Chapter 297 - Su Tao’s Fanclub
Seeing Su Tao and Liu Ruochen chatting by the window from afar, Kim Jung-ho felt his mood cheering up for some reason. He didn't lack friends, but most of them weren't true friends. Those friends only gathered for benefits, so it was a different feeling with Su Tao and Liu Ruochen. He noticed that the two of them shared a similar ideal to him.
Even if Kim Jung-ho denied the fact that TKM originated from China, he knew that his companions would surely be from China, since it was the origin of TCM. Most of TKM came from TCM, and that was an undeniable fact.
For some reason, Kim Jung-ho's psyche was baffling. He wanted to compete with Su Tao, but he was also afraid that it would destroy the rapport that they shared. Although Su Tao sounded arrogant and looked at him with disdain, Kim Jung-ho still liked interacting with Su Tao. Even he had no idea why.
Not long after Kim Jung-ho sat down, he received a call from Kim Jung-yeon. "Oppa, where are you now?"
"I'm having tea with Su Tao!" Kim Jung-ho smiled.
"Really? That's great! A few friends of mine want to see Su Tao in person. Send me your address now!" Kim Jung-yeon was emotional in her speech.
After Kim Jung-ho hung up the phone, he sent his address over to his sister before looking at Su Tao with a wry smile. "Su Tao, I'm starting to regret inviting you to South Korea!"
"Because I'm stealing your limelight?" Su Tao smiled.
"Yeah. You already have fans in South Korea, and don't underestimate them. They will become seeds that will spread amongst their friends. You know South Korea's population, so you will become a celebrity after your fan base reaches a certain number." Kim Jung-ho shrugged. He seemed to be reminiscing the process of him gaining his fame in the past.
With a faint smile, Su Tao replied, "I can't be bothered about that. I just want the International Medical Summit to end so that I can return. There are still many patients waiting for me."
Wearing a complicated smile, Kim Jung-ho said, "Su Tao, has the thought ever crossed your mind that South Korea might be more suitable for your development?"
"Oh?" Glancing at Kim Jung-ho, Su Tao knew that there must be a reason why Kim Jung-ho asked him out for tea.
"China might be vast with abundant resources and is the origin of TCM, but it's not a good place for development." Kim Jung-ho responded with confidence. "With your medical skills, you can swiftly gain fame in South Korea. At the same time, South Korea is also a good stage for you to interact with western countries. This is the fastest path. If you're willing, I can give you half of my medical centre's shares, and we can cooperate together for it to branch out internationally."
He was inviting Su Tao to be his partner, and he was smart. He knew that it was more valuable for Su Tao to be his partner than being his rival. Even if he knew that the chances weren't huge, he still wanted to give it a try.
Hearing Kim Jung-ho's sincere invitation, Su Tao shook his head with a faint smile. "I'm sorry, but I have to decline."
"Why?" Kim Jung-ho was disappointed.
"Su Tao's heart is in China, and his roots are there, no matter what temptation he faces." Liu Ruochen took the initiative to explain for Su Tao.
Glancing at Liu Ruochen, Su Tao felt that she understood him really well. He wasn't willing to abandon the Three Flavour Hall and all his companions. A bright prospect wasn't important to Su Tao. He was more concerned about those around him. Only their happiness could put more colour into his life.
The Three Flavour Hall was his root, and his companions were also his roots.
Naturally, that didn't mean that Su Tao was someone without ambitions. In fact, his ambition was higher than Kim Jung-ho's. But he preferred relying on his own capability. Borrowing power for him to enter the international stage? He wasn't interested.
When Kim Jung-yeon brought a few gorgeous ladies in, they covered their mouths as they quickly paced over, following behind Kim Jung-yeon in excitement. They were wondering how they should face Su Tao when he looked so handsome!
Rolling her eyes, Kim Jung-yeon sourly chuckled, "Can you guys tone it down? It's embarrassing!"
When they sat down, Kim Jung-yeon coughed and explained, "We're here to announce that Su Tao's international fan club will be established today and the few of us will be the administrators of his fan club."
Hearing his little sister's words, Kim Jung-ho's face instantly became unsightly as he grumbled, "Why didn't you make a fan club for me?"
Kim Jung-yeon grinned as she replied, "Oppa, don't you already have a fan club? Furthermore, we picked Su Tao was after we've researched him. Su Tao has the potential of a celebrity, and his looks also fit the bill for teenage girls!"
"You don't have to beat around the bush. Why don't you just say that you detest me for being too old?" Kim Jung-ho sourly responded.
Although Kim Jung-ho had his own fan club that was even larger than some ordinary local celebrities, with over a hundred thousand members, he still felt jealous that his sister wasn't part of the administrators of his fan club.
Snapping her finger, Kim Jung-yeon was signalling that he was spot on. After that, she turned to Su Tao and smiled. "The few of them are my university friends, and they've also studied Mandarin. So they can help you advertise your fan club better."
At this moment, Su Tao finally caught up to the sudden development and bitterly smiled. "Can I refuse?"
"Nope!" Kim Jung-yeon declared firmly as she continued, "You can only agree to it!"
Thereafter, Kim Jung-yeon started discussing with her friends regarding the operation of the fan club.
Fan clubs were fanbases of celebrities, and they would be able to retain their popularity with the support of their fan club. Not only would the fan club organise the tickets for concerts, but there were also club activities, such as welcoming the celebrities at the airport. As long as the celebrity had a fan club, the celebrities would have a safe line for their new albums, not to mention that they were also updated with the latest news. The purpose of a fan club was to provide a platform for fans to interact with each other.
Kim Jung-yeon wanted to support Su Tao to become a celebrity physician, since she felt that he had more potential than her brother, Kim Jung-ho. The reason was simple, there was a bigger population in China, and Su Tao's fan club had a dozen times more potential than her brother's.
Her mindset could be considered as a gamble and an investment at the same time.
On the other hand, Su Tao had tacitly agreed with this concept, since it was an experiment. Although he didn't like how Kim Jung-ho used tactics to boost his own popularity, the fan club could increase his fame if it was successful. If he could make use of this platform to introduce TCM to more people, it would be an unexpected surprise.
However, Su Tao never expected that his life would be greatly affected in the future by something that was born under a trifling atmosphere.
After Kim Jung-yeon excitedly left with her friends to establish the international fan club, Liu Ruochen teased, "Do you need a manager now that you have a fan club?"
"Well, you can have the job if you're interested." Su Tao looked at Liu Ruochen. He wasn't willing to back down.
Facing their blatant flirting, Kim Jung-ho locked his brows together, feeling like a third wheel in this atmosphere. Hence, he interrupted, "Why don't we change our location to somewhere more lively? Let me do my job as a host."
Nightlife in Seoul was exciting, and Kim Jung-ho brought the two of them to a pub. The place was booming with music and people were dancing on the dancefloor. If one was careless, they would be affected by the atmosphere. Even Su Tao had started to unconsciously move along to the rhythm.
This pub was famous in Seoul and had high expenditure, since many celebrities often visited here. Kim Jung-ho was a frequent customer to this pub, so they sat down in a corner under the lead of a waiter. The two bottles of exported alcohol were also swiftly delivered by the waiter. Shortly after they sat down, Kim Jung-ho received a call before the turned to Su Tao and smiled. "Joong-sun will come to get the bill later. So just drink and don't save money for him!"
Glancing at Kim Jung-ho, Su Tao knew that this fellow has concealed himself well, despite being a miser.
Roughly around a dozen minutes later, Park Joong-sun arrived with Choi Beom-gyu. The appearance of Choi Beom-gyu left Su Tao somewhat surprised, so he reminded, "Beom-gyu is currently carrying a baby, and alcohol isn't good for the fetus."
Helplessly shrugging his shoulders, Park Joong-sun replied, "I can't help it. She was worried that I might fool around."
Sourly glancing at Park Joong-sun, Choi Beom-gyu explained, "I felt that it's rare for Divine Physician Su to visit South Korea, and we have to repay you as our benefactor."
Their words made Su Tao form a better impression of this couple. At the same time, he also felt somewhat guilty that he extorted a sum out of them some time ago. He smiled. "You're putting things too seriously."
Kim Jung-ho's gaze fell in a nearby direction as he smiled and looked at Su Tao. "Do you know that woman sitting there?"
Shaking his head, Su Tao responded with a smile, "Why would I know her?"
"Alright, it looks like you don't pay much attention to the entertainment circle. She's Hwang Ji-yeon, a Heavenly Queen in South Korea's music industry. But I've no idea why she's sitting there, alone." Kim Jung-ho said in a soft tone. "I'll go try and get her to join us, wait for me."
Walking over, Kim Jung-ho spoke a few words with that woman before he came back with a wry smile. "Hwang Ji-yeon is truly as cold as rumoured. My invitation was rejected!"
Hearing his words, Park Joong-sun burst into laughter as he teased, "I never expected that the Celebrity Killer, Kim Jung-ho, would fail. How unexpected!"
"She should have something on her mind and needs to be alone. So it's natural for you to be rejected." Su Tao weakly smiled.
"Oh? What do you mean?" Kim Jung-ho instantly had his interest piqued.
"If I've not misheard, you previously said that she's a singer. Alcohol damages the vocal cords, so it's against logic for a singer to drink." Su Tao analysed with a smile.
Letting out a cough, Kim Jung-ho asked, "Then you managed to see through what's on her mind?"
After a brief pondering, Su Tao explained, "Judging from her posture, her centre of gravity is more focused on her left foot. So her right foot should be injured, and it's been injured for quite some time, since her posture had already been turned into a habit. Not only does a South Korean singer need a good voice, they also needed the supplementary of dance. If I've speculated correctly, her injury is serious and is affecting her career. This is the reason why she drinks despite knowing that alcohol would damage her vocal cords."
When Kim Jung-ho looked at her after Su Tao's explanation, there truly seemed to be something unusual about Hwang Ji-yeon's posture. At the same time, it also spoke for Su Tao's ability for him to come up with such a conclusion despite the dim light in the pub.
Thus, Kim Jung-ho stood up and went over again. Shortly after, Hwang Ji-yeon walked over to their table together with Kim Jung-ho. Looking at this scene, Su Tao smiled. He knew that he was spot on! Otherwise, it's probably impossible for Hwang Ji-yeon to change her mind.