Chapter 286
Chapter 286
“Shall we start by getting organized?”
“Let’s do that.”
“Yes, sir!”
Keun Sejin began writing the agenda on the whiteboard on one side of the meeting room.
It was an emergency meeting that had been hastily called just past midnight.
[TeSTAR Comeback Date]
Specifically, it was about the comeback schedule that was now set to overlap perfectly with VTIC’s.
‘Usually, the agency decides these things, and idols at this stage in their careers don’t have much say….’
But after everything we’d been through, I realized we were now involved in every part of the process.
Well, it was what I had intended, and I felt more comfortable this way. It would drive me crazy if someone else made the decision and our album flopped.
“First… this is our current comeback date.”
Keun Sejin drew a long line for the dates and marked the beginning of July.
Monday, July 5th. That was the date we had originally set for the comeback.
“It was a choice that allowed us to pack a full week’s worth of music show scores, a full month’s worth of performance for the July monthly charts, and the entire third quarter—July, August, and September—for the year-end awards! Man, look at that. Whoever picked it did a great job, right?”
It was a date that both the company and the members had agreed upon unanimously. I nodded.
“And I think VTIC probably thought the same thing.”
“…!”
Of course they would. If they were aiming for July, they would have made the most efficient choice.
Seon A-hyun spoke up cautiously.
“Th-then… do you think they chose the exact same date…?”
“Their criteria is probably Billboard, so it’ll be slightly different.”
The day of the week that allows for full Billboard reflection is… Keun Sejin was already writing it on the whiteboard.
[VTIC Sunbaenim’s Comeback Date]
[Billboard is Friday!]
“Friday! That means they’ll probably pick Friday, July 2nd~”
“Hmm.”
That was only a three-day difference from our comeback.
July 2nd and July 5th.
The two dots Keun Sejin marked on the timeline looked damnably close. The other members stared at the whiteboard with serious expressions.
Well, except for one.
“Is there a problem? Do you guys not want to see our VTIC sunbaenims?”
It was Cha Yu-jin.
Of course, the person who always kept Cha Yu-jin in check immediately stepped up.
“Cha Yu-jin, it’s not a personal issue like that! They’re saying both teams will suffer in many evaluation categories that are calculated based on relative market share!”
Kim Rae-bin proudly showed off the calculation method he had only just realized while preparing for this comeback.
‘He’s making good use of something he learned less than a month ago.’
To put it simply, no matter how much both groups sold, since it was during the same period, they would end up splitting the same pie in terms of percentages.
‘It’s a loss for both impact and short-term results.’
But Cha Yu-jin remained indifferent.
“No! We got first place last time! It’s no problem. We just have to do our stage!”
“Last time?”
“Our debut album!”
Ah, that debut album where we dragged things out for weeks and managed to snag first place through digital chart persistence.
‘Honestly, wasn’t that basically just cleaning up in their absence while VTIC was away on tour?’
The timing had worked out miraculously well back then. Usually, things didn’t go that way.
Whether they were thinking the same thing, rebuttals came from all sides.
“That was just good luck.”
“Hey, he’s right. We didn’t get first place as soon as we debuted, so it’s honestly a bit different~”
Ryu Cheong-woo then gently reasoned with Cha Yu-jin.
“What Rae-bin means is that there’s no need to take an unnecessarily difficult path. It’s uncomfortable for both the sunbaenims and us.”
At this rate, I didn’t even need to open my mouth.
“Uuuu….”
Cha Yu-jin reluctantly yielded to the majority.
‘So, excluding Cha Yu-jin… everyone wants to change it.’
I looked around at their faces and organized my thoughts.
The possible methods.
“First of all, moving the comeback earlier is difficult. We have the music video schedule to consider.”
“Right, and we’re releasing separate teasers too. Even if we push it up, a week is probably the limit.”
And even if we did push it up, once we finished our first week of music shows, VTIC would come sweeping in and that would be the end of it.
“Right. So the main thing to consider is pushing it back….”
Ryu Cheong-woo added cautiously.
“The company suggested August or September.”
“Mmm.”
That would mean losing over a month’s worth of tracking for the year-end awards.
‘It’s already going to be hard to beat VTIC in terms of results, so that seems risky.’
Still, in terms of avoiding a bigger risk, it was a stable choice. At least we could secure first place on music shows for two or three weeks.
But I was in a bind.
‘I have to avoid any choice that flaws the route to the Grand Prize.’
I wanted to pick a date that would be more beneficial for the Grand Prize rather than just getting first place on a music show.
However… I needed a solid alternative before I could speak up.
‘Normally, people would just pick August here and call it a day.’
I racked my brain to find a way to speak before the consensus solidified in that direction.
It was then.
“But I don’t really want to delay it that much.”
“…!”
Ryu Cheong-woo spoke first.
“Really?”
“Wh-why?”
“It might be easier to get first place on music shows right away, but in the long run, I think it’s better to stick to the perspective we originally planned.”
He gave a refreshing smile.
“We have to try for the Grand Prize this year.”
No way.
‘That….’
“Ooh~ Hyung!”
“That is a wonderful ambition.”
“I like that too!”
Since it came from someone who didn't usually make such bold statements, the response was positive.
And after locking eyes with him, I was certain.
‘He’s backing me up.’
He had taken my words about needing to win the Grand Prize seriously.
‘Good.’
That certainly made it easier for me to speak up.
“Then, if we think in a direction that preserves our existing schedule as much as possible… let’s analyze the expected results.”
I began organizing my thoughts with a pen on a piece of paper instead of the whiteboard Keun Sejin had claimed.
“First, regarding physical albums, VTIC sunbaenims have a shorter gap between releases than us, and since it’s a repackage, their sales won’t rise drastically.”
I didn’t need to add that they were also deep into their career.
“Then let’s set their previous record of 1.93 million copies as the benchmark.”
What a terrifying number.
“Yes. And as for us….”
If TeSTAR’s first-week sales went well, we could expect around 1.3 million.
Honestly, that was also a crazy amount of sales.
‘A million isn’t exactly pocket change.’
Still, there was an unavoidable gap.
“…If we stop at around 1.3 million, it’ll be hard to catch up in physical sales.”
“Mmm…”
But that wasn't the end of it.
“However, our digital scores tend to be better.”
“Ah, right.”
That was the advantage TeSTAR had over other boy groups. Public appeal.
It was thanks to sticking to conceptual themes while making sure to release an easy-listening song every other comeback, and securing several successful solo variety show appearances.
‘Of course, I can’t deny that starting off with “Aju-sa” played a huge part.’
Anyway, that meant we could expect good long-term performance from our digital sales.
“So, as long as no other big artists join the fray, once the first-week hype for us and VTIC sunbaenims dies down, starting from the second week….”
Wait, hold on.
If it goes like this….
“…!”
“Moon-dae, what is it?”
I scanned the notes I had written down. And then I realized.
‘I see.’
I had been so buried in the trauma of being plagued by simultaneous releases since our debut that I had missed something.
Right now… we weren't just debuting.
I blurted out the answer almost unconsciously.
“Let’s follow right on VTIC’s heels.”
“Wh-what?”
“We only need to delay it by exactly one week. Then….”
Bae Se-jin cut in.
“Wait, then it’s the same as when we debuted.”
That was the point.
“No. The event might be the same, but the situation has changed.”
I turned the paper toward Bae Se-jin.
“VTIC’s second-week volume after their initial sales—our first-week sales will definitely beat that now.”
“…!”
“The digital charts too… once we enter and stabilize, the graphs will likely drop at a similar rate. Maybe ours will even be slightly higher.”
I wrote down the comparison on the paper.
[Physical Albums]
VTIC (Week 2) < TeSTAR (Week 1)
[Digital Music]
VTIC (Week 2) ? TeSTAR (Week 1) (Strong performance expected based on previous trends)
Just looking at it, it seemed like we would win on music shows.
‘They won’t even be able to flip this with broadcast points.’
Because we would comeback on a Monday and start hitting radio promotions from then on!
Our social media mentions and music video views wouldn't fall behind either, since it would be our first week.
We were top-tier now, too.
“The same setup from our debut is being recreated, but this time, we’re guaranteed to take the first week.”
The boost to our image would be enormous.
“And it doesn’t matter if we go back and forth from the third week onwards. No, as long as we don’t get completely pushed back, it’s a win for us.”
Keun Sejin nodded.
“Mmm~ So it’ll look like we’ve grown so much that we don’t even fall behind when pitted against VTIC sunbaenims, is that it?”
“Exactly.”
Following the simultaneous release with Young-rin in January, this would solidify our weight class.
This time, we were saying we could go toe-to-toe with a Grand Prize-level artist in the same industry by releasing at the same time.
‘If we add the narrative comparison to our debut on top of this, it’s great for the story, so it’ll definitely generate buzz.’
Social media and news articles would be flooded with headlines about the "signal for a generational shift."
That was the goal.
‘It’s almost impossible to beat VTIC in physical sales this year anyway. And for digital, there’s Young-rin.’
If that was the case, there was only one Grand Prize category that we, with our balanced strengths, could challenge.
[Artist of the Year]
It would create a picture where the awards ceremonies give it to us because of "public opinion," as the artist who was the "trend" of the year.
‘Since our digital and physical scores are both at the top, no one will be able to say anything.’
It was a gamble, but it was worth a shot.
“But if we do this, VTIC fans are really~ going to hate it, you know?”
“D-do you think so?”
“Probably, right? It’ll feel like they’re being used~”
That was exactly the part we had to endure.
The buzz from this kind of two-way rivalry always came with backlash and fatigue.
“Yeah, I th-think the fans will have a hard time too….”
“Hmm.”
Actually, if the results came out as I expected alongside VTIC, it wouldn't matter. The rush of success would be stronger than the fatigue.
‘Isn’t it also good for fandom cohesion?’
It was about time for the new season of Aju-sa to end. It was the perfect timing for internal divisions to start, so designating VTIC as an external enemy seemed like a good idea.
And just as my thoughts reached that point, unexpected support arrived.
“If we do well, it’s OK! No need to worry. Hyung, we’re good! The fans will like it!”
It was Cha Yu-jin.
This guy seemed to be saying okay just because he could start promotions sooner without delaying the schedule, but still….
“How are we? Hyung, we’re good, right?”
“Y-yeah. W-we are good…!”
“That’s what I say!”
There was no one like him when it came to pushing through. I watched as Cha Yu-jin practically nailed Seon A-hyun down as part of the "pro" camp before I spoke up.
‘I can’t let it happen like that, though.’
Everyone had to agree after thinking it through. We couldn't afford any unnecessary discord after the comeback.
“I’ve shared my thoughts, but I’m sure some might disagree. How about we each take a moment to think and then have a show of hands?”
“Sounds good.”
I suggested a majority vote, and the members readily agreed.
And a moment later.
“…….”
“Oh, unanimous~”
Surprisingly, the agreement was reached without a single dissenting vote.
‘This actually worked?’
I thought I would need to do more persuading.
Then, the members who I thought would oppose began to speak up one by one, explaining their reasons.
“I-I don’t think we need to be scared in advance… I think it’s right that as long as we do well for the fans, it’ll be okay…!”
“I reached the conclusion that if we come out at the end of summer due to the concept, we won’t be able to fully show the charm of this song. Moon-dae hyung, that was an excellent judgment.”
The last one was Bae Se-jin.
“…Come to think of it, delaying our schedule just because another group is coming out feels like losing without even fighting.”
“…….”
Is that so?
Bae Se-jin slightly avoided my gaze. Ryu Cheong-woo finished with a smile.
“It’s because we’ve never lost out by listening to you.”
“…….”
Well, now. I rubbed the back of my neck and nodded.
“Then shall we go with this?”
“Great!”
And so, we reached a tentative agreement on the comeback date.
However, a question remained in my mind. Cheong-ryeo’s dyed hair and the secrecy.
‘Just what is VTIC bringing to the table?’
And that was something I would soon find out, whether I wanted to or not.
Because exactly two weeks later, VTIC released their first teaser.
*
[July Music Industry Cataclysm… Mega Boy Group Aims for the Throne.]
In mid-June, when social media was turned upside down once again by the news of TeSTAR’s July comeback.
The office worker who ran the twin fansite for Park Moon-dae and Lee Se-jin was checking the activities of their biggest competitors as part of her research.
‘Predictable.’
Checking VTIC’s anonymous fan site, the office worker clicked her tongue, thinking it was going to be a tiring month.
‘Why are they so desperate to come out in July?’
She wondered what kind of amazing summer song everyone was preparing.
‘It’s all about fandom business anyway, I don’t get why they’re so obsessed with season songs.’
Deciding that the only good thing was the extra income she’d get from selling VTIC data since their schedules overlapped, the office worker decided to just stick to her calculations.
‘It feels like both companies have lost their touch. No, T1 never had it to begin with.’
And that day, VTIC’s teaser dropped.
[VTIC - ‘H.E.L.P’ Official M/V Teaser]
“…!!”
The office worker’s mind was filled with exclamation marks.
‘This is….’
It was definitely a summer special.
However, the keywords they were aiming for were different.