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Chapter 147: Follow-up Album & Events
Translator: Enuma ID
"The kids must've had a blast, right?"
"Indeed. They look absolutely thrilled."
The KJ Entertainment CEO's office.
Inside it, CEO Sang-hyeok and PD Raon were watching a video together.
Е̄ n ùmá
It was none other than Iam's vacation self-produced content, which had been uploaded two days prior.
[Iam Competition Trip]
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
「-Money means innocence! No money means guilt! Camera team, respect the human rights of the losing team!
Lee Si-on stood out on the second-floor balcony of the pension, pumping her clenched fist and shouting like a protestor in full swing, with Geum Shin-yu and Lim Yun-kyung beside her mimicking her every move.
-Everyone! First, just come out of the pension and let's talk!
-No! If we come out, you'll just kick us into the tent!
Ẇ ё b ñō v е̂ l̆ Ӗ n̊u m а
-No! You guys lost the game!
-We did not lose! We merely suffered defeat!
-Isn't that the same thing?
No matter how hard the camera crew tried to coax them out of the pension, Lee Si-on and the Maknaes showed zero intention of budging, their sheer determination radiating through the screen. The crew, somehow having procured a white flag from who knows where, waved it desperately with pitiful expressions on their faces.」
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↳i'm dying ㅋㅋㅋㅋ who would've guessed they'd sneak into the pension itself
↳they won the thigh war, dunked the others in the water, then while they were washing up the girls just stormed in and occupied the pension ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Еǹ ŭ ḿ а̄ . ї d̂
↳si-on from now on you don't get to call ryu-jin petty ㅋㅋㅋ
↳isn't this all scripted?
↳if this is scripted then si-on, yun-kyung, and shin-yu shouldn't be idols, they should go into film
↳look at the crew's faces, you can tell they were genuinely flustered
Iam's self-produced content had been pulling in more and more views lately.
Since their official album promotions had wrapped up and they weren't doing broadcast activities, this was pretty much the only place fans could catch a glimpse of the Iam members, which was a huge factor.
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On top of that, the recent reviews of Iam's self-produced content had been overwhelmingly positive, another reason behind the surge.
From Lee Ga-hyun's Extreme Part-Time Job, the first content ever featuring a single member on her own, all the way up to the Competition Trip that had just been uploaded.
-Somebody please, any broadcaster out there, give Iam their own variety show!
↳now that you mention it, variety shows with idols used to be everywhere but you barely see them these days
↳honestly they were pretty brutally boring
↳fun for the fans but kinda meh for the general public
Е̊ń u m_a . іd̆
↳Iam is different
↳fr these kids would actually be entertaining
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The response had gotten so heated that people were flooding the comments begging for an Iam variety show.
"At first, I couldn't understand why PD Raon was pouring so much effort into self-produced content, but I think the day this becomes the core of being an idol isn't far off."
Watching the blazing reaction to Iam's YouTube self-produced content, Sang-hyeok suddenly recalled how, back when the company was first being established, Raon had fiercely insisted that a content team absolutely had to be created.
Honestly, at the time, the parent company KJ Group had reacted with clear reluctance to Raon's suggestion.
W̄ё bn̂ o v̆е̊l Ĕ ṅü m ӓ.
-I'm not sure it's really necessary.
And for good reason. Producing self-made content required writers, a camera crew, and a surprisingly large number of personnel, not to mention equipment purchases, which meant it demanded a pretty hefty investment.
But thanks to Sang-hyeok's insistence that this was the cost of borrowing a top star like Raon's name value and that this much should absolutely be accommodated, the content team got approved.
And now, it had grown into one of the indispensable pillars of KJ Entertainment.
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[The Typical Screams of Korean Girl Idols]
(Kurosawa Yuri, Seo Ryu-jin, and Ryu A-yeon screaming in turn as Lee Si-on pries their thighs apart)
W̌ е̃ b̀nòvеl Е̊ nū m а
↳Delete this immediately, whippersnapper... our A-yeon would never scream "KYAAAAGHH!" like that!
↳the content team is ruthless ㅋㅋㅋ honestly they could've edited this one out
↳but merciless, right? i love that this place just airs whatever's funny
↳watching Iam feels like watching my classmates mess around
↳yeah except none of my classmates look like that
↳why are they playing the thigh war with such genuine seriousness tho
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Maybe it was because they came from MPlay.
Iam's self-produced content exquisitely blended what idol fans wanted with what the general public wanted, earning the nickname "devilish directing" from viewers, and it was undeniably giving a major boost to Iam's upward momentum.
"There are actually quite a few overseas fans translating and uploading our self-produced content."
"Yes, I received that report earlier. At first I debated whether we should crack down on it, but I think it's better to leave them be."
"Right, most of them aren't doing it for profit, they're literally just trying to spread the word, so leaving them alone will probably help us more."
"Overseas, huh... That still feels like such a distant goal for us."
Ё n̄ü m а
Iam, the group that had achieved a Grand Slam, a first for any rookie girl group.
Surprisingly, Iam already had an overseas fandom, small though it was.
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When they'd learned that out of the 200,000 copies sold for their debut album, roughly 40,000 had come from overseas sales, how shocked had they been?
If they could solidify their domestic base a bit more and then make an overseas push, the potential returns were genuinely exciting to imagine.
But,
'With the time left on our contract, we're looking at two activity cycles max.'
Е̊n̂ uṁ а
It was vital not to forget that Iam was a project group.
There were only a little over nine months remaining on their contract.
No matter how diligently they promoted in that time, two cycles was the maximum amount of Iam activity KJ Entertainment would be handling.
Of course, around the time Iam's contract ended, the project group from Idol Ground 100 2, which MPlay was currently hard at work preparing, would be picking up the baton.
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And using the experience gained from supporting Iam, KJ Entertainment was also preparing to produce its own idol group in-house.
"It's a shame. If the contract had been just a bit longer, there'd be so much more we could try."
Web n оv̆ е̌ l̀ Е n̈ û m а̌
"It can't be helped. Unless... no, never mind."
"Unless what?"
"No, it was such an absurd thought I can't even bring myself to say it."
Sang-hyeok had briefly entertained the ridiculous scenario of the members' original agencies magnanimously agreeing to extend their contracts for the greater good, but he quickly wiped the thought from his mind.
There was no way something that absurd would ever happen.
"At any rate, what we need to do is clear. Make the second album a success."
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At Sang-hyeok's words, Raon nodded.
"We're actually in the final stretch of production right now. We had it basically ready while the kids were promoting, but you know how it is, CEO."
"Yes. Without proper preparation, this won't be easy."
To keep up their rapid momentum, Raon had started preparing a follow-up mini album the moment the debut album wrapped.
Thanks to that, the follow-up album was largely complete, but Raon had requested more time.
Girl Group Three Kingdoms.
W е b nо̆vеl̈ Е̄ nû mа
The public was comparing SY's VYNNIA, TSP's Lynx, and finally Iam, three girl groups who had all debuted around the same time, to the Three Kingdoms.
Competing against them demanded even more thorough preparation.
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[VYNNIA Becomes First Girl Group to Hit 200K First-Week Sales. Can They Break the 300K Barrier by End of Promotions?]
[TSP Girl Group Lynx Follow-up Album in July? VYNNIA and Iam Also Set for July Comeback!]
[The Summer Queen Showdown Unfolds! Who Will Come Out on Top?]
↳wait all three are coming back at the same time??
Е̄ n ù mӑ. їd
↳those three together would make even the top boy groups want to dodge the month
↳girl groups' album sales have gone through the roof lately, they used to be nowhere near the boys
↳honestly the first round was kinda inconclusive
↳lynx and iam overlapped a bit but it was a toss-up, and vynnia didn't really overlap with either of them at all
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↳this time we'll get a clear winner
The three groups' comebacks had coincidentally all landed in July, which was also Iam's comeback schedule.
Ē nú_m а . і̊ď
With rumors flying that the hottest rookies in the idol scene right now would be clashing at the exact same time, not only idol fans but even casual observers were paying attention to the comebacks.
"There's no way TSP or SY will half-ass their comeback."
"I heard through the grapevine that both of them are nursing quite a grudge against us and sharpening their knives."
The first bout of the Girl Group Three Kingdoms had been too ambiguous to declare a clear winner, but if pressed, most people would have given the win to Iam.
Lynx had ranked slightly higher on the music charts, and if you went by album sales, VYNNIA had edged them both out a bit, but.
-Who's the group that became the first girl group to achieve a Grand Slam with their debut song?
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↳IAM THE GREAT!
↳KING GOD IAM!
↳the hit-and-run was legendary!
↳these bastards just operate on a different level ㅋㅋㅋ
↳you can't survive a survival show without this kind of luck
In the end, it was Iam that had walked away with both the buzz and the tangible results.
Wё b́ n̄ о̌ v̀ ё l̊ Е n̊um̄а̄
Which meant there was no way SY and TSP harbored any warm feelings toward KJ and Iam, who had swooped in, grabbed the sweetest fruit, and vanished.
It was a safe bet that they were preparing thoroughly to say, "Let's go at it for real this time."
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'Normally I'd want to dodge this.'
The best way to deal with a raging tide was to wait for it to calm rather than fight it, but for KJ Entertainment, the limited activity window made that impossible.
More importantly, the moment they pushed back the comeback to avoid this direct showdown, Iam would almost certainly get slapped with a "ran away" label for the rest of their promotions.
And if that happened, even if they outperformed VYNNIA and Lynx, they'd still end up with a "third place" tag hanging off them.
Éń üm a. їd̂
That was one thing they couldn't accept, which was why KJ Entertainment and PD Raon were polishing up the follow-up album for this head-to-head.
"By the way, do you think the kids have arrived by now?"
"They should have. I factored in traffic, so by now..."
While the company was mapping out Iam's next moves, the Iam members, having just wrapped up their long-awaited vacation, weren't sitting idle either.
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Events.
Iam had finally started doing what many called the flower of being an idol: events.
Е̌nü m̈а
***
Kang Do-il.
His rap name was Do-il, a rapper who had been enjoying a major surge in popularity lately.
'Iam? Poor things.'
Thanks to the recent hip-hop audition programs, Korea had been swept up in what could genuinely be called a hip-hop fever, and interest in the genre was at an all-time high.
Do-il himself was an alumnus of one of those audition shows, and since last year he'd been sweeping through every festival in the country.
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In particular, the song he'd performed during the competition had become a massive hit, and tons of people were still listening to it on repeat, so.
"Make some noise!!!"
"Whoaaaa!!!"
Do-il had become famous for getting exceptionally good crowd responses at events compared to other rappers.
Right now too, having been invited to the massive Incheon Culture Festival and just finishing his performance, Do-il was busy waving at the crowd who kept screaming for him.
Maybe it was because the crowd at this festival skewed young?
E ňů m̆á
The reaction was even better than usual, and Do-il thought to himself that the artist performing after him was going to have it rough.
Taking the stage right after that kind of fiery reception often led to a sudden drop in energy and a painfully cold atmosphere, and there was nothing more miserable than that.
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"Next up is the performance of the talk-of-the-town rookie girl group, Iam! Please welcome them with a big round of applause!!!"
As Do-il was heading down to exit after his performance, he crossed paths with the Iam members heading up to take the stage.
"Hello!"
When their eyes met, the Iam members offered him a light greeting, but Do-il breezily ignored it and continued on his way out.
Е́ ñ ũ m̀а̂. īd
'Hmph.'
Do-il disliked idols.
And for good reason. He wasn't a fan of the fact that they rode their looks to popularity rather than their singing.
The Iam members he'd just crossed paths with, to be fair, were honestly pretty enough that he'd stolen glances at them on the sly, but his creed was that a singer should let their skill do the talking.
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'They'll just turn on the AR and dance, obviously.'
After stepping off the stage, Do-il glanced over at the staff section where Iam's performance was about to begin.
Ӗ n̄ u mа
The crowd was blazing hot after the live performance he'd just poured his soul into.
Picturing how Iam was about to lip-sync and destroy all that hard-earned energy, he decided it would be a shame to miss the trainwreck, so even though his set was done, he stuck around to watch.
But,
"WHOAAAAA!!!"
The crowd welcomed the Iam members with a roar even more intense than what Do-il had gotten when he appeared.
"...Too small."
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"Sorry?"
"What?"
"She's speaking way too quietly."
As Lee Si-on stepped forward at the front of the Iam members, mic in hand, and started whispering something to the crowd, murmurs began rippling through the audience.
"Your cheers are way too small!!! LOUDER!!!"
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
Е̊ ṅ um̀а̇
At Lee Si-on's shout, the crowd let out a scream so intense it was like they were undergoing military endurance training.
'Wh... what is this?'
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The thunderous volume couldn't even be compared to Do-il's performance from moments ago.
If both had happened at the same time, Do-il's performance would have felt like a library by comparison.
"Say my name!!!"
"LEE SI-ON!!!"
Ӗn ŭm̊.ӑ
"Who are we?!"
"IAM!!!"
On top of that, Lee Si-on's mic work was so masterful one might have wondered if she was actually a WWE pro wrestler rather than a girl group member, and the crowd's energy only kept climbing.
"Going into our first song! Everyone knows it, right?"
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"SPOTLIGHT!"
The moment the intro of the first song started playing, people couldn't hold themselves back and started bouncing on the spot.
Е̇_n u m̄ à. і́d̂
And then, Iam's performance began.
'Live?!'
Shockingly, Iam was singing their song live.
At first he'd thought it was just a really polished AR, but there was no mistaking it: this was unquestionably live.
The Spotlight Iam was performing right now was the theme song of Idol Ground 100, so it was famous enough that Do-il knew the lyrics, and.
'They're changing the lyrics as they sing.'
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They were improvising, tailoring the lyrics on the fly to fit the event.
And yet the Iam members were handling both the vocals and the choreography with a stability that made it almost impossible to believe this was live.
"Our next song is our debut track, Something's About to Begin. If you know it, sing along with us!"
While Do-il stood there in shock, Iam's first performance came to an end.
But Iam didn't look remotely tired, launching straight into the next song.
(Oh) In that split second our eyes met
(Yeah) The world seemed to pause
A heartbeat I never planned for
This moment is vivid
Е n úm а̇ . іd̄
The entire crowd joined their voices with Iam, singing along in a miraculous scene that played out right there.
Hyping up an event crowd was never easy, and getting them to sing along was something even veteran singers struggled with.
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And yet, Iam was pulling it off with staggering skill.
"Iam really is something."
"I heard booking them these days is like trying to pluck a star out of the sky?"
"If they'd started doing events even a little earlier, they'd have swept the entire university festival circuit. People love them so much that everyone's scrambling to book them."
Ē ṅŭ m̊ а̄
"Honestly, we had to work our tails off to book Iam too. I heard the head of department practically did the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage with their agency."
"Right? That's why the fee was so steep we had to settle for some cheap rapper to fill in. What was his name, Do-il?"
"Manager... um."
"Ah..."
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Having stood there utterly entranced by Iam's performance, Do-il quietly rolled up his sleeve to wipe away his tears, overhearing the conversation of the staff members who hadn't recognized him standing right there.
*****
Е̇ n̈ u m а̀_
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