Chapter 34: The First Day of the Ranking List

mbers replied, gulping down their water before scrambling to their feet and marching to the center of the practice room, where they lined up.In the choreography of the Tree of Life, among the twelve p...After finishing the recording of M! Countdown, they followed their manager non-stop to a live performance at the opening ceremony of a shopping mall in Gangnam District.

Before EXO gained any recognition, and this comeback didn't exactly make a splash either. During their stage performance, Ji-Seung could clearly see that many in the audience had confused expressions on their faces, almost as if they were thinking, 'Who is this group'

Although EXO has been somewhat overlooked, Ji Chang-wook was recognized by many people. Some older viewers, after staring at him for a few moments, suddenly realized who he was and told their friends, "Isn't this the male lead from Reply 1997"

His recognition is quite high. Even people who aren't part of the male idol fandom know his name and recognize his face, which proves that his previous TV dramas and several hot searches weren't in vain.

After the commercial shoot ended, it was already dark. The EXO members quickly finished dinner that their assistant had already bought, and then followed their manager to KBS TV station.

Later they have a radio program kisstheradio to record.

After their official return, EXO will naturally start participating in a large number of programs and variety shows, making as many appearances as possible to promote their new album.

And even if they had free time without a schedule, they couldn't rest; they also had to prepare for the re-release album.

The recordings for "Roar" and the new track were already finished before their comeback, the dance although they had been practicing for some time wasn't particularly polished yet, and the MV hadn't been filmed because the styling would clash with "Wolf".

Over the past month or two, they've been incredibly busy.

The MC of the radio program kisstheradio is Siwon from Super Junior, a senior from the same company. He gets along well with some members like Kim Jun Myeon, and during the recording, there will definitely be obvious praise and favoritism, which also serves as promotion for EXO.

During these shows, Chi Jingyuan is always very conscious of staying out of the way. He gives all the camera attention to the other members and stands at the edge, out of camera range, doing nothing.

However, his popularity within the team is waning. This return was largely for promotion and to attract attention, often relying on Ji Jingyuan's appearances and performance.

This time the radio program was like that. He had already found a very good secluded spot, and the camera could only capture his back of the head.

But just as he was happily preparing to enjoy his time, the PD stopped the recording and proactively adjusted Ji-seong's position, making him sit right in front of the camera.

He is flanked by Kai on his left and Luhan on his right. The two are the main pushed members of Team K and Team M respectively, while he sits in between them.

Ji Jingyuan's heart churned. He couldn't refuse, so he could only sit in the most conspicuous position and gave the PD a professional smile.

The recording of the radio program was live, and it lasted almost two hours before it ended. Li Xu patted a few members on the shoulder, gave them a pep talk, and then everyone said goodbye and left.

After that, with no more schedules to run, they returned to the company's practice room and practiced for a few more hours before resting at their dormitory. The first day back was thus both fulfilling and tiring.

The next day, May 31st, discussions about EXO began to spread gradually online.

After yesterday's M!C broadcast, a large number of EXO fans who had been watching the live broadcast of their debut stage were immediately stunned by their performance. They were surprised to see such a different image from their debut and were amazed by their unexpected stage presence and charisma.

That night, major fan groups exploded, with countless fans discussing this comeback and stage. Most expressed satisfaction, especially as several members' styling was very attractive. Some also felt the song was average, but the stage was excellent.

Overall, positive reviews account for the majority.

Then, they spontaneously started promoting on fan groups and various forums, gradually spreading the news of EXO's comeback and attracting more people to watch their idols' stage.

However, the official release date for the regular album's return is June 3rd. Currently, it's only open for pre-sale. Although EXO has participated in stage performances and promotions, strictly speaking, it's still a warm-up period because the title song's audio source hasn't been released yet, and they are not eligible to participate in music show rankings.

Under the fervent anticipation of countless fans, EXO participated in the recording of Music Bank on May 30th, performing the same stage as yesterday's M! Countdown.

That night, I also participated in the SBS radio program YoungStreet for promotion.

The host of this program is Boo, who used to be the MC of "Undefeated Youth 2". There was a short phone call exchange between him and Jingyuan during a telephone segment on the show, but they haven't interacted since then.

Thirty-one days have passed, and now June has begun. EXO participated in the recording of MBC's Music Center and SBS's Inkigayo on June 1st and 2nd respectively, concluding their first week of promotional activities.

From May 30th to June 2nd, they consecutively participated in four days of music shows, performing a special choreographed version of "Wolf" every day.

EXO's unique styling and captivating stage presence in their latest comeback have garnered a significant amount of attention from viewers after four days of music show performances. Coupled with the fervent promotion efforts of their dedicated fanbase, discussions surrounding EXO's return are steadily gaining momentum online.

After four days of anticipation, the momentum is undeniable. Only time will tell how EXO's latest comeback will fare. We'll have our answer when the album officially drops on June 3rd.

……

At noon on June 3rd, EXO had just finished two shows in the morning and were currently having a meal at a private room in a restaurant in the Seocho District.

The food had already been served, but hardly anyone touched their chopsticks. All the members were holding their phones and refreshing webpages, eager to see the results of their comeback as soon as possible.

Their first official album, "XOXO(KissHug)", was officially released today. The album is now available for purchase and all the song audio sources are publicly released.

Real-time source results will be officially refreshed at 1 p.m., and it's almost time now. Even though the members are probably hungry, they are all focused on the source chart results.

There are many standards for measuring whether a Peninsula artist is popular or not, but the two most intuitive and important indicators are sound source and sales volume.

This time, the initial sales performance of the album's sound source will also indicate how well EXO will fare in the future.

What ranking list are you brushing

Ji Jingyuan glanced at Wu Shixun beside him and asked.

The Peninsula has eight major music charts, and while the weight of their influence and market share may vary, they are all official charts with some degree of reference value.

I'm brushing BUS, what about you

Wu Shih-hsuan didn't raise his head, his fingers sliding incessantly across the phone screen, constantly refreshing the page.

"I'm watching Melon."

Qi Jingyuan replied.

When the time came, the results were about to be released. Even if it was only the first day's score, it was still hard to say how the future trend would be. However, Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

The hour hand of the clock pointed to 1, the minute hand pointed to 12, and all members brushing the list froze simultaneously.

"It's out, it's out, oh my gosh, big win!!"

"Jingyuan, come over here quickly, the BUS list, we made it big!"

Wu Shixun beside me was the first to shout, his eyes excitedly fixed on his phone screen, shouting non-stop, a slightly wanton smile on his face.

Before the scenery beside the pool could refresh his phone page, he was startled by his roar. He couldn't help but glance sideways at Wu Shixun's phone.

After seeing it clearly, his eyes couldn't help but fixate.

Only Wu Shixun's phone screen showed the real-time audio source chart for B at this time.

The list was just refreshed a few seconds ago.

At this time, from the first place to the twelfth place on this list, all the album covers in front of the songs are exactly the same. The illustration uses a funny art font to write "XOXO", which is very eye-catching.

The top twelve songs on the entire list are all performed by the same group.

EXO.

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First published on Popular Novels Website this is truly an honor. Both Jiang Seqi nodded repeatedly. Bae Suzy smiled and looked around again, finally her gaze landed on Park Soo-hyuk's face. It seemed she remembered something, after looking...