Chapter Sixty-Three: An Unexpected Surprise That Was Not a Delight

Page 1/3

Entertainment at Hand Without Pop-ups
Story written between June and November, 2005
Recommended Song: Zhang Jiawei – Cowherd Party
Statement: This work is purely fictitious; any resemblance is purely coincidental!

“Bro, do you have time tomorrow?” The voice on the other end of the line was Kim Jaejoong.

“What time tomorrow? Is there something going on?” Jiang Yihan was running on a treadmill, training his stamina. Only with better physical condition could one sing with steady breath, especially when performing fast songs.

“Around 10 p.m. tomorrow, I think. It’s a friend’s birthday. All five of us are going. I have a friend I want to introduce you to, so I’m checking if you’re free.” Kim Jaejoong laid out his plan.

“A friend you want me to meet? Who is it? Why the sudden introduction? It’s not a girl, is it? If it’s a pretty girl, I’ll have to pass, haha.” Jiang Yihan stopped the treadmill and picked up a towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

“Haha, even if there were pretty girls, we’d introduce them to our team first, not you, bro!” Kim Jaejoong joked. “It’s a fellow countryman, actually. There are quite a few trainees from China in our company. One of the older guys is on good terms with me, always wanted to introduce you, but never found the chance. Tomorrow, since it’s a friend’s birthday and everyone will be there, I thought it’d be a good opportunity to introduce you two.”

“A fellow trainee from my hometown? Of course, I’d love to meet him.” Jiang Yihan grinned. “I was wondering why I hadn’t run into any other Chinese in the industry. That didn’t make sense! Tomorrow night, I shouldn’t have anything scheduled. I’ll probably be in the practice room. Give me a call when it’s time and I’ll come over, ok?”

“No problem, I’ll send you the location then,” Kim Jaejoong replied, ending the call.

October 15th, 2005, 10 p.m.

TVXQ’s van arrived at the company and picked up Jiang Yihan. As soon as he got in, the car was filled with chatter, as if there was an endless stream of things to say—or perhaps plans being made. Soon, they arrived at MS Company’s practice studio in Gangnam. The six of them filed in one after another.

Inside, Jiang Yihan saw the room was packed, men and women everywhere.

When the six entered, all eyes turned to the door. At that moment, a striking figure stood up—a loud floral shirt, tight red pants, impossible to miss. “Oh, you heartless bunch still remember to come back, huh?” The words dripped with sarcasm, making everyone nearby tense up.

Jiang Yihan whispered to Kim Jaejoong, “Who’s that?”

“That’s Kim Heechul, an old practice partner of mine,” Kim Jaejoong whispered back.

“What are you whispering for? Got secrets? If you have things to say, take it outside. You’re not welcome here,” Kim Heechul pressed further, stepping closer.

“Heechul, don’t be like this. We only left the company, but we’re still friends,” Jung Yunho said with obvious discomfort—it seemed he and Kim Heechul had once been close.

“Only left the company, you say? Did you even say goodbye? Did you let us know before running off?” Kim Heechul continued to press.

“Heechul, don’t be like this. Yunho and the others had no choice—it was the company’s decision,” someone finally spoke up. A delicate, gentle-faced young man stood, his voice soft, clearly not wanting things to escalate. His Korean was a little odd, with a rolling accent and some stiltedness, which piqued Jiang Yihan’s curiosity.

“That’s right, bro. We were the passive ones here—you know how our company is,” Kim Jaejoong spoke too, though his tone lacked conviction.

“Don’t call me bro. You’re not qualified, and I’m not qualified to be your bro. You’ve never really cared about me,” Kim Heechul refused to let up.

“Bro, it’s Donghae’s birthday today. Can’t we talk about this another time? Don’t spoil the atmosphere,” Jung Yunho said, biting his lip, hesitant.

Page 2/3

“Yeah, bro, don’t be angry. It’s my birthday today—they’re just here to celebrate,” said the birthday boy, Lee Donghae.

“Heechul, if you keep this up, Donghae will feel awkward. Aren’t we here for his birthday?” the delicate young man continued to mediate.

“Hangeng, it’s not like I want to cause trouble. I know it’s Donghae’s birthday and I hope everyone has fun,” Kim Heechul finally relented, listening to Hangeng. “But look at them! The atmosphere was fine until they showed up. And they even brought a stranger! What’s that about?” He pointed at Jiang Yihan, fuming.

“Maybe the one spoiling the mood isn’t who you think,” Jiang Yihan replied, neither soft nor hard.

“What did you just say?!” Kim Heechul’s voice rose, clearly losing his temper.

“I said someone’s looking for a fight, and it has little to do with whether we’re here or not,” Jiang Yihan stood his ground.

“Looks like you’re asking for a beating,” Kim Heechul suddenly lunged, grabbing Jiang Yihan’s collar, and the two started scuffling.

Within moments, the room was in chaos. People rushed to break up the fight, but the more people intervened, the messier it became.

Suddenly, a loud “Ah!” rang out, drowning all the chaos and making everyone freeze. The shout had come from Hangeng—the gentle-looking young man.

“Enough! Are you done? It’s Donghae’s birthday! What are you fighting about?” Hangeng pulled Kim Heechul up. “If anyone should be mad, it’s Donghae—he’s the main character today, not you.” Hangeng’s expression was so fierce it stunned Kim Heechul into silence. “And you all, can’t you just keep it down? Are you here to celebrate or to cause trouble?” Hangeng also scolded Jiang Yihan’s group.

Standing to the side, Donghae was at a loss, not knowing what to do. Now, with everyone’s attention on him, he was even more flustered.

Suddenly, Jiang Yihan’s group and Kim Heechul burst into laughter. They pulled out plastic party poppers—pop, pop, pop—and the seven of them started singing “Happy Birthday” at the top of their lungs. The rest were stunned for a moment before realizing the whole thing had been an act—a prank for the birthday boy, Donghae. Once they caught on, everyone burst out laughing, except Hangeng and Donghae.

“Happy birthday, Donghae,” Kim Heechul said, hugging Donghae.

Donghae finally realized what had happened. “Ah…what the heck, you guys…” He pointed at the seven pranksters, half laughing, half exasperated.

“Hey, what’s with you guys? If you’re pranking Donghae, why drag me into it too?” Hangeng bemoaned, then, his own little universe exploded, and he started chasing Kim Heechul around.

“Bro, Hangeng’s your fellow countryman—seems like you’re both from the Northeast,” Kim Jaejoong said with a grin, whispering in Jiang Yihan’s ear.

Jiang Yihan nodded. Hangeng’s accented Korean had already caught his attention.

After a bit of chasing, the two finally stopped. Donghae, now smiling, accepted the terrifying surprise.

“Hangeng, come here. Let me introduce someone,” Kim Jaejoong said, dragging the exhausted Hangeng over.

“Hangeng, this is Jiang Yihan—he’s like a big brother to me. Bro, this is Hangeng, your fellow countryman,” Kim Jaejoong made the introductions.

“So you’re Jiang Yihan—I thought you looked familiar!” Hangeng smiled warmly.

“Nice to meet you! Jaejoong told me he’d introduce a fellow countryman today, and I’ve been excited all day. Sorry for tricking you earlier—it was all to surprise the birthday boy,” Jiang Yihan said with a grin.

“Hahaha, it’s fine! The main point was to mess with Heechul—he never tells me anything, so I fell for it all by myself,” Hangeng said, scratching his head sheepishly.

Page 3/3

After they were introduced, the two of them sat together to chat. Speaking Mandarin after so long felt immensely comforting; the more they talked, the happier they became. Truly, when people from the same hometown meet, there is a kind of emotional kinship—even if there were no tears, the feeling was profound.

Jiang Yihan had been in the industry for almost a year now and had achieved remarkable results, something Hangeng was well aware of. Unfortunately, Hangeng hadn’t been as fortunate.

“When are you debuting? Does your company have a plan?” Jiang Yihan asked with concern.

“There is a plan. We’re set to debut in early November as a twelve-member group, and I’m one of them. But the problem is my visa—it still hasn’t been resolved,” Hangeng sighed.

“Your visa? What’s wrong with it?” Jiang Yihan was puzzled.

“It’s a work visa. In Korea, foreigners need special approval to appear on public television programs. The process is complicated. If my visa isn’t sorted, I won’t be able to take the stage,” Hangeng explained, clearly frustrated.

“How could that be? I had no idea—my company handled all my paperwork. Why hasn’t yours gone through?” Jiang Yihan didn’t realize how arduous the process was; only Professor Shin Sungkyun and Li Tong, who had helped him, truly knew the lengths they’d gone to.

“The company has its own plans. All I can do is wait for them to fix it before I can perform,” Hangeng said, looking a bit downcast. “I’ve been in Korea for years now, away from home and my parents, all to pursue my dream of performing on stage. I never thought I’d run into a roadblock like this.”

“Yeah, it must be tough with all that training.” Seeing Hangeng, Jiang Yihan couldn’t help but think of Lin Erxiang, another young man who struggled endlessly, never finding a way out until finally debuting at MS Company. Only those who’ve been through it know how hard it is.

“I’m not afraid of the hard work or the injuries, or even being exhausted. I can handle all of that. What gets me is that my mom worries about me so much. Every time I think about how unfilial I am, making her worry, I…” Hangeng didn’t finish; his voice was choked with emotion.

A child’s journey brings endless worry to a mother. A thoughtful son, knowing his mother’s pain, feels guilty for causing her concern. Looking at Hangeng, Jiang Yihan suddenly felt, more than ever, that the world was unfair.

For many, hard work does not always bring rewards; but without effort, there will never be any reward. Jiang Yihan thought of his own struggles, his own efforts, and for a moment, both men were silent. He turned to Hangeng, patted his shoulder, and silently wished his fellow countryman smooth sailing in the future.

“Talking with you makes me feel so much better. Because of the language barrier, I can’t express myself well here, and I’ve had no one to confide in for so long,” Hangeng said, looking up, the weight of these years’ pressures perhaps finally too much.

“Don’t worry, I’ll always be here,” Jiang Yihan replied with a gentle smile.

Though Hangeng was a bit older, it was Jiang Yihan who radiated a calm, reassuring presence, like an elder brother. Hangeng had held on for so long; all he needed was ten minutes, a shoulder to lean on, to find the strength to persevere. At that moment, Jiang Yihan’s presence put his heart at ease.

The two sat quietly, saying nothing, but feeling at peace—until a piece of cream flew over and landed on them, shattering the calm and dragging them into a wild cake fight.

When Jiang Yihan landed a dollop of cream on someone, both he and his target froze—it was Lin Erxiang. They looked at each other awkwardly; Jiang Yihan glanced at the cream in his hand, then at Lin Erxiang’s face smeared like a clown, suppressing the urge to laugh.

In that tense moment, Kim Jaejoong and Hangeng came to the rescue. They ambushed Jiang Yihan with a huge glob of cream, covering his face completely. Instantly forgetting his embarrassment, Jiang Yihan retaliated, smearing cream all over Kim Jaejoong’s hair and bursting into triumphant laughter.

The cake fight was fierce and everyone had a blast, but the aftermath left no one smiling. The practice room’s cleaning was left to the trainees, and now a group of boys and girls stared at the mess, crestfallen. But when they caught each other’s expressions, laughter bubbled up again, and they picked up more cake and kept the battle going. After all, happiness in the moment was all that mattered—could the place get any messier?

When it was time to part, Jiang Yihan and Hangeng found that they couldn’t even hug goodbye—both were too covered in cream to even try.

Watching Hangeng’s joyful smile, Jiang Yihan silently wished that come November, he’d see his friend debut smoothly.