Chapter 268 - Comeback (28): Jesters Vs. 1004

The clash of the two music videos were the talk of the town. Both KJ and 7A released their songs around the same time, causing a division amongst the fandoms. While 7A was a completely new group, it had garnered much fanfare before its release. 

Their fandom was named '1004' which means 'Angel' in Korean. The fans mostly consisted of males as the s.e.xy concept of 7A was quite popular amongst them. A killer marketing strategy and creative teasers have already caused many people to join their fandom. Moreover, the girls had embarked on a country wide tour before the release of their album to connect with the people.

Meanwhile, Mystic Entertainment had left no stones unturned to promote KJ. Not only was he booked for all the popular variety shows but his old interviews were being released online for more attention. His live confession for Mirae and their viral pictures have already improved his image. He was now touted as the brand ambassador for many family friendly brands as well, leading to a renewed popularity among the older target groups. His fame as a loyal lover began to expand rapidly, earning him praises and adoration. He was the perfect idol but now he was the perfect family man, which created more buzz for his album.

KJ's personal fandom, 'Jesters' were locked in a streaming war with 1004. Not only were Jesters the superior fandom with large numbers but they also came across rumors that 7A was owned by Ash Park. Since almost all of them are EXOTIC fans as well, they took up arms against 7A.

1004, on the other hand, were manipulating the charts to gain steady popularity for 7A. From streaming sites to the TV shows, the fans of 7A were willing to play dirty. They even traded many handmade merchandise of 7A causing a wild media frenzy around the new group. Nida, in particular, became extremely popular among the fans.

"Nida is so s.e.xy! Her moves could literally kill!"

"Oh my gosh Nida is queen"

"Marry me Nida!"

The Jesters were not backing down either. They had booked all the tickets for the stage show, ensuring that at least ninety percent of the audience were KJ's fans. Moreover, along with the other veteran fandoms, the Jesters circulated many rumors about Nida's involvement with Ash and how she too was one of Madam Lim's escorts. Even though the rumors were not proven, a lot of the negative publicity surrounding 7A was catching up to them. 

Moreover, the combined fandoms of EXOTIC and KJ caused the views of the music video to increase. KJ's new video broke various records as it hit 30 million views within six hours of release. Fansites have already scheduled timings for streaming parties, with millions of followers tuning in every hour to keep up their work. His album sold over half a million copies on the first day and was expected to hit ten million sellouts within two weeks. 

The conflict between the two fandoms have even made it to the news channels. Journalists were reporting even physical violence escalating between the two groups as they lashed at each other.

"Earlier today fans of KJ and 7A have once again been involved in a street fight," one news anchor reported. "It started when Jesters, the name of KJ's fans, shed light on the dubious past of Jang Nida of 7!, causing some 1004's to react negatively. The argument led to one of the 1004's to push a Jester, mounting into a full blown physical fight. The police were called in to break it up…"

The social media wars were also continuing non-stop.

"Nida is a h**"

"How did she even debut?"

���KJ is too old to be an idol"

"Isn't he abusive to his wife?"

"KJ is the most loving and caring husband and not abusive! Get your facts right"

"7A is formed by that loser Ash! How can you support a criminal?"

"Unproven rumors. 7A is more successful! Rookie of the year"

KJ versus 7A have set course a friction among the industry which would be talked about for years to come. Fandom wars were not uncommon but this was more personal. It was not simply the case of a veteran idol against new rookies. It was the battle between two former friends. 

Even if the rumors were unproven, those who witnessed the clash knew that in reality KJ was up against his former friend and groupmate, Ash. It was the first public confrontation of the two idols who were once allies. Their rivalry was going to change the face of the industry even though everyone knew KJ would emerge victorious. But was winning the battle really that easy?

All throughout the day, employees at Mystic entertainment were busy with the whole mess. The new music video was successful but even they did not anticipate the sheer response of the success. 

KJ's songs were always popular but this comeback had hit a skyrocketing achievement which was not seen in the history of the entertainment industry. Not only was his music video nearing 100 million views within a day, but many of the social media sites have faced severe bandwidth issues as the fanwars have caused them to shut down temporarily.

7A gave a very tough match and while they had broken the records as a new artist, they still could not touch KJ's level. Their manufactured music was nothing compared to his personally produced songs. It was an unprecedented feat and the fans have wholeheartedly supported their Nation's Idol.

Mirae was stumped with all the reports. Moreover, with KJ's comeback, EXOTIC's old albums were also selling out alongside his own ones. Their market value had increased by ten percent and the upcoming weeks projected a large jump in profits. Even she herself found it hard to believe. 

Somi and Psycho were in her office, their faces tired but satisfied with the results.

"The comeback stage is a sellout," Somi stated. "Not a single seat was left empty."

"What about the security?" Mirae asked. 

"Only the assigned personnel are allowed to enter," Psycho said. "Everyone will be checked thoroughly."

"Keep an eye on all the members of 7A and also their staff," Mirae instructed. "I want all of them to be tailed."

"They'll be under strict supervision," Psycho assured her. "But we have not heard of any reports regarding the Cartel about any possible attacks. Maybe they won't dare to do anything-"

But Mirae shook her head. The report from Riggs was very disturbing. The body of Sloth was found in a forest. He was shot by Cartel's hitman and hence, they could not take any risk. The President was planning something big but they had no idea what he was about to do. Not only was there a complete silence from all their informers but they could not get hints of movements from any of the Cartel members either. It was as if everyone had suddenly gone quiet.

"I can't risk it," she said. "Even Song Tamlin is not responding. He told me that he's trying to find out more about what they're planning but so far no luck. We'll have to do everything we can."

"Alright," Somi nodded. "I'll put out more security and also only allow the invited media. There will be other groups performing too. I'll send a notice to all their PR managers to give us a full list of their staff."

"Do that," Mirae agreed. "No one outside that list should be allowed in. I've already talked to the organizers and they've been told to do as per our instructions. Riggs will also be there with his police team."

Even though she was personally going through the whole security details, she still could not help but have this nagging feeling that there was a lapse in the whole security. Especially on the stage. Once KJ reaches that stage, he would be completely vulnerable. Even she would not be able to protect him there. Whatever the case was, they must take down any potential attacker by themselves before he got on that stage.

Please stay safe Jiwon, she prayed.