulled out of his panic over the event, Jiang Yihan began to worry about his friends. Since he’d just entered the industry, he didn’t have many yet. After confirming that Koyote was unaffected, he called Kim Jaejoong, who answered quickly, indicating he wasn’t busy with any schedules.

“Jaejoong, have you heard about the report?”

“Yeah, the company just briefed us. It looks pretty serious,” Jaejoong replied in a low voice—maybe his manager was nearby, or maybe he feared being overheard.

“Did it mention you, or have any negative news about you?” Jiang Yihan went straight to the point.

“No, we just debuted a year ago, so there’s nothing about us. But it does mention our company’s seniors—H.O.T., Shinhwa, S.E.S. Our president is furious about the whole situation.” Jaejoong briefly described the mood at the company. Even with just a few words, it was clear how deeply this had affected * Company. Who knew how things would develop from here?

“I’m just glad you weren’t caught up in it,” Jiang Yihan sighed in relief. “Be careful these days, and watch what you say—don’t give reporters any ammunition. I’ll give Hyori a call now.”

He hung up and quickly dialed Lee Hyori. “Hyori, did that report today affect you?”

“Yihan, I’m just so tired, so very tired,” Hyori’s voice sounded utterly exhausted.

“What happened, Hyori? What did the report say about you?” Jiang Yihan slowed his speech, his voice full of warmth.

After a long pause, Hyori finally spoke. “Yihan, the report says I’ve had plastic surgery—my nose, a breast augmentation, my chin—that I’m completely artificial. Why do they have to slander me like this? Is it so hard for them to believe I haven’t had surgery?”

“Hyori,” Jiang Yihan sighed, “You know that plastic surgery is common in Korea. When people see someone beautiful, they can’t help but assume. There’s nothing to be done about it. All you can do is work your way to an even higher, better place, and let your achievements prove you haven’t had surgery—that you are much more than just your looks, that you have real talent. I believe no one can deny how hard you’ve worked.”

“I know,” Hyori replied, her voice tinged with discouragement—perhaps she had simply pushed herself too hard for too long. “It’s just, in recent years, it’s become so much harder for female artists in Korea. Male artists are in the spotlight, so we have to work twice as hard and still may not be recognized. I’ve given it everything, but I’m really worn out. Now they’re slandering me—I just don’t know what the future holds.”

Silence fell again. At last, Jiang Yihan spoke, hesitant. “Hyori, you know, the light you give off when you’re working hard is the most dazzling of all. If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect others to believe in you or pay attention to you, right?”

A faint laugh came through the phone—a laugh, or perhaps a bitter smile, but it was enough to reassure Jiang Yihan.

They chatted a little longer before hanging up. Jiang Yihan looked at his phone and smiled, then returned to the practice room to resume training.

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The “Celebrity Dossier” scandal left a trail of aftereffects. Office workers found it impossible to concentrate on their jobs. Many admitted they’d spent an entire day downloading the file, unable to focus on work. The network was so overloaded with downloads that it nearly crashed. Within a few days, the file was deleted everywhere, and uploading it became forbidden.

Just as Jiang Yihan was wondering how things would unfold—how First Planning would respond, how each agency would react, and what the stars would do—he received a strange phone call. What was odd wasn’t the caller (it was Li Ran), but the content.

“What did you just say? Are you sure you didn’t get the wrong information?”

“Dead cat, do I sound like the kind of person who jokes about this?” Li Ran replied, exasperated.

“I know, but what you said is just too unbelievable. I can’t help doubting it.” Jiang Yihan was still processing the news. “You said nearly 500 celebrities are gathering to discuss how to respond to this incident, and they’ve invited me? I’ve only debuted for a few days—not even a week! Anyone would find that hard to believe.”

It turned out that, as a way of tackling the crisis, several top celebrities had organized a conference to discuss how to face the public together. And somehow, Jiang Yihan had received an invitation. He could hardly believe it. In terms of qualifications, achievements, or standing in the music world, he was a complete outsider—yet he’d been invited.

“Yeah, I got the call this morning. I double-checked—you’re definitely on the list.” Li Ran explained, “I confirmed it with Uncle Li Tong. There are two main reasons: first, almost every entertainment company has to send a representative since this concerns the whole industry. Our company chose you as our representative. Second, Lee Hyori recommended you. All entertainers are interconnected, and the more colleagues you know, the stronger you are. Lee Hyori reached out to me, and after verifying everything, I agreed. So, here we are.”

“I see.” Jiang Yihan let out a breath of relief. “So I’m representing the company. All right, I’ll go—for the company and for Hyori. With so many big shots there, no one will expect me to speak. I’ll just sit quietly.”

“Cat, you know,” Li Ran hesitated for a moment, “there will be a lot of major stars at this meeting. And in this business, connections matter more than anything.”

“You mean…” Jiang Yihan caught on immediately. “You’re saying this is a chance to make connections with the top stars, and if they help me in the future, everything will be easier?”

“Exactly!” Li Ran explained his thinking. “You don’t need to become best friends with anyone right away—just make yourself known. Let them know you exist. Next time you meet, you’ll have something to talk about. In this industry, good relationships are the strongest weapon.”

“It sounds like some mob gathering, and I’m going to curry favor with the bosses,” Jiang Yihan joked. “When is this meeting, and where?”

“Tomorrow night at eight, at the barbecue restaurant owned by Shin Ji and Lee Sung-jin.”

The author—“Broken Cat”—has something to say. First, the whole outline for this novel is already finished, so don’t worry, it won’t be abandoned. Second, Jaejoong will definitely appear more later—otherwise, why introduce him so early? Third, about the update schedule: since I just started posting, I’m doing my best to keep up with two updates a day, each chapter over 4,000 words, but as a newbie, sometimes my mind goes blank and I can’t write anything at all—like tonight. I’m still working hard, though! Maybe once in a while there will only be one update in a day, so please understand. I’ll do my best to maintain two chapters a day. Thank you for your patience!

Fourth, regarding consistency—someone already asked about taking breaks. I just got my visa to study abroad, so I’ll be heading overseas at the end of the month. You know how it is in a new country; getting online might take a few days or even weeks, but I promise that as soon as I’m online, I’ll keep to the same schedule. Even when I’m offline, I’ll keep writing—otherwise, I’d let down all the readers who have given me suggestions!

Lastly, about foreshadowing: most of the characters I write in are important, but as a beginner, my control is limited, so I might forget some plot points occasionally. I’ll do my best to tie them up later.

Thank you all so much!