Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 182 Shattering South Korea
Incheon International Airport.

"You Na, check how long until Gu Jingyi's plane arrives! Ugh, I'm going crazy. Every second I don't see him is torture!"

Xueyun held up a support banner, her eyes fixed anxiously on the front.

"There's still an hour left, it won't be that fast."

The girl named You Na was about 172 cm tall. She had long, smooth, black hair draped over her shoulders, fair and delicate skin, and captivating red lips.

What's most astonishing is her slender waist exposed to the air.

It's so narrow that a man could easily handle it with one hand; it's so thin that you might doubt whether you could break it with just a little force.

Below the waist, the hips and legs, tightly wrapped in slim-fit jeans, outline a full and rounded curve.

This person has an amazing waist-to-hip ratio; she's poised to become the future maknae of ITZY, Shin Yuna.

The other girl is her friend of the same age, Xueyun, who will become the face of NMIXX in the future.

Shen Youna swiped her phone screen with one hand, feeling somewhat irritated.

She and Xueyun skipped class to pick him up from the airport, but he hadn't arrived yet. The airport was a sea of ​​people, filled with a noisy din.

Annoyed by the noise, Shin Yuna's nerves pounded repeatedly.

When she was in a cold expression, her features became even more stunning.

"Damn, have all the fan club members come?"

Xueyun looked at the throng of people, more and more fans joining the queue to greet them, and the dozens of serious-looking security personnel.

He couldn't help but curse, yet he was also impressed by Gu Jingyi's popularity.

This "national center" is indeed incredibly popular. He's like a top-tier Western superstar visiting South Korea.

"You have to understand, this is Kyung-yi oppa's first appearance in over a year since he withdrew from the competition. The people love Kyung-yi oppa just as much as they hate Ahn Joon-young. It's not just students, but also many office workers who skipped work. Look around, there are so many. Who knows when Kyung-yi oppa will come again? This is a place that has saddened him."

Shin Yuna glanced at Seol Yoon and said with great emotion.

"If Jingyi oppa debuted in Wanna One, it would be so much easier to follow him offline."

Xueyun nodded, holding a thick stack of autograph books, and stood guard at the boarding gate, saying something quietly.

"Of course that's impossible. Gu Jingyi is perfectly comfortable in China. Why would he join a limited-time group and become a green card idol with no freedom?"

Ning Yizhuo was a little annoyed; she had been standing there listening to these two whisper for a long time.

Don't these two South Korean trainees understand how difficult it is for green card idols to succeed in South Korea?

If you love Gu Jingyi, you should give him the best, not make him stay for your own selfish desires.

"And who is she?" Seol-yoon, who had only been with JYP for a short time, asked Shin Yuna with some confusion.

"Ningning, a female rookie from SM Entertainment."

Shen Youna glanced at it and quickly gave her answer.

Xueyun rolled her eyes and didn't bother arguing with her.

"you!"

Ning Yizhuo was furious and wanted to argue with them.

"Sister, don't be impatient."

A Chinese student studying abroad, speaking Chinese, stopped her. "You're a trainee, you should be debuting soon, right? Don't go offstage, just stand behind me and watch me perform."

After finishing speaking, the international student passionately launched into a speech.

"Which of you South Korean idols, top Chungmuro ​​actors, or so-called world-class superstars can receive the same fashion resources and treatment as Gu Jingyi on the international stage?"

"When my brother holds the highest Asian ambassadorship title for Dior, the top-tier blue-blooded luxury brand, the global ambassadorship title for Guerlain's skincare line, and the highest global ambassadorship title for Chopard, the high-end jewelry brand, and walks out carrying a Rimowa suitcase, you guys are still borrowing out-of-season dresses to walk the red carpet."

"With so much space in Myeongdong and Samcheongdong for Dior and Chopard, which of those South Korean luxury brand ambassadors can enjoy such treatment?"

"My brother's movie as the lead actor grossed 1 billion. Even the most popular movies in South Korea don't have that many box office earnings, right?"

"My brother achieved a grand slam of ten magazine covers in just 320 days. In less than a year, do you have such good magazine resources here? Most importantly, my brother's annual income this year is several small goals, which translates to tens of billions of Korean won. Even your G-Dragon can't achieve this kind of treatment!"

A barrage of questions left Xueyun speechless.

"You... I didn't say anything bad about Gu Jingyi, is it really necessary to make such a fuss?"

Xueyun was furious, her delicate eyebrows furrowing together.

"I'm a die-hard fan, and I can't stand anyone saying my brother would be better off staying in South Korea. With such a handsome face, he should be making more dramas and movies. In South Korea, can a green card get you access to film and television projects?"

Seeing that things were not going well, Shen Youna quickly pulled Xueyun aside.

"She didn't mean any harm, she just misspoke."

"Never mind," the international student said, pushing up her sunglasses as she walked away.

"Ah, why did you just pull me aside to apologize?"

Xueyun was somewhat dissatisfied and didn't understand.

"You and I are both trainees preparing to debut, there's no need to argue with strangers over a momentary verbal dispute."

Shin Yuna explained gently, "Debuting is the most important thing now; nothing else matters."

Xueyun thought about it and felt that it made a lot of sense.

Making their debut is their most important thing right now; everything else can wait.

……

The plane landed smoothly, and Lin Ze glanced at Gu Jingyi and said with a smile, "Jingyi, are you ready to shatter Kpop?"

"I was just trying to promote a song, how did it turn into shattering K-pop?"

Gu Jingyi chuckled, somewhat puzzled by the description of Lin Ze.

"Jingyi, it's obvious you haven't been online these past few days. The 'talent show contestant' who was praised in South Korea as a 'face genius,' 'national treasure-level beauty,' and 'the one who unified the aesthetics of the fandom,' is coming to South Korea for activities after a year. I wonder how many fans are eagerly anticipating it, and how many passersby are eager to see your charm."

"The airport is already congested. All sorts of media, fan sites, fans, and passersby are gathered there waiting for you to appear. As soon as you show up, they'll write reports and post photos. Those South Koreans who are still in class or at work and can't come are also waiting for your airport photos."

Lin Ze described the grand scene of the airport welcome to Gu Jingyi, without any exaggeration.

"What you're saying is putting some pressure on me."

Gu Jingyi straightened the wrinkles in his clothes and smoothed his hair with his hand.

This trip to South Korea represents more than just him.

This time, he went as the "number one top celebrity in the Chinese entertainment industry." When he's out in public, he represents the image of the entire Chinese entertainment industry.

Lin Ze glanced at it and nodded after confirming that everything about Gu Jingyi was perfect.

Gu Jingyi took a step and walked towards the passage.

The moment that figure appeared, thunderous screams erupted at the airport arrival gate.

"Ahhh, Jingyi oppa!"

"Oppa, saranghaeyo!"

"Welcome to South Korea, great face genius!"

"Damn, his legs are so long! His face is so small, he's really handsome!"

As Gu Jingyi walked toward the arrival gate, Shen Youna and Xueyun felt a shoving motion from behind.

The crazy fans behind them were pushing forward, wanting to get closer to Gu Jingyi.

Shin Yoo-na and Seol-yoon fought hard to hold onto their front-row positions.

Gu Jingyi, who drove countless young girls crazy, also emerged under the escort of a large group of security personnel.

Today, he wore a Dior haute couture suit and a high-end brooch worth 300 million yuan, co-designed by Dior's creative director Kim Jones and the brand's high jewelry director Victotiede Castellane. The brooch uses Dior's iconic "lily of the valley" element and is a unique, one-of-a-kind piece that is not for sale.

The necklace, ring, and full-diamond watch are all from the DIORAMA & DIORIGAMI collection, a major part of the high jewelry line, with the necklace featuring a 13.14-carat main stone.

Gu Jingyi's accessories today are worth about 50 million yuan.

In the morning, he will attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the reopening of Dior Cheongdam-dong after its expansion, and in the evening, he will participate in the Guerlain cruise party.

Both of these were events hosted by top luxury brands under the LVMH Group, so Gu Jingyi simply accepted Dior's sponsorship and attended wearing Dior from head to toe.

When the golf tournament, sponsored by Chopard, opens tomorrow morning, Gu Jingyi will replace her necklaces, rings, and other accessories with high-end Chopard jewelry.

This is such a case of playing both sides. Wow, the fashion resources are amazing. Even high-end resources that others can't get their hands on are vying to provide Gu Jingyi with clothes.

This is probably what happiness is all about.

This trip to South Korea will only last two days. Gu Jingyi is going to participate in Mnet's "M! C" music show promotion tomorrow.

The winners of South Korean music shows can be divided into "Big Four and Small Three" based on their prestige.

Generally speaking, the "Big Four" are "Inkigayo," "Music Bank," "Music," and "MC."

The first three are music shows from the three major broadcasting networks, while the last one is from Mnet.

Only top-tier groups can win first place on these four major music shows. Winning first place on smaller shows like "Show Champion" is more like a consolation prize, something second-tier groups have to fight for.

Like Cosmic Girls, who became popular again in China in 2018 because Wu Xuanyi and Meng Meizhi participated in "Produce 101".

Among the "three little ones", they won the first place in the music show.

从2016年2月25号出道，到2018年9月19号。出道两年半，才收获了第一个小一位。

It's really quite heartbreaking...

Gu Jingyi's previous group, Forgot to Take Bowl, had their debut song "Energetic" sweep more than ten number one spots on major TV stations as soon as it debuted.

That's how it is in South Korea; some areas suffer from drought, while others are flooded.

However, none of this mattered to Gu Jingyi at the moment. He only needed to go to "M! C" at 4 a.m. tomorrow to finish recording the stage performance according to the scheduled appearance order, and then he could leave. He would then reappear at 3 p.m. to film a reshoot of his reaction to receiving an award, thus concluding his two-day trip to South Korea.

Since returning to China, Gu Jingyi hasn't gotten up at dawn to go to work for a very, very long time.

This time he's really here to suffer; he'll be staying up late and getting up early again, something he hasn't done in a long time.

As soon as Gu Jingyi stepped onto the boarding gate, he heard a heart-wrenching cheer.

"Oppa with a face genius, look at Yuna."

Gu Jingyi glanced over and his eyes met those of Shen Youna, who was jumping around holding up his banner.

No wonder the name sounded so familiar; it was an old friend…

Gu Jingyi recognized this girl.

As trainees of the same major group, they would sometimes organize competitions among themselves.

The presidents of various companies were aware of this, but in order to foster competition, they didn't stop it. Sometimes, they would even ask middle managers in their companies to take a look and see if there were any promising talents.

It's normal for trainees to move between different groups; G-Dragon, for example, transferred from SM Entertainment to YG Entertainment.

At the time, Gu Jingyi was considered one of the most popular trainees.

He appeared on YG's survival audition program, and although he didn't get much screen time, he left a deep impression on the South Korean people with his outstanding skills and handsome looks.

The impression was probably too deep, so much so that when Gu Jingyi's team A debuted under the name "IKON," the absence of Gu Jingyi's name from the announced member list sparked heated discussions on Twitter and Naver.

Some fans even held a sit-in protest outside the company building, demanding an explanation from Yang Hyun-suk.

These actions are all bark and no bite.

Gu Jingyi became the prospective captain of "Gem Box," and was still a trainee.

Shen Youna, that little brat, was dragged by her friend to watch a competition between three top trainees when she was still a key player on the school's ice hockey team. She was amazed by Gu Jingyi's performance and that's when she got the idea to become a trainee.

For her, Gu Jingyi was love at first sight. It's just a pity that by the time she became a trainee, her "mentor," Gu Jingyi, had already withdrawn from the competition and returned to China.

Those fans standing next to Shen Youna noticed that Gu Jingyi lingered for quite a while. They were watching their idol, whom they had previously only seen in the news, standing so close to them.

They were all so excited they were almost fainting, shouting Gu Jingyi's name loudly.

"Jingyi oppa!"

“He really stopped, he really looked at us.”

"Ah, this face is so handsome, it's like the male protagonist in a comic book has broken out of the dimension and stepped out."

"Damn, he's so handsome it's speechless, I'm dizzy."

Those fans on the other side must be incredibly envious of this scene.

"Ahhh, Gu Jingyi oppa, look at us too."

"Damn it, don't push!"

"Which brat pushed me?"

The fans at the scene went wild, all wanting to get closer to Gu Jingyi.

Seeing that things were not going well, the security guards quickly picked up a loudspeaker and began to organize discipline.

"Gu Jingyi, you need to leave quickly."

The security captain leaned over and whispered something to Gu Jingyi.

"it is good."

Gu Jingyi nodded and quickly walked out of the passage without having time to say goodbye to the fans.

As for the scheduled photo session, he had already lingered with Shin Yuna for more than ten seconds.

This is enough time for taking photos.

That's enough time for the media and fan site admins to hurry up and take pictures.

Once inside the van, Lin Ze picked up his phone and sent a message to Gu Jingyi.

[Jingyi, your popularity just now was really impressive. Even local superstars like EXO and GD are about on par with you, right?]
Gu Jingyi saw the message as soon as his phone vibrated and popped up.

"Don't worry too much. I only come here occasionally. As an envoy of the suzerain state, I just want to give smaller countries a little shock."

[The company didn't intend for you to have a long-term career in South Korea; you're not the kind of idol who relies solely on fans. The Chinese entertainment industry simply lacks the fertile ground for idols, but it's not so barren that it can't produce singers.]
[Alibaba invited us to participate in this year's Double Eleven Gala, and Hunan TV invited us to participate in their New Year's Eve concert. Gu Jingyi, our music resources this year are pretty good. They offered us the closing act for the Double Eleven Gala, while Hunan TV arranged for us to perform before Li Yuchun.]
"What's Chun Chun's background? Why is she always the last performer? It's almost always her? She doesn't seem as popular as she used to be."

Gu Jingyi was a little curious; Chun Chun was truly an amazing person.

She was really popular in her early years, but now...

While it's not really red, it has become a tradition to be the "grand finale".

Gu Jingyi remembered that before his rebirth, a marketing account had revealed that a certain former top star refused to get off the stage because the organizers wouldn't give him the final performance, thus stalling the event.

I wonder if it's this person...

Lin Ze and I chatted on our phones for a while before arriving at Cheongdam-dong in South Korea.

Dior's flagship store in Seoul will reopen today.

Gu Jingyi arrived just in time, the last one to arrive.

It was supposed to be a reopening, but in reality, they laid out a red carpet and waited for celebrities to walk the runway.

Once inside, Dior invited models to walk the runway to showcase the styles in the store.

When Gu Jingyi, the Asian brand ambassador, arrived in South Korea, Dior immediately changed its plan to have brand ambassador Krystal Jung close the ceremony and cut the ribbon.

She even went to great lengths to contact Lin Ze, hoping that Gu Jingyi, as an Asian model, could give Dior some prestige.

Lin Ze naturally refused. What a joke! This isn't Paris Fashion Week; a small country's Dior flagship store, after its expansion and reopening, thinks it can invite Gu Jingyi to walk the runway?

The fashion resources offered in exchange were merely the double issue and inside pages of Vogue that Gu Jingyi had appeared in, which was utterly insincere.

Gu Jingyi recently went abroad and shot the cover and inside pages for Vogue South Korea.

He has already completed the grand slam of ten publications.

Domestically, all that's left is for the double cover of the October issue of Vogue to be released simultaneously. Huace will then buy press releases to let everyone know that Gu Jingyi has broken the record for the youngest person to achieve a "grand slam" of ten magazine covers and the fastest unlocking speed (only 320 days).

In South Korea, Vogue featured him on the cover of its December year-end issue.

That's how fashion resources are; some people want to access them but can't.

And at the top, there is even an oversupply of resources.

2018 hasn't even completely passed, and Gu Jingyi has already reached the top of the fashion world...

He even turned down a double issue of Vogue, which is known as the fashion bible, because the conditions were too demanding.

Gu Jingyi, you've actually become someone that many people have to look up to.

Upon learning that Lin Ze had declined, Gu Jingyi felt a little smug.

After all, a magazine's achievement of "ten issues in a row" merely reflects its status in the fashion world.

But if Gu Jingyi agrees to be the closing model for the Dior flagship store in Seoul, South Korea, he would truly be lowering his own status.

From sitting in the audience with an air of superiority, as the camera pans across them, they become puppets on stage.

Ah!
Who cares when Gu Jingyi will achieve his second "Grand Slam of Ten Publications"?

Even if Gu Jingyi succeeds again, the impact will only be visible to his fans.

With a string of blockbuster hits planned for next year, Gu Jingyi is very confident of appearing in a solo issue of the domestic Vogue magazine.

As expected, Gu Jingyi once again amazed the media as he calmly walked down the red carpet.

He was dressed very expensively today; his accessories, worth 5000 million RMB, are approximately equivalent to 95.13 billion Korean won…

While some might not perceive the high-end nature of an over-season haute couture suit, the dazzling 13.14-carat diamond accessory the size of a pigeon's egg that Gu Jingyi wore was unmistakably expensive, even to those completely unfamiliar with the fashion world.

His slicked-back hair, which perfectly accentuated his facial features, once again made Gu Jingyi look like a top heir from the Greater Bay Area in the last century.

Not only is he handsome, he's also very expensive.

Completely dazzling and captivating, just like Gu Jingyi's face.

His appearance instantly captured countless photographers' attention.

During the post-signing presentation, hundreds of media outlets turned on their flashlights to take photos of Gu Jingyi.

Gu Jingyi didn't even blink, and once again replicated the famous scene he had created before.

That heart-fluttering scene with Sister Pei already belonged to Gu Jingyi.

Upon entering the venue, all the artists present felt heartbroken upon seeing Gu Jingyi.

Looking at those glittering emerald brooches and necklaces, South Korean celebrities really give off the feeling of those nouveau riche relatives showing off their wealth every year during the Lunar New Year.

This can't be blamed on Gu Jingyi, after all, this is just the norm in the Chinese entertainment industry.

One of his girlfriends, Dilraba, is also frequently seen wearing exorbitantly priced earrings to various business occasions.

I heard that during an event, Dilraba lost an earring, which scared her team so much that they searched everywhere for it.

Fortunately, it was found in the end, and it was a false alarm.

South Korean celebrities have it so good; they never have to live in fear like that. Solving the problem directly at its source—that's probably one of their strategies.

South Korean celebrities can only borrow the latest season's designs; even last year's haute couture pieces are hard to come by. Accessories are even less likely to be available, such as rings, necklaces, and watches. Previously, Yang Ying amazed these unsophisticated South Korean netizens with just a few haute couture gowns.

In 2018, Yang Ying's title at Dior was only the visible brand ambassador for the Chinese region, while Gu Jingyi, as the Asian brand ambassador, naturally received much better treatment than Yang Ying.

Putting aside everything else, the one-of-a-kind brooch designed by Dior's creative director is proof enough.

Dior is supporting Gu Jingyi and using this event to demonstrate its favoritism towards him to the world.

Cai Xukun must be on the verge of a breakdown; his collaboration with Prada has gone awry.

His long-awaited album was released in August, and although sales were decent, it was completely overshadowed by Gu Jingyi's "Like the Wind" in both sales and critical reception.

Not to mention, Cai Xukun recently graced the cover of one of the five major women's magazines.

IKUNs act like they've never seen the world before, going around releasing press releases to associate themselves with Gu Jingyi and then belittle other artists.

They angered Consort Jing, who then slaughtered all the IKUNs without leaving a trace.

Gu Jingyi is about to achieve the grand slam of ten fashion magazine covers, while Cai Xukun has only achieved his first small success on the road to fashion.

Prada's marketing department then discovered that Cai Xukun had been using inflated data, such as the number of people who checked in on the Super Topic, to obtain loans.

When he collided with Gu Jingyi, the only true god, Cai Xukun was instantly forced to reveal his true form.

Well, Cai Xukun failed Prada's evaluation period.

With Cai Xukun's highly coveted luxury brand endorsement deal, which is expected to be announced several months later than his own, hanging over his head, Gu Jingyi was in a much better mood.

When Krystal Jung looked at Gu Jingyi, her beautiful eyes sparkled, and her amazement was undisguised.

She was originally a Korean-American, and her style and behavior were quite open.

Looking at Gu Jingyi's radiant face, she already had a plan to play PUBG tonight.

Soon the model show ended, and it was time for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

As is customary, the Dior brand ambassadors from the entire brand portfolio will take the stage.

Krystal Jung and Sehun are both brand ambassadors for Dior in South Korea, so naturally they should stand beside Gu Jingyi like asteroids surrounding the sun.

"Sehun, you should get closer to Gu Jingyi."

Wu Shixun's face stiffened; he really didn't want to stand next to Gu Jingyi...

This reminded him of the pain he felt a few years ago when he was overshadowed by Chris in a photo together.

Damn it, I didn't expect one annoying person to leave and another even more annoying one to come along.

Although Oh Sehun is very confident in his own looks, he is also known as the top handsome man in South Korea, and is said to be the one who "should be on the front of the national flag of the Republic of Korea and Cha Eunwoo on the back".

But when he was in the same frame as Gu Jingyi, he was instantly overshadowed and looked like an ordinary person.

They are so different in terms of appearance, clothing, and accessories.

After Gu Jingyi came to cut the ribbon, Wu Shixun basically became a stepping stone...

After the group photo, Gu Jingyi could tell from the frenzied stares of the various media outlets that a bloody storm was brewing.

Poor Sehun…

After a moment of pity, Krystal knocked on Gu Jingyi's car door.

"Gu Jingyi, I think I have a fever. Could you take a look at me?"

Krystal Jung's cheeks flushed unnaturally, and her gaze towards Gu Jingyi was filled with determination.

"Really? Then I have no choice but to be a good person today."

With a determined look in his eyes, Gu Jingyi went to Zheng Xiujing's apartment following her address.

The heavy curtains were drawn down, and emotions arose without warning. One by one, they faded away, leaving only sounds that made one blush and their heart race.

The bed also made creaking sounds, which made Krystal Jung somewhat dissatisfied.

"Slow down, don't shake my mattress. This brand is custom-made, it's very expensive."

Gu Jingyi smiled and increased the intensity once again.

The envoy from the suzerain state can not only shatter K-pop today, but also K-pop female idols!
(End of this chapter)