Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 71

Music Monster Overnight! 62

A snow-covered expanse stretched to the horizon.

In the center of this unrealistically white space, a small, black figure stood out.

The camera zoomed in quickly, revealing a tall man.

The lens slowly scanned the man, clad in a countrified black hat and suit. The image seemed to waver for a moment when it reached his face.

It was an illusion, a trick of the eye caused by the sheer intensity of the man’s presence.

In stark contrast to his empty, emotionless eyes, the man exuded an overwhelming aura.

It felt as though even this vast, snow-covered world could barely contain him.

-Ta-ta-ta-ta-tan. Ta-ta-ta-ta!-

The sound of a piano began, as if to emphasize his presence.

The piano wasn’t particularly loud, but its presence was terrifying.

It sounded desperate, almost like a scream.

In this way, the music video captivated viewers within the first ten seconds.

The scene shifted again after another ten seconds.

-Hoo-woo…….-

The man exhaled, his breath forming a white cloud in the air. The cloud seemed to vanish, but then the surroundings began to tremble.

-Swish!-

The camera, which had been focused on the man, panned back to reveal that he had disappeared from the snowy landscape.

Only his footprints remained, a testament to his presence.

-Ta-ta-ta-tan. Tan-tan-tan-ta!-

The desperate piano music faded away.

Darkness engulfed the screen, like a blackout. When the light returned, it revealed an unfamiliar hospital.

The man who had vanished from the white space now stood before it.

He was different now.

His face remained expressionless, but the intense aura that had overwhelmed everything was gone.

In its place was a chillingly fatal atmosphere.

The dramatic change made one wonder if he was even the same person. He entered the hospital.

-Ja-ja-ja-jang!-

A sharp guitar riff cut through the air.

He radiated an enormous presence, different from the initial intensity, yet no one in the hospital seemed to notice him.

He moved through the halls as if invisible, heading directly to a particularly quiet ward.

Inside, an old man lay in bed, connected to various machines.

As the man approached, the old man’s face, previously etched with pain, gradually relaxed.

When he stood beside the bed, the machines began to beep and whir erratically.

-Haa~-

The man sighed softly and disappeared.

Doctors and nurses rushed into the ward as soon as he was gone, and the magnificent guitar music slowly faded.

Darkness again.

-Ji-ji-ji-jing!-

-Doo-doo-doo-doong!-

When the darkness lifted, a loud band erupted, threatening to consume everything.

The man reappeared in a large hospital ward.

“I thought I’d start over…….”

A husky voice blended with the band’s powerful sound.

Accompanied by the song “Brilliant Struggle,” the man observed cancer patients fighting desperately for their lives.

Unlike with the old man, he didn’t approach them directly.

He simply looked around with an indifferent gaze.

Only when someone collapsed from exhaustion did he approach. And, without exception, the collapsed patient met their end, just like the old man.

To many, the man seemed like the Grim Reaper or an angel of death.

It was easy to see him that way, as he was always present with those closest to death.

However, the twist came in the middle of the music video.

A young boy, full of life, clung to hope, enduring terrible pain.

A single mother struggled desperately to survive for her child.

The man approached them, seemingly indifferent.

It seemed inevitable that they would meet the same fate as the others, but surprisingly, something different happened.

A day passed, then several more, and they didn’t die.

Color returned to their pale faces, and smiles replaced their expressions of pain.

Hope blossomed. They had hope to continue living.

For the first time, emotion flickered across the man’s face.

The trace was faint, but anyone who had watched the music video would recognize it as happiness.

Though it was just a small fragment of emotion, it revealed that the man was not the Grim Reaper or anything of the sort.

No, by diminishing the intense, chilling aura, he revealed himself to be a transcendental being connected to hope.

-Tan-ta-ta-ta-tan……-

With the warm, spring-like piano music, a stark contrast to the earlier, mournful sound, the man sighed again and disappeared.

Though the full story wasn’t revealed, it was easy to imagine what came next.

He would save someone else who was fighting a brilliant struggle.

The highlight of this music video, which felt like a short film, was the visual beauty centered around the man.

The music video cleverly used contrasting elements to create a compelling narrative.

It wasn’t just the contrasting light and shadows, skillfully using natural light, or the colors of the clothes worn by the man and the patients.

The biggest contrast was the man’s bizarre aura, enhanced by unbelievable CG [Computer-Generated Imagery] effects.

The scenes with him felt significantly different from those without him.

Even with the sentimental elements designed to stir emotions, viewers’ eyes were drawn to the man whenever he appeared.

Those in the video industry might have thought they were witnessing magic.

But it was neither magic nor anything supernatural.

It was simply Youngchan playing the man, and Hong Euichan directing.

This combination had once surprised everyone, creating a sense of incongruity, but this time, they had reached a new level.

It wasn’t for nothing that Youngchan’s uncles felt a sense of unease, calling it stalking or art.

They weren’t the only ones who felt that way.

Tokashi, the head of Blue Rose, who belatedly watched the “Brilliant Struggle” music video for overseas promotion, was speechless.

After watching it three more times, he slowly shook his head.

“I see why director Hong Euichan cares about the CEO [Chief Executive Officer] so much that it feels like madness. Such an absurd work.”

There was no need to come up with any concept for Black Tiger.

No matter what concept they used, it would pale in comparison to the aura Youngchan exuded in the music video.

Lee Jiwoo, who had been promoted to head of Planning Department 2 for the new project, reacted similarly, if not more intensely, than Tokashi.

“Maybe… this comeback might really exceed our expectations.”

Currently, within YC Entertainment, a great success would be Black Tiger achieving results similar to their last mini-album.

Making one mega-hit and making several in a row were entirely different challenges.

So, if they could create an atmosphere close to a cultural phenomenon with this comeback, they would be virtually untouchable in Korea.

The song “Brilliant Struggle” itself had that potential.

The intention to donate the song’s proceeds to cancer patients was like giving wings to a tiger.

‘And now, with this music video…’

From Lee Jiwoo’s perspective, it was impossible to predict the outcome.

Amid such expectations and uncertainty, the PR [Public Relations] team began their work in earnest.

Articles poured out like rain.

-Finally, Black Tiger’s first full album is released!-

-50,000 copies pre-ordered on the first day.-

-Concert tour held in Korea, China, and Japan-

-All proceeds from the title song “Brilliant Struggle” will be donated to cancer patients.-

-Rising star director Hong Euichan solidifies his position as a master with “Brilliant Struggle.”-

-YC Entertainment continues its success. Confident in creating an unprecedented cultural phenomenon.-

It was natural for articles to flood the media.

Even without provocative titles, the content was inherently interesting, compelling clicks.

This intense interest grew even stronger with the release of the music video teaser.

The teaser, a full minute long, became a popular video in less than an hour and reached 5 million views in under half a day.

This absurd number of views was possible because YC Entertainment’s YouTube channel already had over 10 million subscribers.

This meant that attention was focused in real-time not only in Korea but also in overseas countries like Japan and China.

In fact, foreign languages like English and Japanese accounted for half of the top comments, in addition to Korean.

And most of these comments focused on one thing.

While some raved about the visual beauty of the music video or Youngchan’s piano composition, they were in the minority.

The primary focus was on the few seconds of the video featuring Youngchan.

-I saw it by chance, but what kind of CG did they use? Why does that person alone give the feeling of breaking through the screen?-

-Wow! As expected, YC! The backgrounds that gave an overwhelming feeling throughout the teaser disappear from view from the moment YC comes out!-

-It’s an assassination! The nosebleed won’t stop!-

└If you want to stop the nosebleed, stop rewatching the video!

└Please give me a realistic solution. Stop rewatching it, do you think that’s possible?

-I heard from a hyung [older brother/male friend] who works at YC that this music video will be released in two versions. Overseas version and domestic version. Well, it’s not much different, but the “Brilliant Struggle” song inserts an English version song.-

-Oh! I’m booking a sacred place. The “Brilliant Struggle” song will be in the Billboard Top 10.-

-Tsk tsk~ Do you think Billboard is a neighborhood chart?-

-lololol YC is a genius, but that’s too much of an overreach.-

-Let’s not look for Madam too much. Why are you coming all the way here on a business trip?-

Despite the taunts, the reaction to “Brilliant Struggle” was heating up at a frightening pace, with talk of entering the Billboard charts becoming increasingly common.