Chapter 139: They Won’t Mind Much… Right?
Chapter 139: They Won’t Mind Much… Right?
Not long after The Great Norton Show aired in the UK, a video with an extremely provocative thumbnail appeared on YouTube.
[Ryu Sunho Who Bewitched Britain (ft. British Princess)]
A title that practically forced people to click.
The video cross-edited translations of British locals’ reactions alongside Korean subtitles.
As James Norton introduced him and Ryu Sunho walked onto the stage, exclamations like “Wow” erupted from the audience.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored dark navy suit, he looked like a scene straight out of a film.
Reactions from British netizens appeared across the screen.
[Those proportions make no sense.]
[What is that suit fit? I’d believe it if you told me he was a new Kingsman agent. Someone give him an umbrella immediately.]
[An Asian man can be that sexy? My stereotypes have been shattered.]
[I’m booking a flight to Korea right now.]
Watching those reactions, Korean viewers left satisfied comments.
—Beating the British at their own game with just his face lol
└(Only Ryu Sunho can do that)
—But seriously, why does he look even more handsome today? Is my vision buffed by national pride?
└He has slightly Western features too, so he fits in well among them.
Then James Norton greeted him.
And Ryu Sunho responded in refined British English without any interpreter.
[Wait, isn’t he Korean? Why is his English so good? That’s a completely posh accent.]
[With that face, that suit, and that pronunciation combined, he looks like a noble who walked straight out of a comic.]
[Forget the accent—he’s incredibly charming when he talks.]
[Exactly. He said he studied and practiced obsessively after watching Pride and Prejudice. How could you not like him?]
—LOL the British are completely charmed
—But his answer was really clever;;
└Right. It’s like if a British actor came to Korea and said he learned Korean after being moved by Seopyeonje… and his pronunciation was perfect too.
└When you think of it that way, you’d immediately drop your guard lol
When Princess Shoopy appeared, the reactions from Britain and Korea oddly reversed.
The British viewers reacted with pride, while Korean viewers fell completely under her unfamiliar charm.
[Oh my god. The real Princess Shoopy is here?]
[Thanks to Princess Shoopy, Doctor Princess became such a hit. That’s probably why she’s appearing with him.]
[Yes. Princess Shoopy should appear in the media more often. It’s a waste to hide beauty like that.]
—Wow… what? Why is she so pretty?
—Her appearance perfectly matches her status as a princess;; she looks like a romance-fantasy princess;;
—If there weren’t subtitles I’d think she was a British actress.
—But a real princess has that relaxed elegance in her movements lol
└And she also seems surprisingly down-to-earth, which makes her even more likable.
—So elegance and cuteness can coexist like that;;
—She’s just adorable lol
Then came the moment with the most explosive reaction.
Ryu Sunho accepted Norton’s suggestion and walked over to the piano.
The moment he placed his hands on the keys and sang the first line, the audience’s expressions filled with emotion.
[!!!!!! This is insane!!!!!!]
[That song can actually be sung live?]
[And Ryu isn’t even the original singer, right? Isn’t he an actor?]
[What nonsense? An actor plays piano and sings at the same time and pulls it off that perfectly?]
—LOL look at the British being shocked
└We were stunned when we saw Mystery Singer, so imagine how surprising it must be for them lol
—This is the power of a K-nureongi lol
└At least treat him like a human being lol
—The princess’s reaction = my reaction
└LOL she completely failed to control her expression. Her ears even turned red
└Is this going to cause a diplomatic issue? What if the princess suddenly says she wants to marry into Korea?
└Your shipping fantasies have reached overseas now;; calm down
—But since he’s an actor, the emotional delivery feels even stronger than the original song.
└Seriously;; why are my emotions swelling up? I’m getting choked up
And that made sense.
Right before playing the piano, Ryu Sunho had activated the Aura That Touches Emotions.
Because of that, the density of emotion became even richer and reached viewers beyond the screen.
The video’s views skyrocketed.
Within half a day of uploading, it surpassed three million views and climbed to #1 on the trending videos list.
Short clips of Ryu Sunho’s British pronunciation and singing were quickly edited and spread across social media and online communities.
People everywhere were practically swooning.
—Ryu Sunho speaking English is seriously so sexyㅠㅠ even his voice tone changes
—From today on my ideal type is Ryu Sunho playing piano while speaking English
└The last part is the most important, right?
└Of course;;
—I was watching the whole time with Princess Shoopy’s expression and suddenly the video ended so I punched my screen…
└LOL calm down
The online buzz quickly spread into the media.
[Ryu Sunho Devastates BBC’s The Great Norton Show… “A Perfect Gentleman”]
[Ryu Sunho’s Elegance Amazes Even the British — Fluent English + Singing Talent Leaves Locals ‘Hooked’]
[Fantastic Chemistry with Princess Shoopy… Ryu Sunho Elevates the Status of K-Content]
This had gone far beyond simple popularity.
Combined with the keyword “national prestige,” it was creating explosive synergy.
With the situation like this, Ryu Sunho’s fans naturally grew more confident.
All the frustration they had felt from persistent antis suddenly seemed completely repaid.
—It’s so satisfying seeing the haters disappear this time haha
—When someone appears on a talk show and chats with a British princess, what can they even say now haha
—Our actor should walk only the superstar path!
—But what about Evan Harris? How did they become friends?
└No idea
└Maybe our actor became a social butterfly after going to the UK..?
Around the same time.
In Gangnam, Seoul.
“This is really good.”
The mastering of “Bloom,” the Doctor Princess OST sung by Ryu Sunho, had just finished.
When the completed track flowed from the studio speakers, the broadcasting staff widened their eyes.
“You’re right… it’s way better than we expected.”
“How much correction did you do? Did you tune it a lot?”
“Almost none. We only adjusted the tone and texture. The original recording was so good there was barely anything to fix.”
“Wow. If it’s this good even without that, it’s crazy. The pitch is accurate, and more importantly the emotional line…”
The music director clicked his tongue.
“It’s almost a waste to use this only as an OST.”
“Exactly. Even if you treated it as the title track of a full album, it wouldn’t feel lacking.”
Everyone praised it.
“Good. The timing is perfect too. Because of the issue in the UK, the buzz around him is at its peak right now. If the OST explodes on top of that, we can lock in the ratings.”
“Ryu Sunho is bringing in blessings by the truckload.”
“Let’s release the articles first. Building anticipation is important.”
“So we’re using the song as bait for viewers to watch the live broadcast?”
The drama’s CP snapped his fingers.
“Exactly.”
“Just release the fact that ‘Ryu Sunho participated in the OST’ to the press. Then announce that the song will appear in the ending of Episode 16 airing this week.”
“So if people want to hear Ryu Sunho sing, they have to watch the live broadcast?”
“Exactly.”
“I can already imagine it. If this song explodes during the climax of the ending scene, the emotional impact will be insane.”
“Then we’ll release the full track immediately after Episode 16 ends.”
“I’m already excited about the chart power. What if it shoots straight to #1 on the music charts?”
“I’m more excited about the ratings. Hehe. Maybe we’ll surpass our previous record of 41%.”
As soon as the decision was made, the publicity team moved in perfect coordination.
Only a few hours later, articles appeared prominently on the main entertainment pages of portal sites.
[Ryu Sunho Personally Sings the Doctor Princess OST… “Repaying Viewers’ Love”]
[‘Acting Genius’ Ryu Sunho, Now a Singer? Re-records “Bloom,” originally sung by Lee Yuna, in a male version — Expectations Explode]
[Ryu Sunho Who Bewitched Britain Now Charms Living Rooms with His Voice — First Reveal in This Week’s Episode]
At a time when people were already revisiting the song Ryu Sunho had sung on Mystery Singer after seeing the UK talk show, the news of an official release ignited even more anticipation.
—After seeing him sing while playing piano on the UK talk show, I kept wishing for an official releaseㅠㅠ my wish came true
—If Han Jusin’s voice sings during the drama, the immersion will be insane… just imagining it gives me chills
—This is definitely a live-broadcast watch angle; I’m waiting with my TV volume turned up
Everyone was counting the days until Thursday night at 10 p.m.
Bzzz— Bzzz— Bzzz—
The phone vibrated nonstop with notifications.
Instagram followers were skyrocketing.
There weren’t even any new posts.
At most, a few street photos taken in Britain.
But judging from the surge of English comments, it seemed to be the positive ripple effect of the UK talk show.
[Followers: 9.8M]
He was already at 9.8 million.
Before leaving Korea, he had been around six million.
Now the leading digit had changed in an instant.
At this pace, surpassing ten million followers was right around the corner.
After returning from Britain, he finally had some free time.
Filming for Mueon:ga had a brief break in his schedule, and the drama filming was nearing its end, giving him a few days of vacation.
So he came down to his hometown Cheongju to see his parents.
But—
“…What is all this?”
From the entrance of the village, the atmosphere already felt strange.
Banners were fluttering everywhere.
[Pride of Ochang! Welcome to Ryu Sunho’s Village!]
[World Star Ryu Sunho Who Conquered Britain!]
[Celebration! Ryu Sunho Becomes Friends with a British Princess!]
…It wasn’t like he had just won an Olympic gold medal.
His photos were hanging everywhere, and banners with embarrassing slogans flapped in the wind.
“Oh! Sunho’s here!”
Village elders rushed over and grabbed his hands.
The village chief’s face was already flushed with excitement.
“I talked with the county governor, and we’re planning to name a road after you. How about Ryu Sunho-ro? Sounds nice, doesn’t it?”
Hmm.
The sound felt a bit strange.
He would have to suggest Ryu Sunho-gil instead.
Anyway.
He returned home and spent some time with his family.
He ate his mother’s abundant home-cooked meal until he was stuffed.
Then they chatted while eating desserts he had brought back from Britain.
“Oh, right.”
His mother suddenly remembered something.
“Someone who said he was the CEO of your agency came by recently.”
“CEO Hwang Cheoljun?”
“Yes. He brought a shiny tractor with him.”
It seemed he had sent a gift to his parents.
But his father puffed out his chest proudly and said,
“I sent it back.”
“What? Why?”
“You can’t just accept something that expensive. What if it interferes with our son’s career later? Nothing in this world is truly free.”
His mother chimed in.
“Your father looked really impressive for the first time in a while. He firmly said he didn’t want to become parents who block their child’s path. He said we could earn our own money.”
No wonder.
They seemed unusually affectionate today.
But—
He understood his parents’ concern, but accepting that much should be fine.
It was simply recognition of his value.
And he had given CEO Hwang very important information as well.
Actually, this works out well.
Even if he told them to stop farming and rest, people who had spent their lives working the soil would never agree.
In fact, he was grateful that the agency had solved a problem he had been worrying about.
“Dad, you can just accept it.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Do you know how much money I’ve made for the company? They could buy a hundred tractors and still have money left. So don’t feel burdened and just take it.”
His father’s eyes widened.
Then the corners of his mouth slowly lifted.
“Right? They’d feel disappointed if we refused, wouldn’t they?”
“Of course.”
As if he had been waiting, his father pulled a crumpled business card from his wallet.
“That autonomous tractor was really impressive.”
Apparently, his father moved quite quickly.
“Right! Good decision! You should stay the night. It’s been so long since you came!”
Originally he had planned to stop by briefly and return to Seoul that night.
But his mother looked so disappointed that he decided to stay overnight.
Well, my interview tomorrow is in the afternoon anyway. If I leave early in the morning, it should be fine.
Still—
his mother seemed to think her son had been starving outside.
It hadn’t even been long since dinner, yet she fried an entire assortment of jeon for a late-night snack.
Kimchi jeon, seafood pajeon, shrimp jeon, chili pepper jeon…
There had to be at least ten plates.
“Mom! It’s starting! Hurry!”
His younger sister shouted from the living room.
Tonight was the broadcast of Episode 16 of Doctor Princess, so the family had gathered together to watch the drama.
This is the first time I’ve watched a drama I’m in with my family.
It felt strange and exciting at the same time.
Fresh.
Wait…
A very important fact suddenly came to mind.
The ending of Episode 16.
There’s a kiss scene…
My parents… probably wouldn’t mind too much, right?