“Ahem.”

My cheeks—and the younger ones’—twitched as we stared into the distance.

Thank you.

I almost wanted to bow in the general direction of TJ Entertainment.

Ri Hyuk murmured,

“Of course an English track is going to spark talk at first...”

There still weren’t many cases of K-pop acts putting out a full-on English single.

It wasn’t like the long-established custom of Japanese releases over the past decade plus.

And it wasn’t quite the same as dropping an English version of the original song either.

Hard to explain exactly, but there’s a subtle meaning bundled inside the phrase, “We’re releasing an English track~.”

So when an idol says for the first time, “We’re entering the U.S. with an English song!” it’s inevitable they’ll draw aggro.

People push back at first—at anything new.

— If a K-pop singer sings in English, isn’t that just pop, not K-pop?

— Their eyes are glued to America~

— I’m a professor of Korean literature. The current situation is highly concerning...

— Cultural studies scholar here. K-pop, which developed independently, is now culturally subordinating itself...

— Hello from Japan. K-pop influenced by J-Pop is now putting out English songs...

Sure, there’d be positive reactions too, but negativity like that was unavoidable.

So the first group out front eats a concentrated barrage...

And after a few days, people start thinking,

— Huh? Is this really worth all the fuss? If they release in English, they release in English, whatever.

— Why is this an issue when everyone releases in Japanese in Japan...?

That mood sets in, the latecomers go “Yahoo!” and savor the sweet fruit.

Originally, that was going to be our role.

We pushed ahead knowing some negativity might pop, figuring more people would see it positively.

Just like most idol groups release and promote in Japanese for Japan, we figured folks would understand us releasing in English to enter North America.

“But...”

The maknae looked baffled.

“Why did Trickster jump first like this?”

“Yeah, why...”

The comment feed we were reading on our phones wasn’t pretty.

— All of a sudden..?

— Why?

— Taejun, did you short TJ Entertainment stock

— ????????????

— Did their geezer of a ‘inspiration’ spin his brain after watching NewBlack

— Predicted headline in 2 weeks: ‘Chairman Park Taejun, does everything he touch turn to minus?’

— What the hell are you doing to our boys

Even Trickster’s own fans weren’t welcoming it.

They must have blasted the press release wide; the boldface headline on the portal main made us tilt our heads again.

“...What is this?”

“What really is it.”

We couldn’t make sense of why they pushed an article now of all times.

We glanced at our TF team, who were peering at their phones with the same expression.

I turned to Seokhwan, adjusting his glasses with a mildly dumbfounded face.

“What do you think they’re doing?”

“Probably internal politics got complicated.”

The math demon pointed out phrases in the press release.

“The messaging isn’t unified. Looks like the promo plan isn’t even finalized. That means leadership pushed it before things were sorted.”

“Ooooh.”

“I mean, that’s what it looks like.”

We gave our manager a round of seal claps. When Junghyeon gave a thumbs-up, Seokhwan cleared his throat and twitched his cheek.

Biju asked,

“So what do we do now?”

“We should think it through. First, we probably push our materials back a few days.”

“Why delay?”

I answered the maknae.

“If we drop a press release right now, we lose. It’ll get yoked into their coverage.”

“Ah. True. My dad hates that kind of thing the most.”

We cracked up when Jiho mentioned headlines like “King Kong Chicken to overtake Hoho Chicken?”

Ri Hyuk said,

“Either way the intent’s obvious: grab buzz by getting compared to us on ‘English track.’”

Riding comparison pieces can be a decent strategy.

Like with “the next So-and-so”—people gripe at first, then when fame hits, it stops mattering.

The maknae hummed.

“But in this case there’s no win. The second we run our piece, the comparisons won’t stop.”

“Well, there’s a way.”

I thought for a beat.

“Comparison articles need common ground. Like the only thing Ri Hyuk and I have in common is that we’re human. They’re trying to ride the shared point.”

“Hold up, what?”

“In that case, blow up the differences so hard the comparison collapses. Make the people trying to compare look silly.”

Right now they were grabbing “English track” as the shared hook.

We just needed to spotlight a difference so stark it made those articles awkward to run.

Manager Seokhwan, listening, nodded.

“Exactly. With that approach you can prevent those pieces. Cut the noise entirely.”

The TF team had apparently been listening too; they nodded like we’d voiced their thoughts.

Then—

A pleased smile crept to Seokhwan’s lips, wherever his thoughts had raced to.

“I’ve got one.”

“Huh?”

“Hang on.”

He leaned in and whispered the idea.

“...How’s that?”

“Good.”

We all smiled, satisfied.

Same time.

Having managed to circulate a batch of press materials, TJ Entertainment’s PR staff slumped at their desks.

“Man, that drained me...”

The PR team lead, monitoring comment feeds on screen, downed an Americano.

It tasted more bitter than usual.

“Chief, how’s the reaction over there?”

“How do you think.”

Communities, socials, portals—

Everywhere it was “Out of nowhere? Why?” and “An English track, what?”—bad takes piled high.

It was what TJ PR had expected.

See? Told you...

If they’d put the article out after NewBlack, people would’ve just said “Copycats?”—not this much aggro.

By going out first, they’d stirred up more noise.

Shadows darkened under the eyes of the PR chief and staff.

This project is a goner no matter how you look at it.

PR strategy exists to sell more product.

Meaning, if the product itself lacks appeal, even the best strategy is worthless.

That was Trickster’s English track right now.

This will be a net negative for Trickster, any way you slice it.

At present, Trickster barely made the pinky of a top-five list of hot boy groups.

Debuted last year with decent numbers.

Below NewBlack, Teen Spirit, and Street Boys, they were dueling with KM Entertainment’s survival-show group Wonder Child.

They were getting trounced by Wonder Child’s terrestrial hit ratings, sure, but the growth potential was there. A couple more hit albums and they could surge...

Then, out of nowhere, the order came down from on high.

We’re doing an English track.

At this timing...?

Enter the U.S. market with zero base while the domestic base isn’t even set? Anyone can see that’s nonsense.

But—

— I don’t think this is...

— Why? Worried your workload goes up when a new project starts?

— Absolutely not.

— Then don’t say it won’t work before you try.

That’s how leadership’s pet projects always move forward.

And the line staff knew this well.

Rather than say “no” to a reckless idea, it’s easier to run what they want and later say, “As you can see, it flopped.”

So even though the hands-on folks felt “this is off,” the English track project creaked forward.

With truly alarming grinding noises.

“Sigh...”

The directives from the chairman’s office and planning just now showed the same creaks.

— NewBlack’s sending their English track release today? We go first. If we’re late, we look like we’re following.

— But given how PR works...

— The chairman’s in a foul mood.

With word that Chairman Park Taejun—who’d always led trends before NewBlack—was displeased, the answer was “Yes, sir.”

“Let’s just do everything we can.”

“Yes.”

He said it, but sent a look that meant “let’s keep our heads down.”

The staff agreed.

Avoid blame first.

The planning guys will slither out of it again anyway.

Signs of a doomed project were everywhere.

But it had to be pushed.

Best case in a mess like this is that when the dust settles and someone shouts, “Whose fault is this failure!” the answer isn’t “PR’s fault.”

“Ugh...”

And the headache had already started.

Given the current situation, TJ Entertainment had exactly one PR option.

Grab onto NewBlack.

To appeal to a public that barely knew Trickster, there was no other choice.

— English tracks releasing around the same time... ‘NewBlack vs Trickster,’ what to watch for?

— Evolution of K-pop? Now even English tracks—learn via NewBlack and Trickster’s songs...

— Trickster kicking off a U.S. expansion race with NewBlack via English singles?

Even while drafting headlines like that, they felt an ominous chill, like a headshot could come flying at any moment.

“How big is NewBlack’s fandom again?”

“Largest in K-pop history.”

“Because of overseas fans?”

“No. Domestic alone is about as big as all the other boy groups put together... Overseas isn’t even in the equation.”

“...”

Add to that the faxes Trickster’s own fans would send—“What is the company doing? Are you crazy?”—and...

“Ugh...”

The whole PR team writhed.

But apart from that grubby strategy, there was nothing that would satisfy leadership.

Not because TJ PR was incompetent—because the situation itself had no answer.

Honestly, I’d love to drop the English song tomorrow, then bang the gavel: “As you saw, it flopped. Project terminated!”

Then a staffer spoke.

“Maybe the song’s good? What if it’s even better than NewBlack’s...”

“Could be.”

“Right...?”

The chief sighed at that wisp of hope.

“But do we have any base in America...?”

“...”

“And can you picture this: that song camp with Spaceship in it—does it lose? You heard most of those composers moved to Lemon Entertainment, right.”

“Yes.”

“Why would they sign after that camp if nothing happened? These are the names everyone in Korea respects.”

In other words, they saw something huge.

He didn’t say it, but everyone got it. Then they thought of some other company’s PR team, somewhere.

Lemon Entertainment must be thrilled.

As a company TJ was bigger on paper, but any industry pro could feel it.

It felt like watching a new great power rise.

With TNT effectively disbanded, Trickster needed to be the new engine; instead leadership was doing something bizarre—that suffocating feeling set in.

“If we promote like this, Trickster’s going to have a tough time...”

“Probably.”

But orders were orders.

They were stewing over the lack of options when—

“Huh?”

An article popped up not long after—and color returned to TJ PR’s faces.

This is it!

The news they’d been waiting for.

We can die with honor!

Across the # Nоvеlight # ocean in the U.S.

In the music industry where giant capital writhes like Krakens, new chatter arrived.

— Hey guys~

— What’s up?

— NewBlack’s dropping a new song. In English.

Strip away the diplomatic flourishes, and the flow was:

— English song?

— Going forward, they’ll release a digital English single once a year alongside albums. Isn’t that huge?

— Kinda huge.

A giant label handling NewBlack passed word to other giants, who nodded.

Communication in a solemn air, like a council of constellations.

— Looks like they’ve picked a line. They’re choosing to be our friend.

— Then it’s time to wire funds.

With NewBlack signaling an intent to integrate into the U.S. market, the big money finished deciding.

The massive tentacles of cash wriggled.

[Colossus ‘Devourer of Children’s Allowance’ supports NewBlack.]

[Colossus ‘Beverage Company Obsessed With Money’ sponsors NewBlack’s stage budget.]

[Colossus ‘Shadow Network TV Mad For Ratings’ books NewBlack on a talk show.]

The entertainment industry’s giant capital, which had hesitated to “just make foreign artists richer,” started spinning.

They’d hammer promo for NewBlack’s release.

They’d pour on sponsorship.

Being the land of capitalism, they brainstormed endless ways to feed together.

Then—

— Excuse me.

A message arrived at the label handling NewBlack’s English-track project marketing, from Team Lead Yoon Seokhwan in Korea.

— We have a proposal.

The call from NewBlack’s team lead in Korea.

At his request, the label readily set a meeting with the VMA—one of the U.S. big four awards.

— Put NewBlack’s new English track on your stage.

— Why?

— The song’s insane.

The label kept a confident tone.

Because the song Korea sent was too good.

This will absolutely blow up.

NewBlack’s release date was the Friday a few days before the VMAs.

Drop the track, then perform “METRO” at the VMAs—the promo effect would be enormous.

“Hmmm.”

As the VMAs pondered,

Team Lead Yoon from Korea began weaving his magic.

He had that oddly kindly-devilish air, horns missing but vibe intact, and his tone matched.

“I remember watching the VMAs. Even back when it was hard to catch U.S. broadcasts in Korea. Must’ve been 2003? Feels nostalgic now, haha.”

Translation: your ratings have been falling off a cliff since the 2000s.

The gentle pressure continued.

— And this year your show overlaps the Thrones Season 7 finale, right? Oops. Ratings will dip harder then.

— ...

— But NewBlack’s new song debuts, and it’s a U.S. first performance via the VMAs? That’s a clean rise.

— Fine. We’ll do it.

Given their waning buzz relative to past glory, the VMAs weren’t going to refuse.

Under a strict NDA, they heard the track and...

We have to lock this.

That’s how good it was.

And so, after all the political gymnastics, the plan was set: NewBlack would perform Coin and Metro at the VMAs.

Handshake—award show and label all smiles.

“Hahahaha!”

“Hahahahahaha!”

Everyone was giddy with visions of money and ratings.

Except—

“...”

A certain Korean agency head, stroking antiques with a trembling hand.

After we wrapped the METRO MV shoot,

News of our VMA appearance flooded online.

— NewBlack to perform new song at U.S. VMAs... Title is METRO

— NewBlack scores two VMA nominations, to perform two songs solo

— What is the VMA attending by NewBlack? ‘One of America’s Big 4 music awards’

The stage news smoothed promo for the new song “METRO.”

TJ Entertainment had pre-pulled the aggro for “English track.”

And we’d cleanly drawn a line to kill any future comparison marketing.

“Wow, it’s going to be awkward for that company to put out articles now.”

“Definitely a bit.”

They’d wanted to glue themselves to us with “our common point is English tracks!”

After the VMA stage news, they went quiet. Looked like we’d repelled it cleanly.

Ri Hyuk said,

“At least we can worry less about this piece. I hate when there’s noise around promo.”

We nodded and headed to PR.

We wanted to thank them for their work these past days and bring mini cakes.

But...

“Hm?”

There was a commotion deeper inside, so we plastered ourselves to the wall.

Our PR team looked flustered.

The fax machine was going nonstop, phones were ringing like crazy—looked like a crisis drill.

What is it?

My minions stuck to my back while we peeked into PR.

Closer, the voices grew clearer.

“Eek! People keep faxing! It’s their ‘NewBlack VMA stage recommendation plan.’”

“Again? How many pages?”

“Twenty-seven!”

As we blinked, we caught PR staff on calls.

“Yes, sir. We’re pacing the schedule, not overdoing it. Yes, the U.S. stage prep is solid.”

“Ma’am, please don’t worry too much.”

“Ah, you think we should make an impact with ‘Dokkaebi.’ Yes... I agree, but the awards side requested ‘Coin.’ Yes, our song is precious too, but...”

At first I thought maybe the members’ families had called.

They were other people’s dads and moms.

Fielding non-stop coaching from all over the country, our PR team looked, how to put it—

Ri Hyuk scratched his cheek.

“This is a cram school. Parent-teacher conferences...”

“...”

Watching PR consult with NewDads and NewMoms nationwide, we stared into the distance with warm smiles.

And felt very, very sorry.

Next time we meet the CEO, I should carefully suggest bonuses for PR.

“Fighting...”

We tiptoed backward with the younger ones, resolving not to show our faces in public for a while.