I desperately want to win on the peninsula

July arrived before we knew it, and MONSTAX finally had a new schedule.

The group departed from Incheon Airport and flew to Seoul, the capital of Japan.

More than half of the members have never left the peninsula, and some are even taking a plane for the first time.

While waiting in the airport lounge, a group of people gathered together to discuss what kind of delicious food they could eat at the University of Tokyo and what kind of historically rich scenery they could see.

Even knowing that there might not be enough time, that they might not be able to eat any delicious food, or see any scenery, it didn't stop the members from having an enthusiastic discussion.

Surprisingly, the Monstax team saw fans waiting to greet them as soon as they got off the plane. They were holding homemade support signs with crooked handwriting, but they had put in a lot of effort to come out, as they wrote in Korean mixed with English.

Later, Lee Young-jin said that the company had been revealing Monstax's schedule on Weibo at Dongdaemun, so it wasn't surprising that fans came to pick him up at the airport.

The number of fans who came was pitifully small, only seven or eight people. The manager did not stop them from taking pictures with their phones.

This resulted in a harmonious scene: idols and fans walked and chatted, though their conversations were somewhat disjointed, each talking about their own things.

For example, Chae Hyung-won asked his fans if they were tired.

A fan replied: "You're so handsome, oppa."

Lin Qianqiao listened with great amusement. He did know a little Chinese, but he found the interaction between his teammates very interesting, so he didn't interrupt the scene.

After saying goodbye to their fans, the group got into the van that had come to pick up Monstax. As soon as they sat down, they felt that it was much more luxurious than the company car, and that it was more spacious and comfortable.

This trip was arranged after Starship and Moonflower signed a cooperation agreement in April, after which MONSTAX gradually began to contact the University of Tokyo for work exchange.

Speaking of this, I can't help but think of UNIQ when they made their comeback shortly after their debut. It seems that the managers of the two groups knew each other and had a brief exchange. This group was managed by Dongda's Yuehua Entertainment.

The entire work trip was accompanied and assisted by Dongda's Yuehua agency, which showed a strong sense of responsibility.

Even Lin Qianqiao was a little surprised when he heard about Dongda's schedule. You know, all the brokerage companies in the Peninsula were scrambling to get into Dongda's market, but to no avail. He didn't expect the company to quietly pull off such a big deal.

This trip will involve staying at the University of Tokyo for about a week. There are two interviews, one with Soso and the other with iQiyi, both of which are relatively large online video companies at the University of Tokyo.

Including some photoshoots for fan-oriented magazines, the company wasn't very well-known, but it had a precise target audience, making it a decent trip.

There's also a French MTV show coming up, and another one where he'll be guest-starring in a TV drama, though that's not confirmed yet. I heard the female lead has a powerful background... and she likes K-pop, which is why they invited MONSTAX, probably because they're relatively unknown and cheap.

The members probably didn't expect their acting debut to come so early. It's a web series that will be broadcast on a video website. It's said that it was specially tailored for the lead actress by her family.

However, when Lin Qianqiao saw the script, she thought it was quite melodramatic, as it even included a teacher-student romance. Based on Lin Qianqiao's understanding of Dongda University, although web dramas are more lenient, whether it could be broadcast was still unknown.

The advantage is that Monstax doesn't need to act when he makes a cameo appearance. He can just stand there looking cool as a background character, talk to the female lead, and even recite his lines in Korean, which can be covered up with dubbing in post-production.

I didn't expect the traffic in Kyoto to be so bad. It took Monstax quite a while to get from the airport to the hotel, and my back was stiff from sitting so long.

However, the complaints stopped after arriving at the hotel. The agency that handled the handover at Dongda University was very polite, and the rooms they arranged were all nice, exquisite, and comfortable.

The following morning.

Monstax, fully prepared, first visited Kiwi Fruit.

After the preliminary preparations were completed.

Leader Shownu took the lead, sitting in the middle and greeting the fans with the team members. This interview was similar to a fan meeting and was broadcast live online. Although it didn't generate much buzz, it was a good start.

"Let's start by asking Monstax to introduce himself to all the fans."

After listening to the translation, Shownu was a little reserved, but not slow-witted. He greeted the other members, "1, 2, 3..."

All members: "WoW—Monstax, we are Monstax."

clap clap clap!

A round of applause as a sign of respect...

Lin Qianqiao felt a little ashamed every time he shouted slogans.

"Alright, now let's have our Monstax members introduce themselves one by one! Okay?"

Next, with the help of a translator, the members introduced themselves one by one.

Holding the microphone, Shownu smiled and said, "I'm Shownu from Monstax, and also the team leader. It's nice to meet you all."

When it was Lin Qianqiao's turn, she introduced herself in fluent Chinese: "Hello everyone, I am Kyo, and my name is Lin Qianqiao."

The host looked surprised: "Kyo, you can speak Chinese?"

Even her teammates looked on in bewilderment, staring at Lin Qianqiao with some surprise.

"My previous school had this course, and I studied it for a while," Lin Qian explained with a smile.

"Impressive! You must have studied this for a long time."

"Yes, it's really difficult."

"Hahaha!"

"..."

Aside from the Q&A session that follows, there will be a fan interaction segment where the host will select some questions for Monstax to answer.

However, Monstax is a newcomer, and the faces are still somewhat unfamiliar. Apart from the fans who have been following him from the beginning, other questions from casual observers seem insignificant.

Apart from Lin Qianqiao, who can understand Chinese, the other members all had to rely on translators, which slowed down the process, but fortunately the interview went relatively smoothly.

After finishing the interview with Kiwi, the entire team went to another location for another interview.

To be honest, although it was called an interview, Lin Qianqiao looked more like a team promotion because her answers to the questions were really dry. Apart from her self-introduction, the rest was just a long, drawn-out conversation, which was quite mentally taxing.

However, all of this is laying the groundwork for the future. If we don't conduct these dry interviews, then who will know Monstax in the future, and the road ahead will be very difficult.

You can't expect to soar to fame and become a hit all over Asia; that's highly unlikely.

Even SM Entertainment, which did well at Dongdaemun, did a lot of groundwork in the early stages, specifically setting up a Dongdaemun sub-unit for marketing activities, which led to EXO's explosive album sales today.

Therefore, Monstax is quite fortunate to have access to these resources.

The members were in a pretty good mood.

You reap what you sow. As long as you have some initial traffic, and the company can maintain good relationships with the company, you will succeed.

After a while, we should be able to start looking forward to other things.

The fandom is still in a wait-and-see phase regarding Monstax, after all, EXO has captured a portion of the student population.

Another group, I heard, is a trio from the University of Tokyo.

Lin Qianqiao even went to observe for a while. The two groups were really tearing each other apart, revealing their innermost thoughts, with ugly pictures flying everywhere, and nicknames that were hilarious and incredibly imaginative.

Comparable to the battle between EXO fans and VIPs on Peninsula, it's clear that XO's fans are incredibly powerful.

Before the three members of the group returned to Dongda University to pursue their careers, the fandom had some understanding of K-pop.

Currently, the general public and passersby have a very high level of approval for Lin Qianqiao's appearance, not to mention that he can speak fluent Mandarin, which is a significant plus.

Fortunately, Monstax has always been very serious about his work, so after a few interviews, he rested at the hotel for one night and went straight to other companies to meet with the person in charge the next day.

Starship Entertainment has always been quite supportive of Monstax's development at Tokyo University. They opened a Weibo account there as early as their debut, and even when there are no activities, they still post photos of the members' daily lives and schedules.

In the released photos, Lin Qianqiao is basically in the center position, standing in the most conspicuous central position, and he is the first person you see when you look at the photo.

In short, the company operates on the principle of using attractiveness to pave the way—simple and brutal.

This also has a marketing effect. With such a stunning beauty in the group, Starship Entertainment allocates most of its marketing budget to Lin Qianqiao, while the marketing budget for other members is only half.

Lin Qianqiao casually gained some popularity on Weibo, and even a casually posted behind-the-scenes photo of her would get tens of thousands of reposts.

The discussion was quite good, attracting a group of fans who enjoyed discussing the looks on the official Weibo account.

Lin Qianqiao's fans have spontaneously created a personal Baidu Tieba for her, and the number of fans has already exceeded 10,000. As for the other members, their numbers fluctuate around a few thousand, or they don't have any at all.

Most fans are directly drawn to Lin Qianqiao.

But that doesn't stop Monstax from being a flop. It's like the Seven Calabash Brothers, where you only recognize one of the more special, invisible brothers.

In fact, there are also Captain Shownu, who works out every day, and im, the speed-type idol who is the king of convenience store errands... etc., all of whom are quite unique.

Unfortunately, no one cares about this. Ultimately, it's because they lack sufficient foundation. At present, Lin Qianqiao's popularity is still not enough to lead a group on her own.

Their popularity is probably only slightly better than that of BTS, who are from the same region, but their song "Hot-Blooded Man" is considered to be a more "out-of-the-box" song.

Perhaps due to their excessive popularity, BTS has gradually reduced their promotional activities at Dongdaemun and instead focused on their work on the Korean Peninsula.

……

As night fell, Monstax, who had been busy all day, returned to his hotel.

"These documents are work notices that the company has recently assigned to you. Since they are closely related to Monstax's own development, you may still be busy here for a while. Don't worry too much about other things. These are some of the better jobs the company has received recently," Lee Rongzhen said after placing the documents on the table.

"However, Zhou Xian and Kyo probably won't be able to participate in the entire schedule. They have to participate in the recording of 'SMTM' in a few days, and I believe you all know that. I will be going back to the peninsula with them. So Shownu, you need to keep that in mind. If anyone asks, as the leader, try your best to help explain." Lee Young-jin added.

"Yes, I understand, Brother Rongzhen." Shownu nodded.

Lee Young-jin, Monstax's manager, is always straightforward and direct, which can be hurtful but also gives him an air of authority. This is precisely what the members both fear and appreciate about him – his lack of pretense makes him very easy to manage.

"Wow! There's even a music show performance schedule." Zhou Xian picked up the document and glanced at it, immediately becoming engrossed. He then showed it to the other members.

"Really?" Lee Minhyuk leaned closer to take a look and immediately burst out laughing, half-jokingly saying, "Did we get our first place here?"

Yoo Ki-hyun scoffed, "What are you thinking? Who's going to vote for you and promote your song?"

Lee Young-jin said expressionlessly, "This music show doesn't have a winner; it's purely a performance stage. It's a program produced by a relatively reputable music platform."

"Isn't that just like Arirang?"

"Pretty much, they're all mainly focused on promotion, but besides Monstax, there are other idol groups from the peninsula."

"..." The members began a heated discussion, which felt like a primary school meeting.

Being new to the area and unfamiliar with everyone, and being a newly debuted group with little nightlife, Monstax couldn't think of any other way to pass the time besides chatting.

"By the way, Qianqiao, what day is 'SMTM' airing again?" Cai Hengyuan, who couldn't join the lively conversation, saw Lin Qianqiao flipping through her schedule on the bed and rolled over to chat with him.

Hearing the commotion, Lin Qianqiao put down the schedule in her hand, looked up at Cai Hengyuan, and said unhurriedly, "I remember it was the 3rd or 4th, it should be in the next day or two."

"You're so careless, you don't even remember the number." Cai Hengyuan smacked his lips. "Let me check for you."

Although Lin Qianqiao has gained some fame recently, compared to the top idols on Peninsula who have to work non-stop and attend several events a day, his popularity as a newcomer cannot be described as particularly high.

Moreover, it would be strange if he cared about a niche hip-hop show; his current focus is more on songwriting.

Idols ultimately rely on the stage to unleash their energy and attract fans. Fans from other circles don't actually offer much support to idols.

However, it is indeed good for personal development. After all, once you enter the hip-hop scene, rappers with works and popularity will never lack commercial performances. Jay Park has earned a lot of money and even created his own label, which allows him to recruit a group of rappers to work for him and make money.

But Lin Qianqiao had little interest in this circle; his only goal was to gain exposure.

Moreover, due to his schedule during this period, Lin Qianqiao didn't have much free time. He spent his relatively relaxing day playing games instead of creating anything.

Looking back now, I still feel a little... guilty.

But it was only a little bit, and it was quickly covered up.

Isn't this a kind of carefree attitude?

Another point is that he seems to have found some inspiration while playing the game and has a general idea.

So that tiny bit of guilt has long since flown to some unknown corner of the world.

However, Cai Hengyuan was more interested in his show, and after finishing speaking, he immediately pulled out his phone and quickly typed away, saying, "It's airing on the 3rd!"

"Then I wasn't wrong, it is indeed number 3 or 4."

"Number four is wrong!"

"Then I'm at least half right, so that's still correct."

……