Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 43

14. Conquest of Japan.

The more Kwak Do-hoon displayed such discomfort, the more interest he garnered.

In truth, Hanagata Kei, with his rugby background, was a large man for a Japanese person, but by modern standards, he wasn’t exceptionally huge.

He stood around 180cm tall and weighed in the late 80s (kilograms).

However, as stories of his fights became distorted and exaggerated, his image inevitably grew more threatening and immense.

In that regard, if Kwak Do-hoon had possessed a similar physique to Hanagata Kei, perhaps this level of interest wouldn’t have arisen.

But the reality was that Kwak Do-hoon’s physique more than matched the exaggerated image of Hanagata Kei.

He was a giant, over 2 meters tall and weighing close to 140kg. As a former wrestler, his already muscular body had been further strengthened by Young-chan, making his imposing presence even more pronounced.

Adding to this, his visible discomfort made even seasoned veterans of the entertainment industry wary of him.

Was that all?

With Japanese entertainment’s penchant for exaggeration, filters and subtitles portrayed Kwak Do-hoon as an Oni [a fearsome Japanese ogre or demon], and he quickly gained considerable fame throughout Japan in just two weeks.

“Goddamn!”

Kwak Do-hoon couldn’t help but curse as he watched himself being portrayed in such a manner on the variety show they had appeared on.

Jang Tae-shik chuckled at his reaction.

“Hehe. The Japanese have an eye for talent. Are you going to get scouted by the Yakuza [Japanese organized crime syndicate] or something?”

“Grrr! Shut up.”

Park Si-young shook his head as he watched Kwak Do-hoon grind his teeth at Jang Tae-shik’s childish teasing.

“Thanks to you, we’re stuck as bodyguards.”

“Well, it’s nice and easy on the body and mind.”

“Still, I’m a little disappointed that no one recognizes us. How can we walk around so openly and have no one notice us?”

“Why? Planning to remarry? Good thinking. International marriages are all the rage these days.”

“Tch. International marriage or whatever. I’m not remarrying!”

“Hehehe.”

Unlike the Black Tiger members who were lazing around and making silly jokes, Young-chan was busy with his own schedule.

It wasn’t an interview or anything of that nature.

Rather, he was actively building connections.

Young-chan was at the center of a rapidly growing phenomenon, and naturally, many people wanted to meet him.

Among them were politicians, high-ranking officials from broadcasting stations, and well-known business figures.

Even these individuals had been carefully filtered and selected by Ichiro.

That meant that those Young-chan met were all influential figures, but their reactions upon meeting him were remarkably similar.

-!!!-

Ichiro nodded as if their surprised reactions were perfectly natural.

‘Even I, who have been watching him closely for days, can’t let my guard down…’

It was clear that for those who casually came to meet a mere entertainer, thinking that was all he was, it must have felt like suddenly being hit by a truck while walking down the street.

That’s how overwhelming Young-chan’s aura, which he had been displaying since the press conference, felt to the Japanese.

Thanks to this, the situation had completely reversed. Instead of them trying to impress him and build a relationship, they were busy treating him with the typical Japanese deference shown to those perceived as powerful.

As a result, every deal that was made exceeded expectations.

The businessman he met regarding a commercial film (CF) offered an amount that would typically only be given to top stars in Japan, and the high-ranking broadcasting official promised similar preferential treatment.

The politician also offered similar terms, volunteering generous support simply for Young-chan lending his name to the upcoming election.

Not only that, but he also introduced Young-chan to an even higher-ranking politician whom he served, someone whose meeting would normally be impossible to arrange.

The politician he met was a major figure, but the result was the same.

Although he didn’t display the same surprised emotions as the others, as befitting someone who harbored a few hidden agendas, his eagerness to get closer to Young-chan was undeniable.

“Haa~. Serving YC-sama [a respectful title, similar to ‘Lord’ or ‘Master’ Young-chan] is truly not an easy task.”

In the world within his engraved memories, Young-chan had enjoyed formal dinners with politicians from various countries, including the United States.

Unlike Young-chan, who was so accustomed to it that he appeared calm and collected, Ichiro was sweating profusely and struggling to calm his startled nerves.

Young-chan noticed that his back was completely wet and lightly patted his shoulder as if to cheer him on.

“They are all just people. There’s no need to be so intimidated.”

It was intended as a comforting word, but Ichiro seemed to interpret it differently.

“…That’s right. I have to serve YC-sama in the future; I can’t be like this.”

“…”

Young-chan realized that Ichiro had misunderstood his intention, but he didn’t bother to correct his thoughts.

Either way, he had achieved his goal of relieving Ichiro’s tension.

Above all, he knew that Ichiro often misinterpreted things in many ways when it came to Young-chan’s work, so he didn’t want to create any unnecessary misunderstandings.

As such, the second week drew to a close, and by this time, Young-chan had become a prominent figure in Japan’s rigid high society.

What this meant was that, excluding criminal activities, there was almost nothing he couldn’t accomplish in Japan.

As the YC-sama syndrome’s fervor intensified even further in Japan, the idea of a concert naturally arose.

Black Tiger could only handle a limited amount of music, so a mini-concert was the most they could manage, but even this was not difficult to arrange.

Broadcasting companies eagerly rushed to jump on the bandwagon of their popularity.

Thanks to this, they were even considering a concert on a larger scale than they had initially envisioned.

In the process of finding a venue, Young-chan, as well as the other members, couldn’t help but admire Japan’s well-developed infrastructure for music.

“I tried my best to establish something similar, but Japan is different after all.”

In particular, Jang Tae-shik, who ran Kesera Sera branches nationwide, had to show a mixture of bitterness and admiration.

Unlike Korea, band activities in Japan, from indie to major, had very well-distributed support and resources.

Usually, it’s harder to maintain a band than to form one. When four people gather, there are four different types of music they pursue, which creates problems.

However, if they overcome these difficulties and present themselves as professionals, they dream of performing live.

The stage they aim for at that time is the live house.

It was a rock cafe in the form that Kesera Sera imitated, but of course, its scale was much larger and beyond comparison.

It usually has a capacity of 1000 to 3000 seats.

Among these, the live house called Zepp is a chain store, so there is even a name called Zepp Tour.

If you gain fame during this tour, the next step is Budokan [Nippon Budokan, a famous indoor arena in Tokyo].

It is a place that the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, and others have performed at in the past, and performing live here meant that the indie band had succeeded.

And a successful Budokan live performance meant that they were on the verge of making their major debut.

If they succeeded in making their major debut, they could advance to the arena.

The arena has a capacity of 6,000 to 30,000 seats, and among them, the Saitama Super Arena could accommodate up to 36,000 seats through moving blocks.

The next step is the Tokyo Dome, which can accommodate 50,000 people, but it is so expensive to rent and not easily lent out, so most of them do not avoid deficits.

If this is not enough, there is the Nissan Stadium, which can accommodate 70,000 spectators.

It is a concert hall that only an icon representing the era can attempt to fill.

Even X-JAPAN, who dominated the past era, had a tremendous level of difficulty that they could not fill properly.

If Black Tiger had been formed in Japan, they would have toured, raising the concert hall in this order.

However, Black Tiger, which debuted in Korea just a month ago, has skipped all those steps and risen to the major league.

“Is it possible to rent an arena-class concert hall?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

The Japanese staff showed an attitude that they couldn’t understand why the Korean staff was surprised.

But logically, the Korean staff’s reaction can be said to be normal.

“Let’s go with Saitama Super Arena.”

The broadcasting officials who were in partnership with them mentioned Saitama Super Arena, which is one of the top arenas.

Even they seemed to be regretting it.

Because they originally wanted the Tokyo Dome.

However, fortunately, the Tokyo Dome was difficult to rent at the desired time due to scheduling conflicts and various other reasons.

“No, you’re going to book such a big arena?”

Just saying that the music market is different, the scale of the work is so large that it is now difficult for the Korean staff to handle.

But considering the current syndrome phenomenon, it was not surprising.

Even Japan’s leading singers and critics were praising Black Tiger’s music.

Considering that there were even those who had previously shown a negative attitude towards the Korean Wave [Hallyu], you can see how highly they regard Black Tiger’s music.

In the meantime, if Black Tiger’s performance is postponed or canceled due to them, it was not easy to endure the burden.

It is something that can be the target of criticism due to Japan’s unique social flow that foreigners cannot understand.

Above all, Young-chan has become a hot figure in Japanese high society, so this level of convenience was not difficult for them.

Jang Tae-shik laughed in disbelief when he heard the story.

“Ha~. Anyone who sees it would think that Black Tiger’s homeland is Japan?”

It was a huge deal to say such a thing.

It doesn’t make sense to be able to rent an arena of this size for just a mini concert.

As a result, Young-chan could no longer insist on a mini concert.

“I want to put Black Tiger forward, but at this rate, it would be strange not to be criticized.”

His solo version of Black Tiger music also had to be played separately.

“Now that it’s like this, I’ll just release a solo version as a mini album.”

The solo version had already been completed while preparing Black Tiger’s mini album, so it didn’t take him long to record a separate Japanese version.

As the story came out as a mini concert and became a full-scale concert, a big smile appeared on the faces of the broadcasting station and the private companies that supported him.

In fact, it was natural because the favor they had shown to maintain their relationship had now completely returned as a profit.

Anyway, when Black Tiger members were able to perform at the Saitama Super Arena, they couldn’t hide their excitement.

“I’ve been missing performances because I’ve only been on variety shows. I never thought I’d be on such an absurd stage!”

“Ehehehehe!”

“I heard that the place we signed a contract with is NK Broadcasting Station. I know it’s a national broadcasting station. This isn’t a dream, is it?”

“I was sad that there were no music shows, but you’re giving me a big one at the end!”

“…Crazy! It’s really crazy!”

But their excitement didn’t last long.

Because Young-chan drove them crazy to match the scale of the Super Arena.

They were almost dying, but they couldn’t complain.

Because they know how busy Young-chan is preparing for this concert.

The PD [Production Director] in charge of this performance looked at the conditions again, stopped at one for a moment, and asked out of curiosity.

“You said you wanted to rent a grand piano, is that correct?”

Young-chan nodded casually at the question, as he didn’t know that a rock band would ask for a grand piano, which is also a synonym for classical music.

“Yes. If possible, please prepare a Steinway product.”

“Okay. Should I prepare a performer separately?”

He knew that Black Tiger had an excellent keyboardist, but he was asking because he knew that handling a grand piano, especially a Steinway product, was a separate matter from an electronic piano.

Young-chan shook his head lightly.

“It’s okay. I’m going to play it.”

“Ah!”

At those words, the PD opened his eyes wide as if he hadn’t thought of it, and then showed enthusiasm.

This is because Young-chan had shown off his guitar skills on a Japanese variety show to the point where he received praise from Japanese legends.

He couldn’t help but be excited that he was going to play the piano.

Maybe he has the skills of a pianist? If that were possible, the ratings would be higher than he expected.

So he hurriedly opened his mouth with a very excited face.

“I will find you the piano you mentioned and a place to practice by tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you.”

On the way back from the meeting, Ichiro, who volunteered to drive, asked carefully.

“I didn’t know you could play the piano.”

Ichiro was a little worried when he said that.

This is because he was worried that the genius image, which is synonymous with YC-sama, might be flawed.

The section chief was also the same, so he glanced at Young-chan silently.

Young-chan seemed to find their worries funny. He said with a slightly playful look.

“I don’t think I’m bad, but I don’t know.”

“Hmm.”

Unlike usual, Young-chan did not show a confident appearance, so team leader Yoo Woon-shik and Ichiro could not easily let go of their worries.

However, they only found out the next day how meaningless that worry was.

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