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Chapter 500

The comeback of Spacer was spearheaded by Park Moondae. At first, it seemed like they were just cleverly targeting the hiatus of top-tier male idols. It was the end of Cheongryeo’s comeback activities, and TeSTAR’s comeback activities were still only in the planning stages.

A few months ago, when the news about ‘Spacer’s comeback’ came out, it didn’t cause much of a stir. It was expected.

[Spacer is set to make a strong comeback this fall… “Currently preparing for a powerful return”]

-Finallyㅠㅠ

-I’m looking forward to it, fighting~

-Who are these guys? Lol

-Powerful, lolol

Except for a few random negative comments, the majority of the reactions were from existing Spacer fans. Since there wasn’t an official announcement, it meant that the general public’s expectations were almost nonexistent. That was the end of it.

As time passed, Spacer’s comeback became something only fans remembered. Then, one group began a massive promotional campaign for their comeback.

[ĭter Comeback in October! The Rise of the Monster Rookie]

It was none other than ĭter. Having left a dazzling impression with their debut, they were making another move this year to maintain their momentum. This was only natural.

To secure the Rookie of the Year award.

It also meant they were confident in their song and concept. Park Moondae speculated that they might have prepared it along with their debut song.

Since it takes some time for the results to be reflected until the end of the year, I knew they’d come out in the fall.

In a way, it was a good thing that ĭter’s appearance on Summer Pool was completely overshadowed by TeSTAR’s Water Bomb. Even ĭter’s fans, sensing the situation, quietly moved on without much mention, avoiding any harsh comparisons. Thus, maintaining their status as a major rookie, ĭter’s agency, Wonder Hall, announced their comeback date and pre-order notice to the media. It will be in the third week of October!

Great. Park Moondae checked it with satisfaction.

And a little while later, as if on cue, articles started popping up one after another.

[Orbit Stars Entertainment, “Spacer comeback set for early October”]

[October music scene, the battle of male idols… “From Spacer to ĭter”]

[‘World Tour KPOP’ Spacer comeback, will the male idols war be realized in October?]

The specific comeback schedule for Spacer had been announced, and the fact that ĭter was making a comeback around the same time was subtly emphasized. The timing was just a 2-week difference! And Spacer was first. In other words, the strategy of hitting ĭter’s declining performance after its peak didn’t work. Instead, it was a perfect situation for ĭter to easily surpass Spacer.

-Is this a second-tier clash?

–ĭter is going to crush it. This is going to be so much fun. Get the popcorn ready

–Haha, what kind of confidence does Orbit have? Is it because they’re a small company?

└Looks like they lost their touch after growing TeSTAR tsk tsk

Of course, most netizens interested in idols were much more focused on ĭter. Spacer was no longer a rookie group. Moreover, the existence of TeSTAR, which was a perfect superior alternative in terms of origin and stats, had negatively impacted Spacer’s buzz and image from the moment they were formed. It was inevitable.

-I can’t wait to see what god-tier concept ĭter brings next. I’ve been waiting for a rookie like this in K-pop

–Oh, if ĭter picks a good song this time, they’re definitely going to be in the top tier, lol. They’re the ones to watch out for

-LMAO, Spacer trying to jump on the concept bandwagon and getting overshadowed by ĭter would be hilarious. Spacer is a TeSTAR junior after all.

The low-level attention-seeking only managed to keep the buzz going. Moreover, the communities and SNS interested in idols were already buzzing with another topic.

The collaboration stage of Cheongryeo and Park Moondae! Fans’ reactions to the unexpected collaboration of two top-tier male idols! For reference, it was something like this:

-This is shitty

-These muggle b*stards keep comparing them. It’s all because of that crazy Kim Taein, who invested all the money earned from VTIC into that trash company. He should die

-Don’t link them, damn it.

“…”

It was an intensely hot topic… Still, the public reaction was good.

With people praising both Cheongryeo and Park Moondae and finding their unexpected friendship, the well-executed stage drew significant interest and was a huge hit. Especially the fact that two people from different groups harmoniously performed two completely different songs, making it even more impressive and entertaining in a meta way. It even reached to the point where it ranked among popular videos on international WeTube.

-The moment a wish I didn’t even know I had came true

-OMG, they are so cool! (heart eyes emoji)

-Oh my god, when did they even have a stage like this? Right, I don’t need to know the reason. I just want to see more stages like this! (burning emoji)

-VTISTAR. That’s my dream group ☺

However, the more this happened, the more the hardcore fans on both sides couldn’t help but feel their moods plummet… They had been hostile for years due to various incidents. How could their group members be laughing and joking with their deeply rivalrous group?

-Please, let’s stop here. If they plan some joint trip or something, I’m going to lose it.

-I didn’t see Orbit like that, but I guess trash is trash. Why did they have to get investment from LeTi?

Of course, they couldn’t openly discuss these things in public. Nevertheless, it was undeniable that the stage reactions were good. So, everyone tried to rationalize the situation by sharing cropped versions of GIFs and videos of individual performances on social media, attempting to make the best of it.

In short, it was a time of stimulation and upheaval! But in the midst of this, ĭter and Spacer’s comeback? For the TeSTAR fans, it was a bit annoying, but for the general public, it wasn’t such a big deal.

-If you feel like you’re going to get a stomachache because of the copycats, watch Water Bomb to recuperate.

-They’re probably going to bash the kids with media play again. It’s really frustrating.

-I’m just here for TeSTARㅇㅇ

Thanks to the massive success of the latest album and the popularity explosion at Water Bomb, the fans weren’t too worried.

In that rather bland atmosphere, everyone expected Spacer and ĭter to make a comeback. That is until Spacer’s teaser dropped.

[Spacer “Hello” Teaser]

The teaser itself didn’t cause a huge stir. It just showed short clips of the Spacer members enjoying their daily lives with a good song playing in the background.

-So handsomeㅠㅠ

-Their voice… OMG

-THIS SONG WILL BE AMAZING

Even just a brief listen to the song was addictive.

The composition team of Spacer created the top note, Kim Raebin participated in the arrangement, and Park Moondae verified it with his unique trait, <Acute Ear,> resulting in a smooth and well-crafted piece.

It was an ambitious project! However, there were no general listeners who would come to listen to the teaser of a boy idol group they weren’t interested in. As always, it was the domestic and international fans who left comments, creating a familiar scene. But this time, Spacer’s title track wasn’t something you could only encounter in the teaser.

It was a few days later.

– Is this our kids’ song?;; (link)

A link was posted on the fans’ SNS.

What’s this?  People who clicked on the link without much thought were soon shocked.

“…!”

They heard the familiar melody from the teaser and the voices of the Spacer members. But it wasn’t a video uploaded by their agency, Orbit Stars.

[My Personal Hydration, Delicious Sports Drink!]

[Honey Shake Water]

Various people take turns to enjoy a refreshing drink after a hard day. The 15-second edited clip was actually… a YouTube ad for a new drink. The title of Spacer was used as the background music.

-??

-What is this

It was a CM song. Spacer provided a slightly modified version of their title track’s lyrics for use in a certain company’s product CM, which was marketed very aggressively. Moreover, it is free! Of course, it was a confidential agreement.

The advertisement was scheduled to air around the same time as Spacer’s comeback, and in the process of tracking down this aggressively marketing company, Park Moondae almost had to use the system again.

Damn information network.

In any case, the efforts of the staff, who had a bonus on the line, paid off, and the contract was successfully signed.

In fact, it was almost like a one-sided donation from Orbit Stars Entertainment. Even if there were no expectations for the song, it might not have been finalized, but the name value of Kim Raebin, listed as the arranger, was significant.

He’s the guy who composed a song that already succeeded as an OST.

The other company finally signed the contract upon hearing that the composer of ‘Black hole,’ which resonated during the recent Water Bomb performance, was the main participant in the arrangement.

And so, now.

[Hi, Hi, Hello

Can you hear this voice?

If you can hear it, please respond now]

Spacer’s song is being exposed to smartphone users nationwide.

Park Moondae deliberately logged out of the YouTube account to check the frequency of the advertisement exposure. Impressive.  The fact that it would be broadcast like this for almost a week was very satisfying.

Anyway, our company isn’t in a situation where we can aggressively increase TV exposure right now.

The agency has been at odds with T1, resulting in many broadcast interruptions. While it was one thing for TeSTAR, who won last year’s top idol award, and the popular female girl group Miri-nay, Spacer had very few programs in which they could appear right now.

In that case, we’ll expose them to the public through other means.

Thus, various versions of the company’s beverage commercial were broadcast on WeTube. In other words, the most popular and catchy chorus part from Spacer’s latest title was stuck in users’ heads.

-What song is this?

└ Found it, this is it (link)

└ Thanks, thanks

It was a strategy that the top tier couldn’t use. Releasing their title as a commercial song simultaneously could potentially harm the album’s image or its reputation, but the effect was undeniable. If the song was good, there was no better promotion than increasing exposure. Moreover, it was exposure without prejudice.

Even people who typically avoid male idol songs will find it different if it’s ingrained as a CM song.

The Spacer members immediately agreed to give it a try as soon as they heard about it. Especially since this album was the one the members had participated in the most so far. In short, the Spacer members were in this state.

-Spacer Kwon Heeseung: I really hope more people will listen to itㅠㅠ

So, there was nothing to hold back.

Mass appeal. Everything was set up to match that unconditionally! Moreover, there was one decisive move.

-It’s easy to watch, haha

-The song is good. Thanks for the video

Spacer kept their MV simple. A clean story without excessive concepts, world-building, or fictional elements. The MV, featuring sporty choreography scenes shot on an outdoor basketball court on a nice day and boys uploading the video to their SNS, was straightforward and unburdened. It maximized the visual beauty and good vibes. By minimizing the entry barriers, there were fewer people bouncing off the music video. Thus, Spacer’s latest song began to spread by word of mouth.

[My Pick for This Year’s Best Commercial CM (Subjective, I could be wrong. If you disagree, you’re right)]

[Did you know this was a Spacer song?]

[Honeyshake? What do I search to find this ad song?]

* * *

It was five days later. Spacer’s song slowly climbed up the music charts and entered the top 40. If you exclude their debut album right after finishing <Idol Inc.>, it was their highest ranking.

-Spacer Kwon Heeseung: Aaaahhh!

-Spacer Kwon Heeseung: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Will it go higher? No, I’m satisfied even if it doesn’t, but should I be more ambitious? What do you think?

-Calm down.

Park Moondae chuckled at the frantic KakaoTalk messages from Kwon Heeseung, but in truth, he was thinking about the limitations of this strategy. If we continue like this, it’s going to be hard for the song to climb any higher.

There’s another downside to making it into a CM song. It builds fatigue. When people keep seeing the same forced advertisement, they start to develop a resistance to it.

Moreover, once people realize it’s an idol song, its effectiveness starts to wane.

At this point, a song climbing back up the charts is almost a matter of luck. And the rival agency knows this too.

Wonder Hall. ĭter’s agency. They were the ones who found out about Cha Eugene’s runway and plotted in real time.

Park Moondae knew there was someone in the company leaking information to them. But he didn’t catch them on purpose for now. Let’s use it against them just this once. He meticulously set up a trap.

Spacer’s comeback was deliberately scheduled two weeks before ĭter’s, making it look enticing.  And they didn’t hide the drawbacks of this promotion on purpose. They left it out there, so Wonder Hall could gather the relevant information. To make the weaknesses obvious.

“That’s right.”

[ĭter Teaser Release Imminent… Monster Rookie Takes Over The Music Industry]

As a result, ĭter didn’t bother to adjust their comeback schedule.

It looks like they think they can beat Spacer.

The weaknesses were clear, and they calculated that they could push through with their own buzz once they made their comeback.

Anyway, for male idols, building a fandom is more important than public appeal.

They might have thought that Spacer getting some attention would make it easier to devour them. However, there was one thing ĭter overlooked.

“Alright.”

Park Moondae had been grinding teeth and planning this scenario for months.

And that night, a post quietly appeared on an internet community.

====================

[Spacer’s song is doing well]

But am I the only one who gets reminded of T-Holic with this title concept? Lol

====================

–Gasp, I thought it was just me! Haha. It kind of feels like early T-Holic? Like when they were constantly on variety shows, lol

└Yeah, it’s kind of refreshing and not too complicated… It reminds me of when Ha Jintae used to wear hoodies on stage with his blonde hairㅠㅠ

-I get what you mean, lol

–Eh, I don’t see the resemblance at all

└Oh, I didn’t mean they look alike; it’s just that the vibe is similar. It’s not overwhelming or anything

They were saying that the Spacer music video subtly reminded them of T-Holic during their peak.  This opinion didn’t receive much rejection or ridicule. T-Holic had long passed its prime as a group, and Spacer didn’t have an image that warranted much caution either. It was just a tone boasting the discerning eye of a fanatic.

-But it’s kind of funny. ĭter is a concept-heavy like TeSTAR, and this time Spacer feels more like T-Holic, lol.

└ Haha, K-pop is so intriguing.

As a few hardcore idol fans chatted about it, garnering some minor interest in the community, a day or two passed. Then, articles started to appear.

[Spacer resembling T-Holic, ĭter resembling TeSTAR… The contrasting views of their agencies]

[Will Spacer become the second T-Holic?]

But this time, it wasn’t ĭter’s side that released it.

Do you think you’re the only one who can do media play?

It was Park Moondae from Orbit Stars Entertainment who did it.

An article linking Spacer with T-Holic and ĭter with TeSTAR. It’s all about framing. Crafting the narrative and setting the scene.

Thus, Park Moondae began to use the group positioning that ĭter had done during their debut in reverse.

these Chs are commissioned if you want your series to be translated you can contact us at discord for your favorite series.

Reed chapter first at Utoon.net