Marketing Overhaul
"Alright, let me introduce everyone again."
The building had been completely remodeled. The front store area exuded a clean, cozy café vibe, while the office in the back felt like a lazy late-autumn afternoon around 5 p.m., bathed in drowsy sunlight where cats might nod off any second. Inside that office sat more than ten people: Ha Suyeon's mother, Lee Hyein, a few unfamiliar faces, and the whole Group Sound crew.
Hyein introduced the others to Group Sound.
"First off, these folks you've probably seen before—they're from Echo Sound. You met them last time, right? As I mentioned, the company's operations are changing a lot now. So, you all need to get to know the artists better."
"Nice to meet you."
The staff bowed their heads. Myeongjeon followed suit as the de facto leader of Group Sound.
Then there were the two who hadn't been introduced yet.
"Jeong Yu-young, the section chief I mentioned earlier? She's going to handle marketing for Label Echo Sound. She comes from an idol agency, and from now on, she'll be in charge of all the practical marketing stuff."
"Nice to meet you all! I'm Jeong Yu-young! Man, section chief—still doesn't feel real! But now I gotta get close to you guys, promote our products, and hype up the label. I used to work at an idol-focused agency, so I'm not totally clued in on how indie bands operate, but with some effort..."
"Yeah, that's enough. Anyway, that's Section Chief Jeong. And this is... Manager Go Kyung-min. Now that I'm president of another company too, I can't focus solely on this one. So, overall operations will be delegated to Manager Go. Got it?"
"Yes, hello. I'm Manager Go Kyung-min."
Section Chief Jeong, who was in charge of marketing, was the total opposite of Manager Go Kyung-min. She was a whirlwind of energy and chatter, while he gave off a calm, no-nonsense vibe—like someone who only said what needed saying. He didn't wear glasses, but you could picture him in sharp, angular ones.
Will those two even mesh? Myeongjeon wondered, watching him speak. Go wasn't the type to ramble; he paused thoughtfully, choosing his words.
"I used to work at another indie label, Wizard Lemon, handling planning, general affairs, producing... Then President Lee Hyein made me a great offer to join her. So here I am with you all. Looking forward to working together."
"Ooh, nice! Alright, everyone, let's give a round of applause~ Yeah~"
Manager Go bowed deeply amid the clapping, while Section Chief Jeong gave a quick nod and waved her hands enthusiastically. Totally different reactions, Myeongjeon thought, listening as Hyein continued.
"First, I'd like to hear about the album's progress so far. You said you don't know much about music, President, so you told me to ask the members."
"Yes. The current status is..."
At Go Kyung-min's prompt, Myeongjeon explained the situation. The concept wasn't fully set, but it was heading toward something like "our story." Tracklist: 12 to 15 songs. None fully composed yet. Three rough demos, that's it. Release date and everything else TBD.
"Uh..."
Jeong Yu-young's sparkling eyes dimmed a bit. Go just nodded calmly.
"It's progressing normally. Yeah..."
"Normally?"
Jeong Yu-young sounded incredulous.
"Yes, normally. I don't know how major labels work, but this is an indie label. Without a dedicated producer, the members handling everything themselves—it's bound to be like this."
From alpha to omega, K-pop and idols thrive on total top-down involvement, turning even their input into hype and sales points. Bands are different. Sure, some still emerge under tight label control... but in the Korean indie scene? Rare as hell.
"And album producing isn't something we can just dictate anyway."
"Huh?"
"Unlike idols, bands—even if rough around the edges—appeal because the members made it themselves. That raw feeling. To put it simply..."
Go stroked his chin, then scrolled his phone before continuing.
"Say you find a sundae gukbap joint or gomtang house you love—one you'd eat at every meal for a hundred days straight. They advertise 'Grandma's homemade taste!' But turns out it's just corporate gomtang kits. Feel good about that?"
"Eh, maybe not a big deal... but yeah, kinda scammed."
"Exactly. Meal kits from big corps might even taste better with precise ratios. But band fans? They want the real deal, even if it's not perfect—like grandma's cooking."
Myeongjeon found the analogy iffy. Most people probably don't care who composed it. But hey, to each their own.
"Anyway, if the label claims they made it all, it feels off-putting to listeners. We're just here to support. Now that we're on board, though, we need to speed things up."
"Speed things up how...?"
Choi Iseo asked warily at Go's last remark. He scratched his head lightly.
"I want to gauge how long the next album will take. When can we aim for completion?"
"Hmm. At this pace, it'll take a while."
The album talk started after Hyeona's college entrance exams. Now it was around results announcement time. Zero finished tracks in that span.
"We can't drag forever, so let's target a final version in six months. 'Final version' means playable—digital or physical."
Six months. Myeongjeon mulled it over, twirling a strand of hair. Tight, but not impossible. Just right. The others seemed to feel the same—like cramming for TOEIC after aimless English study.
"We'll support you fully. Need reference materials, samples, collab composers? Anything for songwriting—hit us up anytime."
Go bowed. Myeongjeon clapped softly; soon the office echoed with louder applause.
"Now it's my turn!"
After Go finished, Jeong Yu-young grabbed her iPad and chirped energetically. A projector flickered on behind her—something Go hadn't touched.
"Today's our official start, but watching your past activities... I kept thinking, why haven't these girls blown up? You've got TOP 100 hits! Solid indie sales! Even won that audition!"
Her booming voice filled the room. Myeongjeon propped her chin, listening intently despite the noise. It was my question too.
"Lots of factors, sure! If I could pinpoint it, I'd be earning bank—superstar talent! But then I'd miss out on working with you. Lucky me! Anyway..."
She paused dramatically, swiping her iPad to project a complex graph. Spikes at certain points, then sharp drops.
"My analysis? You weren't rowing the boat—you know, paddling to keep momentum!"
"We... weren't rowing...?"
Hyeona asked, as if confirming she heard right.
"Yep! That's my take."
Jeong Yu-young flashed more charts—data backing her claims. To Myeongjeon, they showed Group Sound's buzz volume peaks.
"Look: post-audition—not super long, but daeyo! So cute! After that buzz exploded, we should've pumped out content, gamed YouTube algorithms, drawn in search traffic. But nada."
Her argument: To seize chances like auditions, follow up with content. The EP rode festival hype; the audition drew eyes. Problem was after.
In her view, they needed self-produced stuff, TV spots, collabs—even a single. Instead, one gig, Japan trip, then radio silence. Buzz faded naturally. That's how they got here.
Makes sense, Myeongjeon thought. Best explanation for the phenomenon.
Disappear when fans are hooked? They'll assume nothing's up.
We had to have popularity first to know how to sustain it... She twirled her hair. Her fault, mostly. Newbies needed guidance, but success is learned by doing.
"Anyway! Now: full album, concerts—no sweat. Forget the past. But another issue!"
"Another one?"
"Yep. A serious one! For real!"
At Iseo's question, Jeong Yu-young shivered theatrically, swiping to another graph.
"Whoa, this is bad. That can't be right—something's wrong."
"Exactly! Shouldn't happen, but it did—because of how things went."
The projection listed members: Ha Suyeon, Choi Iseo, Jeong Hyeona, Yoo Seoha. Band keywords visualized by buzz volume. Suyeon's sky-high; others scraping bottom. Iseo middling; Hyeona and Seoha abysmal.
"I'm dead last?"
"Hey, from this 'second place' body, you're tied. Why rank among us mortals anyway?"
"That's second? Barely different."
"I ignore the weak."
Seoha pretended to grab Iseo's hair; Iseo giggled and bolted. Myeongjeon eyed them pitifully, twirling her hair.
"Makes sense—only I've done broadcasts."
"Spot on! And bands? Guitar and vocals hog the spotlight anyway."
"Can't help that."
Bands were guitar-vocal turf. Famous line: "No one wanted to be bassist—we pictured a fat guy in back." Drums, keys? Ignored. Exceptions like Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, John Entwistle were rarities. Or Lemmy leading Motörhead.
"Can't shove members on shows without invites. I don't know bands well, but idols? Even popularity is key. So..."
Jeong Yu-young paused, scanning the room, locking eyes to build trust.
"How about producing our own content?"