Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Teacher's Arrival in Japan
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“Yeonwoo, have you been well?”
He had called Wakana for music director work, but Chae Hayeon had come along with her.
“Teacher!”
Yeonwoo, who had been working in the company’s exclusive recording studio, turned around at the sound of Chae Hayeon’s voice. The moment he saw her, he came running over and threw himself into her arms.
Chae Hayeon smiled brightly and hugged him back.
Even at seven years old, Yeonwoo still had that baby scent, and holding him like this always lifted her spirits thanks to that smell.
“Coming all the way from Japan to see our Yeonwoo?”
“But why did you come so suddenly?”
Yeonwoo had been thinking about Chae Hayeon’s Japan debut, but he hadn’t expected her to show up in Japan like this out of nowhere.
“Nanase Executive Director called me.”
“Why?”
“She said something about... checking out my liver?”
“……??”
Yeonwoo tilted his head.
Check out her liver?
“Japanese food is really salty.”
Chae Hayeon burst out laughing at that.
In truth, she had come to Japan to appear on a Japanese broadcast.
She planned to gauge the Japanese reaction through the TV appearance and then pursue full-scale activities here.
Even just looking at YouTube reactions, Chae Hayeon’s Japan debut seemed promising, but Japan was far more analog than Korea.
There was no surer way to gauge reactions across all age groups than a TV appearance. (Since it wasn’t targeting only internet-savvy generations, they needed feedback from every age.)
Hearing Chae Hayeon’s explanation, Yeonwoo nodded.
“Ah, if it’s for a Japanese TV appearance, should I translate the lyrics into Japanese for you?”
“That might be better.”
“I’ll ask Aunt Nanase.”
With that, Yeonwoo sat down next to Chae Hayeon and began chattering away.
“There’s a butcher shop nearby, right? Their korokke is so delicious. I make sure to buy one every day. It’s best when it’s still hot. Oh, in Japan, they fry the korokke fresh at the butcher shop and sell it. I don’t really know why. Hey! Over there! They sell super tasty ramen!”
One might think she’d get tired of Yeonwoo’s endless chatter after such a long time apart, but Chae Hayeon responded to every single thing he said.
She was probably the only one outside the family who could keep up with Yeonwoo’s nonstop talking like this.
“So today, we’re treating Teacher to something delicious?”
At that, Yeonwoo turned serious and spoke in a grave tone.
“We were just discussing what to have for dinner tonight, but we still haven’t decided. Yuri noona suggested yakiniku since it’s been a while, but Annosuke hyung said we should do motsunabe because he’s never tried it. But for some reason, I’m craving grilled fish or sashimi.”
Chae Hayeon realized that Yeonwoo was truly living his best life here, fully committed to eating everything Japan had to offer.
“But since Teacher’s here today, let’s do whatever you want. What do you like, Teacher?”
Chae Hayeon thought for a moment before saying,
“Sushi... I’ve been curious about what sushi tastes like in Japan.”
“Is this your first time in Japan, Teacher?”
“Yeah, it is.”
It was her first time in Japan, and really her first time flying on a plane, too. Life had been too tough for overseas trips until now.
“I see. Then this time, let’s eat everything you want to try in Japan!! Is there anything else you want to do, Teacher?”
At that, Chae Hayeon blushed and said,
“I... I’ve always wanted to go to Disney Land. I’ve loved amusement parks forever.”
“Japan has amusement parks too?”
“Of course. And it’s the most famous one in the world.”
“The most famous in the world?!”
“Yeah, it’s so famous it’s all over the world.”
“Is it fun?”
“I haven’t been, but adults love it, and there are even kids whose dream is just to go there.”
It was a shock to Yeonwoo.
“Wow... No one told me about a place like that......”
Grandma didn’t like places like that, so that was one thing, but he felt betrayed by Yuri and Annosuke.
A place that was every kid’s dream, and they hadn’t even mentioned it.
“Those guys only care about eating......!!”
Yeonwoo sighed and looked up at Chae Hayeon.
“I want to go there too. Can I come with you?”
“Of course, I’d love that. Let’s ask Grandma, and if she doesn’t want to go, how about just the two of us find some time?”
“Going just the two of us might be tough. Aunt Nanase will probably assign bodyguards. Or we could bring Jaehun hyung.”
“Ah, you can’t go out alone?”
“A lot of people recognize me.”
“Right. I saw it on YouTube.”
To be precise, it was a short news clip uploaded to YouTube.
The sight of Japanese fans swarming the airport had even made brief waves in Korea.
“I didn’t realize so many people would come to see me.”
Yeonwoo said that as he stood up from his seat.
“It’s time to head home now. You’re coming to our place too, right, Teacher?”
“Huh? Home?”
“Did they set you up with separate lodging? Otherwise, come to our house. It’s one of Grandpa Shuji’s properties, and it has tons of rooms.”
“But... you’ll be with Grandma, and it’d feel rude of me to......”
“It’s fine. Yuri noona, Annosuke hyung, and Jaehun hyung are all staying there already.”
“Then...... shall I?”
Yeonwoo nodded vigorously and grabbed Chae Hayeon’s hand, pulling her along.
“Let’s hurry, Teacher! If we’re late, we won’t get korokke!”
“O-Okay.”
The moment Yeonwoo stepped out of the studio, Jaehun and two JOP bodyguards, plus one JOP staff member, fell in behind them.
“I get Jaehun and the bodyguards, but why is that staff person coming too?”
“They’re filming for the official JOP channel.”
“Oh, right.”
Chae Hayeon recalled Nanase mentioning that she might appear on JOP’s YouTube sometimes when she was with Yeonwoo.
“It’s their first time filming the commute home, and since Teacher’s here today, they’re doing it on the side.”
“But do you usually walk home like this?”
“Yeah, I have to get my korokke.”
What was it about that korokke?
Curious about what made it so irresistible that Yeonwoo was obsessed, Chae Hayeon followed behind him.
“Yuin-kun!! So kawaii!!”
As they walked, voices of people recognizing Yeonwoo rang out here and there.
Whenever that happened, Yeonwoo greeted them with the belly bow he’d learned at kindergarten, which only made the fans go even wilder.
Somehow, Yeonwoo seemed even more popular in Japan than in Korea.
Now used to it all, Yeonwoo strolled casually down the street before coming to a stop.
“It’s right there!”
Turning toward where Yeonwoo pointed, a savory aroma indeed wafted over.
Yeonwoo bolted toward it faster than anyone.
The group had to quicken their pace to keep up, but the staff and Jaehun just smiled, finding it adorable.
“[Five korokke, please!]”
“[Yeonwoo-chan! I was waiting for you. These are fresh from the fryer.]”
Yeonwoo even seemed close with the butcher shop owner.
She couldn’t understand the Japanese, but she could tell they were having a friendly chat.
Yeonwoo took the paper bag, and in the meantime, Jaehun handled the payment.
Yeonwoo pulled out one korokke and handed it to Chae Hayeon.
“Here, Teacher!”
She happened to be hungry right then, so Chae Hayeon didn’t hesitate and took a bite.
“……!!”
It was no wonder Yeonwoo rushed to get them before closing.
* * *
Chae Hayeon’s first broadcast appearance was on ‘The Song.’
This NNK program aired Saturday nights at 11 PM. It might seem similar to Chae Hana’s Ambitious Night at a glance, but the difference was that only one artist appeared per episode for about 30 minutes of talk and three songs or so.
Among Japan’s roughly ten music shows across all networks, it was renowned as the one with the best video and audio quality, hands down.
That said, viewership varied a bit by episode.
With only one act per show, ratings depended heavily on the artist’s fame.
Some worried Chae Hayeon’s episode wouldn’t pull numbers, but behind her stood Yuin, the hottest commodity in Japan’s music scene right now—the genius Yuin.
That was why NNK had promoted her as “the first singer discovered by the Music Prince Yuin.”
With Yuri & Annosuke—Japan’s first breakout stars—exploding in popularity right after debut, no one interested in Yuin could afford to miss the first singer he’d chosen.
On the show, Chae Hayeon sang “Cheer Up, Today Too” to start, followed by “One Day,” and capped it with “There Must Be a Reason to Keep Living Anyway”—currently the biggest hit in Korea—all in Korean.
They’d initially planned Japanese versions, but worried her lack of Japanese would hinder emotional delivery. Since subtitles could handle the lyrics, they stuck with Korean.
The result was a resounding success.
Japan, culturally preferring metaphorical, poetic lyrics over direct love songs unlike Korea, connected deeply with these life-affirming, poetic words and Chae Hayeon’s heartfelt emotion.
Having tested the waters on a Japanese stage and seen great results, JOP greenlit her full Japan debut.
They quickly reworked her existing songs into Japanese versions for recording, assigned her a Japanese tutor, and started pronunciation coaching right away.
Chae Hayeon adapted faster than expected, and under Yeonwoo’s producing, the Japanese recordings wrapped up swiftly.
And so, Chae Hayeon’s first Japanese album—all her Korean releases re-recorded in Japanese—was released.
Initial sales were modest.
With no big promo beyond that one TV spot, it was to be expected.
Only diehard fans who’d watched the show, or Yuin’s fans, or those trekking to Korean YouTube channels, raved about her songs.
But this was just the beginning.
JOP shifted to YouTube—the platform that had made her successful—over more TV spots.
They approached popular Japanese YouTubers and singer YouTubers for collabs and shorts to build her face recognition.
Gradually, her songs started popping up in Japanese YouTube algorithms, and more people sought out her music.
It was inevitable.
Her rich mid-to-low register voice full of emotional depth, her looks, her songs, and lyrics all hit Japanese tastes dead-on.
She began climbing steadily, if slowly, on the Melboard Japan Hot 100, eventually cracking the top 10.
It took just one month.
What made it scary was that Yuri & Annosuke’s title track “Boy-Girl Love” had held #1 for 12 weeks.
In Japan, that wasn’t even that long—#1 streaks of 22 weeks existed, and 10+ week runs weren’t rare.
But Yuri & Annosuke were the only debut act to hold #1 that long.
And they weren’t stopping there, teasing a new album comeback shortly after a break, drawing all eyes in Japan’s music world once more.