Chapter 68

The sweet interlude was interrupted, and Kim Tae-hee ran back to school, not even answering his calls, which left Lee Jung-hui quite depressed. However, his popularity boost plan was gaining momentum, and starting from the 2nd, KBS's offline promotional activities for him finally began.

In the early 21st century, the power of the internet had not yet reached the point where it could directly influence reality, causing related events to surge in popularity. Therefore, Lee Jung-hui needed Park Dong-jeom's cooperation.

Just like with "The Curse," in addition to online viral marketing, there needed to be various media outlets vying for coverage offline. This was because, at the time, the primary means of information dissemination in society were still television, radio, and print media like newspapers and magazines, which still had an influence on people that the internet could not match.

At 8 PM, after having dinner with Park Dong-jeom, he personally accompanied Lee Jung-hui to the KBS headquarters.

As soon as they got out of the car and passed through the square in front of the KBS main building, he heard someone from a nearby flower shop calling his name. Then, after confirming it was him, over ten people instantly rushed over.

The twin bodyguards, Lee Myung-eun and Lee Myung-jik, immediately blocked him. At this moment, Lee Jung-hui finally saw that the first person to rush forward was Lee So-e, and after a moment of surprise, he smiled and said, "Why are you here?"

"To support you!" Lee So-e looked at him with a grin and said proudly, "You're a big star now. If no one shows up to support you at events, it would be embarrassing, and wouldn't we also lose face?"

Uh, that's true, Lee Jung-hui smiled, understanding that he had mentioned online yesterday that he would be at KBS today, and the fans had come to support him.

At this moment, a very petite and fair-skinned girl with a round, cute face, holding a bouquet of flowers, came up to him and said, "Hello, oppa, I'm a Chinese exchange student, Sherry. I heard your father is Chinese. Do you speak Chinese?"

"Thank you for the flowers!" Lee Jung-hui nodded, "Of course, uh, you're from Northeast China, I can tell from your accent..."

Sherry was even happier when he said this, and the other fans were also eager to approach. However, at this moment, Park Dong-jeom tugged at Lee Jung-hui and whispered, "It's about time..."

He was naturally pleased to see Lee Jung-hui supported, as it indicated that their upcoming efforts would be meaningful.

With his reminder, Lee Jung-hui nodded, took a few photos with Sherry and the others, and then told them to go home and be careful before heading into the KBS main building.

At 8:30 PM, at the KBS radio station, he would appear as a guest, and the only guest, for a full half-hour.

This was prime time, and "Starry Night" was a well-known celebrity interview show. For a newcomer like Lee Jung-hui, it was usually impossible to appear here, and Park Dong-jeom had to put in a lot of effort to make it happen.

"This is the program's PD, Kim Min-jeok!" As they entered the control room, Park Dong-jeom introduced him to Lee Jung-hui. He personally accompanied Lee Jung-hui to provide support, as in the Korean entertainment industry, seniority was highly valued. As a newcomer, no matter how outstanding, it was easy to be deliberately made difficult before becoming a major star.

This promotional plan could not afford to fail, so Park Dong-jeom did not need to worry about overstepping, "This is the host, our golden DJ, Lee Min-ho..."

With Park Dong-jeom present, it was clearly different. Kim Min-jeok and Lee Min-ho both greeted Lee Jung-hui politely, then carefully reviewed the questions and the entire process to avoid any mistakes.

For a full fifteen minutes, just three minutes before the show, Lee Jung-hui and Lee Min-ho entered the broadcasting room from the control room.

After a brief exchange and a microphone test, the program began a ten-second countdown, 10, 9...1. Then, as PD Kim Min-jeok said "start" in the control room, Lee Min-ho turned on the microphone and began.

"Hello everyone, I'm your old friend, Lee Min-ho, welcome to 'Starry Night' at 8:30 PM."

Smiling, he glanced at Lee Jung-hui and continued, "Well, you must be guessing who today's guest is, so let me reveal it. Please give a warm welcome to Mr. Lee Jung-hui..."

True to his reputation as a golden DJ, his voice was well-modulated, and he managed to build up the audience's excitement. However, some long-time listeners of "Starry Night" were confused, as few had heard of Lee Jung-hui.

Even in the past week, although Lee Jung-hui had appeared on a few shows with Song Seung-hun and Son Ye-jin, he was just a supporting role, and few remembered his name.

Only on the internet, on the official website of "My Sassy Girl," did the fans erupt in excitement the moment the show started.

"He's here, he's here, the show has started. Wow, Oppa Jung-hui's voice is so nice, so magnetic!"

"Starry Night, is Oppa Jung-hui going to become a big star?"

"What do you mean 'going to become a big star'? Oppa Jung-hui is already a big star, he's my favorite!"

Of course, besides the enthusiastic fans, there were others, like Kim Tae-hee, Ha Ji-won, Son Ye-jin, Jang Dong-gun, Ko Jae-dong, and even Yoon Seok-ho, who turned on his nearly twenty-year-old radio to listen. As Lee Min-ho introduced him, and others were confused, the familiar voice rang out.

"Hello everyone, I'm Lee Jung-hui, a writer and an actor. Uh, I'm not very well-known yet, but if you've seen the movie 'The Curse,' that's my work. Also, if you've read the novel 'My Sassy Girl' online, that's also written by me..."

As Lee Jung-hui spoke, some listeners began to recognize him. Then, Lee Min-ho smoothly followed up, his voice tinged with excitement, "Wait, you haven't mentioned that you're only eighteen and already have a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard. Wow, a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard Business School, note, not a student, but a graduate."

At this point, he twisted in his chair as if excitedly swaying, and his voice became even more captivating, "Wow, this is too crazy. Listeners, are you as shocked and amazed as I am?"

"So, without further ado, let's spend the remaining time getting to know today's guest, the genius Ph.D. from Harvard, and how he embarked on this fascinating journey into the entertainment industry!"

Even Park Dong-jeom had to admire Lee Min-ho's skill. From the start, he quickly used a highlight to pique the listeners' interest in this still relatively unknown figure, no wonder the show's ratings were always top in its time slot.

Of course, while admiring, Lee Jung-hui also adjusted his state to answer the question about how he entered the entertainment industry, "Well, it's actually quite interesting. Last year, my grandmother was ill, and my mother and I returned from New York to visit her. I'm not usually one to wander around, but that day, I went out and met a talent scout, who chatted with me for a long time..."

At this point, he glanced at Lee Min-ho, who was smiling, and continued, "Uh, I was quite excited at the time because I had seen many movies and TV shows and admired the stars. However, after returning home, I thought about it carefully and realized I had no singing skills and hadn't studied acting, so I decided to give it a pass..."

At this moment, Lee Min-ho interjected, "You're very handsome, and from the pictures I've seen online, your physique is also great!"

"Thank you!" Lee Jung-hui smiled and continued, "But I didn't have much confidence at the time. However, I later thought that if I chose a topic related to the entertainment industry for my thesis, it would be interesting. With many ideas in my head, I wrote two scripts and sent them out to try..."

"Do geniuses like you have a lot of creative ideas?" Lee Min-ho joked, then continued, "But if you wanted to understand the entertainment industry, wouldn't it be better to join the company the talent scout recommended rather than writing scripts? I know that various production companies and TV stations receive many scripts every day..."

Lee Jung-hui nodded and smiled, "That's true. If I joined the company the talent scout recommended, I would be part of the entertainment industry. However, as a trainee, I would have limited access to the industry's inner workings. As a screenwriter, especially for TV dramas, I could participate in almost every aspect of production, which would be very beneficial for understanding the industry."

Finally, he shrugged, "Well, at the time, I didn't plan to enter the industry. I just wanted to try it out. Even if I succeeded, I would approach it with a learning attitude and return to complete my thesis after learning..."

Hearing this, Lee Min-ho laughed and interrupted, "That's not very fair, is it? You're already planning to leave after getting what you want..."

He said this intentionally, but it undoubtedly amused the listeners, making them find Lee Jung-hui interesting. This Harvard genius didn't want to be a star but ended up in the industry.

As a result, more and more people tuned in, and the show became increasingly engaging!

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