When I Opened My Eyes I Was a Superstar - Chapter 40
#40
Thanks to. (1)
***
8 PM, Yeongdeungpo Times Square.
KK’s first public fan signing event was held.
The number of winners was 100. However, because it was an open space, it was also an opportunity to see KK members signing autographs even if they could not receive autographs in person. Therefore, about five times as many people as the number of winners flocked to Times Square.
Moreover, since the location was a shopping mall, people who were out shopping were also interested in the news of KK’s autograph session and looked down while circling the stairs on each floor.
KK arrived about ten minutes before the fan signing event and prepared to leave the parking lot. Lastly, I adjusted my clothes and hair.
Oh Baek-ho was already reciting the tenth precaution in the ears of the KK members as if chanting.
-Don’t force yourself to answer difficult questions.
-Personal gifts should be delivered to the staff behind you as soon as you receive them.
-Skinship other than holding hands is strictly prohibited.
.
.
There were dozens of things to be careful about. Because it simply meant to be careful about everything you do, the members simply answered that they understood dozens of times.
There were many reasons why Oh Baek-ho was so worried.
First of all, the members were too young. Half of the members were not yet adults.
Also, even if there were adult members, there was a lot of tension and excitement at the first fan signing event, so mistakes were bound to happen in words or actions.
It was fortunate that the members were mature, but since it was a public signing event, it was easy to get people talking if they made even the slightest mistake.
Moreover, the direction KK pursued in responding to fans was completely different from that of Monster.
Because they differentiated themselves from other idols with fan-friendly marketing, all things that would be prohibited at other fan signing events were allowed.
Originally, a notice would have been sent out to fans that even holding hands was strictly prohibited, but in the notice for the KK fan signing event, the notice was put out as ‘excessive skinship’.
Additionally, the ban on personal gifts and personal questions had been removed from the basic fan signing event notice.
“There shouldn’t be any problem…”
Oh Baek-ho muttered. Today, Dowook, who was in the passenger seat, looked at the back seat. The other members looked busy giving their hair to the coordinator who rode with them and getting their hair done.
“Brother Baekho.”
When Do-wook quietly called out to him, Oh Baek-ho quickly asked why he was doing that.
“Especially the fans who come to Jihoon…”
“Ah…yeah, I got it.”
Oh Baek-ho and Do-wook nodded and exchanged glances.
Do-wook realized that Oh Baek-ho had already had that fact in mind.
‘Yes, Director Oh Baek-ho is probably unaware of Seok Ji-hoon’s problem.’
Dowook saw Seok Ji-hoon in the backseat. Although there was little change in his facial expression, the way he talked with Ahn Hyeong-seo seemed no different from usual.
Seok Ji-hoon also seemed a little excited. Although he may have felt aversion to fans who contacted him, it was fortunate that he did not have aversion to the fans themselves.
Ahhhhh!
how how. this way! this way!
Wow, it’s K-K! Is that KK?
Doukaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah~!!! Look here!
Click, click, click.
With the appearance of KK, Times Square, the venue for the fan signing event, became a crucible of confusion.
Even though a guard line was set up from the back door to the central fan signing stage, fans pushed each other as if they were jumping over the line.
The security guards held the fans back to prevent them from crossing, but the fans kept pushing each other forward and getting closer to the line.
The members walked quickly, following Oh Baek-ho.
Fans with DSLR cameras could be heard chasing and taking pictures of the scene. The sound of the shutter followed the members closely without mercy.
The KK members felt like they were going out of their minds due to the cheers of fans and the sound of shutters echoing through the large shopping mall.
It was different from the shouts heard on stage. It was on a completely different level from the last time we held a mini fan meeting with fans. It was so close and big.
The place for the fan signing event was on a platform high enough to be climbed by a couple of stairs. The members sat in their assigned seats.
The fans sitting in front were holding their assigned number tickets tightly in their hands.
The person in charge of hosting the fan signing event was Do Ra-hee from the fan-marketing team. Do Ra-hee, who came in advance and handed out number tickets and was organizing the fan signing venue, handed out bottled water to the arriving members.
“thank you.”
“You may have heard this from Director Oh, but please be as careful as possible in your actions.”
“yes.”
Jeong Yoon-gi answered as representative. Jeong Yoon-gi also had a bewildered expression. It was easier to turn around and talk to Do Ra-hee. Looking ahead, there were so many eyes staring at me.
Dozens of large cameras were also burdensome. Every move was being captured on camera.
“You have to get used to it! “It’s just the beginning.”
Do Ra-hee noticed Jung Yoon-gi and the members and encouraged them.
Of course, there were some members who quickly adapted and got used to it shortly after entering.
It was Ahn Hyeong-seo.
As if responding to the outpouring of attention, Ahn Hyeong-seo waved his hand and greeted the fans who called out to him one by one. He caught the eyes of fans in various ways, such as winking and making hearts with his fingers.
Every time Hyungseo Ahn winked, the fans sitting in the front row erupted into cackling.
That’s how the fan signing event began.
The appearance of the autograph session was varied. Each fan’s reaction to seeing the members was different, and the members’ reactions to the fans were also different.
“Uh… Ugh… Yoongi oppa… Hello…”
“Yes, hello. The name?”
“I am… Jung So-min….”
“Oh So-min? “It’s a pretty name.”
When Jeong Yoon-gi spoke to the fangirl in school uniform, the fangirl’s face turned red like a ripe apple.
Unlike his stiff expression at first, when he actually met the fan, Jung Yoon-ki’s attitude at the autograph session was close to perfect. Even fans who weren’t fans of Jung Yoon-gi grew selfish in Jung Yoon-gi’s seemingly blunt but friendly response, saying they wanted to date him or said he was cool.
The first member that fans met after coming up to the stage was Jung Yoon-gi.
Whenever it was his turn, Ahn Hyeong-seo continued to talk to the fans waiting in front and provided fan service to the fans without stopping for a moment.
He also spoke more kindly to the fan standing in front of him than anyone else, joked around with him, and acted friendly. There was definitely something special about the friendliness.
“Uh, who’s taking pictures of me? Right!”
“Hey bro! I know?”
“Carrot carrot! “You also came to the last mini fan meeting.”
“that’s right! omg. I am ‘Hyeongseo Land’. Have you ever seen a photo?”
“Wow, Hyungseo Land?! “Of course I know!”
Ahn Hyeong-seo, who uses Facenote the most and takes care of all the comments and messages sent by fans, could not have been unaware of his biggest fan page. In fact, it was Ahn Hyeong-seo who would have answered that he knew even if he did not know.
Hyeong-seo Ahn answered, covering the letters with his hand and writing PS.
“Will you come again next time?”
“Ugh, I have to come again. But this time, I used up all my salary from my part-time job…”
For this KK fan signing event, the winner was selected using the so-called ‘lining up’ method. In the case of the Yeongdeungpo autograph session, up to 100 people were selected by lining up in the order in which they purchased the most at the Yeongdeungpo music store.
The average number of albums purchased by the winners was about 40.
Although it was not made public, among the fans who bought the album for this fan signing on the Internet, the fan who bought the most was a Chinese fan who bought 100 copies. The fan who bought the fewest tickets was 35. It was enough to say that everything below that point had fallen.
According to him, 40 cards was a stable range because fans watched each other’s opinions and predicted the cut line. A fan of Hyungseo Ahn, who runs Hyungseo Land, also paid 40 albums, or approximately 600,000 won, and had a short conversation with Hyungseo Ahn.
No matter how popular it is, it is already like this even though it is a rookie. From now on, more would be added, not less.
“Ah… then come later.”
“huh. I will definitely come. “I’m sitting in the center over there, so can you come check on me later?”
“Carrot carrot! I’ll see. “That way.”
Since all 100 people signed autographs in a short period of time, the time given to each person was limited. As the story got longer, Do Ra-hee, who was standing in the back, noticed the fan.
Feeling regretful, the operator of Hyungseo Land moved to the seat next to him.
She thought she wouldn’t be able to participate in the next fan signing event because it was too expensive, but as soon as she returned to her seat and saw the PS written by Ahn Hyeong-seo, her heart was shaken.
‘Thank you for always taking beautiful pictures~! ‘Great photos!’ Five hearts were drawn along with the message:
Without any time to be impressed, she picked up the camera and tried to take a picture of Ahn Hyeong-seo, but Ahn Hyeong-seo recognized her as if she were a ghost and gave her a V at the camera and made precise ‘eye contact’. She bit her lip and remembered her credit card limit.
Do-wook, who was sitting in the middle next to Ahn Hyeong-seo, thought that Ahn was amazing.
‘For an idol member, all of those things are talents.’
The idol world was where face and talent were as important as skills. Although he may not be able to do as well as Ahn Hyeong-seo, Do-wook was also trying to reach a comparable level.
In fact, Do-wook didn’t have to make much effort. Standing in front of Do-wook, the fans were mesmerized by Do-wook’s face, which they met for the first time at close range. When the fans saw Dowook’s face, they forgot all the conversation they had prepared, so there was silence for about 5 seconds each time.
“hello.”
Thanks to this, Dowook continued to say hello first.
But it backfired. Fans who heard Dowook’s sweet voice became more nervous. Do-wook found the part of the album that a fan presented to him that he needed to sign and signed it.
“Do-wook… I really like you.”
She was a working woman in her early 30s who came to the autograph session in a hurry after work. She was taken aback because she didn’t know she would freeze this much.
“thank you.”
In response, Dowook smiled at the fan. With a friendly smile, the fan trembled and offered to shake Do-wook’s hand.
The fan could hear his heart beating with his ears as Dowook held his hand and whispered to him not to tremble.
In the case of Taehyung Park, Taehyung Park was shaking more than the fan.
“Taehyung, you’re so cute! You dance so well! Taehyung is the coolest in the universe!”
Since most of Park Taehyung’s fans were fans who found Park Taehyung cute, the fans were busy praising Park Taehyung.
In response to the barrage of praise, Taehyung Park signed his autograph and said thank you a hundred times.
Kim Won sincerely answered the post-it questions written by fans. Because the time given to each individual was short, the questions fans wrote on post-it notes were mostly multiple choice or could be answered briefly.
‘Which member do you rely on the most?’
Fans wanted to know about the relationships between KK members. Therefore, there were many questions about this type of content, and Kim Won wrote down the names of Jeong Yoon-gi and Do-wook.
There were many foreign fans, but Kim Won was able to communicate best with foreign fans because he could speak five languages, even if his conversation was at a very rudimentary level.
The last member in the last position was Seok Ji-hoon. The members were standing guard towards the stairs going down behind Seok Ji-hoon. The seating arrangements were made to prepare for an unexpected situation.
However, perhaps it was just rain, nothing special happened to Seok Ji-hoon. There was a fan who had a strong tendency to be an individual fan and just received an autograph from Seok Ji-hoon, who was not a member, and left without saying anything, but that was the same experience for other members.
Like Do-wook, fans also kept repeating that Seok Ji-hoon was handsome, as if they couldn’t think of anything to say just by looking at his big eyes.
Seok Ji-hoon faithfully provided fan service to his fans by writing comments and answering questions. However, he seemed a little hesitant when asked to shake hands with fans. But that was about it.
***
The problem surfaced the day after the fan signing event.
Do-wook narrowed his eyes as he monitored the posts coming one after another in a large community.
‘I really can’t leave it like this. ‘I need to deal with this before it gets worse.’
Dowook thought. Seok Ji-hoon, who had fallen asleep oblivious to the world due to exhaustion in the aftermath of yesterday’s fan signing, was coming out of the bedroom.
“Hyung, are you awake already?”
“Oh, Jihoon. Come here for a moment.”