Chapter 74
Chapter 74
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Comeback, and Comeback (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A few days later, on the way to the fansign event.
Park Su-rim, sitting in the passenger seat, let out a short, sharp "Eh?" as if startled by something.
"What's up, Su-rim hyung?"
When I asked, Park Su-rim turned around with a dazed look on his face.
"Kids. Our song just... entered the Lime Chart rankings?"
Huh? For real? My eyes went wide at the news.
What was Lime? The largest music streaming service in our country.
It tallied up the distribution of tracks within 24 hours, quantified it, and you could gauge the public's reaction just by looking at Lime's 24Hit Top 100 chart.
And our song made it onto the Lime Chart?
Honestly, it was hard to believe.
Lime's ranking system heavily favored artists who already had established fanbases. For rookie idols like us, it was notoriously known as the "dream chart" with sky-high entry barriers.
Maybe that's why the members' reactions were...
"No way?! For real? No kidding!"
"Nah, hyung, don't joke around."
"Pfft haha. Hey, Su-rim, that was a good one."
"Ooh, Su-rim hyung's such a liar?"
"Su-rim, that's too much."
They dismissed it as nonsense.
Park Su-rim twisted his body around indignantly and shoved his phone screen toward us.
"No, I'm serious! Look at this!"
As he held out his phone, the members—buckled in—leaned forward. I craned my neck to peer at the screen he was showing.
'Whoa, no way. It's real?'
Sure enough, there on Park Su-rim's screen was our second album's title track, <Bloom>.
It was clinging to the very bottom at #99, but for a group that had debuted not long ago, it was a staggering achievement.
The members who'd brushed off his words stared in shock, eyes bulging.
"Whoa, it's real?"
"What the heck? Is this for real?"
"Looks legit, Kwang-myeong hyung? Insane."
"Oh my days!"
"...Unbelievable."
Even Lee Jae-oh, who rarely got fazed by anything, gaped in astonishment.
But setting the surprise aside, it felt amazing.
Our song had gotten that many plays, after all.
'Must be because of that thing with Yoon Da-on.'
A few days ago at the music show awards, Yoon Da-on's impromptu action.
It probably drew in people curious about EverPlanet.
Plus, the Planet Studio videos gaining traction had pulled in more fans too.
But in the end, all of it boiled down to...
"Our Sunlights must've really stepped up for us."
None of it would've happened without the people who loved us.
When good news like this hits, you gotta credit the fans first.
Their support was what made this possible.
The members nodded along with my words.
"Yeah. They're streaming like crazy. So grateful."
"Right! I saw it while searching. Fans doing streaming proof shots get gifts as a fan event."
"Our Sunlights... truly shine."
Just then, Go Eun-young, sitting in the very back, piped up brightly.
"So, shouldn't we do something for our fans? Isn't it too much hype for not even #1?"
Han Tae-hee, who was laughing beside her, turned serious. In a gravely earnest tone, he replied.
"Eun-young, just hitting the charts is an honor for the family name. What're you talking about? And when else are we gonna celebrate if not for stuff like this?"
"You're right. So how do we celebrate in a way that'll get us known for doing it right?"
Might as well go all out. Go Eun-young added with a goofy grin. Her snake-like cool vibe turned straight-up goofy.
I chuckled at the sight. Then I suggested.
"While we're on the topic, how about filming a video and posting it on Flitter?"
"Sounds good."
"Let's do it!"
"But what do we even say? 'Thanks for getting us to #99 on Lime Chart'?"
At Kim Kwang-myeong's question, the members fell silent.
Even the manager, who'd been quietly listening, frowned and said, "That might be a bit much."
"...Maybe skip mentioning the chart. Just say thanks for the support?"
"Yeah. No need to get into specifics."
"Don't worry. Hyung's got this."
Park Su-rim thumped his chest like he could handle it solo.
He picked up his phone and turned on the camera.
"Kids, everyone look here."
"Yeah."
"Okay."
"Everyone in?"
Park Su-rim tweaked the lens angle, brows furrowed slightly. The members stretched their necks, huddling into frame with all they had.
"Whoa, this is kinda tough?"
"I'm on the invisible chair right now."
"Recording."
Ding! With the record button, all seven EverPlanet members filled the lens.
Park Su-rim waved his free hand.
"Hello, our beloved Sunlights! It's EverPlanet. Kids, greet the Sunlights."
"Hello."
"Sunlights!"
Our kids really knew how to listen.
Like pups from puppy school spotting their owner, they beamed and waved at the camera. I couldn't hold back a snort—though I was waving hard too.
"We're heading to the fansign venue right now to meet you all. Can't wait to see your faces up close. How about our members?"
"Why bother saying it? We're so excited we might puke our hearts out. Sunlights, hear my heartbeat?"
"Whoa, Tae-hee hyung's tongue is wild as ever."
"Hey. Pot calling the kettle black, Light?"
"Fair. Hyung's the best tongue-twister here."
"..."
Kids? The convo's veering off track.
I stared at the three in the back bantering like a comedy skit, then spoke up.
"Meeting our Sunlights—who always cheer and love us—is thrilling no matter when. If it's at 4 PM, we're happy from 3."
"Re's got the words."
"Whoa, lit-boy Hi-re."
"Library boy."
Quoting a famous fairy tale line, I got thumbs-ups from the members. Kinda embarrassing.
Park Su-rim shot me an approving look and continued.
"Yeah. Anyway, like Re said, thanks to our Sunlights who always love and support EverPlanet, we can push harder! Make songs that sound great, stages that stick. Right, kids?"
"Obviously."
"Of course!"
"Already getting way more love than we deserve. We'll work harder to meet your expectations. Keep watching. Thanks!"
"Thanks!"
"Bye~"
With the final greetings, Park Su-rim stopped recording.
"This good enough?"
"Yeah. Looks great."
"Hey, but Su-rim and Re are the real smooth talkers."
"Right. The wild tongues are those two for sure."
Kim Kwang-myeong flopped back into his seat, shaking his head.
A bit later, Park Su-rim uploaded the video to Flitter.
[EverPlanet @ever_planet
To. Our beloved Sunlights♥
We seven members filmed a video letter full of thanks to our Sunlights who always support us!
(Attached video)]
Reactions poured in way faster than our first post. Replies piled up in seconds.
[Tae-heegodface @Tae-hee_godface
omg omg insane kids i love u too ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ forever everplanet forever sunlight self-powering til the world ends... about becoming a walking generator]
[imthesun @okey_sunlight
this is idol life... kids keep it up this pure heart is perfect...... love u granny too...... see u at fansign.......]
[everplanetbeauty @ohohyeahevp
ugh re's words so pretty if meeting u is 4pm then fk 3pm?? id be heart-puking from 8pm previous night like a maniac... our planets too cute fk fk blow up earth space no wait cant blow up space...... kids here]
I chuckled at some fans' dramatics. Always so fun.
After checking more reactions, I closed Flitter and opened the Lime Chart.
Still couldn't believe our song was on there. But damn, it felt good. Honestly, I'd only expected chart-ins after a year...
'Anyway, means we gotta work harder for better results.'
I sighed quietly, eyeing our song tussling with #100 at the bottom—without the others noticing.
Long road ahead.
* * *
Debut three months in, rookie group EverPlanet notched a chart-in milestone, however brief.
Proving it, our second album promotions were way more grueling than debut.
Music shows plus radio appearances, magazine interviews, fansigns—barely any downtime except waiting at shows.
'Even then, I'm with Lee Jae-oh and Kim Kwang-myeong...'
Factoring that, I had zero rest.
Guess Lee Jae-oh's strength training was paying off.
Stamina at C+ now, and I could feel the drop in fatigue and passion drain.
As we got busier, Sunlights' competition heated up too.
Before, buying one album got you in; now, fans mentioned multiples.
"Jae-oh oppa! Bought three albums just to see you."
"Whoa, three. Thank you. That's a lot."
"Eh? No, I got lucky... Others buy like ten usually."
...Ten? That's normal? Are we that big? I was a bit shocked.
"Anyway, seriously thanks. Three means... one to keep, one to gift, one to enjoy?"
"Never thought of it, but if oppa says, okay. Keep, gift, enjoy."
Either way, grueling schedules tested everyone's stamina.
But no one complained.
Of course. This was our—and their—dream.
Even if bodies ached, they grinned: real idol life starting.
"Still, sunglasses and mask? No one recognizes us!"
"Sunglasses and mask... Hard to spot anyone, right, Teddy?"
"Yeah. Jae-oh hyung's smart."
That's how we poured everything into second album promos. As it wrapped up, a massive scandal rocked the industry.