A singer’s activities could be narrowed down to a few things: music shows, events, variety shows, radio shows, advertisements (including photoshoots and magazines), concerts, fan signings, and fan meetings.
If we eliminated what we couldn’t do and what we shouldn’t do, we were left with one thing: events. Even though we weren’t getting paid much yet, it didn’t matter.
‘Since this is also a type of promotion.’
If we were just giving mediocre performances with mediocre songs, we would have made a choice based solely on money. However, we had an ace up our sleeve, so the chance of drawing in the regular audience and turning them into fans was high. The fancams would serve as proof of how good our live performances were.
“Events are only about singing, so you can be as nervous as you want. Even if you’re nervous, it doesn’t show when you sing anyway.”
“Okay.”
She wasn’t saying that she wasn’t nervous. Well, it was her first event as a solo artist, so it made sense that she would be nervous. It was only a matter of time before she adjusted to her situation.
“You’re not checking the internet, are you?”
“No, you told me not to.”
“Do you know what rank you are right now?”
“Seventy-fifth. I still can’t believe it. I heard they’re only saying good things.”
“…Does Jin-ah tell you everything?”
“…Yes.”
What good was avoiding the internet when she heard it all anyway?
‘Well, if it’s only good news, I guess it’s okay.’
Right now, there weren’t many troll comments or hate comments, so it was probably best to let her enjoy it as much as possible while she could.
‘Seventy-fifth place, though. That’s pretty amazing.’
Blue Sherbet’s highest ranking was 381st on the music chart. When Hee-yeon broke into the Top 100, our dorm started partying.
Yoon-jung’s viewership also increased. As she became more enthusiastic, viewers kept coming back. Breaking into the Top 100 was partly thanks to Yoon-jung’s viewers, so this positive feedback loop was gold.
“President Kang,” said Hee-yeon.
“Yes, what is it?”
“You told me to turn the audience into my fans at the event, right?”
“Yeah. That’s our goal.”
Hee-yeon nodded slowly and gazed out the window. I noted her lukewarm reaction and kept driving. When we arrived at the venue and Hee-yeon got on stage to sing, I could feel it.
“…!”
If a genius was determined, they could do anything. She genuinely believed she would turn everyone at the event into her fans.
“Wow…”
“She’s amazing.”
“Who did you say she was again?”
She sang on a makeshift stage in the middle of Sinchon. There were more people passing by than actual attendees, but once Hee-yeon stepped on stage, that changed.
People stopped walking and started to gather. In the end, the place was completely transformed from before she got on stage to after she finished singing. People crowded around the stage like clouds.
‘Yeah, events should be held in a place like this.’
A place where a young crowd can set trends. An open place that can attract more spectators.
– My name is Hee-yeon Lee. Please give lots of love to ‘Wish Upon a Moon.’
“Hee-yeon Lee?”
“Wow, she’s so pretty. Huh? There’s a lot about her when I search her up. Who’s Hae-chun Lee?”
We were gradually but rapidly increasing our fanbase.
***
On the Top 100 chart of the biggest music site in South Korea, there was a common rule. Except for the top rankings, which were almost set in stone, other song rankings easily fluctuated.
Among them, Hee-yeon’s ‘Wish Upon a Moon’ was slowly but surely climbing the ranks. Of course, as the ranking rose, so did the number of hate comments.
– who was she again?
– it’s them again? A ballad…
– it’s a ballad they say lolol, they’re hating without even listening.
– lol here they go again. Are you saying it’s good after listening? Chart manipulation keeps happening because of sheep who keep thinking that way
– tls2314 is pretending to be a fan 🙁 Please don’t believe them. Our fandom supports Hee-yeon! We love listening to it!
However, there were also a lot of supportive comments.
– Listen to the live version. It’s amazing. Every time a fancam goes up, it proves her talent.
– yep yep, she’s a live performer.
– Please please please make it to #1 :,D I love the song so much
– Oh no… The song I was keeping to myself is getting popular… It’s good but kind of bittersweet.
– My friend praised it so much on social media that I listened, and wow, she’s the real deal. Such talent.
Daily ranking 65th, 59th, 43rd, 38th…
Oue rank continued to increase, but our climb speed slowed down due to the big fandoms in the higher ranks. However, this was just when we were talking about the average daily rank. During peak commute times, when the public’s choice outweighed the fandoms, the song shone.
Its highest rank was 12th place.
Even if it was just for an hour, it was an unbelievable rank. We were ecstatic, but I stayed on high alert, bracing for what might come next.
Knowing Director Park, he would throw dirt at us when we reached our peak popularity. And that peak was probably coming soon.
[Fandom Power Golden Tree vs. Public Pick Hee-yeon Lee. Who will win?!]
[Is the current music ranking okay? Idols’ fandom overshadows public taste.]
[She was chosen by Hae-yeol. Will she fall to idol fandom?]
Dirty and petty tactics. As expected, nothing missed the mark. It might not have seemed like a big deal, but it had a big impact. This was especially true for a newcomer like Hee-yeon, who was just starting to get her name out there.
Because of these sudden articles, Blue Sherbet and Jung-han were at a loss for what to do. Yoon-jung’s broadcasts were being disrupted, and Hee-yeon’s music video comment section was thrown into chaos. Even though Hee-yeon wasn’t checking the internet, she could sense the changed atmosphere and felt uneasy.
“We won’t fall for it this time.”
The Golden Tree fandom was attacking us. They probably thought we were behind those articles. Of course Golden Tree fans would be furious.
The more these articles came out, the worse their fandom’s image and the more their artist would be hated by the public. Director Park aimed to make it look like our company did it to wreck our image and make everything we did in the future look bad.
It was classic of Director Park to pit us against another big idol group from a different company. He must have thought that he was killing two birds with one stone.
“Yumi, can you rearrange all of Golden Tree’s new album so Hee-yeon can sing it solo?”
The solution I came up with was simple. There was no need to complicate it. We had two talented people, Yumi and Hee-yeon. Why complicate things when there was a straightforward and effective way to go about it?
Yumi got to work on the arrangement and had it ready in two days. I had already told Hee-yeon to study Golden Tree’s album, so it took only a few hours for her to get used to the new arrangements.
“Boss, will this really work?” asked Jung-han.
“Why? Does it seem too simple?”
“Well… They’re really angry. Will this be enough? The articles are still coming out.”
“Those reporters are just jumping on the bandwagon that that man started. You don’t need to worry about that anymore,” I responded. I wanted to make sure Jung-han understood and continued.
“Idol fandoms have been through a lot, so they know the patterns all too well. This is similar. They’re attacking us because they think we attacked their artist to gain an advantage. We just need to clear that up.”
“…Is that how it is?”
“Yes. Once they realize we’re not to blame, they’ll turn their anger on the reporters. If not, they’ll suspect a third party.”
Jung-han hummed, still skeptical. He just didn’t understand idol fandoms yet. Also, there was something I didn’t mention.
‘We might even gain a bit from this.’
If we were lucky, a lot.
‘Director Park was nice enough to give us a push in the right direction. We might as well make the most of it.’
We started filming with the equipment Yumi requested and managed to cover all 11 songs in one video. If we posted 11 separate videos, it might look like we were trying to milk it.
“Well, then… let’s take a gamble.”
Clear our name, gain a little, or gain a lot. It was a gamble with no room for failure.
***
There was a video running for almost 40 minutes. The thumbnail was titled [Golden Tree? With you], using the album title ‘With you’ as the video title.
Because we were the hot topic for their fandom, views quickly climbed. Of course, only a few would watch the full 40-minute video. What mattered for those few was this fact.
“Huh? They even rearranged and covered the song. Isn’t that dedication? And they sing well. They didn’t ruin our baby’s songs at all. So they didn’t release those articles?”
“That’s their mindset?”
“Yeah. Look here.”
As expected of the fandom of the hottest group out there, our video had already been flagged in their community. Almost no hate comments, mostly positive ones.
– Passing by, great cover 😀
– They covered all the B-sides too. Rearrangement is good, but the originals are great too! Listen to Golden Tree’s album ♥
– Thank you for the cover!!! :,D Such dedication… I love ‘Wish Upon a Moon’ too! It’s such a good song!
As Jung-han read through the comments, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
“…Is this really working?”
“I told you, the important thing is clearing our name. Look, articles are still coming out. But we rearranged and covered their entire album, right? That means we didn’t attack them. That much dedication isn’t common. They’ll realize it was a misunderstanding, and that they wronged us. Now what? To maintain their artist’s image, they’ll have to show some dedication back.”
“As expected of our President!” Jung-han cheered.
If we had uploaded the video after the articles stopped, they might have thought we were making a desperate attempt to change the situation. But because we acted quickly, we weren’t too late.
Now that we’ve cleared our name, let’s see how they react. Golden Tree, that was. They would have to do something to protect their image as well.
People in the idol industry had been watching our conflict with popcorn in hand. If Golden Tree didn’t want to ruin their image, they should be responding accordingly. Otherwise, they would be providing opportunities for others to attack them, calling them a nuisance group.
We waited leisurely. The video’s views continued to increase, and Yoon-jung’s fans were also providing support. Hee-yeon’s fans were thrilled, thinking they had struck gold. A 40-minute cover video was a better gift than any holiday present for those who loved Hee-yeon’s songs.
It was around 11pm. I got a notification for a livestream from Golden Tree, which I had subscribed to beforehand.
The title was [Whatcha doin, Roots?] It seemed to be a casual stream without a specific purpose. My lips curled up into a smile.
(T/N: Roots is the name of the fandom for Golden Tree.)
– Roots! Are you enjoying our album? How is it?
They started the stream by talking about their album. After about 20 minutes, they got to the topic I had been waiting for.
– And today, I was really surprised! Roots! Did you know? Someone covered our entire album after rearranging it! Like wow!
– This is the first I’ve heard of something like this. They sing really well. Thank you so much, Hee-yeon!
I turned up the volume and focused on the video.
– We also really like ‘Wish Upon a Moon.’ We’ve been listening to it a lot. You guys should check it out too. It’s really good!
I threw a small uppercut into the air. This was the small gain I had been waiting for. Golden Tree had become our temporary allies.
Of course, we wouldn’t surpass them on the charts, but they would support us in various ways. Why wouldn’t they? To undo the misunderstandings caused by their actions, they had to cover for us.
– Should we give it a go? I’ll play the guitar, and you sing.
– Okay!
I cheered internally. This was an unexpected big gain. I could already hear it, the sound of this cover video spreading everywhere. The sound of international fans increasing. The sound of event fees going up.
“Thanks, Director Park.”
—