Hyung, Aren't You Coming?

"Hyung, aren't you coming?"

Yoo Hyeok paused, staring at his phone for a moment before lifting his head at his younger bandmate's words. The other members were already packed up and ready to head out. He scratched his head briefly, then spoke.

"Head to the dorm first."

"What's up? Why aren't you coming with us?"

"I've got something to take care of."

A murmur rippled through the members at that.

"Look at him, hyung's at it again..."

He pressed a hand to his forehead, listening quietly to their chatter. Sure, there was precedent. It had even made the news once. But holding onto that one incident forever? It was frustrating. How could his own bandmates not trust him?

Maybe I should get their contacts. Think it'll work?

After bidding the members goodbye, he headed to Group Sound's waiting room. Not for any shady reasons—he was at the point where he needed to start his solo activities soon.

Featuring on a hot band's track, or having them back me up... it'd be a win-win.

Of course, given his idol career, he didn't need that kind of promo. Even if he went solo, Fables fans and his personal fans wouldn't abandon him. They'd flock wherever he went, buy his stuff, spread the word. That's what fans do.

But as a public entertainer, you live off the general public's attention. If he could just coast on personal fans and idol stans, there'd be no point in going solo. Leaving a cozy home for the cold world demands a damn good reason.

With those thoughts, he arrived at Group Sound's waiting room—only to find someone already there.

"Well, if you're interested, give me a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠call sometime."

"Yes, got it."

The woman said her piece and left the room. Yoo Hyeok didn't know her personally, but he'd heard plenty of her music: the singer Yoo Young. She gave him a quick bow and vanished, leaving him with an inexplicable twinge of urgency.

A collab offer?

It wasn't like it was urgent or anything major. He'd just planned to snag their numbers casually: Hit 'em up if it feels right later.

Group Sound's live set today had been phenomenal, and they were clearly on the fast track to stardom. Especially that stage. He hadn't heard about their booking until it was set, so they'd probably locked it in around the time their article dropped. And since they'd never done an acoustic set before, it made sense they'd prepped it post-decision.

Yet the quality was so high, it shattered that logic.

Were they preparing this for ages?

With skills like that, they'd hit major leagues in a couple years whether they wanted to or not. Objectively, Fables was K-pop royalty, selling millions on debut. Yoo Hyeok, the group's most popular member, could drop a solo album and hit hundreds of thousands easy. No need for him to reach out first.

But seeing that just now? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It irked him. Like spotting a great jacket you mentally reserved, only for a customer to start eyeing it. They might not buy, stock might linger—but suddenly, it felt like he'd lose it forever if he didn't act now.

The stage's impact didn't hit immediately.

Even with the PD raving, singer-songwriters swooning, and idols fidgeting, 98% of the audience were fans of the established acts. They'd tell friends, "Yeah, they were pretty good," or add the track to a playlist—that was it.

So Kim Ji-yeon's Music Letter lacked the instant viral punch of something like EBS Amplifier Now. Group Sound's Unplugged performance (derived from MTV Unplugged—re-recording "electric music" with "unplugged instruments") would need time post-broadcast to spread.

The airing order matched the performance: established artists first, Group Sound last. As usual, it drew casual channel-flippers, music lovers, show fans, and performer stans. The internet stayed quiet at first—only those fans and niche communities noticed the difference.

Then, slowly but surely, communities and SNS ignited.

No one outside Group Sound fans and insiders expected it. Most didn't know them or care. But those who watched to the end? The prior acts faded; Group Sound burned into memory.

The result was swift.

"Upload that clip NOW!!" screamed the PD. The mysteriously algorithm-picked edit exploded: hundreds of thousands of views in under a day, topping trending.

Group Sound's official channel and White Room overflowed with pleas for more footage. Label Echo Sound—specifically Manager Jeong Yu-young—pounced.

Group Sound's breakdown video on the Music LetterUnplugged set. Spot-on track picks, plus deep dives: arrangement intent, key focuses, track commentary (Plastic Nostalgia's two songs), lyrics process (Choi Iseo's domain), stage direction (Yoo Seoha's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turf).

For fans rewatching the performance on a loop, it was the sweetest dessert. Algorithm funnels you: Music Letter clip → stage repeat → breakdown → back to stage → breakdown loop. That kind of pull.

What should've been "Top musicians on terrestrial TV" became Group Sound's solo spotlight, blazing as hot as Sky Garden. Effort never betrays.

The rare irregular meeting convened, with even Lee Hyein in attendance. Go Kyung-min projected his materials and began.

"This success is 99%—no, 100%—Ha Suyeon-ssi. Our company's input was negligible. She landed the gig herself, handled all the arrangements... As planners, we were mortified. We're supposed to guide and produce, but we ended up just spooning from her laid table..."

"N-no, that wasn't the intent..."

Ha Suyeon flustered at his sincere, apology-tinged words. Fair enough. But Go Kyung-min looked genuinely ashamed.

"Anyway! Music Letter reversed our streaming dips—views, plays, all climbing! Plastic Nostalgia streams surging too. Even those leftover limited LPs? All sold out now!"

Jeong Yu-young showcased the data: plays, rankings, sales boosted by Music Letter. The casual studio ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠breakdown video? No prep, just off-the-cuff—yet racking up hundreds of thousands, climbing fast.

"Sky Garden was our plan, executed perfectly—drove Becoming a Star sales. But Music Letter? Pure unforeseen opportunity."

True. Jeong Yu-young's exhaustive strategies made Sky Garden and Becoming a Star feel inevitable. This? Total wildcard. Time to seize it fast.

"So we're planning three things to keep the momentum."

Ha Suyeon glanced at the other three, eyes pleading please say it's a lie.

"Not overly grueling schedules. Suyeon-ssi will bear the brunt, probably."

"Huh?"

The arrow swung her way. She blinked wide at Go Kyung-min. No mishearing—his tone screamed she'd suffer most.

"First: Unplugged album. EP scale, not full-length."

Her mind blanked like a headshot. Unplugged EP. Flashback to the full album grind: endless remixing, mastering debates, pouring every free hour. Again?

"Second: Second EP. Lighter vibe—bridging our three releases so far/upcoming. Listener-friendly."

A choked khkh laugh escaped. She whipped around: Iseo and Hyeona pitied her; Seoha struggled not to crack up, eyes averted.

But Go Kyung-min's next line shattered the mood.

"Third: Live tour. Nationwide."

Silence like a bucket of ice water. Hyeona broke it.

"I-isn't that... a bit too much...? And regional shows... will people even come...?"

"Tight schedule, yeah. Can't delay, though. No concert halls—we're trying a different approach. No guarantees it'll work..."