FYN Chapter 34 Han River
Chapter 34 Han River
Jiang Yan walked along the Han River for a long time until the neon lights of Apgujeong shrank into a blurry halo on the horizon.
He sat down on a bench overlooking the river, the river breeze carrying biting moisture seeping into his collar.
The suffocating feeling of being cyberbullied, the loneliness of staying awake until dawn, and the helplessness of watching her retreat towards the edge of a cliff in the art studio just now—all these feelings were like scalding, sticky asphalt stuck in his heart, burning him so badly that his internal organs ached.
He picked up the pebbles at his feet and threw them hard into the river.
With a thud.
There wasn't even a decent splash.
This method of venting was completely ineffective, so Jiang Yan raised his hand and slapped himself hard.
A sharp "smack" rang out, particularly jarring in the empty riverside, and my cheek stung instantly, but it also suppressed the jumbled thoughts in my mind.
He crouched down, picked up a sharp piece of gravel, and held it in his palm, maintaining a slight, persistent pain.
Then he took out his phone and sent a message to Ahn Jung-hwan.
[Jung-hwan, how much do you know about the movie "Real"?]
Less than five seconds later, Ahn Jung-hwan's voice message came through.
Why are you asking this? It's a film and television project, completely unrelated to our music division. But the investors are pushing it hard because this is Kim Soo-hyun's last project before enlisting in the military. What, you don't want to act, do you?
No, I saw senior actress Choi Sulli in the elevator today. Director Kim from the film and television department kept talking to her about the script, so I was a little curious.
There was a long silence on An Zhenghuan's end. Just as Jiang Yan thought the other party wouldn't reply and was about to leave, there was a thud.
Sherry... don't worry about it, it's none of your business.
"Bro, tell me more details, I'm curious."
[Chief Kim was promoted by Lee Soo-man; the artists have no right to refuse projects he strongly advocates.]
[I told you, the company is more complicated than you think. Also, Tiffany's album was originally supposed to be postponed by Kim Min-young's faction, so that EXO's subunit, which was in the process of preparing, could release it first. But Lee Soo-man personally intervened and approved Tiffany's solo album.]
Jiang Yan frowned and leaned back on the bench, replying: 【Because I changed that song?】
【You're very smart, and Mr. Lee Soo-man values your talent, which is why he's willing to give you this opportunity. The affairs of the film and television department are not for you to interfere with. Don't act impulsively or try to be a saint, especially interfering in other departments' affairs; that's a major taboo in the company, understand?】
Yes, I understand, thank you, bro.
Jiang Suoping put her phone back in her pocket, threw the stone warmed by her body heat into the Han River, and then walked to the vending machine to buy a can of coffee.
He tilted his head back and took a big gulp. The icy bitter taste slid down his throat, suppressing the churning in his chest and completely clearing his mind.
Going head-on against the company is definitely not an option, but it's not like there aren't any other ways.
Lee Soo-man needs his song to slap the face of Kim Min-young's faction, Tiffany needs this album to solidify her solo status, and Chief Kim needs "Real" to start filming as soon as possible to satisfy the investors.
Where there is demand, there is room for transactions.
He composed himself, threw the empty coffee can into the trash can, and the metal can hit the sheet metal with a crisp "clang".
He took out his phone and glanced at the time: 10:13.
Kim Minjung's message is still unread.
Jiang Yan frowned and dialed a voice call. The dial tone rang seven times, but no one answered.
He tapped his phone case unconsciously, thinking that the signal in the practice room was probably bad, and the girl was too busy practicing to look at her phone.
He shook his head and then walked towards the SM building.
The SM building was still brightly lit at night.
In front of the revolving glass door, a large security guard in a black uniform stood next to the guard booth, holding a walkie-talkie in his hand.
Seeing Jiang Yan approaching the door, he took a step forward and raised his hand to make a stop gesture.
"I'm sorry, non-company personnel are not allowed to enter at this time."
Jiang Yan took out his employee badge from his pocket and handed it over: "I'm Jiang Yan from the production department. I just started working here today."
The security guard took the badge, carefully examined the photo and gold-plated logo under the light of the guard booth, then looked up at him and frowned slightly.
This kid looks too young; he doesn't look like a professional producer at all, more like a trainee.
The security guard turned and went into the guard booth, dialed an internal phone, whispered a few words, and kept glancing at Jiang Yan.
A few seconds later, he hung up the phone, came out, and returned the employee badge to Jiang Yan, his tone becoming much more polite: "It's confirmed, go in."
"Thank you." Jiang Yan took the employee badge, hung it back around his neck, pushed open the revolving door, and went inside.
A young woman in a black uniform was at the front desk, her head down, organizing documents.
Jiang Yan walked over and handed her his employee ID: "Hello, I'd like to ask what time the trainees usually finish training on weekends?"
The young girl looked up at her employee badge, then at Jiang Yan, paused for a moment, and then quickly looked down at the sign-in sheet, her finger stopping at a handwritten note.
"Trainees will practice independently this weekend. Tonight's practice sessions are scheduled for practice rooms 3 and 7, and will ideally end at 10:30 PM, but..."
She paused, then added with a smile, "The trainee supervisor just finished her rounds and said a few kids are still practicing extra, so it might go on until 11 o'clock. If you're looking for someone, you'll have to wait here. Non-trainees and teachers aren't allowed in the practice area; it would disrupt the training."
"Okay, thank you." Jiang Yan nodded and walked to the rest area next door to sit down.
The corridor was quiet, and the young receptionist would occasionally steal a glance in his direction.
Jiang Yan initially smiled politely, but later simply pretended not to see it and started playing with his phone.
At around 10:50, the door to the emergency exit was pushed open with a loud bang.
Several trainees walked out chatting and laughing. Jiang Yan immediately stood up and looked towards the door.
A few minutes later, two small figures appeared at the door.
Kim Minjung walked ahead, her high ponytail loose and disheveled, with a few strands of hair stuck to her cheeks by sweat.
Her walking posture was a bit strange; she took very small steps, and her left leg paused noticeably when it landed, clearly indicating that she had bumped her knee while practicing dance.
Liu Zhimin was standing next to her, talking to her with her head turned to the side. She had a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, but she looked much more energetic than Jin Minzheng.
Kim Minjung looked up and saw Kang Yeon. His tired eyes instantly lit up, and he quickened his pace to run over: "Oppa! You weren't just waiting here for me, were you?"
"Dream on." Jiang Yan retorted, nodded to Liu Zhimin in greeting, and then looked the sweaty girl up and down. "Why didn't you reply to my messages? You didn't answer my calls either."
"Huh?" Kim Minjung paused for a moment, then, as if remembering something, took out his phone. "Aigoo, I forgot to tell you, the teacher said that phones would be managed centrally during weekend practice, and all of our phones were handed in at the front desk. We're not allowed to bring our phones during practice. I just got mine back."
She pressed the power button twice, and the screen lit up, with the unread message badge flashing bright red.
Kim Minjung looked down and flipped through the pages, then looked up and stuck out his tongue guiltily: "Mianye oppa, I'm sorry I made you worry. I saw you made two phone calls..."