SWNOVELXO Chapter 118
Chapter 118
[ORCA ‘Liberation (Winter)’ MV Teaser]
Fans of On Raon clicked the YouTube link on the official account, feeling a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and anticipation for the first teaser released ahead of his debut.
The thumbnail of the teaser video showed the members with their backs against a seemingly frozen sky, and she noticed that the hair colors of the members she had glimpsed were distinctly different from the concept photos previously released only after she had already entered the video.
“Let’s just watch it.”
Swish…
The music video started with the sound of waves rolling in and was edited with colors that seemed to exude a cool fragrance.
The instrumental was clear and refreshing, in line with the dictionary definition of cool.
However, unlike the coolness of summer, “Liberation” leaned more toward the chilliness of winter, as suggested by its English subtitle.
The members, dressed in gray-toned winter school uniforms, appeared in individual cuts and performed group dances on a sandbar, with these scenes changing rapidly.
The changing hues of the mysterious sky and the snowflakes that began to scatter subtly hinted at the passage of time.
Despite the same school uniform, there was hardly a sense of overlap or repetition from the previously taken profile photos or concept photos.
This was because the members had undergone significant changes in their hairstyles and actively used additional items like vests, jackets, and cardigans, unlike before.
The time for liberation is now.
Along with the sound of a clear, solid yet warm voice singing a verse of “Liberation” like a snowflake melting into transparent and firm water.
Suddenly, the snowstorm became so intense that it was hard to distinguish shapes.
In the midst of it, On Raon stood alone, his white hair blending almost indistinguishably with the snow.
Winter.
The boy, who had murmured the word clearly, slowly closed his bluish eyes, and the screen was finally completely covered in a snowstorm.
[Liberation (Winter)]
[2017.11.30 6PM]
– Wow.
– Huh.
– ㅁㅊ..
Fans’ social media timelines, filled with various exclamations or equivalent swear words, soon began to feature longer posts expressing their feelings.
– What should I do.. I’m so moved… tears are flowing…
– Wow, Raon looks unrealistically good with white hairㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– At the end, he looks so mystical and like a snow fairy that this is a paradise where On Raon breathes, but I don’t have a showcase ticket. Please sell it to me, plz.
– If the teaser is like this, how is the main MV going to kill me… how is it going to ruin my life…
– School uniform + refreshing + ORCA = a combination that can’t fail. Winter refreshment is amazing~~!~!
– I’m so nervous right now that I wish the 30th wouldn’t come. No, it has to come quickly, I’ll be ready.
– (Gif) On Raon, who would have thought of anything but black hair for life, but now my heart is slightly shaking.
– Yo Han’s ash brown… genius.
– I swear I’ll dedicate my bank account to Seed and ORCA from now on.
As if to prove that the fuss made by other members during the emoji selection last time was not exaggerated, the final solo shot of On Raon, blending with the snow for a few seconds, was made into various versions of gifs by fans and spread everywhere.
[Controversial part in today’s ORCA teaser.jpgif]
(On Raon_not a human.jpg)
Controversy 1. Is On Raon a human or a fairy?
(Frozen_to death_cold Raon.gif)
Controversy 2. Is On Raon On Raon or cold Raon?
Watch ORCA’s ‘Liberation’ teaser once and cleanse your eyes~~
(YouTube video)
– I came in scared, but I got hit by a face attack before I could get angry at the clickbait.
– Isn’t Raon obviously a fairy and cold Raon?
– He’s really cold, but subtly warm at the same time. It’s just crazyㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– He’s so beautiful, but I’m worried it must have been hard to bleach. Please protect On Raon’s scalp and hair!!!
– Sorry to interrupt everyone talking about his face, but the voice saying “the time for liberation is now winter” is amazing!!
┗ 2222 Whose voice is it??
┗ It’s also Raon’s! His tone is really genius and a treasure. I’m looking forward to the song because it sounds good.
– I’ve watched it 200 times, but it’s not that addictive.
Of course, although the weather on the day of the music video shoot was cold, it didn’t snow that much in early November, so artificial special effects were needed.
There was a behind-the-scenes story that the limited budget was lavishly spent on those scenes to create a surreal sense of reality.
Naturally, there were reactions that subtly or openly criticized.
– I don’t like the dance.
– Are they planning to stick with the school uniform concept? I was disappointed because they came out half-heartedly instead of aiming directly.
┗ 222 The summer feel is all dead.
– Seong-ha seems awkward and clumsy on stage.. He looks like a typical incompetent member.
┗ (Gif of Seong-ha dancing wildly surrounded by monsters in Latte World) Clumsy, my foot.
– The concept is vague. It’s neither refreshing nor strong. It’s mediocre.. It would have been better to go completely refreshing as a rookie…
Negative comments didn’t just come from outside the fandom.
Among ORCA’s fans, some mocked the most impactful final scene, saying things like, “Is this an On Raon solo teaser?”
Although the initial ORCA fandom was being established with the principle of supporting all the members, it was unrealistic to expect fans to equally and fairly distribute their affections to all five members.
However, overall, the teaser was fairly balanced in terms of screen time, and since the completed music video had yet to be released, such comments were quickly buried by other fans.
– What are those who criticize a debut teaser?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Their interest shows it’s going to be successful.ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The teaser video, which surpassed 500,000 views in less than a day and continued to climb, was remarkable for a rookie.
Perhaps because of this, there were even malicious comments suggesting the company bought the views.
Seed’s employees who saw those comments joked about how they wished they had the money to do that.
Anyway, it was smooth sailing.
* * *
The day after the 41-second music video teaser was released.
As I chewed on various nutritional supplements and headed to work, the employees, more excited than us, told us that the teaser’s response was very positive.
“Really?”
While we were not deprived of our personal phones by the company, we voluntarily refrained from using the internet to protect our mental health.
Kang Ji-woo and Ban Yo-han seemed to be checking a bit, but I wasn’t too worried about Ban Yo-han, and Kang Ji-woo wasn’t so mentally weak either.
However, when it came to Gyun Seong-ha, at least one person had to stick to him at all times to make sure he never looked at the internet.
Gyun Seong-ha complained that he could handle it himself and found us annoying, but he didn’t outright reject the treatment, perhaps aware of his own mental fragility.
“Good. Let’s start practicing now.”
Without much time to be overly happy or excited, we dove into what was dubbed the ‘this_is_really_really_really_the_last_final_rehearsal’ upon Kang Ji-woo’s command, who neatly organized the situation.
But on November 29, the day before the debut showcase, unexpected news came.
* * *
[(Official) ‘LIFETEEN’ Confirmed to Debut Early Next Year]
The debut of the project group ‘LIFETEEN,’ which includes a large number of trainees from ‘Pick Your Heart Season 3,’ has been confirmed.
According to Jada Entertainment, which planned and produced LIFETEEN, the agencies of five members, including Kim Jun-woo, Nagase Ritsu, Ok Do-yoon, Yoon Myung-soo, and Jing Xiao, have agreed to proceed with LIFETEEN’s activities as a project group after careful discussion following the disbandment of the Pick Heart 3 debut group on the 29th.
(Omitted)
However, Jada Entertainment announced that the group members are not composed solely of trainees who appeared in Pick Heart, and additional undisclosed members will join.
(More omitted)
After the manipulation issues of Pick Heart 3 surfaced due to Larry, both the members and their fans had been walking a thorny path.
The reaction of LIFETEEN fans to the good news that finally came after a long wait was as hot as, if not hotter than, when ORCA was announced.
– Wow, this is really happening.
– Our kids are debuting!!!ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– HachibaruㅠㅠㅠIf you wish, it will come trueㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– Then are their agencies clean?
┗ Who knows
– Rookie award next year will be a three-way battle between ORCA, LIFETEEN, and True Rookies.
┗ Isn’t ORCA a rookie this year?
┗ Except for one, all of them will be rookies at next year’s awards due to the aggregation period.
┗ Wow, it’s already fierce. This will be fun.
* * *
“So, this is what you were going to talk about last time.”
Somehow, even Ritsu was included in the members.
“That’s good.”
Seo Moon-gyeol said.
“If they’re debuting early next year, they’ll be debut mates with us.”
Although there was controversy over the expert evaluation manipulation, the public interest might be higher than ours since many of the former debut group Breaker members were part of it.
“……”
No. Let’s have confidence.
I felt sorry for Kim Jun-woo, but frankly, we were better looking.
“Do you know? Once we debut, we’ll be second-year idols after just one month.”
Kang Ji-woo, trying to ease the slightly tense atmosphere caused by the emergence of a formidable competitor right before our debut, made a trivial remark.
“Really?”
“Really. It’s because we count the years like Korean age.”
Anyway, the Pick Heart 3 trainee group chat, which had been quiet for a while due to everyone being busy, was now full of messages congratulating each other on their debut.
* * *
Finally, the much-anticipated November 30th arrived.
As if to prove that the term “College Entrance Exam Cold Wave” wasn’t for nothing, heavy snow began to fall nationwide from the afternoon.
We had completed the rehearsal well the day before, ensuring it didn’t affect our condition, and were now double-checking responses to expected questions before the media showcase attended by reporters.
Knock, knock.
“Yes!”
After a clear knock, a man in a neat, non-flashy suit and Ban Ga-eul, dressed relatively comfortably compared to him, entered.
The members, including myself, stopped what we were doing as soon as we saw their faces through the door crack and stood up in unison to greet them.
“Hello!”
“Congratulations on your debut, kids.”
The friendly and easygoing man who entered with Ban Ga-eul, who was holding a bouquet, was Bae Sae-il, the ballad singer Kang Ji-woo respected the most.
As a senior from the same agency, he was scheduled to host today’s media showcase and fan showcase.
“It feels like just yesterday when Yo-han came to the company boasting about his perfect score on the college entrance exam, and now he’s debuting as an idol.”
From Bae Sae-il’s cheerful tone, it seemed he had known Ban Yo-han for a while.
Ban Yo-han, who responded with a smile, didn’t seem to find him difficult to interact with.
“Looking at him, you really never know how life will turn out.”
After congratulating and giving some advice and encouragement to ease our tension, the two soon left the waiting room, saying they’d see us later.
Speaking of tension.
“……”
Is Gyun Seong-ha okay?