SCT-Novel Chapter 138: Album (1)
Chapter 138: Album (1)
Kang Rojun and the members were having a lively after-party at a beef restaurant with the ‘Rental Lover’ team. Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung avoided alcohol but welcomed the beef like crazy.The one with the highest eating power was Do-kyung, who had even loosened his belt.
“Beef is crazy delicious. This naengmyeon is super delicious too.”
Though his tone was dry, his nonstop chopsticks movement suggested sincerity. Baby-permed Si-hoo usually ate small portions, but today he seemed determined as he rolled beef and green onion kimchi together and ate it.
“Wow- It melts! It just melts and disappears in my mouth!”
Kang-min, who somehow had found a headband and put it on, seemed to love naengmyeon more than beef. He had his nose buried in the bowl.
“This naengmyeon is seriously tasty, top-tier among what I’ve eaten in my life.”
What about Kang Rojun?
“Hey hey, just eat the beef, don’t fill up on other stuff. Naengmyeon is something you eat at the end as dessert.”
He too shoved a wrap into his mouth right after saying that. It looked as big as a fist, but there was no problem fitting it in. Rojun chewed vigorously on the wrap mixed with two slices of beef.
‘The oil’s dripping out and the flavor is insane.’
The ‘Vanguard’ members had all taken off the tuxedo jackets they wore as stage outfits, and everyone was wearing simple aprons over their white shirts to avoid getting soup stains. Manager Kim Ki-baek gave a small laugh at the cute sight.
"They eat so refreshingly- youth is good, good."
He showed a hint of envy. At the same time, he picked up his phone. He figured their current look would be great to pass on to the PR team.
“Everyone, strike a pose while eating.”
Even while constantly picking up meat, the members each posed toward Manager Kim Ki-baek. Si-hoo waved his chopsticks with meat on them, Kang-min and Do-kyung made V-signs, and Kang Rojun solemnly gave a thumbs-up.
There was sincerity in it. This place was seriously good.
Afterwards, they were completely absorbed in the after-party. They toasted with soda at other tables with the ‘Rental Lover’ team, chatted back and forth with PD Jung Soo-ryeong, and took verification shots at the actors' table with Choi Rina.
The final photo was taken by the ‘Rental Lover’ assistant director.
“Alright, alright! Only the award winners, gather up!!”
With dozens of staff members distracted by beef in the background, Kang Rojun, PD Jung Soo-ryeong, and top actress Choi Rina stood side by side. Of course, each had a trophy in hand. The two women held one trophy each, but Rojun had two.
“One- Two!”
-Click!
Meanwhile, while the ‘Vanguard’ members were struggling in beef heaven, various search sites, SNS, YouTube, and countless communities were in chaos.
No, they were in an turmoil.
The hottest topic, of course, was ‘Vanguard’.
《[Photo]'Vanguard' appears at 'SBC Acting Awards'!/ Photo》
《Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, Do-kyung break free from ‘Produce That 100!’ tag. Now they are called ‘Vanguard’》
《[Big Issue] GN Entertainment “Please Support the Members Starting Fresh as ‘Vanguard’”》
《Communities xxploding thanks to Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, Do-kyung appearing as ‘Vanguard’/ Photo》
It was burning hot. The group name ‘Vanguard’ was being endlessly mentioned everywhere, and the media watching the situation were all stunned.
“Has there ever been a male idol group that blew up the moment their group name was revealed??”
“Not that I know of.”
“It’s massive, absolutely massive. They nailed the group name promotion with just one congratulatory performance.”
That said, it wasn’t only ‘Vanguard’ that was hot. Other topics were also receiving significant attention.
《[Awards Ceremony] ‘Rental Lover’ sweeps 4 awards at the ‘SBC Acting Awards’》
《Rojun grabs two trophies, smiling with trophies in both hands/ Photo》
《One-Act Miracle! ‘Rental Lover’ wins drama of the year! Choi Rina takes best acting award》
From ‘Rental Lover’ winning multiple awards including Kang Rojun’s, to the congratulatory performance by the ‘Vanguard’ members. It was overflowing with hot issues. Interestingly, the news of ‘Rental Lover’ sweeping four awards had even reached Japan.
It wasn’t strange.
‘Rental Lover’ was currently enjoying hot popularity in Japan as well.
Whatever it was, the public was going wild. In particular, the fans of ‘Vanguard’ were showing near-manic excitement. For starters, fan accounts for ‘Vanguard’ had been exponentially increasing on SNS.
-[Today’s congratulatory performance was way better than any of the ‘Produce That 100!’ performances ㅋㅋㅋ All four of them in tuxedos were insanely cute....]
-[To be honest, I wasn’t really into the Vanguard guys, but after seeing Rojun on the red carpet, I’ve decided to stan him.....Super super super handsome]
-[Ah!!! The guys did so well on their performance, but the camera movement was trolling!! So frustrating!!]
Posts were flooding in nonstop.
-[Is it just me who likes the group name ‘Vanguard’?? It totally fits them ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
-[Today Si-hoo was totally in full Shih Tzu puppy mode]
-[My bias is Do-kyung ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Love his delinquent look]
-[Honestly Rojun is just in a league of his own, and next in looks is Kang-min ㅋㅋㅋㅋHe’s kind of like a prince]
Various communities were just as active as SNS. Posts were being updated every second. Judging from the overwhelming response, it was clear a large number of new fans were pouring in. On YouTube, videos of ‘Vanguard’ members’ congratulatory performance were circulating widely, and interest in the performance was sky-high.
-Vanguard?? So I guess their group name is officially Vanguard ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-The Vanguard guys were seriously good on stage today... the live vocals were incredible
-Doesn’t seem like they’ve debuted long ago but their live performance on a live broadcast was excellent, they’re going to make it big
-The camera movement and overall stage for the SBC Acting Awards were terrible, but the Vanguard guys saved it with their physical presence
-They dance that well AND sing live too?
-The live vocals were legit amazing, I love you Vanguard!!
Late into the night, the buzz only grew bigger, and after finishing the after-party and returning to the dorm, Kang Rojun and the members immediately picked up their phones once they lay down on their beds.
How could they not be curious?
Because of that, the members couldn’t fall asleep and stayed up past dawn looking at their phones, and Kang Rojun, who was just as sleepless, found himself feeling grateful not only for the public’s reactions but also to the ‘AI Simulation’.
-[You have achieved the hidden mission: “Perform with the official group name!” You have received 15 Coins as a reward.]
-[You have achieved the hidden mission: “Hold your first trophy!” You have received 20 Coins as a reward.]
‘AI Simulation’ had not forgotten to send him rewards again.
And the next Saturday morning.
《[Official] ‘SBC Acting Awards’ achieves record-breaking viewership!》
The SBC Acting Awards had set a new record.
After that.
Although the ‘Vanguard’ members were given rest over the weekend, Rojun and the others were feeling so energized they all went to the company. Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung locked themselves in the practice room, while Kang Rojun shut himself in the studio.
To complete the song he had officially titled 'GreenBee'.
“......”
Kang Rojun silently focused his gaze on the laptop. It had already been over a week since he began working on it, so he was nearing the final stages of composing.
Around that time, official videos related to the ‘SBC Acting Awards’ started being uploaded one after another on YouTube.
Most were racking up explosive views.
Many were throwing in promotional pushes. SBC, GN Entertainment, and even Culture Drawer were contributing. At present, YouTube was practically flooded with ‘Vanguard.’
That loud, bustling weekend came to an end, and Monday arrived once again.
After arriving at GN Entertainment with the members,
-Swoosh.
Rojun first moved to the gym and completed his daily mission. Well, lately he’d been enjoying building his body, so he’d been more dedicated than usual.
‘Looking good.’
Admiring his defined muscles, Rojun’s next stop was the studio he had been frequently retreating to these days. While the other members were likely deep in training, Kang Rojun, who was granted more freedom in his schedule, felt certain the moment he settled into the studio.
“I'm finishing ‘GreenBee’ today.”
He was going to complete the composition.
While tapping on his laptop, he quietly murmured.
“‘GreenBee’...... a longed-for man.”
He began expanding on the emotional layers to assign color to the song. The dance track 'GreenBee'- 'GreenBee' is a pure Korean word, and its hidden meaning is “a longed-for man". To align the mood with the group name ‘Vanguard', he decided to mix in wildness.
“If he’s longed-for, then there must be longing.”
But he’s hard to grasp. Even when you can see him, you can’t have him. A fantasy. The man who is longed-for is also a man of fantasy.
“No, wait, there are four of us, so men.”
Men of fantasy. And ‘Vanguard.’
As Kang Rojun pieced together the puzzle he’d laid out, his focus intensified. His ‘Composition’ stat wasn’t yet highly developed, so he was still a bit clumsy, but it was hard to find any hesitation in his hands. Fortunately, melodies came to him easily, and interpretation was one of his specialties.
One hour, two hours, three hours passed.
Several hours had gone by since he began working. Before he knew it, it was already past noon. Si-hoo called to let him know it was time to eat, but Rojun had no intention of taking a lunch break.
Another two hours passed.
At that point, Kang Rojun stretched his body and swept his black hair back with both hands. Interlacing his fingers and placing them behind his head, he kept his eyes fixed on the laptop. Then, he smiled faintly.
“It’s done.”
He was moving his hands again, and after a few taps on his tablet screen, a track began playing from it.
-♬♪
A dance song with a dreamy yet deep and dark undertone. It was 'GreenBee', which Kang Rojun had just completed. This time, unlike the ballad “Song No. 1” which only went up to the first verse, he had produced it through to the second verse. After listening to the full song, Rojun played it again and quietly spoke his thoughts.
“Not bad. It was good practice for composing too.”
One thing was clear, his composition skills had improved compared to when he first worked on “Song No. 1". And.
‘Surprisingly, writing, lyrics, and acting help with composition too.’
His singing ability, dance, and rap, of course, but even his other side jobs were helpful. As expected, nothing was useless. Writing and lyrics provided interpretation and imagination, while acting enriched his emotions. Same with the guitar he had studied in advance.
It felt like all the abilities Kang Rojun possessed were organically connected, pushing him forward.
Well, composition would probably help in another side job as well.
In any case, he had gotten everything he needed from composing 'GreenBee'. Now, the only thing left was to turn 'GreenBee', which was complete but lacking in polish, into a perfect song. Soon after, Rojun picked up his phone. Naturally, he opened the 'AI Simulation' app, specifically, ‘AI Automation’.
He planned to do the same task he had done with the ballad “Song No. 1".
-[Through ‘AI Automation’ analysis, the desired outcome can be achieved. What would you like to achieve? (Only options related to the desired occupation: Idol)]
Kang Rojun carefully wrote down the concept of 'GreenBee' as it existed in his mind into the input field, and according to the instructions, 'AI Automation' produced the result. It did require a decent number of coins, though.
‘I've got a one-time free AI Automation ticket, but using it here would be such a waste.’
So he casually spent his coins.
-[Applying...... Application complete!]
The file was quickly delivered to his phone. Having gone through this before, Kang Rojun wasn’t particularly surprised. He played the now-perfected 'GreenBee'.
-♬♪
The more he listened, the deeper his smile grew. It was addictive, he kept replaying it. Kang Rojun then set his next goal in composition.
“Next- it’s time for ‘Song No. 3', right? Hmm, let’s go for another dance track, kind of as a review. But this time, something with a more calm vibe.”
Thirty minutes later, Rojun left the studio and met with Manager Kim Ki-baek. The reason was simple, to deliver the completed song 'GreenBee'. For reference, Si-hoo had already submitted his tracks to the A&R team, and the team was in the final stage of song collection. In other words, Rojun had just caught the last train.
After receiving the song from Kang Rojun, Manager Kim Ki-baek gave a weak smile.
“...You already finished this?”
“Yes, manager.”
“What kind of song gets finished in just one week?”
Manager Kim Ki-baek had mixed feelings of disbelief and amazement.
‘Did he rush it because of high expectations around him? His personality is pretty grounded, so I doubt he’d submit something sloppy... Still, a week is really fast.’
A small worry surfaced. It was his first time seeing someone finish a song in under ten days.
“If you- wrapped this up in a rush, it’s okay to keep working on it. The A&R team said they’ll wait until the end of this month.”
On the other hand, Kang Rojun showed no hesitation.
“I didn’t rush it. I worked on it comfortably. Please just pass it on to the A&R team as is.”
“Hmm- alright.”
Manager Kim Ki-baek immediately sent it over to the A&R team.
Then, at 6 PM.
[Channel Name: Vanguard]
[Vanguard Official YouTube Channel]
[This is Vanguard’s official YouTube channel.]
The official YouTube channel for Vanguard had launched.
And just a few minutes later, fans noticed. The excitement exploded.
-Holy crap!! Vanguard’s YouTube just opened!!!
In other words, a flood of eager subscribers was on the way.