Devil’s Music

Chapter 410: Son Rin's Art of War

Two days later, in Seoul, South Korea, at the Jamsil Department Store.

The Jamsil Department Store, a skyscraper with over 100 floors that was built following a sinkhole incident a few years ago, initially had few visitors due to safety accidents during construction. However, as time went by, it began to attract more customers than any other department store.

The store opened at 10 a.m., but a line had started to form at 5 a.m. and by 8 a.m., the crowd had grown so large that it completely surrounded the department store.

Due to the downturn in the record business, record stores had disappeared from the audio-related shops in department stores, but unusually, all department stores in Korea were now allowing record shops to open—a business decision made with Geon's album success in mind.

The record shop on the third floor of Jamsil Department Store had opened two months earlier, but aside from selling Fury's album from Montana and some K-pop idol records to Southeast Asian and Chinese tourists, it had been relatively quiet.

Despite the lack of sales, the department store had high hopes for Geon's album release at the end of November and maintained the prime spot as an escalator was being installed.

The store was about to open, but even before the official opening time, the lined-up crowds outside had already brought smiles to the faces of the staff.

In the cold dawn of midwinter, security personnel were dispatched to manage the crowds, and the department store opened its doors an hour before the scheduled time. Visitors were escorted in order of their arrival to the third floor.

However, as pedestrians began to join the queue, it extended back to the entrance of the department store.

A female manager, busy controlling the chaos, hurried to the third-floor record shop upon hearing a radio call seeking her.

"Busy as hell, why are they calling me again? Damn it."

As the female manager in her late thirties rushed up the escalator, an elderly man in his seventies, followed by a group of aides, was seen standing with his hands behind his back.

Surprised to see him, she bowed as she approached.

"Oh, Chairman! What brings you here so early in the morning?"

The chairman of Jamsil Department Store, a 73-year-old man of Japanese descent, had been announced as a native Korean though the corporation itself was Japanese-owned.

However, born and raised in Korea, he considered himself Korean and was a true executive who was wary of unnecessary funds going to Japan.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Smiling kindly as he watched the lined-up people, he looked pleased.

"Heh, three months ago, I endorsed your plan. It seems I was right."

"Oh, Chairman. It’s not that. I just happened to see the article and got lucky."

"Heh, isn't it impressive to stay informed about the world by reading articles? Look at all these people. Even with sales and promotional events before the expansion, I've never seen anything like this before. Hey, Secretary Kim."

Secretary Kim, referred to as Kim, stepped forward and bowed.

"How many customers are currently in line?"

After making a full round of the third-floor record shop and seeing the line winding like an amusement park ride and extending down the emergency stairs, the chairman asked as if he already knew, and the secretary promptly responded.

"Reports are coming in every five minutes, but as of the last update, approximately 4,300 people are waiting."

The chairman smiled in satisfaction.

"Heh, look at that. Four thousand people. So, are we prepared with enough stock? I heard that Fantagio reserved a chunk of the initial stock for pre-orders, which led to a shortage."

The manager nodded.

"Yes, Chairman. I was quite worried about that, but Fantagio rented out several factories in China and employed a hundred thousand technicians for a week. They're expected to cover about half of the initial request."

The chairman's brow furrowed.

"Half of the requested volume? How many is that?"

"Yes, Chairman. Ten thousand on the first day, then five thousand a day from the next. It’s similar to what other department stores in Korea received."

"Umm… Ten thousand for the first day and already 4,300 in line… The stock might run out by the afternoon… Hey, Secretary Kim, could you connect me with Chairman Wang Hao of Fantagio?"

"I'll prepare it immediately."

The chairman patted the manager’s shoulder.

"I trust this month’s revenue will all come from the record shop. I’ll do what I can to ensure we have enough stock, so please make sure the customers aren’t inconvenienced."

"Yes, Chairman. I’ll do my best."

*

At 10 a.m.

The record shop, hidden behind a curtain, finally opened. With strict control, only ten customers at a time were allowed inside. As soon as they entered, they rushed to

grab the newly released album 'The Nature' by K and ran to the checkout counter.

Despite the high price of 120,000 won per CD, the customers, seeming not to mind the cost, took receipt and CD in hand and joyously snapped certification photos outside the shop. Those who had already bought the album and left the department store proudly displayed their CDs to envious onlookers.

As the afternoon approached, the number of customers in line did not decrease, and by one o'clock, the chairman's worry of stock running out became a reality.

A man arguing with his girlfriend in front of the record shop attracted security's attention.

"What do you mean there’s no stock left? Do you know how long I’ve been standing in line? On this cold day? What kind of department store is this? Bring the album right now!"

His girlfriend, visibly upset, pouted.

"Oppa, do we have to line up again tomorrow? Sniff, I bragged on SNS that I was coming to the department store with you to buy the album, and everyone was so jealous… Sniff."

As the girlfriend looked disappointed, the man yelled even louder.

"Call the manager! Isn’t there a CD set aside for department store staff or something? Bring it out now!"

As the man continued to shout, others in line began murmuring.

"What? It’s already sold out?"

"Damn, I've been in line for three hours! Ah, I should have listened to my girlfriend. She said we needed to start lining up at dawn to get one, but I overslept and got here at ten, only to find it sold out in three hours. How few did they bring in for it to sell out so fast?"

"Yeah, I thought being one of the biggest department stores, it’d be possible to get one, but no, it’s so annoying."

Some customers quickly took out their phones to check for album sales news in real time to see if it was available in other shops, raising their eyebrows in surprise.

"Whoa… what’s this?"

A friend peered over to see his phone screen.

"What, what is it?"

"Damn! The music video!!"

"Huh? What about the music video?"

"The music video is on a VCD inside the album! They won’t release it on broadcast, YouTube, or streaming sites for a while! If you don’t buy the album, you can’t watch the music video! Ah, so annoying!!!"

"Really? I thought we could just listen to it on YouTube since the album sold out."

"Look at this article. They’ve introduced special technology to prevent copying, and anyone trying to distribute it illegally will be immediately sued."

"Damn… Hey! Let’s try another department store!"

"Not just department stores! Let’s try some small local record shops. They might still have some stock!"

The man’s suggestion was spot on. While department stores might not have had enough, small record shops had also been supplied, and their owners had quickly arranged to secure over a thousand units each.

People who had failed to purchase at the large department stores started posting certification photos on SNS from their local record shops, causing those who had given up to rush to their local districts.

Small shop owners, who had been unable to pay their rent due to poor sales, were now screaming with joy, and Fantagio was overwhelmed with additional purchase inquiries from all over the world.

"Luckily, Lynn had anticipated this situation and hired a customer service subcontractor in advance, so the headquarters wasn’t too busy, but Fantagio’s server was on the verge of exploding with incoming orders for additional stock.

“Almacenes Paris department store in Santiago, Chile, requests an additional 150,000 units! Can it be done by tomorrow?”

“Impossible by tomorrow! It can be done in three days!”

“Daslu department store in São Paulo, Brazil, requests 200,000 units!”

“We can reroute the shipment that was going to Venezuela.”

“What do you mean reroute? Venezuela has also placed an additional order!”

More than a hundred employees were busy checking the incoming orders on their PC monitors and coordinating international stock redistribution.

Wang Hao, the chairman, watched from a window and laughed.

“Heh, Yan’an. Once again, Director Lynn has done a great job.”

Yan’an, dressed in jeans and with his arms crossed, straightened up and responded.

“Yes, Chairman. By announcing that the music video would not be viewable without purchasing the regular album, the buying frenzy intensified this afternoon as it hit the news.”

“Heh, Lynn’s marketing strategies are unparalleled. How are the pre-order customers doing?”

“Director Lynn had already signed exclusive contracts with the four largest courier companies, and the items to be delivered to various countries were completed two days ago.

Dispatch began early yesterday morning, and all pre-order customers will receive their items by 5 p.m. today.”

“Heh, that woman leaves no stone unturned. But I heard Lynn

instructed not to run any TV or radio ads, do you know why?”

“Haha, there’s no need. With thousands of articles pouring out every hour worldwide, there’s no reason to spend on marketing.”

“Heh, right. Is Kay still uninterested in broadcasts?”

“Yes, but Director Lynn requested at least some broadcasts since the music video is not public. According to Manager Lee Byung-jun, Kay plans to appear on a few broadcasts with two Korean girls.”

“Is that so? Is he finally planning to be active? What’s the first broadcast?”

“Well, it seems Kay will appear on a Korean broadcast since he is Korean.”

“Hmm… It would have been nice if it were an American broadcast, but that’s a bit disappointing.”

“No, it’s not just the U.S.; inquiries are coming from all over the world, and they plan to immediately subtitle and broadcast in each country, even on regular broadcasts, not just cable.”

“Is that so? Heh. Well, that's good then. Tell Lynn she can go ahead with plans without reporting to me first from now on.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

>

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