Damn Idol - Chapter 200



Only Noblemtl

Fucking Idol Episode 200

* * *

Korean society is sensitive to trends.

This is my feeling after working in the US for over a hundred years, so it’s probably right.

I thought about why that is, and I think it’s because the population is small and social networks are well developed.

People feel psychologically secure only when they belong to a group of a certain size.

However, as the population grows, the size of minor culture also grows.

For example, when I was studying gospel in the United States, I was surprised to find that the gospel market was larger than I had thought.

If you make a gospel album well, it’s not difficult to achieve platinum (1 million copies).

But in the K-pop market, there aren’t many albums that have sold more than a million copies.

I know that later on, overseas fans will become so attached that it will easily sell over a million copies, but for now, that’s it.

It’s all because of population.

Given this situation, Korea has a culture of forcing mainstream opinions as if they were the correct answer.

If you don’t get on the mainstream, you tend to be treated as a loser.

I am not qualified to discuss whether this phenomenon is good or bad.

What can a being like Bupyeong Elementary School, who can’t even properly attach itself to one world, discuss?

So what’s important now is what’s in the mainstream of Korea.

as soon as…….

It’s us.

“Hey, does this make sense?”

I shrugged at Ion’s words.

“Because it has become a trend.”

“Did you expect this?”

Sometimes I see that the members of Sedalbaekil tend to overestimate me.

How could you expect something like this?

This is a rare and extremely enjoyable moment for a hard-working artist.

The moment when the content I created shines brighter than I expected and is embroidered on the world.

Of course, I had faith that the distribution of the second album’s sound source would do much better than usual.

There are a lot of people talking about our album, but our actual album sales have just passed the one million mark (excluding unit albums).

So when the sound source was released, I knew that even people who didn’t buy the album would click on it.

Those who bought the album will also want to listen to it comfortably on their smartphones.

But I didn’t know it would be this much.

Who would have thought that our name would be engraved at the top of the music sites as many times as the number of album tracks.

“This is my first time seeing anything like this… … .”

I gathered my thoughts after seeing Choi Jae-seong constantly capturing music sites with his hazy eyes.

This is a temporary phenomenon.

It won’t make it to the weekly charts, and some songs will be dropped as soon as tomorrow.

As time goes by, you can see songs losing their power on the real-time charts.

This is inevitable.

Just as Choi Jae-sung is in charge of balance in 3 Months and 100 Days, we need tracks that are in charge of balance in the album as well.

The desire to make every track a best-selling track is the main culprit that makes an album tired.

The songs are good, but it’s a difficult album to listen to as a whole.

Such albums may produce hit songs, but they do not receive positive reviews as albums.

There are more singers like this in the world than you might think.

It’s not difficult to write songs with innate sense and instinct, but album-level work isn’t something that can be done instinctively.

But this is the thing I have to avoid the most.

I don’t mind if every track on the album is considered boring.

As long as it sells well, that’s all that matters.

So, if you listen to each song individually, there are some tracks that leave you feeling a bit disappointed, and they will be pushed down in the rankings.

But it doesn’t matter.

I’m not Choi Max-ho, but I can feel the atmosphere at Ryan Entertainment right now.

He must be really scared.

But our push doesn’t end here.

Because the music video will be released at midnight tonight.

This music video is my favorite one I’ve shot so far.

So there is no problem with Sedalbaekil’s music work and activities.

But I’m a little worried.

“……wow.”

“Would it be okay if I captured it and uploaded it to SNS?”

“Wouldn’t that be the case? I’m sure a lot of Mixway fans are looking at it right now.”

“Hmm… … . Then I should just post it on the official homepage message board.”

This is the reaction of the members of Sedalbaekil.

During that time, the members of Sedalbaekil were bewildered whenever they achieved success.

Even when I was appearing on the Color Show, I didn’t really know what it meant to be on the Color Show.

Even when his first album, TFD, became a success, when it was revealed that he had co-composed it with great artists, and when it started selling in the US too.

We didn’t really realize what kind of success we were having.

If it was natural, then it was natural.

Because I have never taken a familiar step in three months and one hundred days.

Because they were taking a completely different path from the K-pop idol groups they knew and studied.

So what the members thought was important were the number of fan clubs and the number of music video views.

From my perspective, I don’t think that’s all that important.

For me, the number of fans is more important than the total number of people in my fan club. It’s the people who will love the music I release for the rest of my life.

What’s more important than the number of views of the music video is the connection between watching the music video and buying the album.

But the members weren’t like that.

The reason they focus on the number of fan clubs and the number of views of music videos is because these are the only things that can be directly compared to other idols.

Album sales figures vary greatly depending on fan signing events, overseas fans, and distributors.

To be honest, there are places that do it the right way.

But no company buys fan club numbers, and no company buys music video views.

That is, these two indicators are the results of competing in a fair ring.

So when the members saw the success of Sedalbaekil, they focused on these two things in particular.

But strangely, this time it feels different.

It seems that the members of Sedalbaekil are confident that ‘we have succeeded’.

I think it was around the halfway point of the self-made photoshoot.

Around the time I got the Apple ad and HR Corporation signed a contract to release the English version of the album.

From then on there was a slight change in their minds.

From ‘Did we really succeed?’ to ‘We really succeeded.’

I don’t hate it.

Except for Koo Tae-hwan, all the members of Se Dal Baek Il have a lack of affection and a desire for success.

It’s always fun to see your friends’ most pressing needs met.

But I have seen too many artists lose motivation the moment their need is met.

The improvement of three months and one hundred days was unbelievable even to me.

Especially since they are people I met by chance and not people I personally chose.

But I’m worried that their minds might change with the success of their second album.

Of course I made a promise.

Let’s not get discouraged by guesswork until three months and a hundred days disappoint us.

Up until now, while working as a team, there were times when I regressed without even realizing it.

When several clues accumulate, it is concluded that ‘they have lost their passion’.

There was a time when I went to drink water during practice and ended up regressing.

But when I think about it carefully, that was just my guess.

Maybe it was like that for a little while.

You may have lost your passion for a moment, but you may have quickly regained it and run together.

But as the regression continues, the patient’s patience wears down and is easily broken by small things.

I don’t want to do that this time.

I hope not.

If I think rationally, there is a high probability that this life with Sedalbaegil will not be my last.

The albums we’ve sold so far are just over 3 million.

This is only 1.5% of the target of 200 million copies.

I’m glad I accomplished that in just one year, but it would take another 20 years of doing the same thing to reach my goal.

But just like I said in Seaside Heights, I want to go all the way to the end of this life.

Even if you realize that it won’t work out when you’re in your 40s and regress.

so…….

You shouldn’t say things like that.

“You know we have a mixdown music show tomorrow or the day after, right?”

“I know.”

“Isn’t Mshow a little more comfortable now? It also feels a little like home.”

“It’s my hometown. Coming Up Next is also an M Show production.”

“Oh, right. That’s right. Coming Up Next somehow feels like a Ryan Enter production.”

As I was listening to the members adding their own words in excitement at the rush I had brought up, I suddenly opened my mouth.

“How about adding some stage setup?”

“huh?”

“It’s a bit difficult to change the songs that we’re going to sing on the live broadcast now, but we can retake the songs that we’re going to sing during the pre-recording.”

“Uh… … Are you saying we should change the performance of the song we’re recording?”

“yes.”

At my words, Iion’s eyes waver slightly.

shit.

Yeah, I know.

There is no need to subject the members to such tests.

Even if the members here reject my proposal, it doesn’t mean that their passion has disappeared.

But the regressor’s emotional ups and downs cause him to say things he shouldn’t.

Damn it.

And the members’ answers to my questions were… … .

“Isn’t that a bit much? There are only two days left.”

“Right. What if I make a mistake?”

“There are so many people watching our music show this time. We have to do well and stay stable.”

It was ‘NO’.

But what was a bit strange was that the members seemed to be hiding their feelings about something.

I am very perceptive and have the experience that I have gained over a long period of time.

But I don’t have the talent to find out what the other person is hiding.

What are you hiding?

What kind of emotions are behind their answers?

Then I realized.

That doesn’t matter.

If it had been the usual three months and one hundred days, even if they refused, I would have asked, ‘Why do you want to change it?’

This time it wasn’t there.

Maybe the members were talking amongst themselves in my absence.

After finishing the second album promotions, we plan to take a break or have a long period of inactivity.

It’s a familiar thing.

“Well then, let’s go as usual.”

“As usual?”

“No, let’s go as usual.”

After saying that, I stood up from my seat.

“Where are you going?”

“I was going to call Uncle Hyunsoo. He texted me to call back.”

“Ah. Bye. I’ll say hello.”

I nodded to Koo Tae-hwan and left the practice room.

* * *

The members blinked in the practice room where Han Si-on had left after three months.

“Brother Zion, was there anything different from usual?”

“Hmm. I guess so.”

“It seems like you’re a bit disappointed in us… … .”

“You had a great stage idea, but we turned it down?”

“That could be the case. Zion is very greedy for quality.”

But the members shrugged their shoulders as if there was nothing they could do.

There are only two days left until their appearance on the M Show music show on March 3rd.

There is no time to change or do anything here.

“Then shall we practice?”

“Let’s do it without a beat.”

So the members of Sedalbaekil got up and started practicing the choreography.

Although Han Shion was not there, the spot where Han Shion was in the large statue was empty.

* * *

Choi Se-hee scanned YouTube with sharp eyes.

It’s been a long time (less than a year) since I became a fan of Se-Moon-Baek-Il, and I’ve figured out this team’s pattern.

I was a bit taken aback by the fact that they were selling albums for two weeks without releasing the sound source, but that makes sense since Han Si-on is serious about selling albums.

And the moment the sound source was released, I got a feeling.

I feel like they released it at this time to inflate the music charts as much as possible (no).

then…….

“It’s called a surprise music video release at midnight.”

It’s a different way of doing business than other idols, but it’s definitely the same if it’s 3 months and 100 days.

Choi Se-hee was refreshing the page with that thought in mind when she suddenly stopped.

“That’s ridiculous… … .”

It was because of the thumbnail with Han Si-on’s face smiling like a flower against the backdrop of pure white snow.

…(continue)