The Korean Wave!
From Dongbang Shinsung to Super Major and Choshinsei, Korea's top idols have made their mark in Japan.
As they naturally exposed audiences to Korean culture, they cultivated a strong K-pop fanbase in Japan.
This opened more opportunities for Japanese fans to engage with Korean culture, and those who resonated with it became devoted core fans.
Usami Chisako was one such core fan.
She first encountered Korean culture through idol groups, then expanded her interest to dramas and movies.
"HiDream is so much fun!"
Among her favorites, HiDream stood out the most.
Chisako loved it so much that she owned the series and rewatched it at least ten times.
"Donghu is so handsome, I love Donghu so much!"
He looked handsome while playing the piano,
acted so well that it was mesmerizing,
and even just breathing, he was insanely good-looking.
Normally, that level of admiration would be the end of it.
It's rare for fan devotion to go beyond that point.
But then—
"I want to go to Korea."
"Huh?"
"There's a school called the Korea National Academy of Arts? They accept international students."
"O-Our daughter, what are you talking about?"
"I need to start preparing now so I won't be late, Dad. Please? Chisako wants to go to Korea!"
Chisako's family could make the impossible possible.
She was born the youngest daughter of the prestigious and influential Usami family, known for its long history and traditions.
Who could stop Chisako from achieving her goal?
Even so, Chisako faced something she hadn't anticipated.
"Donghu-senpai is so busy!"
Kim Donghu's schedule was absolutely packed.
Although there had been a few moments when their paths crossed earlier that year, whenever an opportunity arose to interact with him, he was always busy.
In reality, the number of times they had met was essentially zero.
The most she'd managed was briefly meeting his gaze during the entrance ceremony.
For Chisako, who had gone so far as to study abroad just to be closer to him, the situation was maddening.
She had come all this way to see just one person up close.
Who could have guessed it would be this hard to even meet him?
"Ugh, so unfair."
Just as she was wallowing in her gloom,
a sweet piece of news popped up on her social media feed.
"Donghu-senpai is in Japan right now?!"
And he wasn’t there for a vacation.
He had come to record dubbing for a project.
"Dubbing means voice acting! Voice acting means my dad!"
The connections formed naturally in her mind.
But there was an even more shocking revelation waiting.
"...He's working on the same project as my dad?!"
How could no one have told her this?
Her dad hadn’t said a word to his daughter, who was already overwhelmed trying to adjust to life in Korea and struggling to gather information.
And this monumental fact had been kept hidden from her?
"You know why I came to Daejong High!"
This was unacceptable.
However, instead of getting angry, Chisako decided to prioritize her goals.
<Dad, set up a video call with Donghu-senpai for me! Right now!>
<Don’t you dare act all high-and-mighty with him like you did with those newbie voice actors!>
<If you do, I’ll tell Mom everything!>
<Use your time wisely and make it happen, Dad!>
>Okay, okay, sweetheart. Don’t worry.
>I won’t pull anything like that.
>Just please, I beg you, don’t tell your mom.
And so, the conversation quickly escalated.
"I—I just found out about this myself. That tweet, you see... My daughter found it and called me right away, yelling about why I hadn’t told her... So, could you please arrange a video call with her? I’d really appreciate it..."
Thus, the man once known as the Voice Acting Demon and nicknamed the Great General of the industry,
was now bowing his head to a rookie voice actor on behalf of his daughter.
++++++
"Ahhh! Donghu-senpai! I’m such a big, big, BIG fan of yours! I’m so, so, SO happy right now!"
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