ALL NOVEL Chapter 294
“But why doesn’t anyone question it?”
“What? You got all excited explaining by yourself.”
“Psychopath.”
Sigh This is why I’m so needed in this group.
“Look, people generally think ‘creepy’ or ‘spooky’—that ghostly vibe. When do you usually drop a track like that?”
“Of course during Halloween…”
“Oh, right.”
“Yeah, now that I think about it, it’s not the right season for a Jekyll and Hyde concept.”
That’s what I’m saying.
No matter how good the concept is, timing in music matters.
“Why do you think there’s such a thing as seasonal songs? There’s a natural rhythm that harmonizes easily with people’s emotions and sensitivities throughout the seasons. Even if the song’s great, if the situation feels forced, people will just be like ‘Ugh, no thanks.'”
To put it simply.
“Even if you listen to the same song, if it’s recommended by someone, you’re kind of ‘meh.’ But then if you hear it randomly on the radio while walking, suddenly it’s like, ‘Huh? Is this a masterpiece?’ It’s the same principle, right?”
“Why is she talking to herself and getting mad by herself?”
“No, I’m not mad right now, okay?!”
“Anyway, what do you plan to do about it?”
I was about to explain that…
“Why are you acting this way when Do-hee is so excited after a long time?”
“But she looks kind of silly, you know? That expression.”
“I’ll admit, it’s a total bunny idiot face.”
“Come here, don’t pout.”
Sigh Trying to explain in a fun and easy way is pointless, utterly pointless.
“Anyway, okay. So, Do-hee, what do you intend to do? It’s not the right season! Right!?”
“Oh, she won’t drop that act today.”
“Do-hee is pretty hyped, just let her enjoy it.”
“But isn’t it rare to see Do-hee this excited? I wonder if she was that lively at Song Camp…”
“I think she’s one hundred percent just absorbed in her own genius.”
Sigh These people should realize that presentations need a narrative arc yet they keep nitpicking.
First, let’s gather our voices, ahem.
“So, I told you earlier.”
“Yeah, Do-hee, what’s your idea?”
“We need to stick to what we’re good at, but find a conceptual vibe that Americans will love.”
“Got it.”
“So, we need to search for a conceptual season that fits the Jekyll and Hyde theme, something Americans would enjoy.”
First, we need a light premise.
“Okay everyone, what’s the percentage of Christian Americans?”
“A lot.”
“Most.”
“Like, a ton.”
“Majority.”
Could you please put in a little more effort…
“…Correct.”
“Guys, Do-hee’s pouting again.”
“What are you talking about? You did it too.”
“No, I just kind of went with the flow without even realizing…”
“The fun of sharing the knowledge just plummeted.”
“Anyway, according to statistics from the 2020s, about 64% of the population in the U.S. identifies as Christian, 30% are atheists, and Buddhism and Islam, including Judaism, make up around 6%.”
“…That’s less than I thought? Honestly, I was expecting it to be about 90%.”
“Yeah, having questions like this is essential; it lets me catch on and respond, making the conversation way more fun.”
“Seo-yoon Unni is right. Actually, up until the 90s, the percentage of Christians in America was nearly 90%. It’s just been steadily declining since then.”
“Yeah, okay, confirmed.”
“…Hoo.”
“Oh, this is getting dull.”
“But going from Christians to atheists… Ugh, it’s frustrating. I don’t want to talk about it; someone order a late-night snack. I’m hungry.”
*
We decided to chat while enjoying some light late-night snacks, like pork trotters.
“Meat is protein, so it won’t make you gain weight.”
“But look, around 23% of people have changed from Christians to atheists since the 90s. Can we really say that there’s no influence from Christian culture on their values and ideologies?”
“Of course not. The surrounding culture impacts it.”
“Exactly. They likely learned Christian doctrines from their parents since childhood.”
“Ugh… It’s a bit spicy since I haven’t had spicy feet in a while… Ugh.”
“So my point is, essentially, while being a religious American may differ from sincerely believing and following religious doctrines, the commonality of those Christian values will still be shared, so the percentage of people still familiar with Christianity shouldn’t differ much from the 90s.”
“Ugh… Do you have any milk?”
“At least the atheists have been in an environment where they naturally encountered the Bible or doctrines.”
“Here’s some Coolpis.”
“Ugh, thank you.”
“…You’ve heard of this, right?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“…Let’s just eat and talk.”
*
“Okay, now back to the topic.”
“Sensei, aren’t you going to explain more!?”
Not even listening while munching…
“Anyway, back to it. Let’s remember that Halloween is ultimately a celebration that started in Catholicism.”
“Yeah!”
“Every All Saints’ Day. It’s a day to commemorate the day before All Saints’ Day.”
“Right? Right?”
Definitely, as everyone fills up, their concentration improves…
Well, it’s true that an army needs to be well-fed to march…
“But is Halloween really the only day with a somewhat eerie concept like Jekyll and Hyde? There must be other days in Western Christian culture that are considered ominous.”
Seo-yoon Unni nodded and answered.
“You mean Friday the 13th?”
“Of course!”
“Yeah, it’s generally considered an ominous date by Christians since Jesus was crucified on a Friday.”
And now the older sisters are starting to make connections naturally.
“Oh, so that’s why Do-hee mentioned a comeback in February?”
“Looking at it, February 13th, 2026, is a Friday. I thought they were dropping the album on a Friday to aim for the Billboard!”
I guess it’s time for me to sit down and settle in.
“Right? To be honest, even if we throw around ‘Friday the 13th’ casually, it doesn’t feel significant, right? But for those in the Christian cultural sphere, it hits harder. Some even have a phobia of Friday the 13th!”
Despite hearing my explanation, the sisters still looked a bit unsure.
“Hmm…”
“That’s true, though.”
I expected this.
“Honestly, don’t you think it feels a bit bland for you guys to think this is all there is?”
As I said this self-deprecatingly, they nodded and started sharing their thoughts.
“…Honestly, it feels a bit lacking. It doesn’t resonate, does it?”
“Do-hee, you mentioned that the concept should resonate even in Korea, but to be honest, I’m still not sure about it.”
“Chiyo, I totally agree with you on this.”
Right, we need to have at least this level of insight and subjectivity.
“To explain the deflating feeling as objectively as possible, Friday the 13th isn’t that rare. It happens at least once or twice a year, sometimes three times.”
“That’s more than I expected.”
“Exactly.”
So let’s think about it.
“What if we say, ‘We have a creepy concept for Friday the 13th!’?”
“It doesn’t pop. It’s boring.”
“Right, that kind of element feels too forced and easily creates disharmony.”
It’s like that cheap syrupy orange juice pretending to be natural orange juice.
“I get what you’re saying! Now, can we wrap this up?”
“But as I mentioned from the start, our strength lies in contrast and the ultimate image we want to convey.”
“Yeah, so it’s the Jekyll and Hyde concept.”
“Exactly. So simply put, we’re going to announce the first title track on Friday the 13th for the Jekyll and Hyde concept, but the idea of Friday the 13th needs to be contrasted to harmonize that feeling!”
Of course, without checking the calendar, they wouldn’t know.
If I redefine it, they’ll understand quickly.
“I mentioned earlier that the definition of contrast is to arrange things in relative relations that have different properties.”
“…Oh, wait. Arrange? So that’s why the second title concept is the love story right now?”
See? Kim Seo-yoon got it right away!
“Wow, are you a genius?”
“Hey, what am I a genius about, hehe.”
“So what is it!?”
“Oh? I get it now.”
“Wow, this is really good.”
“No, seriously, what is it?!”
“Wow, it’s been a while since I heard Chiyo Unni pronounce that correctly.”
“If you were that curious, you could at least flip through a calendar or something.”
“Hey, Kimchi.”
“What?”
“What day aligns with the 13th?”
“12th… 14th… Oh?!”
“That’s right, February 14th. St. Valentine’s Day. When lovers whisper sweet nothings.”
“Oh…!”
Just like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
“So that’s what I wrote in the planning document.”
“The key to this album is ‘four titles with different themes being revealed on different days over a week.'”
“First, on February 13th, Hyde will unveil a spooky first title.”
“And the next day, on Valentine’s Day, Jekyll will share a love song.”
“This is the concept of Debonaire that we’re previewing in this album. The first contrast.”
Then I scanned the living room with my eyes.
“This time, I really acknowledge it, you’re a genius for real.”
“Our baby recognizes it, recognizes it!”
“Youngest is a bit cool, isn’t it!?”
Hurry and give me compliments!
“Hehe, so that’s why I wrote it down there. Four titles with different concepts, huh?!”
“But we should stop with the compliments now. It’ll spoil me.”
“I’m scared that I might get too excited again.”
“Honestly, I’m a bit overwhelmed when Do-hee acts like this… hehe.”
Those three are really too much.
Will they get upset if I compliment them a little?
Woo-ah Unni and I promised to take care of each other…
“So the concept of the album is that we fit ourselves into this world? It feels like we’re releasing our songs to match symbolic images for each day.”
Honestly, Na-eun Unni is the only one for me. Really.
“Right? Putting it more poetically, even if hormonal changes related to weather and seasons affect emotions, it’s uniquely interesting that a simple date change can twist people’s feelings. We wanted to express our relationship with the world through that?”
“Yes, good job Do-hee, you’re cool.”
“Hehe, but to be honest, I just threw in some fluff to flesh out our concept. It’s a bit of a jumble.”
Anyway, I have to explain the second contrast now…
Ah, I’m choking on it.
“I’ll drink some juice.”