Chapter 618 Transition, Transition, Transition!

The flight from Seoul on the peninsula to Dallas, Texas, south of Aramco, takes more than ten hours, and there is also a troublesome transfer in the middle. This long flight makes Chi Jingyuan feel unsure as soon as a plane takes off. For those who are afraid of heights and feel uncomfortable all over, it is always like torture.

Fortunately, the neck pillow hanging around his neck and the light-colored eye mask worn on his forehead for sleeping still have the fresh and fragrant smell of his woman's body, which can make Chi Jingyuan feel at ease to a certain extent - these are all from yesterday It was given to him by his father when he met Bae Zhuhyun before leaving.

At the same time, Chi Jingyuan downloaded a lot of movies on the Ipad he carried with him that he had always wanted to watch but didn't have time to divert his attention and kill time at the same time.

Chi Jingyuan looked at the "Minions with Big Eyes" that was released last year and was playing on the screen. He tapped the metal casing of the computer with his fingers and thought of something in his mind.

Tablet computers are really indispensable during such long and boring voyages. He remembered that Apple seems to be launching the latest Ipad pro next month. Although red velvet’s overseas trips are not many, they are frequent. If you are going to fly abroad, remember to give one to your father when the time comes.

After a lot of suffering, the plane finally landed at the Dallas Airport after more than ten hours of flying. Chi Jingyuan, whose legs were already a little weak after sitting on the plane, followed the members and the company's employees off the plane, and faced the outside in a daze. Go.

"There are actually fans standing around taking pictures?"

At this time, Jin Zhongda's surprised voice suddenly came from the front, attracting the attention of the members next to him.

"where?"

"There are quite a few over there."

"Let me see... Oh indeed, they must be fans of the schedule. Hey, aren't those two women station ladies from Jingyuan? They all followed to Dallas... and there are actually local white people..." Bian Baixian glanced at that day, and suddenly found that some of the faces looked familiar.

Chi Jingyuan, who was originally low-spirited, also looked over after hearing this. Seeing several familiar faces holding cameras and pressing the shutter at him, Chi Jingyuan also squeezed out a smile and took the initiative to say hello. He waved and said hello to show his thanks.

She is indeed his fan sister, very supportive, and will take first-hand photos along with him on basically any trip.

It wasn't just him, there were several station ladies from other members who were also taking pictures, but Chi Jingyuan's was the most photographed.

After sitting on the plane for such a long time, everyone was in low spirits. After saying hello to the few fans, they each held their hands in salute, quickly left the airport and got on the rented bus, and sat down casually. Chi Jingyuan found a seat in the back row by the window.

After looking all the way for a long time, he didn't see the familiar face he wanted to see. Jin Jongda smacked his lips in envy, looked around the window and seemed a little disappointed: "But there is no one to pick up the airport, and Zai The difference in Asia is so obvious.”

EXO's popularity is really high in Asia. Whether it's the Peninsula, Neon, Xia Kingdom, or even Southeast Asia, they have a large number of fans. Almost wherever they go to an event, fans will stay at the whole time and it's very lively. But when Ami gets off the plane, This contrast is so powerful.

"This is in Ami. There are not many people who like Kpop. It's already good to have fans standing around just now." Jin Junmian was very satisfied, stretched and said: "Actually, my biggest goal now is to stay here. It’s good to be recognized when walking on the street.”

"Indeed..." Chi Jingyuan also nodded and agreed.

Last year, "Boy with Luv" performed very well on the B chart and attracted a large number of fans to them. But for most passers-by, they only know that this song is not bad. It is sung by a group from the Peninsula, but it is also There are just so many, and many people don’t even know how many of them there are, let alone recognize them by their faces.

"Currently in Ami, kpop is not yet mainstream."

After hearing their discussion, the agent Li Chenghuan sitting in front also interjected: "But according to the market research conducted by the company we cooperate with here, although our XO has not officially been active in Ami, no matter In terms of market response and popularity, it has far surpassed all other artists who have worked here in the company. It is also the most famous artist in Kpop except PSY.”

"Although Kpop is a niche group here, it also has a specific audience, and this group also cares about surprising people. The speed increases every year, and EXO plays a very active role in it. We are currently the most popular men. The group...and the fans here are actually no less crazy than the fans of the peninsula itself, or even more..."

At this point, Li Chenghuan's face became a little exciting: "If you often browse Instagram or Facebook, you should know that our fans in Europe and the United States are actually very powerful."

Some members didn't understand what Li Chenghuan said, but Chi Jingyuan did know a little bit.

There are many people in Europe and the United States who don't care about Kpop, but those who do like it really like it, even to the point of going crazy. Many Americans love Kpop, and they love EXO so much that they crazily give other people benefits on various social networks every day. They are willing to take the trouble without any reward, and they can be seen in many places. It makes some local people very irritated, and even think that these people have joined some evil organization.

Although it is a bit annoying, the effect is very obvious. With the continuous improvement and development of American Ellie, EXO's popularity and popularity have grown rapidly in the past year.

However, among what Li Chenghuan said, what Chi Jingyuan cared about most was not this sentence, but another sentence.

So it ‘far surpasses’ Girls’ Generation?

Sounds pretty good.

With the sound of the engine, the bus started to move, and the exotic Dallas scenery appeared in front of everyone. The EXO members who had slept on the plane for a long time were not very sleepy. They were chatting and looking out the window to enjoy the outside. scenery.

At this time, the director of a local branch of a company in the United States, who also booked hotels and buses for them, introduced some local characteristics and customs to them.

From food to humanities, he also emphasized the xenophobia of the locals. At the end, he sighed and added with some regret:

"...Dallas is still relatively cold this month, which is not suitable for traveling. In fact, there are some places that are suitable for traveling and visiting. However, our tour schedule is also very full this time and there is not much room...It is a pity that we have not been there in the past few days. The Cowboys play at home, otherwise it would be a worthwhile trip to watch the Cowboys play. "

"Um……"

Hearing what he said, several members of EXO looked at each other, seeming to be thinking about what the "Cowboys" were about. Finally, Park Chanyeol smiled and responded: "Brother, actually few of us watch football... I am quite interested in the NBA."

"NBA? The NBA All-Star Weekend is coming soon. There have been no Mavericks home games in the past few days." The room manager made a helpless expression and spread his hands towards them: "If there is one, it would actually be quite good to go and see it. Yes, although Dirk has declined a lot since winning the championship in previous years, the atmosphere at the Mavericks' home court is still very exciting..."

This topic seems to interest many people in EXO, and they have started to discuss it enthusiastically.

"The Mavericks are no longer good! Now the world is dominated by the Warriors. This season's Warriors are invincible. Based on the current momentum, I think they can break the Bulls' record of 72 wins."

"I think Curry is too soft and will definitely be targeted in the playoffs... Believe James!"

"I've never heard of a team that won 72 games and couldn't win a championship."

"Let's wait until the warriors break the record..."

Chi Jingyuan sat in the back and blinked at the suddenly lively atmosphere in front of him, feeling a little surprised in his heart.

I've never seen you watching the NBA, but when it comes to discussions, everyone is talking about the same thing...

He didn't get involved, and it was quite interesting to hear Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun each supporting the Warriors and quarreling with James with red faces.

Even Lee Seung-hwan participated like a basketball fan. In the end, he was the one who stopped the two people who were eager to fight, and gave the final instruction in a state of laughter and laughter:

"Don't run around when you get to the hotel. Just take some pictures and eat something."

…

Because they were not familiar with the place and the time was tight, Chi Jingyuan and the others did not go out much after resting in the hotel, nor did they go to eat Korean or Chinese food. After finally going out, they naturally wanted to taste the local area. of gourmet food.

They looked at word-of-mouth and recommendations online and found a well-known specialty restaurant called 'D.honme' that had a lot of positive reviews, and the nine of them went to try it together.

The local delicacies in Dallas are actually just that, cheeseburgers, steaks, sandwiches, barbecue, etc., but they are indeed more flavorful than those on the peninsula.

In particular, a dish called 'Fried Catfish', which means 'grilled loach', left a very good impression on Chi Jingyuan. The loach is cut into small pieces, wrapped in corn paste and fried until golden brown. It is crispy and delicious. It's unique, paired with salad and toast, and a sip of Texas beer, which makes people feel that this trip is really worth it.

He also took some photos of the dishes and planned to upload them to Instagram to share with his fans.

However, for Chi Jingyuan, it is okay to eat these dishes once in a while. If you eat them every day, you will get tired of them. Especially these foods are a bit high in calories. For idols who have strict body shape requirements, it is better to eat less.

The next day, EXO got up early in the morning and went to the venue to perform and rehearse.

The venue for their first concert in Dallas was the Verizon Theater. This theater is quite famous locally and in America. The facilities are great. In addition to spacious and comfortable main seats, there are also exquisite and luxurious boxes. It is the most flexible in the region. And one of the most advanced performance theaters, including famous singers such as The Eagles, Justin Bieber, and Michael Bree have performed here.

The only problem is that the capacity is a little small. The Verizon Theater has less than 6,400 seats in total. Even if all seats are open, it is only half of the average seats for EXO's second tour.

Because it is the first time to hold a concert in Amei, both SM and local cooperative companies are relatively conservative in their judgment of Kpop and EXO's commercial performance. They are afraid that the market response will not be good, and there will be too many empty seats because the tickets cannot be sold. Therefore, the venues chosen for the first two concerts are relatively small.

However, after Amei's fans and audiences showed unexpected enthusiasm for buying tickets in the first few concerts, the company, which received good feedback, also replaced the venue with a larger one in the subsequent concerts. In two days, the tour in LA will be a large venue with nearly 15,000 people.

All preparations went smoothly. In the evening, the audience began to enter the venue. Chi Jingyuan also observed the composition of the fans and audiences who came. After a look, he found that the proportion of Asians and black and white Ameis who came to Amei's first concert was about half and half, and the latter seemed to be more.

This discovery made him feel relieved and relieved.

Perhaps because of their overly strong self-esteem, some Kpop groups in the Peninsula boast loudly every day in their home country, saying that they are world-class groups and have global tours, but in fact, most of the groups' "world tour concerts" are just a tour of China, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, barely opening a venue with a few thousand people.

Then they are not very famous once they leave Asia. The so-called European and American tours are mostly rented in a very small venue, which can't even be filled. In order to take good photos, they will use large black cloth to cover the empty area, and then send some boastful posters and seemingly full pictures to prove their overseas popularity, so that fans can have a carnival and improve their status.

And most of them are watched by local Asians and even international students in the Peninsula. In fact, not many locals like them or even know their names.

This is actually a loss-making way to gain publicity, and they just brag for the sake of face.

However, judging from the audience today, EXO is obviously different from these "face groups". They really have their own fame and fan base here.

And there are quite a few of them.

As the member with the best English, Chi Jingyuan naturally played the main role in this concert. He stood in the middle of the stage, looking at the audience and fans below who were completely different from the style and appearance of Peninsula, took a deep breath, and smiled while holding the microphone to make an opening speech:

"Hello everyone, I am very happy to come to Dallas..."

...

It was the first time to hold a concert in Amei. In fact, the nine members of EXO, including Chi Jingyuan, were quite nervous. Several members who were not very good at English stumbled during the chat and almost made a joke. Fortunately, fans like to watch this kind of plot. In addition, nothing happened during the whole performance. The audience's reaction and support were also great. This first performance was a successful and successful conclusion.

However, the schedule of the second North American tour was very tight. After the Dallas performance just ended, everyone had a meal and packed up their things and got on the plane to Vancouver, Canada.

After the Vancouver tour ended on the 13th, everyone took the opportunity to board the plane and arrived in LA after a long flight.

"Not staying in the hotel? Where to go?"

Sitting on the bus, I saw the bus passing through the bustling city but not stopping, but heading towards the seaside. As the surrounding scenery became more beautiful, some members asked curiously, and when the agent came back, he was surprised.

Li Chenghuan glanced at Chi Jingyuan who was sitting in the back row playing with his mobile phone, clicked his tongue lightly, turned his head and blinked at the other members:

"Jingyuan happens to be a local in LA. We are lazy this time and live directly at his house. It can be regarded as a holiday to rest."