HPDBC Chapter 1236 Debut
Chapter 1236 Debut
Chapter 1236 Debut
Since the release of Girls' Generation's music, their popularity and data have been at a high level. In particular, "Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter" has topped multiple charts and is showing a trend of dominating the charts. Both the buzz surrounding the album and its quality have completely exceeded many people's expectations.
...At this point, some people started to get restless.
In the practice room of YMC Company's Wannaone.
"...The number of likes has already exceeded 100,000, and it's only been a few days? How can it be so high?"
"This momentum is a bit scary..."
The Wanna One members, who had just finished class, were resting on one side, while the group's manager, Kim Son-ha, was looking at the data analysis of Girls' Generation that the staff had just brought over, frowning and muttering to himself.
Wanna One's debut date was determined after multiple meetings and discussions, and the most suitable timeframe was set. They officially debuted on August 7th a long time ago.
Later, after SM announced Girls' Generation's comeback, they realized that it had clashed with Girls' Generation's... However, YMC didn't really care, feeling that Girls' Generation didn't pose any threat, and all debut preparations continued as planned.
Not only the management company, but also the agents and staff didn't really take Girls' Generation seriously.
...But judging from the past few days, why are their songs becoming more and more popular?
Putting aside the other songs, "Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter" has been dominating the charts since the second day. It seems to be on the verge of becoming a major hit.
Jin Sunhe has been paying close attention to the data and results of "Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter" since yesterday, hoping that it will "reveal its true colors".
However, the more he hoped, the higher the song climbed, making him, who hadn't cared before, start to worry a lot.
"Brother, are you talking about the song 'Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter' by the senior members of Girls' Generation?"
"I saw online that this song's popularity will die down in a couple of days, right?"
Hearing Kim Son-ha's mutterings, Yoon Ji-sung and Ha Sung-woon couldn't help but chime in, their tone somewhat arrogant, as if they didn't take that senior girl group too seriously.
To be honest, they are getting a little cocky right now.
Being an idol is actually a profession that is very easy to misunderstand.
They were just trainees before, but now they have successfully formed a group. Even before their debut, their popularity has exploded, destined to make them the new generation of top stars. Countless fans flock to them, offering themselves as their bed partners. Every day, a casual glance online reveals nothing but rainbow-colored praise... It's hard not to get carried away.
Although the agency gives lectures every day about etiquette and respect, these things are just for show.
To be honest, they don't really take Girls' Generation seriously... Yesterday, when they were joking around, they were discussing who in Girls' Generation is the best looking right now, and whether they could pursue and date the senior members, which caused a lot of howling and laughter.
"Anyway, the last album is about to be released and the group will disband, so it doesn't matter."
"Don't worry, bro~"
The two of them were laughing and chatting, and Hwang Min-hyun, who was standing next to them, joined in the conversation.
"Aish! Are you all idiots?!"
However, the laughter and joking of these people instantly enraged Jin Sunhe, who began to shout and curse at them.
He was furious. He and his company were extremely worried these past two days because of Girls' Generation's sudden popularity... These kids who hadn't even debuted yet had actually gotten too big for their britches.
When Kim Son-ha got angry, the male idols who had been laughing just moments before instantly cowered and were too scared to speak.
"Are you all blind? Have you even paid attention to their grades these past two days?"
He was furious. As they cursed him, he explained, "The song 'Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter' is incredibly popular right now. The music charts are about to explode, and it's generating a lot of buzz. There's no way to suppress it. Do you know what that means?"
“In the music industry, there can only be one hot topic at any given time. If their song becomes a hit, our song will be affected. Do you know how many extra resources the company has to expend to make up for the original plans and arrangements?”
Kim Son-ha's voice echoed throughout the practice room, and the once lively atmosphere instantly fell silent. Several arrogant male idols who hadn't yet debuted shrank back, not daring to utter a single word in rebuttal.
He looked at the group of WannaOnes he had painstakingly chosen and felt somewhat resentful.
This year's "Produce 101 Season 2" involved collaborations from dozens of companies and nationwide voting. With such a grand scale, they created the group Wanna One, aiming to reach the top of the boy group scene and wrest the boy group market that EXO had dominated for so long.
Thanks to their efforts and a bit of luck, EXO's momentum has clearly slowed down this year, which was plagued by dating scandals, while Wanna One's popularity has exploded, so everyone in the company is actually quite confident.
Wanna One is comparable to EXO... Girls' Generation is just a has-been, what kind of roadside idol is that?
But to his utter surprise, the group of middle-aged women who should have been buried long ago actually played a role in stopping the burial... and it seemed to be quite effective.
Kim Son-ha was angry, but he couldn't continue cursing. He glanced around, then his gaze suddenly sharpened as he stared at Kang Daniel, who was sitting on the far side, head down, tapping on his phone, seemingly doing nothing. He roared:
"Kang Daniel, what are you doing?"
“Ani, no.”
Before he could finish typing the text message, Kang Daniel was startled and his hand trembled. He quickly shoved the phone back into his hand and bowed to his manager.
"If you keep doing this, I'm taking your phone away!"
Jin Sunhe glared at him, then looked at everyone and loudly commanded:
“Keep practicing!”
…………
"Oh no, our daily ranking champion is gone!"
A wolf's howl echoed through the SBS TV station's dressing room. Son Seung-wan stared at the music charts on his phone, his face full of bitterness. His fingers kept swiping the screen: "This 'Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter' is just too hot... Are we going to lose our weekly chart spot too? We just won first place for a week!"
Red Velvet's comeback was a huge success, and while their digital music sales were also phenomenal, their title track was overshadowed by a wildly popular song by Kurosawa, which held the charts at the same time. Red Velvet's title track remained at number two on the weekly charts for three weeks.
Through their own hard work and promotion, and with the other side's popularity waning, they finally managed to take the top spot on the daily charts this week and even won the Melon weekly crown. But before they could even settle in, they were pushed off by Girls' Generation's "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter".
With their daily chart rankings plummeting and their weekly chart rankings also in danger, the members of Red Velvet were having some serious concerns, especially Son Seungwan, who always cared a lot about the digital performance of her songs.
"It's another song written by Jingyuan... Why does it feel like he's always working against us?!"
After scrolling through her phone for a while, Son Seung-wan, now three years younger and reborn in 1994, suddenly covered her face and started wailing dramatically, making Kim Ye-rin and Kang Seul-gi look at her with strange expressions.
Are you comparing yourself to Girls' Generation or to Ji Kyung-won?
However, Red Velvet had such good results this time, and just a few days ago they were preparing to win a few more daily and weekly championships... I didn't expect to be surpassed by Girls' Generation in just two days, and I do feel a little frustrated.
Of course, it's just something to complain about in private; you wouldn't dare say it in person. You'd even have to bow and wish the Girls' Generation seniors great success.
......"
After a brief discussion, Son Seungwan noticed that Bae Joo-hyun hadn't really chimed in. She sat down next to her and looked at the older woman wearing headphones: "Unnie, what are you listening to...?"
She stopped before she could finish her question, because she could already hear the song "Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter" in the lingering sound of her headphones.
In an instant, her gaze towards Bae Joo-hyun changed... it was as if she were looking at a traitor.
"I think Taeyeon unnie and the others' songs this time are pretty good~"
Bae Joo-hyun pretended not to see it, took off her headphones and commented with a smile: "Especially this song 'Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter,' the atmosphere is really to my liking, and the lyrics are really well written and have a lot of flavor."
...Do you like this song just because of the lyrics?
Son Seungwan was too lazy to expose her, and after pouting, she nodded: "The lyrics are indeed very... it seems that they were written by the Girls' Generation unnies themselves."
"Ah……"
Bae Joo-hyun chuckled softly upon hearing this, her lips slightly pursed.
For some reason, hearing Son Seungwan say that, and hearing her attribute the credit for such great lyrics to Girls' Generation, made her a little unhappy.
Others might not know where the lyrics of this song came from, but surely she does!
These lyrics that have received countless positive reviews online were all written by him... by her! She was just using his name when we were young.
"Hum~"
However, Bae Joo-hyun didn't argue with Son Seung-wan. She looked at Son Seung-wan and asked if she wanted to listen together, but Son Seung-wan refused. So she put on her headphones again, crossed her legs, and started swinging them gently.
Although she had a busy and tiring schedule these past few days, she was in a really good mood.
Both her group's and her own popularity have soared with this huge comeback, and her collaboration with GUCCI is about to be officially announced.
Taeyeon and Noona's comeback has been very successful... Now, when you look online, you see people everywhere talking about Girls' Generation's album and the song "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter" by Ji Kyung-won.
Wow, these are all things that make her really happy!
But why do I feel a little itchy, both physically and mentally?
…………
In a coffee shop in Gangnam District, the stylishly dressed Jung sisters chatted and drank coffee.
"...Unnie, have you seen it yet~" Jung Soo-jung suddenly asked as she spoke.
"What did you say?"
"It's that Girls' Generation music video, the one with the song 'Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter'."
"That one... I saw it."
Jessica Jung paused for a moment after hearing this, then nodded in agreement.
She knew what her sister was talking about.
She certainly saw that suggestive shot of nine chairs.
Putting aside the numerous online discussions about this scene these past few days, she has actually been keeping an eye on Girls' Generation all along... Although she never mentions it after leaving the group, she can't help but keep an eye on it.
The fact that she blurted out "SONE" to her own fans without thinking at the last fan meeting is a good example of this.
However, Jessica Jung's feelings about Girls' Generation's 10th anniversary album are very complicated. She wants to see Girls' Generation flop after she leaves, proving that they can't do without her. She also feels very proud and accomplished when she thinks about the expressions of those annoying people.
But when I think about the last album, I can't help but want to see this group, which represents my youth, have a perfect ending.
It's very contradictory.
Jessica Jung has actually been in contact with some of the members of Girls' Generation. When they were chatting privately a while ago, she heard them say that they had added elements related to her to the music video for the title track, but they deliberately kept it a secret and didn't explain it clearly.
Her curiosity was piqued at that moment... 14 years later, she had no public contact with Girls' Generation anymore, and the two sides never mentioned each other again.
Will she finally appear on this final album?
When the music video was released, and she saw the nine chairs that were specially left empty, even though there had been a preview beforehand, she still felt an indescribable mix of emotions and complex feelings... as well as a kind of happiness that she herself was unwilling to admit.
Even so, she couldn't help but haughtily mutter, "If she hadn't left the group, she would definitely be in the center position. How could Kim Tae-yeon compare to her? What's the point of using this scrap chair on the far side to represent her?"
hum~
"Unnie, did they film this specifically for publicity? Is it just a publicity stunt?"
Jessica Jung had mixed feelings, but her younger sister Krystal Jung felt differently. She just found the scene annoying: "It's really awful."
She used to be quite close to the members of Girls' Generation, but unfortunately, even the closest relationships can't compare to those between sisters.
"...I don't think so."
Hearing her sister's question, Jessica Jung was silent for a few seconds, then smiled and shook her head: "This wasn't something SM proposed... Anyway, it's the last album, so even if it is, it doesn't matter."
As she spoke, Jessica Jung couldn't help but recall what her former Girls' Generation member, with whom she still kept in touch, had told her... This scene was suggested by Ji Kyung-won and filmed only after a vote by the Girls' Generation members.
She didn't really feel anything about Chi Jingyuan's suggestion, but when she thought about how it was approved by the group of women through a vote, she inexplicably felt much more relaxed.
"..."
Hearing Jessica Jung's tone, Krystal Jung seemed to have noticed her sister's mood. She had just been irritable and dissatisfied, but now she had calmed down.
"I see a lot of people are discussing it online..." She scrolled through her phone, clicking her tongue as she read the comments, and then looked curiously at her older sister: "So, unnie, why don't you... respond?"
"..."
Jessica Jung paused slightly upon hearing this. She glanced out the window, and after a brief smile, she deliberately pursed her lips.
"Not now... maybe in a few days."
…………
August 7th arrived quickly, and Girls' Generation's 8th anniversary physical album was officially released... But what attracted even more attention was the official debut of Wanna One, the national boy group that had been teased for a long time and was highly anticipated by the music industry.
Their debut album, "1X1=1 (TO BE ONE)," sold 78 copies in pre-orders alone. The title track, "Energetic," immediately topped the real-time charts on major music charts in Peninsula and swept the top spot on all seven major charts within just one hour of its release, dethroning "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter," which had held the top spot for several days.
Boy groups have historically struggled with music charts; apart from BIGBANG and EXO, no boy group has managed to debut at number one in recent years.
But Wanna One, who had just debuted, did it with ease.
Even though many people knew Wanna One would be popular, their current level of popularity is still surprising.
With outstanding digital music performance, astonishing album sales, remarkable overseas influence, high media attention, and a strong fan base, this group, despite being a newly debuted group, seems to be another EXO born in the eyes of many.
Girls' Generation, who were originally riding high, were naturally affected and even severely suppressed. Their own buzz and the popularity of a large portion of the songs on their album were suddenly overshadowed.
...That's the influence of a top-tier boy band.
However, the title track "Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter" remained strong and rose against the trend. Although Wanna One took the top spot on the real-time chart, its data did not decline due to its excellent quality and listenable nature, and it remained firmly at the top of the daily chart.
Just when Girls' Generation's popularity was severely affected, a news item suddenly climbed to the top of the trending searches at an extremely fast pace.
Former member Jessica liked a post from Girls' Generation.
(End of this chapter)