Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy that Aespa gained such a level of success, they deserve it.
But as any longterm K-pop fan knows, SM have a long, LONG history of their groups and even their top hits not getting any PAK at all, as the only one of the Big 3 companies.
In spite of all types of alleged massive powers and influence that people ascribed to SM, whether it was because of a conflict or feud or fluke (or sabotage?), even with their groups' top hits there was always 1 or 2 digital platforms where SM top hit songs didn't rank #1, blocking any possibility for a PAK.
So what has changed? Even more so, why with this song, Supernova? I'd never have thought this was a song that fits Korean taste, and to that extent that it remained a PAK for days after days.
Has the musical taste of Koreans changed? Did Supernova go viral on Tiktok or other way?
I'm genuinely curious.