Chapter 143
I grabbed Park Miso’s mouse and checked the Billboard chart site.
But the names and rankings on the screen showed no change.
“Isn’t this an error?”
Even though it was right in front of me, I couldn’t be sure.
It was something that made no sense according to my logic.
Understanding my reaction, Park Miso nodded and cautiously said to me.
“I had the same suspicion, so I took a look, and it seems definite since the official video we uploaded on AllTube also skyrocketed in views.”
“Let’s take a look.”
Easily opening AllTube, I immediately clicked on the Girl Revolution channel. Then I clicked on the official video of that troublesome song.
“It’s the same, isn’t it?”
“You need to watch the English version.”
“….”
Click.
Albatross_Girl’s Revolution Views: 34.82 million
“…Wow.”
It was just a video with a fixed album title image and the song playing. Yet, that video was surpassing the music video views of Girl Revolution’s title track ‘traitor’, which had a full-fledged production.
“…Team Leader Seon. Can I see the comments?”
Seo Soo-yeon’s cautious words drew the attention of the staff towards her.
“…No, …it’s just that the comments are amusing, sorry. That was a slip of the tongue.”
The colleagues, seemingly determined to encourage her, clambered to speak up.
“We can’t resist checking the comments. Let’s go, Team Leader Seon!”
“I’m curious about what comments there are too.”
“Honestly, I was curious as well. Not just Soo-yeon.”
I perceptively opened the comments section.
@ashii9914_ 4 days ago – This is something we can all agree on. You’re not just listening once a day; you’re listening multiple times.
@LilyXiao_ 1 hour ago – They are a group with beautiful voices and songs. A star has been born in KPOP.
@HienHoang 3 days ago – The first time I heard this song, it was so beautiful that I cried. Even now, I’m tearing up because it’s too beautiful. The vocals are so good. It comforts me in my tough life.
@Mikaro7 2 days ago (edited) – This song opened the formula for making lyrical yet upbeat music. It should be considered an iconic song, and if so, it needs to be registered in the Korean National Music Registry.
@bikramjitdebnath 4 hours ago – But why is the main chorus so addictive? Until yesterday, I didn’t even know this group existed, and here I am. I heard it briefly at a café, and I completely fell for this group.
I’ve come this far. I listened for a moment at the café, and I totally fell for this group.
The public opinion was extremely positive.
“…The fuss overseas is something else, isn’t it?”
“But I can’t see any comments from Korea?”
“Well, it’s the English version, so maybe that’s why?”
“So, does that mean all those views are from overseas?”
“That seems likely. Maybe?”
“…Isn’t this amazing?”
“‘Amazing’ isn’t even enough. Debuting and getting onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart right away is unprecedented, you know?”
“….”
They say when reality is too shocking, you become numb to it, right?
Maybe that was the case for us at TwoBear too, as we read the comments in a daze, feeling like we were floating in reality.
“Wow, this person says they heard this song at a restaurant. Girl Revolution’s song has reached overseas restaurants…”
“This person heard it at an electronics store.”
“It seems like it’s not just for KPOP enthusiasts but is riding a trend among the general public.”
“So, are we becoming like the number one pop artist El Marina and the world-famous rapper Waste?”
“No, that’s going too far….”
“Uh, could you scroll a bit slower? I haven’t read everything yet.”
I heard Seo Soo-yeon’s words and slowly scrolled down, then suddenly thought of something.
“By the way, does the President know about this?”
““…Ah.””
Everyone let out a sound of realization as if they had just figured it out.
…How could you forget the President, guys?
*
In the meeting room where most of the staff had gathered, Cheon Aram rubbed her forehead and spoke.
“So, you’re saying our Girl Revolution’s Albatross made it to 46th on the Billboard chart?”
“It’s not just that; looking at the trend, it seems it’ll rise higher.”
“How high?”
“…I can’t give a definite answer since it’s such an unusual situation without a precedent.”
“Hmm… That makes sense.”
Cheon Aram stared blankly at the ranking chart on the screen.
“I can’t wrap my head around this situation; can someone explain why this is happening?”
The one who answered her was the PR team’s Jo Narae.
“We’re considering the starting point to be when Girl Revolution’s song was played by DJs around the U.S. and various places worldwide.”
“The song was played? I knew that. But wasn’t it just a fleeting trend? It’s impressive, but isn’t charting in the Hot 100 a bit much just because the song was played once?”
“It seems there was an influence from word of mouth. Social media repeating the question of ‘What is this song?’ helped spread the word.”
“I think we’ve made a name for ourselves by repeatedly popping up.”
“But still, that’s probably not enough…”
“Um…”
Cheon Aram gently replied to Park Miso, who raised her hand hesitantly.
“Please feel free to speak.”
“I think the current results are greatly influenced by the song from Girl Revolution going viral as background music on the Shorts platform, TokTok.”
“Shorts?”
Park Miso manipulated the screen to play videos from that platform. Numerous videos with millions of views were using the song “Albatross” as BGM.
“It started being utilized in Shorts through word-of-mouth, which then spilled over to radio, creating a chain reaction of unintended repetitive trends in promotions.”
“But isn’t K-pop a bit niche?”
Isabella added her thoughts to the discussion.
“Perhaps the English version had an impact as well. Thanks to that, K-pop fans love it, but it seems that the general American pop audience can also accept it without hesitation.”
James Oh, who was humming along to the melody of Albatross playing in the Shorts video, chuckled to himself.
“Above all, the song is good. Once Girl Revolution and Team Leader Seon’s ‘Albatross’ gets known, it’s bound to catch on.”
“….”
Though I felt my face flush from the direct compliment, I refrained from showing it and organized the situation.
“President, let’s reach out to all the connected journalists. Let’s give them some tidbits and encourage them to write aggressively. Whether spending money is flexing or a waste depends on timing, and I think now is that time. Let’s hop on the national pride coin. This is definitely going to work.”
The dark horse K-idol that succeeded in hitting the world’s top charts.
This is going to happen. For sure.
All the staff’s eyes focused on Cheon Aram.
Cheon Aram glanced over the TwoBear’s staff and smiled.
“Proceed.”
*
“[Shock] America cried. The U.S. started learning Korean, Germany is courting, France is protesting, China is plagiarizing, and Japan is lamenting ‘Why don’t we have idols like those?’ K-idol! Girl Revolution! Dominating the Billboard Hot 100!
The group Girl Revolution is sweeping the U.S. Billboard charts with ‘Albatross.’
According to the music publication Billboard, on the same day, ‘Albatross’, released in February, ranked 12th on the ‘Global 200’ and 18th on the ‘Global (excluding U.S.)’ chart. This is an achievement made by a newly debuted group that typically only veteran idols achieve by building up their existing fanbase.”
According to the announcement made last February, ‘Albatross’ has reached 12th place on the ‘Global 200’ chart and 18th on the ‘Global (excluding the US)’ chart. This is an achievement accomplished by a newly debuted group that is comparable to the feats of established idols who have already built up their fanbase.
Girl Revolution has entered the main single chart ‘Hot 100’ at 46th place, maintaining long-term popularity while also achieving notable results on the ‘Global 200’ chart, grabbing attention.
The agency commented, “The popularity in North America, which is currently the hottest region, is being proven by Girl Revolution’s achievements that cross both main and sub-charts.”
All eyes are on the success of Girl Revolution as they continue to write a new K-pop success myth.
After reading the article, James Oh asked, “… Everything is great, but can we please do something about this thumbnail? Must we really include phrases like America is wooing and Japan is jealous?”
Seok Hyun-woo chuckled at James Oh and replied, “Oh, that’s just patriotism! When you’re drunk on it, you have to blow things out of proportion, even if they’re trivial. But we do have something to blow up about, right?”
“Still, it feels a bit embarrassing…”
“Oh, this guy doesn’t even know the joy of it yet! Just wait. I’ll show you what real patriotism is.”
“I’d rather not know…”
As the two continued their trivial exchange, a person appeared at the door calling for me.
“Team Leader Seon, do you have a moment?”
It was Cheon Aram, the president of TwoBear.
“If it’s President Cheon, I’ll make time out of nowhere. Of course, I’m available.”
“Alright, then let’s have a quick chat.”
As I followed her, curious about what she wanted to discuss despite the general policies already being defined, we entered the president’s office.
Cheon Aram finally spoke, “What a strange coincidence. At the time when TwoBear faced its greatest crisis, two positive issues arose consecutively.”
I nodded in agreement. “Indeed, we got lucky.”
“The DJs played Girl Revolution’s song, and Woosoo Hyun’s drug controversy. Both were pivotal. If just one had happened, we couldn’t have dreamed of being in the same situation now, right?”
“Honestly, it wouldn’t have been easy. That’s why we’re even luckier.”
“Indeed, it’s really fortunate. To have someone who can handle those situations in this company.”
“…Huh?”
Cheon Aram grinned playfully as she said, “Both of those were handled by you, Team Leader Seon.”
“….”
…How did she know?
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