Chapter 758
A crowd filled the airport.
Flashlights went off here and there.
Various items adorned with welcoming phrases for the visitors at the airport.
Starting from a rather large tablet to handmade paper banners.
The numerous fans gathered at the airport were ready to welcome the celebrity stepping foot in their country. They held their breath, staring intently at the entrance where they expected their star to appear, and finally, when the door opened and the person they had hoped for showed up…
“Welcome to China, the kind older sister Chaine!”
“Congrats! Welcome! We love Chaine!”
“Thanks for the long wait. Hurry to China!”
“Wow—! Chaine!”
They eagerly cheered loudly, conveying their welcome.
The enthusiastic cheers could even be considered a little too much.
Thus, Chaine began to move in her car to follow her schedule, stepping out of the airport amid the fervent cheers of her Chinese fans.
“I’ve seen this many times, but… it really feels like the fans in China truly love me.”
“It’s different from the fans in Korea and Japan. In those countries, there’s a mix of pride and confidence like, ‘I raised you this well.’ In China, it feels like they focus on your story.”
“Could it be the difference in how the program was aired?”
“Exactly. Not to mention, there’s also the voting aspect.”
Chaine’s reception from her Chinese fans hadn’t been a one-day affair. Rather, it had been increasing over time.
When she first set foot in China, it was at a point when she was ‘moderately’ popular. At that time, the Japan-Korea joint audition program had not yet officially been exported to China, meaning her fame was mainly built among those viewers who illegally watched the audition program.
Despite that significant number of viewers, there was ample reason to meet with Chinese fans…
“This seems promising.”
“I’m putting my name on the line as the Golden Hand Yasaki Tokitaka, and I’m certain this will succeed. If this is the response from an illegal export, just imagine how big it will blow up once it’s officially exported. We need to negotiate that somehow.”
Yasaki Tokitaka’s involvement saw that popularity explode remarkably. He personally stepped in to request edits to the program to meet Chinese broadcasting content regulations. Plus, he even arranged for separate Chinese subtitled and dubbed versions.
He even brought in well-known dubbing actors from China to do the dubbing, which, of course, led to some backlash over Tokitaka’s spending choices.
Some argued it was wasteful to hire foreign actors when they could simply add subtitles in Chinese.
Nevertheless, Tokitaka stood firm on his opinion… and succeeded.
Thanks to the controversial ‘dubbing’ that others opposed.
Whether he knew what he was doing or not—the Chinese actors Tokitaka brought on board all had decent guanxi, and that allowed for an incredibly smooth and swift approval process of the program.
In fact, they even garnered praise for their efforts.
The officially imported program was broadcasted in various places, leading audition participants to gain immense popularity.
And the biggest beneficiary of that program’s success was none other than Chaine. She held the position of the older sister in the audition program, and together with her gentle and embracing demeanor, her story of overcoming a difficult past while continuously putting in effort eventually attracted many fans.
“I… never expected so many people would love my story. I’m still in shock.”
In fact, revealing personal pasts on audition programs isn’t all that special. Many contestants eagerly bring out stories from their childhood, families, and friends hoping to secure more screen time.
But amidst all that cliché, Chaine’s story had its own uniqueness.
What made it so unique?
It was the presence of the ‘villain’ that drew viewers into Chaine’s narrative.
Her former agency.
And the manager who tried to betray her.
Even the journalist, Lee Jae-soon, who once was notorious in Korea.
Just hearing their stories could provoke anger and frustration, automatically encouraging support for Chaine.
One of the villains, the former agency’s boss, even brazenly appeared on the show and said…
“I admit we are a bit strict with people. But did we cheat anyone out of their money? Did we make them do anything weird? To be honest, I’m probably the most conscientious person running a company. No one else runs as cleanly as I do.”
While some people commented that this brazen attitude was manly, most fans didn’t hesitate to scorn the former agency boss for treating Chaine like an event slave.
But that raises a question.
Since the former agency boss would be the target of ridicule, why would he appear on this show?
“I am indeed reflecting on my actions. Whenever I see Sunmi, I feel sorry. How did I end up working with all these people who seem less than human? I wish I had paid better attention. My reason for coming here is to apologize to Sunmi, straightforwardly, and to say that such things won’t happen again.”
The answer lies here.
What’s done is done, and with Chaine gaining popularity, it was a given that the events surrounding her former agency would come to light. The former agency’s boss figured that remaining silent wouldn’t be wise, and thus chose to come on the program, ready to take the backlash by publicly proclaiming, “I was wrong and I’ll reform.”
In fact, the former agency’s boss was correct in his judgment. While he got a magnificent amount of hate, thanks to his clear apology and commitment to change, he didn’t suffer severely.
And the program team was happy, too.
They were presented with a sweet offer that they never thought they would receive—someone willingly asking to be edited poorly to boost viewership ratings.
Mutual benefit!
In that collaboration, the former agency boss became the villain and simultaneously served as a sacrificial offering to elevate Chaine’s fame.
Rewarding good and punishing evil.
A cliché but a timelessly popular theme.
And now, if it were real and actually happening…
With a tangible sense of participating in that story!
It would indeed be strange for it not to gain popularity.
And so, Chaine was basking in joy, as everything began to turn out well, almost as if the world itself was supporting her, rewarding her with happiness in a wave of good fortune.
What a blissful situation, flailing in sheer joy while smiling.
Yet even amidst that happiness, Chaine did not forget her past.
She recalled her struggles and constantly reminded herself that her current success was due to her fans. Time and again, she reiterated that everything she built could easily vanish like bubbles, and she vowed to remain humble and humble again, often muttering that to herself right before sleep.
Humility and kindness were her shields and nets.
She remembered the time she met Lee Jae-soon.
She remembered encountering the bizarre Shaman.
The memories of that time burned vividly in her mind like vivid flames, keeping her alert against arrogance.
“If you do good deeds, good people will gather, and only good things will come.”
She firmly believed that.
…
…
…
Creeeak-!
“Hey there. Young lady inside… care to have your fortune told?”
