GalaxyTL
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!"
"Seeing how much you like me makes me happy too. Thank you."
"Y-You’re so good at Japanese too... You’re amazing! Am I taking up too much of your time right now?"
"No, it’s fine. I still have time since the dubbing hasn’t started yet. By the way, you’re the first-year representative, right?"
"Y-Y-You know who I am?!"
"Of course, I know. Usami Chisako, right? From the Theatre and Film Department. You’re into voice acting, aren’t you?"
As a fan, there’s nothing more thrilling than your favorite celebrity remembering you.
‘It feels incredible.’
Since I knew that feeling all too well, I decided to go all out with fan service during this rare video call.
Plus, Chisako’s enthusiastic reactions made it pretty entertaining.
"Th-That’s right! You remember me?!"
"Of course, I remember. How could I forget the first-year representative? I actually wanted to meet you back then, but I couldn’t because I was too busy. Sorry about that."
"No, no, no, no! There’s no need to apologize! I-I should be the one apologizing for bothering you!"
Seeing as the conversation was flowing nicely, I thought it might be a good chance to give her dad some credit.
"No need to think that way at all. Besides, your father has been a huge help to me, so I feel like I’m the one imposing."
"M-My dad?"
Of course, he hadn’t helped me yet.
In fact, judging by the atmosphere, it felt more like I wasn’t entirely welcome.
‘But since the situation is taking a favorable turn, why not butter each other up a bit?’
Two birds with one stone—mutual compliments are always a win-win.
"Yeah, he’s been really kind. That’s why I’m so happy to do this video call."
Having dealt with fathers who were soft on their daughters before, this wasn’t my first rodeo.
‘I’ve been through this a few times with Sujin’s family.’
When you compliment a dad to his daughter, it usually plays out like this:
"M-My dad? That doesn’t sound like him…"
"No, he’s incredibly kind, isn’t he?"
"Yes! My dad is amazing!"
Once she enthusiastically praised her dad, I glanced at the time to wrap things up.
‘Alright, time to bring this to a smooth close.’
Even ending the call had to be done professionally and tactfully.
"I’ve been such a huge fan of yours since HiDream! This feels like a dream come true!"
"Really? But it’s a shame we’re only doing this through a video call, isn’t it?"
"Y-Yes, yes, yes! A-Are you saying you feel the same?!"
"Yeah, just talking like this with the first-year representative of Daejong High feels a bit lacking. How about we continue this conversation in person when we have more time?"
"M-M-M-Meet?! Meet! Yes, yes, I’d love that! I’ll start getting ready right away!"
?
What exactly is she preparing for?
Oh well, the call was naturally coming to an end, so it didn’t really matter.
Smiling warmly, I waved at her.
"Then let’s talk for longer next time. I’ll hang up now."
"Yes, yes! Senpai!"
Click.
And just like that, the call ended.
Clap, clap, clap.
As soon as the call ended, the sound of applause filled the room.
"Such fan service, and you even boosted my reputation... Donghu, may I think of you as my son?"
The one clapping was none other than Usami Kenji, Chisako’s father.
I was caught off guard by his reaction.
"…Haha, I appreciate the thought. I was just doing what I had to do."
Why is this guy so intense?
"Then… would it be alright if I gave you a hug? It’s been so long since my daughter said she liked me… I’m so grateful…"
"…"
His eyes glistened with overwhelming emotion, making it impossible to say no.
After surviving this series of awkward moments,
the first day concluded with a light introduction session and a script review.
‘So, voice acting, huh.’
I scratched my head as I looked at the script in front of me.
‘I can’t believe the day has finally come where I’m doing this.’
As I was lost in thought,
my phone buzzed with perfect timing.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
A message from SIMS arrived:
Reading the message, I instinctively understood how I needed to approach dubbing.
It was as if the clouds in my mind had suddenly cleared.
‘I know the theory now. The rest is practice.’
Assuming you’ve mastered something just because you’ve unlocked the basics would be foolish.
‘I need to keep refining this until I can hit 100%—no, 120%.’
But first—
Grrr.
"Hyung, where’s the next restaurant on our list?"
"Since we’re in Japan, it’s gotta be sushi, right? We should eat sushi!"
"Sushi sounds amazing. Should we go for conveyor belt sushi?"
"Funny you should say that—I’ve already scouted out the best places!"
Eating before anything else was definitely the right choice.
That day—
"A new record has been set!"
I ate 61 plates of sushi and felt completely satisfied.
"Donghu, we should start a YouTube channel someday and upload mukbang videos. What do you think?"
"Me? No way, I’m not cut out for that."
"Are you kidding? You’re perfect for it. A guy who runs 10 kilometers every day is bound to eat a lot—it’d be weird if you didn’t."
Hyung’s usual admiration was just an added bonus.
++++++
The Second Day of Filming The Traitor: Roots of Corruption
“Ah, the sky is clear today.”
Unlike before, Usami Kenji greeted the morning with a remarkably refreshed spirit.
And for good reason:
Dad, you’re the best!
Thanks to you, I had such an amazing experience.
Love you, Dad!
It had been ages since he’d received such a string of heartwarming messages.
‘My sweet little daughter, Chisako, who’s so precious I wouldn’t mind putting her in my eye and carrying her around.’
It felt like just yesterday that she said she wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a voice actor.
Now she was all grown up, sending such loving words to her dad.
Moved to the point of tears, Kenji’s eyes began to water. But then he quickly collected himself.
‘There’s no time for this—I need to teach Donghu as much as I can.’
He prepared a notebook filled with his voice acting expertise.
With this alone, he believed anyone could gain unparalleled love in the industry.
With this thought, Kenji met with Kim Donghu.
‘Let’s start with a skill test.’
To gauge Donghu’s current level, Kenji had him perform a brief acting exercise.
“…?!”
Kenji was utterly stunned.
‘Wait, he’s this good?’
His skill was on par with a veteran professional. No, perhaps even better.
At that moment, Usami Kenji felt certain.
“Donghu, if I were to die, you have my permission to carry on the name of Kenji.”
“…Pardon?”
Seeing Donghu freeze up from the compliment, Kenji chuckled internally.
‘Hehe.’
He didn’t for a second think it was because Donghu felt overwhelmed.