Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Pure EDM for Debut
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Yeonwoo pondered.
What song should he create for the new debut group that was about to launch?
In fact, when they said they’d leave everything about the song entirely up to him, he got excited and made several tracks.
But then it hit him—could those guys actually perform this?
That thought crossed his mind.
He figured they had growth potential, but it might still be too much for them right now.
On top of that, he wondered if the public would listen without bias to a rookie idol group with no foundation bringing out something overly complex.
That was it.
From age six, now nine years old after three years of activity, Yeonwoo was no longer a composer and producer who thought in just one dimension.
He now considered the recipients who would receive the song, pondering how they could make it appeal to the masses and build a fandom.
Viewing it through that lens:
The debut group was full of rookies.
Did they sing well? They had a main vocalist comparable to Hadas at debut, but that was just one member.
They couldn’t compare to Hadas, where the entire concept was a vocal group of all skilled singers.
However, they had a sub-vocalist with a rare, unique voice, members from a multinational group who could dance and even rap despite being sub-vocals.
And they had a member with such insane visuals that they could probably live off their looks alone.
They overflowed with individuality and potential for growth.
Yeonwoo concluded that this debut group needed a song that highlighted each member’s unique traits while being simple, addictive—yes, quintessentially Korean idol-like.
But here came the dilemma.
The producer was him.
The public no longer expected ordinary songs from Yeonwoo.
It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but people anticipated high-level music from the genius boy.
A song that was perfect for the debut group to sing—nothing too difficult, utterly idol-like, addictive, mass-appealing, yet not betraying the expectations for him as producer.
Was something that satisfied both sides even possible?
“It’s possible, but…”
Nothing felt exactly right.
“Aunt, is the debut group’s debut urgent?”
“No, they need practice time and more polishing, right? It was just finalized.”
“Then can I take it slow?”
“Huh? What’s up with the great Shin Yeonwoo?”
“Why?”
“You always do everything at lightning speed.”
“When it’s up to me, but thinking about those guys means a lot to consider.”
At those words, Jiyeong made an “oh” face before smiling and saying,
“Yeah, think it over carefully. There’s still plenty of time. Meanwhile, I’ll tighten up the kids and train them hard.”
“Yeah.”
After finishing his talk with his aunt, the overall producer, Yeonwoo seriously pondered what song to make for them.
First, he checked the current idol trends.
Yeonwoo dominated idols—no, Korean pop music—but his music was so original that it was hard to say he was leading trends.
How to put it? If Yeonwoo’s songs were the sun, other genres orbited around it like planets.
Among them, the hottest was synthpop.
But it wasn’t dominating; it was more like a base blended with other genres.
Even that wasn’t overwhelmingly strong.
To be precise, various groups were constantly bringing out diverse concepts and genres.
But Yeonwoo spotted something invisible among them.
Retro vibes.
Of course, synthpop and other genres weren’t without retro elements.
But those were less “retro” and more newly reinterpreted as “newtro,” establishing themselves as a genre.
Just like jazz had been reinterpreted multiple times until nu-jazz took hold.
Amid that, there was one thing that truly qualified as retro—something unseen for over a decade lately.
EDM.
The genre that exploded worldwide in the 2010s had cooled off in the 2020s, becoming somewhat outdated for young people at some point.
Even its era as a base for other genres had passed, and now it only showed up in searches for nostalgic idol or club songs.
In short, it was a genre for someone like Shin Jiyeong reminiscing about her youth.
“Let’s do pure EDM.”
Not as a backing base, but a song where EDM was the pure main focus.
Yeonwoo made up his mind and began composing.
“First… since it’s EDM…”
Wouldn’t it be good to highlight a masculine, wild side with intense sounds?
Yeah, EDM meant intense sounds. Addictive beats screamed EDM too.
Yeonwoo started by making the most basic-feeling track, studied it, then crafted his own EDM beat.
The time Yeonwoo spent pondering and composing was a month.
After he finished arranging and handed over the track, the lyricist added words, completing the debut song. Then Jiyeong kicked into high gear.
First, she gathered the planning team for a concept meeting.
Since Yeonwoo gave them an EDM track—and a wild-feeling one at that—nailing the concept was easy.
They settled on hair, makeup, and outfits fitting the concept.
For idols, styling that matched the album concept was crucial.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say it stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the song itself.
Jiyeong finalized several styling options after reviewing various concepts, then prepared for profile shoots.
These profile shots were separate from the album—teasers of sorts to reveal debut group members one by one before launch.
The first revealed debut group member was Saito Riku.
-Isn’t she Japanese?
-Cute though?
-No other info?
-Sub-vocal, 16 years old or so?
-Visuals are good.
-JOP lives up to its name, picking a Japanese kid? lololol
-Makes sense. They’re not just doing Korea; Japan too.
-Honestly, JOP’s the top in Japan, weird if they didn’t expand there.
-They’re probably planning dual activities too, imo.
People seemed more interested in JOP launching its first idol group than in Saito Riku herself.
The same went for the others.
As Okada Shou, Anurak, Namgoong Jin, and Kim Jimin were revealed sequentially, talk kept circling back to Japan.
-I think the two Japanese have the best visuals?
-Anurak’s visuals are good too ;
-Thailand delivering the reliable ones lol
-No Chinese member.
-China’s not profitable these days… Unless Hallyu ban lifts, probably no Chinese members?
-Wasn’t the ban lifted years ago? Still no news?
-They’re not in a position for that now haha
-We have our promised land: Japan
-Fr, if JOP pushes hard, Japan’s a sure success
-Director’s Billboard #1 Yuin, what’s to worry?
-Oh right haha
-Wow, these kids are so blessed: top Japan agency + producer Yuin lololol
Most reactions centered on how blessed these kids were.
Given their backing, it made sense.
These days, Japan expansion was a given for profit, but success wasn’t guaranteed for all.
Korean idol Hallyu influence wasn’t what it used to be—out of 10 groups going in, maybe 3 or 4 succeeded.
But these were under JOP, Japan’s top agency.
With Yeonwoo handling their music, it was hard to imagine a more promising team.
But there was a regret.
-Visuals aren’t bad… but average for idols, kinda boring.
-Lack of appeal?
-Something’s missing.
-Expected more with JOP + Yuin, but members are meh…
-Since it’s Yuin, maybe they’re all skilled singers?
-Maybe they sing like Hadas?
None of them had ugly faces. Far from it—all were handsome.
But the ultra-simple profile photos gave off a bland vibe.
Boring, perhaps?
Finally, the last member, Yoon Havin’s profile dropped.
-Wow
-Were the others just buildup for Yoon Havin?
-Woaaaah
-Insane
-Wtf, he’s actually handsome ;
-Human?
-Like a fairy?
-Too handsome ㅠ
-At this level, shouldn’t we call him pretty? ㅠ
-I’m becoming a Havin fan starting today…
-Even if others are handsome and charming, they’d get overshadowed by him.
-Might as well make him stand out completely?
-Don’t do that, kids ; Honestly, others are handsome too ;
-Yup. Just Havin’s on another level.
-Fr, he’d overshadow any other idol anywhere.
-186cm tall too ;
-Heart-fluttering height lol
Once Yoon Havin’s profile hit, public opinion flipped completely.
Even inside JOP, they didn’t pass Yoon Havin unanimously just because—average singer and dancer though he was—for nothing.
This kid was a sure thing.
The owner of visuals so unreal he could coast on his face forever.
-These guys are gonna make it.
-Guaranteed success.
-Japan who? Face alone conquers Asia.
As more people awaited the debut group’s launch, Jiyeong shot album concept and jacket photos, while Alicia finished the choreography and began teaching it to the team.
All this unfolded over about three months.
Now, just two things left.
“Recording and music video.”
Jiyeong pondered.
“Who to ask?”
As always, having rolled in this industry for years, Jiyeong had wide connections.
Her phone contacts alone had at least five MV directors.
Which among them could capture the group’s visuals and the song’s vibe best?
Safe choices came to mind, but no one screamed “perfect.”
She wanted the absolute best director if possible, but timing issues meant they were all booked solid.
“No need to stick to Korean directors, right?”
If none appealed, consider overseas.
Especially Japan.
Japanese directors were underrated, but that was largely because in Japan, directors just “shot” pre-scripted scenarios where everything was decided.
Their raw talent remained strong.
Look at animation, where directors wielded huge influence: given budget, they churned out insane quality—that was Japanese directors.
The genes that once rocked the world hadn’t fully died.
Same for music videos.
Jiyeong requested JOP secure Japan’s top director.
“Wow, is everything going this smoothly?”
It all progressed flawlessly.
Was it because they had money and no budget worries?
……But Jiyeong couldn’t voice such thoughts. No, she shouldn’t even think them.
There’s that old saying: boast about your luck, and it runs out. It exists for a reason.