get-shopping Chapter 144: Album (7)
Chapter 144: Album (7)
The new year of 2021 had dawned. Monday, January 4th.As is the case everywhere, the entertainment industry was bustling with the arrival of the new year. Broadcasting networks were undergoing restructuring, with existing shows disappearing and new ones being created. Some people lost their jobs, while others joined new programs with fresh aspirations.
It was the same for various entertainment companies.
In particular, the idol market started running full steam ahead as soon as the new year began. The comebacks of popular idols lined up one after another, and debuting rookie idols who had been preparing like crazy were entering the scene, and so on.
《Idols getting busy as soon as the new year begins, Polaris, Essence, Luminous line up comebacks!》
《Polaris reveals comeback teaser / photo》
《‘Long time in the making’ Polaris 4th album comeback... will they rise to the top in the new year?》
Seeing each entertainment company going crazy with promotion and marketing, it was obvious that the idol war this year would be extremely fierce. Already, the songs of popular idols who had made their comeback were dominating the music charts.
Unfortunately, over time, songs related to 'Produce That 100!' or Kang Rojun had dropped down to the mid-rankings.
Whatever the case, as a new wave was blowing through the idol market, Big Star Entertainment, known as one of the top three agencies in the country, was also busy. Big Star Entertainment had missed out on Rojun and the other members from 'Produce That 100!'. But they couldn’t just continue to wallow in regret forever.
Now that EY Entertainment had sunk, GN Entertainment was Big Star’s strongest competitor.
Above all, didn’t they have 'Vanguard'?
Thanks to this, Big Star Entertainment was closely watching GN Entertainment and 'Vanguard' while sharpening their own weapons. Of course, Big Star Entertainment was also pouring effort into developing rookie idols, but given the current situation, the chances of beating 'Vanguard' were virtually nonexistent.
'Vanguard' was a group with unprecedented destructive power that would never come again.
Even before their official debut, they gained popularity through 'Produce That 100!', and they also had the core member Kang Rojun. But Big Star Entertainment couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
“Because their popularity is monstrous, when ‘Vanguard’ debuts, the hook will be massive, but if the song isn’t solid, it could just end as a temporary success.”
"Yes, that's right. There are gaps."
That’s why Big Star Entertainment’s decision was to bring back one of their previously popular idol teams.
“When was the last comeback for the ‘Neos’ boys?”
“It was scheduled for around April this year.”
“April, bring it forward.”
“Are you planning to use ‘Neos’ to check ‘Vanguard’?”
“Yes. We won’t know until it’s revealed, but I think ‘Neos’ should be more than capable of overpowering the ‘Vanguard’ kids.”
The male idol group ‘Neos’ was a six-member boy group that had debuted a few years ago and gained considerable popularity. Currently, they were quite well-known not only in Korea but also in Japan. Their fandom was also solid.
“The true power of ‘Vanguard’ is still hard to gauge, and they could be several times bigger than the current market trend. If we go up against them for no reason, wouldn’t our ‘Neos’ just end up suffering.”
“We’re not the only ones joining the fight. Lots of idols are making comebacks or debuts. ‘Vanguard’ has been a bit quiet since ‘Produce That 100!’. No matter how much attention they get, can even ‘Vanguard’ handle a full-on volume war?”
“......”
As with any agency, the most closely watched idol was, of course, 'Vanguard'.
“Is there any information on when ‘Vanguard’ is debuting?”
“There are plenty of rumors circulating among media outlets, but nothing confirmed yet... GN is handling everything under extreme secrecy.”
“Hm- I’d probably do the same in their shoes. But they won’t delay past the first half of the year. They’ll want to debut while still riding the momentum. My guess is... probably February or March.”
“Are you planning to match ‘Neos’ comeback exactly to Vanguard’s debut timing?”
“No, that’s no good. ‘Neos’ must come back before ‘Vanguard’, no matter what. Even if it’s just by a week or a day. It has to feel like they’re quietly joining the mix with other idols.”
Big Star Entertainment chose a strategy of joining forces with other idols rather than directly confronting 'Vanguard' one-on-one.
“Understood, let’s give it a try! The firepower of the ‘Neos’ fandom definitely can’t be underestimated!”
“The key is to find out the exact debut date for ‘Vanguard’. Keep digging into GN’s side, and check with journalists just in case.”
“Got it! Ah- and ‘Pineon’ said they’ll be giving us a song.”
“Oh, really?”
On top of that, they had even secured the famous composer 'Pineon', which significantly boosted Big Star Entertainment’s combat power.
“Then give Pineon’s song to ‘Neos’.”
Meanwhile, at GN Entertainment.
Kang Rojun could be found in the studio. Surrounded by laptops and tablets, Rojun was.
“......”
Typing furiously on his laptop, his face deeply focused. From time to time, he jotted things down in the notebook placed beside him. From the earphones plugged into his ears.
-♬♪
A song was playing.
What kind of song was it? It was Si-hoo’s track, which had been confirmed as the debut song for 'Vanguard'. Once Si-hoo’s track ended, he planned to move right into Song Min-geun’s song. Kang Rojun was currently working on writing lyrics for the tracks. Although GN Entertainment had already begun casting dance and music video teams, the most critical step was the completion of the songs.
In other words, unless Kang Rojun completed all the lyric writing, they couldn’t move on to the next phase.
Rojun was well aware of that.
His fingers moved even faster. But he wasn’t rushing it sloppily. He carefully organized the ideas in his head and wrote the lyrics line by line, divided by member and part.
“...This lyrical tone definitely suits Si-hoo hyung.”
Again, Si-hoo’s track played in Rojun’s ears. An intro that started with a drum solo. For reference, the song titles had also been confirmed. Kang Rojun’s song was 'GreenBee', Si-hoo’s was 'Windveil', and Song Min-geun’s was 'Flying Bell'.
'GreenBee', 'Windveil', 'Flying Bell'.
These three songs made up Vanguard’s first mini album.
And a few hours later, at night.
-Swish.
Kang Rojun, who had forgotten the passage of time while working on his laptop, let out a small breath.
“‘Windveil', done.”
Meaning he had finished writing the lyrics for Si-hoo’s song, 'Windveil'. But Rojun didn’t stop. He immediately started writing the lyrics for the next song, Song Min-geun’s 'Flying Bell'.
The lyric-writing continued on the 5th, the day after, and also on the 6th, the day after that. He was so deeply immersed in his work.
-Squeak.
That even when Manager Kim Ki-baek quietly opened the studio door in the afternoon to check on him, Rojun didn’t notice.
Then, once again, a new day began.
Thursday, the 7th.
Kang Rojun let out a satisfied breath around noon, similar to before.
“Phew-”
Because he had now finished writing the lyrics for Song Min-geun’s song, 'Flying Bell'. In just a few weeks, Kang Rojun had completed lyrics for three songs.
"Did it take a little long because I was being thorough?"
Not at all. It was more than fast enough. In fact, about an hour later, when Manager Kim Ki-baek visited the studio, he let out a weak exclamation in surprise.
“Huh... All three lyrics are already done??”
"Yes. I'm satisfied with them."
“That’s amazing.”
Kim Ki-baek’s face transformed into one of admiration each time he saw Rojun. His understanding of what was normal was being thoroughly shattered. As he continued reviewing the completed work, Manager Kim Ki-baek spoke again.
“I’ll schedule a meeting right away.”
Since the lyric-writing was done, reviews by multiple teams, executives, and most importantly, final approval by CEO Ha Seo-hwan were needed. Manager Kim Ki-baek pulled out his phone but then paused.
“Ah- also, you know ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’? The agreement regarding your appearance has been finalized.”
As soon as 'Like a Kaleidoscope' from Netflix Japan was mentioned, Kang Rojun perked up his ears.
“Did it go well?”
Manager Kim Ki-baek gave a weak thumbs-up.
“After checking, ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’ already has its production company and directing PD confirmed. Right now, the PD is probably working on the storyboard based on the script and likely handling casting at the same time. Since you wrote the script, you know this, but ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’ is structured as an omnibus, so the actor lineup is going to be pretty extensive. Anyway, you’ve been cast in a lead role for Part 1 of ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’.”
Manager Kim Ki-baek then briefed him on the terms of the confirmed role.
“The appearance fee has been matched to your writer rate. Also, Netflix Japan will cover all transportation, lodging, and other costs during the filming of ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’.”
Indeed, having an agency really does make things easier, thought Kang Rojun, while Kim Ki-baek, who had opened his planner at some point, smiled faintly.
“‘Vanguard’ hasn’t even debuted yet, but my planner’s already getting packed with Rojun’s schedule. Uh- ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’ promised to align its shooting schedule as much as possible with ‘Vanguard’, so until that time comes, Rojun, you’ll just need to keep practicing acting whenever you can... You’ll be doing it alone, right?”
“Yes. By myself.”
Manager Kim Ki-baek scratched his head.
“This is the first time something like this has happened, so I’m still not used to it. Anyway, understood. You probably already know, but drama filming doesn’t necessarily go in order from episode 1, so there’s no need to rush.”
In other words, filming for 'Like a Kaleidoscope' might start from episode 10, or episode 1 could be the last. It could even begin from episode 5. The schedule depends on the production team’s situation and environment. Kim Ki-baek turned another page in his planner.
“And one more thing, the film script. Ah, ‘Blood Hunt'. Like I mentioned before, there’s an offer from ‘BG Pictures’ as well. It’s a casting offer, though the meeting hasn’t been scheduled yet.”
Before he could even finish speaking, Kang Rojun responded right away.
“I’ll do that one, too.”
“...Even without hearing what the role is?”
“I can pretty much guess what it is. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll do ‘Blood Hunt’ too.”
Kim Ki-baek looked at Rojun for a moment, then spoke seriously.
“Work is work, but Rojun, your health is the top priority. You know that, right?”
“Yes. I’m taking good care of myself.”
Kim Ki-baek slowly nodded and closed his planner with a weak smile.
“Two acting projects confirmed even before debuting as an idol.”
The next morning, Friday the 8th.
Location: GN Entertainment’s conference room. Many familiar faces were seated around a ㄷ-shaped table. CEO Ha Seo-hwan, Manager Kim Ki-baek, the A&R team, and others. The number of attendees seemed to exceed thirty, and all of them were looking down at their tablets. More precisely, they were reading the lyrics displayed on their screens.
Naturally, the lyrics were for Vanguard’s debut songs, 'GreenBee', 'Windveil', and 'Flying Bell'.
They were the lyrics Kang Rojun had completed yesterday, and CEO Ha Seo-hwan’s decision was.
“Wrote them with each member’s personality in mind, and delivered this level of quality in just a few days, composition aside, the lyricist is really a monster.”
It didn’t take long.
“Couldn’t be better. Let’s go with all the lyrics as is. Start the guide recordings and begin vocal recording right away.”
No one objected. It was only natural.
“This is insane... writing lyrics for three songs this quickly, does that even make sense?”
“He wrote them like the concerns the executives raised before were utter nonsense, and the quality’s incredible too.”
The lyrics were flawless.
As the meeting was about to wrap up, one of the executives brought up a topic.
“CEO-nim, lately a lot of agencies are showing interest in Vanguard’s debut date.”
Other executives joined in.
“Of course they would. They’re probably trying to figure it out to plan their counter-strategy.”
“If a bunch of idol debuts or comebacks get clustered around the debut date... it could take some of the wind out of our sails.”
“What if we leak a fake debut date to the press to throw them off?”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
“Something like saying it won’t happen until the second half of the year. What do you think, CEO-nim?”
CEO Ha Seo-hwan crossed his arms.
“Hmm.”
From the management team, Kim Ki-baek quietly raised his hand.
“Uh-”
Everyone, including CEO Ha Seo-hwan, turned to look at him, and Kim Ki-baek spoke in a slightly drained tone.
“What the executives are saying is mostly accurate. Several agencies are keeping a close eye on us. Among them, Big Star seems the most invested.”
“Big Star?”
“Yes. But I don’t think they’ll send rookies to compete directly, judging by scale, they’ll probably try to push through with a ‘Neos’ comeback.”
One of the executives clicked his tongue.
“‘Neos’... that’s going to be annoying. I guess we really do need to spread a fake debut date.”
At this point, Kim Ki-baek, who had been rubbing his stubbly chin, shrugged toward CEO Ha Seo-hwan.
“Rather than going through all that trouble, I’d recommend we just let them stir among themselves, then crush them all with Vanguard’s physical presence.”
CEO Ha Seo-hwan smiled faintly and pointed at Kim Ki-baek with his index finger.
“We’ll go with that.”
Kim Ki-baek suddenly changed the subject.
“And how about holding the ‘Vanguard’ showcase at Gocheok Dome?”
“......Gocheok Dome?”
Gocheok Dome had a capacity of over 20,000 seats.
*****
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