The Genius Composer Starts Again - Chapter 31

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The chart changed instantly as it refreshed.

Lamia’s title track 【LA lala】 was shooting up the rankings in an instant. Below it, the album tracks followed in a line.

It was a fierce momentum, as if it would reclaim the number one spot on the chart at any moment.

“Wow. This fandom’s firepower is really no joke.”

I had never paid attention to such chart changes before. But seeing it with my own eyes, the momentum was truly incredible.

It seemed like everyone in the world was only listening to Lamia’s songs.

“Where’s ours?”

Min Chan-hyeok scrolled down.

30th place, 50th place, 80th place…

My heart grew increasingly anxious as I bit my lips. And finally, we found 【Shatter】.

103rd place.

My heart sank with a thud.

“Ah.”

A deflated sound escaped between my lips. My fingertips trembled.

‘It’s outside the top 100.’

It needed to be in the top 10. But outside the top 100. It was such a dismal result.

The penalty seemed to flicker before my eyes. It felt like a red warning light had turned on in my head.

Without realizing it, I touched my ears. They already seemed to tingle numbly.

If I were to lose my hearing like this…

I felt a sudden fear.

“Hey, don’t worry.”

Then Min Chan-hyeok patted my shoulder.

“This is the ranking right after release. Of course it’s a bit lower than expected. Ahem. Since our comeback overlapped with Lamia’s. We have to take that into account too.”

Min Chan-hyeok seemed to think I was disappointed by the debut song’s poor performance. Naturally, that’s how it would look on the surface.

“Man. When I first debuted too~ I thought the world would turn upside down when I released a song and people would go crazy saying it was good. But it’s not that easy.”

He chuckled bitterly and continued.

“Idol groups like Lamia have good fandom firepower, so it’s natural for them to shoot up like that! What’s that called. Total attack? They do stuff like that. They run streaming and everything. So in the beginning, it’s almost entirely Lamia’s stage.”

Min Chan-hyeok said while tapping the screen.

“On the other hand, our singer Lee Ha-in relies more on public appeal than fandom~. Songs like this need at least 24 hours after release to show their true value.”

There was a certain conviction in his voice.

“The song is good. From 24 to 48 hours after word of mouth starts spreading, the ranking will really start to climb. Songs like this have the strength of good staying power and long runs. The indicator one or two days later is more important than the initial period.”

Min Chan-hyeok glanced at me and cleared his throat unnecessarily.

“So there’s no need to be so upset. This is just the beginning.”

Only then did I realize this lengthy explanation was meant to comfort me.

“Should we check people’s reactions? When songs are released like this, not only Lee Ha-in’s fans but the public’s reaction is important too. Let’s see…”

Min Chan-hyeok fiddled with his phone and soon proudly held the screen out to me.

He seemed to have searched for ‘Lee Ha-in’ as a keyword on some SNS. Reactions to the newly released song could be seen everywhere.

[ Has anyone heard Lee Ha-in’s new song?? This one’s crazy, totally sleek ]

[ They say oysters are in season these days, but unnie’s face is in season~ Lee Ha-in’s new song came out today so please show lots of interest ]

[ What’s up with Lee Ha-in’s beauty??? Hair and makeup are legendary ]

[ Lee Ha-in’s new song this time is really amazingly done lol something new and cool but it sticks to your ears ]

[ The crazy one released another masterpiece ]

[ What’s with Lee Ha-in??? She brought that crappy song last time but I guess her agency finally came to their senses ]

“…”

I looked at the screen for a moment and chuckled.

The pleasant reactions made me laugh without realizing it. After that, I felt much more at ease.

“Got it. I’ll wait and see.”

“Alright. Just watch. This is just the beginning, you know? This is our comeback after 2 years too.”

Min Chan-hyeok muttered quietly.

“We have to make it successful somehow.”

I unconsciously touched my earlobe with my fingertips.

***

“Ah, I’m really dying.”

Choi Dong-hyeok muttered in a half-drooping voice. He looked around and asked.

“How much of the assignment has everyone done?”

Lee Hyun-ji answered with a haggard face.

“About half now.”

“You’ve done a lot. Da-yeon, what about you?”

“I’m about the same.”

Yu Da-yeon’s usual gentle smile had completely disappeared, leaving only tightly tied hair and horn-rimmed glasses.

Choi Dong-hyeok’s gaze turned to Han So-yeon. Han So-yeon was looking at her phone, absorbed in something.

“So-yeon.”

“Ah, huh?”

She was startled when her name was called.

“What are you doing? Did you finish your assignment?”

“I’m working on it.”

At the blunt answer, Choi Dong-hyeok just shrugged his shoulders.

“What have you been doing since earlier? Should we just pull an all-nighter? I don’t know how many days we’ve been like this because of assignments.”

The answer came from Yu Da-yeon.

“Lamia made a comeback. She’s probably busy because of that, right?”

“Lamia?”

Choi Dong-hyeok tilted his head at the name that came out of nowhere. He knew they were popular idols, but what did that have to do with anything?

While he was puzzled, Lee Hyun-ji chimed in.

“Ah! I heard their new song too. It was really exciting, wasn’t it? They slightly departed from their existing cute feeling, but I liked this new song better.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Han So-yeon’s eyes sparkled.

“Right? This song is really good, I’m telling you?”

“I thought it was a bit childish.”

“Hey!”

At Yu Da-yeon’s indifferent comment, Han So-yeon immediately raised her voice. Seeing this, Yu Da-yeon giggled and continued.

“You can’t badmouth Lamia in front of her. She’s a first-generation fan club member. Just now she was probably streaming Lamia and looking for any new content that came out, right?”

“You really like Lamia a lot?”

At Choi Dong-hyeok’s question, Han So-yeon blushed slightly as if embarrassed.

“…Yeah. It might sound a bit childish. But Lamia’s songs have been a huge source of strength for me.”

“I didn’t know. I haven’t heard their new song yet. I should give it a listen.”

Choi Dong-hyeok picked up his phone and suddenly mentioned something that came to mind.

“Come to think of it, I heard Lee Ha-in also released a new song.”

“Hmph.”

Han So-yeon snorted.

“If she went up against Lamia on the same day, it’s over. The charts are all dominated. Plus this time it’s not a digital single but a full album, so they’re streaming all the tracks. She probably can’t even get close to the top 10, right?”

At that confident answer, Yu Da-yeon chuckled and provoked.

“You never know. The reaction to Lee Ha-in’s new song was pretty good, wasn’t it? What was the title again. 【Shatter】?”

“It’s obvious without listening. Lee Ha-in always releases similar songs.”

“She’s making use of her strengths.”

“Hmph. It’s self-replication with no development. She always sings mediocre songs with a similar voice.”

“I thought all of Lee Ha-in’s songs were good.”

“Not for me.”

“You’re not just upset because it overlaps with Lamia’s comeback date, are you?”

“That’s not it at all!”

Despite Han So-yeon’s prickly reaction, Yu Da-yeon naturally brushed it off.

“Should we give it a listen?”

Choi Dong-hyeok suddenly suggested.

“What?”

“Right now?”

“We can’t concentrate anyway. It’d be good to listen to it as a reference. None of us have heard it yet, right?”

At those words, Han So-yeon and Yu Da-yeon looked at each other.

“That’s true, but…”

“Wow! I’d love to. I’ve been wanting to hear it.”

When Lee Hyun-ji added fuel to the fire, the atmosphere naturally flowed toward everyone listening to 【Shatter】 together.

Han So-yeon muttered a small complaint.

“Just listening to this once is giving Lee Ha-in streaming numbers.”

“Compared to Lamia’s fandom, it’s a drop in the ocean. Besides, you’re already streaming on your phone anyway, so it’s plus minus zero.”

With things turning out this way, Han So-yeon also crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

“Fine. Let’s listen to it. I’ll give it a cold, objective evaluation.”

Choi Dong-hyeok connected his phone to the speaker.

Before long, with everyone’s attention focused, the song began to flow out.

-♩♬♪♩~

What started as calm expressions gradually began to fill with surprise.

But no one could readily let out sounds like “What is this?” or “Wow.” There was no way they could ruin such a perfect melody.

What had started as a playful listening session had somehow become quite serious.

Choi Dong-hyeok closed his eyes and slightly furrowed his brow, while Lee Hyun-ji wore a dreamy expression. Yu Da-yeon still had her eyes wide open.

Most of all, Han So-yeon was frozen stiff as if she’d been struck by lightning.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————