SCT-Novel Chapter 210: Summer (13)
Chapter 210: Summer (13)
The globally influential and renowned fashion magazine ‘NOIR’. The KPOP group ‘Vanguard’ was featured as part of a trend covered by ‘NOIR’. Of course, they didn’t grace a full solo spread, but seeing Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung on the screen in ‘NOIR’, Manager Kim Ki-baek thought.'Hm- they used some insanely good photos. I don’t know who picked them, but they’ve got a great eye.'
He was deeply moved.
And it was quite understandable.
‘NOIR’ is such a well-known fashion magazine that there’s hardly anyone in Korea or overseas who hasn’t heard of it. Even if Vanguard was just one among several teams featured, the fact that they were included meant that even the faraway American edition of ‘NOIR’ acknowledged Vanguard.
'If they hadn’t been satisfied, the editor over there would’ve put a stop to it. I’ve heard the editors of fashion magazines wield considerable power.'
The assumption that Vanguard was included because the editors liked them. This was more or less correct, and the employees around Kim Ki-baek began to get excited.
“Ooh! Our Vanguard made it into ‘NOIR’!!”
“The visual is fresh yet moving??!”
“They even ranked Vanguard as No. 1 among rookies!”
“That photo’s from the Japan concert, right?? Did someone from ‘NOIR’ attend the concert?”
“Is that so? It’s not one of the cuts our PR team distributed.”
“Could they have picked it up while browsing communities or SNS??”
“Wow- either way, seeing Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung splashed across ‘NOIR’ like that is just killer!”
The meeting room heated up rapidly. In the fiery atmosphere, the PR team employee added more fuel to the fire.
“The photo itself is great, but the description of Vanguard is another highlight.”
As someone had translated the entirely English content, the screen changed to show a Korean overlay on top of the English.
“It covers everything from our Vanguard’s ‘Produce That 100!’ days to their recent activities. It even adds a few of Vanguard’s achievements.”
“Whoa- debut showcase concert, music chart rankings, album sales too??”
“They even included the shortest time to a concert in Japan, what's this? It’s way more detailed than expected.”
And the PR team employee continued, hinting that this wasn’t all.
“Group profiles and member intros are fairly similar across groups, but there’s something uniquely emphasized for Vanguard.”
The fastest to respond was Manager Kim Ki-baek, who had grasped the English content earlier.
“Rojun.”
Immediately, all eyes turned to him, and with a faint smile, Manager Kim Ki-baek continued. As expected, in a slightly drained tone.
"In the individual member descriptions, they added Rojun's unique points. Roughly, it's like 'He is an idol and also a talented writer, actor, and producer.' Something like that."
“What, what the heck. Is one of the staff over there a hardcore Vanguard fan?”
Manager Kim Ki-baek shrugged as if to say that wasn’t it.
“Well- those are things that come up with just a bit of searching on Vanguard or Rojun and the members. Still, it does seem like they’re very interested in KPOP.”
Kim Ki-baek murmured as he stood up from his seat.
“Anyway, the promotional effect should be pretty decent.”
The surrounding employees cried out as if to say, what are you talking about.
“Decent? It’s not just decent, it’s huge!! We’re talking about ‘NOIR’ here!”
Everyone agreed passionately.
On the other hand, slightly tilting his head.
“Hm-”
Manager Kim Ki-baek calmly assessed the members of Vanguard featured in ‘NOIR’. It was clearly a good thing.
“That’s true, but whether it becomes a hot topic over there or not is another matter. Still, I like that Vanguard’s visuals were prominently showcased.”
It was definitely a good thing. Soon, Kim Ki-baek smiled faintly.
“In terms of looks, Vanguard is overwhelming.”
Especially Kang Rojun.
Later.
The emergency meeting concluded, and this sudden development was immediately reported to CEO Ha Seo-hwan. CEO Ha was not at the office but in a car, heading somewhere.
“The momentum is good.”
He was scrolling through the ‘NOIR’ website displayed on his tablet. More specifically, the page in ‘NOIR’ that featured Vanguard. CEO Ha Seo-hwan also knew well the power of this famous fashion magazine, and he couldn’t help but be moved by Vanguard appearing in such a place.
'It may seem like a lucky break, but this is clearly something Vanguard earned.'
He wasn’t wrong. Vanguard had worked their asses off up to this point, and the prestige of Rojun and the members had reached as far as ‘NOIR’ in the United States. So CEO Ha Seo-hwan thought:
'If we don’t use this, we’re idiots.'
He immediately picked up his phone and gave instructions to the PR team at GN Entertainment.
Later, as the day was drawing to a close, the news about ‘NOIR’ was also delivered to the members of ‘Vanguard’, who had just finished their schedule and the first recording for ‘Royal Procession’. Naturally, the briefing was handled by Kim Ki-baek.
“You all were featured in ‘NOIR’.”
As soon as Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung heard the news, their dopamine levels exploded. As always, Si-hoo was the first to start jumping around.
“Huh? What!!! R-really?!”
Kang-min and Do-kyung followed right after.
“N-NOIR?? Is it the NOIR I’m thinking of??”
“That place is insanely famous.”
Lastly, Kang Rojun blinked, wondering if he had heard correctly.
“‘NOIR’? I think I had a few issues of that at home.”
Seeing the members fully enjoying the moment, Kim Ki-baek smiled and handed over a tablet with the details, then spoke again.
“Hmm- take a look at how you look in the fashion magazine. And starting tomorrow, the PR team will push this as much as possible through media outlets.”
However, his voice barely reached the ears of the ‘Vanguard’ members.
“Ah! That’s really our photo!!”
“Manager-nim! Does this mean Americans are seeing our faces??”
“Probably?”
“This is insane.”
“Our photo looks like the biggest one??!”
“Rojun-hyung, what are you doing??”
“Let’s take a proof shot.”
“Oh Ah! Right!”
They were too busy marveling over it.
It took about an hour for Kang Rojun and the members to finally calm down, and perhaps fired up by the excitement, they didn’t head to the dorm but instead jumped straight into practice. Since they were in the middle of recording, of course it was vocal practice for ‘Royal Procession’.
On the other hand, Rojun, whose vocals were already perfected through practice and learning, thought:
“Riding this momentum, I’m going to clear a mission right now!”
Past midnight, he spent time at the gym, then checked his coins and upgraded his stats. Next was the studio. Sitting there alone around dawn, Kang Rojun grinned for no reason as he stared at his phone.
“This feels freaking amazing.”
What was displayed on his phone was the same ‘NOIR’ site he had seen earlier. Although the site was full of English, Rojun, whose English was on par with a native speaker, didn’t mind at all. As he grinned at the image of himself and ‘Vanguard’ on the site.
“To think I’m in ‘NOIR’… this is oddly cathartic.”
It was about thirty minutes later that he began the work he had planned. One hour, two hours, three hours. He continuously typed away at his laptop for hours. Because he was determined.
-Tadadak!
Today, with no composing or lyric writing, he focused solely on writing ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’.
Finally, as the morning sun was slowly rising.
-Swish.
Brushing back his black hair, Kang Rojun spoke energetically.
“Complete!”
He took his hands off the laptop.
“Episode 6. No, ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’ Season 1 is finally finished.”
From Episode 1 to Episode 6 of ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’. In other words, the entire script for Season 1 had been completed. With a moderately relieved expression, Rojun raised the corners of his mouth in a smirk and picked up his phone.
To CEO Heo Ki-tae of Culture Drawer.
“Sending, sent.”
He intended to send a message.
Then, in the morning.
Just as Manager Kim Ki-baek had said, the GN Entertainment PR team began bombarding the media with articles as soon as the day broke. More precisely, they nudged the press outlets.
《‘Hit!’ KPOP group ‘Vanguard’ featured in US fashion magazine ‘NOIR’ / Photo》
《[Star Photo] ‘Did NOIR really feature Vanguard?’ Spanning from Korea and Japan to the US, ‘Vanguard’》
《Famous overseas fashion magazine ‘NOIR’ selects ‘Most Anticipated KPOP Groups of the Year’ - Half a year since debut, ‘Vanguard’ chosen / Photo》
The photos from ‘NOIR’ that Vanguard and GN Entertainment had seen spread nationwide through the articles. This naturally stirred both ‘Vanguard’ fans and the general public, and before long, signs of rapid sharing appeared. Youtube and SNS were the main drivers. Online communities were also on fire.
Because of this, entertainment companies across the country quickly caught wind of the news.
“Team, Team Leader, did you see this??! ‘Vanguard’ got featured in ‘NOIR’!”
‘Vanguard’ instantly became a hot topic among both large and small entertainment agencies.
“Whoa- just a few months after debut, they not only had a concert in Japan but even got covered in an American fashion magazine?? And in ‘NOIR’ at that?!”
“Ugh, why are those ‘Vanguard’ guys so damn lucky!”
“Damn it... I’m insanely jealous. Why is all the good fortune landing on ‘Vanguard’??”
“There are other groups featured too, but the fact that ‘Vanguard’ is in there is just...”
Jealousy and envy were overflowing. And it was entirely understandable. ‘NOIR’ was a renowned fashion magazine, not only in Korea but also internationally, including the United States, and just being featured in it had immense promotional value. Countless entertainment agencies in Korea were practically breaking their backs to get their idols overseas. Many idols even vanish without a trace within Korea itself.
In reality, just standing at the starting point of entering the overseas market was narrower than the eye of a needle.
And now, something that could be that very trigger had happened to ‘Vanguard’, so it was only natural for others to be intensely jealous.
“...This isn’t ordinary. This isn’t something you can pull off by just walking into ‘NOIR’ with a pile of cash.”
“Exactly. ‘Vanguard’ isn’t even prepared for the U.S. market yet, and the publicity just blew up out of nowhere.”
“Only a few months after debut... and now, just as their promotions are ending, they get this windfall.”
“If this just dies down quietly, maybe it won’t be a big deal... but if it even slightly picks up traction overseas-”
“If they play it right, it’s like blowing your nose without touching it. Whether the buzz is big or small, foreign fans will come as a bonus.”
The more, the better. Even if 90% of the response was empty hype, the remaining 10% with real interest was what mattered. The key was continuing to accumulate that 10%. That’s why all these entertainment companies pour massive funds into PR and marketing. To get as much exposure to as many people as possible. And this wasn’t unique to the idol industry, it was the same in other sectors too.
Especially when targeting markets overseas, including the U.S., tens of billions of won in investment were nothing.
Whatever the case, it was only natural for GN Entertainment and ‘Vanguard’ to be beaming with joy, and the entertainment companies of other idols who had also been featured in ‘NOIR’ felt the same.
《‘KPOP groups featured in NOIR’, Proof that the Hallyu wave is closely watched even in the U.S.! / Photo》
《[Star Issue] ‘Vanguard’, collecting ‘firsts’ since debut, now makes it all the way to the U.S.》
Meanwhile, riding the momentum, Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung stayed holed up in the recording studio from morning until noon.
“Do-kyung, try one more take with the ad-lib you want at the end.”
“Got it, Rojun-hyung.”
The recording of ‘Royal Procession’, produced with the input of Kang Rojun and Si-hoo, wrapped up with:
“Okay, last one, Rojun, let’s go!”
With the leader Rojun closing it out, the session ended in the early afternoon.
“Phew... great job, everyone!”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
“Thanks for everything!!”
“Haha, you all were especially full of energy today?”
With this, the composition, lyrics, and official recording of the song ‘Royal Procession’, a collaboration for ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’, were complete. However, Rojun and the members had to move on immediately to their next schedule. A photoshoot and a YouTube shoot. Before that, Manager Kim Ki-baek delivered more updates to ‘Vanguard’.
“You saw the articles about the ‘NOIR’ thing, right? Probably, they are going to keep pushing those all week. And as for the choreography for ‘Royal Procession’, the choreography team is currently compiling all the routines they’ve received. A final version should be sent over soon.”
Meaning, they’d need to immediately start adapting to and practicing the choreography once the recording was done.
In addition to choreography, preparations were steadily being made for the music video and other shoots related to ‘Royal Procession’. Their schedule was growing nonstop, one thing after another. Normally, such a grueling schedule would have them grumbling, but not only Rojun, even Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were more fired up than ever.
Their official promotional period was nearing its end, and with unexpected events happening day after day, the constant adrenaline left no room for fatigue.
“I'm excited for the choreography. Don’t you want to see it already?”
Two days later, at Netflix Korea.
From the morning, Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin and team leaders had gathered for a meeting about ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’. At the moment, the discussion had shifted more toward ‘Vanguard’.
“After ‘NOIR’ featured ‘Vanguard’ along with other domestic idols, the response overseas hasn’t been bad, especially for ‘Vanguard’.”
The female team leader speaking turned her laptop toward Executive Director Lim Hyun-jin, who was seated beside her. What appeared on the screen were several posts accompanied by photos. The unique thing was that they were all in English.
And in the photos of those posts were the ‘Vanguard’ members. Especially, Kang Rojun’s photos stood out the most.
“‘Vanguard’ is being mentioned on Reddit, and quite a lot too.”
‘Reddit’ was the most active mega-community overseas.