KK’s music video was uploaded to MyTube at 6 pm sharp.
At 6:10 pm, the view count for the music video was already over 5000. They were almost at 10,000 views within 30 minutes.
It was an incredible speed.
Considering that the last full album, ‘Blue Sky’ took an hour to surpass 10,000 views, it was twice as fast.
The main reason behind it was that the number of fans had increased not only in Korea but also overseas.
KK’s popularity among the international K-POP fans was already substantial. Especially in China and Japan, where their popularity was on par with domestic singers.
It was not an exaggeration to say that a KK fever was taking over in places like Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, even Indonesia, where the word ‘Hallyu’ exists.
They weren’t a big part of the pie, but KK’s name was also well-known among Western K-POP fans who are known to be stans.
K-POP fans in the West put a lot of importance on ‘performance’. Doing a synchronized choreography while singing was something Western bands and pop singers didn’t often do, so it became a point that drew in fans.
In that regard, KK demonstrated incredible skills even among K-POP singers, and was a group that could catch the eye of Western fans.
Still, you had to be a stan to like K-POP or KK in the West. What broke down that tall wall a little bit was their joint project with LIL.
People who listened to LIL’s music were introduced to KK’s music, and the wall was breaking down little by little through that.
Furthermore, KK’s music was a very ‘contemporary pop’ that would not fall behind on the trends no matter what pop song it was compared to.
Those who came across KK’s music didn’t simply lump them into the category of ‘K-POP singer’. They recognized KK as a pop singer on the same level as any other Western singer.
Additionally, those who had seen KK’s performance became fans that were no different than the Korean fans, thinking that KK’s performance was out of this world and wanting to see them perform.
As such, interest in North and South America, though still shallow, was becoming widespread.
When KK’s new music video was posted, they also started clicking. Existing fans, newly introduced fans, and interest groups gathered and were making a huge impact.
The fans’ jaws dropped over the music video that was released at the showcase venue.
“It’s so…It’s so good!”
“Huurrr! Lit! It’s so lit!”
“Aggghhh. What do I do? My heart…shiii! Wow, the cuss words just come out. It’s so good it’s making me cuss.”
“I can see why Ji Hoon said they suffered. That’s real, not CGI, right?”
“Yaasss, That time, they went to Dubai for an unannounced trip…Yeah, that’s Dubai.”
“Wow…Amazing…Dancing like that in the desert, wow…”
“Hey….I think I’m going to cry.”
“What? Why cry?”
The fans were in admiration as they watched the music video. At the same time, they also kind of were in awe. The singing and the dancing, even the cinematography. All that was in one project. It was like art.
“Just…KK is just too amazing.”
There were even fans who were crying over the product that was made out of the hard work of the KK members and the staff that helped them. It’s not like it was their sibling, child, or even lover. It was that the singer they liked looked incredibly amazing.
“Really, it’s just the best. Seriously. And that scene where they even danced on water?”
The scene that came after the scene of them dancing in the vast desert was the studio scene. Every time the members stomped their feet, the water splashed and the water droplets twinkled and shined on screen.
After that, there was Park Tae Hyung’s solo choreography as the song moved onto the bridge.
Park Tae Hyung was alone in a fitted black silk shirt and pants and did a 3-rotation spin. As soon as Park Tae Hyung finished the turn and jumped, the music stopped as if time had frozen and the screen turned black.
A brief silence lasting less than one second immediately led into a desert night sky with stars pouring down.
It felt like the stars were pouring down. Everyone watching the music video was being sucked into the screen.
The accompaniment of the music video version of ‘Continue’ played over the night sky. The vibe of the quietly flowing accompaniment changed and the original, powerful ‘Continue’ started to play. The screen also became much brighter and showed the desert under the hot sun again.
“The music video came out incredibly well.”
“I know. I’m sure they’ve made quite a bit of money through KK…I feel like they know how to spend their money properly.”
“Who’s the Director?”
“According to the information here…It’s the Director who did Howl.”
“He was originally not well known, right? It’s true, if it’s going to succeed it doesn’t matter who you hire. I think this will become a big hit too.”
“I think it’ll be a total mega hit this time.”
“Write it quickly, quickly. Blockbuster scale…Use words like that and pump out a bunch of articles.”
The reporters who had been invited to the venue worked quickly.
In their line of work, reporters would privately get asked to write a good review in an article. Honestly, it was more beneficial for them to write provocative articles on controversial issues rather than nice articles because they could get more clicks.
However, sometimes they end up writing nice articles of their own free will.
One such time is when, like in this case, a singer releases really well-produced music. Since it was so obvious, it was actually more important to quickly publish a lot of information rather than trying to spin it in a provocative way.
Using the information from the press release that HIT Entertainment made ahead of time, the reporters included additional information like the music video filming locations, music video directors, duration of filming, and what happened during filming.
They added a picture of the showcase venue to it.
When the music video screening ended, fans cheered endlessly.
The members, who had been watching the music video too, came onto the stage with overwhelmed expressions.
They had already seen the completed music video, but seeing it like this felt different. They were also nervous. The members kept looking behind them while watching the music video to check the vibe from the audience.
Seeing the ecstatic faces of the fans, the members felt ecstatic, too. They became even more determined to pay them back with a good performance.
Bursting with energy, KK started their performance. It was, of course, a performance of ‘Continue’ that they were premiering today.
Con― Con―Continue!
We’ll continue to move forward―!
We are still young, are forever young
We go on!
I’ll call you, eternally. I’ll run eternally-
Con― Con―Continue!
We’ll continue to go forward―!
“Forward!!!······We’ll run!!!”
“Forward!!!······.”
The fans, who had already memorized all the lyrics to the title song ‘Continue’ through the music file that was released at midnight, cheered KK on as they sang along.
“Wowwwww…”
“Kyaaaa!”
“Aaaaahhhhhh―!!!”
When KK’s group choreography began along with the chorus, there was screaming and cheering from all over.
In the blink of an eye, the dance team members, who were wearing black, stood behind the members. When the 20 or so dance team members came onto the stage, the stage looked full.
Since they were standing behind the members, who were wearing white clothes with red accents, they almost looked like big shadows.
The members and the dance team moved as if they had become one and stretched out their arms and legs with ease. Thud thud. It seemed like the stage was shaking.
The choreography that followed was them running in place while acting out some of them pretending to run away while the others pretended to catch them.
Each of them seemed to be doing different choreography, yet there was an order to it and you could feel the almost explosive power. The sight made your jaw drop.
It was evident to the people watching how much time and effort they had put into synchronizing the movements.
In the part of the music video where Park Tae Hyung did the spin as a solo choreography, the dance team quickly went off screen and the members stayed behind, helping Park Tae Hyung’s solo choreography stand out more.
The members lay down in a circle with their knees together and spread their bodies like petals. In the middle of it, Park Tae Young did his spins. Contrary to the powerful image from just a moment ago, there was a soft charm.
From the image of his hair flying around as he did the spins to the image of the members lying down, it was all people could see, and they thought, “It’s beautiful.”
After that, the song, which returned to the fast tempo, reached its climax.
“I’ll be always* in your heart―――――!”
(TL Note: This was written like this in English)
Ahn Hyung Seo sang the high note in a refreshing way. He had been dancing intensely just like the other members until a second ago. Yet the high note Ahn Hyung Seo sang was so stable that it was hard to believe it was a live performance. The volume and breathing were not delayed at all.
It was a very satisfying part.
“It improved again. Our Hyung Seo’s singing improved again!”
“Sniffle, I can’t even. It’s so touching.”
His voice also washed away the concerns of the fans who were worried about his throat.
“――We’ll continue going forward.”
The beginning and the end was, of course, Do Wook. The word ‘of course’ was very fitting.
Do Wook deliberately didn’t put power into it when singing the last part and sang it as if he were reciting it. Hearing it sung as if it were being spoken touched the souls of the fans, who had been listening to the song.
It had a power that seemed like it truly could continue to move forward.
Sweat dripped from Do Wook’s forehead, who had given the performance his all. The screen installed at the showcase venue did a close up of Do Wook’s face so tightly that you could see all those drops of sweat.
‘We did it.’
‘We did it!…’
(TL Note: Korean language has a lot of ambiguity. The second ‘we did it’ might actually be the fans saying KK made a very memorable/successful performance)
Listening to the cheers that pierced the burning atmosphere, Do Wook could feel his heart beating fast.
At that moment, the members including Do Wook, who were on the stage, and the fans, who had been watching the performance closely, could all feel it.
The latest album was a success. The performance of this album’s title song was a performance for the ages.
A VERY long time.
***
[KK releases blockbuster-level music video! ‘Continue’ expected to be a big hit!]
[A Movie? A music video? Release of KK’s music video shot in the desert!]
[GOAT Comeback! KK writing a new historical scene.]
.
.
[Continue?! The record continues! Achieved 1 million views on MyTube!]
[KK’s endless running! KK, getting their fill of exercise this summer!]
[KK, who always brings the heat, is going to have another dome tour at the end of this year!]
[KK appointed as an ambassador for the Dubai Tourism Authority!] [Selected as a model for UAE airline]
[KK, “We didn’t know it would be this popular either.” ‘Continue’’s popularity exceeds expectations…]
They were only doing music broadcast appearances, but KK’s popularity was soaring. Every time they did a ‘Continue’ performance, a screenshot of the performance was posted on the portal site main page.
New news emerged every day, and articles about KK poured out.
It made the KK members extremely busy.
What was especially surprising was the number of Mytube views. It seemed like just yesterday that they surpassed 1 million views, but soon it was 10 million views.
KK’s FaceNote no longer only had comments in Korean, Japanese, or Chinese. English, Vietnamese, Russian, Arabic, Spanish….people from countless nationalities and languages were KK fans.
Album sales had already reached 500,000 copies. There was even talk going around the company that at this rate, sales might go into the millions.
The response was so intense that the KK members were beside themselves. Interview requests were flooding in from all over the place, and they weren’t only coming from Korean media. Because there were so many media outlets to deal with, the Fan Marketing team was expanded.
At the third week of activities for ‘Continue’.
Do Wook, who had gotten into the van after finishing up the music broadcast, said to the members, who were almost dead asleep,
“Umm…There’s something I’d like to tell you.”
Jung Yoon Ki, who was leaning his head against the window and had his eyes closed, opened his eyes. Ahn Hyung Seo put down the cellphone he was holding, and Kim Won, who had his head down, raised his head.
“Hmm?”
“What is it?”
The members asked, curious. Do Wook looked at their faces thoroughly.
“I’m sorry, but…”
—
Next chapter: Do Wook has an idea but not everyone is in favor of it.