Chapter 193

[PROLOGUE FILM: Ailee? illli!]

After the prologue film was released.

[Seven’s derivative group ‘Ailee(illli!)’… First content release on November 11th]

[‘Monster rookie is coming’ Girl group Ailee, debut confirmed for November… Will it change the landscape of the music industry?]

[Ailee’s debut is imminent, can the renowned girl group agency JS succeed again… The veil will be lifted in November]

Like the articles filling the entertainment news section, it’s no surprise that the gossip endlessly filled the Kpop community.

[Ailee logo looks sophisticated]

[JS guys really set the debut date for illli at 11:11 on November 11th, huh?]

[Ailee’s final 5th member Miho]

[Ailee’s face line-up is really good, right?]

[Info/News) Ailee concept photo VOL.1]

[I thought it would be all classy and princess-like, but it’s unexpectedly lively and pure?]

[I really like Ailee’s concept]

And this was a structure that couldn’t help but spread quickly to general communities.

When one topic became a hot issue, the Reddit users would spread the word.

─JS rookie girl group debut on Pepero Day.

─As soon as I saw the Ailee logo and meaning, I thought wow, that’s a great name.

└It’s nice to finally see a group with a good feel.

─Other than the members from Seven, Miho is pretty, she looks trendy, and Bomi seems a bit similar to Ye-eun, she’s cute.

└Since it’s JS, the trainee pool must be huge, so visuals won’t be lacking.

└In the first place, Eun Se-ra is the visual and also has the main vocalist role, so there’s no pressure on choosing other members. Park Ye-eun is originally main visual level in the vocal line, and Hana was the leader in Seven and has a versatile role.

└Really looking forward to it.

(Former) Seven members Hana Kwon, Park Ye-eun, and Eun Se-ra are the core of JS’s 5-member girl group Ailee.

It’s the first derivative group of Seven, which won three grand awards at the most meaningful ceremony.

The concept of Ailee shown in the prologue is a clear and lively innocence, which has been rare among girl groups these days.

And with all the additional elements gathered together.

It was no wonder they drew attention even before their debut.

And this was a common trait of sensational groups.

However, there were also people who found this situation unpleasant.

Due to the nature of netizens who love ranking things.

When one group monopolizes interest, it is typical for other groups to be belittled, making it an unpleasant situation from the perspective of other fans.

What they latched onto was the longstanding elements of unease.

─I feel like they’re going to end up like seasons 1 and 2; it’s practically official.

─So what if Seven is an award-winning group? Season 2 Monorush was also an award-winning group, lol.

The derivative groups of Jodul’s seasons 1 and 2 all wrapped up with dismal results, and.

─What’s the difference if it’s the big 4 entertainment company JS?

─JS has been going downhill lately anyway.

Contrary to what JS’s title would suggest, the most recent JS girl group ‘Rud’ had rather lackluster results.
The girl group ‘Rude’ had less-than-impressive results for a big company.

Do-hee was feeling it all with her first Home Mama.

Despite clearly being in the spotlight, there was that anxiety of history possibly repeating itself.

“Well, it’s JS, so… it should go well.”

But of course, she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

Do-hee’s Home Mama said it was to support the ambitious new Seven members.

Click

“Ouch… my money. This is the money I was supposed to spend on Do-hee’s album…”

She purchased Ailee’s album on pre-order without a second thought.

Honestly, the truth was…

It was for Do-hee.

If even the major agency JS can’t do it,

Then the chances with Topist’s scale were even slimmer.

Plus, the preceding group had to do well.

The relationships and narratives were written so that the subsequent groups could ride on the attention as a trickle-down effect.

That’s why even the fanbase of Seven, which had a strong personal fan inclination, was mostly pre-ordering without even waiting for Ailee’s teaser to drop.

[Saven-U Seven Pre-order Group]

[(Auth) Ordered 20 copies]

And thankfully, that buzz translated into results even before their debut.

[Ailee, Debut Album ‘Really’ Surpasses 640,000 Pre-orders… Global Sensation [Official]]

─[OSEM=Reporter Park Seon-young] Group Ailee (illli) announced the birth of a ‘team of a different class’ with explosive debut album pre-order results.

.

.

Just one week after the pre-sale began, they surpassed 490,000 copies, and an additional 150,000 copies were added within nine days.

Of course, pre-order figures don’t necessarily indicate first-week sales.

Many large retailers stock up for inventory.

However, generally speaking, with 640,000 pre-orders, it meant first-week sales would easily surpass 500,000 copies.

In other words, Ailee was already confirmed to have the highest first-week sales for debut girl groups ever.

While it’s true that the global reach of K-pop has significantly inflated album sales, it made this achievement possible.

─Wow, even the spin-offs are a jackpot

└Seven’s buzz was really something else, transcending generations

─JS is definitely thinking they did a great job bringing in Ye-eun and Hana

└Feels like they’ll recoup the money spent in no time after just two activities

There was no denying those numbers.

─JS sure made it clear with the members they brought in and the budget they poured into the planning

─Of course, the top cash-holding agency…

And naturally, it was a result of combining Seven’s reputation with JS Entertainment, which boasts 32 million subscribers.

And a few weeks later.

November 11 at 11:11 am.

“Oh, today is Ailee’s debut day, huh?”

Thanks to the conceptual release time, anyone with a shred of interest in K-pop had at least heard of Ailee’s debut.

The debut song was unveiled.

[illli(Ailee) – White Night Official M/V]
The thumbnail of the teaser video looked like an old, faded brown film camera photo.

Do-hee’s Home Mama, a helpless K-pop listener, clicked on the video, enjoying the thrill of the first music video.

The teaser began with the sound of a film projector starting up.

The screen overall had a slightly washed-out color palette.

The soft sepia tones from the film camera mixed with the fallen leaves in the background already hinted that winter was on its way.

In the meantime, individual cuts of Ailee members dressed in brown-toned winter uniforms appeared as they headed to school.

“Ha… their faces are really working hard.”

Then, finally, the accompaniment started to play.

A series of transitions showed synchronized choreography performed on the schoolyard’s sandy ground.

A bright and energetic melody played on an electronic keyboard, evoking a somewhat wistful feeling.

It was a refreshing feeling that leaned more towards wistfulness than pure freshness.

It wasn’t summer; it felt like winter in some way.

It was rare for rookies to debut in winter.

Capturing that seasonal vibe made it hard to convey the innocence and energy of a rookie.

“But… this already feels completely like a wistful winter freshness…”

It seemed to only evoke such sensations.

The choreography, with movements that resembled a butterfly while extending their legs, along with the exciting accompaniment, already tickled the heart.

And finally, the strong kick sound of the drums came in.

Snow started to flurry down.

The sky slowly brightening into a white hue.

Transparent and clear, yet somehow solidly bundled together.

The five voices, as white as snow, began to blend together.

[Sometimes it looks like a dark night,

but we will laugh together like a dream.]

The difficulty wasn’t high,

but it was filled with fresh rookie vibes and girliness.

Choreography that extended hands and legs simultaneously.

[I’ll illuminate only you, a light in the dark,

always surrounding you.]

The black eyes of Ailee members remaining in that white night sparkled.

Do-hee’s Home Mama was convinced after just hearing the first line.

Next year’s rookie award was already Ailee’s.

At the same time, this thought crossed her mind.

‘With a November release, the accumulations will pile up quickly…’

With luck, they might win the grand prize with this song.

*

“I’ve waited for today.”

In the trending songs waiting room, I was tapping on my phone.

I mimicked the tone of a famous meme.

“Sa ttala.”

“Huh?”

Shocked by my sudden change in tone, Joo Seung-bin stared at me with widened eyes.

“Sa ttala.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Sa ttala.”

“Why are you saying that?”

Of course, I shouted even more intensely.

“Sa ttala!”

Joo Seung-bin thought for a moment before responding as if trying to comply.

“Okay, thank you…?”

“What are you on about?”

After he tried to go along with it, he let out a half-hearted laugh at my forceful teasing.
Joo Seung-bin let out a chuckle.

I stood up excitedly and quietly looked up at the sky and said.

“I’m going to get strawberry latte.”

Joo Seung-bin, in utter disbelief, laughed helplessly.

“Seriously…”

“Seriously, it’s charming, right?”

Shrugging, he grabbed the bouquet next to him.

“By the way, help me out, I have no hands.”

Thinking about it again, I ended up bringing the constantly smirking Joo Seung-bin to the trendy song snack bar.

And I filled as many strawberry latte bottles as I could.

“Are we giving these to them?”

Joo Seung-bin, holding a bag full of bottles, asked.

“Yup.”

Of course, I do enjoy sweet things like strawberry latte, but I didn’t plan to drink them all. It simply reminded me of memories. This strawberry latte was something Sara Unni loved a lot, and every time we came to the trendy song place, we’d drink it together.

Ailee had been going back and forth to the radio station. She should be in the waiting room now.

I took out my phone with one hand.

And I logged into the chat room.

[Kim Ye-eun Unni]

[Kim Ye-eun Unni: What am I?]

[Kim Ye-eun Unni: (Photo) Watermelon #1 lol]

[Kim Ye-eun Unni: What am I?]

[Kim Ye-eun Unni: I’m Do-hee~]

[Kim Ye-eun Unni: This meme is trending these days lol]

[Kim Ye-eun Unni: There’s an application version of ‘What am I?’]

[Kim Ye-eun Unni: You’re Do-hee~ lol]

[Kim Ye-eun Unni: lol]

Phew…

Feeling my emotions rise, I put my phone away.

I hugged the bouquet tightly.

“Let’s go.”

“Am I going too?”

“You’re going to film the challenge with me anyway.”

“That’s true…”

We headed to the waiting room.

After knocking on the door, I heard a voice that seemed to belong to Ailee’s manager.

─Yes, just a moment! Who is it~?

Joo Seung-bin blurted out without a clue.

“It’s the MCs, we came to greet you!”

Even without saying anything, the manager would have opened the door and checked. It seemed that gave away his awareness.

From inside came a terrified voice.

─M-Managing Director…! D-Don’t open the door!

I spoke as politely, kindly, modestly, and gentlemanly as usual.

“Let’s film the challenge~”

You know it’s almost never me who takes the initiative to suggest a challenge, right?

─A-Ah, we’re not filming…!

“What am I? I’m Do-hee~?”

─I-I don’t know that person…!

“What am I? Unni, I’m Do-hee. So hurry and come out.”

As I kept talking, I felt more and more angry.

“If I film for you, you should come out and say thank you!”

With a big laugh from Hana Unni, the door suddenly rattled.

─S-Sara Unni, don’t open…!

For a moment, the door paused.

“Sara Unni, I got a bunch of strawberry lattes for you because I was thinking of you.”

The door rattled again.

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