Chapter Forty-Two: The Love Letter (Part Two)

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Entertainment at Your Side – No Pop-Up Ads
Story takes place: April 2005
Recommended Song: Tim – "Be Careful"
Disclaimer: This story is purely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental!

“Baby.” Jiang Yihan uttered the term of endearment, then burst into a sheepish laugh, clearly not yet accustomed to this kind of show.

“Oh my, oh my!” Everyone gasped at the intimacy of the address.

“Jiang Yihan, is that how you call your girlfriend?” Kang Ho-dong asked cheerfully.

“I want to call Han Chae-young that,” Jiang Yihan replied, blushing at his own words.

“I’m asking if you call your own girlfriend that way,” Kang Ho-dong pressed, his intentions not so innocent.

“You yourself said Han Chae-young is my girlfriend today,” Jiang Yihan protested with an innocent expression, leaving Kang Ho-dong speechless and prompting another round of laughter from the audience.

Jiang Yihan then took the rose and walked up, locking eyes with Han Chae-young. Her delicate features were indeed beautiful, and her glossy lips were irresistibly inviting. Jiang Yihan immediately grew shy, lowering his head, unable to meet her gaze. Han Chae-young, too, smiled bashfully as she accepted the pink rose.

Next, Tim and Tei chose to sing to express their feelings. Andy’s term of endearment stood out the most, calling Han Chae-young “Spring Fragrance,” which was the name of her character in the highly rated drama “The Magnificent Spring Fragrance.” Everyone marveled at Andy’s cleverness.

The second part of the confession was dancing. The seasoned variety show veterans performed with ease, especially Shin Jung-hwan and Chun Myung-hoon, whose quirky dances once again filled the room with laughter, making Jiang Yihan envious.

When it was Jiang Yihan’s turn, his mind went blank, forgetting all the practice he’d done. Left with no choice, he followed the music and moved as best he could, subconsciously opting for simple yet stylish choreography, combining hands and feet in clean, crisp movements. The brief one-minute dance earned him applause from the entire audience.

“Hey, Jiang Yihan, you’re pretty good!” Kang Ho-dong shot him a look of admiration, making Jiang Yihan blush again. “Looks like you’re not just good at singing, your dancing is also charming.”

Finally, the first segment of filming came to an end. Jiang Yihan sat exhausted to the side, panting for breath. Although the activity wasn’t strenuous, his nerves had been working overtime. Thanks to Kang Ho-dong’s care, Jiang Yihan enjoyed more screen time, each moment lively or “funny,” producing plenty of laughter. The taping progressed smoothly, and everyone moved to the dressing room to change for the next segment.

During the break, Kang Ho-dong smiled warmly at Jiang Yihan. “Yihan, how’s filming going? Not bad, right?”

“Brother Ho-dong, you really scared me at first. But honestly, I’m grateful for your care,” Jiang Yihan replied with a bright smile.

Twenty minutes of rest flew by.

The next segment was wrestling, a chance to win Han Chae-young’s favor with a victory. In the first few rounds, Shin Jung-hwan and Chun Myung-hoon lost spectacularly thanks to exaggerated body language and coordinated performances, eliciting laughter from everyone. For Jiang Yihan, experiencing this for the first time, his stomach hurt from laughing so much. He realized most of the comedic moments seen on TV were carefully planned, with participants rehearsing their exaggerated gestures and performances to produce the desired effect. It gave Jiang Yihan a newfound respect for the difficulty of making such shows.

Finally, it was Jiang Yihan’s turn. His opponent, Yoon Tae, had a clear advantage in weight. Yoon Tae lifted Jiang Yihan off the ground, leaving him unable to resist. Jiang Yihan struggled, trying to hook his foot around Yoon Tae’s knee. As Yoon Tae’s balance wavered and Jiang Yihan applied pressure, Yoon Tae toppled backward, resulting in an unexpected “accident” where Jiang Yihan defeated someone twice his size. The audience burst into laughter. But Jiang Yihan knew it was all for effect—Yoon Tae could have easily won, so there was only one explanation: he’d intentionally let Jiang Yihan win. Realizing this, Jiang Yihan laughed in amazement.

Seeing all this, Kang Ho-dong found it intriguing and immediately suggested, “How about I compete with you using just one hand and one foot?” Ten years ago, Kang Ho-dong was the “Champion of the World”—the highest honor in Korean wrestling. Jiang Yihan felt nervous, trying to delay, but everyone ignored his protests and started the match. Shin Jung-hwan naturally took over as host.

Jiang Yihan stood helplessly in the center, facing Kang Ho-dong, whose size was more than double his own. He didn’t even know where to place his hands. Pre-match preparations finally ended. Kang Ho-dong whispered in Jiang Yihan’s ear, “Give it your best effort.” Jiang Yihan was puzzled, unsure what it meant. The match began.

The two tangled together. Jiang Yihan noticed Kang Ho-dong had only one foot on the ground, most of his weight leaning on Jiang Yihan. Acting on instinct, Jiang Yihan extended his foot to trip Kang Ho-dong’s supporting leg. To his surprise, with barely any effort, Kang Ho-dong fell. The unexpected outcome left everyone doubled over with laughter. Jiang Yihan hadn’t expected it, while Kang Ho-dong, embarrassed, muttered, “Give me another chance, give me another chance.”

Jiang Yihan watched from the side, struggling to suppress his laughter as the room became a sea of giggles. Kang Ho-dong, frustrated, walked to the camera and declared, “No game, no game. That match doesn’t count. Let’s start over, edit out the earlier footage.”

He then returned to the mat, acting as if nothing had happened, ready to begin again. But Shin Jung-hwan announced, “Round two begins now. Jiang Yihan took the first round.” Kang Ho-dong could only look at Shin Jung-hwan helplessly as the second round started.

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Before starting, Kang Ho-dong whispered loudly into Jiang Yihan’s ear, “Go easy on me.” Everyone heard and burst out laughing.

The match began again. To prevent another accident, Kang Ho-dong hopped on one foot to avoid being tripped. Jiang Yihan held him uncertainly, and in desperation, again tried to trip Kang Ho-dong’s landing foot. Kang Ho-dong lost his balance and fell backward, grabbing Jiang Yihan’s shirt but still hitting the mat.

Kang Ho-dong failed again.

The audience exploded in laughter, applauding and rolling on the floor. This time, Jiang Yihan couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud.

Kang Ho-dong, embarrassed, kept touching his flushed face. “Let’s do it again, one more time,” he said seriously. “Edit out the first two matches and let’s do it properly.”

But Shin Jung-hwan refused to accommodate him, announcing, “The score is now 2:0. We’re entering the third round. Jiang Yihan is leading by a landslide.”

The two returned to the center. Kang Ho-dong whispered, “From now on, I’ll never tease you on the show again. Just spare me this once.” The audience erupted in laughter once more.

The third match began. Jiang Yihan saw no opportunity to trip Kang Ho-dong, so he pushed him, trying to destabilize his balance. Kang Ho-dong leaned heavily on Jiang Yihan, hoping not to fall, but during the tussle, both of his feet touched the ground—an automatic loss due to a foul. Everyone realized Kang Ho-dong had already lost, and laughter erupted again. Kang Ho-dong pretended nothing had happened and continued. With a heavy body pressing down on him, Jiang Yihan struggled to breathe, but finally found a chance to trip Kang Ho-dong’s leg again. This time, Kang Ho-dong collapsed, utterly defeated.

3:0

The audience was speechless with laughter. Han Chae-young’s comment, “Kang Ho-dong is so embarrassed!” sent everyone into fits of laughter, while Kang Ho-dong lay on the mat, unwilling to get up.

After four rounds of wrestling, Jiang Yihan was exhausted, panting heavily, but still found Kang Ho-dong’s antics hilarious and couldn’t stop laughing.

The second segment of filming reached its conclusion.

Everyone had to change outfits again. During the break, Kang Ho-dong came over, praising Jiang Yihan, “Yihan, you did great! Just started on the show and already performing so well.” Anyone could see Kang Ho-dong had been looking out for Jiang Yihan; he hadn’t exerted much effort in the matches, so Jiang Yihan was able to win easily. Jiang Yihan understood this and the two chatted and laughed.

Next up was the third segment: “Rose Snatching.” Han Chae-young would toss fewer roses than there were contestants; those who caught a rose could stay, while those who didn’t were eliminated and had to stand aside, “envying” the others.

The music began. Everyone had to dance, and when it stopped, Han Chae-young would throw the flowers and everyone could grab them.

Everyone danced enthusiastically, while Jiang Yihan’s “backward dance” around Han Chae-young made her laugh out loud, delighting the audience as well. Jiang Yihan himself was embarrassed but gradually adapted to the show’s atmosphere and started to get funnier.

When the music stopped, Han Chae-young tossed the flowers close to everyone. Yoon Tae, confident, stood at the back, expecting her to throw the flowers far, but was disappointed and rushed forward to grab them. Everyone rushed in, and suddenly Jiang Yihan noticed a flower had slipped onto the ground in front of him. He picked it up absentmindedly, and only when it was in his hand did he realize Shin Jung-hwan and Tei were about to grab it but he had already taken it. Both looked at him with a sense of grievance, so Jiang Yihan passed the first round by sheer luck, not even knowing what was happening.

The second round featured sexy music. Everyone had to walk a sultry runway rather than dance. Jiang Yihan awkwardly stepped out, threw a flirtatious glance, blinked, but didn’t know where to put his hands. His stiff movements provided another dose of comedic awkwardness for the audience.

When the music stopped, everyone rushed forward to secure a favorable position. Jiang Yihan watched their energetic performances, marveling at how exhausting making a show could be. While he was contemplating, Han Chae-young tossed the flowers again, everyone scrambled, and Jiang Yihan, a beat late, stumbled into the second round, only to be eliminated just as cluelessly.

It was clear he still needed a period of adjustment.

The final victor in the rose snatching was Chun Myung-hoon, who expertly seized opportunities to snatch flowers from others.

The next segment was the “skit” where Kang Ho-dong set up a scenario and everyone acted it out with Han Chae-young, seeing how they responded.

The scenario: The man has had an affair; let's see how the male guests attempt to win forgiveness.

Upon hearing the scenario, Jiang Yihan’s mind raced, coming up with several strategies, but before he could settle on one, it was his turn, so he had no idea what had happened before him.

Jiang Yihan walked up, resigned.

Han Chae-young spoke first: “Darling, you went on a date with another woman yesterday, didn’t you? I found out—what’s going on?”

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“Ah, yesterday? That’s a secret,” Jiang Yihan replied with a smile.

“You! You went behind my back and now you say it’s a secret? Let’s break up!” Han Chae-young feigned anger.

Jiang Yihan stepped forward, pulling a bouquet of roses from behind his back. “Darling, isn’t today our hundred-day anniversary? Yesterday, I had my friend help pick out a gift for you. I love you.”

His words sent the room into an uproar.

Han Chae-young blushed, lowering her head in embarrassment. “Darling, I love you too.”

“Hey, Jiang Yihan, do you often sneak around behind your girlfriend’s back, juggling two relationships?” Kang Ho-dong asked, “jealous.”

“No, no, no! I’m a very faithful person,” Jiang Yihan hurriedly explained. “If I go out with another girl, it’s definitely for a reason. I would never do anything behind my girlfriend’s back.”

“Hmm…” The audience all wore skeptical expressions.

Yet, Jiang Yihan still succeeded in soothing his girlfriend’s anger.

Shin Jung-hwan and Andy’s double act, as well as Chun Myung-hoon’s awkward English date, elicited more laughter, keeping the audience in stitches. Especially Andy—when Shin Jung-hwan, trying desperately to explain, called out, “Andy, come help me prove I didn’t have an affair,” Andy suddenly interjected, “Darling, what are you talking about?”

The whole room collapsed in laughter, Han Chae-young included. Jiang Yihan couldn’t help but admire their professionalism and control over the show.

After the wonderful skit, the crucial moment arrived: Han Chae-young would make her first choice.

Before the selection, Kang Ho-dong conducted the customary interviews.

“Jiang Yihan, do you have a girlfriend?” Kang Ho-dong asked the old question.

“No,” Jiang Yihan replied simply.

Kang Ho-dong looked at him with disdain, and Jiang Yihan explained, laughing, “I really don’t have a girlfriend. Please believe me.”

Kang Ho-dong moved on, asking Shin Jung-hwan, “Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Yes, Han Chae-young,” Shin Jung-hwan answered smoothly.

“Andy, do you have a girlfriend?”

“Of course, Han Chae-young,” Andy replied, passing the test.

Kang Ho-dong repeated the question to everyone. Naturally, the answers were all the same. “See, you’re the only one without a girlfriend. What did our beautiful Miss Han Chae-young ever do to offend you that you dislike her so much?”

The room erupted in laughter, and Jiang Yihan could only smile helplessly—today, Kang Ho-dong was determined to tease him.

Time for some rambling—Chapter Two ends, off to bed!