pappabearbooks Chapter 228: Fruit (9)
Chapter 228: Fruit (9)
The intro of 'Royal Procession' filled the massive 'K-POP Awards' venue. The gayageum melody. The gradually quickening tempo. 'Vanguard' and the dancers displayed the choreography cleanly without a single person out of sync, and among them, Do-kyung came forward at the lead.Because the rap part was the start of ‘Royal Procession’.
As he alternated between looking at the close-up camera and the tens of thousands of audience seats while rapping, the idols who stood up to applaud and enjoy ‘Royal Procession’ were mostly expressing curiosity.
“What is this song?? I’ve never heard it before.”
“Same here.”
It was only natural.
After ‘GreenBee’ and ‘Windveil’, which were familiar to everyone, the currently playing ‘Royal Procession’ was a song neither idols nor audience members had heard before. Then, a few of the idols caught on.
"Ah! This song is that one!"
“What??”
“You know? That teaser song recently uploaded on Vanguard’s YouTube!”
“Ah!!”
“That rhythm just now! It was in the teaser too!”
The mysterious teaser song that ‘Vanguard’ had suddenly released turned out to be ‘Royal Procession’. Of course, the tens of thousands of audience members and the viewers watching the ‘K-POP Awards’ live were also beginning to realize it.
Maybe that’s why the spreading screams grew louder.
Song or not, the mindset was to just enjoy it first.
Whatever the case, including Kang Rojun, the members of ‘Vanguard’ delivered a thorough, intense performance of ‘Royal Procession’. Although due to time and location constraints, they couldn’t match the stage costumes to the song’s concept.
"......They're doing well-"
“The song’s really amazing too?? It totally has a historical vibe but also feels super trendy?”
“This song’s going to blow up too.”
“Somehow- I feel like Rojun composed this one too. That guy’s sense is seriously insane.”
It was the first time showing it to the world, but without a single mistake, ‘Vanguard’ pulled it off perfectly as if they had performed it many times. The stage direction and effects were extravagant, but it was still Vanguard’s performance that overwhelmed everyone. The fact that tens of thousands of spectators cheered until the end of the song was the proof.
At last.
-Paahk!!
With a firework effect exploding on stage, the ‘Royal Procession’ performance came to an end. Several cameras captured ‘Vanguard’ in the center of the stage, breathing heavily, and only then did the frenzied audience enter Kang Rojun’s field of vision, who had been completely immersed in the performance.
‘It was good, right? Yeah, I’m satisfied.’
His feelings surfaced on his face. Even while bowing repeatedly, he smiled with his eyes. Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung were no different. The cameras capturing ‘Vanguard’ who had incited a frenzy greater than a concert shifted their angles to the main stage.
Because the ‘K-POP Awards’ had to proceed to the next segment.
As a famous broadcaster stepped onto the stage and began their awards speech, Kang Rojun and the members were back in the waiting room, changing outfits while shouting celebratory words. Or to be precise, it was the choreography team and staff who were cheering wildly for them.
"You totally killed it!!"
“The stage was amazing!!! Other groups were totally into it watching! So were the audience!”
“Do-kyung was killing it today, huh??”
Kang Rojun and the members were bouncing around, their dopamine surging uncontrollably. Rojun was so high on excitement that he didn’t even notice the ‘AI Simulation’ app had sent him a reward.
‘This is fun! The stage really is the best!’
However, ‘Vanguard’ didn’t have much time. They had to fix their makeup and quickly return to their original seats. They got back to the seats among the idols just as one idol group was giving their acceptance speech. As ‘Vanguard’ sat down, nearby male and female idols quietly offered their praise.
“The song was really good, seriously.”
“That last song was the one from the teaser, right??”
Kang Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung responded only with smiles or a modest “Thank you”.
About 30 minutes passed like that.
The ‘K-POP Awards’, which had been alternating between awards and artist performances at full speed, was nearing its end.
-Sss.
The atmosphere shifted too. The excitement was still at its peak, but there was a sense of seriousness added. Soon, a popular male actor stepped onto the stage and announced the next award.
“Yes! It’s finally time to announce the grand prize winner of the ‘K-POP Awards’!”
While he was delivering his comments, on the large monitors placed throughout the vast venue.
-Swish.
The groups nominated for the Grand Prize were displayed. Naturally, ‘Vanguard’ was among them. For reference, this year’s ‘K-POP Awards’ had three Grand Prize categories: ‘Song of the Year’, ‘Album of the Year’, and ‘Artist of the Year’. Sweeping all three would mean achieving the ‘Grand Slam’.
Soon, the lighting in the entire concert hall dimmed slightly, and a sound effect heightened the tension.
“Then, we will now announce the first Grand Prize of the 2021 ‘K-POP Awards’ - ‘Song of the Year’!”
Kang Rojun, staring steadily at the stage, felt his heart pounding. Manager Kim Ki-baek had said the chances were high, and many around them had predicted ‘Vanguard’ too, but just before the announcement, the nerves were inevitable.
‘Call Vanguard, Vanguard.’
As Rojun kept chanting ‘Vanguard’ in his mind, Si-hoo beside him whispered quietly.
“Ugh. I feel like I’m gonna throw up.”
Kang-min and Do-kyung agreed.
“I’m dizzy.”
"I keep swallowing the acid coming up."
It wasn’t just ‘Vanguard’ - the countless artists gathered in the concert hall felt the same. Add to that the tens of thousands of spectators and viewers watching the ‘K-POP Awards’ live, all hoping that their favorite artist would win.
At that moment.
“‘Song of the Year’ award! Congratulations!! ‘Vanguard’!!”
‘Vanguard’ was called across the grand hall. The lights immediately focused on Rojun and the members, and the large monitors showed the surprised expressions of the ‘Vanguard’ members.
Thunderous applause and fans’ screams erupted.
Soon, information about the ‘Song of the Year’ award appeared on several monitors.
-2021 K-POP Awards ‘Song of the Year’ / Vanguard: GreenBee
Kang Rojun, Si-hoo, Kang-min, and Do-kyung went up to receive their fifth award. The previous awards were great too, but this time it was a Grand Prize. ‘Vanguard’ had done it. The moment they were announced as the Grand Prize winner, a new record was set. Winning a Grand Prize in the debut year, ‘Vanguard’ was the first to do it.
“Two, three! Thank you!!”
Among the members of ‘Vanguard’ who received the Grand Prize trophy, the first to step up to the mic was leader Kang Rojun. He was bubbling over inside.
‘Crazy, crazy, crazy! For real? We really won a Grand Prize? Wow, my legs are about to give out.’
But when delivering his acceptance speech, he barely managed not to show it. However, when it was Si-hoo’s or Kang-min’s turn to speak, they ended up choking up, and Do-kyung stammered quite a bit, confused whether it was a dream or reality. Meanwhile, the ‘Vanguard’ team in the waiting room was screaming with excitement, and Manager Kim Ki-baek was clapping pretty hard with a faint smile.
‘That makes it five awards, including a Grand Prize. They’ve already written a one-of-a-kind record.’
Only after repeatedly bowing toward the audience and cameras did ‘Vanguard’ finally finish their acceptance speech with difficulty. But there was no need for them to return to their seats.
The reason was simple.
“‘Album of the Year’ award! ‘Vanguard’!! Wow- congratulations!!”
The second Grand Prize, just announced, was also awarded to ‘Vanguard’. The live chat window exploded, and Kang Rojun and the members had to give another acceptance speech on stage. Si-hoo, going beyond choking up, had tears streaming down, and maybe it was contagious because Kang Rojun’s eyes also turned red.
Two Grand Prizes belonged to ‘Vanguard’.
At this year’s ‘K-POP Awards’ alone, they had won six awards.
And before long, the final Grand Prize of the ‘K-POP Awards’ was announced.
“We are now down to the final Grand Prize award of the ‘K-POP Awards’. It’s an honor to present the ‘Artist of the Year’ award, and let’s bring out the winner now.”
All the cameras, and tens of thousands of eyes in the concert hall, were directed toward ‘Vanguard’, now overflowing with trophies.
“The final Grand Prize of the 2021 ‘K-POP Awards’, ‘Artist of the Year’!! Congratulations!! ‘Vanguard’!”
Seven awards, and all three Grand Prizes swept by ‘Vanguard’.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a ‘Grand Slam’!!”
In other words, it was a ‘Grand Slam’.
About an hour later.
The biggest awards ceremony in the music industry this year, the ‘K-POP Awards’, was, in every sense, dominated by ‘Vanguard’. They were the main focus, the protagonists, and the phenomenon. In terms of achievements, impact, and hook power, no idol could even dream of keeping up.
Thanks to that, right after the ‘K-POP Awards’ ended, everywhere was overflowing with articles about ‘Vanguard’.
《[Official] ‘K-POP Awards’: ‘Vanguard’ wins total of 7 awards, including 3 Grand Prizes!》
《‘Vanguard’ achieves ‘Grand Slam’ at ‘K-POP Awards’!》
《‘Vanguard’ sweeps Grand Prizes in debut year, first time in KPOP history… They etched a new chapter in legend / Photos》
《[Video] ‘Vanguard’ sets an unbreakable record at ‘K-POP Awards’, wins 7 awards including all Grand Prizes》
Winning seven awards alone was amazing, but sweeping all three Grand Prizes in their debut year, ‘Vanguard’ was the first to ever do it. Shocked by this massive record, the media quickly pushed out articles, and among them were many about the surprise stage ‘Royal Procession’ that ‘Vanguard’ had performed.
《The surprise performance by ‘Vanguard’ at ‘K-POP Awards’ turns out to be the teaser song revealed earlier / Video》
《‘Royal Procession’ hits 40 million views, ‘Vanguard’ finally reveals it at ‘K-POP Awards’》
Whatever the case, the media and public opinion screamed ‘Vanguard’ all night long. The ripple effect was immense. Naturally, the entertainment industry was shaken by ‘Vanguard’. The atmosphere, already surging with ‘Vanguard’ all night, exploded even more by the morning of the 21st.
Sensing this nuclear-level momentum, GN Entertainment made a move.
Around noon on the 21st, they uploaded a new video to Vanguard’s YouTube channel.
-Vanguard ‘Royal Procession’ Official MV
It was the official music video for ‘Royal Procession’. Of course, the timing was coordinated with Netflix Korea, and it was dropped right when the ‘K-POP Awards’ buzz around ‘Vanguard’ was erupting like a volcano.
《[Issue Talk] Immediately after ‘K-POP Awards’, ‘Vanguard’ releases official MV for ‘Royal Procession’, hits 1 million views in no time!》
The ‘Royal Procession’ MV boasted terrifying momentum. More than anything, the details written in the video’s description drove fans even crazier. Kang Rojun’s name appeared frequently under composition, lyrics, and producing, and the most eye-catching phrase was ‘Tale of the Strange Moon x Vanguard Collaboration’.
Then Netflix Korea joined in.
Netflix Korea first revealed through its social media channels that ‘Royal Procession’ was a collaboration with ‘Vanguard’, and on its official YouTube channel, they uploaded a pre-produced video.
-Want to join the tour of how ‘Royal Procession’ was born? (Feat. Vanguard)｜Netflix Korea
The video contained everything from how ‘Royal Procession’ came to be, to the production process, meetings, interviews with Kang Rojun and other ‘Vanguard’ members, and even MV rehearsals. With this, everyone learned that ‘Royal Procession’ was the main OST of ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’ and a collaboration song with ‘Vanguard’.
Exploding interest.
For several days, the world literally burned with topics like Vanguard’s record-breaking performance at the ‘K-POP Awards’, the ‘Royal Procession’ MV, and ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’. The ‘Royal Procession’ MV easily surpassed 10 million views, and the award ceremony videos uploaded by either ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’ or the ‘K-POP Awards’ channels also hit millions of views.
While this massive storm was raging, Kang Rojun was.
“Hi- Action!!”
Immersed in acting as ‘Choi Si-baek’ on the filming set of ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’. He was euphoric, but that didn’t mean he could neglect his other schedules.
Not that Rojun needed to do anything, the momentum of ‘Vanguard’, ‘Royal Procession’, and ‘Tale of the Strange Moon’ was already rolling on its own. The buzz was so big that even international communities, including in Japan, were actively talking about it.
It was around this time that the film industry media jumped in.
On Thursday, November 25th, right at the center of this massive storm.
《[Movie Talk] ‘Blood Hunt’ premieres today, already sold out... The ‘Rojun’ effect?》
‘Blood Hunt’ was officially released.