Chapter Eight: The Director

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Several days had passed since that fateful encounter with Kim Jaejoong, and Jiang Yihan had no idea how things were progressing between them now. He tried to help, but there was little he could do. Humans are powerful creatures, but also insignificant, faced with countless things beyond their control; no amount of anxiety or tension could change that.

Aside from worrying, Jiang Yihan’s life had acquired a new trajectory: job hunting. It was truly difficult to find work these days—competition was everywhere, whether in China or Korea. Even for part-time positions, the sheer number of applicants made jobs increasingly scarce. Luckily, Jiang Yihan had already secured a stable position at a café, but he still needed to find a few more side jobs.

Thus, when it came to part-time work, Jiang Yihan accepted almost anything. Today, after his shift ended at the café, he rushed out to take on another gig: conducting market research for a company. To put it plainly, this meant running around with a stack of surveys, stopping random passersby on the street and asking them to help fill them out. Nowadays, people’s first instinct when approached like this was to avoid eye contact, barely giving him the chance to utter “Could you please help with a survey?” The job was tough, but the compensation was enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face, and Jiang Yihan found himself with little room for complaint.

He had been stationed at Dongdaemun all morning—a place packed with small shops and, consequently, lots of shoppers. The endless stream of people was dazzling, but few were willing to cooperate. Even so, Jiang Yihan’s disarmingly charming smile helped him complete many of his tasks; that warm and inviting presence simply put people at ease. For today, at least, his work was nearly done. By contrast, his fellow surveyors weren’t so lucky—those with better luck were almost finished, while the rest were only halfway through. What could they do but bemoan the unfair advantage of good looks and the toil of hard work?

After lunch, braving the not-too-harsh yet still warm early winter sun, Jiang Yihan continued his work. Though November in Seoul had grown brisk, standing in the sun for most of the day was still exhausting. Seeing that he had few surveys left, he took a portion of the unfinished ones from his slower colleagues and offered them a friendly smile. Handsome and kind—what could anyone say about such unfairness?

“Hello, could you spare a moment to help with our survey?” Jiang Yihan stopped an older woman. Moved by the bright smile of the handsome young man and the sweat streaming down his face, she hesitated, then nodded. “Thank you so much for your help,” Jiang Yihan said, quickly handing her a pen as she agreed.

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Instinctively, Jiang Yihan turned around, survey in hand, and repeated his line: “Hello, could you spare a moment to help with our survey?” Behind him stood a man in his thirties—shirt, slacks, casual yet clean, about 1.7 meters tall, sporting a bit of stubble and a warm, easy smile that made him seem approachable.

“I’ll help you with your survey, young man,” the man said, taking the questionnaire and studying the sweat-soaked youth before him. “But, could you answer a few questions for me?”

“Questions? Uh... sure, go ahead.” Jiang Yihan hesitated, thinking he could always choose not to answer, so he agreed.

“No rush, no rush. I’ll finish your survey first,” the man replied kindly, bowing his head to fill out the form.

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Soon, both the woman and the man completed the surveys. After thanking the woman repeatedly, Jiang Yihan turned back to the man, who was still smiling at him. “Sir, may I ask what you need?”

“What’s your name? How old are you?” The man looked him up and down, clicking his tongue in admiration.

“Huh?” Jiang Yihan edged away uneasily, unsettled by the man’s expression, as if he’d found some sort of treasure. Was he a pervert?

Seeing Jiang Yihan’s wary look, the man burst out laughing. Clearly, he could read the suspicion in Jiang Yihan’s eyes. “Don’t be afraid. You’ve got it all wrong—I’m not a pervert.” Sensing the youth’s continued vigilance, he slapped his forehead. “Look at me, so eager to find good material I forgot to introduce myself first.” With that, he pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it over. “Hello, I’m Park Young-ho, a director. I was recently assigned a new commercial; the concept’s ready, but I can’t find a fitting actor. Then I saw you from a distance and instantly felt you were the one I needed. That’s why I approached you so suddenly—sorry if I seemed abrupt.” Park Young-ho, despite being in his thirties, spoke with a youthful impulsiveness.

Jiang Yihan glanced at the business card and listened to the explanation, growing more skeptical. Directors and talent scouts were hardly everyday encounters, yet here one was, apparently trying to pull him into a commercial. His first instinct was that it was a scam; his second, that it was impossible. He took a step back. “I’m not interested,” he said, thrusting the card back at the man.

Park Young-ho grew anxious. “Why don’t you believe me? I’m telling the truth!” Jiang Yihan’s disbelief nearly made Park want to stomp his feet in frustration. “I have nothing else on me except this card. Why don’t you come to the set with me right now?” Even as he said it, Park realized how absurd it sounded—why would anyone trust a stranger so easily? He could only smile helplessly.

“Wait, I have a way to verify it.” Perhaps moved by the man’s anxious yet guileless manner, Jiang Yihan suddenly thought of Li Ran. “Are you well-known in your industry? I have a friend who works in the same circle—I can ask them if they’ve heard of you.”

“Well-known? Maybe not, but I do have a bit of a reputation.” Sensing hope, Park’s face brightened. “By the way, the commercial I’m about to shoot is for AA Lollipops.”

With a doubtful glance at Park Young-ho, Jiang Yihan hesitated, then dialed Li Ran’s number. “Hello, Xiao Jin? Are you busy right now? No? Just a quick question. Have you ever heard of a director named Park Young-ho? He’s about to shoot a commercial for something called AA Lollipops.”

“What? Park Young-ho? Wait, let me think—oh, right, he’s a rising director. Shot a few music videos and commercials recently, quite popular at the moment. His style is straightforward and clean, visually striking, lots of potential. He just landed the AA Lollipop gig. Wait—why are you asking about this?” Li Ran, out of professional habit, rattled off the information before realizing why Jiang Yihan was suddenly interested.

“Oh, there’s someone here claiming to be Director Park Young-ho, saying he wants me to star in the AA Lollipop commercial. I was afraid it was a scam, so I called to check.” Relieved at the confirmation, Jiang Yihan relaxed, though he remained wary—just because someone existed didn’t mean the person before him was genuine.

“What does he look like? Describe him, so I can check if it’s really him—not someone using his name to scam you.” Li Ran was cautious. Jiang Yihan glanced back at the nervous Park and gave a description. Li Ran’s voice came through the phone, “Yeah, that should be him. It really is Director Park Young-ho. Are you doing a commercial?”

“Maybe, maybe not. At least I know I’m not being scammed. I’ll talk to you later.” Hanging up, Jiang Yihan finally relaxed and gave Park a dazzling smile. In that instant, inspiration struck Park like a jolt of electricity—this was precisely the person he’d been searching for, the smile he’d long envisioned.

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“Mr. Park, I’ve confirmed you’re telling the truth. Sorry for doubting you. Let me introduce myself—my name is Jiang Yihan.” Jiang Yihan extended a hand, and they shook. “But I’m not interested in doing commercials, so you’d better look for someone else.”

No sooner had Park Young-ho’s worries been eased than he found himself anxious again. “Jiang Yihan, why? Are you not interested in the entertainment industry? This is a great opportunity. AA Lollipops is investing heavily in this ad.”

Jiang Yihan smiled. “I’m really not interested. Besides, I’m a foreigner—a student here. As far as I know, foreigners need a lot of paperwork to work in the Korean entertainment industry.” His quick thinking produced a handy excuse, and he grinned mischievously. “It’s unnecessary for a commercial, isn’t it? And, as you can see, I’m working part-time—I need to earn money in my spare time and can’t afford to play around. So, goodbye, Mr. Park.” Quite pleased with his excuse, Jiang Yihan beamed and turned to leave.

“Wait.” Park Young-ho clearly wasn’t giving up. After searching so long, he finally found his candidate; he couldn’t just let him slip away. “Jiang Yihan, you’re an international student? Yes, the paperwork is a hassle, but I can manage it—and it won’t affect the budget. As for earning money, tell me, how much do you make a day doing this?”

“Uh...” Jiang Yihan paused, then replied, “3,800 won an hour. Today I worked six hours.” (For reference: 10,000 won is about 80 RMB, with some fluctuation.)

“Exactly.” Park looked triumphant. “Jiang Yihan, do you know how much you’d make for this commercial? Three million won. Of course, as a newcomer you won’t make as much as the top stars—they earn hundreds of millions, even billions, for a single commercial. But AA Lollipops gave me a budget for casting—three million is the cap, and that’s what you’d get. Not bad, right? And when you’re done, you can go back to your part-time work.”

“Stars make that much?” Jiang Yihan was stunned by the figure. He didn’t have a concrete sense of what three million won meant, but it was clearly a large sum.

“Of course! But even among stars, only the famous ones earn that much—the top-tier. If you hit it big, you could make billions a year.” Park, seeing Jiang Yihan waver, pressed his advantage. “But you’re not becoming a star, just doing one commercial—no need for training, no worries about fame. You can think of it as another part-time job, can’t you?”

Jiang Yihan was indeed tempted. After much hesitation, he made up his mind. “I’m just a nobody, and the amount you’re offering is a bit unsettling. How about this: let me discuss it with my friends, and we’ll be in touch?”

Jiang Yihan’s unease about the three million made Park both amused and exasperated, but seeing Jiang Yihan’s resolve, he nodded. “Alright, but could you at least give me your phone number? So we can keep in touch?”

After leaving his number, Jiang Yihan bid farewell and rejoined his fellow part-timers to finish the day’s work. Park Young-ho, face full of expectation, watched him go before turning and walking away as well.

The author’s note: At last, the groundwork is finished.