[PROLOUGE FILM: Aili? illli!]
After the prologue film was released.
[Saven Spin-Off Group “Aili(illli!)”... First Content to Be Released on November 11]
[“A Monster Rookie Is Coming” Girl Group Aili Confirms November Debut... Will They Change the Landscape of the Music Industry?]
[Aili’s Debut Countdown Begins—Girl Group Powerhouse JS, Will They Succeed Again?... Unveiling This November]
Just as the entertainment news section had been filled with articles, naturally, the K-pop communities were endlessly flooded with fodder.
[Aili’s logo is insanely sleek]
[Look at those maniacs at JS setting illli’s debut date to November 11 at 11:11]
[Aili’s final 5th member, Miho]
[Aili’s visual harmony is seriously so good?]
[Info/News) Aili Concept Photo VOL.1]
[I thought even if it was super feminine, it’d be classy and princess-like, but is this actually bright and innocent for the first time in forever?]
[I love Aili’s concept]
And the structure made it inevitable that this would quickly spread to general communities as well.
When one topic became endlessly talked about, content-farm users carried it everywhere.
─JS’s new girl group is debuting on Pepero Day
─The moment I saw Aili’s logo and meaning, I thought, wow, they named them well
└It’s been a while since a group name sounded good right away
─They’re pretty even aside from the Saven members. Miho looks trendy, and Bom kind of resembles Yeeun, a cute type
└Since it’s JS, their trainee pool must be huge, so their visuals won’t fall behind
└Eun Sera is already the visual member, but she’s an overpowered character who even takes the main vocal role, so there’s less pressure picking the other members. Park Yeeun was originally main-visual level and in the vocal line too, and Hana was the leader and an all-rounder even in Saven
└I’m so freaking excited
Aili, JS’s five-member girl group centered around former Saven members Kwon Hana, Park Yeeun, and Eun Sera.
On top of being the first spin-off group of Saven, who had won three Grand Prizes at the most meaningful award ceremony,
the concept Aili showed in the prologue was a clear, lively innocence that had become hard to find in girl groups these days.
And with countless other additional elements coming together,
it was only natural that they were drawing attention even before debut.
And this was something sensational groups had in common.
However, there were also people who found the situation irritating.
Given the nature of netizens, for whom ranking things was part of daily life,
when one group monopolized attention, other groups usually ended up being belittled, so it was hardly pleasant for other fans.
What they latched onto was an anxiety factor that had existed for generations.
─These girls are probably going to end up like Season 1 and 2 too, it’s basically official
─So what if Saven is a Grand Prize group? Season 2’s Monorush was a Grand Prize group too lol
The fact that all the spin-off groups from Idol Battle Season 1 and Season 2 had ended with dismal results,
─You think it’ll be different just because it’s JS, one of the Big 4 agencies?
─JS has been losing its touch lately too, so meh
and the fact that JS’s most recent girl group, “Rude,” had produced results unsatisfactory for a major agency, unbefitting of the JS title.
Dohee’s first fansite master was feeling it with her whole body too.
Even though they were clearly receiving attention, there was still that anxiety that history might repeat itself.
“Still, it’s JS... It’ll go well, right?”
But she couldn’t just sit still.
Dohee’s fansite master said it was to give strength to the Saven members making a fresh start.
—Click.
“Ugh... My money. This was money I needed to buy Dohee’s album...”
She mindlessly bought Aili’s album as soon as reservations opened.
In truth, her sincere reason
was for Dohee.
If it didn’t work even at a super-major agency like JS,
then considering Top East’s scale, the chances would be even lower.
And the preceding group had to do well
so that relationships and narratives could be written, and that attention could trickle down to later spin-off groups, drawing the public’s gaze.
That was why most of the Saven fandom, which had a strong tendency toward solo stanning, was already placing pre-orders even before Aili’s teasers had been released.
[Saven-U Saven Pre-Order Campaign]
[Proof) Reserved 20 copies]
And thankfully, that buzz translated into results even before their debut.
[Aili, Debut Album “Really” Surpasses 640,000 Pre-Orders... Global Craze [Official]]
─[OSEM=Reporter Park Seonyeong] Group Aili(illli) has announced the birth of “a team in a class of its own” by showing explosive pre-order results for their debut album.
.
.
After surpassing 490,000 copies within a week of pre-orders opening, another 150,000 copies were added in just nine days.
Of course, pre-orders did not mean first-week sales.
Major retailers often stocked albums as inventory as well.
However, generally speaking, if pre-orders reached 640,000 copies, it meant first-week sales would easily exceed 500,000.
In other words, Aili was already confirmed to have the highest debut first-week sales of any girl group in history.
Of course, it was only possible after K-pop expanded worldwide and purchasing power grew both domestically and overseas, causing extreme inflation in album sales.
─Wow, they’re a spin-off, but this is huge
└Saven’s level of buzz really was different, across generations too
─JS probably thinks they did a really good job bringing in Yeeun and Hana
└Honestly, if they promote twice, they’ll probably make back the money they spent in no time
Still, no one could deny those numbers.
─You can just tell JS poured people and money into everything, from recruiting the members to the planning
─As expected of the entertainment company ranked No. 1 in cash reserves...
And naturally, it was thanks to the combined value of Saven’s name and JS Entertainment’s name, with its 32 million subscribers.
And then, a few weeks later.
November 11, 11:11.
‘Ah, today’s Aili’s debut day, right?’
Thanks to that conceptual release time, anyone with even a slight interest in K-pop had heard of or was aware of Aili’s debut at least once.
Their debut song was released.
[illli(Aili) - White Night Official M/V]
The thumbnail of the teaser video was a film camera photo that looked old and faded brown.
As an unavoidable K-pop listener,
Dohee’s fansite master clicked the video while fully enjoying the fluttering excitement that came with a first music video.
The teaser began with the sound of film being projected.
Overall, the screen had a slightly washed-out color.
The faint sepia tone of a film camera, combined with the fallen leaves appearing in the background, already gave off a winter seasonal feeling.
Between those scenes, individual cuts appeared of the Aili members going to school, dressed in brown-toned winter uniforms.
“Ha... Their faces are seriously doing their jobs too.”
Then, at last, the accompaniment began to flow.
Along with it came brief transitions showing choreography unfolding on a sandy schoolyard.
A bright and powerful melody played on an electric keyboard, somehow tinged with wistfulness.
Rather than simply refreshing, it was a wistful freshness.
Not something of summer, but something from somewhere in winter.
Rookies did not usually debut in winter.
That was because it was difficult to make use of the season’s atmosphere while preserving a rookie’s fresh, energetic charm.
“But... this is already completely wistful, wintery, refreshing, innocent...”
And it was only that kind of feeling that came through.
The choreography, with light hand gestures like butterflies as they stretched out their legs, and the exciting accompaniment, already made her heart itch.
And finally, the kick of the drums entered in earnest.
Snow began to fall.
The sky gradually brightened into white.
Transparent and clear, yet somehow firmly gathered together.
The five voices, like white snow, began to spread together.
[At times, it may look like a dark night
But we’ll laugh together like a dream]
It was not highly difficult.
But it was large and open, filled with the freshness of rookies and girlish charm.
Choreography that extended both hands and legs at the same time.
[I’ll shine on only you, a light in the darkness
I’ll always wrap around you]
Within that white night, the dark eyes of the Aili members shone.
Just from hearing the first line, Dohee’s fansite master could be certain.
Next year’s Rookie Award was already Aili’s.
And at the same time, she thought this too.
‘If the song comes out in November... the cumulative numbers will start building early...’
If things went well, they might even be able to win a Grand Prize with this song.
* * *
‘I’ve been waiting for today.’
In the Popular Music waiting room.
As I tapped away on my phone,
I imitated the tone of a famous meme.
“Four dolla.”
“Huh?”
Ju Seungbin stared at me with eyes gone wide, as if flustered by my sudden way of speaking.
“Four dolla.”
“Out of nowhere?”
“Four dolla.”
“No, what’s with you?”
Of course, I shouted in an even more intense tone.
“Four dolla!”
Ju Seungbin seemed to think hard, trying to play along, then said,
“Okay, thank you...?”
“What are you talking about?”
After he’d tried so hard to match me, only for me to coldly mock him, Ju Seungbin let out a hollow laugh.
I sprang up from my seat and, gazing vaguely into the air, said,
“I’m going to buy strawberry latte.”
Ju Seungbin laughed weakly in disbelief, as if he found it absurd.
“Seriously...”
“Seriously overflowing with charm, right?”
I shrugged and picked up the bouquet beside me.
“More importantly, help me out. I don’t have enough hands.”
Taking Ju Seungbin, who kept snickering as if he found it funny after thinking about it again, I headed to the Popular Music concession stand.
And I packed in every bottled strawberry latte they had.
“You’re giving those to them?”
Ju Seungbin asked, holding a bag full of bottles.
“Yeah.”
Of course, I did like sweet things like strawberry latte.
But I had no intention of drinking them all.
It was just that it brought back memories.
This strawberry latte was a drink Sera unnie loved too, so whenever we came to Popular Music, we would drink it together every time.
Since Aili had already been to and from the radio station too,
they should be in their waiting room now.
I pulled out my phone with one hand.
Then I entered the KakaoTalk chat room.
[Yeeun unnie: What am I?]
[Yeeun unnie: (Photo) No. 1 on Water Melon lol]
[Yeeun unnie: What am I?]
[Yeeun unnie: I’m Lee Dohee~]
[Yeeun unnie: This meme is popular these days lol]
[Yeeun unnie: There’s also an applied version, “What are you?”]
[Yeeun unnie: You are Lee Dohee~ lol]
[Yeeun unnie: lol]
Hoo...
I drew up my emotions, put my phone away,
and hugged the bouquet tightly.
“Let’s go.”
“I’m going too?”
“You’re going to film the challenge with us anyway.”
“That’s true, but...”
We headed to the waiting room.
When I knocked on the door, I heard the voice of a man who seemed to be Aili’s manager.
—Yes, just a moment! Who is it?
Ju Seungbin opened his mouth tactlessly.
“We’re the MCs, we came to say hello!”
If he just hadn’t said anything, the manager would have opened the door and checked on his own.
Thanks to that, they seemed to notice.
A terrified voice came from inside.
—M-Manager-nim...! D-Don’t open it!
In my usual polite, kind, modest, and gentlemanly tone, I said,
“Let’s film a challenge together~”
You know I almost never ask first to film a challenge, right?
—I-I’m not filming it...!
“What am I? I’m Lee Dohee~?”
—I-I don’t know anyone like that...!
“What am I? Unnie, I’m Dohee. So hurry up and come out.”
The more I talked, the angrier I got.
“If I’m filming it for you, you should come out saying thank you!”
Along with Hana unnie’s loud cackling laughter, the door suddenly rattled.
—Se-Sera unnie, don’t open the door...!
For a moment, the door stopped.
“Sera unnie. I thought of you and bought a ton of strawberry latte.”
The door rattled again.