Chapter 66: Fans and Foes
Across the world Phillip paced across the living room, fists clenched, his jaw tight. His eyes burned with frustration as he stared at the TV replaying the Global Competition highlights.
"Look at him," Phillip snapped, pointing at the screen where Dayo’s performance was being replayed. "This guy... this guy is everywhere now. Why can’t he just disappear? How did he even make it into the Global Competition?"
Vivian sat on the couch, arms folded, trying to keep her own irritation under control. "Phillip, calm down. You’ll give yourself a stroke at this rate."
"Calm down?" Phillip spun on her. "You expect
to sit here while he gets paraded around the world like so golden boy? After everything? All the insults and sha he put
through? No. No one does
like that and gets away with it. Never." His voice cracked with anger.
Vivian sighed, though inside she felt the sa sting. Seeing Dayo shine this brightly cut her deeper than she wanted to admit. He was supposed to be nothing after her. A loser. Yet here he was, a rising star.
She still rembered the last ti she t him — when he told her he pitied her. She had felt unimaginable embarrassnt, anger boiling through her veins. But she could do nothing, not after the label had already warned her to stay clear of him.
Phillip stopped pacing suddenly. A sly smirk tugged at his lips. "Wait..." He leaned closer to Vivian. "Maybe we don’t have to just sit here."
She raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"
He bent down and whispered into her ear. Her eyes widened at first. "Are you serious?"
Phillip leaned back, his grin sharper now. "Trust . This will work. You’ll see. People already love a sob story, and with your history with him? They’ll eat it up."
Vivian hesitated for a mont, then gave a slow smile. Attention. Sympathy. Headlines. She liked the sound of that — and the popularity that would co with it.
"Alright," she said softly. "Let’s do it."
Phillip smiled coldly as his plan began to form. This ti, he would make sure Dayo went down — even if it ant hurting anyone who got in his way.
---
anwhile, in another part of the city, Mr. Michael sat in his office flipping through paperwork when his assistant walked in holding a tablet.
"Sir, the results for the Global Competition broadcast are in."
Michael didn’t even look up at first. "I know it aired. What are the numbers?"
The assistant placed the tablet on his desk. "It peaked at 750 million viewers worldwide. Engagent is through the roof. And... Dayo Jason’s na is everywhere."
Finally, Michael leaned forward, scanning the screen. His lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Impressive. Very impressive. He knows how to take control and put his na out there."
The assistant bowed her head in disbelief. Michael was always stingy with praise, yet now she couldn’t rember how many tis he had spoken well of Dayo.
He tapped his fingers against the desk thoughtfully. "Looks like the boy is growing faster than most expected."
The assistant waited silently, knowing better than to interrupt when Michael was processing.
After a pause, Michael looked up. "Inform Frank. Tell him what the next stage is going to be about. And... test Dayo. Slip him a hint of what to expect, then see how he handles it."
The assistant nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."
Michael leaned back, his mind already turning. "This will tell us what kind of artist he really is."
He waved his assistant away and returned to his work.
---
After about three hours on the plane, the contestants were flown out of Tokyo and into Seoul, South Korea. By the ti their plane landed, the airport was already buzzing. Word had spread online that the Global Competition stars would be arriving, and fans had gathered in large numbers.
The sliding doors opened, and a wave of noise hit instantly. Banners waved, caras flashed, and voices rose in chorus, calling out nas.
"Min-Jae!"
"Oppa!"
"Sophia!"
"Lucas!"
Security and staff quickly stepped in, guiding the contestants forward.
Dayo followed just behind Min-Jae, his backpack slung over one shoulder, cap pulled low. At first, he thought the screams were all for Min-Jae — after all, this was his ho country. But then, in the mix of the chaos, he heard it.
"Oppa JD!"
"JD!"
"I love you!"
He froze for half a second, looking toward the crowd. And there they were — fans holding up posters with his na, so even waving Nigerian flags alongside South Korean ones. His chest tightened in disbelief.
For a mont, he thought back to the expansion card he had won earlier in the competition — the one tied to South Korea. He hadn’t thought much of it then, but now it clicked. His na and story had reached people here long before he stepped off the plane. The system had worked in ways he hadn’t even imagined.
Instinctively, he raised his hand and waved. The cheers grew louder. So fans even pushed forward just to get a closer glimpse of him.
Beside him, Min-Jae glanced around with wide eyes, then turned to Dayo. "Yah... you just got here," he said, half shocked, half amused. "And you already have this many fans? I thought maybe one or two, but this... this is crazy. You’re more amazing than I thought."
Dayo chuckled nervously, though his heart was pounding. He waved again, smiling faintly as he let the reality sink in.
The contestants were ushered through the terminal and into waiting vans, but Dayo couldn’t stop looking out the window. The fans outside were still shouting his na, waving, trying to get pictures through the glass. This was another country entirely — yet people knew him, loved him. The shock of it was overwhelming.
As the van pulled away from the airport, he leaned back in his seat, staring at the city beyond the window. Seoul stretched out in neon and glass, alive with energy.
It felt strange — like he was living a life that didn’t belong to him. Less than a year ago, he never would have imagined this: stepping into a country he had never visited, yet being welcod as though he belonged. The cheers still echoed in his ears, reminding him of how far he had co and how close his dreams were.
For a brief mont, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel it fully — not just as a contestant in a show, but as soone who had fought through disappointnt, rejection, and doubt. Now, standing on foreign soil, he was no longer invisible. He mattered.
And as the van sped toward the hotel, Dayo silently promised himself: he would not waste this chance.
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