Chapter 89: Bringing Up What Should Be Left Unsaid

"Which number is Ye Zhao appearing?" Yukie Nakama asked over the phone.

"The first one. It’ll start as soon as this commercial ends."

...

On Music Station, the guests had to make their entrance down a flight of steps of just the right length. On HEY! HEY! HEY!, things were much simpler. The guests simply waited behind a door, and once the hosts announced, “Let’s welcome today’s guests,” that door—looking from the audience’s perspective like an observation elevator—would slide open. As Ye Zhao and Masaharu Fukuyama stepped through, the crowd erupted in a wave of cheers just as enthusiastic as those on Music Station.

"I have to say, the atmosphere in the audience is especially electric today," one of the hosts remarked.

"Yeah," Hamada Masatoshi chimed in, "They’re way more hyped than when the two of us come out. The world really is obsessed with looks, isn’t it?" As he spoke, Hamada stepped behind Ye Zhao and Masaharu Fukuyama, pulling them closer together, and the camera expertly zoomed in on their faces.

The resulting screams and cheers from the audience nearly shook the studio.

...

Over the phone, Nakama commented, "I’ve always thought the filming on HEY! HEY! HEY! is impressive. No matter the scene, their camerawork always makes things feel so hilarious."

"Well, it’s a comedy show, after all. When it comes to laughs, they never fall short."

...

"And so, today’s guests are Fukuyama-san and Ye Zhao-san. I already know Fukuyama-san well, but it’s our first meeting with Ye Zhao-san, isn’t it?"

"Yes," Ye Zhao replied, bowing slightly. "It’s my first time here. Please take care of me."

Hamada crossed his arms, feigning indifference. "I don’t want to take care of you at all. With the weekly charts coming out, your new singles are bound to break my streak at the top. I was hoping to set a record, you know." He clicked his tongue. "I’d love to just kick you both off the stage right now."

"Then we’ll be going," Fukuyama joked, taking Ye Zhao by the arm and pretending to leave the studio.

"Are you two idiots?" Hamada chased after them, playfully smacking both of their heads.

...

"Ye Zhao, Hamada-san looked like he hit pretty hard. Are you alright?" Nakama asked.

"It’s fine. It only looked forceful, but it really didn’t hurt," Ye Zhao explained. He and Fukuyama, fully expecting Hamada to come after them, had even bent their knees a little in preparation.

...

"Alright, back to business. Let’s start with the first song of the day."

"Please take care of us."

The first song was “Beautiful Flower.” During the three-minute performance, Nakama listened in silence. When it ended, she finally said, "Even after hearing it so many times, it’s still such a wonderful song."

"Yes, Fukuyama-san’s talent is beyond doubt. It would be a huge loss to mistake him for just another pretty-face idol because of his looks."

...

"Actually, I hadn’t heard Fukuyama-san sing much before. I only got to know him from ‘Under the Same Roof’."

After debuting to lackluster record sales, Fukuyama had decided to try his luck at acting—and unexpectedly became a massive success.

...

After the performance, the four of them moved to the couch area for the interview.

"So how did the two of you decide to team up?"

"It was really just a spur-of-the-moment idea," Fukuyama answered. "We met on a music show, had a great conversation, and thought: why not do a single together?"

"Is that really true?" Matsumoto Hitoshi teased. "If you ask me, you were both overwhelmed by all the gossip and made a business decision. After being compared for so long, if you still get along this well, that’s just weird! Even though you’re both smiling now, I bet backstage you’re all ‘Hmph!’ and ignore each other!"

Hamada pretended to punch Matsumoto. "Hey, stop saying that kind of stuff on the show!" But he immediately turned and asked an even sharper question: "Since it’s a double A-side single, you must have fought a lot over track order and which song to perform on shows, right?"

Seeing the two hosts continually steer the conversation toward discord, Ye Zhao decided to joke along. Pointing to his and Fukuyama’s styled hair, he said, "Just look at our hair. We actually got into a fight backstage over which song to sing first and ended up pulling each other’s hair out."

Matsumoto burst out laughing. "So singing ‘Beautiful Flower’ first means Fukuyama won the fight? Don’t air such embarrassing secrets on TV!"

...

"So, what’s the real relationship between Ye Zhao and Fukuyama?" Nakama asked.

Ye Zhao replied earnestly, "People who really don’t get along would never joke like this. Only good friends can poke fun at each other."

"Still, variety shows are a bit scary."

"This is just the tip of the iceberg. The really outrageous stuff comes later."

...

As a prime-time show, nothing truly inappropriate would air, but that never stopped DOWNTOWN, the veteran hosts, from tossing out subtle bombs. They’d called Mai Kuraki the second coming of Hikaru Utada right to her face, and when AIKO gave Seiko Matsuda a massage device on-air, they ran with the "massage" innuendo for all it was worth.

In short, expecting two comedians-turned-hosts to have any boundaries was hopeless.

"You’ve been in the news a lot lately—lawsuits, that 12cm single—your name’s been everywhere for months," Hamada commented without hesitation.

"Well, all those troubles came from your poor taste!" Hamada put it delicately, mindful of the time slot and Ye Zhao’s status—not the sort to turn his romantic history into a running joke. But given how sensational that matter was, everyone knew exactly what he meant.

Ye Zhao smiled politely and left it at that.

Matsumoto, ever the gossip, leaned in. "So, what kind of girl do you like?"

"Well," Ye Zhao said, sliding closer to Fukuyama and pretending to whisper confidentially, though his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear, "Fukuyama-san, how are you supposed to answer questions about your ideal type on TV?"

Fukuyama got the joke instantly, leaning in to whisper back. Matsumoto and Hamada playfully tried to eavesdrop, making a big show of straining to listen, only to finally sigh in mock disgust, "We can’t hear a thing!"

Amid the audience’s laughter, Ye Zhao sat up and announced, "Well, as for my type—" He made a wide gesture in front of his chest. "Definitely someone well-endowed!"

Fukuyama gave Ye Zhao a nudge. "I clearly said I like girls with good figures!"

...

"Ye Zhao, did Fukuyama-san actually say that?"

"Actually, he didn’t say anything in my ear," Ye Zhao explained. "Believe it or not, the script only covered the first part—the rest was just Hamada going off-script. I started sweating bullets. No matter how you answer, people will overanalyze it, so you can only play it off as a joke. Luckily, Fukuyama was quick on his feet and helped me out."

"But isn’t that kind of topic a bit much?"

"After the recording, Matsumoto did say, ‘If you think that part’s inappropriate, you can ask the director to cut it.’ But when Fukuyama and I watched it back, we thought it wasn’t a big deal. That’s just how those two are. Even Namie Amuro, a regular on HEY! HEY! HEY!, got teased about her divorce by them. And plenty of other shows and hosts are way worse—if you can’t handle even this, you’d never be able to go on variety shows again."

Ye Zhao chuckled. "But if even you think it was a bit much, it really did cause a stir."

However, the conversation on the other end of the line suddenly shifted. "So, ‘well-endowed’—is that really your honest opinion?"

"Eh?"

"I can’t believe you’re so shallow!" Nakama said, indignant. "And you even said it openly on prime-time TV!"

"That’s why I told you not to watch," Ye Zhao replied, a little embarrassed. And anyway, it’s not like the bigger the better—it depends on the whole package.

...

On Tuesday morning, an unusual sight appeared on the ORICON weekly charts.

Both versions of the single "Beautiful Flower/Sakura" occupied the top two spots, selling 236,000 and 232,000 copies respectively, making Ye Zhao and Fukuyama only the third act since Keiko Fuji in 1970 and Southern All Stars in 1992 to hold both first and second place simultaneously.

The reputation of Southern All Stars needs no explanation, and it was thanks to Keisuke Kuwata’s keen eye that Ye Zhao’s own career flowed so smoothly. As for Keiko Fuji, even if you don’t know her, you’ll know her daughter—Hikaru Utada, the one who set the record with 7.65 million album sales. Truly, like parent, like child.

"Incredible. You’ve set another record," said Nagato Daikou with admiration, sitting in the BEING president’s office.

"I owe it to Fukuyama-san. Without him, this result would have been out of reach," Ye Zhao replied modestly. The last time he’d come to BEING headquarters, he was here to discuss the collaboration single with Fukuyama. Today, even the receptionist looked at him with surprise.

"No need to be so humble. Fukuyama’s popularity is unmatched, and you’re on a hot streak. It’s a powerful combination," Nagato said, though he felt a twinge of regret that BEING hadn’t produced the single themselves.

After expressing his regrets, Nagato shifted to the real reason for summoning Ye Zhao. "Now, counting your indie release, you’ve put out three singles, and just did a collaboration. Most artists would be gearing up for a full album about now. Have you made any preparations on that front?"