Generation Z Artists

Chapter 140 Morbid Adoration

After the press conference, all the media present sang praises for Fang Xinghe's performance, offering a variety of angles to whitewash him, and showering him with enthusiastic and intense compliments. For a time, the entire South Korean society was moved by Fang Xinghe.

The JoongAng Ilbo stated: "Fang Xinghe is a genius of unparalleled talent in China, and his ideas shine brightly in the Korean sky..."

Chosun Ilbo: "With his stunning looks and brilliant mind, the unparalleled Bang Sung-ha has completely captivated South Korean fans!"

Cultural Daily: "Although Fang Xinghe was somewhat impolite to South Korea, compared to Japan, his attitude towards South Korea was restrained and modest. The goodwill stemming from cultural affinity allowed us to converse like gentlemen. Ultimately, his unique perspective and outstanding thinking convinced the media present..."

"Right-wing media..."

Lee Byung-wook shook the newspaper vigorously, excitedly pacing back and forth in the room.

"Damn, who can tell they're right-wing media?"

Not a single right-wing media outlet in South Korea criticized Fang Xinghe. Only the World Daily, which has close ties with Christian conservative forces, muttered something, appearing somewhat unconvinced but also hesitant to speak out.

Not to mention the left-wing media, who praised it to the point of making people blush.

Fang Xinghe's face didn't turn red, but the team members were all excited.

KBS News highlighted footage of Bang Sung-ha bowing to an 80-year-old comfort woman at the airport, which the host praised highly.

"The reason Fang Xinghe received such national hero treatment is entirely due to his sincerity and steadfastness. On many issues, he fully understood South Korea's suffering and was willing to stand with us to jointly fight against the arrogant and unreasonable Japanese government..."

In front of the television, the traditionally reserved middle-aged Koreans nodded silently, their goodwill growing.

SBS News highlighted a segment where Fang Xinghe sincerely spoke about "harmony in diversity," with the host's deep and resonant voice providing narration.

Fang Xinghe clearly explained his animosity toward South Korea—for reasons that are very respectable—because his father abandoned his wife and children to illegally immigrate to South Korea, causing him significant psychological harm.

Even so, he did not take his anger out on South Korea excessively, distinguishing well between personal anger and national hatred, and engaged in friendly and profound cultural exchanges with our cultural elites…

In front of the television, a middle-aged South Korean woman wiped her eyes: "Oh my, what a pitiful child... his father is a real scoundrel!"

The husband pointed impatiently at the screen: "He said he was going to drive a tank and run over my appendix, that kind of bullshit!"

The wife and daughter retorted together, "What's so incomprehensible about that? The problem isn't with him!"

The MBC news program highlighted Bang Sung-ha's sense of humor, and when the line "How are the local gangs in Korea? Are they smart enough?" was broadcast, the girls burst into laughter.

"Wow, he's so handsome and funny!"

"Your Highness! The most auspicious prince from the suzerain state!"

"Even his Japanese fans call him Your Highness. He really is both noble and domineering!"

The overwhelmingly positive reviews from mainstream media brought Fang Xinghe's popularity to its peak.

No, it's not popularity, it should be understood as "reputation".

Under this tone, entertainment tabloids abandoned their usual flippant style and dared not make fun of or ridicule him.

The photos were, of course, displayed, and displayed extensively, but in their descriptions, they showed great respect.

Daily Sports: "Bang Seong-ha's handsomeness is unparalleled in Korean history. The photos don't do him justice; you can only truly appreciate his beauty when you see him in person. His skin is as smooth and vibrant as jade, and his features are as compassionate as a deity. When he turned to look at me, I held my breath; I was completely out of control..."

Next to it was a profile picture taken at a very good angle; the moment the eyes were slightly lowered truly conveyed that sense of compassion.

Although the newspaper photo was of very poor quality, the same photo was uploaded to a website by a reporter, and as a result, this "Compassion of the God-King" went viral among internet users, with countless men and women using it as their profile picture.

The usually gossipy and shameless magazine "Celebrity Pictorial" this time very "seriously" discussed whether Fang Tonghui might have another Fang Xinghe.

The topic quickly went viral online and then spread to television variety shows.

After a series of "complex and rigorous" discussions, the experts reached a consensus: it's impossible.

South Koreans are truly crazy; they specifically invited genetics experts from Seoul National University to do this kind of variety show, and then solemnly inform the public—

"Fang Xinghe was a one-in-a-million accident born on the basis of excellent genes."

Therefore, compared to the original foundation, that mysterious mutation was the fundamental reason.

To put it simply, if someone's original genes were at the 1% level, their child would be in the top 1% of the population. However, a mutation caused Fang Xinghe to become one in a billion. This is an impossible miracle to replicate. Even if Fang Tonghui had ten thousand more children, there would be no next Fang Xinghe.

Of course, their family's genes obviously have a very high safety margin; 1% or even 1% is something to be expected..."

Brother Fang and his team members looked at each other, completely baffled as to what the TV station meant by producing such a terrible program.

Wang Charlie guessed, "It means you shouldn't even dream about it. You think you can have a couple of kids with Fang Tonghui and create a second Fang Xinghe? Dream on!"

Wang Bin countered, "But even if they are only one in a thousand geniuses among the children, wouldn't that be enough to make them happy?"

Everyone scratched their heads together, and it made them think that Koreans are really fucking crazy.

Fang Xinghe was so angry that his brain was throbbing: "Damn it! Fang Tonghui is right here in Busan, and we can't get rid of him even with money. What kind of situation is this?!"

He rarely let his guard down like this, which made his senior brothers laugh.

Lee Byung-wook shook his head with a wry smile: "Don't think about Fang Tonghui's matter. Many parties are putting pressure on Busan, but there is a lot of power protecting him. So even though he is a well-known undocumented immigrant, as long as he doesn't show his face, the police can't do anything about it."

How could the police possibly have no solution?
It's clear that the Busan police are just going through the motions.

Not only them, but South Korean netizens also have a very strange attitude towards Fang Tonghui online.

"Don't deport him. Let him stay in South Korea and contribute to our country!"

"The contribution you're referring to... is it serious? Hehehe..."

“I have great respect for Fang Xinghe, but regarding his father’s matter, I feel that he should be given a chance to reform…”

"Is it right to atone for sins through mating?"

"Damn it! He's clearly a selfish and wicked person, yet he's living a life that even I, a university student in Seoul, envy. Is that reasonable?"

"Of course it makes sense! He's the man who gave birth to Fang Shen!"

"Breaking news! Several female college students in Busan have started a campaign called 'Give Fang Xinghe a younger brother'! They're trying to find out Fang Tonghui's whereabouts!"

"Ugh, are they crazy? Stop embarrassing South Korea!"

"Huh? If I really get pregnant and then go to Fang Xinghe while I'm heavily pregnant, will I get a lot of money or even get special treatment from him?"

"Fang Xinghe will kick you so hard you'll miscarry!"

"You are not allowed to slander our God Fang like that! He is just angry and distressed, not a pervert, much less a criminal!"

"Even if he kicks me so hard I miscarry, I'd still be happy! Zanzan, let's get started!"

……

"Stop reading, don't read anymore."

Fang Xinghe stopped the translation work and rubbed his face.

This is really hard to believe. Were Koreans already this twisted back in 2000?
The senior students were gloating, trying to suppress their laughter, and the atmosphere in the room was quite cheerful.

In the past, Fang Xinghe was a god in their hearts, as if nothing could defeat him. He was aloof, calm and composed. But now they finally saw the human side of him, so vivid and approachable.

Like a lackey, Li Bingyu changed the subject: "Boss, we should get down to business."

Alright, let Fang Tonghui cause trouble for a while longer. Anyway, he won't dare to show off in front of me. It's just a matter of waiting a little longer.

Fang Xinghe nodded solemnly: "Okay, what's the next step?"

It was now the third day since we landed in South Korea. Yesterday we stayed home and waited for the media to develop, but today we were going to officially begin the main event of our trip.

Li Bingyu listed the work arrangements one by one, waiting for Fang Xinghe's confirmation.

"The first focus is tomorrow's autograph session and fan meeting, which will be held at the New World Department Store as originally planned. The schedule is as follows..."

South Korea's idol industry was not yet fully mature, so Lee Byung-wook basically learned by observing Japan and copied it almost exactly.

"Okay." Fang Xinghe listened attentively. "Let's do it your way."

"Secondly, I have several fashion magazines wanting to meet with me today..."

"not see."

After Fang Xinghe decisively refused, Li Bingyu gave a wry smile and did not try to persuade him further.

At that time, South Korea's luxury goods market was incomparable to that of later generations. South Korea, which had just recovered from the economic crisis, had an extremely high per capita savings rate, and its luxury goods market was only about $10 billion, ranking outside the top 15 in the world. The main consumers were middle-aged businessmen.

In later years, South Korea's luxury goods market rose to sixth place, with young people borrowing money and spending over 70% of their income.

Back then, Korean fashion magazines finally had some value, but now... they're just small-time craze.

"My first overseas fashion magazine cover has to be at least Japanese VOGUE."

"But hasn't Japan already shelved it?"

“I can’t just use the Korean edition to get by. I’d rather not appear on a fashion magazine cover than accept a cover outside of the Japanese, French, and American editions.”

Fang Xinghe's face revealed boundless ambition and unwavering determination.

There is still a complete void in this area in China, so his overseas cover is a historic achievement, setting a benchmark for the idol industry.

For the first time ever, why only release a Korean version?

Fang Xinghe practically said they weren't good enough, and Li Bingyu was furious, but he didn't dare show it at all.

"Okay, let's talk about the third thing—27 companies, including Lotte Department Store, Hyundai Motor, Shinhan Bank, and Nongshim Ramen, have sent cooperation invitations. Among them, those brands that are in the top tier in our country need your personal reception..."

“Sure.” Fang Xinghe readily agreed. “Let’s fill up the schedule for this. I plan to select 5 to 10 companies and get the advertisements in South Korea covered as soon as possible.”

Lee Byung-wook was both surprised and delighted: "So many? Korean companies usually don't offer high endorsement fees..."

South Korea's domestic consumer market is rather weak, and coupled with the high degree of monopoly by conglomerates, commercial endorsements are merely a necessary form of image display without generating significant sales conversion, resulting in a relatively low ceiling for endorsement fees.

In the current market environment, 7 million is about the maximum annual income, and only movie stars can earn that much, such as Jang Nara.

Japanese and South Korean companies will only be motivated to offer excessive endorsement fees if their influence can extend to the most important overseas markets.

Lee Byung-wook explained, "Back then, Liu Dehua's 'A Moment of Romance' was released for nine months and was incredibly popular. Several domestic brands only offered him 400 million won for endorsements. Now you can earn about 1 billion won a year. It's because of the goodwill that his attitude towards Japan has generated among the public, coupled with his status as a writer, his good looks, and his influence in Japan that he has received such treatment..."

10 billion? Less than 600 million RMB, what a poor search.

Fang Xinghe pursed his lips, but didn't dwell on it too much.

Despite South Korea's reputation as a developed country, it only has two major cities, Seoul and Busan, with a metropolitan area population of around 3000 million. Once you remove the elderly, children, and the disabled, the market is just a tiny fraction of what it is.

South Korean boy and girl groups can barely make ends meet through concerts, commercial performances, and endorsements in their home country. They can't expand into overseas markets and live worse than white-collar workers.

Therefore, going global has become a lifeline for all entertainment companies. Fang Xinghe's arrival was also timely. In 1998, Kim Dae-jung identified the cultural industry as a pillar industry and proposed the grand strategy of "building the nation through culture." As the first literary idol to visit South Korea, he received a lot of extra attention.

The reason why the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Taiwan Creative Content Agency went to pick him up at the airport and held a meeting with him was based on this national policy.

Now, he wants to use this attention to put more pressure on Japan.

Previously, they used Japan to attack South Korea; now it's time to unite with South Korea to resist Japan. That's how savvy guys play the game, pulling back and forth like this.

“Let’s chat. As long as it’s a top company, the endorsement fee is negotiable. Let’s build up the volume first, penetrate the Korean business market, and then we can talk about other things.”

Fang Xinghe didn't tell Li Bingyu that what he most wanted to do was to torment Japanese fans by using differential treatment, for fear that Li Bingyu would overthink it.

However, whether we say it or not, it won't change the overall situation—Korean fans are ultimately just servants, while Japanese fans are the true consorts.

Korean chives grow sparsely, turn yellow and wilt. How can they compare to the thick, tender, and aphrodisiac varieties from Japan?
Looking at the price of "Azure Night Snow" alone, it's three times that of South Korea. Despite the high price, it still sold over 200 million more copies than South Korea. It's obvious where the focus should be.

The South Korean market is just a stepping stone, or a bait to start a conversation; it's good enough, no need to be too sophisticated.

Realizing that the boss didn't care much, Li Bingyu got anxious. The sense of urgency made him even boil liver oil to efficiently arrange all the complicated details of the preliminary negotiations and the final confirmations for Fang Xinghe.

Apart from the day of the autograph session, the entire team met with merchants like crazy, and in just one week, they roughly secured eight endorsement deals.

The success was so smooth that it was like a landslide.

As long as Fang Xinghe is willing to accept, any conditions are acceptable.

As time goes by, his popularity is increasing, even forming a trend that the media calls the "Fang Xinghe Wave".

……

FACE-LINE Plastic Surgery Clinic, Seoul's largest cosmetic surgery hospital.

After hanging up the phone, operator Jin Dongmei rubbed her stiff face vigorously, then suddenly sprang up and slammed the grade preference booklet onto the table.

"Damn it! Fang Xinghe, Fang Xinghe, Fang Xinghe... Are they all sick in the head?! Don't they even look at their own backgrounds? They just open their mouths and ask how much of Fang Xinghe they can turn out to be... I really want to stuff these Korean bastards back into their mothers' wombs and remake them!"

The customer service manager peeked out, but was immediately trembling and shrank back after being swept over by the red eyes of the operators.

In the past few days, the phone in the entire department has been ringing non-stop, with each person receiving an average of 400 inquiries per day asking "whether it is possible to have plastic surgery like Fang Xinghe".

The number of phone calls isn't the key issue; the key issue is that the clients' requests are getting more and more bizarre.

Do you have Fang Xinghe templates?

Yes, dear.

"How good will it look? I'm not asking for much, 7 out of 10 is fine, right?"

"Honey, Fang Xinghe's face isn't just about the beauty of his features; the proportions are also very important. You need to come here first so our doctor can examine your basic features and then make adjustments to the details based on your facial structure..."

"Damn it! If I'm already in such good shape, why would I need plastic surgery?"

"It's alright, we are the best plastic surgeon. As long as you come in person, we will definitely be able to come up with a solution that will satisfy you..."

"I don't want your proposal! I just want Fang Xinghe's template. Can you even make it look similar to his?!"

"Come here, let's talk face-to-face, okay?"

"Damn it, can't you understand me? I just want to know if I can make one that looks 7% like Fang Xinghe!"

"..."

Good news: The number of potential customers has surged.

Bad news: A group of newbies jumped straight to the ultimate difficulty level and couldn't communicate.

All the legitimate plastic surgery clinics in Seoul are driven crazy by the stress.

But the illegal clinics were overjoyed—they didn't care about their reputation, dared to promise anything, and cheated as many people as they could, thus ushering in a golden period of development, and they were as happy as if money was falling from the sky every day.

……

A barbershop next to Seoul National University.

A customer suddenly jumped up, pointed at himself in the mirror, and started cursing.

"You son of a bitch! What kind of crap did you give me?! Are those hands claws?! And you dare to charge me 25,000 won for this?!"

The barber, who also had a fiery temper, immediately retorted, "You son of a bitch! You have such a big, flat face, yet you insisted on getting Fang Xinghe's spiky hair. I couldn't persuade you otherwise, what could I do?! Huh?!"

"You son of a bitch, I'll fuck your whole family!"

……

The only thing related to Fang Xinghe that didn't become popular was Fang Xinghe's thorn.

Once this thing is welded onto the flat, round face of a Korean man, it's even more disastrous than the later natural birth head.

So, after a brief spark, it quickly disappeared without a trace.

However, occasionally a man with a small head and face can pull off this hairstyle, and he becomes the most stylish guy in the nightclub, extremely popular.

……

When Park Joon-hyung of the group g.o.d was the first to try the broken eyebrow look, broken eyebrows and eyebrow studs suddenly became the standard for underground idols in Seoul.

—They're basically a group of rappers and rock singers who perform in nightclubs.

It's actually not convenient for regular idols to have this kind of look, because the Korean media would laugh at them for lacking creativity, copying Fang Xinghe's look, and not even being half as handsome as him.

But underground idols and gangsters aren't afraid of those things, so all the gangsters in Gangnam Road have broken eyebrows, whether straight, reversed, or slanted, as if they've been slashed across the face for no reason.

Middle school students don't easily imitate this, so the skull ring that Fang Xinghe wore sold out.

Dongdaemun Market in Seoul has many similar items, but skulls are the most popular because they are the easiest to recognize.

Whoever can wear five different kinds of skull rings on one hand is the coolest kid in school. He doesn't even need to lift a finger to bully others; just clenching his fist is enough to intimidate them.

The "awakening" of middle school students has broken the guard of the motorcycle gangs.

You're all covered in skulls, how am I supposed to survive?!

……

GEO, South Korea's largest medical device company.

A cheer suddenly erupted from the R&D department.

"Minister, Minister, we've achieved a technological breakthrough!"

Jin Haoming, the head of the R&D department, rushed to the laboratory, picked up the silicone hydrogel membrane on the test bench with trembling hands, and was overjoyed.

"What are the indicators? How's the staining accuracy? What about safety verification?!"

"Complete success!"

The researchers were also excited, their voices trembling: "The sandwich dyeing patent is ours! In just one more month, we can mass-produce and launch it to the market!"

The so-called sandwich staining technique involves sandwiching a staining layer between silicone hydrogel contact lenses. This solves the infection problem associated with staining ordinary gel contact lenses, allowing colored contact lenses to be highly safe while also enabling precise adjustments to the color and pattern of the middle layer.

A mature lifestyle-oriented colored contact lens is finally about to be released.

"If one month isn't enough, I'll give you another half month at most!"

The minister said decisively, "Furthermore, give me all my strength to develop Fang Xinghe Tong right now! Our department's bonuses depend entirely on your efficiency!"

"Yes, Minister!"

The researchers first gave themselves a pep talk, then packed their bedding and moved into the company premises.

There's no need for urging or pressure, because everyone knows just how much money Fang Xinghe's contact lenses represent.

As the first product on the market, even if this thing sells for 100,000 Korean won, there will only be a shortage of production capacity; there is no possibility of it not selling or becoming unsaleable.

Fang Shen, don't go, wait for us!

……

Chen Cang's fan club was quietly established online, quietly competing with Fang Xinghe's fan club for fans.

The Korean version of "Cang Ye Xue" comes with high-definition stills featuring Fang Xinghe himself, but die-hard Korean fans insist on treating them as two different people.

In other words, Cang fans are not necessarily Fang fans; they are completely independent.

Are there any downsides to this in the short term?

No.

Like the powder, they contributed starlight points to Fang Xinghe.

However, in the long run, it is entirely possible that Cangfen will stand on the opposite side of Fang Xinghe.

"Am I competing with the protagonist I wrote for a love interest?"

Fang Xinghe found it hard to understand and was completely at a loss—he had always known he wasn't omnipotent, but he really hadn't expected to suffer so many setbacks in South Korea.

What a fucking freakish appendix!
But even perversion has its advantages; at the very least, it has had a comprehensive and profound impact on this second-largest developed country in Asia.

Honestly, he worked hard in China for a year and didn't achieve such a huge impact.

Despite its intense efforts in Japan, its influence cannot compare to that in South Korea.

Small has its advantages, and small things are also very cute, which is a true reflection of this situation.

He only needs to influence Seoul to complete his rule over Korea.

Yes, to rule.

In September 2000, Fang Xinghe briefly ruled this country, influencing television, newspapers, the internet, reality, universities, middle schools, officialdom, the public, thought, and behavior...

The government used him to put pressure on Japan, civil society groups used him to build consensus, and the cultural sector interpreted his famous quotes to perform their own dramas; interests and calculations were intertwined.

But what does it matter?

The Korean chives bowed down to him, lying prostrate on the ground, allowing themselves to be harvested.

In just half a month, their wealth and star power skyrocketed, along with their influence flowing back into Japan.

Fang Xinghe temporarily forgot about the unpleasantness in China, but at the same time, the domestic public opinion environment was also undergoing some subtle changes...

(End of this chapter)