The Entertainment/Music Channel Director and the PD for TBN’s public music broadcast program ‘Music Counter’ sat next to each other. The other music broadcast program PDs were also present.
KK’s guerilla concert, which was happening through their recent collaboration with meApp, had achieved outstanding results, so the people in charge of the broadcast stations’ music programs were in a state of extreme tension.
The comeback of KK, a group that was the top idol nationally already but now had even won the Billboard Rookie of the Year Award, was this year’s hottest topic in the music world.
As such, when KK chose not to do music broadcasts at all during their comeback, people in charge of music broadcast programs couldn’t help but feel addled.
Of course, the reason behind their decision was that the people in charge of music broadcast programs had colluded with large agencies and had favored them for a long time, but people typically cannot see their own faults and only blame others.
They were saying amongst themselves, “They think it’s their world now that they’ve gone to the Billboard Awards. Let’s see how well they do without going on broadcasts.”
However, this truly was KK’s world.
Even though KK didn’t have any broadcast scores because they didn’t go on broadcasts, KK still placed first place on music broadcast programs the week they had their comeback.
They couldn’t not give them 1st place because they were so unrivaled.
There were several times during broadcasts that they had to show the music broadcast MC on screen instead of KK when congratulating KK.
Furthermore, the success the first performance had was something that couldn’t be ignored.
There were some stubborn broadcast stations that said that if they didn’t hurry and come on the program, they wouldn’t give them the 1st place spot and were prepared to give first place to another singer next week.
It was the twisted pride of a broadcast station that had only been on top until now. Of course, those broadcast stations were the ones that had closer ties with large agencies.
However, most broadcast stations reprimanded the people in charge of the music broadcast programs.
Despite the fact that the close relationship also involved the broadcast station higher-ups, only working-level officials were suffering.
Even the PD of ‘Music Counter’, which had a drop in ratings, had come expecting to get reprimanded so the seat felt like a bed of thorns.
“How much time is left until the broadcast?”
The TBN President asked the secretary.
“There’s 10 minutes left,”
The secretary responded. The President nodded his head.
The TBN President planned on observing KK’s second performance, which would be broadcast live on the meApp, together with the people gathered there.
“We really have to reflect greatly on the fact that even though we are advocating a channel that specializes in music, we have not been able to do a project that even the portal site, Friends, has accomplished.”
The ‘Music Counter’ PD blinked at the President’s comment. The Entertainment/Music Channel Director also let out a small sigh.
“How many times have I brought up doing new content? That’s it, that. That there is the new content. It’s not just new. Look at how profitable it is.”
The TBN President briefly measured his words.
Honestly, TBN was a broadcast station that had their own positive relationship with KK and HIT Entertainment. Of course, until now, they had been wary around large agencies like Ara Entertainment, just as other broadcast stations were. It was even more so for them because they were a cable broadcast station.
However, once they received an investment from Tae Hwa, who had also invested in HIT Entertainment, and KK kept growing, TBN put in effort to improve their relationship with HIT Entertainment.
The current situation that happened in the midst of that.
From TBN’s perspective, they couldn’t help but feel a bit wronged that they were being lumped together with other broadcast stations that had kept their relationships with large agencies.
However, regardless of all that, TBN and HIT Entertainment were still actively talking about Park Tae Hyung appearing in < Dancing Dancing > so there was still room for negotiation.
Rather, the TBN President thought he should see this situation as an opportunity.
This was an opportunity to get back at the large agencies, who saw them as inferior to satellite music broadcasts because they were a cable broadcast station.
“What’s done is done. I won’t say much about it. As we watch the live broadcast together today, let’s also think about what direction our music broadcast programs like Music Counter should take from here on out.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Entertainment/Music Channel Director responded. The President faced the Director and said,
“Let’s see people’s response to today’s concert, then reach out again to HIT Entertainment.”
“Yes, sir. Various things are currently under discussion.”
“That’s right. ”
The live broadcast of KK’s Saryando concert soon started.
There was such a huge crowd and a situation beyond their wildest imagination that it was hard to believe it was happening in Tongyoung Saryando. It was fresh, and in some ways even heartwarming.
The reaction to today’s concert was undoubtedly going to be excellent.
There was a lot of tension in the audiovisual room that they were watching the live broadcast in.
***
Like the stars we see in the night sky
We are all connected―
connected― connected― We are all―
The wind was blowing so hard that their hair was covering their face and they couldn’t see in front of them, but the KK members gave their heart and soul to put on the performance.
The vibe among the audience enjoying the performance showed no sign of cooling down either.
“OMG! Ugh, am I dreaming right now? Pinch me.”
“Huh? Pinch you?”
“Oww! You’re supposed to just pinch lightly!”
“Hey, Hey, it’s Do Wook. Do Wook is in the center!”
Compared to the elderly people who were clapping next to them, 18 years old is a very short life, but despite that, the young women of Tongyoung knew that this moment, right now, was a memory they’d remember their whole lives.
“Kyaaaaa―!”
Unaware that her cheek was red and swollen from getting pinched, the student who was Do Wook’s fan cheered towards Do Wook who came on stage.
After Do Wook’s part ended, the bridge started.
Pop―!
The wind, which looked like it might be calming down, started blowing again and caused an issue with the sound equipment. The sound, that had been pounding on their eardrums, completely disappeared.
“Huh?”
“Oh!”
The audience who had been cheering, as well as the members who had gotten in formation and were doing the next part of the choreography, couldn’t help but feel flustered.
Silence instantly came over Saryando, which had been high-spirited.
Even the people who were watching the live broadcast were flustered by the music suddenly getting cut, and realized that there had been a broadcast accident.
The problem wasn’t with the relay so the problem was with the stage itself. The staff was in a state of chaos. The song continued to play on the connected computer, but the sound was not coming out so the sound manager rushed to the speaker to determine the cause.
The sound manager, who was about to instruct the staff through the walkie-talkie to briefly stop playing the music while they checked the speaker, looked onto the stage and couldn’t help but feel even more shocked.
Since the music stopped, they couldn’t dance anymore. He thought that the members would be standing around, dazed, waiting for the music to start again.
The members were performing the next choreography accurately to their own beat when there was no accompaniment and only the sound of the wind to be heard.
There was no sound coming from the microphone either and it was the bridge, so it wasn’t possible to just sing it.
Still, with Do Wook, who was standing in the exact center, as the anchor, the six of them moved in sync.
All you’d have to do is overlay the music on top.
Among those looking at the screen, some checked their phones and computer speakers several times to see if there was something wrong with it.
Even the audience, who had been surprised by the sudden loss of sound, were already cheering along to KK’s movements.
The sound manager, who had identified the problem, quickly replaced the speaker’s terminal.
‘Connection’ had been continuously playing on the computer so the song started to play as soon as the terminal was replaced.
It was the part where the bridge ends and Suk Ji Hoon’s part starts again.
“When you feel like you’re alone, turn around!”
Suk Ji Hoon enthusiastically continued the song live.
They had done the choreography without the accompaniment, but the members’ beat was precise. It seemed like they would be able to do a perfect performance even with their ears plugged and eyes closed.
“Kyaaaa―”
“Wow!”
“Incredible…”
“Those youngsters are very shrewd!”
Every single person watching the performance, and even the people in charge of the concert, couldn’t help but drop their jaws at their skills.
The only person who wasn’t surprised was Manager Oh Baek Ho, who was standing at the far back of the auditorium and watching them.
Busy, no time…those words just sounded like excuses to the KK members.
They had prepared this album over a short time in between activities in America, but the members used every spare moment to rehearse it.
Their rehearsal load hadn’t lessened compared to when they had debuted. If anything, it got heavier. On top of that, they were more experienced now so of course their synergy was explosive.
They were able to perform perfectly no matter what the circumstance because of the sweat they had shed.
After doing two songs in a row, KK came down from the stage and changed outfits. During that time, the guest MG went up and captivated the audience with flashy remarks.
Typically, the members were divided into 2 teams of 3 and one team was going to give remarks while the other team changed, but there was a guest MC for today’s concert.
It was none other than the nation’s MC Kang Chun Ho. He arrived right before the concert started and was preparing for this moment.
It was Suk Ji Hoon who had suggested inviting him. The age group for the Tongyoung concert was easy to predict. Therefore, as a surprise gift for the middle-aged people watching, they invited the nation’s MC Kang Chung Ho.
Kang Chun Ho had a deep connection with Suk Ji Hoon through ‘Camping 48 Hours’. The MC’s part was less than 5 minutes, but Kang Chun Ho came all the way down to Tongyoung for Suk Ji Hoon and KK, who had become a world-renowned group.
Of course, part of it was that ‘Camping 48 Hours’ was filming nearby this week.
“Woooowwww!”
Cheers poured out for Kang Chun Ho that was different from the cheers when KK came on stage.
“Wow. That cheering is no joke. Seems like he’s more popular than we are.”
Jung Yoon Ki said as he took off the clothes he was wearing. Ahn Hyung Seo chimed in in agreement that it was probably true.
At that moment, the stage manager approached the members and said,
“The accident…I apologize. We did maintenance so it shouldn’t happen again.”
When the person in charge said that, Do Wook shook his head and said,
“No. It was very windy…it was resolved quickly.”
Jung Yoon Ki and Ahn Hyung Seo also nodded their heads to what Do Wook said. Then, Jung Yoon Ki said as he patted Do Wook’s shoulder,
“It didn’t even feel like there was an accident because Do Wook was in the front and got the beat precisely, man.”
After a short conversation, the KK members quickly changed out of their clothes, a proud smile on their faces.
***
Like that, the unconventional concert at Tongyoung Saryando ended.
The concert gave them the new title ‘Even the wind can’t stop KK’. The edited video attracted a lot of attention on Mytube and was plastered all throughout the entertainment scene, not only in national media but now also in foreign media.
Afterwards, KK’s concerts continued on in Daegu, Busan, Mokpo, Jeonju, Cheongju, Kangwondo, and even Jaejudo. It was the definition of extensive.
‘Concert Map of KK the Great*’ was even circulating online as a funny clip. The places where KK performed became tourist destinations as the tourism agency intended.
(TL Note: This was a bit tricky to translate. It was a pun combining Gwanggaeto the Great, who was a king in ancient Korea, and KK).
As the concerts continued, they set new records. At the time of the last performance at Jeonju, the number of simultaneous log-ins rose to 2 million, perhaps fitting well with the time difference abroad because it was the weekend.
Not to mention the concert itself.
They were the talk of the town day in and day out.
They were plastered over the portal site’s home page and trending searches every three days, and in the entertainment world, they were saying that there wasn’t a single day that you could avoid them.
Even if someone tried to take the spotlight, they immediately got buried by KK.
However, KK’s guerilla concerts were coming to an end too.
Specially for the last concert, the announcement was made a week before. As such, it was not a first-come, first-served basis, but a designated seating system, and reservations were also possible.
Since it was the last concert, they wanted to accommodate as many people as possible.
At the same time, they made all the preparations to allow more people to watch the performance.
The scale was getting bigger and bigger.
Fan Marketing Team Leader Lee Dae Hyung had come back from a brief business trip to America. It was regarding a contract with the global music channel ‘V TV’.
—
Next chapter: It’s KK’s final guerilla concert