Chapter Ninety-Eight: Talent

Entertainment Beside Me, No Pop-up Ads

The story takes place from June to October, 2006.

Recommended song: Darren Hayes — Need You

Disclaimer: This work is purely fictional. Please do not mistake it for reality. Any resemblance is one hundred percent coincidental.

“Brother Yihan, could you help me with something?” Kwon Ji-yong seemed to have wrestled with the thought for a long time before finally speaking.

“Hm? What kind of help?” Jiang Yihan looked up from the book in his hands and at the somewhat nervous Kwon Ji-yong. “Hey, how long have we known each other? Why are you still nervous in front of me? Just say whatever it is. If I can help, I definitely will.”

“It’s not exactly this... Xiaoyi kept telling me not to say anything, but I thought about it for a long time and still felt I should talk to Brother Yihan about it, because I kept feeling that Brother Yihan would be the most suitable person.” Ji-yong stuck out his tongue in embarrassment.

“Haha, go on then. At least let me know what it is.” Jiang Yihan gestured for Ji-yong to sit down, then looked as though he was listening carefully, which put Ji-yong at ease.

After glancing at Jiang Yihan and then at Jiang Ziyi, who was still in the room, Kwon Ji-yong took a deep breath before saying, “Brother Yihan, I have a friend who practiced with me for a long time, but he was not selected in the audition a few days ago, the same group I was just picked for. But I think he’s very talented. If he works hard, I think he could debut.”

“And then?” Jiang Yihan nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“After the audition, our company president said they would give the people who weren’t selected one more chance. So... I was wondering if you could help my friend.”

It took Ji-yong quite some effort to finally get the request out.

“Me? Help? Why would you think of me? That surprises me.” Jiang Yihan still smiled, clearly not taking offense.

“I just think Brother Yihan is so capable and talented in so many ways. Maybe you could give my friend some ideas and train him a little. Then maybe he could do really well in the second audition and get picked.” Now that the hardest part was over, Ji-yong spoke much more smoothly.

“Haha, first of all, I don’t think I have that kind of ability—training someone for just a few days and then getting him chosen by your company president. Also, I’m rather curious why Ziyi wouldn’t let you tell me something like this. It’s not a big deal.” Jiang Yihan’s expression was tinged with amusement, curiosity, and a little pleasure.

“Ziyi thought that if you helped my friend, it might remind you of the past, and she was afraid it would make you sad,” Ji-yong said rather uncertainly, clearly afraid he would be scolded if Jiang Ziyi found out.

“Oh, so that’s it.” Jiang Yihan smiled in relief. “For me, my connection to that world can’t really be broken anymore. Why deliberately avoid it? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, haha. Besides, this isn’t anything difficult. It’s not as if I’m being asked to go fight the people who slandered me, haha. So don’t overthink it. What I’m more curious about now is why you believe I can help your friend.”

Hearing this, the tension in Ji-yong’s heart finally eased, and an innocent smile spread across his face. “It just seems that way, haha.”

That simple laugh made Jiang Yihan smile too.

“I mainly thought of Brother Yihan because your abilities are so comprehensive. It feels like there’s nothing you can’t do. Maybe you could come up with some unusual ideas for my friend, and that might increase his chances. More importantly, my friend is a little weak when it comes to singing, so I hoped Brother Yihan could help him with that.”

“I see. Let me think about it.” Jiang Yihan rested his chin in his hand and considered it carefully. “I’m just worried that if I can’t help your friend, I’d be wasting his time.”

“It’s okay, really. My friend likes Brother Yihan very much too, haha. If he knew you were willing to help him, he’d be really happy.” Ji-yong hurriedly said.

“Haha, then let’s meet him first and see. If I can help, I’ll do my best. Of course, if I can’t, then he’ll have to rely on himself.”

Jiang Yihan’s quiet life was beginning to ripple.

He met Lee Seung-hyun, Ji-yong’s friend, that very night. After Jiang Ziyi understood her brother’s intentions, she stopped worrying. After all, Jiang Yihan was, in name, still part of the entertainment industry; with two ad contracts and every connection still tied to that world, he could not really be separated from it.

“Hello, Brother Yihan.” Lee Seung-hyun looked somewhat nervous, even his bow stiff and awkward. “Brother Yihan, I’ve always believed in you. I know those reports were all fake. Truly.”

His tense, simple words made Jiang Yihan laugh. “Don’t be so nervous. I’m not some terrifying figure, really. I’m only here today to see whether I can help at all, so don’t place too much hope on me, haha. My abilities are limited.”

Jiang Yihan’s ease helped Lee Seung-hyun relax a little, though he was still nervous.

Ji-yong also chimed in from the side. “Seung-hyun, don’t be too tense. Show Brother Yihan what you prepared before.”

Once the music started, Lee Seung-hyun instantly seemed like a different person, confident and determined. He launched into a hip-hop dance full of rhythm, crisp and forceful, every move disciplined and well-structured, his dancing utterly solid. Jiang Yihan could not help but applaud.

“Seung-hyun, you’re such a good dancer. Why do you still need my guidance? Your dancing is even better than mine. If you showed this to your company president, he’d definitely nod.”

“Brother Yihan, dance has always been his strength. In the competitions before, he even beat me at dancing,” Ji-yong explained.

“I wasn’t rejected because of my dancing. The president also said my dancing was excellent, but he said what he needed was not a dancer, but a member of a group.” Saying that, Lee Seung-hyun looked somewhat dejected.

“So the problem is your singing,” Jiang Yihan said, biting at a fingernail. “Were you planning to perform this dance for the second audition?”

“Yes. I wanted to show my best side.” Lee Seung-hyun wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Jiang Yihan stood there and thought for a moment. “Sing me a song you like first. I want to hear what it feels like.”

“Okay.” Lee Seung-hyun took a sip of water and adjusted his breathing before singing acapella. He chose Usher’s "You Remind Me." The song was full of ebb and flow, rich with atmosphere, but in Seung-hyun’s performance, Jiang Yihan kept feeling that something was off.

After he finished a short section, Jiang Yihan stood in place, carefully mulling it over, trying to figure out exactly what was wrong. Ji-yong and Seung-hyun both looked nervous, pacing a little within a narrow range.

“Ah, I know.” Jiang Yihan suddenly broke the silence. “Seung-hyun, you handle the endings of your notes too much when you sing, and your breathing adjustments seem to lag by half a beat, which makes some of the notes sound out of tune. Also, the way you place your emotion while singing is off; the rhythm of your investment is wrong. These are all small issues, but piled together, they make people feel there’s something lacking in your singing, even if they can’t say exactly what. Of course, that’s just how I hear it. I’m sure your company has vocal teachers too, though I don’t know what they think.”

Ji-yong and Lee Seung-hyun said nothing. They looked at each other, then smiled with relief. “Brother Yihan, our company does have vocal teachers. In the past, my singing was worse. What I can do now is the result of the teachers working hard to teach me. These remaining shortcomings are just areas I haven’t improved yet; I’ve simply never been clear on exactly where I was falling short. Today, after hearing you say it, at least I know where my weaknesses are, haha.” Lee Seung-hyun scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

“Haha, don’t thank me yet. This is what I think: your singing ability is already pretty good, it’s just a matter of details. So if you trust me, I can help you. I’ll do my best. If there’s real progress by then, sing at the second audition. Show your weakness in the performance, and when everyone sees that your weakness is no longer a weakness, your chances of being chosen will be much greater.” Jiang Yihan sought Lee Seung-hyun’s opinion.

Lee Seung-hyun and Ji-yong looked at each other again, then nodded vigorously.

“Brother Yihan, thank you so much.” Ji-yong gave Jiang Yihan a big hug.

“Hah, whether I can really help or not is still unknown. No rush, no rush.”

They first discussed the song choice for a long time, and in the end they settled on a classic ballad by a senior artist, “Day by Day.” The song was not especially difficult, but singing it well was no easy task. Lee Seung-hyun still had much work to do.

“Not there. Your breathing should come half a beat later.”

“Lower the ending note. Don’t use vibrato.”

“Stop, stop. The pitch in this whole line is wrong. It should be like this.”

And so it went, practice after practice, endless practice.

After a week of rehearsals under Jiang Yihan’s guidance, Lee Seung-hyun gradually became more confident. Today was the day of the second audition.

“Seung-hyun, be confident. Believe that you are the best. If you perform this song the way we practiced, you’ll have at least eighty or ninety points. You must believe you can do it. As long as you sing to your level, the company will choose you. Have that confidence, and you’ll make it.” Jiang Yihan gave him a final boost of encouragement.

“Okay, Brother Yihan. Wait for my good news.” The smile on Lee Seung-hyun’s face showed how confident he was now.

“I never knew I could be a teacher too. What a surprise, haha.” Jiang Yihan laughed. “Do your best.”

When Lee Seung-hyun called back later, Jiang Yihan was in the living room watching television. His voice was so excited it shook, and there was even a trace of tears. “Brother Yihan, I was chosen. I was chosen.”

Lee Seung-hyun cried like a child. Jiang Yihan said nothing more. The smile on his face said everything.

In the end, Kwon Ji-yong, Lee Seung-hyun, and three others made up a team of five. Their group would be called Big Bang, and they were tentatively set to debut in August.

Watching Ji-yong, who had finally come through hardship, and Lee Seung-hyun, who had persisted through effort, Jiang Yihan once again felt deeply how hard life as a trainee in Korea was, and how unreachable debut was for so many of them. What it felt like to finally stand on that stage only those who had lived it would ever truly know.

While he was still happy for the two of them, Jiang Yihan received an invitation. A strange invitation.

It came from Yang Hyun-suk, the president of the company to which Kwon Ji-yong and Lee Seung-hyun belonged. In Korea, many people knew the name Yang Hyun-suk. And if one mentioned Seo Taiji and Boys, there were very few in the country who would not recognize it. Yang Hyun-suk had been one of them. He now ran YG Entertainment himself, following a hip-hop path and gradually getting the company onto a proper track. Big Bang was a group carefully crafted by the company: an idol group with real ability, meant to secure a place in Korea’s music scene.

Though puzzled, Jiang Yihan still went to YG Entertainment after receiving Yang Hyun-suk’s invitation.

Yang Hyun-suk had the approachable look of an uncle, and a simple T-shirt made him feel not far removed from younger people. After exchanging greetings, he examined Jiang Yihan closely, staring until Jiang Yihan started to feel a little uneasy before finally speaking. “I also have a friend with the surname Jiang. It’s not a common surname in Korea.”

In Korea, many people had the surname Kang, but those with the surname Jiang were few.

“Yes, I’m Chinese,” Jiang Yihan replied. He was somewhat confused by Yang Hyun-suk’s opening. After all, the whole matter of stirring up trouble in this circle over the past few months was already well known. The fact that Yang Hyun-suk did not even mention it was strange in itself.

“I asked you here today for no other reason than that I’m interested in your abilities,” Yang Hyun-suk said with a smile, stating his intention plainly.

“Oh? Why do you say that?” Jiang Yihan did not quite understand.

“In fact, I heard your songs before and always thought you were better suited to ballads. You’ve tried dance songs too, of course, but from your lead tracks, slow songs seem to be your strength.” Yang Hyun-suk had clearly studied Jiang Yihan carefully. “But your guidance of little Seung-hyun this time made me feel that you also have a very good sense for rap and hip-hop. Why haven’t you tried this more?”

“Haha, so that’s it. Seung-hyun told you, didn’t he?” Only then did Jiang Yihan feel relief. So this was what it was about. “I can do rap and hip-hop; I’m just not especially good at them. I’ve occasionally wanted to try, but they just never made it onto an album.”

“Oh, I see. How would you feel about coming to my company for a period of training?” Yang Hyun-suk asked with a smile.

“May I ask what this means?” Jiang Yihan’s heart gave a jolt. Was he being poached? At a time like this?

“Ah, no, no, don’t misunderstand. I’m friends with Lee Dong too, and under your current circumstances, trying to poach you so easily wouldn’t necessarily be the smartest choice.” Yang Hyun-suk’s candid answer only made Jiang Yihan laugh. At this point, no company Jiang Yihan went to would not face trouble. “I simply want to give you a chance to be carefully trained in that style. You know how it is—when you see talent, ideas naturally come to mind.”

“But... this is still a little unexpected. It feels strange to be hearing something like this all of a sudden...” Jiang Yihan hesitated.

“Don’t worry. Part of it is for my sake, part of it is for Lee Dong, and there are other reasons too. Besides, it’s only some training. It’s not a big deal. And you haven’t had much to do lately, have you?” Yang Hyun-suk’s smile always seemed to contain something, yet no matter how Jiang Yihan looked, he could not quite see through it.

An unexpected bit of guidance, an unexpected discovery of his own talent for teaching, an unexpected connection with YG Entertainment.

It seemed the entertainment world was waving to Jiang Yihan once again.

Only this time, what exactly would happen?