SCT-Novel Chapter 162: Acceleration (11)
Chapter 162: Acceleration (11)
One title or double title. And triple title. One or double titles were quite common, but triple title tracks were rare. Especially for rookie idols.However, ‘Vanguard’ released three versions of their music video teasers.
Which meant.
“‘Vanguard’… it looks like it’s a triple title track release??!”
It meant that Vanguard’s debut album was a triple title. Otherwise, there would be no reason to shoot three music videos. Upon seeing this, the six members of Big Star Entertainment’s ‘Neos’ were first and foremost surprised.
“Wow- they’re debuting with a triple title??”
“Looks like GN went all-in and poured money into this? Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be a triple title.”
“Three music videos… even we’ve never done that, right?”
“This is huge. This is definitely going to make waves.”
“If these ‘Vanguard’ kids flop, just how much money are they throwing into the trash??”
“Depends on the MV quality, but… if there’s some CG in it, then the production budget’s definitely over a hundred million won.”
“They’re seizing the moment while the tide’s rising, as they should, but look at the guts of these debuting rookies?”
While each member of ‘Neos’ added their own comments, there was a hint of jealousy mixed into their otherwise negative evaluations. These rookies were doing something they themselves had never been able to do.
“…I wonder how good the songs are for them to confidently go with a triple title. Let’s check out the teaser first.”
One of the members with gray hair moved his index finger. Among the newly released MV teasers for ‘Vanguard’, he touched the ‘GreenBee’ teaser, which had been uploaded first. In that short time, the view count had already risen significantly.
The ‘GreenBee’ teaser had a running time of about 30 seconds.
It began with a black screen showing the GN Entertainment logo, and as soon as the logo disappeared.
-♬♪
The intro to ‘GreenBee’ started with a dark breakbeat. On screen were rows of abandoned buildings, and on the stairs of the largest building among them, four men were sitting or standing in various poses.
It was Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung.
Rojun was sitting at the very bottom, with Kang-min behind him. Si-hoo stood to Rojun’s left, leaning against a metal handrail, while Kang-min had taken position on the opposite side.
Dark and expressionless faces.
All their outfits were based on black leather jackets, but with quite different details.
At that moment, the intro layered in a keyboard sound.
-♬♪
The angle changed as well. The screen, which had shown full shots of the members, now moved to solo cuts of Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung in that order. Close-ups of their faces. Once the solo cuts ended, Kang Rojun in the video covered the camera with his palm.
When his hand moved away, the background changed.
It was a place filled with black and gray planets. A space created with CG. There, the four members of ‘Vanguard’ stood in a line, looking up at the largest planet.
At this point, the members’ voices blended naturally with the backing track.
Though it was just a teaser and didn’t reveal everything, it conveyed the vibe of the song ‘GreenBee’ well enough. Then, the angle that had been showing the planet once again captured the full shot of the ‘Vanguard’ members, slowly pulling away.
Eventually, the screen went black again.
Text appeared in the center of the screen.
-Vanguard
The ‘Neos’ members who watched the teaser for ‘GreenBee’ had their eyes widen considerably.
“…The song seems pretty good. Who wrote this?”
“It’s still a teaser, so I can’t be sure, but the song doesn’t sound bad. The song credits haven’t been released yet, right??”
“Nope, no song info. At this point, there are rumors about who composed it, but it seems they’re hiding it on purpose.”
“Wow- But you can totally tell GN pulled out all the stops. Not a single CG effect looks out of place.”
“Well… that’s true. But still, we won’t know for sure until the whole thing’s out. It’s just a teaser.”
“Honestly, I think our music video came out way better.”
For reference, ‘Neos’ had already released their music video teaser earlier. Once today’s showcase ended, their official MV and song would be released simultaneously. Not just them, the current idol scene was seeing a flood of music videos as rookies debuted and many popular idols made comebacks.
At that point, the van carrying the ‘Neos’ members arrived at the venue where the showcase would be held.
-Swish.
The members of ‘Neos’, who hadn’t been able to watch all of Vanguard’s MV teasers, got out of the van with uneasy expressions. Though they didn’t express it openly.
‘Ah- damn it. The songs are better than I thought?’
A slight sense of crisis crept in.
Meanwhile.
The ‘Neos’ members weren’t the only ones who confirmed that ‘Vanguard’ was going with a triple title and checked out the MV teasers. Numerous media outlets as well.
“They’re going for a triple title?? There are three MV teasers.”
“Look at that nerve? Well, with the hook power ‘Vanguard’ has now, it makes sense to row while the tide is high.”
“GN’s really betting everything on ‘Vanguard’. They’re pouring money into these rookies.”
“Let’s get an article out while checking the details.”
Even various entertainment companies reacted.
“Three title tracks??!”
“Ooh- the songs actually feel pretty good.”
“I think they’re great. All three songs have totally different concepts but capture the vibe well.”
“They splashed a ridiculous amount of CG on the MVs.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think they’d film all three music videos at once, this is all or nothing now.”
In particular, companies that had recently debuted or made comebacks with idols reacted strongly. They dissected the ‘Vanguard’ MV teasers frame by frame or deeply analyzed the debut songs inserted in those 30-second clips.
Big Star Entertainment, which had ‘Neos’, was no different.
And not just entertainment companies, Netflix Korea and Japan, Culture Drawer, various broadcasting companies, and many others with ties to Kang Rojun were all watching the MV teasers closely.
Of course, the public was too.
Thanks to that, the view counts on Vanguard’s MV teasers were rising rapidly.
-Crazy… triple title!!!!!
-Every single song is good??!
-Seriously, these kids are insanely handsome;;;
-0:14 Rojun’s face, insane
-Ha… their faces and songs are both killer ㅠㅠㅠ
-You guys really went all in to take the No.1 spot, huh?
-Who composed this?? It’s seriously so well made…
-I only heard a little bit, but the songs are insanely addictive, the visuals are crazy, and their skills are already perfect…
-It’s been a while since a teaser got me this hyped… why do I feel like crying alreadyㅠㅠㅜㅠㅠ
-GreenBee, Windveil, FlyingBell, all three have completely different vibes… I personally love GreenBee…
-FlyingBell,,, school uniforms,,,, refreshing vibes,,,, is this where I die?
-Triple titleㅋㅋㅋㅋ how can you not get hypedㅋㅋㅋㅋ Let’s hit it big, boys!!!
-Si-hoo in a school uniform, that puppy charm, what are we gonna doㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
By the afternoon, the view counts on each MV teaser had easily surpassed one million. The ‘Vanguard’ members saw this during a break in their group practice. The four of them huddled together in a large practice room, watching the teasers on a tablet. GN Entertainment’s in-house choreography team was with them as well.
“Wow… look at the teaser quality.”
Si-hoo, with baby-permed hair and a headband, let out a pure-sounding exclamation, while the sweat-drenched Kang-min and Do-kyung nodded vigorously in agreement.
“It feels completely different from what we felt on set??”
“With CG added, it looks like a movie.”
“Right?? It doesn’t even feel like us.”
“In ‘GreenBee’, we were just looking at the ceiling, but now it looks like we’re gazing at a planet-”
“‘Flying Bell’ seriously feels so refreshing, it gives you tingles.”
Kang Rojun was no different. He was overflowing with fascination.
‘For sure, dramas and music videos give off totally different vibes.’
It was a similar feeling to when he first watched episode one of ‘Rental Lover’, but this was making his heart flutter a bit more. Maybe because it’s his main field?
‘And I can see the fans’ reactions instantly too.’
With his eyes still on the tablet, Kang Rojun murmured inwardly, then spoke up.
“Si-hoo hyung’s face came out great in ‘FlyingBell’, Kang-min in ‘GreenBee’, and Do-kyung’s charm explodes in ‘Windveil’.”
With an indifferent expression, Do-kyung looked at Rojun.
“Liar.”
Si-hoo joined in.
“Liar.”
As Rojun playfully looked at his members, he smiled with his eyes.
“Let’s work even harder on our faces.”
The members of ‘Vanguard’ continued watching the music video teasers more intently. Compared to ‘GreenBee’, ‘Windveil’ featured street-style outfits and included a lot more choreography, while ‘FlyingBell’ had the members dressed in school uniforms, overflowing with freshness. However, the members of ‘Vanguard’ couldn’t spend all their time just watching the MV teasers.
Today was March 15.
“Let’s start practice again!!”
Because there were less than three weeks left until their debut show-con.
Two days later, on the 17th.
Amid a flood of articles about Vanguard’s MV teasers.
《‘Triple Title’ Vanguard, All 3 Released Music Video Teasers Surpass 5 Million Views / Photo》
《“The songs are good?” Online Communities Full of Praise for Vanguard’s Debut Tracks》
《Triple Title From Debut? Can ‘Vanguard’ Win the Idol War?》
Rojun and the members focused on practice for their upcoming debut show-con, and a piece of news arrived at GN Entertainment.
The stage construction at Gocheok Dome had been completed.
In response, GN Entertainment immediately deployed waiting staff. Before the members of ‘Vanguard’ stepped on stage, they began equipment rehearsals and final inspections. From lunchtime that day, Gocheok Dome’s stage was filled with.
-♬♪
Continuous testing of sound, lighting, cameras, and more, with Vanguard’s songs playing repeatedly. Amid the chaos of ‘Vanguard’ and GN Entertainment preparing for the show-con, another video was uploaded to the official ‘Vanguard’ YouTube channel.
-Vanguard TALK EP.5｜Vanguard
It was a regularly uploaded video series, content that shared the members’ daily lives with fans. This time, it featured scenes from the ‘Vanguard’ dorm, practice room, and MV filming set. Since the music video teasers had just been released, fans quickly flocked to the video.
-Oooh… the MV set… that’s rare…
-Do-kyung lowkey plays a lot of pranks on the hyungsㅋㅋㅋso cute
-Please release the songs quickly..!! I’m getting dizzy!!
While a variety of reactions poured in, some fans caught something in the video.
-At 3:14 in the practice room scene, isn’t that a script in front of Rojun?
-Huh, I think you’re right
And so, gradually.
-I watched it on repeat, it’s definitely a script!
-Did Rojun already decide on his next project??
-If you pause at 3:15, you can faintly see the titleㅋㅋㅋㅋSomething about blood
-Oh! I’m also paused at 3:15! I think it says Director Yoo Ji-heon?
-If it’s Director Yoo Ji-heon, isn’t he famous??
-Yeah yeah, he’s top-tier
-No way!! Did Rojun get cast in a movie by Director Yoo Ji-heon??
The fans’ investigative radar narrowed in, and their excitement exploded.
At the same time, inside Netflix Korea.
In a glass-walled meeting room within Netflix Korea, a familiar man could be seen. A bear-sized man, none other than Heo Ki-tae, co-CEO of Culture Drawer, who had played a key role in Rojun’s contract for ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’.
He was seated with several staff from Culture Drawer, and across from him sat a smart-looking woman.
She was the Executive Director of Netflix Korea, Lim Hyun-jin, who also had connections to ‘Produce That 100!’
It seemed the meeting with Executive Director Lim had just begun, as she and CEO Heo lightened the mood with some small talk.
“Is Writer Han Seo-ryeong doing well?”
“Haha, of course. She’s working on a new project these days, so I hardly get to see her.”
“I’ve been really looking forward to her new work. Things must be hectic at Culture Drawer lately, right? With ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’, you’ve got to keep an eye on the Japanese market too.”
“Well, yes, but nothing we can’t handle.”
“I’ve heard so many compliments about Writer Rojun from the Japanese side, you know? Executive Director Tom Cavill is apparently a huge fan of Rojun.”
As the casual conversation continued, the large-bodied Heo Ki-tae leaned forward. He maintained a businesslike smile.
“So then, Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin, may I ask why you requested this meeting with me?”
At that question, Executive Director Lim’s expression turned serious.
“It hasn’t been announced to the public yet, but in fact, we at Netflix Korea are preparing a new project.”
“A project.”
“Yes. A big one. As an original series, it’s not just aimed at Korea, we’re targeting a global audience. Of course, it’s already been discussed with Netflix headquarters.”
“……Oh.”
“So we’re in the early stages of sourcing potential works, and of course, we had to meet with Culture Drawer, the No.1 writers’ agency in the country.”
“What kind of concept are you planning for this project?”
Executive Director Lim answered without hesitation.
“We’re thinking of a historical drama style.”