People often say an idol group holds a showcase when they debut or make a comeback. Put simply, a showcase can be seen as a kind of introduction. Something like: this is our concept, this is our group, and these are the songs we perform.
In other words, it is the first time they reveal themselves to the public right before a debut or comeback.
To make a rough comparison, would it be like the tasting corner at a large supermarket? They cook up a new product on the spot, let customers smell it, and give them a taste. An idol showcase is the same. It is about letting people know the scent and flavor.
Idol showcases usually come in two types: press showcases and fan showcases.
Like a movie preview, the usual format is to show themselves to reporters first, then meet the fans afterward. In short, they hold two showcases in one day. Through this, they give reporters something to write about while giving fans delight.
Because it is their first time being presented to the world, whether for a debut or a comeback, the idol’s agency pours its heart and soul into the showcase’s process, concept, outfits, venue, promotion, and so on and so forth.
On top of that, a showcase is a measure of an idol’s current level of recognition.
If their popularity is shabby, then reporters and the public may not even know whether they held a showcase or not. But an idol group that has been commanding considerable power since before debut is a whole uproar unto itself. Of course, for the most part, rookie idol showcases tend to be quiet. It is rare for one to explode right from the start.
But “Vanguard” was completely different from ordinary idols.
They had already raised their clout through “Geubaekpeu” and various other things. On top of that, they had a considerable number of fans in Japan as well. In other words, the issues and aggro they had built up were tremendous. That was why Department Head Kim Gibaek said,
“And for Vanguard’s showcase, how about Gocheok Dome?”
He proposed Gocheok Dome for Vanguard’s showcase. As soon as he finished speaking, CEO Ha Seohwan asked back with a strange expression.
“...Gocheok Dome?”
The executives and staff around them narrowed their brows, or a faint absurdity settled in their eyes.
“Go, Gocheok Dome?”
“Department Head Kim, are you serious?”
“Department Head... Gocheok Dome all of a sudden? That’s a bit abrupt.”
It was not a strange reaction. After all.
“You know, right? Gocheok Dome has over twenty thousand seats.”
Gocheok Dome had more than twenty thousand seats. Gocheok Dome was, quite literally, a dome-style baseball stadium. But Gocheok Dome was also used as a concert venue for famous singers or idols. Since its scale was quite large, articles like this could often be seen.
《An audience filling all 20,000 seats of Gocheok Dome, a legendary concert! / Photos》
In a word, Gocheok Dome had plenty of precedent as a concert venue, but it had never once been used for a showcase. So the executives and staff had no choice but to be flustered.
“A showcase... at Gocheok Dome—I think that might be a little difficult.”
When people are presented with something they have never experienced, fear arises in them without their realizing it. All the more so when the board is outrageously large.
“Weren’t we looking into mid-sized performance halls for Vanguard’s showcase?”
“Gocheok Dome... That’s too much. Filling all the seats is one thing, but the funds needed just for stage construction would be at least double. No, it could triple.”
“I think it’s a little unreasonable.”
There was logic in what the staff said. No matter how much it was Vanguard, they were rookies. On top of that, even opening a normal showcase took quite a lot of money; if it was Gocheok Dome, with a capacity of over twenty thousand, the funding would easily jump severalfold. That was only the stage installation cost, and operating and promotion expenses were separate. As the size grew, the manpower hired would increase sharply as well.
Even after thinking about it briefly, a few staff members clutched their foreheads, as if it seemed hopeless. Especially those in the department managing the money.
At that moment.
—Swoosh.
CEO Ha Seohwan, arms crossed, raised his hand slightly. Then the murmuring staff fell silent, and he fixed his gaze on Department Head Kim Gibaek.
“Tell me in more detail.”
He was telling him to explain why he had thought of Gocheok Dome. Whether Department Head Kim Gibaek had prepared his words or not, he let out a small breath and replied.
“Gocheok Dome. Twenty thousand seats. I said it because I think we can fill them all. Mm—back when the Vanguard members were on Geubaekpeu, they held a mini-concert, didn’t they?”
“They did.”
“Even the few thousand seats back then sold out. Of course, it was because Geubaekpeu was in the middle of airing, but since then, Vanguard has grown several times larger in volume. I think twenty thousand seats would be easy.”
“Easy?”
“And—I also took Vanguard’s concept into consideration.”
“......”
CEO Ha Seohwan quietly shot him a look that said to continue. Department Head Kim Gibaek looked around at the staff nearby.
“Vanguard. The first, the unrivaled, the leading. That’s their concept, so going with the same format, a similar scale, and an atmosphere people have already seen like other idols is a bit—boring, isn’t it? Vanguard needs to be different from the start. They need to begin with an impact that makes jaws drop, something no one has ever seen or heard of before. That’s what fits the concept.”
Little by little, agreement began to flow among the staff.
“And even if we don’t fill all twenty thousand seats, it’s not a huge problem. With media play, we can roughly spin it as ‘Vanguard fills more than half of Gocheok Dome,’ and there’ll still be a response. The core of Vanguard’s showcase is—”
“The first in history.”
CEO Ha Seohwan cut into Department Head Kim Gibaek’s briefing. His face was full of interest.
“Something no idol has ever attempted before. Vanguard challenges it first, and you all follow behind.”
“Mm—the wording would be better as smashing through rather than challenging, but yes, that’s the feeling.”
Tap, tap, tap. CEO Ha Seohwan tapped the desk evenly with his index finger. Then he smiled.
“I like it. No matter how many audience members come in, it’s not bad to have that symbolism.”
Here, Department Head Kim Gibaek thought,
‘It’s time to throw a jab.’
He judged that he needed to prod CEO Ha Seohwan slightly.
“It will definitely cost a lot of money. But since you told us to proceed without thinking about the budget, CEO—I’m making the suggestion. If you think the scale is too big, we’ll have to reduce it.”
CEO Ha Seohwan looked at him and let out a faint laugh.
‘He’s subtly scratching at me. It sounds like he’s saying, If you don’t have the money, there’s nothing we can do.’
It seemed the surrounding executives felt it too, as two of them narrowed their brows. However, CEO Ha Seohwan did not consider it a big deal. He truly intended to stake his life and death on Vanguard.
“Gocheok Dome it is.”
CEO Ha Seohwan made the decision at once and wrapped it up.
“Without paying attention to other entertainment companies or idols, Vanguard will quietly walk Vanguard’s own path. I like the picture of crushing any interference with sheer physicality. And the showcase will be at Gocheok Dome.”
At that moment, the female team leader of the A&R team cut in.
“But... if we rent a place as big as Gocheok Dome and only hold a showcase, isn’t that a little lacking?”
She was asking whether the substance would be lacking compared to the backdrop. To this, Department Head Kim Gibaek answered without even one second of hesitation.
“We can solve that by combining the debut showcase with a debut concert.”
“Combine it with a debut concert?”
“Yes. Of course, since the showcase is the focus, the concert quality will be a little diluted, but that won’t matter.”
This, too, was a first.
“Vanguard debuts not on a music show, but with a concert. Isn’t that good? It has impact.”
A little while later.
After the meeting in which many things were decided ended, Department Head Kim Gibaek called the Vanguard members to the practice room and informed the gathered kids of what had just been decided. Sihu, Gangmin, and Dokyeong’s eyes all grew ridiculously wide.
“Wh, where?!”
“Gocheok Dome... Gocheok Dome? The Gocheok Dome I know?!”
“For real??? We’re holding our showcase at Gocheok Dome?!”
Compared to the members going wild, Department Head Kim Gibaek was calm. No, perhaps it should be said that his energy was tranquil.
“Yes. That Gocheok Dome.”
Gocheok Dome? Gang Rojun was just as surprised. He did not know the details, but Rojun was at least vaguely aware that Gocheok Dome was an enormous baseball stadium.
‘We’re doing a showcase at a freaking huge baseball stadium like that? Is that normal? Looking at the guys’ reactions, it seems like it’s beyond common sense.’
Lately, the members and Gang Rojun had already been talking a lot about not only the showcase but also their debut. Their debut songs had been decided, so they were imagining the future. But now, suddenly, Gocheok Dome. Soon, Department Head Kim Gibaek continued speaking.
“As you all know—Gocheok Dome has over twenty thousand seats. But I think Vanguard is more than capable of filling them...”
Department Head Kim Gibaek’s slowly explaining voice faded for Rojun. Crazy, twenty thousand seats? He had been startled by the number of seats. He had expected it to be big because it was a baseball stadium, but when he heard the figure of twenty thousand people, his heart began to pound. For reference, Gang Rojun had never once been to a baseball stadium.
‘Not just twenty thousand seats, but over twenty thousand? Whoa—that’s insane.’
The members froze. Rojun’s tension grew as well. But as if that was not the end of it, Department Head Kim Gibaek dropped a few more pieces of information. A debut showcase slash concert, the expected cue sheet for the day, and so on.
Lastly.
“According to what I looked into, in the first half of this year, a lot of rookie idols will debut and, mm—groups that are considered top-tier will make comebacks. It means it’ll be a proper battlefield. It’ll be fun, won’t it?”
He wore a frail smile.
Afterward.
The Vanguard members gathered in the practice room chatted excitedly about what they had heard from Department Head Kim Gibaek. Excitement and fear, worry and anxiety, anticipation, exhilaration, and many other emotions swirled around them.
“Gocheok Dome!! The dream stage of idols!”
“Crazy... We’re really doing our debut showcase at Gocheok Dome?”
“And mixing a concert into the showcase is really a first, isn’t it?”
“I seriously thought only super amazing idols went there.”
“Ugh, my hands are shaking. What if a lot of fans don’t come?”
“Anyway, if they announce this, it’s going to cause an uproar!!”
“Of course. The media, our fans, seriously... This is going to be a huge issue.”
On the other hand, Rojun became calm in a way they had never seen before. He merely watched the members bouncing around. Of course, he was a little nervous too, but less so than the members. It was probably a difference in their interests. Sihu, Gangmin, and Dokyeong must have seen various idols soaring freely at Gocheok Dome, but in truth, Gang Rojun had never seen it even once.
Right now, rather.
‘Twenty thousand people—compared to the mini-concert we did during Geubaekpeu, the grandeur must be totally different, right?’
He even thought it sounded fun. Well, it might be different when the day actually came.
Soon, the overly flushed members began training, and Gang Rojun moved to the workroom. As soon as he arrived at the workroom, Rojun had many things to do today.
However, first he picked up his phone.
What he accessed was Neotube.
It was to check videos related to Gocheok Dome. Before that, he checked Vanguard’s channel first.
[Channel Name: Vanguard]
[Subscribers: 4.12 million]
[Videos: 8]
Before he knew it, Vanguard’s channel subscriber count had exceeded four million. Compared to when the channel first opened and had the opening boost, the rate of increase had slowed, but it was still rising now, so it was not a problem.
‘Department Head said it would explode again once we officially debut.’
After casually looking at the view counts and comments on the videos, Rojun searched “Gocheok Dome concert.” Many videos appeared in a row. Soon, he let out an exclamation.
“Oh—”
Because the concert videos of renowned singers or idols were astonishing.
—♬♪
Tens of thousands of audience members filling the seats, lights shooting here and there, an enormous stage, and artists striding across that stage.
“...When tens of thousands of light sticks gather, they really are stars. Actual stars.”
The tens of thousands of light sticks swaying in the dark Gocheok Dome were a spectacular sight even through video. What would it feel like to step directly onto that stage and see it in person?
In that instant, goosebumps rose along Gang Rojun’s forearm.
Like that, Rojun watched Gocheok Dome videos for about an hour, then lowered his phone while imagining the scene that would become his future.
‘Honestly, right now, I can’t clearly picture myself at Gocheok Dome.’
But there was something he had to do right away.
“First, let’s work. Work.”
If he did what he had to do now, someday he would be standing on the stage at Gocheok Dome. Filled with an overwhelming surge of emotion, Gang Rojun turned on his laptop. What he started immediately was writing lyrics. The lyrics for the debut songs, “Geurinbi,” “Windveil,” and “Flying Bell,” were already finished. He had also heard that they had been officially decided at this morning’s meeting.
What remained now was.
“The Japanese version.”
Writing the Japanese lyrics for “Geurinbi,” “Windveil,” and “Flying Bell.” Department Head Kim Gibaek had said it would be good to have them done, and Gang Rojun wanted to do it as well. As a review, or as study.
—Swoosh.
Soon, Gang Rojun began writing Japanese quickly in his notebook.
And early the next morning.
Gang Rojun, who had left the dorm with the members, got into the waiting van headed for work. What was amusing was that not long afterward, Rojun’s eyes grew quite wide as he looked down at his phone.
The reason was simple.
‘...A hundred million?’
Because money in the hundreds of millions had been deposited into his bank account.