SCT-Novel Chapter 170: Debut (4)
Chapter 170: Debut (4)
A historical drama style he had wanted to try writing for a long time. That’s why Kang Rojun completed the synopsis in no time. Right now, inspiration and story ideas were gushing in his mind, and just like when he was writing the scenario for ‘Blood Hunt’, his fingers typing on the laptop were incredibly fast.-Tatadak.
Rojun was utterly focused, his concentration piercing the sky.
In his fusion historical drama mixed with fantasy, the setting was the Joseon Dynasty, with characters such as secret royal inspectors, Taoist priests, and yokai appearing. While infusing the right amount of wit, he also blended in a surprisingly occult atmosphere.
As he wrote, Kang Rojun occasionally read the dialogue aloud or chuckled at his own writing.
These days, Kang Rojun was always living with creativity and music, composing, lyric-writing, and now screenwriting, and no matter what it was, he had that enjoying expression on his face. Of course, the most euphoric look he had was during yesterday’s debut showcon.
Anyway.
-Swish.
Kang Rojun’s fingers, which were energetically typing on the laptop, momentarily paused. He was writing while simultaneously doing research. Though he had already done some research before writing the synopsis, since it was his first attempt at a historical drama-style work, there was still much to look into.
Then Rojun checked the time.
“It’s already past 8.”
He had been so immersed in writing that about three hours had gone by. He stopped writing for now, organized the next part of the story to write, and stood up from his seat.
“Time to start the mission.”
Just as he was about to head to the gym, he paused for a moment.
“……Hmm, should I decide on the title?”
He had gotten so caught up in the writing that he had forgotten to decide on a title. Sitting back down, he crossed his arms while reviewing the synopsis and the first part of the script he had written so far. The deliberation didn’t take long.
“Okay, I’ve decided. Let’s go with ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’.”
Having finalized the proposed historical drama-style project as ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’, Kang Rojun smiled and stepped out of the studio.
Then, to complete the mission, he headed to the gym.
The staff who saw him couldn’t help but stick out their tongues in disbelief.
“Hey, isn’t that Ro, Rojun-ssi??”
“Huh? No way. Why would someone who just finished a showcon yesterday be here at this hour?”
“Then who’s that super handsome guy over there lifting weights?”
“What? Ah- Huh??! That really is Rojun-ssi!!”
Kang Rojun continued his workout unfazed. In fact, from yesterday morning up until now, he had even pulled an all-nighter after performing at the debut showcon. Yet, strangely enough.
‘What the heck?? Why do I have more energy as time goes on?’
He wasn’t tired at all. It was even a bit scary to him. It might feel unfamiliar now, but he figured he’d soon get used to it too.
‘Just in case, I’ll try to nap for about 30 minutes or an hour whenever I get the chance.’
While Kang Rojun was immersed in his workout, the media was reporting the conclusion of Vanguard’s showcon held the day before.
《Amid 20,000 screams, a dazzling debut, Vanguard: ‘It felt like a dream’》
《‘Vanguard’ successfully completes debut showcon… Sweeps the ‘dream stage’!/ Photo》
《[Star News] Officially debuted yesterday, Vanguard proves they’re monster rookies at Gocheok Dome》
《Vanguard concludes Gocheok Dome showcon, fans who stayed late say, ‘2 hours and 40 minutes of a gift-like time’》
The phrase ‘official debut’ was the most frequently mentioned, but articles also included a variety of topics: interviews with the ‘Vanguard’ members after the showcon, evaluations of the debut songs, and the fact that Kang Rojun participated in composing and writing all the tracks.
Naturally, the debut songs of ‘Vanguard’, which dominated the top spots on various music platforms right after release, were also red hot.
《Vanguard sweeps music charts upon debut… Truly an All-Time Great Debut》
Not only that, but reviews of the showcon and member appearances were uploaded to Vanguard’s official SNS channels.
[@Van_guard official]
[Posts 57]
[Followers 4.503 million]
[Following 2]
The official music videos released right after the showcon also sparked intense reactions. Currently, the official MVs for ‘GreenBee’, ‘Windveil’, and ‘FlyingBell’, posted on YouTube, had already surpassed 3 million views. They were uploaded at midnight, so they reached that number in less than 12 hours, a staggering result.
What was interesting was the public’s reaction.
‘Vanguard’ fans showered them with endless praise and admiration.
-Sweeping the charts with a debut albumㅋㅋㅋㅋ This is insane!!
-It’s inevitable. The songs are just good.
-1st place on the charts was guaranteedㅋㅋㅋㅋ They even did it during Produce That 100!
-Produce That 100 was riding the show’s hype though.
-↑Here comes the forced criticism.
-Vanguard’s firepower is insane!! The MV’s about to hit 5 million in a day!!!
-Let me make a prediction… Vanguard is going to be a disruptive force in the idol industry… They debuted at Gocheok, so that says it all
-Agreed. Their visuals, skills, effort, and firepower, nothing’s lacking.
There were just as many people harshly criticizing them. Mostly, it was fans of other idols whose popularity or attention had been taken away, and among them, fans of ‘Neos’ were especially intense.
-Why are Vanguard fans being so dramatic? They just debuted, it’s only been a day, and they’re saying they’ve swept everything. This is seriously over the topㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Anyway, in about a week it’ll quiet downㅋㅋㅋ Let them be.
-They hit No.1 thanks to the hype from the opening, and now they’re calling them a disruptive force in the idol industry lmao
-Honestly, isn’t Vanguard just Rojun’s face carrying the whole team?? Without him, there’s really nothing worth seeing.
-They filled Gocheok Dome off the overflow from Produce That 100, and now they’re going wild.
-Rookies who just debuted is now trying to compete with Neos? Damn.
-Enjoy the hype while it lastsㅋㅋㅋ Once the thrill fades, they’ll disappear like ghosts.
-Anyway, once Vanguard shows up on music shows, they’ll be trembling in front of Neos.
It didn’t help that the debut and comeback timings overlapped, and the fact that ‘Vanguard’ had pushed ‘Neos’ off the No.1 spot made the situation look even worse. Even the media was stirring up comparisons and rivalries between the two groups.
《[Issue Pick] ‘Did Vanguard push out Neos?’ Neos fans outraged as their ranking drops》
So, it was only natural that both sides’ fans would get riled up.
On Wednesday, April 7, a day after the debut, in Japan.
News of Vanguard’s official debut, which was shaking up South Korea, was also spreading rapidly in Japan. From the fact that 20,000 people filled Gocheok Dome to their debut songs sweeping music charts the moment they were released.
It made sense, ‘Produce That 100’ had also been very popular in Japan.
《Vanguard, born from ‘Produce That 100’… Fills Korea’s Gocheok Dome in a spectacular debut》
However, even before the Japanese media picked it up, Vanguard’s Japanese fans already knew everything. In fact, quite a few Japanese fans had attended the showcon two days earlier, and right now, ‘Vanguard’ was the No.1 trending keyword on Japan’s major SNS platforms.
Among the tens of thousands of comments on Vanguard’s debut songs, many were written in Japanese.
-Even with just four members, their presence and performance are overwhelming!! Thank you for not making it feel lacking♡
-A group that’s strong in live performances!!
-I’m truly proud to support a group this cool
-Every time the screen changes, only handsome guys appear. That’s insane!!!
There were even signs that an official fan club for ‘Vanguard’ was beginning to form in Japan.
No, ever since ‘Produce That 100’ expanded into Japan, ‘Vanguard’ already had a Japanese fanbase. It just didn’t have the ‘official’ label yet. Now, Japanese fans were clamoring to know when the newly debuted ‘Vanguard’ would come to Japan.
GN Entertainment, aware of this, was already responding, uploading specific posts and member videos for Japanese fans via Vanguard’s Instagram.
Around this time, a large set in Tokyo was bustling with filming crew.
Many familiar faces were present.
From the usually grim-looking PD Noguchi Ken to Japan’s top actor Endo Takuto, rising actress Suzuki Rie, and many others.
Tom Cavill, the Executive Director, and staff from Netflix Japan were also mingled in.
Because this was the set of ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’.
“PD-nim, lighting setup is complete! Please check!”
“Yes. I’m coming now.”
“Endo-san’s makeup is done-”
“We’ll start with a quick rehearsal, actors!”
The atmosphere was quite hectic.
For reference, the first shoot of ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’, which Kang Rojun wrote and would also act in, had taken place on April 1st. Nearly a week had passed since that initial shoot. Of course, this was something Kang Rojun was well aware of.
As the preparations finished, PD Noguchi Ken gave the cue.
“Action.”
The filming centered around male lead Endo Takuto. One notable point was the tone of the acting. Compared to the script reading, the performance had a much calmer yet subtly tense atmosphere. This was partly due to the PD’s direction to lower the tone, but it was also a change that stemmed from Writer Rojun’s directing influence.
About an hour later.
“Cut.”
After finishing a scene, the actors moved to the staff for makeup touch-ups, and Executive Director Tom Cavill, who had been watching the set, approached PD Noguchi Ken with a satisfied smile.
“I’ll be heading out now, PD-nim.”
PD Noguchi Ken, who had been conversing with key staff members, turned his head.
“It’s almost lunchtime. Would you like to eat before you go?”
Tom Cavill’s blue eyes shook as he shook his head.
“No, I have a lunch appointment.”
“I see. Understood.”
“You’ve heard the news about Rojun-nim’s debut, right?”
“Of course. I also saw the ‘Vanguard’ music video. Rojun-nim was radiating a completely different energy from when he’s a writer or actor. It was quite something.”
“He’s been incredible since ‘Produce That 100′. Anyway, GN and I are still coordinating Rojun-nim’s shooting dates, so I’ll let you know once it’s finalized.”
PD Noguchi Ken nodded as if he understood. Then, he suddenly changed the subject.
“To be honest, before seeing Rojun-nim in person, I wasn’t very interested in ‘Produce That 100’ or anything related, but recently I’ve been looking up a lot about him. I heard he once shook up the music charts here too.”
“That’s right. He was always No.1 on our charts as well.”
“I’ve been thinking… What if we ask Rojun-nim to do the ending main theme OST for ‘Like a Kaleidoscope’?”
“Hmm.”
“He can compose, write lyrics, and sing, and I think we can also inject the symbolism of the project through his involvement. Plus, Japanese wouldn’t be an issue at all.”
“It’s not that I haven’t thought about it, but…”
Trailing off, Tom Cavill opened his mouth again.
“Since ‘Vanguard’ just officially debuted, I’m not sure if Rojun-nim will be available.”
“…True, he must already have a lot on his plate.”
“Even though Rojun-nim showed tension that went beyond common sense during ‘Produce That 100′, now that he’s officially debuted, it’s a different story. Realistically, he’s probably very short on time.”
After thinking for a moment, Executive Director Tom Cavill wrapped it up.
“But I’ll go ahead and make the request to GN for now.”
At the same time, in Korea.
The location was GN Entertainment’s conference room. At the head of the table sat CEO Ha Seo-hwan, who had the vibe of a mature middle-aged man. Surrounding him were Manager Kim Ki-baek and the management team.
It was a report on Vanguard’s upcoming schedule.
Manager Kim Ki-baek was in charge of presenting the report.
“Hmm- Vanguard’s official first schedule will be the pre-recording for a music show. We received requests from several broadcasting stations, but as expected, starting with ‘JTVM’, where PD Woo Han-suk is, seems best.”
CEO Ha Seo-hwan crossed his arms, making the muscles on his forearms stand out.
“Not bad. Since ‘Vanguard’ is the offspring of ‘Produce That 100′, we can also present this as a kind of giving back.”
“Yes. Also, maintaining a good relationship with PD Woo Han-suk is definitely beneficial.”
“He’s a top variety show PD, after all. All right, then the first music show appearance for ‘Vanguard’ will be on ‘Music Beat’ at ‘JTVM’.”
“After that, we’ll finalize schedules with the public network music shows. And as shown in the report, the first promotion cycle for ‘Vanguard’ will begin with ‘GreenBee’, followed by ‘FlyingBell’, then ‘Windveil’. This is to manage the intensity of the concepts.”
Although it was a triple title track release, promoting one song at a time wasn’t unusual, and Manager Kim Ki-baek moved on to the next item.
“As for variety shows excluding music shows, we’re still coordinating with both public and cable networks since there are many variables. So for now, we’ve booked mainly YouTube talk variety programs, and here is the confirmed list of magazines and pictorials.”
After continuing the report for over 30 minutes, Manager Kim Ki-baek closed his planner. The sheer volume of scheduled activities, even right after debut, was hard to believe. Even CEO Ha Seo-hwan, who had managed many idols before, had never seen anything like this.
“We’re not the ones chasing down the networks, they’re the ones chasing us.”
CEO Ha Seo-hwan smiled faintly.
“I’m getting to experience this kind of thrill in my lifetime.”
At that moment, Manager Kim Ki-baek spoke up.
“And, CEO-nim. This is just my opinion, but-”
“Go ahead.”
He spoke in a calm tone.
“How about we start preparing for Vanguard’s concert in Japan right away?”