Chapter Five: September Diary, Year Nine

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Entertainment at Your Side, No Pop-ups
Recommended song: ke11ynet—breaka>
Statement: This story is purely fictional. Please do not take it personally; any similarities are purely coincidental!
Note: "cy" is a type of blog that has recently become popular. Originating in Korea, it once swept the country; everyone from children to elderly, from ordinary people to celebrities, has their own cy. Like other blogs, people can post photos, leave messages, and write diaries. What makes cy different is its interface, reminiscent of a virtual space, with tags, minimes, graffiti, forums, floating objects, skins, fonts, virtual characters, cozy backgrounds, and the ability to write mood stories. Everyone can decorate their cy in their own style. In cy, you can add others as confidants—even celebrities—allowing ordinary people and stars to interact and get to know each other. More and more people now have their own cy. People from various countries can connect online.

cy Diary
Date: September 29
Weather: Clear
Mood: Unknown
Author: Jiang Yihan
Settings: Visible to all

It’s been a month since I arrived in Korea. Perhaps because of similar living habits, apart from the unfamiliar cuisine, everything else feels like I’m starting to adapt.

Speaking of food, Korean dishes are incredibly spicy—my stomach has suffered greatly. Thankfully, most of the time we eat at home. Today, I have to go to work, Yiyi has to go to school, and it seems that, as a university student with fewer classes, I’m the only one with enough free time to cook. Thus, the arduous task of meal preparation falls to me. Though I always feel sleep-deprived, I don’t really mind cooking.

University courses are fairly light; I only have classes Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings. The rest of the week is free. Speaking of school, I must mention our department head, Professor Shin. He treats me very well—perhaps he has a good impression of me, haha. His classes are always enjoyable. He’s not teaching our Interviewing course this semester (that’s for second-year students), but he’s leading our Host training course. He loves to ask questions—probably because I’m often caught sleeping and not paying attention. Forgive me; I truly lack sleep. But after being called out a few times, I think I’ve performed well enough, judging by his satisfied expression. Other students in our department say he often praises me in their classes, which made me quietly proud. But when I got home, Yiyi and Yiran deflated my ego, claiming Professor Shin treats me leniently, mostly because of my harmless, “human trafficker-like” smile. The two of them ganged up on me—hmpf, heartless! They don’t even appreciate who's cooking for them every day.

There’s another odd thing about school: the senior I met during orientation, whose surname was Lee, keeps showing up. Isn’t she from the Film and TV department? Why does she always come to ours? Truly strange.

Life is gradually stabilizing, and I’ve started working part-time to earn living expenses, as planned. I consulted Professor Shin, who said getting the school to issue proof is somewhat complicated, but he did it for me in just a few minutes because of our good rapport (forgive my pride again). Clearly, it pays to build good relationships with teachers. Still, Professor Shin warned me that work mustn’t interfere with studies, or I’ll lose my scholarship. To keep my full scholarship, I must attend at least eighty percent of classes.

A few days ago, I started with the basics—Yiyi helped me find a job at a coffee shop, waiting tables. Once that was stable, I picked up another job handing out flyers as needed. I’ve been at it for nearly half a month. Although I haven’t gotten paid yet, it seems promising.

By the way, Yiyi is only a junior but has already started working. Her temp job is quite good—she’s an agent at * Company, training trainees. Speaking of MS Company, it’s one of Korea’s top five entertainment giants, home to stars like HOT, Shinhwa, BoA—truly powerful. Yiyi’s prospects there are bright. I didn’t even know about trainees until Yiyi explained. In Korea, becoming a star involves three steps: auditions, then trainee status, then pre-debut preparations before officially debuting. Trainees aren’t guaranteed to become stars—they might be eliminated during their training, which covers language, singing, dancing, and physical training. It’s tough, usually lasting three to five years, sometimes longer or shorter, but you generally need a period of training before debuting. Yiyi arranges for trainees to study with different teachers, coordinates practice rooms, and sometimes takes them to perform as backup dancers. Once she masters these processes and gains recognition, she can start managing new talent. Agents are also trained step by step. Yiyi is doing well, and although she hasn’t officially signed with the company, her prospects are strong. I hope she keeps it up.

Ah, I almost forgot to mention where I live. Yiyi and I share the apartment she rents. Yiyi has a room here, but she usually stays in school dorms for extra practice, though she often sneaks back home for meals and hangs around. Luckily, the school is just one bus stop away, so it's convenient. Yiyi’s place has one bedroom, a small living room, a bathroom, and a tiny kitchen barely big enough for one person. Even so, it costs Yiyi 300,000 won a month—about 2,500 yuan. Korean prices are high. (A note from the author: I only checked online for rent information, so it might not be accurate. In Korea, student rents average about 2,000 yuan, so places like Yiran’s are estimated. Please forgive any inaccuracies.)

Yiyi and I share the bedroom; we use the living room for meals. The place is small but comfortable. The apartment is simple—not because of a lack of furniture, but because it’s tidy. Everything is neatly organized; the living room has only a table and several paintings, and a corner for sports gear like a basketball. By the door is a shoe rack filled with our shoes, all lined up neatly by Yiyi. As for our bedroom, we both clean regularly, so it looks minimalist: a bed with sky-blue bedding, a light green blanket for rotation, a desk, a computer table (Yiyi has a desktop, and I brought a laptop, so internet access is easy), and a huge wardrobe. Overall, our home is comfortable, with good lighting—knowing people in a foreign land is truly wonderful.

Suddenly, I think of Yiyi’s admirer, Yin Yun’er. She’s a cute girl—I really admire her courage for pursuing someone as icy as Yiyi. How did she fall for someone like that? Yiyi is excellent: handsome, good grades, decent salary (affording this rent takes skill), and a good personality—just not great at socializing. The temper is fine, even if occasionally scary, though I rarely see it. He simply doesn’t express himself well, so many admirers end up frightened away. But Yin Yun’er is still persistent—who knows what will happen next? I’m a little excited to see.

I also made a new friend here, Jin Xiaoxi, a first-year student in the Film and TV department. We’ve met a few times at school, but she’s very shy.

After a month in Korea, now that I’m settling in, I wonder what will happen next. I’m starting to look forward to it!

Messages:
Jiang Ziyi: Brother, you lazy cat, you sleep so much and still complain about being sleep-deprived. Honestly, I’m impressed. When Li Ran called you a lazy cat, he wasn’t wrong—hmph!
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Li Ran: At least you had the decency to say something nice about my prospects.
Jiang Ziyi: My brother is a big lazy cat—he only cooks, but Li Ran does the laundry. He’s so lazy.
Jiang Yihan: --I faint! I was just expressing my feelings, never said I wouldn’t do chores...
Li Ran: Dead cat—why do you keep saying people like me!
Yin Yun’er: Jiang Yihan, you’ve been in Korea for a month now. Seems you’re adapting well, hehe.
Jiang Ziyi: I think Jin Xiaoxi likes my brother too, haha. Li Ran, you should say something about it.
Jiang Yihan: 54...
Jin Xiaoxi: Ziyi, don’t say nonsense (blushing).

Jiang Yihan’s cy was set up shortly after arriving in Korea, by Jiang Ziyi, using Jiang Yihan’s name. cy prefers real-name registration. Although registered under Jiang Yihan, it’s mostly Jiang Ziyi using it, regularly uploading photos. With a digital camera at home, Jiang Ziyi snaps pictures whenever she has time and uploads many to cy—photos of Jiang Yihan sleeping, everyone eating together, Li Ran and Jiang Yihan arm-in-arm, group dinners, and of course, Jiang Ziyi herself, plus Jiang Yihan’s school photos. The most frequent are selfies of the three of us, taken when bored and goofing around. Originally, we didn’t plan to upload them, but Jiang Ziyi did, and Jiang Yihan and Li Ran figured that since so many Koreans upload their photos to cy, there’s no harm. Besides, it’s not always visible to others. Yun Yun’er and Jin Xiaoxi were told by Jiang Ziyi, and after learning about it, they joined as confidants and became regulars. Li Ran and Jiang Yihan now find it fun, occasionally uploading their own photos and playing with cy together, so the content has grown rich and varied. What effects it will have, only time will tell.

cy Diary
Date: September 30
Weather: Clear
Mood: Happy
Author: Jiang Ziyi
Settings: Visible to all

It’s been a month since I came to Korea with my brother to study. At first, I didn’t adapt well—my brother speaks Korean fluently, but I’m only halfway there. Dorm life is tough. A month in, I’ve made great progress, but it’s still hard. Thankfully, I can go home and spend time with my brother, Li Ran, Yun Yun’er, and Jin Xiaoxi—without their help, I’d probably collapse.

Yun Yun’er admires Li Ran greatly. That ice-cold face must have scared off countless people. Thanks to my brother, I’m immune—otherwise, I would have been frightened away, too. Yun Yun’er really has courage.

Speaking of Jin Xiaoxi, she’s shy, and even more so around my brother. I used to wonder if love at first sight was real, but seeing Jin Xiaoxi’s reaction to my brother makes it clear. Besides Jin Xiaoxi, girls in my brother’s class have started sending him love letters. Last time I was home, I found three in his drawer. Truly impressive—our teacher’s old saying, “handsome men are trouble,” applies to both my brother and Li Ran.

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Another happy thing about coming to Korea: last week, while out with Jin Xiaoxi, we got separated. I was terrified—unfamiliar city, my phone in Jin Xiaoxi’s bag, utterly helpless. Luckily, I met a kind stranger who waited and searched with me near Dongdaemun for over half an hour until we found Jin Xiaoxi. Truly grateful.

That kind stranger was my age, named Kwon Ji-yong, born in 1988. He’s not tall—just over 170 cm—but cute, and his fashion sense is unique. He speaks with flair, very entertaining. My Korean isn’t good, but he wasn’t impatient; we chatted in a mix of Korean and English, with lots of gestures, and had a great conversation. Making such a wonderful friend is fantastic!

Messages:
Li Ran: I am not trouble, Xiaoyi!
Jiang Yihan: Yiyi, stop saying nonsense, hmph.
Jiang Yihan: That Kwon Ji-yong—hmph, I’ll ask you about him when you get back.
Yin Yun’er: ...blushing.
Jin Xiaoxi: Ditto.
Kwon Ji-yong: Hello, Ziyi.
Jiang Yihan: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When did you get here, upstairs!
Jiang Ziyi: I invited him, so what? Hmph.
Jiang Yihan: ...We’ll talk when you get home!

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