Chapter 226 : The Song Was Good
Chapter 226: The Song Was Good
[Stardust Ranked No.1 on iTunes Top Song Chart — A Monstrously Fast-Rising Rookie Group]
Stardust ranked number one on the iTunes Top Song Chart just one week after releasing their single album ‘Every summer’ on July 3rd.
In addition, they secured the top spots on various domestic music charts, proving their immense popularity both in Korea and abroad.
‘Every summer’ is a song built on tropical house with a refreshing bass and a hopeful message that every summer spent with the members would shine brilliantly.
We cheer for Stardust's future, which will shine even brighter.
Screech.
The rapidly scrolling screen came to a halt.
Dusty’s Kim Hyuna let out a satisfied smile and brushed her hand over her face.
“Ah, this is insane….”
Her non-stop streaming since the release had been worth it.
Maybe because the song was genuinely good, it was holding its place in the top ranks of the charts for the second week, maintaining both quality and mass appeal.
Those hateful commenters who used to ramble that the song would never work overseas had been beaten down so hard by fans that they didn’t dare show up anymore.
On online communities, you didn’t have to scroll far to find posts like this:
[Isn’t this Stardust’s career high?]
They’ve always been on an upward trajectory with every album,
but this single… it’s definitely a career high, right?
They’re a boy group but they’re locking in top chart ranks + real-time #1.
Even the international response seems insanely good.
– Yeah, if you go by the numbers, it’s a career high. They’re basically top tier.
ㄴTop tier is a stretch… lololol
ㄴIt’s not entirely impossible though;; they were always popular domestically, just not overseas.
ㄴYeah, hyping too much is kinda cringe lol but I’m seriously looking forward to their next full album.
ㄴ222222 Considering they’re rookies, this growth speed is crazy.
ㄴThey’re definitely blowing up. No trolling allowed, xxx.
– Honestly, international fans can’t be ignored anymore.
ㄴI was skeptical at first too, like this concept working overseas?? But the song was just too damn good.
ㄴFacts lololol it has that pop vibe, and foreigners would totally vibe with it.
ㄴApparently the producer put his soul into creating that kind of feel. He’s an overseas composer too. Anyway, it’s all thanks to Seongbin’s god-tier song~
ㄴCha Seongbin really is a genius.
ㄴFor real. In terms of composition alone, he’s on another level even among boy groups….
Dustys' pride was on the rise.
Kim Hyuna hummed along with the chorus of "Every summer."
“Flying above the horizon, I fly away
It’s a bit far, but I can reach it
Remember every summer
Every summer”
Stardust’s songs had been playing for hours on her phone, left on for streaming.
But she wasn’t sick of it in the slightest.
No matter how many times she listened, it was a god-tier track.
Everything was perfect—except for one thing that was getting on her nerves: the noise coming from the next room.
Thud, bang, crash.
“What the hell is he doing at the crack of dawn…?”
The loud music disrupted the peaceful weekend morning.
Kim Hyuna pulled out her earphones with a frown.
Even without opening the door, she knew exactly what was going on.
“He suddenly got obsessed with TikTok or whatever.”
TikTok (Tikdog) was a short-form video platform popular among teenagers lately.
Lately, he’d taken a liking to uploading short clips there—none of her business, but the way he acted all cool in those videos…
She just couldn’t stand it.
“He can’t even dance. Why’s he making all that noise?”
Thump.
Another heavy stomp made her grimace.
“Hey.”
At this rate, the neighbors downstairs were definitely going to come up.
Thinking she had to say something, she sprang to her feet.
Swish.
Just as she flung the door open, she froze, recognizing the melody that played.
There wasn’t much to think about—it was the very intro she’d been listening to all day.
“Huh…?”
It was Every summer by Stardust.
Her younger brother, who had zero interest in boy groups, was dancing to that song for a TikTok challenge.
“What the heck is going on?”
She’d heard that the Every summer challenge was trending among teens lately, but seeing it in real life left her jaw on the floor.
Dusty’s Kim Hyuna muttered blankly with a stunned expression.
“…Our boys… were superstars?”
Something about this wasn’t normal…
That’s just how life is.
Good news always comes without warning.
The music show promotions for Every summer ended in a frenzy, and we flew overseas immediately for more schedules.
My brain was spinning right along with the whirlwind of our calendar.
About three weeks had passed since the release.
I was getting my makeup done in the waiting room for a radio appearance.
All of us had been running on low battery, so barely anyone was fully awake.
I was dozing off with my back against the chair when—
Suddenly.
Manager Lee Jaeyoon blurted out a sentence out of nowhere.
“You guys charted on Billboard.”
I nodded without thinking.
Honestly, I didn’t even register what he’d said.
“Oh, really?”
Wait.
Billboard… charted?
That’s possible.
Hold on.
“What?”
I shot up from my seat in shock.
I stammered, flustered.
“W-What chart did we make it on?”
Seo Haim, who had been silently sitting nearby, also lifted his head with wide eyes.
“Whattt???”
I shook my head, wondering if I was still dreaming—but the words didn’t change.
Manager Lee Jaeyoon spoke again, his face showing even he could hardly believe it.
“Yeah… you guys charted on Billboard. Congrats, guys.”
"...I didn’t mishear that, right?"
"For real?"
"This is crazy. Hey, the article's up."
Jin Sehyun let out an exclamation and raised his phone screen.
[Stardust Makes It Onto Billboard Hot 100 — Record-Breaking Feat by a Rookie Group]
Even after rubbing my eyes, the headline didn’t change.
Stardust Charts on U.S. Billboard ‘Hot 100’.
Only then did I finally cover my mouth in shock.
"What the—how is this even real?"
"I'm not dreaming, am I...?"
"Hyung, can you hit me just once? I swear this feels like a dream!"
"This can’t be real!"
Cha Seongbin muttered "No way..." repeatedly with a dazed look on his face.
Maybe far in the future—but at this point in time, there were barely a handful of K-pop groups that had made it onto the Billboard chart.
No one could have imagined that a group in their second year since debut would be the one to do it.
I couldn’t believe it either.
After hesitating for a moment, Ha Junseo suddenly jumped up in place.
"AAAAH!"
He raised both arms up toward the ceiling.
"Guys! We made it onto the Billboard chart!!!"
"WAAAAH! Hyung!"
"Shouldn’t we throw a party or something?"
"I mean, obviously we should. Wait a sec—does the CEO know? Should we call him? Siwoo, try contacting him first."
"Y-Yeah, I’ll call him now."
"I don’t know what’s going on anymore... I seriously have no clue what’s happening."
"I feel like I’m going to lose my mind. But I’m going to lose it from happiness."
In an instant, the waiting room descended into chaos.
Everyone’s voices overlapped in a whirlwind of noise.
I tapped my flushed cheeks with my hand, trying to pull myself together.
But there was nothing I could do to stop the corners of my lips from creeping up.
"Haa…"
This was Billboard.
Something we’d all dreamed of, but which had always felt like a far-off, unreachable place.
And now it had suddenly arrived, crashing into us without warning.
"How did this even happen?"
"Maybe the reaction on Tikdog was really good? And that radio show we did recently too."
The gentle ripple had flowed into the open sea and returned as a giant wave.
Manager Lee Jaeyoon smiled faintly and added,
"More than anything, the song was good."
At that, Cha Seongbin stopped in his tracks.
He was smiling, but his eyes were slightly red.
"Ah, sorry. I almost cried just now."
Billboard entry.
It was that one comment I threw out so casually, but he was the one who stayed up all night pushing himself to write that song.
He probably didn’t expect it to land on Billboard either, but he must have felt an immense pressure while preparing the single.
Knowing the weight he bore, I could guess the meaning behind those tears.
"WAAAAH! Our composer-hyung!! I love you!"
"Ugh."
Seo Haim suddenly threw his arms around Cha Seongbin.
Jin Sehyun burst out laughing and said,
"Hyung, just cry. Don’t act like you’re not someone who cries easily."
"Hey, that dried my tears up."
"They’re already falling, though?"
"……Haa."
Cha Seongbin exhaled and let out a faint chuckle.
His shoulders were trembling slightly.
Then came a quiet statement.
"This feels good."
"I feel good too."
It was a sincere reaction that slipped out instinctively.
When our eyes met, I couldn’t help but laugh too.
"This is electric…"
More than extending my lifespan or anything like that—
I was just grateful to be chasing dreams alongside people like this.
It just made me happy.
"Let’s go party."
I nodded and laughed at Cha Seongbin’s excited voice.
It had been a joyful company dinner.
We ate, drank, and partied late into the night until we were all completely wiped out.
And the next day, I groggily opened my eyes.
The dorm, which had been filled with celebration the day before, had gone quiet.
All because of the youngest.
"...Is he really not sick?"
Cha Seongbin muttered worriedly in a soft voice.
"Looks like the same thing again, huh?"
"Maybe it’s because all the tension suddenly let go?"
"But still, how can he be so out of it he wouldn’t notice if someone carried him off?"
Kang Siwoo pressed on his temples while glancing at the firmly shut door.
Seo Haim scratched his head and added,
"Maybe he’s just tired from the party?"
"I dunno."
Jin Sehyun shook his head at that.
Even Kang Siwoo, who downed an entire bottle of soju at dinner yesterday, was groaning a bit but still awake.
And the youngest, who only sipped some cider next to him, shouldn’t be suffering from a hangover.
"This is worrying…"
Kang Siwoo’s voice echoed faintly.
As the leader, this situation gave him déjà vu.
"Guess we need to wake him up?"
Do Seohan still wasn’t getting up.