“It seems like we’re going to hit one million copies on the first day.”
“Really? One million on the first day?”
“Isn’t that an error?”
“Wow, jackpot!!”
Listening to the conversation between the debonaire Topist staff and the planning team, Jung So-hyun calmly asked while suppressing her rising smile.
“How many copies?”
“Since tomorrow is the Lunar New Year holiday, it’s hard to make an accurate prediction.”
She felt flustered by the rapidly climbing music chart rankings even before the Friday release, amazed by the astonishing sales numbers despite only having been available for pre-order for just three days.
“First, it looks like we’re starting off at a minimum of 850,000 copies.”
Given how successful the last album was, it was expected that sales would trend upwards, but with so many incidents overlapping, she never imagined the rise would be this dramatic.
“Director! We’re definitely getting bonuses, right?”
Thanks to that, even on a holiday Sunday and with the Lunar New Year starting tomorrow, the office was filled with employees.
“Yeah, I’ll talk to the CEO to make sure we get bonuses, as well as allowances and vacation time. For now, let’s just work hard until tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
“Got it!”
Of course, in the entertainment and broadcasting industry, it’s normal to work intensely in bursts rather than observe holidays, but…
“Considering the buzz has more than doubled since the year-end stage, it seems like the stage that Do-hee presented had much more impact than we expected. The keyword ‘Do-hee disease’ is still a hot trend.”
“It’s probably because all the title tracks are purely self-composed by the members that they’re being labeled as geniuses in the articles.”
People were definitely captivated by debonaire.
“It seems that the sensory elements of this project are significant as well. That’s for sure.”
“Ah, truly, the director’s ideas appear to never fail.”
As she organized her expectations in her mind while planning for follow-up activities, Jung So-hyun took a sip of coffee in response to her subordinate’s flattering remark.
“This project was actually initiated by Do-hee.”
If the results fell short of the investment value, she intended to take full responsibility herself and had been hiding it from everyone except for a few executives and her uncle.
“Huh?”
“Excuse me?”
Now that success was almost guaranteed, it was fine to reveal it.
“Why do you think Do-hee has been leading in writing the songs and creating the music video script? From the beginning, Do-hee single-handedly shaped the framework and finished the concept.”
“…Really?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
She had herself been a bit stunned at first.
The employees’ expressions were understandably shocked.
“If that’s the case, if it gets revealed that Do-hee conceptualized the project from the start, it will create a huge stir.”
“That’s something I’m still considering.”
“You have to reveal it! The atmosphere is already great, and the influx will be massive! This is definitely going to be a jackpot!”
“Yeah, international fans go crazy over the genius title too. Of course, revealing it immediately may not be the best timing; maybe we should frame it up a bit for a re-ignition towards the end of the activities? If we drop it last, it’ll be a sure hit, no doubt!”
Of course, if you were to analyze the revenue structure, revealing it would make sense.
“Let’s think about that a bit more.”
“Oh, director!”
“I’m just worried Do-hee might feel burdened for the next album. If public expectations rise too high, the disappointment could be greater.”
“Well, that’s true…”
Still, Jung So-hyun felt strongly that Do-hee would probably welcome even that pressure.
─ Hey, genius? No way.
To be honest, the title of genius is something she’s quite familiar with.
─ Hehe, heehee, heheh.
She’s the type who can’t even hide the corners of her mouth.
She might not be asked but could casually bring it up on a variety show.
She’s definitely humble compared to her abilities…
But she’s just a kid who really loves to be praised.
“Let’s definitely finish this week’s schedule and think about it then. It’s not too late to worry about it later.”
“…Yes.”
“Alright, completely release the album with two titles.”
For now, Jung So-hyun, who oversees everything about Debonaire, just needed to follow the plan.
*
“Do-hee, according to you, this concept is about singing the sensitivity special days bring, but why the 18th and 19th of February?”
“That’s right, February 17th, Tuesday, is Lunar New Year.”
Before explaining the planning documents for the other two titles, the older sisters already had questions.
“Honestly, I did think about the Lunar New Year like you said.”
Of course.
The bright red mark on the holiday during comeback week is pointing to Korea’s biggest holiday, Lunar New Year.
“So just get to the point. Why is it not the Lunar New Year but rather the day after, the 18th?”
And this is why I unnecessarily emphasized something everyone knows.
“Honestly, I mentioned Christianity and that the American market is the world market, so we just need to consider the American sentiment. I explained this in a roundabout way.”
“Well, that’s true.”
But agreeing made me feel a bit offended.
I was trying to talk to the sisters in a fun way…
Sigh.
“Because for Christian believers, February 18, 2026, is a very significant day beyond Friday the 13th and Valentine’s Day.”
“…Really?”
“If you search, nothing comes up, right?”
Sisters, of course, nothing will come up if you just search for February 18; it’s based on the lunar calendar.
“Do you know what Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time mean?”
“Um…”
Of course, I didn’t think they’d actually know that.
“Just like the East celebrates holidays according to the lunar calendar, the West has the Christian liturgical calendar. Some of these are lunar, and some are solar.”
They’re all non-religious, anyway.
“The important thing is that the liturgical calendar is divided based on the birth and resurrection of Jesus over the course of a year. These divided periods are Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. And the season that connects these is called Ordinary Time.”
Now, what I want to talk about is Lent.
“But as I said, Christmas is on December 25 every year according to the solar calendar, so the periods of Advent and Christmas are fixed. But Easter changes every year; it’s based on the lunar calendar.”
“Yeah.”
“And I mentioned that Lent is based on Easter, right? It’s four in Chinese (四) and ten days (旬), meaning 40 days before Easter. And this also has to consider the solar dates, so anyway, the start of Lent is always set on a Wednesday and ends on a Saturday.”
“And considering the solar calendar, anyway, the start of Lent is definitely set for Wednesday, and it ends on Saturday.”
“Hey, but seriously, how do you know all this? You’re not even religious.”
“Must’ve read it in a book.”
“Isn’t it surprising how knowledgeable Do-hee is?”
“The Bible is humanity’s bestseller, of course I’ve read it. Plus, I can’t skip Western history, philosophy, or theology, so I’ve dabbled in some theology books too.”
“This much is basic.”
“Oh! Don’t be surprised. Even though I just skimmed through, I’ve read the scriptures, and even the Quran and the Hindu sacred texts, the Vedas. Hehe.”
“Umm…”
But the reaction seems a bit off.
Why does everyone look so skeptical?
“Do-hee, Unni thinks you should take it easy a bit. Manage your stress. You seem exhausted.”
“I sometimes worry that Do-hee might collapse and get taken to the hospital… I’m really concerned.”
Now’s not the time to worry about me.
If you’re that concerned, just express it enthusiastically.
Why don’t you realize that’s my energy boost?
“Honestly, she’s able to hold up because her body is still resilient; if it were Na-eun Unni, she would’ve been in the hospital long ago.”
“…Seo-yoon?”
“No, what I mean is, I’m not saying Unni is old… just that her body isn’t exactly as fresh as Do-hee’s? I mean, this sounds bad.”
“…I got it, just stop talking.”
“No, Unni, I mean you’re young, you really are! Comparatively speaking, of course.”
“I said I got it.”
Why are we fighting again?
“…No.”
Meanwhile, Woo-ah Unni whispered to me from the side.
“…Have you ever seen Na-eun Unni look so serious?”
“…I guess not.”
“…Back when I couldn’t speak Korean, I didn’t know elders, so I called Na-eun Unni an old person, and I got scolded all day.”
You totally deserved that, you crazy Chiyo.
Anyway, why does the topic keep straying?
It’s my briefing time for the planning document, so focus!
─Clap clap!
“So, so anyway, I said the start of Lent is on Wednesday, right? This day is called ‘Ash Wednesday’.”
Na-eun Unni answered.
“February 18th is that day, huh?”
Fortunately, her voice and tone are gentle.
But her expression is still so blank. It’s scary…
“Uh, this day also has rituals where the faithful fast, and the priest marks a cross on their foreheads with ashes?”
“I see.”
“……”
I guess I should just quickly say what I need to say.
“Of course, some denominations perform the rituals while others don’t, but Catholicism and many Protestant groups do, and this day is indeed important in Christianity.”
“So what’s the significance of this day? It’s a day for confessing sins and repenting. Therefore, it’s a day to remind us of the importance of consideration and forgiveness.”
Please forgive the foolish Kim Seo-yoon. Na-eun Unni.
“Repentance, forgiveness, consideration… this subject feels profound.”
“Right? It really doesn’t feel like an idol vibe.”
Thank goodness the Unnis accepted it that way.
“So the song to be presented on the 18th would be, to put it bluntly, in the style of CCM, a hymn.”
“…A hymn?”
“That’s just the terminology, no need to worry too much. There are cases where a composer has made a great song into a hymn and managed to persuade idol groups to release it as K-pop. If you look it up, you’ll find it.”
“They convinced me to release it as a K-pop song. You can find it if you look it up.”
“…Wow, that’s amazing.”
“These days, hymns span various genres, from hard rock to hip-hop, and there’s really no limitation. Of course, the hymns I mentioned have a bit of a classic image.”
“How exactly?”
“Most famous hymns were born in the Baroque period, you know? Bach, Handel, and of course during the Classical and Romantic periods with Beethoven, Haydn, Schumann, Mozart… Anyway, as far as I know, hymns became more colorful from the Renaissance but bloomed fully in the Baroque period, right? Before that, it was something like Kyrie eleison? A sacred mercy song. But then in the Baroque era, counterpoint emerged, along with monophonic and polyphonic styles and diverse harmonies, plus hymns started using the ritornello form with decorative notes and basso continuo, which is the bass. Anyway, so many things developed structurally.”
Talking about this could go on forever.
In fact, classical music is mostly sacred songs.
“What I want to talk about is the straightforward melody of hymns, the simple harmony structures, and four-part choruses, etc.?”
To put it simply, this is it.
“The goal of this song is to build harmonies.”
Honestly, I’m already looking forward to it.
“Like, wouldn’t it be super fun? Think about it, on the 13th and 14th, we showcased such idol-like sounds, stages, and music videos, but suddenly on the 18th, a song entirely contrasting would be released, relying solely on a guitar or piano with the members stacking harmonies with their voices.”
“Oh, of course, it’s not going to be something glamorous like a cappella, right? If you think about it, it’s more of an indie vibe? Quietly layering voices, a totally easy-listening feel. So maybe an acoustic guitar would be better? Like, Woo-ah Unni and Kim Na-eun Unni can play since they know how! At first, just one or two will sing, and then at the end, they’ll build harmonies!”
Honestly, I really love this indie vibe.
“I actually wanted to use this day as an excuse to write another song. Indie artists, of course, and even rappers can do emotional hip-hop, but idol groups, especially the younger girl groups, usually have a strong uplifting, cheering vibe which makes it hard to write about heavier subjects.”
Oh, talking about this suddenly makes lyrics come to mind.
“But I said earlier that it’s the Lent season, right? So how about talking about the crown of thorns? In the Bible, the thorn bush shows up often, symbolizing suffering. So now, the thorn bush. Even if suffering hurts you.”
“The title could be… yeah, maybe ‘Even though that’s how it was.’ Something like that. Or maybe even ‘Even though, despite?’ Anyway, even if you’ve been hurt and are in pain, don’t be afraid of love. Let’s move forward? Let’s love one another? Something like that.”
“I’m starting to think of the lyrics more specifically now. The beginning would have eight syllables, perfectly suited for indie vibes, making it easy to build a melody in four beats. For instance, ‘Everything will pass, even if left alone at the place where I once hurt, there’s something I want to say.’ Something like that. Oh, but that sounds good! I think I might be forming a melody now…”
If I hum the melody, it feels a bit like this?
“What do you think? Pretty good, right? I don’t think it’ll be super catchy, but it’s exactly the vibe I want. Gradually building up, and the harmonies should be so beautiful.”
Ah, hurry up and tell me what you think!
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