LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 336
Chapter 336 First Strike Wins (Part 3)
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The teaser, only 30 seconds long, was unusual from the start.
<※Temporary Notice※>
<※This production team always strives to protect the rights of idols, but we inform you that we could not control the members’ uncooperative rampage.>
Following this cryptic message, scenes of the members screaming, collapsing, and freaking out flashed by in a chaotic highlight reel. The frantic scenes quickly transitioned with a click, revealing a sleek studio filled with elegant lilac hues.
You and I, and us~
If we’re together, we’ll know~
The soundtrack, reminiscent of a classic romance movie from a bygone era, suddenly shifted into a comedic twist. At that moment, a different scene burst onto the screen.
<…in a hit, over-the-top romance!?>
There was Jeong Siwoo, grabbing Lee Doha’s hand forcefully while wearing a bizarre Hawaiian shirt that looked two sizes too big for his frame.
Before anyone could make sense of what was happening, scenes reminiscent of a melodramatic soap opera flashed by with rapid cuts, accompanied by a dramatic OST.
The scenes, like a love quarrel, flew by quickly. Next, Dan Haru cautiously unfolded a black note in a dark corridor.
The tension escalated with rapid cuts of the members colliding, hugging, and seemingly chasing one another. As the dramatic music reached its climax, it abruptly vanished, leaving only a cinematic shot of Hajin pulling someone into a camera-free hallway, seemingly to escape someone else.
The screen then slowly zoomed in on an empty corridor’s surveillance footage, overlaying Hajin’s voice and subtitle:
As the screen faded to black, the episode title appeared. For the record, the episode release time was…
<20XX.05.01 11:00 PM>
…about three hours from when the teaser was uploaded.
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Kang Captain @strongjin
_Oh my god, the Oka (Today’s Kairos) production team is crazy._
_So they made a show with Kairos that’s basically_
_”Revenge of the Glittering Ocean Twins in the Hellish Love Triangle of Lovers Who Returned from the Dead”_
_and it’s not airing three days from now but three hours from now. Man, this is gonna be wild._
Shared 854 times, 989 likes
After the teaser dropped, timelines naturally exploded. Accounts that had been locked down and others that had gone dormant all returned, buzzing with excitement at the thought of something huge coming.
Rossy Day @rossy_1017
_The leader knows suspiciously well about cheesy internet novel vibes._
_The oldest member is in a completely different genre._
_And the second-oldest member tells that oldest member he’s in the wrong genre._
_What is even going on with our group’s hyung line?_
_(Kang Hajin-Jeong Siwoo-Lee Doha teaser screenshots.jpg)_
Shared 2,300 times, 2,568 likes
LeeznGunn @2uuu_gunn2
_What is this?_
_What even is this?_
_What the heck is this Oka?_
_What’s going on that our official group rivals the “High School Senior Trio” are fighting each other, grabbing each other’s collars, asking “Is it me or him?”_
_(Screenshot of Yugeon and Taehyun glaring at each other, standing off.jpg)_
– Ugh, how am I supposed to wait three hoursㅠㅠㅜㅜㅠㅠ I’m dying of curiosity
– Guys, I ordered chicken. I’m gonna eat it while watching Oka.
– ? If you ordered now, you’d finish it before Oka starts.
– Shh. Quiet, cute baby kitten. (Wink)
– Seeing the guys still half out of their minds reassures me. They’re just normal Kairos.
– Am I the only one who noticed Hajin’s lines were straight out of an internet novel? How does he even know that stuff?
Following the shocking music video and title track, the release of the self-produced content was like a one-two punch. The silence leading up to this moment seemed like it was all building to this, as SNS, communities, iTube, and other platforms buzzed non-stop about Kairos. Even the “all-fans” Destis, who had been lying low to avoid individual fan drama, joined in on the conversation.
The impact of this was quickly reflected in measurable metrics.
[Whoa, our MV is 4th on trending!]
The self-produced teaser already surpassed 300k viewsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
How many times are you all watching itㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– There are already 7,000 people waiting for the Oka premiere, and it’s still three hours away. Are you all nuts?
– I’m also streaming while waiting for the premiereㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ When will 11 PM comeㅠㅠㅠㅜㅜ
On the first day of the comeback, with no music shows or live streams, Destis threw themselves into the wave of new content without a moment to dwell on their previous frustrations. Releasing this self-produced content right on the comeback day was a calculated move to achieve this effect.
[It’s definitely nice to have new contentㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
_I was so annoyed by those who kept posting complaints after picking up weird stuff from somewhere._
_Now that the comeback and new content are out, they’re just being drowned outㅋㅋㅋㅋ_
_It’s been a while since I looked at the feed and it feels so refreshing_
As they streamed, caught up on their timeline, rewatched the music video and teaser multiple times, and dove back into their fandom activities, the three hours passed quickly. Before they knew it, the time was 10:59 PM.
– It’s almost time
– Please start soon, I’m begging you
– I’m so curious!!!!
As the time approached, the live chat for the premiere video on Kairos’s official iTube channel sped up, with messages flying by faster and faster.
And then, one minute later, with the opening title of
-Ha ha. Oh dear.
The first scene was…
-It’s the perfect weather to fall in love.
Kang Hajin, perched on a rooftop railing, with the wind in his hair, looking cool with a strawberry milk-flavored candy in his mouth.
– Oh no, it’s Hajin again
– Yeah, we’re used to it now
– What’s the concept this time?
As Destis barely batted an eye, accustomed to such antics, subtitles appeared beneath Hajin’s dazzling profile.
-Should I head down now?
Hajin, who had been perched precariously on the somewhat high rooftop railing, dramatically brushed his bangs back and rose. Despite the height not being much for someone of Hajin’s stature, he suddenly staggered and pretended to trip, falling awkwardly to the ground.
-Ouch!
The scene awkwardly zoomed in on Hajin lying on the ground before abruptly transitioning to the next one.
This time, it was Lee Doha, lying on a gym mat with a comic book covering his face. Subtitles once again appeared beside the awkwardly napping Doha
.
-…….
-Ugh…!
Without a word, Doha’s scene ended with him falling unconscious after being hit by a bouncing ball (for some reason, this was even there).
The remaining members also experienced similar scenes.
With the cliches of internet novel male leads from the 2000s, the members encountered accidents in their respective worlds, all portrayed with very cheesy and absurdly childish direction.
-Aaaah!
-Ugh!
-Oh no!
-…Ah.
-Ugh!
Yugeon, who was hit by someone wielding a stick (which had a label reading “paper mallet”) while fighting 17-on-1,
Taehyun, who seemed to get caught in an accident while running somewhere, collapsed under a blinding light,
Eunchan, who appeared to faint (or pretend to) amidst a pile of gifts from his followers, and Haru, who simply clutched his forehead and collapsed in a hallway for no reason.
Lastly, Siwoo was seen carrying a bouquet of purple flowers, seemingly heading to confess to someone.
-He’s seriously so handsome
-Is he for real?
-If the male lead in that internet novel I read looked like that, I’d understand why the female leads were all obsessed with him
Even just his appearance drew sighs of admiration from fans as Jeong Siwoo set up the first flag in the story.
-Today, I’ll finally confess.
– Nooo, don’t say it, oppa
– Don’t do it, anything but that
– There’s no way Jeong Siwoo is a second lead with that face, right? No, right???
In a scene that was bound to fail, Siwoo eventually dropped the bouquet and collapsed on the ground. The close-up of his teary eyes made the tragic scene even more frustrating.
-What kind of reaction am I supposed to have when they kill off all the characters before the internet novel even starts?
Despite Destis’ confusion, the screen split to show the seven members lying unconscious in their respective worlds. Their voices overlapped like a narration.
-Today, I have to… confess….
Even as Jeong Siwoo reached out weakly towards the bouquet, his hand dropped, and his eyes closed. Then, with the sound of a droplet falling, as if sinking into a dream, the scene transitioned once more.
Soon, the purple set seen in the teaser was revealed, along with the members of Kairos, scattered around and unconscious.
The first to wake up was Hajin, who had been lying on a plush-looking sofa. Displaying unexpectedly high-quality acting skills, Hajin slowly looked around the set. Then, noticing the other members lying around, he pretended to be startled.
As Hajin sat up, holding his forehead, the camera zoomed in on his shocked face.
After some quality acting, Hajin delivered his lines with 100% “skit energy,” as the screen displayed subtitles reminiscent of a high-end romance novel title.
It was an opening sequence that gave no hint of what was to come.