Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Chae Hayeon's Mini Album 2
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May flew by in a flash, but due to homeschooling applications and the like, Yeonwoo couldn't head straight to Japan. Instead, he took over Chae Hayeon from Shin Jiyeong, who had been producing her, and released an album.
Shin Jiyeong had originally prepared a digital single, but Yeonwoo got ambitious and turned it into a mini album 2.
The tracklist was as follows.
[Chae Hayeon Mini Album 2: A Day
Prod by. Shin Jiyeong, Yuin
A Day
Composed & Arranged by Yuin / Lyrics by Chae Hayeon
Early Morning
Composed & Arranged by Yuin / Lyrics by Shin Jiyeong
Walk
Composed & Arranged by Yuin / Lyrics by Chae Hayeon
Noon
Composed & Arranged by Yuin / Lyrics by Ellis]
Chae Hayeon and Shin Jiyeong had carefully selected the songs Yeonwoo provided, and the lyrics were a collaborative effort between Chae Hayeon, Shin Jiyeong, and Ellis.
By this point, Chae Hayeon had gained quite a bit of mainstream popularity through "Fighting, Today Too," but even more so, she'd captured a dedicated core fanbase that dug deep into her music.
Her fans were already known for that, calling her the singer they wanted to keep to themselves.
And this time was no different.
-Our Hayeon unnie dropped a new album ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-No promo and it just drops out of nowhere like this, I'm so grateful ㅠㅠㅠ
-I don't even know how many times I've looped her mini album 1 ㅠ
-May our unnie walk nothing but flower paths ㅠ
-Flower paths are great, but I wanna keep her all to myself,,,, what do I do ㅠ
-I hope not everyone knows unnie, but her music blows up
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Impossible not to know her ㅠ
-Hayeon unnie's quitting the kindergarten after this, and this album's her full-on debut, so she'll be on TV a lot
-Then everyone will know her ㅠㅠㅠ
Her devoted fans welcomed the album with open arms, as if they'd been waiting forever.
And just as the fans predicted, even if no one knew her face, her music drew massive attention. A week after release, it hit #8 on the weekly charts, and the new song video on her personal channel, Teacher Hayeon from Class Sis, surged in views.
At this level, even for a YouTube-based singer, broadcasters couldn't ignore her.
And SSHIN had no intention of letting Chae Hayeon remain just an internet artist.
So, her first official broadcast schedule was booked.
It was the very show Yoo Jaehyuk had wanted to appear on: Chae One's Late Night Ambition.
But once again, Yeonwoo couldn't go to Chae One's Late Night Ambition or even watch it live.
"Let's go, Yeonwoo."
"Yes, Grandma!!"
He had to head back to Japan with Heo Ok.
* * *
Meanwhile, Japan's music scene was still dominated by Hadass.
She topped every chart on Melboard Japan and was inescapable on broadcasts.
Her popularity was so immense that endorsement offers were pouring in—not just for Korean export products, but Japanese food, fashion, cosmetics, you name it.
She was so huge now that it was a shame she couldn't do concerts or shows because she didn't have enough stockpiled songs.
Amid all this, Himari—who had previously conquered Melboard Japan before Hadass—had no public activities in Japan.
Because right after her album dropped, she had performances lined up in the US and Japan.
And just as Hadass arrived in Japan, Himari's New York show was a roaring success, making huge headlines in Japan like [As Expected, the World's Himari!].
With both Himari and Hadass achieving massive success, interest in Yuin only skyrocketed.
Some media outlets and broadcasters even had dedicated teams trying to uncover or at least speculate on Yuin's identity.
That's when a tip came into Sankyu, a mid-tier outlet with solid cred in entertainment gossip.
"JOP sent people to Haneda Airport?"
"Yeah, you know that luxury sedan they only use when top-tier kids like Himari visit HQ? They took that one."
"So someone's coming from Korea?"
Who could be big enough right now to warrant a visit to JOP from Korea?
"This… has to be Yuin with high probability!"
The outlet, convinced by their plausible guess, immediately dispatched reporters.
These were Sankyu's top veteran paparazzi, pros at sneaky shots.
Among them, the senior-most, Kubota, knew JOP's key execs inside and out.
"Isn't that Datemura Nanase?"
Of course he knew Datemura Nanase.
Kubota ducked low, eyes locked on Nanase and her surroundings.
Black-suited guys screaming "bodyguard" were fanned out, scanning all directions.
'This is definitely Yuin…!!'
No doubt.
No other Korean right now would make Datemura Nanase personally greet them like this.
Kubota quickly checked flight schedules on his smartphone. A flight from Gimpo had just landed.
No flights for hours after, so Yuin had to be on that one.
He edged closer, finding the perfect camera angle.
How long had it been?
The gate opened, and the bodyguards sprang into action.
Kubota zeroed in on the gate.
'Hm……!'
Bodyguards emerged first from the other side too.
Then someone appeared behind them.
'Grandma……?'
An elderly woman came into view.
She radiated an aura and charisma nothing like an ordinary person.
'Is Yuin that woman?'
But his veteran reporter instincts screamed she wasn't Yuin.
Then he spotted a woman holding hands with someone.
The hand size, the arm height—it was shorter than the woman.
His gut was yelling that was the real deal.
'A kid? Yuin's a child? Or a short woman?'
He zoomed in with the camera, just in case.
Instantly, Nanase's bodyguards swarmed, blocking the pair.
The angle was perfect for hiding faces. He needed that shot……
'No, maybe even better?'
Kubota realized the obscured shot would hook readers more, pure clickbait. He snapped away, framing the bodyguards, Nanase, everyone at once.
'And the old lady too.'
He caught the aura-heavy elder whenever her face peeked out.
He kept shooting until Nanase's VIP guests from JOP boarded the car amid the bodyguard swarm. Then he rallied his team to tail them.
High chance they'd head to HQ, where more reporters waited, but they could peel off anywhere.
Covering every base, Sankyu's crew documented their every move that day and published the next.
[Yuin's Identity: Elderly Woman? Or Child?]
[JOP Heir and Rising Power Datemura Nanase Bows to Mystery Guest—Who?]
[Yuin a Prodigy Boy?]
These articles, naturally, blew up Japan.
-Yuin's a kid? Nah, that old lady seems more likely to me?
-But is it really Yuin?
-Sankyu's reliable on celeb gossip, so probably true?
-I stan all JOP artists so I know their scene well. Nanase doesn't greet like that often. Gotta be Yuin.
-Yeah. Music world's haughty princess only that polite to Demon Lord Datemura, no one else.
-Young folks don't know( lol). Could be that elderly woman.
-Who's the old lady?
-Sad that there's a generation that doesn't know her.
-Wait, you Kyoto or what? Spit it out straight. Who is she?
-Heh heh heh
-I'll tell you instead. She's Jade, a Korean jazz pianist known in Japan and the US.
-She must've been huge?
-She is now, and she's the only one Uesugi Himari respects as a mentor.
-That world's Himari's mentor?!
-She's the real deal
-Even Himari says she can't match her on piano and reveres her. I'm betting that's Yuin.
-The kid theory's just for clicks?
-I think so.
Most folks, hearing who Heo Ok was, pegged her as Yuin.
But then, as Sankyu and every outlet camped JOP HQ snapping pics, the narrative shifted.
Heo Ok never visited HQ after day one.
Instead, bodyguards blatantly shielded someone entering daily.
Hard to see faces clearly, but they were guarding high school boy-girl duo and a child no one recognized.
-No way, Yuin really a kid?
-What's with the high schoolers?
-Just bait?
-But why guard high schoolers and kids like that?
-Dunno, JOP never pulled clickbait like this
-That tight security tho? Why not just reveal Yuin?
Everyone was hooked, but JOP stayed silent.
Just letting the hype boil to its peak.
* * *
Meanwhile, Annosuke and Yuri's debut prep was steadily progressing.
Short practice time, but they were polished prospects from the start. Get the tracks ready, debut, and market steadily.
With Yeonwoo handling songs and production, prep was basically done.
It stalled only because Yeonwoo had to return to Korea.
Sure, they managed weight, shot promo pics, planned minor marketing in the meantime.
Anyway, Yeonwoo was back, and the three reunited.
Yeonwoo, dreaming of goroke first thing upon seeing his "hyung" and "noona," froze at the sight.
"[You two… sick or something?]"
Barely a month apart?
But their cheeks were hollowed, faces gaunt and worn as they greeted him.
"[No, we're fine.]"
"[Doesn't look it…….]"
"[Just… couldn't eat much… haha…….]"
"[Knew we'd starve like this, we wouldn't have gone idol…….]"
Yeonwoo glanced back, baffled why they looked like this.
Their assigned manager, attached while Yeonwoo was gone, smiled awkwardly.
"[Diet control ahead of debut.]"
Yeonwoo blew up.
"[No, even so, starving them like that to drop weight? How?! They can't even sing like this!! You should've fed them properly! How do music like this!]"
JOP's precious producer raging, the manager panicked, at a loss.
"[Hyung, noona, come on. Goroke at least, fuel up for recording! I brought new tracks I made, but you'll collapse before we start!]"
At Yeonwoo's words, the two gazed at him, moved.
"[Right now, this moment, you're our savior.]"
"[Messiah, Messiah!!]"
Welcoming their savior, the two drooled in感動… and followed Yeonwoo out.