IVE Tops Two Circle Charts With ‘Looks Can Kill’

The mini-album leads both album rankings as its title track climbs into the digital and streaming top five.

IVE’s “Looks Can Kill” has secured a double No. 1 on Circle Chart, giving the group’s latest mini-album a strong showing across two different measures of the physical music market. The album led both the weekly Album Chart and Retail Album Chart for October 25–31, according to the Korea Music Content Association, which operates Circle Chart.

The results, announced on November 5, cover the week that included the album’s October 26 release. Alongside those album rankings, the title track advanced on the digital and streaming charts, while the project’s other songs also appeared on the download chart. Together, the results offer a fuller picture of the release than either album sales or a single song’s performance could provide alone.

Two No. 1s, With Different Meanings

The operator’s weekly announcement lists 588,958 units for “Looks Can Kill” on the Album Chart and 107,959 on the Retail Album Chart. Both totals were sufficient to lead their respective rankings, but the difference between those figures requires some context before they are treated as interchangeable sales numbers.

Circle’s official methodology explains that its Album Chart measures wholesale shipments adjusted for returns, while its Retail Album Chart tracks purchases through participating retailers. These represent different points in the album’s journey from distribution to consumers, rather than two separate sets of copies that can simply be added together.

Our analysis is that the double No. 1 is useful precisely because it supplies two perspectives on the same release: distribution activity and purchases recorded by the retail chart. The figures alone do not establish an exact sell-through rate or show how many copies remain unsold, so subtracting one from the other would produce a misleading conclusion.

The Title Track Makes Its Own Climb

The song “Looks Can Kill” also strengthened its position during the reporting week. According to Sports Kyunghyang’s November 6 report, it reached No. 4 on the Digital Chart and No. 5 on the Streaming Chart, rising six and 29 places respectively from the previous week.

Those positions describe song consumption rather than album distribution, making them a separate part of the comeback’s performance. The report also places the track on the Global K-pop, Download, BGM, V Coloring, Bell and Ring charts, bringing its presence to eight song-chart categories overall.

That spread gives the title track a role beyond introducing the physical release, although appearances across different rankings should still be understood in the context of what each chart measures. A download position, for example, answers a different question from a streaming position.

The Album’s Other Songs Join the Picture

Melon’s official album listing identifies six tracks on the October 26 release: “Looks Can Kill,” “Mirror Mirror,” “SNAKESKIN,” “CRUMBS,” “Girls Girls Girls” and “Glow Motion.” According to Sports Kyunghyang, all five B-sides entered the Download Chart alongside the title song.

The report also notes a download-chart appearance for “Looks Can Kill (Alawn Remix),” featuring Tiger JK. That remix should be distinguished from the six-song running order shown on Melon, rather than counted as an additional track on that listing.

For listeners who discovered the project through its title track, the B-side results provide another reason to explore the full release. They show that download activity extended beyond the lead single, although chart entry alone cannot tell us which song listeners will return to most over time.

A Girl Hero Concept With a Wider Story

The project continues IVE’s exploration of self-confidence through a “Girl Hero” concept, presenting the idea that anyone can become the central figure in their own life. Our earlier look at the album’s superhero styling explored that visual direction, while our coverage of the title track’s video rollout followed its introduction before the complete album arrived.

The latest chart results add a measurable chapter to that creative campaign. Our reading is that the most meaningful development is the combination of album-chart leadership, a rising title track and download entries across the remaining songs, rather than any one number in isolation. It is an encouraging weekly snapshot, with longer-term chart movement still needed to establish the release’s staying power.

Editor’s Note: Circle’s Album Chart and Retail Album Chart use different methodologies. Their reported totals should be read separately.