Chapter Eighty-Four: A Love Letter from the Grand Ensemble (Part Three)

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Entertainment Around Us, No Pop-Up Windows
Story Date: March 2006
Recommended Song: Avril Lavigne—Nobody’s Fool
Disclaimer: This story is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons or events is purely coincidental!

Next was the first round of the boys’ game competition. Today’s game was “The Lumberjack Game”—the challenge was to chop out as many tree stumps as possible from a segmented tree, without causing the tree to collapse. Whoever chopped out the most would be the winner.

Before the game began, Kang Ho-dong approached with a hearty laugh. “Yi Han, you did well today. The first round was impressive. You and the girls—do you have some secret going on? You all seem so familiar! Haha.”

Kang Ho-dong’s radiant smile left Jiang Yi Han at a loss whether to laugh or cry. “Big brother Ho-dong, I only know Hyori and Chae-yeon. You’re aware that I only met Chae-young last time on your show. Don’t make things up.”

Kang Ho-dong nodded, acknowledging this, but still pressed on. “During the break, you and Lee Hyori seemed so happy chatting. Are you thinking about changing your target? That would be too fickle, not good!”

“Brother Ho-dong,” Yi Han replied helplessly, “Hyori just asked me about my recent situation. The show is just a show—you know we can’t take it seriously.”

“That’s not necessarily true. I saw Han Chae-young looking at you in a very unusual way, hehe.” Kang Ho-dong’s small eyes darted between Yi Han and Han Chae-young, hinting at something.

Yi Han didn’t respond further, simply returning a glance to assert his innocence before heading back to the studio.

He was first to take the stage. Kang Ho-dong immediately prompted, “Yi Han, give us a cool pose, pump yourself up!”

Yi Han grabbed the prop axe, braced himself with one hand on the ground, and executed a crisp breaking move. Applause rose from the crowd. “Yi Han, not bad! Looks so slender yet can pull off that breaking move!” Kang Ho-dong exclaimed. “So who’s going to cheer for our handsome Prince Yi Han?” He turned toward the female guests.

Han Chae-young, Lee Hyori, Chae-yeon, and Yoon Eun-hye all stood up together.

“Hey, Chae-yeon, how can you do this? What about Kim Jae-joong?” Kang Ho-dong shouted. “And you, Yoon Eun-hye, what’s going on? You just picked Han Geng, and now you’re cheering for Yi Han—what are you doing?”

“I just want to cheer for Yi Han, what’s wrong with that?” the girls explained, their playful complaints making Kang Ho-dong laugh awkwardly.

Han Chae-young ran over to Yi Han and gave him a hug, her skin brushing his shoulder, before shyly running back. Kang Ho-dong immediately started nagging, “How can you just hug like that? Really, really!”

But unexpectedly, Lee Hyori stepped forward, pulled Yi Han’s face toward her, and with a sidelong pose, mimed a kiss—everyone misinterpreted their position. Yi Han and Hyori could feel each other’s breath; even though it lasted only a few seconds, both blushed and their hearts raced.

“Oh…” The audience immediately erupted. Veterans like Jang Woo-hyuk, Shin Jung-hwan, and Kim Jong-min bounced around, expressing their outrage in jest, while Kim Jae-joong and Han Geng laughed awkwardly, overwhelmed by the charged atmosphere.

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“Lee Hyori, are you crazy? Aren’t you afraid your fans watching on TV will turn on you? And what about all the female guests right here?” Kang Ho-dong began stirring up the crowd.

Hyori smiled at Yi Han, who shyly lowered his head, then replied with a smile, “It’s fine! The fans know Hyori is creating a show effect—they won’t be angry so easily.”

Even so, the atmosphere in the studio was tumultuous. Both male and female guests clamored over the “kiss”—even if only staged, such a scene was rare in “Love Letter.” It took some time for the crowd to quiet down.

Next, Chae-yeon’s close-contact dance and Yoon Eun-hye’s slightly shy, coquettish act didn’t have the same impact. Everyone remained immersed in the earlier embrace and the even more daring kiss.

In the ongoing uproar, Yi Han failed the challenge, much to everyone’s delight. He’d misjudged his strength and toppled the entire tree, earning enthusiastic applause from the men led by Kang Ho-dong, and sighs from the women led by Hyori. Yi Han scratched his head in embarrassment and stepped back.

The other male guests’ performances varied, but the biggest surprise came when Shin Jung-hwan—unexpectedly—won the championship. Not only was everyone else baffled, even Shin Jung-hwan himself wore a look of utter confusion.

Then came the female guests’ game round. Han Chae-young was the first to step forward, unexpectedly bold, running her hand seductively from her shoulder downward, making a teasing expression. Though a bit awkward, she still earned rousing applause from the male guests. “Because of his indecisiveness, I’ll run straight to his side, hoping he’ll accept me,” Han Chae-young declared. Everyone knew immediately who she meant, casting ambiguous glances at Yi Han.

The game, called “Rainbow Bridge,” featured seven colored pads staggered on the floor. Female guests spun five times in place, then bounced atop springy balls across the pads toward the male guests, finally picking up a balloon to present to the man they favored. If the man accepted, they would embrace and pop the balloon together; if not, the man could refuse.

At the whistle, Han Chae-young spun five times, became completely disoriented, and staggered wildly, causing bursts of laughter. After tumbling several times, she finally reached the male guests, still dizzy, took a balloon, and walked over. Passing Shin Jung-hwan, who opened his arms hopefully, she continued without hesitation to Yi Han, smiling at him. From her radiant smile, one could sense both ambiguity and embarrassment. Looking at her, Yi Han smiled awkwardly and chose to accept. They embraced and popped the balloon, ending the game.

During Hyori’s turn, Kim Jae-joong cleverly staged a pratfall to cheer her on, winning laughter and imitation from everyone. He walked out saying, “Hyori, fighting!” and then collapsed, seemingly tripped by a pad but actually orchestrating the effect. The studio erupted in laughter. Following his lead, Yi Han, Jang Woo-hyuk, and Han Geng joined in, repeatedly falling between the Rainbow Bridge pads. Shin Jung-hwan came out, saying, “You’re all so childish,” preparing to fall as well, but Yi Han and Jang Woo-hyuk quickly “stopped” him, leaving poor Shin Jung-hwan unable to fall, which made everyone laugh even harder.

After Han Chae-young, Lee Hyori and Yoon Eun-hye both chose Yi Han, making him the undisputed favorite among the male guests. Chae-yeon and Kim Jae-joong, Lee Da-hae and Jang Woo-hyuk, Kim Sun-ah and Han Geng naturally paired off, leaving Shin Jung-hwan and Kim Jong-min as the unlucky leftovers.

After this round came a longer break.

Yi Han sat aside, when unexpectedly, Yoon Eun-hye walked over. Kim Jae-joong and Han Geng immediately stopped speaking. Yoon Eun-hye smiled, standing before the three men, her gaze on Yi Han. Yi Han hesitated then stood up, “Hello, Eun-hye. You did great today, as expected from a veteran. I admire you.”

“Hehe, Yi Han, you’re great too—don’t be modest.” Yoon Eun-hye replied with a smile. “I just came to say hi. I’ve seen your films; you and Jae-joong performed well.” As she spoke, she and Jae-joong nodded in greeting. “I heard the script for ‘The Man from the Vineyard’ landed with you, so maybe we’ll work together. I’m looking forward to it, haha.”

She’d guessed they might collaborate, so took the opportunity to greet him today. Yi Han smiled, “I’m looking forward to working with you, Eun-hye. I’m still a newcomer in film—if we get the chance, I hope you’ll take good care of me.” Yi Han’s polite words flowed endlessly.

After a few more words, Yoon Eun-hye departed. Afterward, Kim Jae-joong and Han Geng teased Yi Han, laughter rippling among the group. In the distance, a few eyes still watched this corner—how long it would take for the protagonist to recognize the emotions hidden around him, no one could say.

The show resumed with the “Proposal” round. Each female guest stepped out to showcase her charms, then the male guests stated their requests. Once the female guest fulfilled the request, music played, and the male guests who chose her would dance forward. Then, they’d do their best to “propose,” and the female guest could request a scenario with the chosen man. Finally, the female guest would toss the “bouquet of love,” and the male guests would compete to catch it. Whoever caught it could “propose,” and whether she accepted or not depended on the female guest. If accepted, they became a couple; if refused, the guest remained single.

Han Chae-young was first, but to everyone’s shock, Yi Han didn’t step forward—he didn’t choose her. The disappointment on Han Chae-young’s face was obvious. In the end, Jang Woo-hyuk caught the bouquet, earning another chance, but Han Chae-young still refused, leaving everyone sighing.

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Yi Han stepped forward during Lee Hyori’s turn. Hyori’s showcase was predictably fiery—a sexy dance that had all the male guests moving with her, unable to resist.

When the dance ended, every male guest except Han Geng stood up, proof of Hyori’s popularity.

“I’m angry now—I want my boyfriend to cheer me up.” This was Hyori’s scenario.

Yi Han stepped forward, flustered. “Darling, why are you angry?”

“Because you never spend time with me, always saying you’re busy, and when you’re with me, you keep looking at other girls. Tell me, what’s going on?” Hyori pouted, genuinely upset.

“Oh, darling, you know why I work so hard? So we can be happy together. Let me tell you a secret.” Yi Han smiled mysteriously, leaned close to Hyori’s ear, and whispered, “I really, really like you. I love you.”

Hyori felt the warm breath from Yi Han’s lips and teeth—an inexpressible intimacy flowed between them. Her ear tingled, her heart raced, and a smile burst forth uncontrollably. “Alright, I forgive you,” she said naturally.

Before anyone could process what had happened, the scene ended in a flash. Kang Ho-dong voiced everyone’s confusion. “Hey, you two, we’re recording a show. Whispering secrets—what can’t we know? How did you suddenly forgive him? Tell us, tell us, what did you say?”

His dissatisfied expression made Yi Han and Hyori laugh, but neither answered.

Kang Ho-dong frowned, urging them to reveal their secret. Yi Han finally managed to stop laughing and said, “Nothing special, just told her I like her, that’s all.”

“Really?” Kang Ho-dong confirmed repeatedly. After both admitted it, he scoffed, “Just saying that—so effective, really?”

Unexpectedly, Hyori happily nodded. Kang Ho-dong, frustrated, turned to the female guests. “Saying you like someone—is that really enough?”

The female guests all nodded, leaving Kang Ho-dong even more exasperated. “Alright, next.”

No subsequent scenario matched the excitement of the earlier ones, though Kim Jong-min’s silly apology routine had everyone in stitches.

In the final bouquet toss, Shin Jung-hwan dashed forward, caught it, and squatted in a horse stance, laughing gleefully. But his joy lasted barely two seconds before Yi Han snatched the bouquet from his outstretched hand. Now it was Yi Han’s turn to laugh, while Shin Jung-hwan’s smile froze like a fossil, sending the crowd into fits of laughter. Yi Han, embarrassed, laughed awkwardly.

As for the proposal, there was no suspense—Yi Han and Hyori became the first couple.

After Kim Jae-joong and Chae-yeon, Han Geng and Kim Sun-ah, everyone expected the dancing king Jang Woo-hyuk and Lee Da-hae to pair up, but there was a twist. Lee Da-hae, upset over Jang Woo-hyuk’s earlier proposal to Han Chae-young, accepted Kim Jong-min’s proposal instead, becoming a couple and surprising everyone.

After the first couple selection, it was time for revenge—the guests vented their dissatisfaction from the previous round by choosing their “rival” for a wrestling match.

Kim Jong-min was first; everyone watched to see whom he’d call. Without hesitation, he chose Han Geng, his reason showing his quirky logic: “He and I have too few camera shots—we need to work harder so we get more screen time!” This sent Kang Ho-dong, “The Strongest Man,” collapsing in laughter.