Chapter 120
One day in the past, while we were all busy preparing for our debut.
On Raon had a question.
“About this song ‘Liberation.’”
He started speaking while waving the edges of the lyrics sheet of ‘Liberation,’ which had become shiny from use, making a rustling sound.
The other members, who had just finished a round of dance practice and were taking a short break, turned their attention to On Raon.
“Which side is being liberated?”
“What do you mean by which side?”
As everyone tilted their heads at the somewhat sudden question, Gyun Seong-ha voiced his opinion.
“Isn’t it obviously the side singing the song? The narrator of the song, I mean.”
On Raon nodded at this plausible opinion.
“I thought so at first, too.”
“Yeah.”
“But the more I look at it, it seems like the one being liberated is Winter, rather than the narrator.”
As evidence, On Raon pointed out the chorus part that starts with ‘Now it’s time for liberation, Winter.’
“Winter was freed, so isn’t the blizzard covering us?”
“But looking at parts like ‘You know it too, Set me free’ or ‘Get out of this messed-up script,’ it seems right that the narrator is being liberated too.”
“Hmm…”
It was something Orca hadn’t really thought about before, so he fell into contemplation.
After a while, Ban Yo-han opened his mouth.
“It feels like a literature problem.”
Gyun Seong-ha, who had most recently encountered literature problems in school, widened his eyes and nodded.
It was similar in a way.
“Right?” Ban Yo-han continued, seeking agreement from Gyun Seong-ha.
“Originally, these things aren’t about fixing one correct answer but rather thinking about multiple possibilities. I don’t think either perspective is wrong.”
“But that’s because it’s hard to ask the original author directly. For us, if we just ask the president, won’t it become clear which side is right?”
“…That’s true.”
At Kang Ji-woo’s suggestion, who remembered who wrote the lyrics of ‘Liberation,’ Ban Yo-han volunteered to ask his aunt later.
Then Seo Moon-gyeol, who checked the time, organized the situation.
“It’s been 10 minutes, let’s practice again.”
Later, Ban Yo-han really asked Ban Ga-eul, who co-wrote the lyrics of ‘Liberation’ with Jung Ha-neul.
“…So, what do you think?”
“It’s refreshing.”
“Wasn’t it intended?”
Ban Ga-eul shook her head.
“No. Here, ‘Now it’s time for liberation, Winter,’ ‘Winter’ was included considering the seasonal situation. Your debut day is right before winter, isn’t it?”
“Then is On Raon wrong?”
“Well. Can we say it’s wrong?”
Ban Ga-eul accepted the unexpected interpretation generously.
Joo Yeo-eum, who heard the story indirectly, welcomed the meaningful development.
And it didn’t just end with liking it; after a meeting with the working team, Joo Yeo-eum decided to have On Raon try writing lyrics with the unique opinion that ‘Winter is being liberated.’
“Try it. If it’s good, I’ll put your name in the lyric credits too.”
And when the result came out really well, some of the lyrics were revised. Mainly, the part after the bridge was the target of revision.
Thanks to that, On Raon’s name was also included in the lyric credits of ‘Liberation.’
Not only that, but Joo Yeo-eum also reflected this interpretation in the music video.
* * *
Towards the end of the music video, as the snowstorm intensified, the members, who were impeccably dressed in neat and tidy school uniforms, gradually loosened their outfits.
They took off their monochrome school uniform jackets and wore colorful hoodies, messed up their neatly styled hair, or wore small accessories like earrings.
There were memories of frantically putting on the clothes for the next scene out of the camera’s sight and running across the sandy ground to rejoin the choreography formation.
The music video, filmed in one take, turned out well, making the showcase venue a frenzy of excitement.
‘This is it!’
‘Ha… even the breath is a piece of art.’
Everywhere, the sound of fans streaming the title song ‘Liberation’ and the included song ‘Fantasy Garden’ on their phones, following the guide posted by the streaming team, echoed.
Not only offline but online was also turned upside down.
– Guys, you are national treasures
– The intro of ‘Liberation’ is giving me chills ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ ‘Fantasy Garden’ is also great, I think he’s a genius…?
– Hul, Raon is listed as a lyricist for ‘Liberation’!!
– I’m genuinely happy right now, I’m so glad and lucky to be born in the same country and speak the same language as these guys
┗ Raon isn’t a Korean member though
┗ But considering how well he speaks, I acknowledge him as Korean for the national interest coolly ㄱ
– Ban Yo-han, if you keep this up, you can only become the world’s best idol…
– Gyun Seong-ha, why do you always smile when you see me..? Why do you keep following me to carry my stuff when I run errands to the teacher’s office..? Why do you give me the ice cream you won in the soccer game against Class 8…? (omitted) Then you say you weren’t trying to win me over, you really shouldn’t do that…
– Ji-woo, is your hair color red-brown or orange-brown? It suits you so well ㅠㅠ Lesser Joo really exists!
┗ It doesn’t look that red, isn’t it more red-brown??
– Friends who went to the showcase.. are you happy..? Of course, you must be happy… you should be happy.. I’m so jealous..
– The song is crazy, the guys are crazy too, now we just need the farmers and fishermen (Fan name for Ban Ga-eul’s aunt’s fandom) to do well
– (Photo) People at the showcase, let’s work according to the guide~~ #Liberation_Fantastic_HiddenStreaming
– Listening to the song while queuing for the showcase, thinking about how hard everyone worked, it makes me want to cry…
┗ ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I also can’t remember any of the cheering words because of that ㅋㅋㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– On my way home after the college entrance exam, I listened to ‘Liberation’ on full blast in my dad’s car and it was exhilarating!! I am so!!! Free!!!!
Then, at 7 PM.
The music charts were updated.
Fans checked the updated charts with trembling hearts.
– (Photo) Oh my God, both songs are charting on Peach!!
On Peach, the music site with the highest market share, ‘Liberation’ and ‘Fantasy Garden’ succeeded in charting at 17th and 51st respectively on the 7 PM chart.
They entered even higher on other sites.
ORCA Music Streaming Team [<171130 19시>
**Liberation**
Peach: 17
Aladdin: 2
Bug: 6 (and so on)]
From 6 PM to 7 PM, during the one hour since the release of the music, the ORCA music streaming team worked hard, downloading the tracks using accounts they had previously collected from fans.
The ORCA music streaming team, who had been diligently working to improve the music chart rankings, cheered after refreshing the page.
At the same time, trolls who were just as keen on ORCA’s entry performance as the fans, jumped in.
– They criticize Pick Heart but receive the buff well. It seems the agency worked hard to maintain Pick Heart’s power.
– ORCA’s debut time can be seen as just a career highlight.
– It looks like the chart entry came out this well because it’s exam day, but maintaining it is different from just entering.
Although they tried to talk nonsense…
What was immediately visible was an excellent ranking for a rookie male idol group, with a minimum of 17th place and a maximum of 2nd place.
Idol fans knew from the precedents of derivative groups from previous seasons that not all groups with trainees from Pick Heart achieved such good results.
In the face of rankings far exceeding expectations, fans could adequately ignore the annoying remarks and immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere.
At that moment, in ORCA’s waiting room.
“…”
It was quiet.
The members had agreed not to check the music charts until the day’s schedule was over to avoid affecting the showcase atmosphere in case the results weren’t good.
They had heard countless times from the staff that even making it into the charts was great, and not to be too disappointed if they didn’t, so their expectations were low.
However, after 7 PM when the charts were updated.
The only member oblivious to the clearly excited atmosphere among the manager Kwak Sang-hyun and the on-site staff was Seo Moon-gyeol.
Kang Ji-woo, sensing that the situation might not be bad, sought the agreement of the other members, who were probably dying of curiosity about the chart rankings just like him, and took out his phone, which he had sealed deep in his personal bag.
Kang Ji-woo’s phone was still streaming the debut album tracks.
Of course, Kang Ji-woo wasn’t the only one doing this; the other members were too.
It was an action born from the desire to utilize even a cat’s paw if needed.
“Should we start from the top or the bottom?”
“The top.”
Thanks to Ban Yo-han’s confident choice of starting from the top without hesitation, ORCA discovered their song a few seconds earlier than if they had scrolled from the bottom.
[17. Liberation (Winter) – ORCA]
They couldn’t say anything in the face of a ranking far above their expectations.
Kang Ji-woo, trying to appear calm but with trembling hands, scrolled down the chart to check the ranking of ‘Fantasy Garden.’
And among ORCA, who were staring intently at the small phone screen displaying the chart.
“Wow!”
A loud cheer erupted.
“Screenshot it, screenshot. We don’t know what will happen at 8.”
“Is this really our song?”
“What do you mean, is it our song? You should know better…”
“Haha! Look at Gyeol’s expression.”
“It’s the same as before?”
“…”
“It’s different! Look closely!”
Staff members nearby, watching the members bouncing around with sparkling eyes, offered congratulations with proud expressions.
A moment later, Kang Ji-woo, with a flushed face, cleared his throat and spoke.
“Guys, it’s good news, but let’s not lose focus. Let’s do even better on stage in a bit than before.”
“Yes!”
Finally, fans who had braved the cold weather and waited for a long time began to enter.
Fans entered the venue, warming their cold hands with the hot canned drinks prepared by the organizers.
Near the entrance, several flower wreaths were lined up.
Next to the flower wreath sent by the production team of ORCA’s debut reality show ‘Let’s Get Close, ORCA,’ was one sent by Ban Yo-han’s university management department, wishing him good luck with the deer.
[This year’s farming will be a bumper crop. Now we’re moving from agriculture to fishing/ Congratulations on ORCA’s debut, let’s keep growing♡]
The rice wreath sent by the farmers caused passersby to chuckle.
There was also a wreath from Muk Hye-sung with a simple and polite congratulatory message.
[Muk Hye-sung/Congratulations on your debut, wishing you long and healthy activities]
Next to it was the most glamorous and eye-catching wreath…
[Can’t believe Muk Hye-sung is already seeing results/ Chronicle congratulates the debut of Raon’s nephew and ORCA♥]
It was a wreath sent by Chronicle members without Muk Hye-sung’s knowledge.