It was an incredible coincidence that Yoon-jung’s original dance video overlapped with another dance video from Aligator’s Toe Dance. Both channels uploaded a dance choreography to the same song: Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa’s “Young, Wild & Free” (Feat. Bruno Mars). 

Aside from using the same song, the channels two were vastly different. Yoon-jung only had 80k subscribers, whereas Aligator’s Toe Dance had a staggering 5 million subscribers.

Moreover, Aligator’s Toe Dance was a dance academy and a highly active dance choreography team. Besides choreographing the same song and being on YouTube, you could say they had nothing in common. 

If there was one thing, though, it was that their uploads were just two days apart. This fact was enough to spark a discussion, and it started with the comments under each video. 

Under Aligator’s Toe Dance’s video, the comments started mentioning Yoon-jung, possibly spurred on by the fact that they uploaded their video two days later than her. 

– Huh? Isn’t this what Yoon-jung did? She definitely did it better lol

As this comment started receiving dozens of likes, Aligator’s Toe Dance fans were quick to retaliate.

– I looked it up but don’t know what you’re talking about lol she’s good but how is she anywhere near ALTO’s level? 

– fr tho it’s unfair for her too. She’s pretty good, so why are you bringing her up here? There’s too much of a difference in subscribers in the first place

However, Yoon-jung’s fans also fired back.

– LOL what? Who cares about subscriber count? They might have different popularity levels, but Yoon-jung’s skills are still on the same level.

– If subscriber count determined skill, then 777 Dance Studio would be 4 times better than ALTO with their 21 million subscribers right?

– Nobody’s denying that they’re good, but Yoon-jung is the real deal. Her dance to this song is more fun tbh

The debate on ALTO’s video escalated and split into two factions. The same thing was happening on Yoon-jung’s video, as well.

Given the difference in popularity, it was inevitable that Yoon-jung would be overpowered. Despite Aligator’s Toe Dance having a predominantly international audience, they still had more domestic fans than Yoon-jung.

Just when it seemed Yoon-jung would be easily overwhelmed, something happened. A fan, who genuinely believed Yoon-jung was better, created a comparison video and spread it across various communities.

The post was titled [Typical Unknown Idol (80k subscribers) VS Popular Dance Choreography Team (5M subscribers)]. It easily attracted attention. Since the song was the same, it was also easy to do a split-screen comparison.

– Wow, the person on the right is so pretty

– she’s a streamer that’s trending on Twitty

– Who’s this nobody? Obvious win for the dance team 

– Um, your profile says Penta Girls. Go away, fanboy. Why are you picking on a no name idol?

Maybe it was the provocative title or the video itself, but the comparison video was copied and shared across even more communities. Even uninvolved people were naturally curious about drama, and this situation was no different. It even reached international soccer forums.

[Breaking News: Trending unknown idol on Twitty out for the season with leg injury.]

– Because ‘leg’ ‘end,’ get it?

[Breaking News: YouTuber with 80k subscribers caught in a “bubble” controversy.]

– oh, we know about “buble” alright

(T/N: A bubble controversy refers to something that was brought up by hype and will die down soon. Right after, we get a Michael Buble reference, who is a Canadian singer that is famous amongst South Koreans.)

In other words, it meant we went viral. It didn’t matter whether Yoon-jung won or lost since just being compared to ALTO was a huge win in and of itself. It was a different story for Aligator’s Toe Dance – quite the opposite. It was a blow to their pride.

They had choreographed for many idols and were recognized internationally. They took immense pride in their dance skills. Being compared to an unknown idol with only 80k subscribers was understandably frustrating.

“We can use this,” I said.

I came to this conclusion after closely observing the posts and reactions from various communities. Yoon-jung’s online popularity was rising rapidly, but we could reap huge benefits if we played our cards right.

Plus, this was Aligator’s Toe Dance. There was something I knew about them. 

Before my regression, Yoon-jung had reached 10 million subscribers alone and collaborated with them on multiple occasions when they only had 5 million as a team.

They appeared on each other’s channels, which benefited them both. Although the present situation was quite different, maybe they could start building this type of relationship.

“It’s worth a shot.”

Hyuk wasted no time contacting them. The reason he could reach out to them directly was because he had done some business with them while at HS Entertainment.

– Manager Kang?

“Hello, Ah-young? How have you been?”

***

Aligator’s Toe Dance. I sat across from Ah-young Kim, the lead choreographer of Aligator’s Toe Dance, in the meeting room. She looked visibly upset, likely because her pride was wounded from being compared to an unknown idol.

“Ah-young, let me start by assuring you that this was not something we planned,” I spoke calmly.

“…It is true we posted our video two days later.”

“Are you implying something?”

“No, it’s just…”

I nodded in understanding.

“It’s an understandably suspicious situation. But even if we had planned this, I would still be here because this situation is beneficial for ALTO too.”

“What? What are you…”

“Out of Aligator’s Toe Dance’s 5 million subscribers, a very small percentage are Korean. You don’t have much national recognition. But now, thanks to this situation, a lot more people know about you, right?”

There was no reason to refute, and she frowned.

“Still, it wouldn’t feel great to have your skills compared to some unknown idol.”

“So you know. Manager Kang… no, President Kang. It’s not that I’m belittling your idol, but we are a dance choreography team with a reputation to uphold.”

“I’m aware of that. However, I’d like for you to think about this in more simple terms.”

“…?”

“Having a reputation is about being popular. We’ve gained popularity by chance, and it’s something that we can grow. We could even surpass 777 Dance Studio.”

Ah-young’s eyes widened.

“What are you even saying?! How could you possibly beat them?”

“Of course, we can’t match their subscriber count. They have 21 million. No matter what we do, we can’t beat that. But most of their subscribers are international. Many Korean people don’t even know 777 exists unless they’re specifically interested in dance.”

I could see the gears turning in her head as she started to understand.

“With some effort, we can outshine them domestically,” I added cautiously.

“…!”

“Let’s shoot a video together. Make it attention-grabbing. We need to take the opportunity while we have it.”

She swallowed heavily.

“Is that… really possible?”

“Dance enthusiasts will still consider 777 the best, but for the general public… yes, it’s possible.”

“Does that even make sense…?”

“Have you forgotten who I am?”

My remark was what convinced her. He was Manager Kang from HS Entertainment. Even after my failure, my name still carried weight in this industry. Even more so with Hee-yeon’s recent success.

“I look forward to our continued collaboration between ALTO and Yoon-jung.”

If this video did well as expected, we could form a mutually beneficial relationship. So, we part ways after deciding on the song, meetup time, and schedule. 

The plan was to take turns dancing to the same song. For example, if the song was ‘Young, Wild & Free,’ Ah-young would dance anywhere from a minute twenty seconds to two minutes and fifty seconds, Yoon-jung would also dance for the same amount of time right after.

A direct competition. It was an idea I proposed. Shortly after, I informed Yoon-jung about the collaboration with Ah-young Kim.

Initially, Yoon-jung looked excited because she was feeling uncomfortable with the controversy. However, her cheerful expression turned pale as I continued.

“W-w-what?! I-I’m competing against Ah-young Kim? Not just collaborating, but competing…?”

“Don’t worry too much. Just show them what you got.”

“…Urgh!” Yoon-jung’s eyes darted around, and her hands trembled. She was panicking.

“How can I… how can I… I’m not even…”

There were already many videos where dancers collaborated on the same song. Most of them had the same choreography.

But we had a ‘story’ that created hype. People would naturally see us in a competitive light. In this situation, ‘same section, different dance’ was like setting the stage for a showdown.

Who’s choreography was better? Who danced better?

“Yoon-jung, it’s okay to lose. Even if you do, we only gain from this.”

“How can you say that? You said that she knows it’s a competition. How can I be calm?! AND we’re choreographing our parts separately. How much will they be comparing us? I’m doomed… I’m going to die of embarrassment,” she groaned, looking distressed.

Despite knowing we’d benefit either way, she was still stressed about the competition. I would never understand the workings of a dancer’s mind. Or maybe I was too business-minded?

Well, she’ll get through this somehow. I subtly changed the topic.

“We chose a song called ‘Whole Lotta Love’ by Led Zeppelin. We thought it would attract more attention.”

“…Urrgh!”

Oh, no… Yoon-jung started to spiral. She clutched her head with both hands, muttering something.

“This can’t be… I’ll just embarrass myself… Not this… How can I compete against Ah-young Kim…?”

“Yoon-jung, you can do it.”

“No… I don’t think I can. Especially not with a song by Led Zeppelin! President Kang, this can’t be right. How can I choreograph a dance to that song?!”

I understood what she meant. It was a daunting task. Still, there was a good reason we chose this song. If she pulled this off, it would create even more hype. 

Even if she didn’t do it perfectly, just having a dance battle to ‘Whole Lotta Love’ would guarantee views. Since it was Yoon-jung and Ah-young Kim dancing, it was bound to draw attention. That was how you created a mutually beneficial relationship.

“Luckily, it should be okay since you have the intro from the start to a minute twenty seconds. Isn’t that a bit better? Starting at the one-twenty mark would have been hell. It’s the part with the drum solo and the electric guitar.”

Yoon-jung glared at me, as if to say I was unbelievable. Who would have thought I would be on the receiving end of that look from Yoon-jung? I missed the nice Yoon-jung.

—

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