Generation Z Artists

Chapter 137 Trip to South Korea

Fang Xinghe abandoned the chaotic Japanese market and left the country in a grand manner, heading straight for South Korea.

All that fanfare was just another performance.

He could have gotten into the car in the underground parking lot, but he insisted on having the van drive to the hotel entrance. Then, surrounded by his team, he came out of the hotel through the main entrance, waving to his fans as he walked towards the van.

"Ahhhh! Your Highness Fang Xinghe!"

"Please, please sign your name for me!"

"Ganbatte! Star fans will always support you!"

The female fans went crazy and shouted. There were only seventy or eighty girls waiting, but they shouted with the momentum of a thousand troops.

NHK's broadcast van and reporters were parked on the side of the road. Reporters rushed forward frantically, and cameras were aimed at Fang Xinghe's figure from all angles.

"Fang Xinghe, could you answer a question for me?"

"Fang Xinghe, where are you going?"

"Mr. Fang Xinghe, what is your view on the death threats from far-right groups?"

"Fang Xinghe Sang..."

They couldn't even get close to Fang Xinghe Sang. They were stopped by the security team two meters away. The double-layered isolation net, consisting of the senior brothers from the Taoist martial arts school, four armed police officers hired from within the country, and a ten-person team hired by Kadokawa, made it impossible for anyone to get close.

Meanwhile, across the street, Osaka police were also working hard to control the right-wing protest group, fearing something serious might happen.

All of this stemmed from the death threats mentioned by the reporter.

Fang Xinghe stopped and turned to face the reporter who had asked the question in Chinese.

His exceptionally tall and slender stature, for a Japanese person, gave him an air of commanding authority.

Fang Xinghe calmly countered, "Who issued the threat?"

A glint of intense joy flashed in the eyes of the Japanese reporter who understood Chinese. Without hesitation, he replied, "The National Socialist Japanese Workers' Party! Their members have sent a letter to our newspaper, asking us to tell them that they will kill you on Japanese soil!"

Fang Xinghe curled his lips in disdain: "I'm right here, where are they?"

The reporter was extremely excited: "I didn't know. But they've assassinated political figures before. Mr. Fang Xinghe, aren't you afraid?"

Fang Xinghe made a gun out of his hand, pointed it at his temple, and casually uttered four words—

"We eagerly await your arrival."

Then, without pausing, he continued walking towards the nanny van.

The reporter, standing outside the crowd, shouted, "Where are you going? If you're not afraid, why are you hiding?"

Fang Xinghe stopped by the car door, turned around and looked directly at him: "Go to South Korea to continue my autograph tour. I'm utterly disappointed with this country. If they're really that determined, then please come to South Korea to find me."

He clearly intended to launch a surprise attack, but before leaving, he provoked the Japanese again.

This interview was broadcast on the main channel almost immediately, generating another wave of buzz.

The far-right groups, including the Workers' Party and the Greater Japan Patriotic Party, were furious and went on a rampage online, shouting, "We will definitely kill him! We will!"

These two groups were extremely influential because they had actually carried out assassinations, and their operational capabilities were second only to the Red Army.

Fang's supporters went crazy, hurling insults at the right wing online.

"These insane bastards, worse than pigs and dogs, stop disgracing the Japanese!"

"You beasts, you should commit seppuku and atone to His Highness Fang Xinghe!"

"Fang Xinghe is afraid of your threats? You're too arrogant."

“You can’t do anything but cause destruction.”

"I will die for Prince Fang Xinghe, so kill me first!"

"This is terrible! My God has disappointed us because of a bunch of maggots! Why don't you just die? Wouldn't it be easier to jump off the building? Hurry up!"

"Our people work hard to spread Japanese culture and ideas to the world, but all our efforts have been wasted by these right-wing lunatics. When will we finally get real respect?"

"After sentencing all those right-wing beasts."

"We urge the government to act quickly!"

"Yes, let's hold a protest and arrest them all to cleanse away the bad things. That way, His Highness Fang Xinghe will start to look at us with new respect."

To be honest, Japanese fans of the brand are quite obsessed.

Since becoming famous in Japan, Fang Xinghe has gained nearly 1500 million new followers, 300 million of whom are due to "Cang Ye Xue" and 1200 million are due to his good looks.

Then, his hate speech was wiped out by more than half, leaving about 5 million, but more than half of them were core fans, of which 100,000 easily became level 4 fanatics.

The proportion was so high that even he himself found it hard to believe.

Normally, it takes about 10 million new fans to cultivate 2 million core fans, then 200,000 die-hard fans, and finally 20,000 fanatics. That's roughly the upper limit for a typical celebrity.

For example, after becoming a regular on Running Man, Dilraba's general popularity expanded to 2 million (across Asia), her public goodwill reached 2000 million (based on due diligence data from 2018), her die-hard fans numbered 45 (based on a comprehensive summary of super topic data after dehydration in 2023), and her fanatical fans numbered less than 2.

Female fans of male stars in hit dramas tend to be more loyal. For example, during the peak period after "The Legend of Canglan," the Emperor Crane had 400 million casual fans, 40 die-hard fans, and 10 crazy fans. This was a historical level of role-related popularity. Going back further, only a few dramas such as "The Untamed," "My Love from the Star," "Meteor Garden," and the old version of "Shanghai Bund" can compare.

Fang Xinghe's "Cang Ye Xue" actually performed quite poorly in China.

This is a deliberately written tragic story. If it were a purely realistic work, it would be even worse—just like Yu Hua's "To Live," which has sold over 5000 million copies in China, with tens of millions of casual fans, but not even ten die-hard fans.

Rather than saying that Fang Xinghe gained fans through his works, his appeal lies in his looks, while his antics are what make him a pain to his fans.

But in Japan, it's a completely different story. Most Japanese people genuinely hate him, while the few who are on the same wavelength truly admire him.

Perhaps it can be interpreted as a mutual appreciation between perverts?

In short, a group of fanatics encountered an unconventional idol, and in a very short time, they burst forth with brilliant faith. Even if Fang Xinghe were to slink home now, he would have already made his money.

But he couldn't let his path to godhood be abandoned halfway, so he went to Korea to gather his sword light once more.

South Korea is also a rather bizarre place—among the four East Asian countries, it seems that only China is the most normal, while the other places are full of perverts.

By the time Fang Xinghe boarded the plane, the news had already spread in South Korea.

When he landed, Seoul Airport put on a grand and exaggerated welcome.

Needless to say, the team was personally led by Li Bingyu, the president of Jin Xing Publishing House.

All of South Korea's top media outlets were present, including the Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, and The Korea Ilbo, as well as KBS, MBC, SBS, EBS, and more.

In addition, Japanese media, Southeast Asian media, and domestic media followed... a whole host of cameras and microphones.

Around 3000 fans showed up, which wasn't particularly exaggerated, but this was a last-minute announcement, and unlike later times, you can't just send a mass message on your phone to organize people. Then, the most outrageous thing was that someone from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came.

The abbreviation for the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is MOFA. The ministry has different bureaus, and it's understandable that the China Bureau sent people. It's a sign of cultural importance, which is a bit over the top, but also acceptable.

As a result, the Japanese bureau's adjutant also joined in the fun, which makes it difficult to comment.

Finally, there are more than a dozen non-governmental or government organizations, such as the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Korea Foundation, the Cultural Industries Association, the Writers' Association, and so on.

A red carpet was laid out on the tarmac, and middle school students lined up to receive bouquets of flowers. It was a welcoming ceremony of state visit level, which gave Wang Bin and his team quite a shock.

Before getting off the plane, they couldn't wait to turn on the camera and get everyone in position.

"Damn, Xiao Fang, this is terrifying!"

Wang Bin was ecstatic. As long as there was something to film for his documentary, he could temporarily forget the pain of not being able to broadcast it.

As Fang Xinghe stepped off the escalator, a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted, and then a junior adjutant from the MOFA China Bureau welcomed Fang Xinghe to South Korea with diplomatic protocol.

"Fang Xinghe-xi, the entire Korean society has been eagerly anticipating your visit..."

Honestly, the head of the online trolls was taken aback.

No, you guys are exaggerating.

However, he couldn't be impolite at a time like this. He exchanged some meaningless pleasantries with the other party, and after the media finished taking photos, Lee Byung-wook finally stepped forward and found an opportunity to ask his question.

"What's going on?"

Li Bingyu replied in a low voice, "It's for the Japanese... We've had a lot of conflicts lately."

Due to the limited space, he only answered this one sentence before Fang Xinghe was surrounded by the civilian group.

One particularly interesting anecdote was that an elderly woman, surrounded by several representatives, presented flowers to Fang Xinghe.

She expressed her gratitude in Korean: "Fang Xinghe-xi, thank you for your righteous remarks on the comfort women issue. All your statements in Japan have greatly encouraged our long-standing struggle on this issue. You are a cultural role model who can properly exert influence, and I want to express my sincere respect to you..."

Fang Xinghe's expression instantly turned serious. He accepted the flowers and said solemnly, "Several elders in my family have had the same experience as you. I will always respect, always support, and always be willing to speak out for your struggle and those of other respectable elders."

Under the cameras of several major television stations, Fang Xinghe bowed respectfully at a 90-degree angle.

After a simple ceremony, the welcoming team left the airport through a special passage, while Fang Xinghe, surrounded by security personnel, walked normally through the arrival hall to meet his fans.

Korean fans are just as enthusiastic as Japanese fans, even more so than domestic fans. As soon as he appeared, his ears were filled with noise.

"Wow, Fang Xinghe is really a god!"

Korean fans had probably never seen such a handsome, naturally good-looking guy before, and they screamed wildly. Even a human wall of more than 200 police officers almost couldn't stop him.

Fang Xinghe walked along, waving to the surroundings without lingering, and walked straight through the crowd.

Only about 500 fans have actually seen his face, but his number of die-hard fans has surged by 250 in an instant.

But that was just a minor detail. The real highlight was the official welcome party—more than 200 celebrities, including writers, directors, screenwriters, stars, tycoons, and organizations, came specifically for him.

South Korea was the last stop on this international trip, and also the most exceptional one, receiving treatment comparable to Leonardo DiCaprio's visit to South Korea.

"This is what you deserve."

Li Bingyu said this, and explained it in detail.

"This year, our country's comfort women victims, such as the 'Comfort Women Issue Countermeasures Council,' have held several large-scale demonstrations demanding that the Japanese government apologize and provide compensation for this matter."

The last time was just 10 days ago, but it was met with continued denial from some right-wing forces in Japan, which triggered a fierce backlash from public opinion. Now is the time when the controversy is at its peak.

In addition, diplomatic protests regarding the Dokdo/Takeshima issue also sparked considerable anger some time ago.

In fact, with such a deep economic interdependence between us and Japan, and a solid security cooperation framework, there is no possibility of a fierce confrontation breaking out. However, many details have led to a peak in anti-Japanese sentiment among our people.

Fang Xinghe, your actions in Japan have been reported back to our country and have received high praise from the South Korean public.

Some people even consider you a national hero of South Korea.

Before that, "Azure Night Snow" had sold less than 700,000 copies. In just four days after that, sales skyrocketed by 3 million copies, and it is now a national book, almost sweeping the market..."

Upon hearing the words "national hero," Fang Xinghe felt it was absurd.

He asked with a strange expression, "Could someone have mistaken me for a Korean?"

“Uh…” Li Bingyu’s face showed an embarrassed expression, and he replied vaguely, “Perhaps there are similar discussions, and a small group of historians are investigating your grandmother’s identity…”

Grass!
I fucking knew I couldn't escape this.

Fang Xinghe was truly helpless in this situation. For the sake of the Korean leeks (a metaphor for exploiting Korean consumers) and for the rise in status resulting from this condition, he could only endure it.

“Send a lawyer’s letter if necessary, remind them to stop. My grandmother is also Han Chinese.”

No, your grandmother is Korean.

Four days ago, renowned scholar Lin Junze confidently stated in a media interview that, according to research, Fang Xinghe's grandmother was very likely Korean who fled to China during the Japanese invasion and later stayed there after the founding of the People's Republic of China. She could not speak Chinese and did not have a Chinese name when she married Fang Tangjing. Her personal image and experience highly overlap with those of my great-grandfather's younger sister.

This is not the first time South Koreans have acted so outrageously, and it certainly won't be the last.

In fact, today's grand welcoming ceremony and the subsequent media reports were quite outrageous and petty.

KBS News: "Face-bearing god from China, a literary genius rarely seen in a millennium, Fang Xinghe-xi, landed at Seoul International Airport today. Fang Xinghe-xi's trip to Japan has stirred up a strong impact in our country. His fair statements on many historical issues have been met with strong resistance from Japanese society, but have also won high recognition from the people of South Korea..."

You Japanese don't like it, but I'll give him extra treatment, make him look incredibly important, and disgust you all.

This is understandable from a logical standpoint, but it's only suitable for the private sector to do. Fang Xinghe finds it quite amusing that the Foreign Affairs Bureau would get involved in such petty actions.

But as the beneficiary of the benefits, he wouldn't say it out loud; he'd just politely accept it.

South Korea only had three or four TV stations and seven or eight newspapers, which focused on reporting his grand arrival in South Korea at noon. After a welcome party in the afternoon, Lao Li held a special press conference for them to promote Fang Xinghe.

There's not much to say about the welcome party; Fang Xinghe isn't familiar with any of the Korean celebrities or writers these days.

By the way, H.O.T. and Lee Hyori's group did not receive the "honor" of being sent to greet Fang Xinghe. In today's South Korean society, idols have not yet been elevated to a status that will be remembered for generations, so why would they pull off a ridiculous stunt like having a bunch of idols dance in an Olympic bid promotional video?

In the current South Korean entertainment industry, it is generally believed that singing and dancing idols are not on the same level as Bang Xinghe; at the very least, one must be a film actor to be qualified to associate with Bang Xinghe.

Anyway, the welcome party passed quickly with its empty formalities; the real test was the press conference that followed.

South Korean media also have left-wing and right-wing divisions, but regardless of whether they are left-wing or right-wing, they all have a lot of curiosity about Fang Xinghe.

His looks, talent, ideas, attitudes toward Japan and South Korea, and even the most sensitive issue of Fang Tonghui—every aspect of him deserves to be written about in detail.

Thus, the most complicated press conference Fang Xinghe had ever attended, under the peculiar thought process of the Koreans, became the highlight of his trip to South Korea.

　I need to get to the hospital quickly, that's all for today.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)