Chapter 56
Congratulations on We:uS's debut!-
Let's be together forever, We:uS!-
The sincere cheers of the fans reached the deeply moved members of We:uS.
"If you guys prepare this much from the showcase... what are you going to do at the concert..."
As I squeezed out those words while suppressing my overflowing emotions, the fans laughed and shouted confidently, "Don't worry!" "We have ways!"
Seeing the other members finally smile at the fans' playful remarks, I grabbed the mic and spoke with a lighter atmosphere.
"The really surprising fact is that this stage is not the end of the showcase."
"Wow... I thought the showcase was over just now!"
"Please wake up quickly. Ajin, keukeuk."
"The most important stage is still waiting for us!"
At my playful remark, the members talked and laughed among themselves, brightening the atmosphere again.
In the meantime, Lia reappeared, and a short time was taken to reorganize the stage.
"Yes, we were able to see how much We:uS's fans love them. Now, we will have a time for the We:uS members to directly answer the reporters' questions."
Soon, chairs for the members to sit on were set up.
A barrage of questions from the reporters began for the seated members of We:uS.
"What was the most difficult thing while preparing for this album?"
"Not much time has passed since you became a team after the audition ended, are there any differences from the audition to now?"
"I heard that the We:uS members' opinions were reflected in the selection process for this title track, could you explain that process?"
At first, the questions were mostly not very sensitive.
The answers were mainly given by me and Yujin Kim.
"The most difficult thing while preparing for the album... I think the physical part was the hardest. Of course, Rin hyung won't be able to relate."
"Um... Yujin-ssi, I'm a human being too, you know?"
"Sometimes when I look at you, it feels like you're not human."
When Yujin Kim said that with a serious expression, the other members nodded their heads quickly as if they deeply sympathized.
At that sight, the audience burst into laughter.
After a few other questions went smoothly.
Thinking the mood had loosened up, the real questions finally started coming out.
"You'll be going head-to-head with BlueRed this time, what do the members think about it?"
When the name BlueRed was directly mentioned, the fans' glares momentarily turned fierce, but the reporter who asked the question didn't seem to care much about that.
While I and Yujin Kim were momentarily pondering how to answer.
Park Hanhwi, who had been quietly watching our interview all along, picked up the mic and opened his mouth.
"I'm thrilled to be able to promote together with the seniors I truly respect. I will work hard to learn a lot by watching their stages."
It was a textbook answer, and of course, it was an answer that wouldn't matter who said it, but...
'Does he really think that way? No... that can't be it.'
There was no hint of hypocrisy to be found on Park Hanhwi's face as he smiled brightly while answering.
It was to the point that even I doubted whether he was being sincere.
Thinking that this too might be the power of positivity, and wondering in my heart if I should leave all such questions to Park Hanhwi in the future, the reporter's next question followed.
"Right now, BlueRed's 'VILLAIN' is number 1 on the music chart, and We:uS's 'HERO' is number 2, so an incredible clash is taking place from the very first day of the music release. How... is number 1 possible?"
As soon as the reporter finished speaking, the members next to me answered in surprise.
"Huh? We're 2nd?"
"Wow! Daebak! Everyone, we're 2nd on the music charts right now? For real?"
When Kang Ajin and Sim Sungha answered as if they were truly surprised, the fans immediately burst into laughter and shouted, 'You really are 2nd right now!' 'Let's go to 1st, guys!'
At the fans' reaction, I looked at Kang Ajin and Sim Sungha bouncing up and down in their seats with even more excitement and thought.
'Ajin seems genuinely surprised, but Sungha... feels like he's acting.'
I was also surprised to hear that we were currently 2nd on the music site.
The music was released today, and after that, we were so busy preparing for the showcase that we couldn't even check the rankings.
Of course, the staff around us didn't breathe a word about the rankings, fearing that it might burden us while we were preparing for the showcase.
Anyway, thanks to Kang Ajin and Sim Sungha's realistic reactions, an atmosphere I hadn't anticipated was created.
The fans' cheering, which had been dampened by the reporters' continued questions about BlueRed, resumed.
The atmosphere had already become awkward to answer the reporter's question.
'It seems awkward to talk about being 1st again right now.'
I signaled the other members and stood up from my seat.
"The chart ranking is important too, but more than that, I want to create an enjoyable stage with the fans who have come to this place right now."
"We love you, fans!"
"We will work even harder!"
"Please keep watching over us...!"
Eventually, the reporters' question time was instantly changed into a time to thank the fans.
In the meantime, Lia skillfully called the staff to clear the chairs that were used during the interview.
"Thank you for waiting. Then we will let you hear it right now. We:uS's debut album, the title track 'HERO'."
-Level has increased.
-Due to the trait 'Heart-to-Heart', a random trait is activated.
With good timing, a sound was heard indicating that my level, which hadn't increased since the audition ended, had risen.
'Increase Dance stat.'
As soon as I saw the message, I immediately raised my Dance stat, which had been stuck at B+ rank, to A- rank.
And.
-Random trait 'Shining Brightest on Stage' is activated.
From the 'Heart-to-Heart' trait with Kang Ajin, which had only produced traits that weren't particularly helpful while I was hosting the showcase stage today.
Finally, a trait that exuded an aura of helpfulness just from its name was activated.
'Are they helping me out this much just because it's my debut showcase?'
With the system's help for the first time in a while, I looked at the audience with a highly elevated mood, and then aligned my formation with the members to take my position.
As we aligned our formation, the intro of 'HERO' filled the concert hall.
Waaaaaaaah-
The fans' tremendous cheering, which was louder than the music coming from the in-ears, made me feel as if time had stopped for a moment, yet I stared straight ahead at the camera approaching me with a red light, and started the first verse of 'HERO'.
-The faint sensation felt at the fingertips
In this stopped time
A blooming grayish lilac
***
We:uS's debut showcase, which was broadcast live on MusicNet.
As soon as the showcase broadcast ended, an enormous amount of articles and countless reactions to the showcase began to explode on idol communities.
-Wow... Sunwoo Rin... today's stage was seriously daebak...
└I seriously watched it with my mouth open in admiration. Sunwoo Rin was so overwhelming from the intro.
└Seeing his eyes change and transform as soon as the stage started, he's definitely a born idol.
└Maybe our Rin was a person born to be an idol...? No, to think he developed this much again in that short time after the audition ended!!!
The first revealed stage of 'HERO'.
Before the shock of that stage could even fade, even more shocking news followed.
-Wow, go to the music site right now, guys!
└Why?? Did something happen?
└The 1st place on the music chart changed.
└Hul...! We:uS is... 1st?
-Daebak, We:uS just reached 1st on the music chart!
└Then BlueRed got pushed back? Wow, We:uS's firepower is no joke...
└Isn't reaching 1st on the music chart within a day of debuting almost unprecedented? Has there ever been a case like this?
We:uS's achievement of 1st place on the music chart.
As that unbelievable news broke, posts poured in to the point that the community was momentarily paralyzed.
***
We:uS's 1st place on the music chart caused a huge stir, but unfortunately, they couldn't hold onto that 1st place for long.
Before even two hours had passed since the showcase ended, they lost the 1st place spot back to BlueRed.
Nevertheless, the incredible result of a group that debuted today achieving 1st place on the music chart on their very first day wasn't something that would easily fade from people's memories.
'What on earth is so great about We:uS?'
Not everyone who is highly interested in idols had watched National Idol.
We:uS's comet-like debut was bound to be highly shocking to K-pop fans who normally had no interest in We:uS.
It was even more so for Hong Yoonah, who had liked the boy group 'To The Moon' from their debut until they recently disbanded.
'They debuted today and are already 1st on the music chart? Even if it was just for a moment, it still doesn't make sense. Our kids never even made it into the top 10, let alone 1st!!'
Even though they lost 1st place to BlueRed again, the mere fact that they achieved 1st place, even for a brief moment, was unbelievable.
'National Idol or whatever. I knew they were making a fuss in the community, but We:uS? Were they really that popular?'
Hong Yoonah looked at the title of We:uS's debut album title track, which was firmly holding onto 2nd place on the music site.
'Hero, what kind of... it's not like kids are playing around.'
She had already heard 'VILLAIN' by BlueRed, who was currently holding onto 1st place.
It was well-made music.
Even though it was a comeback after a long time, BlueRed was indeed BlueRed. BlueRed's own unique musical color, which appealed to the masses, instantly captivated Hong Yoonah's ears.
A group that had to be acknowledged for their music—that was Hong Yoonah's evaluation of BlueRed.
'But, We:uS is...'
Come to think of it, she didn't know much about We:uS.
The fact that they debuted through National Idol Season 2? And that they had their debut showcase today?
'Ah! I do know about Yujin Kim at least. And Sunwoo Rin too.'
Since they were names that had set the community on fire for a while, they must have been imprinted in her memory without her realizing it.
Anyway, just as Hong Yoonah thought this had nothing to do with her, she saw a song that had just newly climbed up to 7th place on the chart.
'Our Spring? This is a We:uS song too?'
A title that gave off a completely opposite vibe from the title track, 'Hero'.
'It doesn't fit as a boy group song title...'
Looking at the title that made her want to listen to it for some unknown reason, unlike We:uS's title track, Hong Yoonah found herself typing on the keyboard and searching for 'Our Spring' on a video site.
'No, I didn't intend to listen to it.'
When she searched for the music, the 'Our Spring Pre-release Video' appeared at the top, so she played it right away.
-The miracle that came to me is you
Like our spring
Embrace me in your warm arms
'They sing well...?'
Hong Yoonah's prejudice that a group just formed through an audition would lack in skill was slightly washed away.
Yujin Kim's tone, which seemed bewitchingly addictive after just one listen, was impressive.
'The song is good, but... it's just a b-side track at the end of the day.'
Forgetting the important fact that it was currently recording 7th place on the music chart as a b-side track.
While Hong Yoonah was still unable to shake off her doubts about the group We:uS.
The live video of 'Our Spring' ended, and We:uS's 'HERO' music video was visible in the related videos.
[We:uS - 'HERO' Official MV]
[Views: 11,374,853]
'What? 10 million views already? Wasn't this video released today?'
By Hong Yoonah's standards, there were only three groups in Korea that could achieve 10 million music video views in a single day.
Cross, Next, and BlueRed.
They were the groups known as the 'Big Three'.
But.
'They're not even a Big Three group, and We:uS got 10 million in a day? Isn't this manipulated?'
At the unbelievable score, Hong Yoonah naturally moved her mouse over We:uS's music video screen.
And.
-The faint sensation felt at the fingertips
In this stopped time
A blooming grayish lilac
As the first verse began, Hong Yoonah was bewitched and fell into the music video's imagery.