“I—I think I know! Elvis Presley!”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s the one.”
“As expected of history genius Chiyo-chan!”
Come on, nobody doesn’t know that much.
“Right, Elvis Presley. From then on, every broadcasting station started airing this white man they’d discovered in the rock ’n’ roll genre, without exception. Becoming a star happened in an instant.”
“So in a way... he was made into one, too.”
“That’s why I said it at the very beginning. In the end, stars only appear because the times are calling for them.”
“I think I get what you mean.”
“Right. What if Elvis Presley had been Black? Talent or no talent, he would’ve been buried, wouldn’t he?”
The conditions of the 1950s.
“Or imagine if racial discrimination hadn’t existed back then. There wouldn’t have been any reason to look for a white man in the first place.”
The economic, political, and cultural circumstances.
“Or say he somehow became a star anyway. Is there any guarantee there wasn’t a Black rock star with even more talent than Presley?”
“There isn’t!”
But this time, Unnie Wooa raised her hand.
“But Dohui, I understand that luck is important in the end, but you talked about your songwriting method at the very beginning. What does that have to do with what we were just discussing?”
“I’m getting to that now. So, have you ever wondered why, even though we’re already halfway through the 2020s, Y2K is still the meta, with only the items and trends changing slightly?”
“...Come to think of it, I’ve never really thought about it.”
Just as she said, in the early days, the theme had been the glamour of the ’90s and 2000s.
If I had to describe it through an image, tinted sunglasses.
And these days, the minimalism of the ’90s and 2000s was beginning to emerge.
The image on this side was what people called geek chic.
Angular horn-rimmed glasses and rimless glasses.
“I just thought it was because trends had come back around.”
“Exactly. And in a one-dimensional sense, that’s correct. But if you listen to what I said earlier, doesn’t it feel like there might be another reason besides simply trends coming back around?”
“Yeah, now that I think about it... there does seem to be some other reason.”
“Then since we’re celebrities, let’s use celebrities as an example. The topic is: Why don’t the nation’s MCs change?”
“...The nation’s MCs?”
“Well, of course it’s because they’re the best MCs and don’t have a single flaw, right?”
“Yeah.”
“But why are even the established broadcasters who aren’t the nation’s MCs all the same people?”
“Hmm...”
“I’m not saying they should change. I’m just saying that in the past, the broadcasting industry considered someone to be nearing the end of their career when they were around forty—you know, people would say, ‘You’ll be forty soon.’ But people in their forties these days?”
“They’re in their prime.”
“Yeah, they’re in their prime. My mom’s no joke, either. Seriously, what is it... No, I mean, these days she said she was going to Pilates and swiped my card again, you know? I did tell her to go to the dermatologist with Dad, but what kind of procedures is she getting so many of—whoa, damn... Aaaah!”
“Huh?”
“Ah, I recently spent a lot of money on stock options, so I reacted sensitively without realizing it...”
“...I said I’d put a little money in after her. Damn, I’m suddenly regretting it.”
“No, you did well. Unnies, put some money in if you can. This stock is going places. Lee Dohui is going to take the lead!”
“You’re kind of scary when you react like that...”
“I concur...”
“No, Topist is going to Mars, aren’t they? You don’t believe me?”
“Ah, she really seems like the type to lose money on crypto or stocks... Should I not have invested?”
Is Kim Seoyoon actually a ghost?
How does she know about my past life?
“But Dohui.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t believe me either, Unnie? I told you, we’re going to Mars.”
“No... That’s not it.”
“Then?”
“You said earlier that, since teenagers were the main age group in the 1950s’ population structure, they led the culture... So I wondered if the current age demographics might likewise be a major factor.”
“Oh, yeah. Right, right. Exactly. That’s what we were talking about, wasn’t it?”
Right. Putting aside the fact that Topist was definitely going to Mars.
“As you said, it’s been a long time since the population pyramid structure completely changed. Was it when we were in elementary school? When we learned basic facts, they said that a structure with a thick middle-aged group was the developed-country-type pyramid, didn’t they?”
“Ah... As expected, Korea is a developed country. I’m drunk on patriotic pride!”
Yeah, yeah, good for you, Kimchi.
For it to be called the developed-country type, the bottom has been completely obliterated.
These days, it’s more accurate to call it an inverted pyramid.
“So what does this mean? The age groups leading the culture will continue to be the M and Z generations for a loooong time. They’re young, right? Totally MZ, you know? That has become reality.”
“Ah-ha?”
“Since generational turnover has slowed down, the periods of cultural upheaval have also grown calmer. So the entertainers people watched and grew up with as children have naturally remained imprinted as the entertainers of the current generation. Of course, this is just my personal opinion.”
“But it definitely sounds right.”
“Really? That’s a relief. But getting back to it, the question is whether Korea is the only country with this kind of structure. It isn’t. Most of the countries leading global culture are moving toward this kind of structure, too.”
Unnie Seoyoon looked at Unnie Naeun’s screen, where she was searching up the age structures of other countries, and nodded.
“So, if we had to list the reasons Y2K is the hot trend of the 2020s?”
Time for the students to give their presentations~
“Yes, Unnie Seoyoon!”
“Because the current generation misses the past.”
“That’s right, isn’t it? Most people tend to reminisce about the past. And yes, Unnie Wooa!”
“Moreover, because that past was a globally brilliant period of cultural upheaval?”
“Wow, as expected of Unnie Wooa! You’re the best! That’s a perfect answer!”
“Heheh.”
“Aww, our Unnie Wooa even looks pretty when she smiles~”
“Heh.”
“Hey! I got it right, too!”
“Exactly! Why have you two been going back and forth only with Wooa since last time!?”
“Exactly! What, did the two of you make some kind of pact that day? Did you even kiss? What on earth is this!? I’m getting really, really annoyed, argh!”
Unnie Seoyoon and Unnie Chiyo lightly voiced their grievances over the difference in how I reacted to them.
“They say they made a contract. To smile at each other and cherish each other.”
Unnie Naeun said it calmly as she picked up another piece of fruit.
“Heh-heh. Now then, getting back to it, everyone.”
“But that means you’re taking sides! What about how you like me the best and all that!? I’m the only one being played here. Aaaah!”
“Grrr... Next time, I’m running out too! I’ll even fight Lee Dohui!”
The students’ class wasn’t over yet.
“Okay~ So!”
After barely calming them down, I resumed the lesson.
“So what I’m ultimately trying to say is that what matters isn’t the essence of Y2K, but making songs that appeal to the generation that responds to it.”
“Yeah.”
“Now, question. What point does a girlish image in school uniform target?”
“That’s obvious. Freshness and purity.”
“Correct. But the way people receive it feels different from before. Second question: Is the generation leading Y2K generally older or younger than today’s idols?”
“Probably similar or older.”
“Exactly. In the past, they were pretty older sisters and pretty big sisters. But now, they’re pretty younger sisters.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Right. Then would they adore their younger sisters or look up to them?”
“Adore them.”
“Exactly. That means the fundamental direction is different.”
“Ah~”
“So now, titles like ‘baby’ naturally apply to girls in their late teens and early twenties. People are also more likely to excuse immature remarks by saying they’re young. And rather than admiration, there’s more evaluation of whether they’re worthy of being loved.”
“Our maknae really is smart, I guess...? This is unexpectedly educational...”
“So now we know why Lee Dohui gets criticized. The answer is: She’s young, but she doesn’t feel like a younger sister and is far too outstanding! Ta-da~!”
“She’s just a complete psycho.”
“Listening to you talk these days, I have to agree...”
“No, it’s nice to see, Dohui.”
This was my original personality, so what did they want me to do?
“Yes, anyway, we fourth-generation idols are fortunate enough to be in a transitional generation, while there are still plenty of young people left. So we can receive the kind of admiration associated with idols.”
“Okay.”
“So we don’t necessarily need to go all in on perfect girlhood. In reality, it isn’t all that effective for growing a fandom with actual purchasing power. Besides, that sort of thing isn’t really my style.”
Meanwhile, Unnie Seoyoon examined the outline on the paper and spoke.
“So that’s why the concept for the first song is so intense? Like boy groups?”
“Yeah. Everything I’ve explained so far can be seen as the reason Director came up with the Debonair concept.”
That was why Director had such a good sense for these things.
“Ah... Now I finally understand completely.”
“But there’s one condition. Only the concept should be intense. The song itself can’t be noisy like a boy group’s.”
“Right. If we want to appeal to the public, it has to be easy listening.”
“Yeah. Of course, it might be a stereotype, but generally, people tend to become more resistant to noisy things as they get older. So... we have to take that more into consideration. Maybe that’s also why boy groups these days mix in easy-listening songs?”
In the middle of that, Unnie Wooa asked,
“Dohui, you know our Sweet Demon.”
“Hmm? Yeah.”
“It’s exciting, but it’s also easy listening. Are you going for something like that?”
“Hmm... The term ‘easy listening’ is used rather casually, but true easy listening has an extremely peaceful and simple atmosphere. So I’m not sure it’s accurate to call Sweet Demon easy listening...”
Well, who knows.
“It’s different from Sweet Demon, anyway. I have a melody prepared, so you’ll understand when you hear it. Sweet Demon was relatively mild in terms of concept, to begin with.”
I tapped away at my laptop and started playing the basic file, which had only the main melody roughly recorded.
Of course, I continued talking as I did.
“Oh, and the reason Sweet Demon feels close to easy listening is probably because the main melody consists of simple notes. It’s easy to sing along with. It feels like it borrowed a characteristic of relatively recent Y2K music—the second generation. Second-generation music often had forms where a single note was repeated. That’s why it was so addictive.”
“I think I know what you mean.”
But do I really have the makings of a teacher?
Everyone keeps saying they understand what I mean.
Maybe I really am good at explaining things in an easy-to-understand way.
“But Dohui.”
Just as I was about to bring up the sample, Unnie Naeun tapped me lightly.
“Hm?”
Unnie Naeun opened her calendar app.
“Before we work on the album, I think we should decide what we’re going to do about this year’s awards ceremonies first.”
“Ah... The awards ceremony?”
The MWMA, hosted by LE’s Mwave.
Since we weren’t on good terms with the company in question,
Director had left the decision of whether to attend the MWMA up to us.
Which basically meant we didn’t have to go if we didn’t want to.
“Yeah, we also have to prepare for the year-end stages.”
“But how was the trend for the MWMA’s grand prizes again? Anyone know?”
By September, there should definitely have been reliable indicators.
“Wait a second.”
Unnie Seoyoon searched with practiced ease and soon showed us a prediction chart.
There were usually two grand prizes girl groups could receive at the MWMA.
Song of the Year.
Artist of the Year.
For Song of the Year, we were neck and neck with Unnie Hana’s group.
Actually, Ailee’s “White Night” had a slight lead.
They had been accumulating users since last November.
Of course, the results could change depending on the judging, but I had no expectations.
Mwave wasn’t going to judge in our favor.
So it was fair to assume Song of the Year would go to Ailee for now.
But Artist of the Year included the performance of all albums released during the year,
so we had a slight advantage.
Thanks to Sweet Demon and New Vibes doing spectacularly well.
Until the recent troublesome incident involving that Destroy Sixes crowd, we had even enjoyed a brief but substantial surge in global attention.
Still, there was an equally good chance we might not receive it, depending on the judging criteria.
The Rookie of the Year award normally went to two teams.
But this time, since they had announced that the male and female awards would be separated,
it felt like they would give the female one to Unnie Yeeun’s group.
“You two decide, Seoyoon and Dohui. You’re the ones who made the decision about Seven.”
In the end, if we attended, it meant going through all the trouble of preparing, only to perform onstage for free.
Even if we received an award, it would be a meaningless one.
“I don’t really care either way... Lee Dohui, you decide.”
Even so, my opinion had been decided from the beginning.
“Really? Then let’s go. Who cares if we don’t get an award?”
We could just receive our awards at the Water Melon Music Awards.
If they gave them out according to the current trend, our grand prize was practically guaranteed.
“It’s a chance to perform in front of tens of thousands of people, isn’t it?”
“Ugh... Attention seeker.”
“What are you talking about? I just mean we should go, enjoy performing a little... and congratulate Sera Unnie’s group, too. Yeah.”
If anything, I was excited.
Because the special stage I was going to perform at the Water Melon Music Awards seemed like it was going to become even more fun.
Oh, right. I hadn’t told them about this.
“I’m also doing a solo special stage at the WMA, you know?”
“Huh? Really?”
“I’ve already secured it, so I have to work on that song separately, too. I’m busy. Of course, I’ve roughly worked out the ideas and storyboard already...”
“No, I mean, is it really happening?”
“Of course it is.”
“Dohui, just how many things have you started... And you still have to work on all those songs...”
“She really does whatever she wants, f—”
“Anyway, that’s how it turned out. Now we’ll also have to work out the year-end stage concept and performance structure and all that.”
I gave them a bright smile.
“I think you unnies should put this together with the staff. Please help me! Hehe!”
I hoped the unnies would take it well.
It was nice that my practical experience was increasing so quickly.
I’d be busy in all sorts of ways, too...?
Still, Lee Dohui could do it!
Let’s all do our best!