boyutpedia Chapter 154: Acceleration (3)
Chapter 154: Acceleration (3)
The day of the ‘Vanguard’ show-con, as announced from the mouth of CEO Ha Seo-hwan, was April 5. It looked like there were roughly two months left, but after subtracting all the time needed for various preparations, the actual spare time was about a month and a few weeks.It was pretty tight, if you looked at it that way.
However, April 5 was actually set to allow as much time as possible. Since the baseball season for this year would start from mid-April, the availability of Gocheok Dome only extended through the first week of April. That, plus all other considerations related to ‘Vanguard’, was reflected in CEO Ha Seo-hwan’s decision.
“Keep that in mind and start getting ready.”
The date of April 5 was delivered about an hour later to not just the entire GN Entertainment but also to Kang Rojun and the members of ‘Vanguard’. The members showed various expressions.
A debut show-con in two months.
Although they had been running toward that day all along, now that the date was confirmed, their minds seemed unsettled. Seeing this, Kang Rojun scanned the members.
‘This is the moment to drop some kind of inspiring line. But I suck at that stuff.’
He barely squeezed something out.
“Two months? That’s plenty of time. Easy breezy, easy.”
It wasn’t a particularly powerful line, but Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung looked at Kang Rojun and drew courage. Rather than the words themselves, maybe it was Rojun’s composure that gave them strength?
“Right. Two months? That’s more than enough.”
“Yeah, during ‘Produce That 100!’, things were way more chaotic, right?”
“No doubt. Back then, we had evaluations every week and pulled off a mini concert in just a few weeks too.”
As they recalled the past, the members shook off unnecessary thoughts and threw themselves back into practice. Before long, the members had not only nailed down the vocals of the debut songs but also started to shape the choreography. Given that they spent almost every minute practicing except during meals, it was only natural.
And so the weekend arrived, and GN Entertainment threw out the next piece of bait following ‘Gocheok Dome.’
《[StarTalk] GN Entertainment says, “Vanguard show-con likely to be held in April”》
《Unprecedented ‘Vanguard’ debut show-con, will it happen in April?》
《Buzz rising in communities as news narrows ‘Vanguard’ show-con to April / Photo》
The bait was that the ‘Vanguard’ show-con would open in April. The specific date would be revealed once the public buzz intensified even more. In any case, the media and the public, realizing there were only two months left, grew excited and clamored for the ticketing page to open ASAP.
Then, after the weekend passed and the weekdays resumed.
Tuesday, February 9.
The producing team brought good news.
“The songs are finished, and we’ll be distributing them to each team.”
It meant Vanguard’s debut songs were completed.
After that.
With the show-con date confirmed, GN Entertainment immediately began stage construction at Gocheok Dome. Since everything from selecting the contractor to holding concept meetings had already been done, breaking ground happened quickly. At Gocheok Dome, where the foundation of construction was underway, Manager Kim Ki-baek and the A&R team gathered.
All of them held in hand the finalized version of the show-con stage that had been selected in advance.
‘Gocheok Dome is already super famous, but no matter how many times I see it, it still feels massive.’
A large main stage, a circular protruding stage, standing area, seating from the 1st to the 4th floor, and several giant screens were to be installed. The scale of over 20,000 seats was especially significant.
Meanwhile, the members of ‘Vanguard’ gathered in GN Entertainment’s large practice room.
What stood before them was the in-house choreography team.
“We’re starting group practice from today.”
Having more or less wrapped up individual practice, ‘Vanguard’ was now beginning full-on group choreography rehearsals. A lot more gets added in group practice, detailed movements, parts assigned to each member, formations where they step in and out.
Of course, before that.
“First, we’ll check the choreography status of each member.”
They had to test how much choreography the members had memorized. The in-house choreography team’s first name to be called was Vanguard’s leader, the one everyone was secretly worried about, Kang Rojun.
“We’ll start with Rojun.”
Soon, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung sat at the back of the practice room while Kang Rojun stood alone in the center. Sweeping back his black hair, Kang Rojun didn’t look particularly nervous.
‘It’s just a test, we do this all the time.’
The members looked on with curiosity at their leader. It wasn’t because they doubted him, they all knew how insanely good Rojun was. They were just curious how much he had leveled up training alone.
‘It’s Rojun, so of course he’s memorized all the moves, right?’
‘One hundred percent, he’s got all the moves down, and he’s probably gonna crush it.’
At that moment, the song played through the entire practice room.
-♬♪
The starter gun fired with ‘GreenBee’. Standing still, Kang Rojun began a sultry wave in sync with the rhythm of the song. It didn’t take long for the in-house choreography team, who had been observing with arms crossed, to widen their eyes in surprise.
And in those eyes.
‘……?’
A growing number of question marks appeared. It was inevitable.
‘Uh, since when did he get this good……’
Because right now, Kang Rojun was dominating the practice room. It wasn’t even group choreography, it was a solo routine, but Rojun instantly seized the attention of the choreography team. That alone spoke volumes about his presence. On top of that.
‘His movements… not a single mistake. Just perfect.’
There wasn’t a single flaw to nitpick. Smooth and fluid.
‘Is it really possible to copy everything that perfectly on his own?? And he hasn’t even debuted yet?’
The leader of GN Entertainment’s in-house choreography team stared at Rojun’s dance line in stunned silence.
‘Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung also learn quickly and have solid skills… but Rojun, this kid is just in a different category altogether. I get why Lee Han-na praised him so highly now.’
In the end, Kang Rojun flawlessly executed the ‘GreenBee’ choreography up to the second verse, and it was no different for the following tracks, ‘Windveil’ and ‘Flying Bell’. Watching Rojun panting from the intense choreography he performed back-to-back, the choreography team was seriously flustered.
It was a moment that shattered their understanding of common sense, leaving them unsure of how to react.
Meanwhile, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung wore.
“……”
“……”
Deeply serious expressions. The moment they saw Kang Rojun’s energy as the leader, they felt it. That they needed to train several times harder than they were now. Rather than feeling discouraged, the members made a firm decision to chase Rojun as closely as possible.
‘I can do this. We did it during ‘Produce That 100!’ too. If I just practice twice no, three times more than Rojun-hyung, it’ll work.’
The atmosphere in the already heated practice room, fired up by Kang Rojun’s energy, became even more intense thanks to the members’ determination. The next test was Si-hoo, followed by Kang-min and Do-kyung. After roughly checking the balance, the choreography team immediately started group practice with the ‘Vanguard’ members.
From then on, time shot by like a bullet.
Kang Rojun and the members spent nearly every day consumed by vocal and choreography practice. After group training began, Rojun spent more time in the practice room than in the studio. In group training, it wasn’t about individual skill anymore, it was about the complete picture of ‘Vanguard’.
-♬♪
They adjusted formations and movements, coordinated their gazes, synchronized breathing and timing, and refined the structure from beginning to end.
They practiced vocals while dancing at the same time.
Because the entire set list for the ‘Vanguard’ show-con would be performed live. Moreover, Rojun and the members weren’t just practicing their debut tracks ‘GreenBee’, ‘Windveil’, and ‘Flying Bell’. Songs meant to be used for event-like segments were gradually added as well.
In the meantime, the completed ‘Vanguard’ tracks were passed on to the music video shooting team.
The music video production company and director had already been finalized long ago, and Vanguard’s concept was also already set. The MV director submitted the planning documents, complete with storyboards and shot lists for ‘GreenBee’, ‘Windveil’, and ‘Flying Bell’, last week.
For reference, the production cost for a single idol music video can range from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of won.
Each of Vanguard’s debut tracks was a title track, and since all needed high-quality music videos, the cost would easily exceed hundreds of millions. But CEO Ha Seo-hwan had warned them not to worry about the budget, so the production company and director in charge of the ‘Vanguard’ music videos expanded the scale without hesitation.
“We’ll focus on sets, but include outdoor shooting as well, yeah?”
“Let’s add more cameras and vary the movements for dynamic shots.”
“GN said to go all in on everything from set props to details, so we can really go all out.”
“It’s been a while, shooting a music video without worrying about the budget.”
Soon, the music video production team also began location hunting and set construction. Once construction was completed, all that remained was shooting and editing. For music videos, the preparation period is the longest, and surprisingly, filming often wraps up in just a few days. Editing to produce the final version takes about a week. Since ‘Vanguard’ had three videos, that meant three weeks.
And so, as everyone continued moving without a moment of rest, a full week evaporated.
“Everyone, the music video shoot date has been set.”
On the morning of February 15, Manager Kim Ki-baek informed the ‘Vanguard’ members of the music video’s first shooting schedule.
“Monday, March 2. We’ll start with ‘GreenBee’.”
Roughly two weeks away.
Around noon on the 15th.
Around the time GN Entertainment spread the news to the world about the day ‘Vanguard’s showcase would be held.
《Vanguard Show-Con Confirmed for April 5, When Will the Ticket Page Open?》
《[Big Issue] Vanguard Show-Con Set for Monday, April 5. Can All 20,000 Seats Be Filled?》
Kang Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were in a photo studio. Alongside them were a dozen or so photography staff, Manager Kim Ki-baek, the management team, A&R team, PR and marketing team, and the ‘Vanguard’ YouTube team. The total number of people in the studio easily exceeded 40.
The reason they were gathered in the studio was simple.
Album jacket photoshoot.
The shoot was scheduled for two days, indoors and outdoors.
Of course, not the entire day, just half a day each. Kang Rojun and the members, being filmed by the YouTube team, were currently getting their makeup done. The outfits, starting with distinctly detailed leather jackets for each member, were ready. Other outfits like suits were also on standby.
Among the ‘Vanguard’ members, who had been mostly wearing training clothes, it started with Si-hoo.
“I’m nervous. Seriously nervous.”
Kang-min and Do-kyung weren’t in great shape either.
“We got the direction for poses and expressions… but my body and face are stiff and won’t move.”
“Guys, relax. Just relax. It’s just a photo shoot.”
“Do-kyung. Your eyes are out of focus.”
“…Honestly, I feel like I might throw up.”
Kang Rojun, at least, stayed composed. He already had experience from this kind of shoot during ‘Rental Lover’.
“It’s easier when you let go of yourself. Just trample down the embarrassment and awkwardness and go wild with it.”
“Okay, Rojun-hyung. As soon as the shoot starts, I’ll try jumping.”
“No, don’t do that. Stay within the direction.”
Soon after the members finished their makeup, the standby signal was given. The shoot started with solo shots. The photographer called out to Si-hoo first.
“Si-hoo, you’re up!!”
So, with an awkward expression, Si-hoo stepped into the white-background shoot zone. The photographer, his eye glued to the camera lens that looked like a cannon, shouted out.
“Smile! Smile! We’re starting with a smile!”
When Si-hoo awkwardly lifted the corners of his lips, the photographer shook his head, dissatisfied.
“No, no! Naturally! Give me a clean, natural smile!!”
At that moment, Kang Rojun, standing behind the photographer with the staff, gave a small wave. Si-hoo met Rojun’s eyes. Then, Rojun suddenly stuck his index finger up his nose. At the absurd motion, Si-hoo burst out laughing. The photographer gave a thumbs-up.
“Nice! That’s it!! Just like that! Let’s keep that smile! Now both hands in your pockets!!”
-Click! Beep beep beep!
Flashes burst repeatedly.
About an hour later, the individual shots of the ‘Vanguard’ members were finished. Next was the group shot, but before that, the photographer and several GN Entertainment staff gathered in front of the monitor to review the shots just taken.
In order: Si-hoo, Kang-min, Do-kyung, then Rojun.
“Si-hoo-nim has a cute vibe but also suits the cold image.”
“I think for Do-kyung-nim, a detached tone works better than smiling. But that jawline- nice, Do-kyung-nim.”
“Hmm- Kang-min-nim surprisingly gives off a decadent charm?”
The conclusion: compared to other idols, their visuals definitely didn’t fall short. Finally, it was time for Kang Rojun’s shots to appear. Interestingly, all comments stopped.
“……”
“……”
But inwardly, everyone was muttering, laced with the kind of curses they couldn’t say out loud.
‘Wow- he’s insanely handsome.’
‘Fucking ridiculous visuals the more you look at him.’
The first actual comment came from the photographer.
“Is it my skill that’s lacking? The photos just can’t capture the real thing. They just can’t.”
About a week later.
Early in the morning, the entrance of Gimpo Airport was swarming with dozens of reporters carrying cameras.
“Hey, don’t push! Hey!!”
“Let’s keep it civil, everyone!!”
“Who keeps shoving?!!”
As a chaotic battle for position unfolded, a black van pulled up across the crosswalk. At once, the excited reporters began snapping away.
-Pababababak!
From the van, lit up by the concentrated flashes, stepped out a man with black hair. The reporters shouted fiercely toward him.
“Please give a greeting for your curious fans!!”
“This way! Please look this way too!!”
“Can we get a finger heart?! A finger heart!!”
“Are you going to Japan alone?!!”
To the crowd of shouting reporters, the man gave a light wave.
-Swish.
It was Kang Rojun.
*****
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