Chapter 341
Chapter 341
“Moondae-Moondae, the ginseng wine is sold out.”
“…….”
I checked the post from the ginseng wine kit seller that was being shared as a trending topic on social media.
That’s right.
The Starry Melody incident had become a full-blown meme on the internet. The effect of resolving it with a touch of humor at just the right time was incredible.
Since it was a funny, unexpected situation that appealed to everyone regardless of taste, and the response was appropriate, it had spread everywhere.
Apparently, the more people looked into it, the more hilarious details they found.
The fact that Starry Melody had officially rearranged the boss theme for Section 127 was also back in the spotlight. Humorous posts reconstructing our supposed feelings at the time into image files were circulating as well.
Everyone’s having a field day.
Thanks to this, the defense against unnecessary controversy was finished in one fell swoop.
Basically, they were saying, "Don't ruin the fun."
People had already flipped their stance once after bashing us; flipping back to hate again would be exhausting and boring.
Of course, among the fans, quite a few felt disillusioned or angry at those who had spewed vitriol only to change their tune.
However, for now, everyone was so relieved by the rapid shift in atmosphere that they were more focused on restoring the tanked music ratings.
Plagiarism was a huge deal, after all.
I contemplated how much I should encourage the regenerating memes before cutting them off so they wouldn't cross the line.
“Oh~ this is fun. How about Rae-bin posts something following this trend?”
“That should be fine.”
To improve the mood further, I approved us responding directly to the meme just once.
I’d like to wrap it up right at the sweet spot.
I shrugged.
If possible, I planned to capture the domestic public sentiment like this and then use it as an anecdote when we went to the US.
Wouldn't it be perfect to talk about on a talk show? It was related to the movie, too.
However, that plan didn't come to fruition. Some foreigners snatched the idea before the person involved could even use it.
“……?”
The first was an American gaming YouTuber.
Originally, the Starry Melody arrangement account had been introduced to gamers by this YouTuber, who was a fan of the game 127 Section.
He hadn't missed the chance to grab a topic that would rake in views.
[K-POP BOY BANDS ARE EVERYWHERE... THEY TRICKED ME!]
After baiting people with that title, he ended it with reactions of admiration and cheers that wouldn't offend the K-pop fans who clicked.
[Oh my god. The owner of this arrangement channel is a K-pop band, and it's that band from Cosmic Gunner?]
[And, and they're the ones in the game collaboration trailer too? Not actors?]
[How can they not be actors!]
[They write their own songs? Then they wrote the movie soundtrack too? Of course they did! Because! The arrangement channel! Is theirs!]
Every word he said while clutching his forehead in feigned shock was exquisite enough to make the hearts of K-pop fandoms and national pride addicts flutter.
In the meantime, since he had so many American subscribers, the news seemed to have reached the Limestone movie fans who had become interested in the game's lore.
Right. Some people who previously had prejudices or aversions to K-pop were even coming out and saying that this group should be recognized as an exception.
Not a bad opening.
If that "exception" talk went any further, it might backfire, but it hadn't reached that level yet, so I let it slide.
If it had ended there, it would have laid a heartwarming foundation, making it even better to use as an anecdote.
The problem was the second guy.
“Park Moon-dae! Look at this.”
“…?”
I checked the WeTube video Bae Se-jin held out.
It was a scene from a talk show.
[Jason! Could you tell us a very rare and unique behind-the-scenes story from the set that you haven't told anywhere else?]
[Haha!]
[If you don't tell us, I'll collapse right here, and all the staff will testify that you're the culprit!]
[Alright! Alright! Let's see... something very interesting happened during the reshoots. It was the cameo appearance of foreign stars!]
A supporting actor from the movie, who had appeared in the bar scene back then, had gone on an American broadcast and started shooting his mouth off first.
“Do you remember this person?”
“Nope!”
“Man, he’s talking so shamelessly for someone we never even spoke to.”
He probably ran out of anecdotes to recycle on talk shows, and since he was someone who had mentioned K-pop on social media before, he was likely doing this for clout.
[They gave a 'real' performance on that small stage set as if it were a live concert hall. Wow, I was just like, 'As expected, K-pop bands have killer performances!']
[But then they started acting, and they did it like they were top-tier professional actors?]
[And then it turns out they have a secret arrangement account they run themselves?]
[What kind of band is like that! Did they receive special training or something??]
Even though he hadn't particularly seen much of us, he pieced together what he’d heard from the staff and told it as if it were the truth.
“At least he’s introducing us well.”
“I guess so.”
I wondered if this was also a type of prejudice, but anyway, the way he spoke as if describing some hidden masters from the East seemed to sound interesting to Americans as well.
The content itself is funny, after all.
[I should have gotten an autograph, but they disappeared in an instant, so I couldn't. I really hope to see them in the next Cosmic Gunner series.]
This story, coming from the mouth of a cast member of a popular movie on a prime-time American talk show, had a significant impact.
People who were vaguely curious about that "crazy band" in the movie but hadn't bothered to look them up found his words quite impressive.
Those people began to follow the algorithm and check out TeSTAR’s band performances, the plagiarism mishap videos, and our game collaboration trailers.
Thanks to that, it seemed we were starting to be perceived in the US with a friendly image as "eccentric foreign geniuses."
It doesn't suit us.
But I intended to make good use of it. I nodded.
Of course, this wasn't the climax either. There was a final result left that made all the members' jaws drop.
A few days later.
“T-This, this, this...!”
Seon A-hyun held out the Billboard 200 album chart.
[2. <Cosmic Gunner> Special Edition / new!]
“…!”
The movie's album had debuted at number 2. Although "Soundtrack" was listed where the artist should be instead of TeSTAR, it was still an unbelievable feat.
“Gasp.”
“Wow, uh, wow... I expected this, but it’s huge, isn't it?”
That wasn't all.
The main theme song of the movie, which we were in charge of, even charted separately on the Billboard Hot 100.
[9. Black Hole / new!]
“Aaaah!”
Number 9.
I had heard that movie OSTs occasionally hit number 1 on Billboard every few years, but I didn't expect a single-digit rank here.
It actually happened.
“Hyung! Kim Rae-bin is fainting!”
“I did not... However, regarding whether a song produced in just four days without deep contemplation, which even suffered the mistake of duplicate sample usage, is worthy of such a rank...”
“OK, Kim Rae-bin is fine.”
It was chaos. And it was an achievement worthy of it.
Amidst the guys screaming as if they’d lost their minds, I lowered my voice and asked Ryu Cheong-woo.
“This wasn't even a Friday release, was it?”
“Yeah. It wasn't.”
The fact that we got this rank even without a full week of tracking was an incredible feat.
I checked the analysis scores.
The airplay score is decent too.
Even though it was a song by an unknown group, it seemed radio stations had been playing it here and there. Long live major movies.
The American market, where the barrier to entry had softened, was a literal goldmine.
The operation was a success.
“Good.”
“S-Should we post a thank-you message...?”
“Let's do it! And share the Billboard post too!”
I nodded again as I watched the excited guys.
Before this momentum and atmosphere died down...
“And then we have to work on the next album.”
“Ah.”
When the tide is coming in like this, it’s a problem if you don't at least row, let alone put a motor on the boat.
I’m going to stake our claim with the next album before the image we built with Limestone fades.
I cracked my neck. Beside me, Ryu Cheong-woo added gently.
“Right. The results are even better than what we discussed at the last camp. Everyone worked really hard... Let's make our album great too.”
The guys nodded vigorously. It seemed the actual results were providing even more motivation.
“Y-Yes...!”
“I will do my best. I will strive so that not only those newly interested through the movie OST but also our existing listeners can enjoy listening and watching!”
“Great! Let's go, TeSTAR~”
“Um, then shall we start right after eating?”
Heightened by the sense of achievement, the guys excitedly mapped out a grueling camp schedule themselves, like students preparing for an exam. It was a good attitude.
And... I felt a bit grateful.
I twitched my eyebrows, thinking of the circumstances that only I among them possessed.
[Mission 'Break K-Pop Record' cleared.]
...The remaining days have decreased faster than I thought.
According to him, the time Keun-dal can stay in Ryu Gun-woo’s body is only until August.
There were only four months left. I had to complete the missions within that time.
If everything went according to plan, it was entirely possible, but...
[Hyung, I'm enjoying 'Black Hole' so much, really ㅠㅠ But by any chance, did you make this while thinking of Cha Yu-jin? Since it's 'Black Hole,' I just had that thought!]
...In the meantime, the person in question living without any prodding or questions was quite unsettling.
Does he have no hope at all? I clicked my tongue.
I’ll make sure you live longer, no matter what.
“Alright, let's eat and then everyone come out with your laptops~”
Thus, for the week before the US tour, I concluded that I would use all seven days to hang onto the title track and concept work.
...The problem was that plans and execution didn't always align.
For four days, the forced march continued without any particular issues.
“Coffee is banned now.”
“Moondae-Moondae, hurry up and persuade this hyung.”
“Give up.”
The outline of the concept was mostly out, and the music video synopsis and album design were all done. In fact, we were in a state where we just needed to work properly on the title track.
Around the time everyone had even set aside their smartphones to focus on work.
“10-minute break!”
“Yay~”
A weekday morning. When a short break was given, I checked my smartphone for the first time in a while.
I wonder if there’s any other news.
However, instead of news, there were several missed calls.
[VTIC Shin Cheong-ryeo Sunbae-nim]
“…?”
What the.
It was even more ominous because it was so out of the blue.
After a moment of conflict, I called him back.
The call was connected in an instant. He must have been holding his phone too.
“Sunbae-nim.”
—Hoobae-nim.
The answering voice was calm, without any issues.
However, the content of the next sentence was not calm at all.
—Could you open the door for a moment?
What?
“What door?”
—The front door.
No way.
Even as I denied it, I passed through the living room where the members were scattered and resting, and headed toward the front door of the dorm.
And I opened the door with the chain still on. Through the gap, I could see outside.
“……!”
“…….”
An expressionless face holding a phone.
It really was Cheong-ryeo.
Is he crazy?
This bastard had come to someone else's dorm without any warning.