"You want me to do what now?" Sarang asked with a raised brow. Her brows rose even higher as Bang PD continued what he was saying.
"I think this is the perfect time for you to step into the Chinese entertainment industry." Bang PD repeated.
"Why so suddenly?" Sarang asked as she looked at the file in front of her that had detailed plans about everything.
"The artist management team and I along with some other executives have been thinking about it for a while now actually. Your fanbase in China is the biggest one among all other celebrities. Even bigger than actual Chinese born kpop idols. For some reason they think of you as one of their own and have always supported you since your debut. We feel like it'd be a waste to not tap into such a big market and use it fully."
As Bang PD finished his explanation he handed her a file which was full of statistics and charts detailing how famous foreign celebrities were in China and much to Sarang's surprise she was #1 in each and every survey. As if that wasn't surprising enough she was the #3 most famous celebrity in China following Jay Chou and Jackie Chan. Two of the biggest stars ever.
Her manager who was looking at a copy of the same file gasped in shock as she too read this.
"Number three? Three? Right after THE Jay Chou and Jackie Chan?" Minhee, her manager exclaimed in shock.
"Sounds surprising right? This is exactly why we need you to promote in China too. Take advantage of the love you're receiving while they're still nice to you." Mr. Lee, one of the executives who Sarang found particularly irritable announced.
Sarang's eye twitched in response to the strange wording of the executive. She didn't like the way he was insinuating of using her fans' love and support to build her career before they turn their back on her. But she kept quiet. This wasn't the time to argue.
"Well what do you want me to do then?" Sarang finally asked as she looked around the room.
"Start promoting in China." Another executive Mr. Park replied making her squint in confusion.
"What exactly do you mean by promoting in China?"
"We want you to release songs in Chinese, participate in Chinese variety shows, attend events and if possible then take on some acting roles too." Mr. Lee announced as he handed her more papers to look at.
"What?" Sarang exclaimed in shock. She had thought by promoting they meant having more tour stops in China or at most releasing Chinese versions of songs. She didn't realize they meant her to actually do full-fledged promotions and activities like she did in Korea. "But how will I manage? My Chinese is sub par at best."
"Your Chinese is good enough. And for some reason the C-netizens find your chinese really cute and appreciate your hardwork in polishing your language. Besides we still have two months before the official schedule so you can brush up on your language a bit more." Mr. Park replied.
Sarang looked at Bang PD who just sighed before giving her a pleading look.
"Sarang-ah, I know it'd be difficult and I know we're asking too much of you but it is important that you build a stable fan base in China. If things work out well, then maybe a lot of talented people would be interested in joining our company as trainees."
"You have no idea how much of the total sales your chinese fanbase is responsible for. This is your chance to cement your popularity there." Mr. Lim said softly. Maybe for the first time in his life.
"Fine. If you guys think this is the best course of action then okay." Sarang agreed.
"You don't have to worry. Your first few projects would just be variety shows and brand events." Bang PD told her.
"Variety shows as the first gig? What if I mess up?" Sarang asked as she nibbled on her lower lip thoughtfully.
"You don't have to worry about that. Since this will be your first ever Chinese variety show, we thought it's best to send you on one with familiar faces. You'll be joined with Jun and Minghao of Seventeen on the show. We believe that will be of great help to you." Bang PD reassured her much to her relief.
Well that was one good thing at least. She couldn't imagine how she'd have managed to be on a show by herself. But if her friends were there she'd definitely be at ease.
And so it was settled that Sarang would join the cast of Youth Periplous Season 4 along with Minghao and Jun. She read a bit about the show.
In Youth Periplous Season 4 members of the "IF Club" embark on a pleasant spring journey. This season's program embraces the theme IF—without a predetermined script—in order to give the members' authentic reactions during the trip, and to challenge a new journey full of unknown possibilities.
Season 4 will travel around different regions and explore their beautiful scenery, delicious foods, and unique cultural heritage. Through this, members and viewers will be able to grasp the core of the city/region's culture and feel inspired to explore their vast world.
Well that was certainly a very good way of dipping her feet into the Chinese entertainment industry.
The next few weeks Sarang spent most of her time practicing her chinese. She felt like she was back in high school and was preparing for CSAT with how much studying she was doing. Her studio and home were both scatteted with various chinese books. She had also taken it upon herself to watch as many chinese dramas as she could to perfect the language.
"Are you really trying to master one of the toughest languages by watching dramas?" Jungkook asked as he gave her a pack of chocolate milk.
"It's one of the easiest ways to learn it actually. And the most entertaining one too." Sarang answered as she accepted the drink and drank it. Savouring the chocolatey taste. "I've been craving some chocolate milk for a while now. Thank you Jungkook-ah."
"Anything for my lady." Jungkook said as he did a dramatic bow which made her laugh. He smiled as he watched her relax a bit. "You're going to do amazing. Don't worry so much and don't overwork yourself."
Sarang sighed as she heard him. "I feel like I'm back in 2015 and about to debut. This is nerve wracking honestly."
"Oh Sarang-ah!" Jungkook said softly as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Sarang melted into his embrace as she sought comfort from him. She yelped in surprise when she felt him massaging her shoulders lightly. However soon the yelp changed into pleasure as Jungkook worked his way through the tension knots on her shoulder.
She couldn't help but let out a small moan as he massaged her nape. Both Sarang and Jungkook stilled for a moment as the air grew heavy. Sarang felt like her skin was on fire where Jungkook's hands were resting.
Jungkook on the other hand tried to calm himself down as his body reacted to the sweet sound he had heard. He was highly aware of the way his hands were now travelling down towards her chest as he continued massaging her lightly.
"Tell me to stop and I will." He whispered and almost groaned when Sarang clutched his hands and slowly brought them down towards her chest.
"Sarang-ah you're driving me crazy." Jungkook said as his hands finally cupped her chest. Only the thin fabric of her bra was between his hands and her breasts. He imagined how it must feel to have his hands roam freely on the pillowy breasts. He imagined kissing each of those perfect mounts. He withdrew his hands when reality hit him and started cursing slightly.
"Shit I'm so sorry Sarang." He apologized profusely only for his apologies to be shut down as Sarang kissed him on lips. They both moaned as Sarang ran her hands through his hair and pressed herself closer to him.
These days they've been really busy and didn't get much time to spend together. And whenever they finally got some time, someone or other would interrupt them. And so whenever they got some time to themselves they'd savour it to the fullest.
"You know what will be the hardest part of all this?" Sarang asked as she drew back slightly.
"What?" Jungkook asked as he kissed her collarbone making her crane her neck to give him more access.
"Staying away from you. From this." Sarang answered as she kissed him once again.
The two had to part when Sarang got a call from her manager.
"I guess that's the end of our little break huh?" Jungkook joked as he kissed her closed eyelids softly before bidding her goodbye.
Sarang slumped back in her seat as she fanned herself and tried to calm down. She blushed further when she remembered the way Jungkook's hand had travelled down her shirt and she almost lost her composure when she felt the pads of his fingers brushing against the top of her breasts.
"Jeon Jungkook what are you doing to me." Sarang sighed as she tried to calm her racing heart.
Two months after the initial meeting with Bang PD and the other staff regarding her debut into the Chinese Entertainment industry, the day finally arrived when Sarang had to fly to China and begin the shooting for the show.
For safety and privacy reasons Sarang and her team decided to fly at midnight. No one apart from the immediate staff and friends knew of her schedule. Thankfully as the flight landed in Huaxian, Sarang and her team were able to reach the resort without anyone recognizing them.
The fact that Sarang was wearing a hoodie and a mask to disguise herself also seemed to have worked in their favor.
As her manager was checking her into the resort Sarang took out her phone and clicked some photos to share on weverse and Instagram later.
Sarang greeted the owner of the resort who was aware of Sarang's true identity. The kind lady explained the history of the resort and famous sites close to it.
"Baoquan comprises Henan's famous national forest reserve and Taihang rhesus macaque reserve." Sarang perked up at the mention of the macaque reserve.
"The scenic area includes the red rock canyons of the Taihang range and majestic waterfalls. The area is abundant in natural water sources and makes a great summer retreat." As the owner explained this she guided Sarang to her room and continued her explanation.
"Baoquan's beautiful scenery inspired the Qing Qianlong Emperor to describe Baoquan as having 'abundant springs and radiant beauty.' During the reign of the Ming Jiajing Emperor (1507-1567), imperial censor Li Zongshu inscribed a plaque calling the location Red Mountains of the Clear Blue Water."
As the owner ended her explanation she brought Sarang to her designated suite before informing her that the rest of the cast would be arriving the day after. Sarang thanked the kind lady as she led Sarang's staff to their respective rooms
The shoot for the variety show's new episode would begin two days later so Sarang had some time to herself. She looked outside her hotel's window and breathed in the fresh air. The resort she was staying at was simply beautiful. It was surrounded by nature and its beauty was simply breathtaking.
"Jungkook would love this." It was the first thought to cross Sarang's mind as she looked outside the window. The sun was peeking out slowly from behind the mountains and the mist made it look so ethereal that Sarang couldn't help but marvel at its beauty.
She immediately video called Jungkook who picked up the call within three rings making Sarang smile.
"Were you waiting for my call?" Sarang asked, to which Jungkook eagerly nodded.
"Of course I was."
Instead of saying anything else Sarang flipped the camera so he too can see the amazing site in front of her. She smiled to herself when she heard his amazed "wow"
"It's breathtaking!" Jungkook confessed in awe.
"It certainly is." Sarang agreed.
The two talked for some more time before Sarang ended the call as she was getting sleepy.
"Sleep well my love." Jungkook said as he blew her a kiss making her blush.
"You too." Sarang replied as she sent him a flying kiss making him giggle.
Two days later Sarang looked around anxiously as she tried her best to calm herself down. The shoot was about to begin in just a few short minutes. She jumped in surprise as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to her side and sighed in relief when she saw that it was her friend Minghao.
"Why are you so anxious?" He asked as he handed her a glass of water.
"Is it that apparent?" Sarang asked as she accepted the glass.
"It is. Don't worry about it too much though. The cast is super friendly and you'll feel comfortable with all of them." He tried to comfort her which made her feel a bit better.
"I'm sure they are nice, but I worry about messing up something. What if I end up saying something I shouldn't? Or if my Chinese isn't clear enough for them to understand?" Sarang said as she looked around the empty green room. She was startled when she heard Jun laughing.
"Yah you've been conversing with the two of us in Chinese for the past twenty minutes what are you even saying?" Jun said as he tried to stop his laughter.
At that Sarang looked at the two idols with wide eyes. That was indeed true. She didn't even realize that she wasn't speaking in Korean with them. The conversation had flown so smoothly that it didn't feel like she wasn't talking in her native language.
That boosted her confidence as she nodded her head in agreement.
"Sarang-ah they all know that you aren't a native speaker. None of them will make fun of you even if you do end up making mistake. Or even if they do, they don't have any malicious intent. Loosen up." Minghao cheered her on.
"That's right. We used to mess up a lot when we were rookies. You're far better than us." Jun said as he thought back to the days when he and Hao didn't know much Korean.
"I'm glad I've got you two by my side." Sarang confessed as she shot them grateful glances.
The trio looked up as one of the staff informed them that the shoot was about to start and it'd be their cue soon. Sarang looked at her friends one last time before squaring her shoulder as the staff motioned for them to come in.
Minghao walked in first followed by Jun and then Sarang was the last to enter.
"Oh The8 come in, come in!" One of the cast members said as they all turned towards the newcomers.
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A/N:- I'M BACK!!
This chapter took me a while cause I needed to do a lot of research for it to be as accurate as possible.
I'm sorry i haven't been able to update more frequently cause I've been busy recently. I'll try to update more often.
Thank you sm for reading and commenting guys, ilysm 🥺💗
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