SCT-Novel Chapter 209: Summer (12)
Chapter 209: Summer (12)
The news of the first broadcast of 'A Tranquil Day', fitting of a legendary and popular healing variety show, spread with much fanfare.《'A Tranquil Day' to Premiere on Friday, July 30 – What Kind of Chemistry Will Jang Seo-young, Seo Da-in, and Choi Rina Show?》
《[Star Talk] Legendary Healing Variety Show 'A Tranquil Day' Finally Begins! / Photo》
Though the initial announcement came from broadcasting station CVN, several other media outlets quickly followed suit. At the same time, the names of Rojun and Do-kyung of ‘Vanguard’, who had become a hot topic as guests, were appearing frequently.
《'A Tranquil Day' Premieres Friday, July 30 – Did They Care About Ratings? Rojun and Do-kyung Placed in Episode 1》
《Top Actresses Meet Top Idols! ‘Vanguard’ Fans Say “We Want to See Rojun and Do-kyung Soon!”》
《[Issue Check] “How Could You Not Watch When Rojun and Do-kyung Are On?”, Heightened Anticipation for 'A Tranquil Day' Just Before Its Premiere↑》
With the premiere date of 'A Tranquil Day' set for Friday, July 30, articles were pouring out, and about 30 minutes later, the 'A Tranquil Day' team uploaded the first teaser trailer on their official YouTube channel as if they had been waiting.
-[A Tranquil Day] Jang Seo-young, Seo Da-in, and Choi Rina Gathered! True Healing Moments!! Teaser Trailer (feat. Rojun, Do-kyung)｜CVN
The first teaser for 'A Tranquil Day' ran for just under a minute, and as a proven popular program, the view count of the teaser video climbed rapidly. Of course, with Rojun and Do-kyung’s names featured prominently in the title, it was a given.
The teaser began with scenes of Jang Seo-young, Seo Da-in, and Choi Rina entering a countryside house while overlooking a vast potato field.
Their conversation played over the footage as they dragged their suitcases.
[“It's so hot. It’s still only May, but doesn’t it feel like summer? Anyway, is this the place?? The vibe is nice.”]
[“That field must be the potato field the staff mentioned.”]
[“But doesn’t it feel kind of exciting? Feels like we’ve really come to the countryside!”]
Cuts showed the actresses exploring the house and gawking at the potato field.
[“Ugh- what if we spend the whole shoot just harvesting potatoes?”]
Scenes followed showing them preparing to light a fire and setting up for a proper meal. Naturally, casual conversations among the actresses were included.
[“Rina, weren’t you born in Seoul?”]
[“Nope? I used to catch frogs in the rice paddies.”]
Though they were top actresses in their main profession, their dialogue and the sight of them sweating while digging for potatoes felt entirely down-to-earth. Around the 40-second mark, the scene transitioned, and captions appeared.
-[Guests Who Will Boost Their Energy]
Rojun and Do-kyung were shown entering the filming site. The shot was captured from above by a drone. After greeting the actresses, Rojun and Do-kyung shared light conversation and laughed brightly with them. Then Do-kyung was shown carrying a log instead of firewood, and Rojun was pictured picking up a knife to cook.
The teaser ended with a group shot of the entire cast and announced the premiere date.
-[First Broadcast: 7/30 (Fri) at 8:40 PM!]
Viewers who saw the teaser quickly started commenting. With Rojun and Do-kyung bringing firepower, the number of comments skyrocketed.
-ㅠㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠㅠThank you, PD-nimㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Why did Do-kyung bring a logㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋSo cute
-Wow... even though Rojun appeared just briefly, his superhandsomeness pierced right through the screen...
-The 30thㅜㅜㅜStill more than 2 weeks to go
-I’m definitely watching the live broadcast!!!!
-I already liked A Tranquil Day, but now that Rojun and Do-kyung are on, I’m going to love it even more
-Rojun and Do-kyung’s smiling faces are just too beautiful♥
-Huhㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ So many Vanguard fans here
-Can’t wait for the 30th to come! Rojun and Do-kyung are so cute and lovable...
-The teaser alone is healingㅋㅋㅋㅋWait, did I just see Rojun’s face?
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.
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'A Tranquil Day', amplified by ‘Vanguard’ fans, received explosive reactions in no time. Thanks to that, the first teaser for 'A Tranquil Day' easily surpassed 100,000 views in just a few tens of minutes. Watching the rapidly intensifying situation, the 'A Tranquil Day' team set off celebratory fireworks.
“The teaser passed 100,000 views!”
“Okay!! As expected, including Rojun and Do-kyung from the first teaser really was the right call!”
“The comments are going crazy right now!”
“We’ve never had views or comments go up this fast before, right?? Wow... ‘Vanguard’ really has amazing firepower.”
At this time, ‘Vanguard’, who were doing the official recording of 'Royal Procession' at GN Entertainment, were also reacting.
“Oh! Rojun hyung, the 'A Tranquil Day' teaser is out.”
During a short break, they noticed that the teaser had been uploaded. Setting aside the focused atmosphere for a moment, Rojun and the members gathered in small groups on the studio sofa to watch the video. Caught up in the mood, even the producing team and other GN staff picked up their phones.
Si-hoo and Kang-min were quite excited.
“Wow, you filmed at a house like that?”
“Whoa- that potato field is seriously wide!”
Although they had already heard some stories about the 'A Tranquil Day' shoot from Rojun and Do-kyung, seeing it on video gave it a completely different feel. Si-hoo and Kang-min, as well as Rojun and Si-hoo, chatted endlessly as they watched the teaser.
“What- Rojun really went all in with cooking! You only made ramyeon for us at the dorm!"
“You enjoyed it, and now you’re talking crap, hyung.”
“But Do-kyung, did you really split firewood with a log?”
“No. It was just for exercise.”
“They told me to bring the stacked firewood, but I got confused and brought a log.”
“Ah, Rojun hyung.”
“Anyway, the teaser seems to have come out really fun and well-made?”
With the staff joining in, the recording studio became noisy. Naturally, the topic soon shifted from the teaser to the flood of comments that were still pouring in.
“This is crazy, it hasn’t even been an hour since the teaser dropped, and look at the number of comments!”
“There are a lot of mentions about Rojun hyung’s cooking.”
“Probably because it’s the first time fans are seeing that side of him?”
Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung momentarily forgot about recording and enjoyed the fan reactions. A few minutes later, ‘Vanguard’ took a proof shot of themselves watching the teaser and posted it on SNS. It was to help promote 'A Tranquil Day'. It took about thirty minutes for the members of ‘Vanguard’ to calm down, and once recording resumed, the main producer asked Kang Rojun casually.
“Rojun, are you good at cooking too?”
Rojun smiled faintly and shrugged his shoulders.
“Just enough to get by.”
Do-kyung, who was entering the booth, chimed in.
“He talks like that, but Rojun hyung is a total pro in the kitchen.”
The main producer, watching Rojun’s insanely handsome visuals, let out a small laugh.
“Cooking too... you’re really going to steal women’s hearts completely, huh?”
The next morning, the 14th, in Japan.
Inside an editing room. A few staff members were visible, and among them was a familiar face. It was PD Noguchi Ken. Naturally, this was where 'Like a Kaleidoscope' was being edited.
Having recently wrapped filming and held a production presentation, 'Like a Kaleidoscope' was now entering full-scale editing.
-Tatak, tatadak.
The editors in front of the monitors moved their fingers nonstop under PD Noguchi Ken’s instructions. Whether from staying up for several nights or not, PD Noguchi Ken’s eyes were even more bloodshot than usual, and the already eerie vibe he gave off seemed to have intensified.
“...Hmm, switch to a different cut.”
“Yes.”
Scheduled to have ten episodes, 'Like a Kaleidoscope' had an overarching story, but each episode was structured in an omnibus format. That meant that while the male lead, Endo Takuto, led all ten episodes, the characters, specifically the Japanese actors, appearing in each episode were different.
In other words, editing wasn’t easy.
Each episode had a different flow and atmosphere, and the emotional arcs of the actors varied drastically. At the same time, they had to preserve the strange and eerie tone that was central to the entire series. While the passionate performances of Kang Rojun and Endo Takuto were at the core, the outcome of 'Like a Kaleidoscope' would greatly depend on PD Noguchi Ken’s editing skills.
Thanks to that, PD Noguchi Ken was more focused than ever.
“Hmm, for the current cut, switch to Murata Sho’s bust shot.”
The episode he was editing now was Episode 1, titled ‘The Vanished Women’. Featuring ‘Murata Sho’, the legendary host played by Rojun. Rojun, or rather ‘Murata Sho’, was being displayed on several monitors. The editors, who were seeing Kang Rojun’s visuals up close for the first time, gave out awkward chuckles.
“That face... is insane.”
“I know, right? I’d seen the articles, but seeing it in person, I’m kind of speechless.”
“Haha, real-life hosts wouldn’t even stand a chance.”
“When this launches on Netflix, the host scene trend is going to be all about Rojun for a while.”
PD Noguchi Ken, who had been listening to their conversation, strongly agreed inwardly.
‘And that overwhelming acting skill that makes him seem more like a host than an actual host… This absolutely must not be ruined.’
As he continued with the editing.
“Let’s take another look at that ending cut we finished earlier.”
"Yes? Ah, yes."
PD Noguchi Ken broke the tension in the room.
“Let’s try combining the ending cut with 'Dreamlike'.”
Soon, the editing room filled with the sound of 'Dreamlike', the main ending theme OST composed, written, and sung by Kang Rojun.
-♬♪
Episode 1’s ending cut of 'Like a Kaleidoscope' was projected. Naturally, Kang Rojun was the main focus. As he watched the ending cut with 'Dreamlike' blended into it, an OST to be layered over the full ending, PD Noguchi Ken...
“......”
Goosebumps spread across his forearms.
‘The show itself is one thing, but 'Dreamlike' is definitely going to stir up buzz too.’
Meanwhile, in Korea.
The members of ‘Vanguard’ were once again gathered in the recording studio from the morning. Following yesterday, they were continuing the official recording for 'Royal Procession'. It was then that Manager Kim Ki-baek, who had been watching Rojun and the members with a plain but pleased expression, received a call on his phone.
-Bzzz, bzzzzzz.
Noticing the incoming call, he stepped out of the recording studio and answered in the hallway. It was the PR team. After hearing something over the phone, Kim Ki-baek’s eyes widened slightly.
“Huh- really?”
He immediately began walking. His destination was a medium-sized meeting room. Inside, not only the PR team but also major teams from GN Entertainment were gathered. As soon as Kim Ki-baek arrived, he asked the PR team leader directly,
“Is it true what I heard? That ‘Vanguard’ was featured in a foreign fashion magazine?”
“Please have a seat first, Manager-nim.”
After he sat down nearby, the PR team leader nodded to one of the staff, who then stepped in front of the screen and began a full briefing.
“You’re familiar with the famous American fashion magazine 'NOIR', right?”
'NOIR' was considered one of the most iconic and influential fashion magazines in the U.S. It had maintained its prestige for decades and was published across various countries worldwide. Though primarily a fashion magazine, it had gradually incorporated trend-related content as well. Currently, it had established itself as a well-balanced publication blending fashion and trend culture.
Regardless, the staff member who brought up 'NOIR' continued.
“'NOIR' tends to keep up with trends not just in the U.S. but across several countries. They often feature hot topics here and there. They’ve covered Korean Wave-related content a few times before. We believe they’re quite interested in Korean culture, including food and entertainment.”
The PR team leader added,
“This time, they’ve taken a look at Korean K-pop.”
“Right. That team either has a strong interest in Korean idols, or one of the team members is a K-pop insider, they’ve got some incredibly detailed information. And among the idols they selected, ‘Vanguard’ was included.”
While Kim Ki-baek responded with an ‘Oh-’ type reaction, the other executive-level staff around him were murmuring with interest. One of them asked a question.
“How prominently was ‘Vanguard’ featured?”
“It’s more like they were one of several idol groups mentioned. It would’ve been great if ‘Vanguard’ had been the main feature... but this is 'NOIR', where famous overseas singers dominating Billboard are abundant.. Size doesn’t matter. What’s important is that our ‘Vanguard’ was included.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
“Anyway, please take a look.”
Soon, the PR staff operated a laptop. A beam projector lit up the white screen. Captures of the section in 'NOIR' featuring ‘Vanguard’ were projected, and not only Kim Ki-baek but the rest of the staff widened their eyes and focused intently.
The text was all in English, but Kim Ki-baek, whose English was decent, silently read the headline.
‘Hmm- K-pop Groups to Watch This Year.’
At the top were three other famous idol groups. Below them, three more were listed, and the first among those was ‘Vanguard’. Upon seeing the inserted photo of ‘Vanguard’, Kim Ki-baek muttered quietly,
“Was this from the Japan concert?”
With Kang Rojun at the forefront, the faces of Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were clearly shown.
"Somehow, the 'Vanguard' photo seems to be the biggest."