Chapter 32: Star? part 2

Ham Chunho

He is the best acoustic guitar player in his late 40s in the Republic of Korea. He debuted as a member of "Jeon In-kwon and Ham Chunho" in 1980 and participated in the folk-rock music group "Poet and Village Head" in 1984. His second regular album, "Blue Sail," ranked 14th among the 100 Greatest Korean Popular Music Albums selected by Kyunghyang Shinmun and Music Magazine Network. Since 1990, he has been active as a professional guitar session player for famous singers such as Shin Seung-hoon, Son Ji-chang, and Kim Kyung-ho. Currently, he is the top guitarist working as a professor of practical music at a university.

Geon widened his eyes in surprise and asked, "Ham Chunho? Does he do entertainment shows? Although he's most famous as a guitarist, I've never known him to appear on entertainment shows."

Byungjoon revealed, chuckling, "We're Fantasio. Geon, at Fantasio, nothing is impossible if we set our minds to it."

Geon nodded thoughtfully. "That's one thing... but what does Ham Chunho appearing have to do with me appearing on 'My Little Television'? At first glance, it seems unrelated."

Putting on his glasses, Byungjoon explained, "What else would a guitarist do on an island? During the day, he'll catch some food and do household chores to have meals, but at night? Most likely, the older men will gather, drink, and sing."

Geon agreed with a nod. "That makes sense... Ham Chunho is a guitarist. He probably won't let go of the guitar even at night. You also play the guitar, right? It'll naturally set a scene of you learning the guitar. It's to make people associate you, Geon, as a disciple of the guitar genius Ham Chunho on Korean broadcasts. Plus, your vocals, surpassing imagination, echo in the empty nighttime sea. Doesn't it paint a picture just thinking about it?"

Geon, envisioning the scene, felt it could be a great opportunity and nodded in excitement. "Ah... yes. That would be amazing if it happens like that. Being able to learn guitar from Teacher Ham Chunho feels like a dream. But what's the connection between that and 'My Little Television'?"

"Of course. 'My Little Television' filming will take place while the entertainment show is being filmed on the island. As you might know, the show is broadcast online before its official airing, so it garners immediate reactions. You'll be playing the guitar and singing there. When Ham Chunho's guitar skills and your singing merge, the fans watching won't be able to contain their excitement."

It was indeed a meticulously planned strategy befitting Fantasio, which operates with numerous personnel in its analysis and strategic planning teams. Geon, feeling satisfied hearing this plan that even a layman like himself could comprehend, expressed gratitude, "Just listening, I understand perfectly. It seems like you've put a lot of thought into this. I feel more excited about learning the guitar from Teacher Ham Chunho than gaining popularity through proper broadcasting. I'm sorry that you've had to go through hardships because of me."

Byungjoon chuckled heartily, "Hahaha, that's exactly what we want, Geon. There's nothing that appeals more to the public than pure passion for music. In fact, when we think of you, Geon, the biggest asset we can use is your appearance. Your brief appearance of about 3 seconds in the teaser already formed tens of thousands of fandoms in China. Your appearance is an incredible asset. However, Son Lin personally approached Fantasio. You should soar higher from now on, Geon. Rather than strategizing using your handsome face as a weapon, he requested a strategy where fans watch a musician grow alongside them. Our strategy team modified the overall business strategy based on Lin's request."

Geon felt thankful towards Lin and nodded appreciatively. "Ah, that's really heartening to hear. I'll have to express my gratitude separately to Lin."

Organizing the various documents he had, Byungjoon put them into his bag, placed the notebook back into his pocket, and said, "Well then, since we have a pre-meeting at TVN tomorrow, let's end things here for today. We'll pick you up at your place by 8 AM. Please don't come out beforehand; just give us a call when you're ready."

Geon stood up and replied, "Alright, got it. Thank you so much for today. I'll do my best for the next six months while I'm active in Korea. Oh, and even though you're older than me, please feel free to address me casually. I'll call you 'hyung' or 'nuna.'"

Byungjoon, Sangmi, and Yeonju seemed slightly embarrassed at Geon's suggestion.

"Is... is that okay?"

Yeonju playfully hooked her arm with Geon's. "Hahaha, great! Great! Try calling me 'Yeonju nuna,' come on?"

Geon chuckled and attempted to call Yeonju, but Sangmi quickly recorded a video with her smartphone.

"Yeonju nuna~"

"Kyaa~ Why~ Geon~"

Yeonju playfully shook Geon's arm for a while and waved as she walked away.

That night, Yeonju and Sangmi's phones buzzed incessantly.

They had uploaded pictures of themselves with Geon on their social media. Within moments, more than a million likes flooded the posts. On Chinese portal communities, a post titled "Fantasio Troop with Geon" featuring Yeonju and Sangmi's photos was published.

Especially, the video Sangmi took of Geon calling Yeonju "nuna" circulated in various formats on the internet. Many fans set the part where he called her "nuna" as their smartphone wallpaper, repeatedly watching it with excitement.

Yeonju and Sangmi, smiling contentedly, fell asleep while their phones continued to buzz.

On Byungjoon's SNS, which nobody paid much attention to, there was only one comment under the photo taken with Geon.

"Is it fun to fabricate, you idiot? Pathetic. No interest."