Chapter 399
Chapter 399
Naturally, in a past where neither VTIC nor TeSTAR are top-tier, other top-tier idols are bound to exist.
‘And right now, that means T-Holic.’
I fell silent for a moment, recalling the guys who had crumbled under the absurd logic of "I'd rather be stranded than have a billion won" during a variety show with us.
Thanks to that, I’d managed to milk plenty of attention with that magical girl theme song as a self-imposed penalty.
Back then, they acted like total pushovers, but that was all for variety shows; in reality, they were a group that had enjoyed an unbelievable prime.
After them, no male group was truly evaluated as having "public appeal" until TeSTAR rose to prominence and barely kept the lineage alive.
"Right now is their absolute peak before they enlist."
"With the title track released on March 22nd, they’re slated to hit 8th on the annual digital charts."
Cheong-ryeo prophesied the grim future without batting an eye. Judging by his expression, he must have restarted quite a few times because of those T-Holic guys.
But here’s the thing.
"Let’s get one thing straight."
We weren't in a situation where we had to steadily clear status effects over several years.
"What we’re doing is a short-term burst. We’re not trying to consistently win Grand Prizes over the long haul."
"And your point is?"
"There’s no need to overcomplicate things by worrying about the future."
Managing image consumption, consistency, fandom retention, sustainable concepts… none of that matters.
We just need to overtake T-Holic this year.
"Let’s go for a volume offensive."
Because we’re settling this within the year.
Cheong-ryeo stared at me intently.
"I didn't expect you to believe a rookie could succeed just by pouring in volume."
"If they can't handle it, they won't succeed."
I grinned, baring my teeth.
"But all the members have already succeeded before. Half of them remember exactly how to make it happen."
"……."
These were guys who had reigned as top-tier idols in the entertainment industry for anywhere from five to dozens of years. They were products with proven sales power.
"We just need a good strategy."
"Let’s hear it."
I laid out the method I’d thought of according to the timeline.
Two albums.
And a tactic bordering on a scam.
"The structure is decent."
Cheong-ryeo stroked his chin and let out a small laugh.
"Assuming we have good songs."
This was a comment from a guy whose head contained a compressed database of songs from the next eight years.
I laughed, too.
"This much should be usable."
The next day. As soon as he entered the recording studio, he instantly churned out seven songs from memory, turning them into rough demos.
It was a feat that made me wonder if he was even human, but by now, I just accepted it.
I listened through the tracks.
Some I knew, some I didn't.
And the one I chose was…
"This one."
"Ah."
It was an R&B track by a certain rapper who had a massive run for a season before his career ended in a DUI.
"Good choice."
He nodded in agreement. Well, even though my original trait, 'Catchy Ear,' was gone, if his evaluation was good…
"He probably hasn't even come up with the top line for this yet. He’s scheduled to think of it while drinking three years from now in the fall."
"……."
So that’s what you meant by it being "appropriate."
Whatever, it didn't matter.
"Fine. Then we’ll arrange this."
And the person to entrust this to…
"Are you any good at composing?"
"I know the theory perfectly. But creation is a realm of intuition."
"The B-sides were decent."
"I don't need to explain the difference between a title track and a B-side, do I?"
Fine, then. I’ll just give it to the company to make.
‘Still, it would be nice to put the members' names in the credits for composing and lyrics….’
And I had to pick one more song. It was while I was racking my brain.
"You have a member over there who handles music."
Ah.
He was obviously talking about Kim Rae-bin.
He spoke with a smirk.
"Try awakening him."
"I told you, it’s not something I can do at will."
"The attempt is up to you, junior."
What a pain. Should I just pull ten times and recite the list of failures to his face?
With a reluctant expression, I pressed the 'Draw 10' button.
"It won't pop. It’s not that easy to—"
[A leap toward soaring…!]
"…??"
[Hah!]
[★★★★★ Kim Rae-bin / Main Rapper]
"……."
"……."
"You pulled him."
"……."
Is this for real?
Is this system bastard actually watching and rigging the rates?
‘Is it doing this because I got caught bluffing about my parents?’
If it thinks something like that would work, it’s a truly moronically idea. Anyway…
‘I’m not complaining.’
I immediately accepted Kim Rae-bin as a colleague. I had no intention of delaying.
A short while later.
Kim Rae-bin, who was supposed to return to Gangwon-do tonight to rest for two days before coming back, was still at the company building for an interview with the staff.
"Hello!"
"Oh, hey."
When I found him and pressed the awakening button, Kim Rae-bin's reaction could be summarized like this:
"…! Then you are saying this place is a fake world? Then, are my grandmother, grandfather, and older sister also… fakes?"
"Reflecting on the fact that the act of 'Awakening' is possible, the people are highly likely to be real!"
And then questions would come back as feedback, and this cycle would repeat eternally.
"Exactly what starting point caused this phenomenon to occur?"
"…?? If you were over the Pacific Ocean in a private jet, whose private jet was it?"
He had no reservations with his questions.
Before I knew it, I’d even leaked to this guy that I could perform a sort of telepathy with the 'real Park Moon-dae.'
‘Seriously?’
Even I didn't believe it, but I even delivered a popup message that Keun-dal sent.
And then this guy… asks another question.
"In that case, which title do you consider more appropriate: Ryu Gun-woo Hyung or Park Moon-dae Hyung?"
"…Just use whichever you’re comfortable with."
"…! As expected, even if the duration was short, you prefer the title from the period when you formed relationships with many people."
Sure, think whatever makes you comfortable.
After a long time had passed, Kim Rae-bin, who had adapted to the situation in his own way, seemed to be constructing complex theories, inferences, and formulas in his head.
And through the process of acceptance once more, the conclusion he reached was…
"If you require even my biased abilities, I will do my best to work!"
Fortunately, he was productive.
Of course, I had to check one thing.
I grabbed his shoulders.
"Even if you feel like you’re infringing on the rights of others a little?"
"…I-I will trust Hyung’s explanation that there are parts everyone would tacitly understand for the sake of restoring reality…."
"Right."
Good thinking.
He had a lot of questions, but it was convenient to start by hammering that point in.
I patted his shoulder.
"I’m counting on you."
"I am counting on you as well!"
I returned to the officetel with the awakened guy in tow.
Of course, it wasn't without side effects.
"Cha Yu-jin! You!"
"I told Kim Rae-bin to speak casually! Kim Rae-bin was the one who was late!"
"You cannot excuse the act of asking back if it isn't important in Korea that I am practically older than you just because my birth was registered late!"
"……."
It seemed like they were having a somewhat touching reunion at my officetel, but they ended up like this at the finish line.
I didn't know the details, but it seemed Cha Yu-jin had teased the memory-less 17-year-old Rae-bin quite a bit.
Anyway, after a while, Kim Rae-bin regained his composure through Ryu Cheong-woo and accepted the melody I handed him.
It was the song by that DUI rapper.
"I want you to arrange this while keeping only the melody, since the melody itself is very kitsch."
"Yes, in accordance with the corresponding top line and riff… what direction are you considering for the genre?"
"I’d like it to be House."
At the mention of work, Kim Rae-bin nodded and listened intently just like before.
I threw out the bait one more time.
"Rae-bin. And I’m sorry, but I need you to do one more."
"Yes?"
I skipped to the next file.
"It’s this. I want both songs to use similar instruments and have a connected, series-like feel."
As I played the other melody I’d picked out, Kim Rae-bin’s face brightened.
Right, he was suffering from a guilty conscience trying to arrange an existing song as if it were his own, but this one wasn't like that.
‘…Actually, this one is, too.’
-I adjusted VTIC’s comeback schedule, and due to the butterfly effect, it didn't come out this time. Did the composer give up?
Well, that’s how it was.
"I understand perfectly."
Kim Rae-bin, unaware of the additional information that it was a hit melody someone else would think of in the future, simply nodded enthusiastically.
"Shall I work on it quickly?"
"Preferably the latter one first."
I smiled broadly.
"Because we’re releasing that one first."
It was the start of the sequential release scenario.
LeTi’s new rookie boy group, set to debut through an in-house survival program.
[Wishes Debut Countdown… Will the Landscape of the Music Industry Change?]
It didn't take long for debut articles to appear with a group name utilizing the spelling of their program, <Wise>.
-The CEO seems freaking excited, he’s making it so obvious on Inheart.
-They’re probably coming out with something super gloomy. Which means I’ll love it.
-I’m really looking forward to it. The kids are all wearing hats tightly these days, are they dyeing their hair?
After the survival ended, the public’s interest temporarily waned, but even after nearly two months, the formed fanbase hardly scattered.
It was because the two veterans hadn't missed the timing.
"Even if we let the public rest a bit, we have to hold onto the fanbase."
"Let’s stick to live communication and practice cams."
In an instant, Wishes' behind-the-scenes WeTube series was established.
They even planned to treat this as a prequel to their reality show after debut to ensure continuity.
That much was good, but the problem was what came next.
The concept of the debut song.
"The afterlife is too niche."
"YES! It’s too depressing!"
"Isn't that the kind of atmosphere the existing fans of this agency expect? And magical boys… well, it’ll be hard to get that past the CEO."
Even though VTIC was outnumbered in terms of awakened members, their experience was a badge of honor, leading to a stalemate.
"Wait a moment, we aren't the only members, so we should hear what the others think."
So, through Ryu Cheong-woo’s mediation, they even asked for the objective evaluation of the two who hadn't awakened.
Chae-yul and Shin-o.
The reaction of those two, whom Park Moon-dae called 'Yes-men,' was as follows:
"Wow… can't we do both?"
"Exactly!"
"……."
It was their own fault for expecting anything from rookies who hadn't even debuted yet.
Park Moon-dae suppressed a groan, but Ju-dan rested his chin on his hand.
"I see. Magic academy and the afterlife—both are settings with demand. Moreover, if we use symbols well, the more people interpret it, the deeper the work becomes."
"…??"
"Moon-dae, no, Gun-woo Hyung. Have you ever considered this kind of idea?"
And Park Moon-dae came to realize the utility of Ju-dan’s ideas, which Cheong-ryeo had described as 'occasionally hitting the jackpot.'
Fifty days after this meeting.
-Is it out?
-It’s out, it’s legendary T_T
-Go play it right now!
While domestic and international fans formed through <Wise> waited with bated breath, the music video was finally released as time passed.
-Whoa.
What people saw was camera work being sucked into a dark school where meteors were falling, and members standing at various facilities inside the school.
There, choreography and close-up scenes unfolded against a backdrop of somewhat eerie phenomena.
[One
Two
Three
Now grant my wish]
That’s right. VTIC and TeSTAR had woven their own debut song concepts together to create a new keyword.
<School Ghost Stories.>
That was the theme of their debut song, 'Wish.'
-LeTi filled it to the brim with what they’re good at, lol.
-I knew it would be like this, but it’s even better T_T
-So handsome, so freaking handsome.
-I thought they’d go overboard with the world-building, but it’s surprisingly not that bad. It’s a bit like a game.
By inserting nuances of thrill, horror, mystery, and hunting between the powerful dance track and camera work, the overall tone was pulled up more intensely.
Moreover, the setting was a school.
Whether it would be polarizing or not, the demand was certain for those who wanted an intense debut.
It wasn't a choice overflowing with public appeal, but that wasn't the target for this album.
"What we’re aiming for is overseas."
Specifically, the existing K-POP listener base.
When the triple threat of synchronized choreography, powerful music, and an intense concept hit the mark, the demands of the target audience were met, and the fandom naturally swelled.
Added to the starting advantage of being from a large agency, their overseas momentum was seen growing at a terrifying speed.
"It seems the company is trying to set the schedule focused on that side as well. Is that what you wanted?"
"Yeah. It’s good."
Thanks to that, they structured their debut activities in a way that thoroughly appealed to the fandom.
There were fans who felt a bit of regret over the public recognition built through the survival show, but regardless, the fandom grew steadily both domestically and internationally.
Furthermore, it was still late May, far from the sweltering summer, but it was hot enough due to global warming.
Thanks to that, the ghost story concept didn't stand out too much and received the effect of blending in appropriately as a seasonal special element.
‘It’s just right.’
First-week sales stopped at around 100,000 copies, but considering this was before the era of album inflation, it was very respectable.
Even more so considering it was a debut album.
‘The overseas fandom we drew in here will start buying albums in earnest from the next one.’
They had finished a massive appeal with a song and concept that could appeal like crazy to the global fandom.
Now it was time to move to the next step.
After finishing the final stage of their debut activities and coming down, Park Moon-dae—that is, Ryu Gun-woo—declared to Cheong-ryeo.
"As planned, for the next activity, don't leave a long gap. Do it again within a month or two at the level of a repackage. Don't say anything else."
"And?"
Even while looking reluctantly at the guy who was asking back despite knowing full well, Ryu Gun-woo answered.
With a strategy bordering on a scam.
"And… we switch tracks. To a completely public-friendly song."
In slang terms, it was a backstab.
While giving international fans the nuance that the next album would also have a similar deep world-building and intense dance track feel to pull up the album pre-orders…
‘We just release a public-friendly song for the domestic market that’s likely to do well on digital charts.’
That way, they would aim for both maximizing album sales and performing well on the digital charts.
Of course, they intended to minimize the sense of betrayal with B-sides and such, but it was a "one big score" style pivot that they would never have done as rookies if it were their original groups.
And that wasn't the end.
"Before that, let’s pull up individual activities as well."
What would be the best way to get the public to at least listen to the song once?
It was making an impression on programs the public watches. That’s the biggest reason for appearing on variety shows during a comeback season.
Promotion.
But here’s the thing.
‘What if we build up about ten individual activities per member and drop them all at once like a simultaneous bombardment?’
If every member showed an impressive side through individual activities and promoted the new song there…
"The hype will be certain."
Park Moon-dae intended to properly utilize the advantage of having eight top-tier idol members, who knew exactly what their appeal points were, in a single group.