Rescene (Woni, Liv, Minami, May, Zena) [The Muse Entertainment]
Rescene (Woni, Liv, Minami, May, Zena) [The Muse Entertainment]

Fifth-generation girl group Rescene has finally broken through. The quintet, nicknamed the "Geoje girls," claimed the top spot on a major streaming chart in a comeback story that reads like a dramatic script.

According to their agency, The Muse Entertainment, Rescene's title track "Love Attack" — from their first mini-album "Scenedrome," released in August 2024 — climbed to No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 chart at 10 p.m. Wednesday, overtaking IOI's "Suddenly." The chart-topper came nearly two years after the song's original release.

The turnaround began when member Woni's content on her personal YouTube channel gained traction. A blend of distinctive "gyaru subculture" aesthetics and warm Geoje dialect gradually introduced Rescene to a wider audience.

Rescene (Woni, Liv, Minami, May, Zena) [The Muse Entertainment]
Rescene (Woni, Liv, Minami, May, Zena) [The Muse Entertainment]

Woni's roots in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, earned the group the affectionate nickname "Geoje girls" among fans. Her freewheeling, upbeat dialect videos racked up strong view counts and sent the group's profile soaring.

The surge in attention, however, brought growing pains. Some of the Gyeongsang dialect expressions Woni used in her content sparked controversy, with claims circulating in fringe online communities that the phrasing echoed slang associated with the far-right internet forum Ilbe. The controversy drew in political figures, but the broader public and K-pop fandom rallied behind Rescene — pushing back against what they saw as an unfair framing through a wave of solidarity-driven streaming.

Buoyed by that grassroots support, "Love Attack" surged to No. 3 on Melon's daily chart, No. 3 on FLO and No. 4 on Genie Music's real-time chart. The group had turned a crisis into an opportunity.

Riding the momentum, a surprise remake single "Pretty Girl," also released Wednesday, debuted at No. 1 on Melon's Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Top 100. Earlier tracks including "Pinball," "Deja Vu" and "Runaway" also re-entered the charts.


shee@heraldcorp.com