There wasn’t much left of the future that Do Wook knew. Therefore, the new challenge felt even more meaningful.
‘No, there may be almost nothing left in this field now…too many things have changed.’
They had changed because of KK and Do Wook.
“10 years from now…how far…will we have gone?”
Tae Hyung, who was sitting next to Do Wook, muttered quietly.
“Hmmmm…”
Even Do Wook didn’t know. However, he didn’t want to set any limits on the possibilities. The moment he placed limitations, he’d be trapped in it. It might seem a little reckless, but he wanted to keep soaring together.
“The title of the next song…I think I thought of one.”
When Do Wook said that, Park Tae Hyung’s eyes were filled with curiosity.
‘To the sky’.
It was the title of KK’s 4th full-length album.
***
The day of the ‘Heroes 2’ Korean release.
Articles about KK and Do Wook poured out all day long. Not only did it dominate the trending search list, but many people were talking about KK even on the subway or bus.
Pre-orders for ‘Heroes 2’ reached 95%. All the auditoriums in every movie theater were showing ‘Heroes 2,’ to the point where people began to question whether the theaters were overdoing it.
While the involvement of major distributors played a role, it was not solely due to them.
That many fans wanted ‘Heroes 2’.
The series ‘Heroes’ was already very popular as it was.
The appearance of the first Asian, or rather Korean, hero was enough to draw all South Korean audiences to the screen.
However, it wasn’t just the hero, it also had a scene of the KK members performing.
Considering that even a Korean actor appearing simply as an extra in a Hollywood film became a promotional asset, this level of enthusiasm was hardly surprising.
Moreover, the heroes of ‘Heroes’, who were drawing criticism for not visiting Korea despite having many fans among Asian countries just before its release, even came to visit.
Even Herbert, who played the central figure among the heroes Billion Man, visited. Incheon Airport became paralyzed by Herbert’s visit.
While staying in Korea, Herbert mentioned Do Wook in all 10 of his interviews and praised him.
Media outlets around the world were transcribing Herbert’s interview and naming Do Wook as the actor to watch in ‘Heroes 2.’
KK fans worldwide were also thrilled.
It was also the day that the music video and sound file for KK’s 4th full-length album, ‘To the Sky,’ was released.
It was crazy. The release time for the music video and sound file was 6 p.m..
KK’s comeback show, jointly broadcast by V TV and TBN to be aired live worldwide, was also at 6 p.m.
The morning was about Do Wook and KK in ‘Heroes 2,’ and the afternoon was about ‘To the Sky.’
It was truly KK’s, and Do Wook’s, day.
[THIS IS REAL MAN]
Billboards around the world, including New York’s Times Square, displayed ads placed by Do Wook’s fans celebrating his Hollywood debut and KK’s comeback.
“Do Wook, congratulations on your movie release!”
“Congratulations!”
“The reactions are crazy right now! Everyone who has seen the movie is praising you, it’s no joke.”
“Of course! Each scene is killing it~!”
The members, who had gathered together, were each checking the reactions to ‘Heroes 2’ on their cellphones and congratulating Do Wook.
The members had already seen the movie through an advanced screening.
“They’re saying it looks real. When they see Do Wook now, they feel like he’s hiding his Real Man powers…now it seems like he definitely has secret psychic powers or something…”
Park Tae Hyung nodded his head in strong agreement to what Suk Ji Hoon said.
‘A secret…’
Everyone laughed, saying that it could be true, but Do Wook, who was actually keeping a secret, remained silent and became lost in thought for a moment.
The release and comeback were scheduled on the same day for synergy, but honestly it was a huge burden on Do Wook.
Just thinking about gauging the audience’s reactions after the release was nerve-wracking, but there was KK’s comeback on top of that.
They knew how nervous Do Wook was, so the members shared the public’s hot reactions over ‘Heroes 2’ with him even more and helped ease his nerves.
However, the members were actually just as nervous about the upcoming comeback.
“Thank you, everyone…”
Dressed in white from his shirt to his pants and greeting people with a poised smile, Do Wook looked like an angel descended onto Earth.
The other members were, likewise, dressed in clean white. Of course, they’d all be drenched in sweat before long.
It was now 5 minutes until the ‘To the sky’ comeback show.
‘To the Sky’ was a challenge for both Do Wook as the producer and KK, as it had a dream-like vibe that was completely different from any song KK had released before.
That said, they didn’t abandon KK’s style. It had a dream-like sound but they didn’t forget to have a powerful rhythm, which is why there was group choreography on the level of ‘Connection’ and ‘Continue’.
Furthermore, the theme of the lyrics continued the theme from ‘Connection’.
While ‘Connection’ moved fans by telling them that they were connected and that they could call them anytime, anywhere, ‘To the Sky’ was about holding hands and soaring toward the same destination.
KK’s fans planned to climb one step at a time with KK through their songs and reach that summit together.
“Man, let’s all take a deep breath.”
At Leader Jung Yoon Ki’s words, the members all gathered and took a deep breath.
Even though it was already their nth comeback, Ahn Hyung Seo had even taken a pill to calm down.
“Sh…Shall we go then…?”
At Park Tae Hyung’s words, everyone gathered and raised their hands.
“Let’s go!”
Do Wook yelled.
The sound of them saying the KK cheer they say before going on stage rang throughout the waiting room as one voice.
Outside the waiting room, the 100,000 fans who had gathered were waiting for KK.
Do Wook and the KK members, dressed in white, ran toward the stage.
As they approached the entrance that led to the stage, the cheering they had heard from far away got louder and echoed in their ears.
Do Wook felt his heart beating faster.
It was the moment KK made history yet again. Also, it was a history that would continue on.
***
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.
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The year 20**. Grammy Awards.
Just a moment ago, Do Wook won the Producer Award.
It was his second Grammy.
His first Grammy was for KK’s 6th full-length album that was released in America.
After receiving the award, Do Wook came down the stairs to a thunderous round of applause from the crowd. The person who presented Do Wook with a bouquet was singer Kim Ji Yeon, who had come here with him.
There was a great deal of controversy and fierce competition starting from the selection of candidates to the evaluation process. However, in the end, the producer of the year was Do Wook, who had produced Kim Ji Yeon’s album ‘SAINT.’
Kim Ji Yeon did not debut in America nor was she a singer based in America. You could tell from the fact that her stage name was ‘Kim Ji Yeon,’ which was just her Korean name.
There was a lot of controversy because of that.
KK winning a Grammy was also a huge wave. Although KK’s sixth album was officially released in America, the Grammys are a conservative awards ceremony. Although they were world-class singers, there was controversy at the time over whether to give the Grammy Award to KK, who was not classified as an ‘American singer.’
However, it was KK. KK was a group that the whole world loved.
The huge wind called KK, it was hard for even the Grammys to reject.
And so, the first Grammy winner of Korean descent was born.
If them receiving the award was considered to shatter the implicit standard of awarding it to an ‘American singer’, then this time the Grammy’s strict standard of ‘album officially released in ‘America’ was shattered.
It was an album released and distributed in Korea, not in America.
Nevertheless, the album ‘SAINT’ was topping the charts not only in other countries but across all of America. For more than three months, it had been echoing around the world with no signs of stopping.
Even the Grammys couldn’t not break their own conservatism.
It was a miraculous song, featuring Kim Ji Yeon’s husky yet smooth and unique voice, combined with the colorful and easy-to-listen melody crafted by Do Wook.
What was even more surprising was that Kim Ji Yeon was a rookie whom Do Wook had recently personally discovered on MyTube and was only twenty years old.
This was made possible by Do Wook’s influence, who was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people, and the promotional power of HIT Entertainment, which had now become a major entertainment company.
“Co…Congratulations, Mr. PD!”
Do Wook smiled at Kim Ji Yeon’s congratulatory remark. He wasn’t at an advanced age but, considering that he was someone who was forging a new path and making history, his smile felt modest.
Rather, Kim Ji Yeon’s fingertips trembled as she handed over the bouquet.
It felt like a distant dream that, just a year ago, she was struggling to make ends meet and barely able to upload songs to MyTube. Do Wook had given her a dreamlike reality.
Instead, Do Wook patted Kim Ji Yeon, who was trembling, on the shoulder.
Just as he used to be, Kim Ji Yeon would become the dream and hope of many young people.
Then, the next day.
KK had gathered together for the first time in a while. They had already messaged and called Do Wook last night to congratulate him on his second Grammy award, this time the Producer Award.
“Do Wook, you look dazzling as usual.”
“Ah, I feel like Do Wook gets even more handsome as he ages!”
Do Wook quietly smiled at what Park Tae Hyung and Ahn Hyung Seo said.
As time passed, the members changed little by little, yet didn’t change in some ways.
The biggest change was that Park Tae Hyung, who had always been introverted, had now become active enough to run his own business in addition to his activities with KK.
Park Tae Hyung’s shy personality, which even his broadcasting activities couldn’t change, was transformed as he opened a dance academy and taught students.
It was his passion for teaching good dance that changed Park Tae Hyung.
“Now I’ve even been to this kind of place of all places…”
Said Suk Ji Hoon, who was still polite but had started speaking informally with the members and treating them like friends.
The members had come to NASA headquarters in America.
America’s NASA planned to launch the NOMAD 2 spacecraft into the solar system next year.
The first Nomad they had sent ten years ago had a golden disc containing greetings in languages from around the world and classical music. The meaning behind it was to send Earth’s culture into a universe where no one knew what kind of creatures might be living.
And this time, Nomad 2 was also set to carry a specially made Golden Disc designed to fit on a spaceship.
And one of the 10 songs on the Golden Disc was none other than ‘KK’s ‘To the Sky.’
It was selected as a representative song representing the 21st century of the Earth.
Once they entered the main building, an employee from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration came out to guide the KK members.
As part of the promotion, members were given an opportunity to come in person and see what spaceship they would put KK’s song in.
“I didn’t think we’d end up seeing a spaceship.”
“Me, I didn’t know. At all…”
Do Wook replied to Jung Yoon Ki.
The members followed the staff’s guidance and walked out of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration lobby.
The sound of the members’ footsteps echoed through the quiet lobby.
The footsteps of Do Wook, who was living in a future he had no way of knowing, just like everyone else, were serious and resolute.
Only the epilogue left!!!
Next chapter: Epilogue to wrap up our story