Chapter Forty-Seven: The Practice Room

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The story of “Entertainment By My Side” began in April 2005.

Recommended song: “Rainbow Tears” by Seety

Disclaimer: This novel is purely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental.

Hearing Jiang Yihan insist on going to practice, Li Ran looked tenderly at Jiang Yihan, who had already fallen asleep from exhaustion, before continuing to drive toward the company’s practice room.

Because Jiang Yihan had so little time to prepare for his debut, there was far too much he needed to learn, so his practice hours had to be extended, and the intensity increased. Things like singing and dancing aren’t skills that can be mastered in a day or two. In the days leading up to his debut, he would practice for more than ten hours a day; even after debuting, his packed schedule still left him practicing late into the night, often not returning home until two or three in the morning. Although Jiang Yihan had already achieved some success, he was still far behind in dancing. He knew very well how much more he needed to practice—there was no room for laziness. Even if Li Ran, wanting to protect him, suggested he rest, Jiang Yihan wouldn’t allow himself that luxury.

The night in Seoul was a little cool, the brilliant lights outside the window decorating this otherwise ordinary evening. As Li Ran watched the buildings retreating past, he suddenly wondered if letting Jiang Yihan enter this industry had been a mistake. But regret or not, right or wrong, the facts had already been set. Li Ran sighed softly, and the car remained quiet.

It was already past ten when they arrived at the practice room. After Li Ran woke Jiang Yihan, the two of them entered the company together.

“Cat, you go to the practice room first. I’ll go get some food. You need to eat something before you start practicing, or you won’t have the energy to last.” With those instructions, Li Ran left to buy food, while Jiang Yihan made his way to the basement practice room.

ABC Entertainment had three practice rooms—two in the basement and one on the first floor. Normally, the company’s trainees would follow schedules to avoid conflicts and ensure everyone could use the rooms; arranging this was part of the manager’s job. Since it was already past ten, Jiang Yihan guessed there’d still be people in the first-floor room, so he headed for the basement.

The first practice room was to the left, the second to the right. Jiang Yihan peeked into the first room and saw more than twenty people still practicing. The trainees greeted Jiang Yihan with respect as he entered; he’d already debuted, so to them, he was a senior. Jiang Yihan nodded in response to their greetings as he walked over to Jin Yiyun, who was also in the room.

“How’s it going today?” Jin Yiyun finished speaking to the others and came over to talk to Jiang Yihan.

“Not bad.” Jiang Yihan pouted. “What about you? Have you been busy lately?”

“Me? Very busy. The company is preparing to launch someone new, and our group is undergoing special training. There’ll probably be a test in a few days, so it’s hectic.” Jin Yiyun gestured at the group practicing behind him. “Oh right, President Li said you’ll be one of the judges too. Did you hear about that?”

“Me? That’s nonsense.” Jiang Yihan glanced at the group, feeling a little strange. After all, they’d been training so hard for so long just to debut, while he’d managed to stand on stage with so little time and effort. The thought left him uneasy. “I haven’t been practicing that long, nor have I been debuted for long. What right do I have to judge others? I should focus on doing my part first.”

Jin Yiyun laughed and patted Jiang Yihan on the shoulder. “Don’t say that. At least you’ve debuted—that’s what makes you different. We’ll see what President Li decides.”

“Yeah,” Jiang Yihan nodded. “By the way, is anyone in the second practice room? I want to go practice.”

“The second room?” Jin Yiyun scratched his head. “I don’t know, but I haven’t heard anything. I think it’s being used by trainees from another company lately.”

“Trainees from another company? Why?”

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“There are too many trainees now, and a lot of them are very hardworking, so our practice rooms are open to outsiders. As long as you want to practice, you can come here. So, many trainees from other companies come to use our rooms. You’ve always practiced upstairs and didn’t know about this,” Jin Yiyun explained.

“Oh, I see. I’ll go check it out then. If it’s not available, I’ll come back. I need to practice a little more tonight, otherwise something will feel missing.” Jiang Yihan nodded in farewell and left.

When he pushed open the door to the second practice room, he saw someone was already there—a girl, moving with the music. Her dance steps were precise and her movements well-executed. Jiang Yihan quietly closed the door and sat near the entrance, silently watching her practice.

Perhaps she was too focused, for the girl didn’t notice him come in. Even though she was facing a mirrored wall, the reflection showing Jiang Yihan sitting in the corner, she remained oblivious, lost in her effort.

Jiang Yihan said nothing, watching the girl’s diligent figure. Occasionally, the light would catch the sweat flickering off her body. He felt a sudden wave of emotion, and a touch of helplessness.

A few months earlier, he had been just like this—practicing tirelessly, to the point where his feet cramped and he lay on the floor in pain, unable to speak. Jin Yiyun would patiently help him stretch until the pain subsided, after which he would stomp his feet a few times to make sure he was okay before continuing to practice. Sometimes, he would be so dehydrated he nearly fainted, gulping down water so fast he’d cough as if his lungs would burst. He would go through hours of relentless practice, day and night, pushing himself until he had nothing left, before finally going home—often on Li Ran’s back, falling asleep before they even reached the door. Back then, it felt as though life consisted of nothing but practice. Even with all that effort, because the training period was so short, he still lacked so much. Dance alone required years of dedication. In less than a month, no matter how hard he tried, progress was limited. So even after debut, practice after his daily schedule was inevitable.

Watching the girl, Jiang Yihan saw his own reflection from not so long ago, as well as the other trainees in the first practice room. Everyone was fighting for their dreams, which left him a little sentimental.

Lost in thought, he saw the girl stop dancing. She stood in place, perhaps reflecting on her performance and reviewing for mistakes. After a while, she nodded to herself, walked over, and picked up a water bottle.

“Hey, hello.” Jiang Yihan greeted her, breaking her reverie.

“Ah?” The girl was startled, nearly dropping her bottle. When she looked up and recognized Jiang Yihan, she froze for a few seconds before cautiously replying, “You... hello.”

Only now did Jiang Yihan see her face—her eyes weren’t large, but they sparkled with spirit. Her delicate, oval face was tinged with a faint blush, making her look very cute. Jiang Yihan couldn’t help but laugh. “Hello, I’m Jiang Yihan. Sorry to disturb your practice.”

“Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine.” The girl seemed flustered, still recovering from the shock. “Hello, I’m Min Seyeon.”

“Ah, Min Seyeon, hello.” Jiang Yihan walked over and struck up a friendly conversation. “You’re from another company, right? Still practicing so late?”

Jiang Yihan’s friendliness and his gentle smile put Min Seyeon at ease. She soon recovered from her fright. “Yeah, I’m a trainee from JYP. I felt like I didn’t fully grasp what the teacher taught today, so after practicing at the company, I came here to practice some more. What about you? Why are you here so late?”

It was clear Min Seyeon didn’t recognize him. Jiang Yihan naturally took a seat, chatting as if they were old friends. “Yeah, I have no choice. If I don’t practice, I won’t improve, and that makes me uneasy.”

She smiled. “Well, since you’re here to practice, I won’t hold you up. I’ll head out now.”

“Don’t tell me you’re stopping because I interrupted you?” Jiang Yihan felt a little guilty.

“No, no, I was about to leave anyway. You’re just in time to take over.” Min Seyeon smiled as she finished packing up. “I’m off then. See you next time.”

They exchanged goodbyes, and Min Seyeon left. Their encounter was less than five minutes, but Jiang Yihan was left with a deep impression—her cheerfulness, her dedication, and her smile.

Jiang Yihan didn’t dwell on it and got ready to practice. Just then, the practice room door opened again. Jiang Yihan turned, expecting it to be Li Ran bringing food, but to his surprise, it was Lee Yimei.

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“Ah, you—why are you here?” Jiang Yihan hadn’t expected to see Lee Yimei here.

“I must be psychic!” Lee Yimei winked mischievously, her tone light. “Here, I brought you some food. Eat something before you practice—it’s delicious, but be ready for a surprise.” She set the lunchbox beside him.

Jiang Yihan’s confusion deepened. Not only did Lee Yimei know he was here, but she also knew he hadn’t eaten. Suddenly it dawned on him—Li Ran must have told her, probably when he went out to buy food. So that was why he left earlier—to meet up with Lee Yimei.

Jiang Yihan smiled helplessly and, under her expectant gaze, opened the lunchbox. The contents truly startled him. Instead of Korean dishes, it was home-style food from his own hometown—mushrooms with pork, stir-fried greens with tofu, and a small container of pork rib soup. Though he and Li Ran often cooked these simple dishes at home, for a traditional Korean girl like Lee Yimei—who didn’t look like someone who’d spend time in the kitchen—to learn to make his favorite foods just for him was both surprising and touching.

“Are you sure you made this?” Jiang Yihan tried not to show his emotions, using a casual tone to keep her from guessing his feelings.

“Of course I made it! Don’t you believe me?” Lee Yimei sounded disappointed. “If you don’t, next time you can watch me make it.”

Jiang Yihan smiled, didn’t reply, and picked up his chopsticks to eat. He skeptically tasted a piece of pork—though a bit salty, it was good overall. He silently praised her, but continued to act nonchalant.

“Well, what do you think? Give me your verdict.” Lee Yimei puffed her cheeks, eager to hear his opinion.

“It’s okay—neither bad nor especially good.” Jiang Yihan smacked his lips, deliberately teasing.

Even though he didn’t give an enthusiastic review, Lee Yimei was still happy. Her effort had gotten a pass; maybe next time, she’d do even better. The more she thought about it, the more delighted she became, her face lighting up with a smile. Being with Jiang Yihan, she was easily satisfied—even a simple “it’s okay” felt like progress to her.

Seeing her grinning, Jiang Yihan didn’t know what else to say and silently lowered his head to finish eating.

Soon, the little lunchbox was empty. Looking at the cleaned box, Lee Yimei felt her heart brim with something called happiness. She watched Jiang Yihan stand and begin his warm-up, when suddenly she heard a soft “thank you.” Startled, she could hardly believe those words came from him.

Jiang Yihan didn’t know what else to say; “thank you” was the only way to express his feelings.

As the music began, Jiang Yihan gradually forgot about Lee Yimei’s presence, throwing himself into practice. Learning dance means constant repetition, practicing various styles, familiarizing oneself with different genres and forms, and exploring how to best express them through one’s own body until every movement becomes second nature. It sounds simple, but even the smallest gestures—a twist, a hand position, a glance, the feeling behind a move—often require endless repetition to master.

The motions were familiar, but each time brought a different result. Jiang Yihan kept searching for improvement. Time always flew by during practice; before he knew it, it was midnight.

Lee Yimei sat quietly, watching him practice for two hours. They say men are most charming when they’re working hard, and Lee Yimei believed it—under the lights, Jiang Yihan’s sweat seemed to glow, making it impossible to look away.

Suddenly, Jiang Yihan stopped and stood still. Lee Yimei thought he was just reflecting on his movements, but then his legs buckled and he collapsed. Only then did she realize something was wrong. She rushed to his side and saw his eyes still open. “Jiang Yihan, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just exhausted. Go call Li Ran for me.” Jiang Yihan’s voice was weak, weighted down with exhaustion.