Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 83

‘Oh well, whatever.’

It seemed impossible to pass by quietly, so I greeted the fans in the Black Cat’s ‘sincerity mode.’

All ‘sincerity mode’ meant was consciously emphasizing the actions, gestures, and expressions that Director Hong Ui-chan had practically engraved into me.

It was a service I had shown in Japan and China as well, and naturally, I wanted to make a good impression on the American fans who were seeing it for the first time, so I unleashed my aura as powerfully as possible.

And… it was a complete mess.

“Oh, S**t!”

“F**king!”

“No! NoNo!”

I thought I had gained quite a bit of experience traveling around Korea, China, and Japan, but it seemed I needed to gather new data, at least for America, or rather, the West.

The fans were rushing in with such frenzy that the airport security guards, who seemed capable of handling a hundred people each, were swearing under their breath.

-Hic! Hic!-

They looked like a horde of zombies, which made Uncle Moon Il-beom’s hiccups even worse than before.

“Here! This way!”

Fortunately, Taylor, who had come to pick us up, managed to handle the apocalyptic situation.

I later learned that Taylor was the one who had arranged for the American fans to wait for us at the airport.

He hadn’t announced it on the official SNS [Social Networking Service], but he had leaked the information through several unofficial channels.

When the reaction turned out to be more enthusiastic than expected, Taylor requested security guards at the airport in preparation for an accident and also brought private security guards separately.

The private security guards were only about five people, but they were worth more than an army in the current situation.

-Thump!-

We hurriedly got into the van without even exchanging proper greetings, and just as quickly, we had to leave the airport.

“American fans are amazing.”

As expected, the Head of Department was a man of character.

Even in a situation where 100 out of 100 people would have cursed, he spoke like that.

“……”

In contrast, Taylor, who had come to pick us up, looked slightly dazed.

At the time, I didn’t know the circumstances, so I thought he must have been very surprised, but Taylor later said that there were two reasons why he was so out of it.

One was that he never imagined the event he had orchestrated would have such an enormous outcome.

The unexpectedly large crowd of fans and their tremendous onslaught were certainly enough to shake his mind.

But the main reason he was dazed was the second reason: it was the first time he had encountered my sincerity mode.

He had thought that the image he saw in the video was the result of some CG [Computer Graphics]-like correction, but when he realized that the real thing was even better, he was momentarily stunned.

‘By the way, sincerity mode… How embarrassing.’

I wouldn’t have said such nonsense in the past. I guess I’ve been subtly influenced by subculture since I’ve been active in Japan for so long.

My uncles were surprised by the airport incident, but it actually turned out to be a good thing. Thanks to that, their tension was relieved, and they were so overwhelmed by the accumulated fatigue that they fell asleep as soon as they arrived at the hotel.

-Koo-ooh-ool!-

I moved my uncles, who were sprawled out on the sofas, snoring loudly, to their beds. I couldn’t bring myself to move the last one, Uncle Kwak Do-hoon, so I just let him lie on the sofa and left the room.

Originally, I was supposed to have a meeting with Taylor to discuss the upcoming American schedule, but with my uncles passed out, I ended up talking to him alone.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“Ah, no, it’s okay.”

It wasn’t my imagination that his words seemed sincere.

He seemed so busy looking at something on his smartphone that he didn’t even notice me entering the room until I spoke to him.

After we sat down, Taylor finally spoke to me.

“We need to change the strategy.”

“Yes?”

I was surprised by Taylor’s sudden change of strategy and wondered what he meant. He showed me a video he had been watching and continued.

“These are videos taken at the airport a little while ago.”

There were more videos than I thought.

Dozens of videos had been uploaded in less than two hours. And the reaction to those videos was universally enthusiastic.

One video already had over ten thousand hearts.

“……Amazing.”

Of course, it wouldn’t have been surprising in Korea, Japan, or China. But wasn’t this America?

Even though it was America, where there had been no official or unofficial activities, this phenomenon was truly amazing.

Of course, considering the fans’ terrifying aggressiveness at the airport, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

Seeing my surprise, Taylor cautiously continued.

“If I’m not mistaken, can you show us that appearance you showed at the airport again?”

“Hmm… I understand what you mean.”

I immediately showed my sincerity… no, my aura… anyway, I revealed the consciously hidden aspects that Director Hong Ui-chan had instilled in me.

And Taylor’s reaction to my appearance was unexpectedly enthusiastic.

He flinched and leaned back, his pupils shaking, unable to hide his great surprise.

I wondered why he was acting like that. Taylor swallowed hard and said.

“It may have been a big hit in Korea, or rather, in Asia, but it will be an even bigger hit in America.”

He said that even he, a man, felt a tremendous stimulation.

America was truly a country of machos [exhibiting or characterized by machismo].

In particular, young American men are generally enthusiastic about muscular tough guys and badass elements and often consider these elements essential when dating beautiful women.

Due to this atmosphere, many men register at the gym and build muscular bodies from high school age or older. In addition, America is a country that is madly enthusiastic about pickup trucks such as Ford Ranger, Raptor, and Toyota Tundra with diesel engines, weight training, beer, and American football, which they fight so much.

In fact, according to those who have lived in the United States, American machoists severely criticize men who mainly eat vegetables, wear short shorts that reveal their legs, are skinny without muscles, are afraid of horror thriller movies, do not make many friends, or prefer to spend time at home, saying that they are not manly.

This is so severe that even gays in the United States were obsessed with masculinity, unlike in Korea.

It is a phenomenon that occurred because they love men and are obsessed with manliness.

The reason for suddenly talking about this macho culture, which is a major obstacle for idols who are the mainstay of K-pop [Korean pop music], was for another reason.

“Mr. Kwak Do was intimidating, but it’s nothing compared to the current CEO.”

It’s because of Taylor’s words.

Version 2.0 was said to have emphasized masculine qualities, and it seems to be working even in the macho culture of the United States.

No, judging by Taylor’s arm hairs standing on end, it seemed to be more than just working, it was a direct hit.

It was certainly unexpected that Taylor, who had been with so many rough guys like gangs in the minors and beyond, would react like that.

“Black Tiger… Yes, it feels like facing a tiger.”

I hid my aura at his words.

I was embarrassed, and I couldn’t harm Taylor by saying that I was so intimidating.

“Hmm.”

Taylor let out a low sigh mixed with regret, then straightened his expression and continued.

“I may be a little sensitive, but anyway, it’s clear that even dull people will find the CEO’s appearance stimulating.”

“……Is that why you said you were going to change the strategy?”

“That’s right.”

I finally understood what he meant.

It was usually difficult for Asian men to appeal to Westerners, especially Americans.

Whether macho or sexual, in their eyes, Asian men are alien beings who don’t seem to have grown up.

He also changed his strategy for that reason and highlighted his existence.

At least he had a decadent beauty, so it would have been easier to target female fans.

However, it was certainly difficult to develop a strategy compared to other races.

That was also a concern when entering the United States this time.

‘I’m so glad that it’s a rock band.’

Rock bands were no less macho than macho culture. Although it was pushed back by hip-hop culture, rock culture had been in charge of that position for decades before that.

You can’t help but think of macho just by thinking of the images that come to mind when you think of rock, such as leather clothes, sunglasses, and guitars.

That’s why, unlike in Asia, where I was promoting with a strategy that emphasized me, in the United States, I was planning to promote the rock band.

In fact, I had roughly set the direction in that way.

But Taylor saw more potential in me and said he would change that strategic direction.

It was a matter of overturning the strategy that had been planned, so it was right for the CEO to oppose it.

But…….

‘Taylor said that.’

If he hadn’t done something stupid, and if he had lived a few more years, Taylor would have been able to grow YC Entertainment into a large corporation like Universal Music Group (UMG)’, ‘Sony/BMG’, ‘EMI’, ‘Warner Music Group’.

That also meant that he could have taken the K off of Korean songs called K-pop and have them fully recognized as pop.

I’ve created idols who have topped the Billboard charts worldwide, but K-pop still doesn’t account for a large part of the American market.

Compared to the Latin music market, it’s less than one in ten.

Anyway, Taylor was the one with such great insight and ability.

At least in the American market, it would not be wrong to say that Taylor abuses more power than the head of the American branch.

That’s why I decided to accept Taylor’s opinion.

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

“……Thank you. CEO.”

Thanks to this, Taylor, who didn’t know my unspeakable circumstances, seemed to be greatly impressed by me.

After all, men, regardless of East or West, can’t help but be drawn to those who believe in them.

“I’m glad I came with the Head of Department.”

I soon found the Head of Department, who, unlike my uncles, was properly enjoying and resting in first class and was full of motivation and energy.

The Head of Department, who had joined me, was initially embarrassed by the massive strategic revision but soon agreed to the strategic revision in earnest when he realized it was worth it.

* * *

Black Tiger’s first schedule was a magazine interview.

You might think of a magazine interview as a small schedule, but the magazine interview that was scheduled was with a magazine that was quite famous even in the huge American market.

In particular, it was one of the most influential magazines in the rock scene.