Chapter 198:
Chapter 198
What kind of question is he going to ask this time?
The members, except for Ian, could not understand him clearly, but they could guess what Caden asked by the way he emphasized the word girlfriend.
I knew this question would come up.
The members suddenly looked away at the distant mountains and avoided the camera. The American studio burst into laughter at their reaction.
-There it is, Cadens favorite question lol
-Lol look where they are looking, so cute lol
-Ians smile makes my heart flutter
Ian thought it was lucky that he had received the script in advance and smiled calmly. Caden narrowed his eyes and spoke with an exaggerated tone.
(*Ian, you look like you have a lot to say. Good. Lets forget about your fans for a moment. Think of this as a conversation between you and me, and speak comfortably.)
*Caden, you know.
(*What do you mean?)
*You know how the countless Korean singers you interviewed answered.
Caden opened his mouth as if he had been hit. He coughed and continued.
(*Yeah, the dating ban clause. I always heard that. They cant date because they are focused on their work. They are with their fans)
*Yes, those things. Im sorry to disappoint you, Caden, but we can only give you those answers too.
Ian shrugged and briefly explained to the members what he had said. The members cheered and patted Ians shoulder for doing well.
-Ian is so cool when he speaks in a low voice
-He dodged it well lol
-Is he a genius? So cool
He wont let it go easily
Caden pressed his jaw. The audience laughed at him.
(*Wait a minute, let me ask you one more thing.)
Ian crossed his legs and gestured with his palm as if to say go ahead.
Caden raised one eyebrow and looked at Ian on the screen with a can you believe this? expression.
(*Are Korean fans so harsh that you have to have such restrictions? Like, the moment you debut as an idol, you cant date and they give you a hard time and obsess over you Is that common?)
A trap question. Ian translated it to the members and thought of an answer. It was a question that could create a bad impression of the domestic fans if answered wrong.
*No, no. We just want to focus on our work.
Its not that we are pressured by the fans. We just dont have any thoughts of dating.
Among the members who hesitated to answer, Lee Ju-hyuk answered in broken English, and Kim Hyun trusted Ians interpretation.
Thats right. We dont even think about dating anyone right now.
We like working.
The other members agreed with Kim Hyuns answer.
-Aww look at them trying to smooth things over
-Its true that they are pressured, right? Theres no country as sensitive as ours about idol dating lol
-Why do they keep asking these questions? They do it all the time
-From their perspective, its a weird fan culture, so they keep asking and we cant help it
-Ugh just look at them, they are so annoying. Where did they come from to mess around?
When the members finished their words, Ian spoke as a representative.
*Caden, we dont want to say anything bad about our fans. Theres nothing bad about them. Never.
(*Okay, I get it.)
*First of all, we are busy. We have a world tour coming up next year, and we have a lot of things to do in the future. So we dont have time, and as Ju-hyuk said, its a time to focus on our work, so we dont even think about dating or anything.
(*Oh, you wont budge easily.)
Caden conceded and showed his palms and leaned back on his chair.
-?
-Did he just say world tour?
-World tour? Cant we see them again?
-OMG the world tour schedule just came out
-Holy cow 3 days in Gocheok
-Crazy Busan!!! Scream!!
Ian didnt mean to spoil it. The agency had prepared to surprise the fans by announcing the world tour schedule at this moment.
They had to cancel the concert hall schedule they had booked in advance because of the hiatus this year, and it was hard to book again.
Instead, they had reserved a 25,000-seat Gocheok Dome for 3 days in Korea from early next year, and a 30,000-seat super arena-level concert hall overseas. It was several times bigger than when Awi had their first world tour.
(*Maybe this kind of control makes K-pop artists more attractive.)
*Yes. Control is good. We like being controlled by our fans, by Awy-doms.
(*Oh! Wow, you are really savvy. I like it.)
Caden shouted and clapped at Ians witty answer. The audience also responded.
(*Im really sorry, I hope we can meet in person and have a comfortable conversation in this studio next time.)
*We hope so too. We hope that day will come soon.
Thats what he said? Caden smiled faintly.
(*By the way, do you have any plans for your next album after this one? Im sure the fans here in the studio would love to hear some good news.)
It implied the same thing as saying, why dont you release any songs or albums here? Youre popular here too. Ian smiled meaningfully and said,
*We do have a project that were trying for the first time since our debut.
The members chuckled.
(*Youre making me excited by your laughter.)
It was a collaboration song with a foreign singer. And the first carol song by Awi, which was done with Hailey Poles, was all in English.
(*Can you give us a little hint?)
*Its no fun if you know in advance.
(*I know, you guys are not easy to deal with. I wont ask you any more difficult questions.)
*One thing I can tell you is, its a song that suits the best moment that you like the most
Hey, stop it.
Someone shut Ian up.
The members shouted as they understood some of Ians words. Kim Ju-young, who was sitting behind him, covered Ians mouth, and Jo Tae-woong covered his ears and yelled loudly.
(*Good.)
Caden smiled satisfied. It took some time to deliver the words because it was done remotely, but there was someone who spoke English, so they didnt waste time on interpretation.
So they were able to talk more in the interview, but Caden made a mischievous expression and glanced at the prompter.
What kind of question are you going to ask this time?
Ian stiffened. He had a similar expression to when he was asked about his girlfriend.
(*Oh. This is very interesting. There was a newspaper article yesterday about an interview with a Japanese idol group. To summarize, they said that K-pop was influenced by Japans idol culture in the 1960s and)
Japan? Why is Japan here?
Kim Joo-young whispered to Ian from behind.
Wait, they said, Japans legacy, which has been going on since the 60s, influenced Asian culture, and K-pop and Asian culture are basically from Japan. We listen to Midia and Awis music often and we are proud of them as fellow Asians.
Who said that in Japan?
It doesnt matter who said it.
The members clenched their mouths at Ians real-time interpretation. They didnt know how to react to this.
-What the hell are they talking about
-Excuse me, why do you feel proud of K-pop lol
-But why does Awy look like that? Is he laughing or crying?
-Lol Ive seen that expression a lot lol
The members tried to hold back their laughter.
[Yeah, theyre called Kiseki, theyre kind of famous in Japan Theyre trying to enter the U.S. market. I think thats why they did the interview?]
Thats a weird thing to say.
[They were also vicariously satisfied when Midia succeeded, saying it was a victory for the same Asians.]
(*What do you think of this statement?)
Caden made a face that said, Didnt expect this, did you? Ian wanted to see his face change to a perplexed one again.
Guys, be careful not to get too excited.
Before answering, Lee Joo-hyuk whispered to the members.
Its not so much exciting as kind of funny.
How do we say this?
Ill say it.
While the members hesitated, Ian licked his dry lips with his tongue and stared at the camera.
*Strictly speaking, we are influenced by the boy band system of pop, but anyway, it doesnt matter who is the original. I think its meaningless to argue about that.
(*Why do you think so?)
*Some people call us just idols, but we are producers, singer-songwriters, and artists who make music. We are proud of that.
-Theyre so confident
-Look at Ians speech speed lol
-Even the same members cant understand him lol
Caden waved his hand as if to say, keep going.
*It doesnt matter who influenced whom and which country influenced which. There is music, right? Something that can communicate regardless of language or race or nationality. Some kind of primal thing.
(*Thats a good thing to say.)
*My favorite singer said something. Music has no limits and we have to
Caden repeated Ians words.
(*Make people understand each other through music more than anything else. Steve Evermore said that.)
*Yes, he is a legend. Anyway, it doesnt matter who is the original and whether its Korea or Japan or pop or Asian pop. They are also singers who make music.
(*Okay, I get what youre saying.)
*I dont want to say anything about their statement. The only thing I want to say is, we are seven talented artists and
Ian scanned the members one by one and then turned his head to face the camera.
*We are proving ourselves with our music.
To be honest, Ian had never heard a song by the group called Kiseki. They didnt have any songs that were famous enough to be known overseas.
They were saying, our culture came to you! It was like challenging them to a musical showdown instead of arguing about who was the original of this K-pop culture that had become so popular.
Caden looked satisfied and the audience in the local studio gave them a standing ovation.
(*Thank you for your great answer. Oh, look at the time. Im sorry, but I think we have to end the interview with you here.)
*Oh, is it already time?
(*I know, right? Im very sorry too. Can I see you next to me next time?)
*Someday, if the time is right. Well gladly stand by your side.
(*How romantic, I like it. That was the talented seven from Korea, Awy. Lets watch their stage, Blue hour together.)
There was a three-second silence, and then the screen went off. The staff shouted that the interview was over and congratulated them.
Thank you!
The members also got up and bowed.
Hey, Ian, what did you say earlier?
Jo Tae-woong shook Ians shoulder and urged him to answer. Ian told the members what he had said to Caden, and the staff who were curious also gathered around Ian.
I said something like this.
Wow.
Wow!
The members cheered.
You nailed it.
Should we make a book of quotes?
Choi Ian, you should rap too. Youd be good at dissing.
Ah, Park Jin-hyuk, youre a rap parrot again.
While the members gave Ian thumbs up and praised him, Lee Joo-hyuk, who was touching his chin and thinking about something, raised his head.
But isnt our pre-recorded stage video coming up after the interview?
Yeah. The one we did at the Independence Gate Oh.
!
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