get-shopping Chapter 169: Debut (3)
Chapter 169: Debut (3)
The debut songs of ‘Vanguard’ swept the music charts from No. 1 to No. 3. Upon seeing this, the members blanked out for a moment. Then Si-hoo’s eyes widened dramatically.“……Huh? Huh?? Huh!”
Kang-min’s mouth dropped open.
“O-our song is No. 1! And even No. 2 and No. 3 are all ours too!!”
Kang-min suddenly slapped his own cheek.
“Is this real.”
Rojun, with a broad smile, clapped both hands together, expressing his current emotion just as it was.
“Nice!”
At that moment, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung seemed to come to their senses, looked at each other’s faces, and then.
“Unbelievable.”
Suddenly started shouting.
“Uwaaah!! No. 1!!!”
“We did it!!! We really did it!”
Soon, even Vanguard’s choreography team, seemingly just as excited, rushed over to the members, and before they knew it, the waiting room was filled with ‘Vanguard’ and the choreography team hugging and dancing in circles. Watching them warmly were over a dozen staff members including the coordination team.
Kang Rojun, tangled among the members, was bursting with dopamine.
“No. 1 as soon as the song dropped! Damn, being No. 1 is such a thrill!”
They had already ranked No. 1 on the charts in Korea and Japan during ‘Produce That 100!’. Back then too, they were surely happy and full of wonder. However, reaching No. 1 after officially debuting as ‘Vanguard’ was on a whole different level.
It was close to ecstasy.
Like children who had left home and finally achieved success. Just officially debuting was overwhelming enough, but the songs they released immediately after debut had taken over the charts. Vanguard’s hearts were racing nonstop.
“Hahaha! Congrats, everyone!!”
Everyone gathered in the waiting room poured out their congratulations.
Around this time, Manager Kim Ki-baek along with the management team and A&R team entered the waiting room. Seeing the jumping and cheering ‘Vanguard’, they quickly understood why and smiled just as brightly.
“Mm- It’s already chaos in here.”
Manager Kim Ki-baek, with a crooked smile, added fuel to the blazing energy.
“For the record, the digital release was at 6 o’clock, and it only took an hour to grab spots No. 1 through No. 3. I wanted to tell you earlier, but I held off so you could focus on your stage. Congratulations, everyone.”
Si-hoo, his eyes already wide, opened them even wider and asked again.
“An hour? In just one hour??!”
“Yes.”
“Wow…… Wow!!”
“Following a sold-out debut show concert with 20,000 seats, lining up debut songs at No. 1, 2, and 3 right after release is a big deal. Especially since the music charts are filled with prominent senior idols, we were a bit worried, but thankfully the results were great.”
Other staff chimed in.
“Exactly!! I mean, our ‘Vanguard’ just beat out ‘Neos’!”
“‘Neos’ made a strong comeback, and we outperformed them, what more is there to say!!”
“Hahaha, our ‘Vanguard’ even beat Pineon, the composer of ‘Neos’!”
“‘Polaris’ and ‘Essence’ were also strong contenders, and we pushed them all out. How fortunate is that!”
“It’s rare to completely dominate like this right after debut!!”
The staff’s excitement was more than justified.
The idol scene was at peak season, and in reality, countless idols had either debuted or made comebacks. It was absolute chaos. For ‘Vanguard’, who had just stepped onto the battlefield, to seize No. 1 amidst such fierce competition was bound to create a significant impact.
At this point, Manager Kim Ki-baek calmed ‘Vanguard’ down a bit.
“Let’s wrap up the show concert with that explosive energy.”
There were still 20,000 fans at the Gocheok Dome waiting for ‘Vanguard’. Now even more fired up, Kang Rojun and the members moved for the next stage, and at that very moment, the media was relentlessly pouring out articles focused on ‘Vanguard’.
From the hundreds of reporters at the show concert:
《[StarTalk] ‘Vanguard Debut Show Concert’, Over 20,000 fans unite in celebration / Photo》
《Monster rookies ‘Vanguard’, overwhelming energy at the Gocheok Dome!》
And even those scrambling for clicks after seeing the music charts:
《Vanguard’s debut songs dominate various charts just one hour after release》
《Vanguard’s debut album sweeps music charts immediately upon release》
《‘Vanguard’, No. 1 on music charts + lineup domination… proving brand power》
Countless fans, including Vanguard’s official fanclub Guards, were setting off celebration fireworks across SNS and online communities.
-Vanguard congratulations!!! These debut songs are really really good! Everyone go listen!
-Congrats congrats
-Woaaaahhhhhㅠㅠㅠ No. 1 right after release!!
-I listened to the debut songs, they’re freaking goodㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I’m obsessed with GreenBee!! Rojun is a genius, a genius!
-Seriously, they nailed the songsㅋㅋㅋㅋ Even non-fans will eat this up
-They say the official MV will be released after the show concert!! Don’t miss it!!!
-I’m… playing Windveil on repeat….
-Flying Bell is so refreshing and deliciousㅋㅋㅋ GreenBee is great too
-Neos got wrecked, right?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Vanguard is seriously amazing… Even doing a debut show concert is rare, but sweeping the music charts right after… their future is bright!!!
-Congrats so so much, guys♥♥
-I’m watching live at Gocheok Dome right now and the stage is freaking amazingㅋㅋㅋㅋ Gotta watch them on music shows too!!!
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On the other hand, the other idol groups competing with ‘Vanguard’ were not in a good mood. They had felt a sense of crisis, but now that Vanguard’s power had hit them as a reality, it was like a fire had broken out right on their feet.
The same went for various entertainment companies.
Naturally, GN Entertainment was in a festive mood, but the companies that had debuted or made comebacks in the middle of this chaotic battlefield were filled with gloom.
“Damn, we expected them to chart somewhere in the top ranks… but for them to take No. 1 to 3 just an hour after release?”
“They clearly had the momentum from ‘Produce That 100!’ too… but ‘Vanguard’ just broke records.”
“Phew- it looks hard to flip this for now. The key is how long this momentum lasts. Let’s watch for now.”
Above all, Big Star Entertainment was particularly grim. With their comeback, they had topped charts, received great reactions to their music video, and showed strong album sales. The comeback of ‘Neos’ had been powerful. But now, with Vanguard’s debut, ‘Neos’ had been pushed to the back of the line, which was inevitable.
《“Legendary Rookies Appears!” Vanguard Takes No. 1 as Soon as Tracks Drop, Neos Falls to 4th》
With things as they were, all six members of ‘Neos’ gathered at a commercial shoot were completely expressionless. To be clear, their faces looked like they’d bitten into shit.
“……”
“……”
No one spoke. Some kept refreshing the music charts on their phones, others were carefully reading through the flood of articles about ‘Vanguard’. One member even let out a deep sigh.
Then, the leader of ‘Neos’, trying to change the atmosphere, opened his mouth.
“It’s fine! We talked about this, right? There’d be an initial rush. It’s still the first day of release. No need to be down, guys.”
“Ah- shit, but the song’s good, right? Even non-fans can enjoy it at this level.”
“Good? I think it’s bland. The ranking will probably drop after a bit.”
“…That’s true. They were pulling a lot of attention already. We need to watch for at least a week.”
‘Neos’ barely managed to regain their spirits.
But inside, they were all trying hard to hide their anxiety.
‘Seriously… will Vanguard’s ranking even drop?’
Backstage.
While ‘Vanguard’ members were bursting with dopamine, they focused completely on finishing their debut show concert. After two more stages and a final talk segment.
-♬♪
At some point, the last song began to echo throughout the entire Gocheok Dome. It was ‘Windveil’, one of Vanguard’s debut tracks composed by Si-hoo. On the live broadcast screen, just like the other songs, the song information popped up.
-Windveil / Vanguard
-Composed by Si-hoo
-Lyrics by Rojun
Viewers were left with their mouths hanging open once again.
-This time it’s composed by Si-hoo!!
-What… all of Vanguard’s debut tracks were written by Rojunㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Triple title track and Rojun wrote all the lyrics? Super cool
Rojun and the members wore outfits thick with street vibes and exploded with the most powerful energy of the night.
The performance runtime had already gone well over two hours.
But the 20,000 fans’ decibel levels had not dropped at all. If anything, they only soared higher. As ‘Vanguard’ breathed with tens of thousands of audience members, they took complete control of the stage and became even more frenzied. At the moment they were finishing their final poses on the extended stage.
-Thud!
The entire lighting of Gocheok Dome focused on ‘Vanguard’. The music abruptly stopped, and Kang Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were catching their breath exactly as they finished their choreography.
Fans’ screams pierced the air from close by.
And then.
-Swish.
Kang Rojun, glancing at the members and the choreography team, stepped forward and shouted.
“Thank you very much!!”
Vanguard’s debut show concert had come to an end.
“Kyaaaaaa!!!!”
But the fans’ frenzy didn’t subside easily.
About an hour later.
After completing the encore stage, Kang Rojun and the members returned to the waiting room past 11 p.m. Upon returning, they found a crowd of staff including Manager Kim Ki-baek and even CEO Ha Seo-hwan waiting for them.
“It’s just the beginning, but you’ve all worked hard. Everyone shined and did great.”
With Ha Seo-hwan’s words, dozens of staff burst into applause for ‘Vanguard’.
-Clap clap clap clap clap clap!
At this, Si-hoo finally wiped away his tears, while Kang Rojun, Kang-min, and Do-kyung bowed deeply to express their gratitude.
“Thank you all so much!! We really appreciate it!”
It had been a debut show concert full of gains. Above all, the most valuable thing was Vanguard’s experience. After removing his mic, Kang Rojun let out a soft breath.
“Phew-”
He tried to gauge how he felt right now.
‘My heart won’t calm down, what a shame.’
He felt like he wanted just a little more time, maybe just a few dozen more minutes, to run wild and breathe with the fans on stage. The screams of 20,000 audience members still echoed in his ears. He wasn’t tired at all; his stamina was at its peak. He felt like he could do the entire debut show concert all over again, multiple times.
It was likely thanks to the soaring euphoria and the passive effect of the ‘Vitality Booster’.
Whatever it was, Vanguard’s debut show concert held at Gocheok Dome ended without a hitch, and after wrapping things up, Kang Rojun, the members, and GN Entertainment continued with a celebration dinner at a pre-booked barbecue restaurant.
Everyone was in such a great mood that the place practically shook with laughter and cheer.
In the midst of it all, Rojun focused on the beef.
“Wow… this is crazy. So damn good.”
The other members, fresh off the stage, were devouring the meat like madmen.
Around that time.
“‘Vanguard’ official MV released!!”
At midnight, Vanguard’s official music videos dropped.
-Vanguard ‘GreenBee’ MV
-Vanguard ‘Windveil’ MV
-Vanguard ‘FlyingBell’ MV
They were now available on the official YouTube channel.
By dawn.
The afterparty wrapped up past 2 a.m., and ‘Vanguard’ was dozing off one by one in the van on the way back to their dorm. Kang Rojun was the only one still wide awake.
Glancing over the passed-out members, Rojun scratched his chin lightly.
‘The effect of the Vitality Booster is honestly ridiculous. I’m not even 1% tired.’
Soon, the van arrived at the dorm’s parking lot. With a big yawn, Manager Kim Ki-baek woke ‘Vanguard’ up. Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung, rubbing their eyes, bowed to Kim Ki-baek and headed toward the elevator. Rojun was the last, and Kim Ki-baek spoke to him in a tired voice.
“Get some good rest today. And- the show concert was really great.”
As Rojun smiled faintly, he thought to himself.
‘His tone was already weak, but now with the fatigue layered on, Manager-nim’s voice sounds even more fragile.’
He bowed to Kim Ki-baek. At that, Kim Ki-baek asked back without hesitation.
“Rojun, aren’t you tired? Somehow… your eyes look even clearer than they did at the start of the show concert?”
“I guess the adrenaline’s still in my system.”
“Don’t overdo it and get some rest. You’ll fall sick.”
“Thank you. Get home safe.”
Soon, Kim Ki-baek and the van left. Rojun joined up with the members who were waiting in front of the elevator, entered the dorm together, and the members, barely half-washed, dove into their beds and knocked out instantly. Of course, Kang Rojun also lay down on his bed.
But.
“……”
His mind was way too clear. He figured he might just end up tossing and turning for hours. It felt like a waste of time, so he quietly got back up.
‘Good thing I didn’t drink during the afterparty.’
Silently grabbing the car key, Kang Rojun slipped out of the dorm and headed back to the parking lot. After starting the engine, he headed toward GN Entertainment.
-Thunk!
He parked and walked in like it was the most natural thing in the world. If anyone saw him, they’d definitely try to stop him, thinking he was crazy. And reasonably so, he had just finished his debut show concert. But Rojun looked like he had no intention of stopping at all.
-Swish.
He opened the door to a familiar place.
The studio. Kang Rojun slowly looked over the keyboard, guitar, laptop, tablet, and other equipment, then seemed to make a decision.
“Rather than writing lyrics or composing… I want to write.”
He powered on the laptop. It was to write the synopsis for the project proposed by CEO Heo Ki-tae of Culture Drawer, a Netflix Korea production.
“I already finished the character sheets-”
After organizing the plot for about half an hour, he began typing. About two hours later, Kang Rojun hit the enter key with a tap and muttered.
“Synopsis complete. That ended faster than I expected.”
The awakened Rojun glanced at the time. Around 5 a.m. Riding the flow, he didn’t even close the laptop and placed his fingers back on the keyboard.
“Since I’m at it, might as well write all the way to Part 1.”