Chapter Fifty-Two: The Mysterious Guest

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Entertainment at Your Side Without Pop-Up Windows
Story Time: May 2005
Recommended Song: Yoga Lin — Mysterious Guest
Statement: This story is entirely fictional. Please do not compare it to reality; any similarities are purely coincidental!

The recording of "Ten Thousand Yuan Happiness" finally came to an end. Jiang Yihan won by a margin of 980 yuan and received a filial piety sightseeing voucher for his parents.

Outside the program, "The Sweetness of Breaking Up" remained strong. Two weeks after Jiang Yihan took the stage, he again secured first place in four music programs. However, this time he held the top spot for only a week, then hovered among the top three. Meanwhile, "Castle" continued to stay within the top five. In recent months, Jiang Yihan has shown a steady upward trend across various music shows, and more and more people are beginning to recognize this newcomer with limitless potential.

Ziyi's advertising contracts are still creating quite a stir—just the signing bonuses alone have attracted most of the media's attention. Coupled with the high-profile newcomer Jiang Yihan, who recently signed with Samsung, the press conference was packed to the brim, with reporters filling every corner.

The previously promised signing event was successfully held again a week later, this time in a large department store with ample space. Jiang Yihan signed autographs for a full eight hours, and the thousands of Castle fans present were all deeply satisfied to spend eight hours with him. Poor Jiang Yihan was so exhausted afterward that he couldn’t even hold chopsticks—his hand had stiffened into a fixed position.

As May entered early summer, Jiang Yihan’s schedule remained tight. But thanks to good sleep, he gradually grew accustomed to this lifestyle. The company made a preliminary decision: TVXQ would start expanding into the Japanese overseas market. Since they had just transferred from MS Company, a buffer period was needed to prevent the two companies from becoming rivals, which would only harm TVXQ and abnet.

For nearly a month, under Li Ran’s guidance, Jiang Yihan had attended no fewer than twenty auditions, whether for television or film, but nothing had come of them. Thanks to Jang Dong-gun’s connections and Li Ran’s own efforts, there were plenty of opportunities, but landing a role was not so easy. For a newcomer like Jiang Yihan, finding a part was a long process.

Today, Jiang Yihan had just finished recording Kang Ho-dong’s "Love Letter" and returned to the practice room, ready to continue training. The episode of "Love Letter" Jiang Yihan had appeared in achieved a high rating of 28%, which greatly excited the production team. The show was then revamped: instead of one female guest, there were now several, and male and female guests paired off one-on-one, seeing how many couples would succeed by the end of the show. Today was Jiang Yihan’s second time recording "Love Letter," and in the end, he paired up with the familiar Chae Yeon.

It was already 8 p.m. when Jiang Yihan arrived at the practice room. The day’s schedule was over, so he naturally devoted his remaining time to practice.

Just as Jiang Yihan was correcting his movements, Li Ran pushed open the door. “Lazy Cat, go to Uncle Li’s office.”

“Huh? What’s up?” Jiang Yihan grabbed a towel, wiping his sweat as he walked with Li Ran toward the office.

“I don’t know either. Uncle Li said he’d introduce us to a mysterious guest.” Li Ran had just received the notice and wasn’t clear about the situation.

“A mysterious guest? Sounds interesting.” Jiang Yihan smiled.

As they spoke, the two arrived at Li Tong’s office door. Jiang Yihan knocked before entering. “Uncle Li, what mysterious guest are you going to introduce me to?”

“Ah, Yihan, you’re here.” Li Tong looked up from a stack of documents. “The mysterious guest will arrive shortly. You two sit down first.”

“Here’s the situation,” Li Tong began to explain once they were seated. “You’ve been attending a lot of TV and film auditions lately, right? There’s news now.”

Li Ran and Jiang Yihan both smiled upon hearing this—after so many auditions with no response, it had been quite discouraging.

“I called you here to inform you about this. Our mysterious guest is another actor from the drama, as well as the director. They’ll both arrive soon.” Li Tong explained with a smile.

Most at the company hadn’t anticipated the difficulties Jiang Yihan faced in the film industry. At first, everyone thought he’d find smooth success in acting, but unexpectedly, he rose quickly in music and achieved excellent results, yet encountered strong resistance in film. Some thought he was too handsome, some thought he was too refined, some thought his acting was too shallow, and some believed newcomers shouldn’t get leading roles. Of course, MS Company’s interference played a part, so none of those nearly twenty auditions yielded a reply. The company was now considering how to replan Jiang Yihan’s path in film, and just at this moment, an opportunity arrived.

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Li Tong was very pleased with this opportunity, his smile revealing his mood. “I wanted you to come early so you could look at the script first. It’s 95% complete, just a few details left to perfect.”

“Is it a TV show or a movie? What’s the title? What role can Lazy Cat get?” Li Ran took the script and began asking—after all, a good title is important.

“It’s a movie called ‘First Love,’” Li Tong answered succinctly.

Jiang Yihan and Li Ran said no more, diving into the script. Li Ran skimmed it, while Jiang Yihan read in detail. Li Ran was the first to look up. “Uncle Li, are you sure you want Lazy Cat to take this role? I don’t think it’s suitable.”

“Tell me your thoughts,” Li Tong neither confirmed nor denied.

“First, the protagonist is the absolute lead; supporting roles have almost no room to shine. Lazy Cat would just be a pretty face. If he takes it, there are only two outcomes: either he’s completely ignored, or people fixate on his looks and nothing else. Both are bad for his start in acting and would make it harder to land future roles. Second, will this film even be popular? Such a fresh and understated story is unlikely to attract audiences—plain romance is too risky. Success is difficult, failure is easy. Finally, the script’s details are lacking. Even if the framework is good, without refined details, it’s hard to make it stand out.” Li Ran quickly organized his thoughts after a cursory glance at the script. Li Tong listened and couldn’t help but admire Li Ran’s sharp insight, nodding with a smile. “You’re absolutely right. I’ve considered everything you said. Yihan, what do you think?”

Jiang Yihan was only halfway through—the details were unclear, but he had a sense of the overall plot. “I think it’s optional.”

“Oh? Why do you say that?” Li Tong waited with interest.

“Not taking it is because the details lack emotional resonance—there’s nothing to grip the audience. The script’s creator wants to express a lot but doesn’t know how, so it’s hard to move people. Even aside from the actors, the plot itself is hard to convey. But taking it—‘First Love’ is an eternal theme, and this fresh style of film is rare in the market. Failure is likely, but success could be limitless. Most importantly, I’m a newcomer. I have no right to select scripts—the script chooses me. I have no right to accept or refuse, isn’t that so?”

Li Tong couldn’t help but applaud. Both Li Ran and Jiang Yihan’s analyses were spot on, and Li Tong had considered these points himself. Yet the two had grasped the situation after only a brief look—truly remarkable. It seemed he could leave everything to them in the future.

“I’ve considered all you said, but here’s how I see it.” Li Tong organized his thoughts. “Regarding details, since the script came out before the director was confirmed, it’s hard for a single writer to craft the right feeling. Details will be discussed and added once the director and actors are in place. If everyone participates, details won’t be a problem. Second, I think you’ve overlooked the core theme—it’s rare in Korea. If filmed well, its significance would be profound. Add the pure romance angle, and the movie has real potential. On the actor issue: Jiang Yihan is the main lead, with plenty of space to develop. Unless you lack confidence in him.”

Li Tong’s concise words surprised both Li Ran and Jiang Yihan. He then threw out one last statement: “As Yihan said, the script chooses us. Besides, the director insisted Yihan be the lead or he wouldn’t take the film. So why not accept?”

A first acting job as the lead, chosen by the director, and, judging by Li Tong’s tone, actors could participate in script discussion—how could that be possible for a newcomer? Both Li Ran and Jiang Yihan were left open-mouthed.

“Personally, I hope Yihan takes the role. Ultimately, though, it’s up to Li Ran as the manager. You can wait for our mysterious guest to arrive before deciding.” Li Tong winked cheerfully.

Another mysterious guest. It seemed today’s guest was worth anticipating.

“Uncle Li, who is this mysterious guest? Tell us, don’t keep us in suspense!” Jiang Yihan rolled his eyes and began to act spoiled.

Li Tong smiled mysteriously and said nothing.

“You’re so curious about who I am?” The office door was suddenly pushed open, and someone walked in.

Jiang Yihan and Li Ran turned their heads. Their dropped jaws snapped back into place, and their eyes widened in disbelief. “Uncle Park?”

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The person who entered was Park Young-ho, Uncle Park—the very one who guided Jiang Yihan into the industry. No wonder Li Ran and Jiang Yihan were so shocked.

Park Young-ho entered with a grin, hugging Jiang Yihan. “It hasn’t been that long—do I really need to be such a surprise?”

“N-no… I just didn’t expect the mysterious guest to be you.” Jiang Yihan scratched his head embarrassedly.

“I’m the director of this film.” Park Young-ho sat down with a smile. “So, are you taking the role?”

“Uncle Park, it’s your call,” Jiang Yihan grew more embarrassed.

“Uncle Park, what’s the real situation?” Li Ran was calm, letting Park Young-ho explain.

“Haha, you’re sharp as ever,” Park Young-ho chuckled, pointing at Li Ran before explaining. “No director wanted this script—the subject is too audacious, and investors couldn’t be found. By chance, I got the script and felt inspired. I thought, if I cast you in this role, tweak some details, the film could work. I considered feasibility and approached investors, but none agreed. Eventually, I found one who would invest but insisted you had to be the lead. It was exactly what I wanted, so we struck a deal and here we are.”

“What investor? Why insist I be the lead? It doesn’t make sense—I’m a newcomer with no experience or fame. Why would they invest in me?” Jiang Yihan was puzzled.

“You won’t be surprised when you hear who it is,” Park Young-ho teased, pausing for effect. “It’s Ziyi Apparel. They want your image as their spokesperson to get bigger, so their profits will grow. Later, I got Samsung to sponsor, and they hope you’ll shine, so they helped too. That’s how filming was made possible.”

“Ziyi.” Jiang Yihan felt a strange sensation flash through his mind—Ziyi seemed to be constantly helping him. Why? Before he could dwell on it, Park Young-ho patted him, and the thought vanished.

Park Young-ho asked, “Yihan, are you taking the role? The film exists because of you. Do you remember an audition without a script? They asked you about your first love.”

“No script? First love?” Jiang Yihan searched his memory, but Li Ran answered, “I remember—it was an early audition for Lazy Cat. Why?”

“That’s the film,” Park Young-ho said. Fate had come full circle, and Jiang Yihan finally received his first acting offer from his very first audition.

“By the way, who’s the other mysterious guest—the actor from the film?” Li Ran, still not saying whether they’d accept, was curious about the other guest.

“He should be here soon,” Li Tong replied.

The office door opened again.

Rambling Time—Since it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, of course I’ll celebrate! Haha, I’ll go out with fellow hometown friends for a gathering, have some fun. Hope everyone enjoys the festival, too! Ha!