Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: The Bizarre Communal Living Begins
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To promote Korean singers in Japan, they needed to work through a distributor.
This was true for Hadas as well, and countless Japanese distributors approached them to bring this golden goose-laying talent under their wing.
The company that ultimately signed Hadas was none other than JOP.
This, too, was an unusual move.
JOP, which had never even dabbled in idol management or distribution, was now handling an overseas idol group's album.
It was spearheaded by the new generation at JOP, led by Nanase.
However, Shunsuji had no intention of getting involved or opposing it.
After all, it was a group composed by Yuin, who was under JOP, and he'd seen their skills through her.
The J-POP industry was watching this development closely.
Ever since Japan's largest agency shut down due to a sex scandal, the Japanese music scene—no, the idol business specifically—had entered a Warring States period.
Of course, Anax, currently the biggest agency, had quickly absorbed the void left behind.
But with K-POP's successive hits, more agencies were studying Korean entertainment systems, concepts, choreography, and songs to launch their own idols, preventing Anax from dominating alone.
Amid this, JOP—though only handling distribution—had brought in a Korean idol group.
The problem was that JOP was, at present, one of Japan's top two companies alongside Anax.
They just weren't in the idol business, but their financial power and industry influence were on par with Anax, if not superior.
In fact, considering the hidden strength embodied by Demon King Datemura alone, JOP could be called a larger enterprise than Anax.
With JOP now showing interest in the idol business, other agencies couldn't help but feel a sense of crisis.
Separately from that, Hadas was drawing attention from the Japanese public.
They were the monstrous rookie Korean group that had succeeded with a song by the composer chosen by the world's Himari.
As this shows, the public's interest in Hadas stemmed entirely from Yuin.
Just as those who elevated Korea's status on the world stage garnered popularity across genres, Japan was no different.
Himari, who had climbed the Melboard charts with difficult genres, was in the ranks of national singers.
And what had Himari—who never took songs from others—said upon receiving Yuin's track?
"Mozart reincarnated would be Yuin. He's the only genius I acknowledge."
She, who had never lavished such extreme praise even on her own country's junior musicians, had gone all out.
This was enough to spark Japan's characteristic obsession and sleuthing.
Even in Korea, where his face was unknown, people were curious about his identity, but in Japan, they delved into his career history with perverse detail.
And it wasn't just individual fans—broadcasters did the same.
Late-night music talk shows delved deeply into Yuin's identity, and every program featuring Himari grilled her about him.
Japanese community threads were constantly updated with the info gleaned from these.
-Apparently a genius recruited after Demon King Datemura begged for him.
-It wasn't Himari's recommendation; Datemura went to Fukuoka himself after hearing the song and pleaded for him to join his agency.
-Rumor has it he's a retired genius.
-That retired genius is supposedly Jade, Himari's one and only mentor?
-Who's Jade?
-He was a super famous jazz pianist back in the day. Young folks might not know, but any jazz fan or someone from that era would.
-He has a history of performing in jazz bands in the US with the Demon King.
-He was a professor at Tohoku, then retired with no word since. Makes sense she'd hide her identity to keep active?
-The Jade I know had no connection to composing...
-But he's Himari's mentor? Turns out he had real talent for it and honed it over time.
-Doesn't the song sound too youthful for an old man's work?
-Besides Himari's track, listen to the songs Yuin made for Korean singers and idols. You won't think he's old.
-How can you be so sure?
-Listen to his debut work, Fly High. Or the ones he did for Hadas or VIXX.
-I have, and they're all unique and fresh. Impossible for anyone but a young person.
-Anyone heard Hadas's new song? They're entering our market with it this time.
-You can find it easily on YouTube. It'll definitely succeed here too.
-I wanna see Hadas perform live in Japan.
Talk of Yuin inevitably boosted interest in Hadas.
And so, Hadas—who had fully conquered Korea—finally made their Japanese debut.
As usual, they posed for photos at the airport, giving interviews vowing to return with stellar results like a declaration of war.
Arriving in Japan, they secured their debut stage on Music Station through JOP's arrangements.
Music Station was a long-running program that once reigned as the top music show.
It went through a decline afterward, with budget cuts and frequent hiatuses sparking talks of cancellation.
But after the second-generation MCs stepped down and the third-generation MCs oversaw a major revamp, it had climbed back to a respectable level of competitiveness—not quite its golden age, but solid.
Of course, "respectable" aside, there were better music shows at the time.
Songs boasted the best audio and video quality.
Shibuya Note targeted young audiences and was only a few years old.
Music Fair was the longest-running, renowned for its top-tier filming techniques.
Even so, Ellis had specifically requested Music Station from JOP because it was the only Japanese show that left stage production entirely to the musicians.
With its extreme leniency—even approving overly provocative, scary, or gruesome staging—Ellis planned to go all out in showcasing Hadas's charm.
* * *
Annosuke and Yuri were high school students. This was the biggest obstacle to preparing for their singer debuts.
For starters, being minors, they needed parental consent.
"Please take this worthless son of mine and make a man out of him."
"...."
Annosuke's case was straightforward.
He was a delinquent—not quite, but close—who skipped school to camp in bear-infested wilderness areas.
His parents were so thrilled when Demon King Datemura personally visited promising a singer debut that they practically begged him to whisk their son off to Tokyo.
There was a brief discord when Annosuke declared he'd drop out of school while heading to Tokyo, but his parents ultimately couldn't win against him.
They just hoped he'd end his life of roughing it in dangerous spots full of bears (or so it seemed from their perspective).
And so Annosuke headed to Tokyo, but the issue was Jinen Yuri.
"Our daughter will absolutely not go to the mainland."
Jinen Yuri's family refused to let her go to Tokyo.
To be precise, opinions were divided.
Her grandfather was fully supportive, and her Korean mother was tempted by the promise of continuing her studies in Tokyo.
But her grandmother and father were the problem.
Those two had a strong identity tied not just to Japan, but specifically to Okinawa and Ryukyu.
Even if bloodlines had diluted through marriages first to an American and then to a Korean, they bore the surname Jinen—unique to Okinawa—as proof of their pure Okinawan heritage.
The family had defended Okinawa for generations, harboring deep grudges against Japan (for reference, Hiramura Annosuke's surname alone marks him as from a pure Ainu lineage).
Convincing Jinen Yuri's family took considerable effort.
But what parent can resist their child, or what wife can refuse a dying husband's plea?
Yuri's doting father caved to his wife and daughter's persuasion, and her grandmother couldn't deny her husband's wish to see his granddaughter debut as a singer before he passed.
And so the two set off from their respective homes to Tokyo.
Datemura Shunsuji, who had gathered them, looked at them fondly like a grandfather eyeing his grandkids and pointed behind him.
"[For now, until you find your own places to stay, you'll live here.]"
"Ehh...!"
"[Isn't this place a bit too high up?]"
The two gawked at the sprawling high-rise mansion with a panoramic view of Tokyo.
They headed to the topmost penthouse-like unit.
From the front door onward, luxury oozed from every detail.
"[It's expensive, as you can see. This is just one of my properties.]"
"[One... of your properties...!]"
The place looked worth tens, if not hundreds, of millions of yen—and it was one of many.
Seeing success incarnate, Jinen Yuri's eyes sparkled as she gazed at Shunsuji, then flinched and turned to Annosuke.
"[Um, so... we'll be living here alone with this bear-like uncle? Even if the house is big, that seems... ]"
Annosuke bristled at her words.
"[Bear? Uncle?! I'm a senior in high school now!]"
"[...No way!! Just one year older than me?]"
"[You don't look like a high school sophomore yourself.]"
"[You're kidding, right?]"
They looked ready to grab each other by the collar right then.
"[Enough.]"
Shunsuji's heavy voice made them freeze and stop bickering.
With him exuding the aura of a goblin, they couldn't fight even if they wanted to.
Seeing them silenced like they'd swallowed honey, Shunsuji spoke.
"[This place... ]"
As Shunsuji began introducing the house, the sound of a door lock—rare in Japan—clicked open.
The three turned to stare at the front door they were about to enter.
Yeonwoo peeked his head out.
"Ah! Grandpa Shunsuji!!"
Having come out amid the commotion outside, Yeonwoo spotted Shunsuji, flung the door wide open, and ran to him.
Shunsuji's fearsome expression vanished as he grinned broadly, scooping Yeonwoo up in one arm.
"[Yeonwoo, have you been well?]"
"[Yeah! But we saw each other yesterday!]"
"[Haha, true. Isn't it nice seeing each other every day?]"
"[Yeah!]"
Yeonwoo, beaming and nodding vigorously, spotted the two behind him and smiled even brighter.
"[Hi! Big bro, big sis!!]"
"[For the time being, you'll be living here with Yeonwoo and his grandmother.]"
Shunsuji informed them who they'd be staying with, as Yeonwoo cheerfully greeted them.
Thus began the strange communal living arrangement.