220 - Upki Girl

< Album Release > 220. Album Release The day of the live finals for Replay Girl. And three days before the album release. Mi-jeong from the PR team [The second MV teaser and article have been posted. Please check it out.] Mi-jeong from the PR team [(article link)] Mi-jeong from the PR team [(official YouTube channel link)] Me [Great work, everyone.] CEO Yeom [Well done, everyone.] ――――― < Up & Girl's Mini Album 'VIOLET AURA' Second MV Teaser Unveiled > The girl group Up & Girl, who have thrown their hat into the 'War of Stars', have finally revealed their first mini-album to the world. Their agency, Hum Hum Sound, has announced through official SNS channels the release of a one-minute teaser for Up & Girl's first mini-album ‘VIOLET AURA’ music video, along with concept images of all members. (Image) The title track ‘VIOLET’, created once again in collaboration with ‘Neighbor Composer’ who wrote their debut song ‘Hug Me’, is an electronic-based dreamy R&B hip-hop song that captures Up & Girl's unique sensory vibe. Through the 20-second music video teaser of the title track released on the 8th, Up & Girl showcased sensory and dreamy visuals unseen before, capturing fans’ attention. Despite only a portion of the melody being revealed, fan anticipation is high, with pre-order sales of the mini-album seeing a massive surge. However, the eagerness is matched by some concerns. The reason being, Up & Girl not only have to finalize album preparations but are also heading to the finals of ‘Replay Girl’, necessitating special attention to condition management more than ever. Leader Yona had previously left her former team due to an ankle injury and health deterioration. Similarly, the youngest, Jin-ri, once had to step down from Replay Girl temporarily after a prank where she made the manager eat socks resulted in a fractured little toe. The agency dearly hopes that Up & Girl's members manage their health and condition well, enabling their comeback at their best conditionㅠㅠ Meanwhile, Up & Girl's first mini-album ‘VIOLET AURA’ will be released on various online music sites at 6 PM on May 10th. ――――― Comments and Reactions: ―Mosidil: What is this? Is this an official article? ―SkyLake: The reporter is a genuine fan of Up & Girl. ―HmmHa: Coming out as a fan through an article. That’s fresh ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Fan among fans, true fans♡ ―Wind12: Did they really fracture a toe by making a manager eat socks? I’m not too familiar, but is this real? ㄴDokyoung: It’s real. If you're curious about other antics Up & Girl have gotten into, search ‘Up & Girl Anecdote Collection’. ―Kim Lee-jeong: Once again, our Hong-Ten (Hong-Tenacious) spirit has exploded♡The fan of all fans is a Hong-fan. ―Linse: Three days feel like three yearsㅠ I wish I’d wake up and it’s already three days later. ―WilyFisher: No matter how paid an article may be, seeing a reporter reveal their fan side is envious, proud, and delightful as a fellow fan. Yona, you’re beautiful♡Fan among fans, Yona-fan. ㄴSeafood: Reading seriously but burst out laughingㅋㅋㅋ They say Up & Girl fans are either fools or mad, and it seems trueㅋㅋㅋ ―AkiLuru: If the teaser melody and quality represent the entire song, Up & Girl might cause a major incident in this War of Stars. ―A2Ring: Yoo Eun-bit is sexy. My darling♡ ―MintMint: Their looks are crazy, seriouslyㅎㄷㄷ ―NotAKid: Sexy-bar♡Hong-barrier♡Queen Seowon♡Yonni is always true♡Let our Up & Girl stay healthy and continue for a long time. ―Antler Breaker: The atmosphere, styling, and song -- a perfect trinity. I’m absolutely floored. ―Baby Bud: So the Replay Girl finals stage will feature the visuals from the MV? ㄴ2008 Peeking: Yep, hair dye and visual styling are already complete. ―e536: Is Aliyah’s bob cut live? I can’t breathe, gasp. Take me, please♡Fan among fans, Aliyah-fan. ―YangFu: Yoo Eun-bit is sexy. My darling♡ ―Only88: It’s a mourning period for Queen Seowon with rice cakes. R.I.P▶◀ Fan among fans, Queen-fan. ㄴChere: Ah, rice cakes, he was a good one. R.I.P▶◀ ―Blue: If someone asks about Korea's girl groups, let them see Up & Girl. Unique Up & Girl, fan among fans is Bit-fan. ―Tempura Udon: Finally, it’s time to repay the grace given by our generous idols. I’ve placed a deposit for 30 pre-order albums at the local record store^^ ――――― The last piece of the comeback teaser schedule, the music video teaser, has been out for less than five minutes, and comments are increasing in real time. Starting a week ago, individual concept photos, highlight medleys, and tracklists have been released sequentially, and pre-orders have commenced. The response is phenomenal. Currently, on the real-time album charts, where actual deposits determine rankings, they stand 5th following Yuk Tan Defense, VNF, Somi Jeong, and VCTR repackaged albums. They are standing toe-to-toe with the top domestic artists who frequently occupy high spots on both music and album charts as if it’s their living room. However, the girls are completely unaware of the heated response to their comeback or how the outside world is unfolding. They voluntarily surrendered their smartphones and cut off the internet and TV, living like self-imposed primitives for a week ahead of the Replay Girl finals stage and the comeback. Seowon, in particular, might be slightly startled by the cheers directed at her during the live stage. This is due to the considerable response to the rice cake and Seowon episode aired yesterday on ‘Living Well: Mangun Cat’. It means the queen’s popularity, which was somewhat lower compared to the other four, has suddenly skyrocketed. In addition to this, the school uniform CF they filmed has also started airing, and its response is nothing short of sensational. Life-sized standees, posters, and window displays of the idols given to a uniform store for promotional purposes have reportedly been stolen. Moreover, fans are not just swapping these like photo cards but are also trading them for cash on second-hand sites. In particular, the life-sized cutout of Hong was sold with a hefty premium, reaching up to 100,000 won in cash, which I personally verified. Among fans, there's even talk of officially producing and selling these as merch. --- *Knock, knock* “Who is it?” “Hello! We’re here to greet you as the Ladybugs’ new album is out~” “Oh my, yes, come on in.” “Eee! Hello!” “Hello!” “We absolutely love the new song by the Ladybugs! We were listening to it in the car on our way here.” “Oh, really! Thank you!” The waiting room bustled an hour before the final rehearsal for the Replay Girl finals. With all 14 participating teams gathered, except for Eye Contact, who exited in disgrace, the waiting room and halls were alive with greetings and chatter from over a hundred girls. It reminded me of the first recording session. The difference this time was that, as the regular season winners, Up & Girl had the privilege of using the largest waiting room, Room A. Also, more teams were now visiting us before we even thought to knock on their doors. Even the judges and MCs made a point of visiting us first, perhaps out of consideration for the team about to compete in the finals. *Knock, knock* Barely moments after the Ladybugs left, a seventh knock came at the door. Now, who could it be this time? Since the members were busy with final wardrobe checks and Jang-woo had stepped out for coffee, I was left to play the part of the doorman. “Yes, come in.” “Helloooo~” Ahh! Blinded by sheer kawaii overload! It was Promise 12. A lineup of 12 milk-tea skinned girls cheerfully entered, formally introducing themselves to the Up & Girl members. “Sweet, moist, and soft! Hello, we are Promise Twelve!” It’s customary to respond with our own chant when greeted by an official cheer. “Your group raised by you, we are Up & Girl!” Ah, I see Sky cut her hair. Her hair is glorious. She reminds me of a well-groomed, adorable Yorkshire terrier with that bouncy, fluttering hair. The overwhelming cuteness packed with juicy and puppy-like charm made my whole mouth feel sweet. Thinking back, there was a forced ideal type World Cup between Hye-jin and Sky due to the MC’s meddling during last week's live broadcast. Though I tried not to show it, Sky approached me first, bringing up a comment she'd made about me on SNS, apologizing in the cutest manner like a sad puppy. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd see it..." "Oh, it's alright. It was an honor. Oh? But have you grown a bit taller? Or is it because your hair is cut?" “Wow, how did you know? I’ve grown 2cm in the past two months!” Sky clapped her hands in awe, her eyes wide like she’d just met a psychic, and the other Promise members were equally astonished. “No way. Can that really be noticeable?” “We, her members, didn’t even notice. Chills!” Right then, Siba chimed in as if generously offering something. “Sky, we might not know when we’ll meet again, so could you take a picture with my brother?” “Oh, of course.” “Hey, why are you doing that, it's embarrassing…” “When else are we going to see her? Take the picture when she’s offering.” “Yes, let’s take it together, Manager. I'll post it on SNS!” “After you take a picture with Sky, please take one with all of us too!” As the kawaii level of Promise skyrocketed, so did my cheekbones. Feeling like some kind of celebrity. Feeling like I'm the celebrity's celebrity. “Brother, give me your phone, I'll take the picture.” While Yoon-bi handed me her phone, I put on a slight smile and struck my best pose. Whoops, Sky suddenly linked her arm with mine, catching me by surprise. *Click* Yoon-bi captured that terrible moment. “Uh, timeout. I think I blinked, can we retake it?” “Pwahahaha! Girls, Yoonho’s expression is priceless!” Too late. I looked like an alien leader from the Double Chin Planet, and only after getting roasted for that photo could I finally get a decent one. Siba, that rascal... *** *Welcome, this is Replay Girl’s MC, Jeon Sung-mo.* *I’m Zen, glad to be here!* *For the past three months, we've watched the breathtakingly fast-paced girl group review project, Replay Girl! Now, only the final curtain call remains.* *Yes, which team will have the last laugh between Up & Girl, known as the celestial idols, and GIG, lauded for aligning best with Replay Girl’s ideals? Don’t change that channel and watch till the end.* *In this final match, the winner is determined by 40% judges’ scores, 50% live text voting, and 10% from online votes. Let’s start the countdown for the live viewer votes. Everyone, shout together. Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Voting, start!* As with previous episodes, the early segments were filled with the collaboration stages of previously participating teams and special segments by the judges who’d been with us throughout. And before the main competition stages of Up & Girl and GIG, the pre-recorded video of all participants performing Replay Girl’s official theme song ‘Reboot’ was shown on-screen. This was shot after the rehearsal. The first change an idol group undergoes when making a comeback is usually their hairstyles. Our Up & Girl had already undergone dyeing and styling to match the ‘VIOLET’ concept. As the changes appeared on the monitor, an explosive reaction erupted both onsite and online. Just as expected, there was an overwhelming cheer when Seowon first appeared during the chorus. With her thick, straight hair dyed in four heavy tones including a deep violet, Seowon embodied the regal fox queen. With her characteristically dreamy and languid eyes, she strode to the center of the stage. ― "If you're having a hard time, it's okay to cry; today’s tears will be tomorrow’s smiles~" ― "Wowww!" “What’s happening? Why the fuss?” Seowon and the other girls monitoring from the waiting room were understandably puzzled. “What’s with the cheering?” “What’s with Seowon’s popularity?” “Oh, the episode of ‘Mangun Cat’ aired yesterday.” “Ah······.” Seowon’s expression immediately soured. Yesterday’s broadcast was a recording from a week prior, and just when she was beginning to recover mentally, the mention of “rice cake” brought her mood down again. Thankfully, it didn’t drag her in too deeply. “I miss touching Rice Cake. It felt so nice to caress the body between the head and neck. So soft and warm.” To Seowon’s dejected mumble, Eun-bit responded with sad eyes. “But at least you got close. We never even properly touched it.” Then, the voice of possessiveness interjected coldly. “No, you didn’t need to anyway. Rice Cake has been mine from the start. Only I was allowed to touch it, and it only responded to me. Even if you tried, it wouldn’t have budged.” “Wuuu~ Possessive fairy, be gone!” “Life cannot belong to anyone and should never be owned!” “It can. It always has, and it always will be my exclusive Rice Cake, so don’t even think about it. You have Hammer.” “Pouting, I wanted to be friends with Rice Cake too··· wanted to feel its soft fur and rough tongue···.” “Me too, Aliyah as well.” Ciba and then Yonna and Hong expressed their disappointment as well. Of course, the more they did, the stronger Seowon's possessiveness grew. “Enough. The talk about Rice Cake ends here. I’m telling you in advance, I’m the only one who will touch Rice Cake in the future.” “What’s the point of saying that when it's already crossed the rainbow bridge···.” *Knock, knock* “Up & Girl, please get ready for the first round of the competition. It's time to head out.” *** “Will it be the immaculate celestial idols Up & Girl winning it all, or GIG pulling off the ultimate comeback victory? Let's hand it over to Zen for the announcement.” “Yes, without further ado, let's get straight to the results. The winners of the Replay Girl series are······ Congratulations, Up & Girl!” Now that’s how it should be for Up & Girl. There were no further surprises. I believe the true journey of Up & Girl is about to begin now. ―――――― ★ Congratulations! You've finally taken your first step as a rookie producer. ★ But don't settle here. Now, work hard to discover the next artist^^ ―――――― What are they even on about? *** < Up & Girl makes a comeback with their first mini-album 6 months after debut, what will be their chart performance? > < Can Up & Girl carry the momentum from Replay Girl? Mini-album to be released at 6 PM today... > “Everyone gather around. The music chart rankings have been updated.” At CEO Yeom’s mere mention, with a file folder obscuring the monitor, the entire office erupted into chaos. "Eeek!" “Gah. I can’t bear to look.” “Hoo, hoo…” “Manager, I think my sugar’s dropping. Can I have a sip of chocolate milk...?” “Moon-dang-dang, Aliyah is dizzy.” “The results will be announced by Manager Kim Yoon-ho, who has done the most to get us to this point.” With the pre-order sales, we were confident of secure placement within the top 50. The monitor was fixed on the rankings within the top 50. But due to the flurry of top-tier comebacks and constant heavyweight songs guarding the charts, the real challenge began within the top 30. I took the folder passed by Yeom and slowly scrolled up from the bottom. All the members and staff had turned their backs to the monitor, hanging onto my every word. “Alright, alright. So far, we're outside the top 30... Let’s slow down and go up one by one... 29th place 'Only You' by Yuk Tan Defense…” “Wow. Even if it was just a track, to drop so fast after two days…” “If that’s the case for Yuk Tan, would we be out within a day…?” "Now breaking into the top 20 and approaching the top 10." “Manager… would any of our tracks possibly be outside the top 50?... Maybe we should check from the top 100…” As Yona voiced with a trembling voice. “There it is!” “What is it? No, what rank are we?” “7th place.” “7th place? Did they queue us up, or is it Violet at 7th?” “Hmm… something feels off…” “Why? Ah, this is killing me.” “‘Hug Me’ is 7th.” “Excuse me?” I removed the file folder covering the monitor. The entire chart was in full view. 1. Violet - Up & Girl 2. Would You Like a Coffee? (PROD. Dante) - Up & Girl 3. Sorry If I Am (FEAT. Alberta) - Up & Girl 4. Where Are You Looking, Look at Me! - Up & Girl 5. Fox Act - Up & Girl 6. Always By Your Side - Up & Girl 7. Hug Me - Up & Girl 8. The Day We Were - Liz Girls 9. Pride - Yuk Tan Defense 10. Opportunistic - Yuk Tan Defense “Look at this, guys? Liz Girls and Yuk Tan are both beneath us. Hahaha, hahaha...” < Album Release > End