Chapter 167: America (9)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Kang Jae-ha was slightly surprised.

"Number 98 on the global chart?"

It was because of the excited shout from the A&R team employee on the other end of the phone. The employee was shouting that 'Kisera' had climbed to number 98 on the 'Spotimy' global chart.

"Yes!! Number 98, 98!! Even moving up ten spots would be incredible, but it jumped all the way to 98!! I can't believe it even though I'm looking right at it!! Where are you right now??"

"I stepped out to check something."

"Then check the global chart and monitor the reactions right away!"

"Yes, I'll check and get back to you."

After ending the call, Kang Jae-ha immediately checked the 'Spotimy' global chart. What the A&R team employee had said was true.

"It's real."

'Kisera's' song 'BBlink!' really was sitting at number 98. It had been number 188, only to leap 90 spots in just a few days. It wasn't the first time a Korean idol group had made it onto the 'Spotimy' global chart, but a leap of nearly 100 spots in such a short time...

'Has that ever happened before? No, it hasn't.'

'Kisera' was the first. At least, as far as Kang Jae-ha could remember. The corners of Jae-ha's lips lifted slightly as he looked down at his phone.

'They've really caught the wave.'

And that wasn't even the end of it. Looking more closely, he found another 'Kisera' song at number 200 on the 'Spotimy' global chart. It was 'Starlight Error'. Riding on the popularity of 'BBlink!', even 'Starlight Error' had made the chart.

'That means 'Kisera' got both songs onto the global chart within a month of debuting.'

It was an astonishing achievement. Getting even one song onto the chart was difficult, yet they had two. It was a meteoric rise unlike anything the Korean idol industry had seen before. Kang Jae-ha knew all too well why this had happened.

'First, Kisera's overseas viral push worked perfectly.'

Once they caught the attention of overseas audiences, the algorithms of content platforms like 'TilTok' and various social media sites would have started doing their work. On top of that, since 'Kisera's' songs were good, one click would lead to another, one tap to the next. Then, as their popularity surged, there was a good chance they had been added to 'Spotimy's' own recommended playlists.

That would naturally cause streaming across multiple countries to explode at the same time, and the popularity would soon turn into memes and sweep across social media.

As that cycle kept repeating, 'Kisera' had been able to climb to number 98.

'BBlink!' and 'Starlight Error', songs created by Choi Ri-na and performed wholeheartedly by 'Kisera', were thrilling audiences around the world.

'At this rate, they're ahead of my schedule.'

Kang Jae-ha had expected 'Kisera' to break into the top 100 sometime next month at the earliest. But their momentum was far faster than that. Still, there was nothing wrong with his prediction being off in such an overwhelmingly positive direction. He only had to revise the plan a little, and happily at that.

By now, the Korean media and public reaction were bound to be going wild.

No, with momentum this insane, 'Spotimy' itself would probably be taking a keen interest, and foreign media outlets might already be paying attention as well. Kang Jae-ha immediately checked the domestic music charts.

Sure enough, 'Kisera's' two songs occupied the very top spots.

[1] Wolhyang/ Rina('Moonless Village' OST Part 1)

[2] BBlink!/ Kisera

[3] Starlight Error/ Kisera

[4] Nyxtra/ Seriel

[5] Murder Impulse?/Kim Hyun-a('Murder Is a Qualification Too' OST Part 1)

.

.

.

Kang Jae-ha couldn't help but smile as he looked over the top of the domestic charts. Every song there had either been sung by Choi Ri-na or composed and written by her. In other words, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that 'MEG' already owned the domestic music charts.

Of course, if someone broke it down in detail, Leon Entertainment and Netflix Korea might appear to be the dominant forces.

But to anyone who knew the inside story, this was simply Kang Jae-ha taking over. Everything ranked from number 1 through number 5 was the result of Jae-ha's handiwork.

'Moonless Village is at the absolute peak of its popularity, so Wolhyang is holding onto number 1, but Kisera might catch up pretty soon, right?'

Whichever side took number 1, it was good news for Jae-ha.

Kang Jae-ha's smile deepened. This was exactly the scenario he had planned. After all, nothing was quite as thrilling as watching the plan he wanted become reality. Jae-ha soon turned away from the domestic charts and searched for foreign articles related to 'Spotimy'.

Sure enough, several articles about 'Kisera' had already appeared.

They covered the rookie group's near-miraculous entry onto the global chart, their ranking suddenly rocketing close to the top 100, and so on. Even foreign media outlets were surprised by the unstoppable momentum of a girl group they had never seen before. As time passed, there would only be more articles like these.

Jae-ha lowered the phone he had been looking at and murmured quietly.

"I'll have to move faster than the plan I'd laid out."

He turned his gaze and shifted his mindset back from Kang Jae-ha to Director Kim Ha-jae. A short distance away, CEO Seok Ji-yeon was watching the disguised Kang Jae-ha. Her expression seemed to ask, 'Did something happen?' Kang Jae-ha approached her again with a smile.

"Sorry about that. It was a somewhat urgent call."

"That's all right. Nothing serious, I hope?"

"Of course not. If anything, it was good news."

"That's good."

Kang Jae-ha nodded and returned to the subject at hand. Before the phone call, they had been discussing the future of 'K:FESTA'. More specifically, the KPOP artists who would perform at 'K:FESTA'.

Kang Jae-ha asked her.

"When will you start booking artists for the KPOP performances?"

"Next month at the earliest. At the latest, we'll start the month after that."

"Are you planning to book only idols?"

"No. Idols may be leading the market right now, but we intend to expand the market for KPOP. We're keeping every possibility open and plan to book a wide range of artists, including solo singers, rappers, and idols."

"I see."

If CEO Seok Ji-yeon had said she intended to choose only idols, Kang Jae-ha had planned to propose a revision. He had already seen the business plan, but plans could always change. Fortunately, Seok Ji-yeon was thinking along the same lines as Jae-ha.

"As I mentioned before, when the time comes, we'll recommend artists from our side at 'MEG' as well."

"Yes."

"Also, when the booth events are held on the day of 'K:FESTA', you'll need to guarantee 'MEG' three spots."

"Of course. That was one of the conditions from the beginning."

"I'm only confirming it."

After that, Kang Jae-ha and CEO Seok Ji-yeon continued discussing matters related to 'K:FESTA'. Their conversation even got as far as money, and just as things were about to wrap up.

"Um..."

CEO Seok Ji-yeon cautiously spoke up. She lowered her voice.

"How is the 'mercenary' matter going?"

She had clearly been curious for a while but had held herself back until now. Kang Jae-ha gave a faint chuckle.

"When you finish your schedule in the United States and return to Korea, you'll have good news waiting for you."

"...Good news."

He answered as though telling her not to worry.

"We'll be sending someone from our side."

At the same time, inside a van traveling along an LA road.

CEO Han Tae-sung sat inside with his arms crossed, gazing out the window. Dressed in a suit, he had been quite busy throughout this LA trip. He had held several meetings regarding Leon-related business, and in between had met CEO Seok Ji-yeon the previous day to discuss the market response to Hallyu and matters concerning 'K:FESTA'.

Then, as though he had made up his mind, CEO Han Tae-sung uncrossed his arms.

"Contact 'HG ENM' and tell them we'll sponsor 'K:FESTA'."

The sharp-looking chief secretary sitting beside him responded immediately.

"Understood, CEO-nim. So you have a favorable view of this 'K:FESTA'?"

"The atmosphere does seem better than it was for the first one, and CEO Seok Ji-yeon looks pretty determined too. Seems better to get involved now than join later. And..."

CEO Han Tae-sung, dressed in a fitted suit shirt, rubbed his chin as he thought of the expressionless Kang Jae-ha.

"It's hard to dismiss that guy Kang Jae-ha's instincts."

Jae-ha had recommended 'K:FESTA' to CEO Han Tae-sung.

"While we're at it, let's see if we can get 'Seriel' into the 'K:FESTA' lineup too."

"CEO Seok Ji-yeon said sponsorship and choosing the performers were separate matters..."

"I know. That's why we'll have to sweeten the pot a little more."

The quick-witted secretary nodded.

"Yes, CEO-nim. We'll put in some additional funding beyond the sponsorship. We'll frame it as support we're giving because we want 'K:FESTA' to succeed."

"Yeah, do that. They'll probably take better care of the side that gave them a little more money."

Just then, the chief secretary's phone rang. His expression changed to surprise as he answered. While still on the call, he immediately relayed the major development to CEO Han Tae-sung.

"CEO-nim. 'Kisera' has climbed from number 188 to number 98 on the 'Spotimy' global chart."

"...What?"

CEO Han Tae-sung, who had been smiling calmly, froze. Even with all his experience, he had never seen anything like this before.

"They climbed all the way to number 98?"

The chief secretary received the details, ended the call, then verified the information through several channels. Soon, CEO Han Tae-sung saw 'Kisera's' storm-like momentum with his own eyes.

CEO Han Tae-sung let out an incredulous chuckle.

"Has anyone ever climbed the 'Spotimy' global chart this fast?"

"No. It's hard to find a case domestically, and as far as I know, there have only been a handful overseas."

"That's what I thought too. This makes Kisera another first."

CEO Han Tae-sung smiled as he thought of Kang Jae-ha.

"The landscape of the idol market is changing."

"It certainly has that level of impact."

"Now every entertainment company out there is going to start copying Kisera's approach. That guy Kang Jae-ha has broken open a new path in an idol market that's stayed rigid until now."

It was true. If 'Kisera' maintained this upward trajectory, it would be no different from Kang Jae-ha changing the idol industry's entire system.

"But if they don't understand the essence of Kang Jae-ha's method, they won't be able to make proper use of it. The key is high-quality songs and Kisera's appeal."

"So you're saying it isn't something just anyone can do."

"Right. Only a weirdo like him could pull this off."

CEO Han Tae-sung looked to be in quite a good mood.

"He's definitely something else. He keeps taking things that shouldn't be possible and making them reality right in front of us."

"But in this situation, Manager Kang Jae-ha is still turning down domestic bookings for 'Kisera'. Should we really leave it alone?"

"Leave it. He's looking at the forest, not the tree right in front of him."

With a deeply satisfied smile, CEO Han Tae-sung leisurely crossed his legs.

"He's making history. We can't go getting in his way."

Several hours later, Korea.

It was already the night of the 22nd in LA, but in Korea, it was the early afternoon of the 23st. At that moment, a loud cue rang through a large filming set.

"Action!!"

At the signal, the actors in front of the cameras launched into their performances. Several actors, including top stars. It was what people commonly called an 'ensemble scene'. Among the many actors, one actress with blood makeup on her face stood out. It was Yoon Da-yeon.

And seated at the station lined with multiple monitors was the renowned Director Yu Gil-tae.

"......"

Director Yu Gil-tae watched the actors' performances on the monitors intently. In other words, this was the set of the film 'Mask of Murder'. Among the staff behind the deeply focused Director Yu Gil-tae was Slit-eyed Lee Chan-hoo.

Lee Chan-hoo was carrying out the task assigned by the Commander, who had gone to the United States.

'There's a real charge in the air on set.'

A faint thrill ran through him.

'Is it because this is the final shoot?'

*****

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