Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 93

하루 아침에 음악괴수! 84화

28. NEW DAZE

Painkiller’s solo run continued for a really long time.

After the Billboard Music Awards, Painkiller only performed five more times, but each time, they were praised as if they were breaking records and becoming legends.

Thanks to that, Black Tiger’s music also benefited from the effect and maintained its top position for a long time.

Among them, “brilliant struggle” and “Level up” were still competing for rankings within the top 10.

“We’ve maintained the number one spot for 11 weeks now.”

Taylor’s face was flushed as he said that.

Saying it’s the 11th week doesn’t do it justice, because in terms of all-time Billboard records, it’s an amazing record at 16th.

The only other artists to achieve the same record are Elvis Presley, Toni Braxton, All-4-One, Sean Combs, Faith Evans, and Destiny’s Child.

They are all legends, so it was definitely an honor to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

However, the reason Taylor’s face was so flushed was that Painkiller’s recognition was still going strong, even after holding the top spot for 11 weeks.

No, there was still room for growth, so at this rate, they might achieve an all-time record.

“Come to think of it, that show-off’s best record was only 10 weeks.”

The guy I was talking about was none other than another version of myself in my memories.

Of course, is there even a need to mention this? The record of 10 weeks was also amazing.

This wasn’t something that could be achieved simply because the singer’s skills were excellent, but rather a record that was only possible when various factors created a virtuous cycle.

It’s a record that can’t be achieved even with tens of billions spent on marketing, so the guy who casually achieved records close to that was definitely a monster—no, a beast.

“We need to prepare Black Tiger’s next album quickly.”

But as expected, I wanted to achieve the same record as Black Tiger rather than the hit song “Painkiller.”

That’s why I officially talked about taking a break to prepare for the next album.

It was called a break, but it didn’t actually mean taking a break.

It meant taking the time to focus more on music than now.

For some reason, my uncles were treating music with a completely different attitude than before, as if they had changed, so I was going to accelerate things.

When I told the head of the department about my thoughts, he clapped and nodded.

“주마가편(走馬加鞭). That’s good.”

“주마가편?”

The head of the department explained the meaning to me, who didn’t know what it meant.

주마가편 [Jumagapyeon] is a Chinese idiom that means to whip a running horse, meaning to add more strength when things are already going well.

It was a Chinese idiom that fit the current situation of my uncles and my thoughts.

“…Come to think of it, it’s not just my uncles who need 주마가편.”

I also had to spur Lee Na-eun, who was preparing for her first full-length album after releasing her second mini-album earlier this year, and I also had to help Blue Rose, who had finished preparing to release her first full-length album.

And that’s not all.

I also had to help produce Lara Land’s album, which had exceeded expectations and raised the company’s stock price by more than 50% compared to its heyday.

If they hit another jackpot with this album, they would completely establish themselves as a top-tier group, so it was even more important.

In addition, there were two more big events.

They were Japan’s ‘NEW DAZE Contest’ and the Chinese idol contest.

“Jang Hyung is really something.”

Is it because he is a candidate to be the successor of Jangjin Group, which is comparable to the top three companies in Korea?

Jang Woong clearly showed what someone with a lot of money, a lot of people, and even power can do in China.

Surprisingly, Jang Woong held nine idol contests simultaneously on one platform.

He had eight local broadcasting stations hold minor idol contests for the general public, and those who were selected could participate in the major idol contest through Kowloon Entertainment, which Jang Woong led.

The major idol contest was selected from those with experience in K-pop.

The reason why they were selected was because a huge number of people applied for this major idol contest.

From popular first-tier idols to unpopular third-tier idols applied, and even after cutting half of them, there were still more than 30 people.

There were two reasons why so many people applied.

One is that Jangjin Group was the background of this idol contest.

Due to the cultural characteristics in China, having such a large company as a background was synonymous with rising to the upper class.

The other is that they promised to debut regardless of ranking if they just entered the major idol contest.

Of course, there may be differences in support scale, etc., but it was clear that they would debut with Jangjin Group behind them.

Talented people gathered and naturally, the topic also gathered, so this idol contest made up of Chinese people could not fail.

The aftermath was so great that Korean entertainment companies, which were making huge investments in China and were about to succeed, were faltering.

“After season 1, they said they would only expand the scale of local contests to fill the major idol contest.”

If they go through several seasons like this, Kowloon Entertainment could take over the entire Chinese idol market, rather than just ending up as a temporary flash in the pan.

Of course, there would be quite a few side effects, but Jang Woong’s ability would be more than enough to handle that.

As the Chinese idol contest became such a hit, expectations for the ‘NEW DAZE Contest’ led by YC Entertainment in Japan were soaring.

Above all, the fact that I, the singer who has been holding the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 11 weeks, was appearing was enough to generate tremendous buzz.

Due to this phenomenon, the ‘NEW DAZE Contest’ was showing tremendous buzz ahead of the finals.

There were a total of 101 Japanese idol hopefuls who advanced to the finals.

The plan was to select five of them, but separately from that, I was planning to bring about ten people to YC Entertainment.

“Mr. Ichiro must be happy.”

The number of applicants who applied for this ‘NEW DAZE Contest’ was over 70,000.

These were the people who had been filtered out, so there was no need to doubt the talent or flair of the finalists.

That meant that there were enough talented people to create a K-pop-style idol group made up of Japanese people that Mr. Ichiro wanted.

“On top of that, the promotion that they are from the Japanese ‘NEW DAZE Contest’ is certain, so there’s no way they won’t be successful.”

Of course, for that to be possible, ‘NEW DAZE’ had to be a huge success in Japan.

And that also meant that they had to pick talented people from the NEW DAZE Contest.

They needed someone who had at least one A-grade in visuals, singing, or dancing, even if they weren’t as good as Kim Yoo-ji, who achieved Triple A+.

That’s why I asked them to gather the talented people who unfortunately dropped out in the preliminary rounds separately.

I tried to discover as many talented people as possible, even if it meant using the name of a comeback match.

And this decision of mine was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

“Sumire? Rikka! Nicori too?”

They were the talented people who were salvaged under the name of the comeback match as a result of examining those who had been eliminated in the preliminary rounds.

There was a reason why those who were selected had fallen.

“Visually, they pass, but the problem is that their dancing and singing are holding them back.”

The 101 NEW DAZE candidates who participated in the finals had some skills, whether they learned them in after-school clubs or separately at academies.

I don’t understand how they only push idols with the concept of a girl next door from the neighborhood, even though they have such talented people.

But if you look at the situation in detail, it’s not that you can’t understand it.

Japanese girl groups have become a form of otaku [obsessive fan] culture and are not the object of girls’ admiration, and their income is also close to the concept of a part-time job.

In addition, if they are not popular members, their lifespan is quite short, and it is difficult to stand out.

That’s why people with real talent or skills are trying to debut in Korea.

Anyway, the reason why I picked Sumire, Rikka, and Nicori despite their lack of skills is because I know them.

How could I not know?

They were the members of Black Diamond, who were successful at YC Entertainment before the guy in my memory became addicted to drugs.

They were a girl group that was successful enough to tour in Japan and the United States from their third year of debut, and they changed the history of girl groups.

If that’s the case, they could have easily ignored the 7-year jinx and become a long-running idol group, unless there was a really big variable.

In addition to Sumire, Rikka, and Nicori, Black Diamond also had Himari, and they became idols of girls in Japan.

It was natural because all four of them had triple A-grade or higher in singing, dancing, and visuals.

“They have talent and are diligent, so if I teach them well, their skills will improve quickly.”

I shouldn’t ignore effort, but talent is bound to be absolute in these arts and sports, so I had high expectations for them, who were selected in the form of a comeback match.

“Even if it’s not NEW DAZE, I have to take them no matter what.”

As I was thinking that, I couldn’t help but feel strange when I saw Himari, the last Japanese member of Black Diamond, among those who made it to the finals.

“Is this fate?”

Unlike the previous three, Himari’s talent was already in full bloom, so it was just amazing that she came to YC Entertainment like this.

* * *

“Hehe, I failed again, Mom.”

“Yes, you worked hard, my daughter.”

“Hing!”

Sumire snuggled into her mother’s arms, acting like a spoiled child.

However, apart from acting like a spoiled child, she was surprisingly not very disappointed about failing.

Every time she passed the first and second preliminary rounds, she realized that she hadn’t prepared anything compared to the other children.

‘I was really embarrassed.’

The children she had been with last summer were different from herself, who came to the NEW DAZE Contest with the expectation that she might be able to meet Black Tiger’s YC Sama, whom she had fallen in love with last summer.

Knowing the meaning of this opportunity, the children participated in this NEW DAZE Contest with a serious attitude.

Thanks to that, Sumire was also assimilated with them and practiced seriously all night, and luckily, she was able to advance to the third preliminary round.

But that was as far as she could go.

Beyond that was an area that could not be reached by luck and fluke.

If there were only a few participants, I don’t know, but more than 70,000 girls participated in this contest.

That’s why Sumire wasn’t disappointed that she failed.

She just thought that it was right for someone who thought this was their job to go up, rather than herself, who jumped in with mere interest.

“…Sniffle, sniffle.”

“Sigh. Yes, yes.”

Sumire definitely thought so when she failed.

But… the current Sumire was not the Sumire of the past. Before she knew it, she also began to seriously face the job of an idol.

She belatedly faced that fact, and so she cried out like a child.

Like any other girl who failed in the preliminary rounds, Sumire had no choice but to shed tears, soaking her warm mother’s arms.