Peninsula: It’s just a dream, are you serious?

Chapter 504 I'd rather Nuna stay tonight.
On the night of August 4th, even though it was close to midnight, Seoul's commercial streets were still bustling with people, showcasing the charm of this city that never sleeps.

It was summer, and young men and women walked by chatting and laughing. The dazzling neon lights fell on the fair chests and white thighs of the girls wearing tank tops, reflecting a slightly dazzling light and adding a touch of heat to the summer night.

Just as bustling as the commercial street was the internet at that time.

The incident began when SM Entertainment's official website posted a promotional teaser half an hour earlier, announcing that EXO's new song "Growl" would be released on major music platforms at midnight tonight.

The promotional material also specifically mentioned that the song was created and meticulously produced by Chen Yan at the company's invitation, and the promotional trailer also included a few seconds of footage of Chen Yan recording the song in the recording studio.

After the promotional teaser was released, with spontaneous discussions among some of Chen Yan's fans and netizens, as well as the covert assistance from SM's public relations department, the hashtag "[Chen Yan's new work is a boy group song]" quickly climbed to the top of the trending list.

SM is indeed very good at seizing the point that can spark public discussion.

Chen Yan's current situation is that girl group songs are becoming wildly popular, and he has been dubbed a "girl group master" by the public.

In this context, including boy groups in the entry that contrast sharply with girl groups would undoubtedly attract more attention.

Then, under the covert guidance of SM's public relations department, online discussions about the boy group song "Chen Yan" began and grew increasingly popular.

Judging from Chen PD's past works, his compositions for boy groups don't seem to be very outstanding.

I watched the music video for "Roar," and it was actually filmed in one continuous shot! It was really well-made, and the song is great too. I think this song will do well.

[I wonder if PD Chen's appeal in the girl group market can extend to the boy group market. If this song becomes a hit as well, he'll be an all-around producer.]

[It should be fine. Boy band fans are more supportive, and the song quality isn't bad either, so the results shouldn't be bad.]

The problem now isn't whether this song will perform poorly, but rather that it can't perform worse than the girl group songs that PD Chen has released before. Otherwise, it would really prove that PD Chen isn't very good at releasing boy group songs.

"That comment does hit the nail on the head."

Inside Girls' Generation's dorm room, Lee Soon-kyu leaned against the headboard, looking at the online comments on her phone, and muttered to herself.

The main problem now is that Xiaoyan's first three girl group songs have all performed very well, and each one has become more popular than the last.

In particular, "First Wisdom Tooth" was a collaboration with f(x).

f(x) is already a highly popular top-tier girl group, so their contribution to the song's success is definitely much stronger than that of Girl's Day and Apink.

This is evident from the fact that the song has been at the top of the daily charts for six consecutive days since its release.

Under these circumstances, it's hard to say whether "Roar" can surpass "Wisdom Tooth".

EXO has only been around for a little over a year since their debut. Even with the company's management and resource support, their foundation is still somewhat lacking compared to f(x).

Even if "Roar" surpasses "Something" and "Nonono" in terms of performance, as long as it is worse than "First Wisdom Tooth", someone will definitely jump out and say that Xiao Yan is not doing well in the boy band market.

Because Xiao Yan's popularity and reputation are so high now, there are countless people watching him closely. They certainly won't miss any opportunity to attack him.

Even if it doesn't deal a big blow to him, just indirectly labeling him as "only good at girl group songs" will do.

"click"

The sudden sound of the door opening interrupted Lee Soon-kyu's thoughts. She looked up and saw Kim Tae-yeon walking in, gently patting her cheeks.

Her fair, almost glowing face still retained a slight blush from her recent bath, like a red apple, making her look incredibly alluring and tempting to take a bite.

Lee Soon-kyu at least subconsciously swallowed, he did have that kind of urge.

She's done this kind of thing before; she bit Lim Yoona's elbow once.

"Taeyeon, I feel like your skin is getting better and better."

"Really"

Kim Tae-yeon, who had walked to the bedside, smiled upon hearing this. Just as she was about to continue speaking, she heard Lee Soon-kyu mutter softly again:

"Could it be because of Xiao Yan? It's said that doing that kind of thing does have beauty and skin-nourishing effects."

"Hey, Lee Soon-kyu, I can hear you."

Kim Tae-yeon rolled her eyes speechlessly, kicked off her slippers, and went to bed.

But she didn't deny it, because her skin is getting better and better now, and Xiao Yan did put in a lot of effort.

Of course, she herself also worked very hard.

After all, if you want to drink water, you have to get the water out first.

Lee Soon-kyu smiled, subconsciously raised her hand to touch her face, then realized what she was doing and quickly lowered her hand again.

Turning to look at Kim Tae-yeon, he saw her stretching out her two short, fair legs on the bed, looking down at her phone with a happy smile.

She was humming a cheerful tune, and her little feet were swaying slightly to the melody, clearly showing that she was in a very good mood.

Seeing this, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Taeyeon, aren't you worried at all?"

Without looking up, Kim Tae-yeon casually replied, "What are you worried about?"

"I'm worried about Xiaoyan. Her song 'Growl,' which she wrote for EXO, is about to be released."

Lee Soon-kyu didn't think Kim Tae-yeon would be oblivious to the intricacies of the situation.

The two delicate, white feet, painted with light pink nail polish, paused slightly as they swung. Kim Tae-yeon turned to look at her, blinked, and smiled:

"I'm not worried. I have a lot of confidence in Xiaoyan's song. You've seen the music video, haven't you? The song is great, isn't it?"

Others might not know, but she certainly knew what kind of success "Roar" would achieve.

Besides, she and Yoona haven't done anything that would affect EXO's development since their rebirth, so there won't be any butterfly effect.

If there is any positive aspect, it's the positive one. For example, with Xiao Yan's current popularity, it might help "Roar" achieve even better results.

So right now, the ones who are least worried about this are her and Lim Yoona.

The two were even somewhat looking forward to the song "Roar" achieving great success and shocking everyone outside.

Lee Soon-kyu nodded.

That's true. If the wife isn't worried, then I really don't need to worry too much.

Looking down, Lee Soon-kyu logged out of her social media account and glanced at the time; it was already past midnight.

"It's past midnight, the audio for 'Roar' has been released."

"Oh."

Kim Tae-yeon responded, her face still beaming with a smile, her little feet swinging back and forth.

Lee Soon-kyu pursed her lips, not worried at all.

Fine, then I won't bother with it anymore.

She turned on the game and watched the progress bar load quickly. For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the game's background music and Kim Tae-yeon's occasional gruff laughter.

Soon, the game ended. Lee Soon-kyu put down her phone, turned to look at Kim Tae-yeon, and found her staring at her phone screen with her sparse eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"What are you looking at, Taeyeon? What happened?"

"Ok?"

Kim Tae-yeon snapped out of her reverie and replied, "Oh, it's nothing. I was looking at the composition and arrangement materials that Xiaoyan sent me. I've forgotten some of the knowledge I learned last time."

"Oh, you said before that you wanted to learn composition and arrangement from Xiaoyan."

Lee Soon-kyu remembered; there really was such a thing.

"But I haven't seen you go to Xiaoyan's class. Besides, how can you concentrate on class when you two are together?"

At this point, she raised an eyebrow at Kim Tae-yeon with a teasing smile, making her meaning clear: You two aren't using class as an excuse to do some kind of cosplay, are you?

Sai Sai, Red Bean's Private Horse Racing.

Kim Tae-yeon understood and rolled her eyes at her speechlessly.

"It's not what you think. Xiaoyan is very attentive in class, okay? I don't attend classes often because I'm too busy with my schedule."

"Oh, then Xiaoyan must feel quite helpless sometimes, considering Taeyeon's memory."

That's all I have to say. Anyway, Kim Tae-yeon already knows what she means.

"Hey, my memory isn't that bad, okay?"

Kim Tae-yeon immediately retorted loudly, then her voice inexplicably softened a bit: "I've just been too busy lately. I'll find some time to review, and I'll remember it again soon."

"Okay, okay, not bad, not bad." Lee Soon-kyu said this to his team member somewhat perfunctorily, then asked with some curiosity, "Has Xiaoyan ever yelled at you in class?"

"He dares."

Upon hearing this, Kim Tae-yeon immediately bristled and glared.

Oh, no, she must have shaved after taking a shower, so her beard is gone.

Upon hearing this, Kim Tae-yeon immediately widened her eyes.

Xiao Yan wouldn't dare to be mean to me. Even if I had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to be mean to me.

It's just some other form of punishment.

As if thinking of something, Kim Tae-yeon's face immediately flushed red, and a slight tingling sensation suddenly came from her buttocks.

"Oh, okay, study hard. I'm really looking forward to PD Kim's work."

He smiled at her and then went back to playing his game.

Kim Tae-yeon wrinkled her little upturned nose and hummed twice.

She could certainly hear the teasing and perfunctory tone in Lee Soon-kyu's words.

Turn to the side and continue studying diligently!
Hmph, once I've learned it, I'll write out "I" and dazzle your eyes.

I'll study, study, study, study!

Kim Tae-yeon and Lee Soon-kyu were chatting peacefully in their dorm room when online discussions about "Growl" suddenly surged again due to the release of EXO's "Growl" and the promotional activities of Chen Yan, Lee Ji-eun, and Bae Suzy.

Amidst the discussions among netizens, time quickly reached 1 a.m., the time when Melon's real-time music chart was updated.

Inside EXO's dormitory somewhere in Seoul.

Eleven people stood in front of the table, surrounding their leader Kim Junmyeon, who was sitting in front of the computer. All eyes were fixed on the Melon real-time rankings on the computer screen.

Kim Junmyeon turned and exchanged a glance with the others, then turned back to the computer screen, his gaze becoming determined. He picked up the mouse with his right hand and refreshed the leaderboard.

The updated leaderboard popped up, and the twelve people immediately crowded around to check the rankings.

The next second, excited voices rang out in the dormitory.

"Ah, number one on the real-time leaderboard! Number one!"

Wow, amazing! They've suddenly jumped to number one! Wow!

At the same time, many people on the peninsula who updated the real-time rankings also saw this ranking and started discussing it online.

[Another empty first note, this is PD Chen's second song with an empty first note.]

As expected, it's number one on the real-time rankings.

[It seems PD Chen is truly becoming an all-around producer.]

Fans of EXO, Chen Yan, some fans of Bae Suzy and Lee Ji-eun, as well as fans of the girl groups f(x), Girl's Day, and Apink all joined the discussion, causing a huge uproar online.

On the other side, some entertainment company executives looked at the updated Melon real-time charts, but their expressions remained unchanged.

The fact that "Roar" suddenly appeared at number one on the real-time charts was entirely within their expectations, and there was nothing surprising about it.

SM's marketing and promotion, coupled with Chen Yan's popularity and the group's own popularity, resulted in such a huge amount of buzz and attention, which is why they were surprised that it didn't take the top spot on the real-time charts.

As for the online claims that Chen Yan is going to become an all-around producer, that's a complete exaggeration.

It's just that it's number one on the real-time chart, it doesn't mean anything. f(x)'s "First Wisdom Tooth" also suddenly dropped to number one on the real-time chart.

Only when "Roar" completely surpasses "First Wisdom Tooth" can Chen Yan have the right to say that his boy band songs are also good.

But that's all. Unless Roar achieves overwhelming success, then the title of "all-around producer" that netizens have mentioned might truly be well-deserved.

However, if "Roar" doesn't outperform "Wisdom Tooth".
Several high-ranking officials glanced at each other simultaneously.

Then they'll have to stick the label of "famous girl group member" on Chen Yan.

For now, we should just wait and see how things develop. If the opportunity really comes, they will definitely act without hesitation.

But what happened in the next few days gradually took them a step beyond their expectations.

And it wasn't just them; the entire industry felt that something was amiss.

Normally, it's quite common for a good song to see increased digital sales and album sales after its release.

The problem is that the momentum of "Roar" is unusually strong.

On the music charts, "Roar" and "First Wisdom Tooth" are neck and neck, vying for the top spot in the real-time charts.

On the daily charts, the two songs had their share of wins and losses. In one week, "First Wisdom Tooth" took three daily number one spots, while "Roar" took four.

On the weekly chart, last week's champion, "First Wisdom Tooth," dropped to second place, while "Roar" took the top spot.

Judging from the audio sources alone, there doesn't seem to be much difference. The two songs are going back and forth on the charts, with neither one gaining the upper hand.

However, album sales tell a different story.

f(x)'s "First Wisdom Tooth" album has sold just over 4 copies in the two weeks since its release.

However, the reissue of EXO's first full-length album, "Growl," sold a staggering nearly 16 copies in just one week.

When people in the industry saw this data, they were completely stunned.

It's important to know that with the rise of the internet, the global physical record market has been shrinking year by year.

These days, a boy band album is considered a success if it sells more than 15 copies within a month of its release.

But how come you sold 16 copies in a week?

For a moment, everyone in the industry had a premonition.

This album is going to be a huge hit, a massive hit.

Major print and online media outlets on the Korean Peninsula all published special columns reporting on this somewhat sensational event.

EXO’s first full-length album re-release, “Growl,” sold over 16 copies in its first week, setting a new record for first-week sales of a boy group album.

Sitting at the dining table, Lee Soon-kyu read aloud the headline of a news report on her phone screen, then turned her gaze to the man sitting next to her.

"Xiao Yan, the album is selling like hotcakes!"

Chen Yan, who was eating ginger milk curd with his head down, nodded upon hearing this: "Yeah, I saw the report, it really went viral."

The somewhat indifferent tone made Lee Soon-kyu involuntarily purse his lips.

"Tch, this is boring. Why aren't you excited at all?"

Chen Yan swallowed the milk in his mouth and couldn't help but smile.

He was indeed somewhat excited when he saw the report in the afternoon, but he's long since lost that feeling.

Besides, he already knew the approximate album sales figures from Kim Tae-yeon and Im Yoon-ah.

As for why Lee Soon-kyu, the older sister, is here.

You can tell just by looking at the bowl of ginger milk curd in front of her; she's clearly here for a late-night snack.

Looking at the nearly empty ginger milk curd, Chen Yan said, "Nuna, there's still some left in the pot, you can eat more."

Lee Soon-kyu shook her head as she ate, "No, I can't eat too much, or I might overeat like last time."

"It's okay, let's go for a walk downstairs like last time."

Lee Soon-kyu paused slightly as she ate, then looked up at him with a strange smile in her eyes.

"What, do you want to spend more time with me?"

Chen Yan, who was about to lower his head to continue eating, was startled, looked up, and met her smiling, beautiful eyes.

Two seconds later, he suddenly laughed.

Actually, I'd rather Nuna stay tonight.

(End of this chapter)