Chapter 104
['Golden Disc Awards' WeUs wins Rookie of the Year and Best Performance, plus two Main Awards. Sweeps with a total of 4 awards.]
[2nd Rookie of the Year following the Music Net Awards... "As expected, the trend is WeUs"]
[WeUs's Sunwoo-rin sweeping the Golden Disc, "Thank you for the infinite love... Please stay with us on our future journey"]
As soon as January began, welcome news was delivered once again to WeUs's fans.
It was that WeUs received a total of 4 awards at the Golden Disc Awards: their 2nd Rookie of the Year, Best Performance, and the Album Main Award and Digital Main Award.
With this, WeUs became the group to receive the most awards at this year's Golden Disc.
And they swept the Rookie of the Year at 2 of the 3 biggest music award ceremonies in Korea.
Although they still had no luck with the Grand Award this time.
It was safe to say they swept all the awards they could receive as rookies. An astonishing achievement for a group that hadn't even reached their 1st debut anniversary.
WeUs's fandom, Wish, was having a satisfying start to the new year as they watched their singer growing rapidly at an incredible speed.
However.
- Still no talk of a comeback ㅠ
- Guys, Rookie of the Year is great and everything is great, but when on earth is the next comeback... ㅠㅠ
- Please, even a tiny spoiler... even a really small one is fine...
- They should have at least gone to the award ceremony, it's been 4 months since we last saw the kids after the concert ㄷㄷ
As WeUs's hiatus grew longer, the fans' demands for a comeback were also gradually increasing.
Of course, a hiatus of 4 or 5 months wasn't that long for other groups, but considering the short lifespan of audition-born groups like WeUs, it was unreasonable to compare them equally with other groups.
Around the time when fans' complaints were slowly growing beneath the surface.
As a photo started spreading through SNS, a slight commotion began within WeUs's fandom.
[Photo of WeUs members boarding a flight to the US]
In the photo someone posted on SNS, WeUs members were captured waiting for the boarding process with the airport in the background.
Starting with that post, several photos that seemed to be secretly taken of WeUs members inside the plane also began to be uploaded on SNS.
- Our kids are going to the US???
- Suddenly? Are they going because of a schedule?
- Everyone didn't know...? I thought I was the only one who didn't know...
- It seems they kept it completely secret this time. Even the journalists didn't seem to know.
Fans couldn't hide their bewilderment at WeUs's sudden departure news.
When fans' inquiries were pouring into WeUs's agency, CL Entertainment, regarding the rumors about WeUs's trip to the US circulating on SNS.
The news of WeUs's departure was covered through an article.
[WeUs, heading to the US to prepare for their first full album "Release date is still undetermined"]
As soon as one article was published, articles with the same content began to spring up like mushrooms after rain.
Then, the news of WeUs's trip to the US started spreading not only within the WeUs fandom but also across various K-pop-related communities.
K-pop fans who received the news through the communities offered various opinions upon seeing WeUs's trip to the US.
- WeUs going to the US? Isn't this to advance into the US market?
└ Probably not a US advancement? WeUs has been preparing for an album for a while, and seeing how they went secretly this time, it seems like they really went for album preparation?
└ If it's not for advancing into the US, is there a reason to prepare the album in the US?
└ Well, they're probably working with producers in the US. It's originally done like that a lot.
- Seeing how they went without a separate schedule notice, it seems like they went to prepare for a real album unless it's for their own content?
- Going to the US for song production isn't strange. Other groups all do that too?
Of course, the main interest of the community members was not what WeUs went to the US for.
Once the topic of advancing into the US came up, posts about whether WeUs's US advancement would actually be possible soon began to go up.
- Honestly, WeUs isn't at the level to talk about advancing into the US yet. Usually, you go to the US after conquering the Asian market. Even then, there are more than a few cases where they fail to break through the US market and return without results.
- But if they want to advance into the US, now is the right time. Their contract period is short, so if they do it like other groups, the contract will end before they even advance into the US?
- When they debuted, their agency made a fuss about making them global idols, so I figured they'd say they're advancing into the US someday.
└ Right ㅋㅋ Come to think of it, Eugene Kim openly said he wanted to rank 1st on the Billboard during the audition.
- Won't they fail if they advance into the US now? Cross is also struggling to produce results, can WeUs do it?
└ Why is Cross being brought up here? And what do you mean Cross isn't producing results? They went up to 9th on the Hot 200.
While various communities were burning up over WeUs's trip to the US for the first time in a while.
The WeUs members had currently arrived in the US.
***
'I wanted to come quietly if possible...'
Arriving at LA airport and checking my phone while moving by car toward our destination.
Had our trip to the US already spread widely in Korea? Messages asking about the trip had come from the Boo brothers as well as the Black Jack members I met at the award ceremony.
Actually, unless we took a chartered flight, there was no way seven of us moving together wouldn't stand out.
Inside the plane, the subtle glances toward us bothered me, and as expected, SNS was full of photos of us inside the plane.
Well, this was within the range I expected, so it couldn't be helped.
But there was one thing I hadn't thought of.
- Sunwoo-min: The US...? Without even telling me...?
As soon as I saw one message, I felt cold sweat running down my back.
Come to think of it, I think I only told my grandmother and didn't tell my younger sister.
It was because the trip to the US was decided suddenly and I was out of my mind, but anyway, there was no room for excuses for offending the feelings of my younger sister, who was already sensitive from waiting for her college entrance exam results.
- Sunwoo-min: Let's see when you come back.
I had no choice but to try to soothe her as much as possible with gifts.
I replied moderately to my younger sister's message, let out a small sigh, and looked at the panoramic view of LA through the window of the speeding car.
"It's the middle of winter in Korea, but here it's not cold, it's cool."
"It seems like it would be perfect if we came for a vacation."
"The weather is really nice!"
They only slept the whole time on the plane.
The members, who regained their vigor as soon as they arrived, were exclaiming in admiration while looking at the scenery the whole time we were moving in the car.
'Anyone would think we came to play.'
Looking at the members, I felt a little worried inside, but as I looked at the outside scenery myself, I could understand the members' reactions.
The street scenery dyed in green under the blue sky.
The outside scenery was so peaceful that it didn't make me feel like I came to work at all.
'Actually, we could really just vacation and go back.'
It was the worst-case scenario, but if things didn't go well at the destination we were heading to right now.
A situation might arise where we would have to return to Korea after only looking around the sights of downtown LA.
'The CEO who allowed this is amazing too.'
The place we were heading to now was James Blake's residence located in Beverly Hills.
We were able to easily arrange a meeting, but what happened after that was still uncertain.
Whether James Blake would willingly work with us and participate as a producer on the album.
Or if he simply allowed a meeting.
'If we return empty-handed, I'll have to do exactly as the company tells me for a while.'
This trip to the US proceeded at lightning speed, receiving the CEO's full support.
If we returned to Korea without any results, wouldn't it be hard to expect the CEO's full support in the future?
'Well, that's something I can only know for sure when I meet James Blake in person.'
While I was agonizing, the car we were riding in ran diligently and began to approach the residential area where large mansions were gathered.
I spoke to Eugene Kim, who was staring blankly out the window in the seat next to me.
"Eugene, didn't you say your house is also in LA?"
"Yes, that's right. It's around here."
Somehow his expression looked complicated. Was it because he was near his house after a long time?
But saying his house is around here means.
'You really are rich...?'
Come to think of it, there had been rumors since the audition that Eugene Kim was a golden spoon.
Still, Eugene Kim didn't particularly show it off, so I didn't really pay attention to it.
'No, come to think of it, his officetel house in Korea was also excessively large for someone living alone.'
Realizing anew in the US that my own member was a golden spoon. It was a bit fascinating.
But if his house is around here, wouldn't it be okay to visit Eugene Kim's house at least once?
"If it's near here, it would be nice to go to your house this time."
"If our work finishes quickly, well..."
"Huh?! Where are we going?"
"No, I just said Eugene's house is near here..."
"Eugene hyung's house is near here? Wow...! I want to go too!"
"Can't we all drop by Eugene hyung's house together?"
"Right, let's go together! We need to greet Eugene hyung's parents too!"
Did I say the wrong thing?
It seemed like a visit to Eugene Kim's house was instantly added to this US schedule.
I could feel Eugene Kim looking at me with bewildered eyes next to me.
I slightly avoided his gaze and forcefully looked out the window.
Trying to stop the runaway members seemed like it would consume too much of my mental energy.
"Ah, okay. If the work finishes well, we can rest for about a day, so if you want to come to our house then, I'll tell my parents and invite you."
"Wow!"
"I'm definitely going!"
"By any chance, does your house have a swimming pool? A golf course...?"
"It's not to that extent!"
As I was looking at the bewildered Eugene Kim and the excitedly runaway members.
"Is that it by any chance?"
A massive building, looking almost three times larger than the large mansions around it, and truly worthy of being called a grand mansion, began to come into view.
And as if my prediction wasn't wrong, the car we were riding in slowly began to reduce its speed near the grand mansion right in front of us.
"Wow, it's really big."
"Is Eugene hyung's house this big too?"
"No way...?"
"No, it's not!"
The car, which finally arrived in front of the mansion, passed through the giant iron gates and moved through the circular driveway inside the garden.
"I'm kind of nervous..."
"I didn't know because I was out of my mind when I saw him at the award ceremony, but come to think of it, we're meeting a world-class star."
"No, don't be intimidated! Sim Sung-ha! Kang Ah-jin! We are celebrities too. Don't be intimidated!"
'You seem to be the one shaking the most, though...?'
Woo Jung-woo's legs, who was shouting not to be intimidated, were visibly shaking nonstop.
Actually, it was an overwhelming sight even from my perspective.
Enough to naturally make me think this was the level of a world-class star.
While the previously noisy members were showing nervousness, the figure of James Blake, who had come out in front of the door in the distance, began to be seen.
[It's been a while, everyone, WeUs!]
Finally arriving in front of the mansion and getting out of the car, we were able to greet James Blake again.
[I've been waiting for you guys. Because there haven't been any fun things lately.]
Just like when he finished the award ceremony stage, James Blake was looking at us with sparkling eyes.