Chapter 24
Chapter 24
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: We've Already Won
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“On the day of Hadas’s debut showcase, ‘Ladies’ is doing a comeback showcase too?”
“What’s Ladies?”
“What’s that?”
Jiyeong let out a sigh upon seeing her mom and brother, who were completely clueless despite her describing what she thought was a serious situation.
“Ladies is an idol group under Taein Entertainment. The one Ellis raised.”
“You don’t mean… Ladies’ comeback showcase is going to bury Hadas’s debut, something like that?”
“Exactly.”
Jiyeong stuck out her thumb at her brother’s quick grasp of the situation.
“Why would they go out of their way to do that?”
“Taein always plays dirty when their own artists leave the nest. They’re sabotaging things because Ellis went independent and started raising idols at another company.”
“Is Ladies that big a deal? I mean, I’ve heard of them.”
“They’re hugely famous.”
Ladies had been the idol that Ellis produced and Taein Entertainment—once counted among the top three, then top five agencies in the country—had staked the company’s survival on during their slump, when they were losing their former glory.
The result was a massive success.
Even now, as fifth-generation idols emerged beyond the fourth generation, Ladies—often called a 3.5-generation group—was still ranked in the top tier.
They pushed Taein’s signature stubborn, childish “cringey” concept, but backed by the company’s vast accumulated marketing expertise, they swept number one on every streaming chart the moment they released something.
Their showcase on the same day?
It was fatal for Hadas, who were just debuting.
Hadas’s debut would be completely overshadowed by Ladies’ comeback.
“But does it really matter? They’re them, and Hadas is Hadas, right?”
“You don’t get it, Oppa.”
“How would I? I don’t know. I’m going to bed.”
As Jihoon got up and left, Heo Ok soon headed into the master bedroom.
Left alone, Jiyeong bit her nails for the first time in a while.
“Those petty bastards at Taein.”
Anyone could see they’d changed the comeback date to target Ellis and Hadas.
If they were unrelated groups, they could each fend for themselves even if one got buried, but the problem was their connection through Ellis.
Ladies, raised by Ellis at Taein. Hadas, newly raised by Ellis after leaving Taein.
It was perfect bait for reporters—those vultures who scoured online communities for stories.
There was no way a freshly debuted Hadas could catch up to Ladies right away.
The reporters would drag Ellis into it and tear them apart, even though it was inevitable.
Then it wouldn’t just hurt Ellis mentally—Hadas could end up branded as the failed group from the Ellis who’d left Taein, rather than building a positive image.
“What about our Yeonwoo, then?”
Jiyeong glanced at the door of the room where Yeonwoo was sleeping.
He’d succeeded with Kim Beomsin’s song, but Fly High was essentially the first song Yeonwoo had ever made. Jiyeong was already worried about how disappointed he’d be if it flopped.
But the next day.
When Jiyeong voiced her concerns about the scheduling conflict with Taein’s star idol group potentially causing problems, Yeonwoo responded calmly.
“My song’s good, so it’ll be fine.”
“But even if the song’s great…”
“It’ll be fine.”
Yeonwoo continued with a firm expression.
“In fact, it’s perfect.”
“Huh? What’s with the overconfidence?”
“I reworked Fly High because it felt a bit lacking. If we use this version, we’ll win.”
“Wait, you rearranged it again when it was already good? And you say this one’s even better?”
There’s a saying in this industry.
If you tinker with a finished song you’re not satisfied with, you often end up with something worse than the original.
But Yeonwoo denied it.
“I’m better now than I was then. So this version’s better.”
“Well… yeah, you’re almost half a year in now, compared to two months when you composed it.”
Jiyeong had no choice but to agree. Yeonwoo had made a pro-level track in just two months; now, nearly half a year later, his music had deepened to the point where she wasn’t helping him anymore—she was the one learning from him.
But hyping your own track is a separate issue!
Wanting to protest, Jiyeong listened to Yeonwoo’s newly arranged Fly High and was left speechless.
“It really… is better?”
Yeonwoo’s bold claim wasn’t empty talk.
He’d finally laid down a beat inspired by trot as the base, creating an even more addictive Fly High.
Jiyeong knew that no matter how good the song was, beating a top-tier idol from a major label wasn’t easy.
But hearing Yeonwoo’s track, she couldn’t help getting her hopes up.
Why?
“The guy who revived a dead Kim Beomsin? Yeah, there’s no rule saying he can’t blow up a brand-new rookie idol group too.”
Yeonwoo was already someone who’d hit number one with just one good song.
* * *
[Can Ellis Write Another Success Story?]
[What Kind of Group Is Rookie Girl Group Hadas, Produced by Kim Beomsin and Ellis?]
[Ladies’ Comeback on the Same Day as Hadas’s Debut Showcase?]
[Taein’s Scheme or Just a Coincidence?]
[The Clash Between Two Groups Made by Former Idol Genius Producer Ellis.]
[Can Ellis Surpass Her Past Self?]
Just as Jiyeong predicted, people began comparing Taein’s girl group Ladies—which Ellis had made a success—and her new group Hadas.
- No matter what, Ladies is still untouchable.
- Unless Ladies disbands after their 7-year contract ends, Hadas can’t win lololol
- The agency gap alone is huge. How dare BSK even compare to Taein? Lmao
- They’ll get crushed in marketing from the start.
- Ladies was made by pooling Taein’s most cherished trainees. Comparing top-tier trainees from a mega corp to top-tier ones from a mid-tier is ridiculous lololol
- Ellis rode Taein’s coattails anyway lol
- She succeeded before Taein too?
- That was just hyping her own group lol those girls had insane visuals
- Ladies’ fandom is massive lol why keep comparing rookies to them? Lol
- Fr lol do they think Ladies is a joke?
- Trying to get Hadas’s name out by rubbing against Ladies? Lol
- Ellis really did ride Taein’s wave.
- But she learned from Kim Beomsin, so their songs are good, right?
- Taein’s vocal trainers are stacked too.
Most opinions were negative toward Hadas.
It was inevitable, given Ladies’ enormous fandom.
Taein excelled at building fanbases to an unusual degree, and Ladies—their top priority group—had the largest domestic fandom among girl groups.
In fact, even at BSK themselves, no one thought Hadas could beat Ladies.
With the overlapping showcase dates, they just hoped Hadas wouldn’t get completely buried. The problem was the Ellis connection drawing aggro from reporters, putting them in a bad light from the start.
Because of that, Ellis—who felt like it was all her fault—looked glum even on the day of the debut showcase.
She wasn’t the only one.
From the members to the staff preparing the debut, the entire BSK company was down in the dumps.
Except for one person.
“But hey, at least Hadas’s name is out there now, right? That’s what matters. Let’s grab a drink after it’s over—relax.”
In the heavy, subdued atmosphere, only Kim Beomsin showed positivity.
“Hey, hyung, read the room a bit.”
Park Sangcheol quietly pulled Kim Beomsin aside as he chuckled alone in the gloom.
“What? You wanna mope on such a meaningful debut day? Come on, everyone, lighten up. Do you think groups blow up right out of the gate often? Play the long game—long game!”
Unless it was a group a major agency was dead set on pushing, instant success post-debut was rare.
Debut albums were for name recognition; you built your face out with active promotions, then bet on the second or third album.
Even that was only feasible for agencies like BSK—smaller ones often disbanded before anyone knew their name, and if they were lucky, a good song would reverse-stream and extend their lifespan.
From that perspective, Ellis and the Hadas members were whining from a position of privilege.
At least, that’s how Kim Beomsin saw it.
He himself had tried debuting twice under his real name before going silent for years as an unknown.
“But Daydream didn’t have this vibe, hyung.”
To Park Sangcheol’s words, Kim Beomsin replied.
“Daydream was like… yeah, hitting the lottery.”
As he said it, Kim Beomsin averted his gaze from Park Sangcheol, spotted someone, and broke into a wide grin.
“Oh, there’s our lottery producer. Hey, Shin Jiyeong!!”
“Sunbae-nim.”
“Man, you brought your nephew again today? That’s some next-level nephew love.”
Kim Beomsin took Jiyeong’s hand, spotted Yeonwoo staring blankly at him, and crouched down.
“Long time no see. Doing well?”
“Yes, hello, sir.”
“Hmm… How about calling me uncle instead of sir?”
At Kim Beomsin’s request, Yeonwoo hesitated, then whispered to Jiyeong. She burst out laughing upon hearing it.
“What? This kid’s shy, huh? What’d he say? Let me in on the joke.”
“He says you’re older than Daddy, so no.”
“Whoa.”
“He’s technically your big uncle, outranking Dad, sunbae-nim.”
“Hey… These days, plenty of people have kids past forty.”
“Conversely, plenty of guys your age are already grandpas.”
Am I that old already? Kim Beomsin froze for a moment.
That’s when Ellis approached.
“Sunbae, hello.”
“Yeah, Yeonwoo, say hi.”
“Hello, Aunt Ellis.”
“Yeonwoo, thanks for coming.”
Ellis forced a smile for Yeonwoo, then said to Jiyeong and Kim Beomsin,
“Ladies’ showcase has started.”
“Already?”
“It’s their first full album, so they’re showing off the double title tracks and a b-side.”
“They’re at their first full album already?”
Ellis nodded.
“They interfered so much I never planned to do one. With me gone, seems Jeong Yeongdo stepped up and made a full album.”
At the name Jeong Yeongdo, Kim Beomsin tilted his head.
“That guy… he’s from my era. Him producing? Hope he’s not pushing some outdated concept.”
“He probably pretended to oversee while slaving away underlings. He’s never had the skills to produce solo.”
Ellis knew Jeong Yeongdo’s true colors. Outside of copying her style—or rather, Taein’s push—he had no producing talent.
He might’ve had an eye for talent in his youth, stealing songs and overworking young producers to build Taein, but now that eye was long farsighted with age.
“Their showcase is starting. They’re showing the title track MV first.”
At Ellis’s words, Jiyeong pulled up the live on Ladies’ official YouTube channel, and everyone crowded around her smartphone.
The comeback showcase announcement played, followed by the music video for one of the double title tracks.
Ladies emerged against Taein’s signature cringey concept backdrop.
The center, with bizarre makeup evoking fusion punk, stared wide-eyed straight at the camera as the song kicked off.
Dazzling beats and melodies underpinned their razor-sharp choreography, watched by the BSK crew preparing their own debut showcase in small groups.
“Taein lives up to the name—flashy.”
“Concurrent viewers are already at 40,000.”
“Whoa, 40,000 people gathered in seconds to watch the MV live?”
As everyone discussed Taein’s addictive cringey concept and viewer count, Yeonwoo tugged at Ellis.
“Hm? What?”
Yeonwoo beckoned Ellis closer.
As she leaned down, he whispered ticklishly into her ear.
“Auntie, we’ve won.”