Chapter 1041: I knew it (10)

There was still heat lingering in my fingertips.

My entire body felt flushed, as though a scorching gust of wind had wrapped around me and swept through.

"The livestream has ended!"

The moment someone announced that the live broadcast was over, cheers erupted from every direction.

"Wooooooaaaahhhhhh!"

"Uwaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"

A roar of celebration in which our little underlings accounted for about seventy percent of the volume.

"Whew."

I wiped away a bead of sweat that rolled down my forehead and smiled at the people applauding me.

Lee Gyeonwoo handed me a bottle of water and patted my shoulder.

"You did great, Wooju. Seriously, you did an amazing job."

"Thank you, Sunbae."

The actors grinned brightly and shouted.

"Wooju, you were amaaazing!"

"Seriously, I got chills all over while singing along. It really made me think, wow, professional singers really are different."

"Great work, Wooju!"

Staff and actors all around congratulated me, telling me I had done well and worked hard. I smiled and bowed my head in thanks.

Off in the distance, the American actors, including Willie Jones, were all giving me double thumbs-up.

"It was incredible."

Ronnie Lucas spoke with an excited expression.

"That was even more impressive than last year's Billboard Awards performance. How do you sing that well?"

"I practiced a lot."

"You don't need to say any more. I can already tell how much."

Then I high-fived my younger members, who had helped me rehearse today.

"Your big brother did well, right?"

"You were amazing~!"

Biju exclaimed excitedly.

"The atmosphere was so intense that I actually checked the air conditioner. I thought Kim Junghyun might have accidentally turned it off."

"...? Why me?"

Junghyun blinked.

Biju explained that the heat in the room had been so overwhelming that he suspected the air conditioner wasn't running, and I smiled contentedly.

Ri Hyuk spoke with an arrogant expression.

"As expected, my teaching paid off."

"Thank you, Master. Was it perhaps a case of the student surpassing the teacher?"

"I don't think you've reached that level yet... Maybe about seventy percent."

Receiving the highest praise possible, I nodded solemnly.

Meanwhile, the maknae continued making a huge fuss, pacing around me nonstop.

That was when Director Kim Bora approached and extended her hand.

"You really did an excellent job, Wooju."

"Were you satisfied?"

"Yes. Judging by the reaction, I think we'll have to release your version as an official track too."

When she said it should probably be included as a bonus track on the album, my eyes lit up.

"That's a great idea."

Director Kim Bora smiled.

"At first, I wasn't sure. I kept wondering whether a single live performance could really change the studio's mind. Up until a few days ago, I was still worried about that. Looks like I was wrong."

A smile spread across my face at the thought that I had successfully accomplished what needed to be done.

But...

"I'm glad the reaction is good, but this still isn't over."

"Hm?"

The studio might very well react like this.

—Oh? NewBlack is promoting the movie just fine on their own! Great job! Keep it up!

Considering the behavior of that Hollywood studio employee I'd met before, it was a completely plausible response.

Why spend money on promotion when you're handling it yourselves?

That was why I intended to move on to Phase Two of the plan.

Out of the five phases I had prepared, Phase Two was...

"There are famous singers in different countries. If the video's response is good, I'm planning to ask them to do cover versions."

The Thai national singer I'd met at the KMA awards.

The famous Japanese band musicians.

The well-known singers from South America and Europe I'd met at American award shows.

I intended to contact all the artists I'd become friendly with through their agencies.

If they wanted something in return, we could help each other out.

"And I'm also planning to do media interviews."

"Ah..."

"If I explain, indirectly, why I decided to create this video..."

My plan was to expand the scale so much that the studio would have no choice but to spend money on promotion.

As I enthusiastically explained the strategy to the members and the director—

Jiho raised his hand.

"But Hyung, I don't think you'll need to go that far."

"Why?"

"Do you know how many viewers the livestream had?"

"No. I have no idea."

The director and the members all nodded as though that explained everything.

Looking confused, I turned toward them.

Director Kim Bora spoke.

"Wooju. The livestream had eleven million viewers."

I stared at her in shock.

Ri Hyuk immediately showed me a screenshot.

10.97 million viewers just before the stream ended.

As I blankly stared at the number, the members nodded to confirm it.

"Hyung, this is absolutely huge."

There once was an idol who had intended to put on a beautiful fireworks show.

—Everyone! Aren't these fireworks pretty?!

—Wow, Wooju, those really are beauti—

BOOOOOOOOM!

Unfortunately, they weren't fireworks.

They were a bomb.

At that very moment, the internet across the world was being shaken by a single small spark launched by one artist.

First, South Korea.

[Wooju Livestream Surpasses 10 Million Real-Time Viewers]

(Screenshot.jpg)

Apparently it's some kind of Sound of the Sun promotional event.

Netizens stared at the image showing the video that had become the most-viewed livestream in history.

—Ten million???

—Did the servers actually survive this? LOL this is insane

—Wait what

—These guys always crash the site whenever a music video drops, but somehow it survives this?

└ No, MyTube got smart.

└ ???: If the servers crash with ten million viewers, we're all dead.

People around the world were astonished to learn that a number of viewers comparable to the entire population of Seoul had watched NewBlack's livestream simultaneously.

The news immediately exploded across the media.

—NewBlack's Wooju, "The Star of New Records," Surpasses 10 Million Real-Time Viewers on MyTube

—NewBlack's Wooju Breaks 10 Million Viewers with Movie Promotion Livestream... Souffle: "Funny how the servers work perfectly at times like this"

—[MyTube Record] From "Wooju Jumping from Space" with 8 Million Viewers → "Wooju Singing" with 10 Million Viewers

Everyone shared the same question.

—What kind of movie is Sound of the Sun, the film NewBlack's Wooju is promoting?

What kind of movie could possibly make Sun Wooju hold a livestream?

And how had it reached ten million viewers?

[Story Summary of Sound of the Sun, Currently Trending]

It's a biographical film about Sun Myungju.

The portal site description says: "A story depicting the life of genius pianist Sun Myungju."

Genre: Musical.

—Oh, it's about his father.

—The cast looks pretty solid. Lee Gyeonwoo and Yeo Eunseon? That's a top star plus rising star combination.

—Willie Jones is in it??

—Holy crap Ronnie Lucas LOL. Wait, why are you here?

—Ronnieeeeeeeeeee

—Who's Ronnie Lucas?

└ One of Hollywood's hottest rising actors right now.

└ Koreans won't know him from that description. He's the guy who played Count Dracula on NewBlack's escape variety show!

└ Ah LOL that guy?? He really made it big.

—Can Lee Gyeonwoo even sing? Isn't posting videos of him singing grounds for getting kicked out of his fan café?

The impressive cast lineup generated excitement.

But before long, explanations for the ten-million-view livestream also started appearing.

"Okay, I get that Sun Wooju promoted it."

All the NewBlack members had advertised it.

Popular celebrities had promoted it.

There was Lee Gyeonwoo, one of the biggest Korean Wave actors across Greater China and Southeast Asia.

There was promotion from one of Hollywood's fastest-rising stars.

But even then...

How do you get ten million viewers?

"That's impossible..."

Just as people were thinking that—

[The Real Reason Today's Livestream Hit 10 Million]

The moment they clicked the post, a video began playing.

Sun Wooju appeared on Instagram Live without makeup, staring directly into the camera.

His eyes looked moist beneath his beautiful, well-defined nose.

"Uh..."

The kind of face that made people want to reach through the screen and gently caress his cheek.

The breathtakingly beautiful young man spoke with damp eyes.

[Tonight, I'm going to perform something that's personally very important to me. I hope you'll all watch.]

"Of course I'll watch."

"I have to watch."

"Who made our Wooju suffer?!"

Even people who weren't Souffle found themselves unconsciously clenching their fists.

"That's right! I'll watch the livestream!"

Then the video abruptly ended.

"Ah...?"

People looked at their own reflections on the darkened screen and laughed awkwardly.

They finally understood why it had reached ten million viewers.

—He weaponized his face LOL

—How are you supposed to say no when someone that handsome asks you personally?

—Why does he look so emotional? LOL

—No wonder Ri Hyuk forgives him every time he messes up.

As people pieced together the situation, a new question arose.

"But what was this important performance?"

The promise that it would be something personally meaningful naturally sparked curiosity.

The moment they opened MyTube, a video appeared as though a waiter had approached and said, "We've been expecting you. Right this way."

[Like The Sun]

Not uploaded to NewBlack TV.

Uploaded to the account of a famous movie studio.

Viewers switched the quality to 1080p and pressed play.

After introducing the cast one by one, Wooju sat down at the piano.

The song began with a gentle jazz melody.

[We are like stars in the galaxy—]

[Separate, but connected with gravity]

People listened to the opening lines and thought, Oh.

Then Wooju looked directly into the camera with the same clear eyes as his father.

[And I am the Sun.]

At that moment—

The viewers who had been lounging casually in their seats sat upright.

"...What is this?"

From the very beginning, Wooju's live performance seized everyone's attention and never let go for three straight minutes.

Actors swaying their shoulders and singing the chorus.

Wooju delivering a dazzling performance.

The sunset flooding the rehearsal hall during the climax.

Every element felt perfectly synchronized.

"Uh..."

Not even "Wow."

Just "Uh..."

The kind of video that left people staring speechlessly.

—We shine brighter than anyone.

As viewers listened to the song, already subtitled with Korean translations of the lyrics, they swallowed hard.

Then they played it again.

It filled them with the overwhelming feeling that they could break through any obstacle standing in front of them.

—This song is insane...

—He did this live??

—Wow.

—Seriously, wow... that's all I can say LOL

—Musical movie fans are crying right nowㅠㅠㅠ

—No wonder it hit ten million viewers.

—The actors were perfect live, and Wooju is just... bb

—I keep trying to explain this feeling in a comment, but I write something and then delete it because I can't put it into words.

Even those who had initially wondered why the theme song was being released three months before the film's premiere found themselves nodding.

A production of this quality deserved to be released early.

"A major film is coming."

Movie fans, especially, couldn't contain their excitement.

Posts about Sound of the Sun were flooding film forums.

[Looks like this fall is getting something huge ㄷㄷㄷ]

(Video attached.metube)

Everyone should listen to the Sound of the Sun prerelease track.

It's insane.

—I love musical filmsㅠㅠㅠ I'm already excited.

—Damn it, this is raising my expectations too much.

—Is it an arrangement of his father's composition?

—No. It's an original theme song composed by Wooju himself. He wrote it while thinking of his father.

—Wow... the studio must really be backing this project.

—We've been waiting forever without even getting a still image, and suddenly they drop the theme song like this LOL

—Calling it now. Three months from now we're all posting repeat-viewing reviews.

—Hmm. The song is great. Whether the movie lives up to it remains to be seen.

Before long, movie enthusiasts had already placed Sound of the Sun among the "Big Four" most anticipated films of the fall.

"This is going to be huge."

"Man... I'm already nervous."

The hearts of Korean musical-film fans pounded with excitement.

Musical films were something they always wanted more of but rarely got.

No trailer had been released.

No promotional material had been revealed.

Yet a single song had already elevated Sound of the Sun into the ranks of the year's most anticipated movies.

Meanwhile—

"Kyaaaaaaaah!"

There was another group celebrating this development just as passionately as Souffle.

"Today is our day!!"

It was none other than the Weavers, Lee Gyeonwoo's fandom.

—Finally, contentㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

—I've been wondering why they were keeping this movie wrapped up so tightly. Now I get it.

—Content at lastㅠㅠ

Since the announcement that Lee Gyeonwoo had been cast in Sound of the Sun, the fandom had received almost nothing.

A selfie saying "I'm doing well."

The occasional photo from the set.

At best, a paparazzi shot of him carrying Starbucks coffee in America.

And even that had only happened because Wooju visited the filming location.

But now—

There was content.

And more importantly...

There was something even bigger.

[Current Reaction of Lee Gyeonwoo's Fandom]

(Murmuring)

Wait... our actor sings?

 Explanation: Lee Gyeonwoo previously accumulated countless embarrassing singing moments on variety shows.

People burst into laughter while watching the compilation.

Rookie-era Lee Gyeonwoo screeching through a three-octave song.

The legendary variety-show disaster.

And now, after NewBlack's merciless training, he had been reborn.

—Turns out he just needed more effort LOL

—Lee Gyeonwoo was hilarious. They said when he went to overseas fan meetings he only danced because he couldn't sing LOL

—The overseas Weavers are losing their minds. We finally get to hear our actor sing.

The Weavers were in a state of euphoria.

—Thank you. Thank you so much.

—As of today, Sun Wooju and I are one body. Understand that.

—Our Lord Wooju transformed his recycling-bin singing skills into an eco-friendly power plant.

—Souffle, stand back. We'll handle the haters for youㅠㅠㅠ

As Souffle stared in confusion at the older sisters suddenly throwing themselves at them in gratitude—

The butterfly effect caused by Sun Wooju continued spreading everywhere.

First, the music platforms.

"Search traffic is exploding! What about Like The Sun?"

"It'll be available soon!"

Domestic and international streaming services alike were flooding Lemon Entertainment with demands to know when the track would be released.

And then—

The Korean film industry fell into shock.

"...Should we delay our release dates?"

Not only film studios.

The entire media industry was stunned.

After all—

"Who the hell mobilizes ten million people for movie marketing...?"

There was no precedent.

Word-of-mouth marketing on that scale wasn't something you could achieve even with billions of won.

Yet NewBlack's leader had done it through social media alone.

He had demonstrated exactly how many people Sun Wooju could attract when he truly set his mind to it.

"What kind of movie starts with ten million people before it's even released?"

"Do you think it'll hit ten million admissions?"

"The livestream had ten million viewers. Do you think those people won't watch the movie when it comes out? Of course they will."

"What's the budget again? Five hundred billion won?"

If ten million people watched the film, revenue would easily surpass one hundred billion won.

A movie that looked certain to break even before release had appeared out of nowhere, and the industry went into emergency mode.

"What do we do about our release schedule?"

"We absolutely can't go head-to-head with that movie."

Most frightening of all—

Its real promotional campaign hadn't even started yet.

Soon, famous celebrities who were close friends with Wooju would begin promoting it on social media.

Then all the other marketing efforts would follow.

"How are we supposed to deal with this situation?"

As Korean distributors and production companies hurriedly assembled emergency meetings—

The exact same phenomenon was unfolding around the world.

In fact, considering global population ratios, Koreans weren't even a particularly large portion of the livestream audience.

Eleven million viewers.

"Have you seen this?"

"It's a livestream from NewBlack's leader. Watch this."

"A musical movie is coming out."

If ten million people told just four friends each, that became fifty million.

If those fifty million each told one more friend, that became one hundred million.

The textbook definition of viral marketing.

The unprecedented reaction had attracted attention from Hollywood and international media alike.

Everyone was marveling at both NewBlack's influence and the studio's marketing.

—Silver Screen! You guys are incredible!

And naturally...

The butterfly effect eventually reached the headquarters of Silver Screen itself.

A towering skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles.

[Silver Screen Pictures]

At the highest floor of one of the world's most powerful film distributors, an uneasy atmosphere hung in the air.

Amid a gathering of senior executives, a marketing employee delivered a report.

"There's a website called Tumblr. It's an image-blog platform with over a hundred million registered users—"

"We all know what Tumblr is."

The CEO of Silver Screen waved a hand dismissively.

Charles Voight, a middle-aged man with thick brown hair and an impeccably tailored suit, spoke calmly.

"Get to the point. We're short on time."

"To get straight to it, after Sunny's livestream ended, discussion of the film climbed to nineteenth place across the platform."

Murmurs spread throughout the room.

Charles Voight tapped a finger against the table.

"A film that hasn't even been released yet? A film with no trailer and virtually no marketing? It surpassed other movies and reached nineteenth place?"

"Yes."

"My God."

That wasn't all.

Employees from various departments continued reporting.

"Several major corporations have contacted us about sponsoring premiere events."

"Famous singers have reached out regarding cover versions of the song. How should we handle—"

Charles Voight raised a hand.

The room immediately fell silent.

Ignoring everything else, he asked the most important question.

"How did Sunny react?"

The priority wasn't the details.

The priority was maintaining a relationship with the person responsible for this entire phenomenon.

He didn't know every detail of what had happened behind the scenes.

But he knew one thing.

The film hadn't been receiving proper support.

The promotional budget had been cut.

There was no way relations could still be good.

"Uh..."

Someone staring at a laptop suddenly spoke.

"The full transcript of Sunny's media interview was just published."

"Read it."

An executive stood and began reading.

"'Global superstar and NewBlack leader Sunny responded to questions regarding the livestream that recently shook MyTube. When asked why he held the livestream, he said...'"

The executive glanced nervously around the room.

Charles Voight motioned for him to continue.

"'Recently, the studio expressed some concerns regarding the film's commercial viability. I shared those concerns and became curious about how much public interest our movie could generate.'"

Everyone flinched.

On the surface, the statement sounded perfectly elegant.

But Silver Screen employees were masters of political subtext.

To them, the translation sounded very different.

[The studio expressed concerns = These guys laughed and said the movie wouldn't make money.]

[I shared those concerns = No, I didn't.]

[I became curious about public interest = Let me show you how angry I am.]

Put together, the true meaning became:

Translation: My dear trash friends!

The executive continued.

"'I wanted to repay the unwavering support the studio has shown us.'"

Translation: Do I really have to go this far before you get the message?

"'I believe the studio must be very pleased with today's outcome.'"

Translation: Spend some money already. Do you people have no shame?

"'Silver Screen is an extremely prestigious company. I'm excited to work with them.'"

Translation: The more I think about it, the more irritated I get.

Each sentence landed like a perfectly polished knife.

Graceful.

Sophisticated.

And absolutely devastating.

The executive hesitated before reading the next line.

"'And I would like to extend special thanks to Dwight Goodman for all the help he provided during this project.'"

Translation: You heard me. Offer this man as a sacrifice.

The instant those words were spoken—

Every head in the room turned toward one individual sitting among them.

The man looked utterly horrified.