Chapter 119
Chapter 119
I had no idea what that lunatic Cheong-ryeo was thinking.
First, he posts on social media just to screw me over, and then he pulls this bullshit again only a few days later?
‘He even called the company?’
To make matters worse, I was at the salon, getting ready for an evening schedule.
Beside me, I saw Kim Rae-bin’s eyes widen. He had clearly read the manager’s lips.
The fact that the place was packed with various industry staff made it even more uncomfortable.
‘Who knows what he’s going to say?’
In the midst of this, the hairstylist working on me spoke up encouragingly.
“Go ahead, take it. It’s fine. I’m almost done anyway.”
She probably thought I was hesitating because I didn't want to interfere with her work.
‘Actually, I just don’t want to take it...’
I suppressed a sigh and spoke to the manager first.
“...Could you tell him I’ll call him back later?”
“Uh, he says you don’t have his number? He said he changed it and called through us because you don’t pick up unknown numbers, Moon-dae.”
“……”
It was obvious why he went through the company instead of just sending a text.
‘He knows I blocked him.’
If he was going this far, I had no choice. It wouldn't look good to keep asking the manager to relay messages either.
I’d just get this over with quickly.
“Okay. Give it here.”
I took the smartphone from the manager and pressed it to my ear.
“I’m on the line. This is Park Moon-dae.”
-Ah, finally.
A voice full of laughter came through.
Do I really have to listen to this guy smirking?
“I heard you changed your number. I’ll make sure to save it.”
-Yes, please do. And congratulations on the Rookie of the Year award.
My hand tightened involuntarily on the armrest of the chair.
“...The awards ceremonies aren't over yet, so we don’t know for sure. Well then...”
Just as I tried to end the call, Cheong-ryeo cut in without a second's pause.
-It’s practically guaranteed. Hmm, aren’t you curious about what happens next?
I don’t give a damn, you son of a bitch.
Interacting with this guy wasn't going to yield any useful information anyway. He stabs me in the back and then tries to reel me in with bait?
“Not particularly. Anyway, I’ll save the number. I hope you finish your year-end activities well, sunbae-nim.”
I was signaling that I was hanging up.
-…Ah, so that’s how it is.
Suddenly, his tone shifted to one of slight embarrassment.
-Hmm, it seems there’s been a misunderstanding... I don’t just go around harming my juniors for no reason. I have lines I don’t cross.
Lines, my ass.
“Is that so? I see.”
-We’ll keep running into each other during the year-end events... Hmm, I’ll have to explain it to you then. It’s a bit much to discuss over the phone.
“It would be nice to see you if the opportunity arises. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a schedule to get to.”
Cheong-ryeo replied as if making a joke.
-Sure. Don’t block me by mistake this time.
“Right. Goodbye.”
I hung up immediately. If I had been at the dorm, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold back a sharp remark, but I restrained myself since I was at the salon.
I handed the phone back to the manager.
“Here you go, hyung. Thanks.”
“Sure thing~ Oh, I’ll text you his number.”
“……”
I couldn't blame the manager for his kindness since he didn't know the full story. Suppressing another sigh, I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes.
‘What a pain.’
At first, I thought I might gain something from him, but the guy was nothing but a total troller. Plus, his sudden shifts in attitude made him seem genuinely unhinged and unpredictable.
‘Cutting ties is definitely the answer.’
I’d end this quietly without stirring up trouble. In two years, the future I know will end anyway. Then he won’t have anything to use me for, and he’ll naturally fall away.
Until then, I just had to avoid him and stay out of his way.
By the next album, TeSTAR would likely have a foot in the top tier. If he valued his own status, he wouldn't be able to act more overtly than he already had.
Regardless of his mental state, he seemed quite obsessed with his position as an idol.
‘As long as we don’t build up enough ill will to want to take each other down, it’ll be fine.’
Honestly, I was so pissed off that I wanted to find a way to ruin him, but now that the immediate situation was resolved and I could think rationally, the risk to myself was too high.
‘No need to risk my life just to catch a troller.’
I’d keep that as a backup plan just in case. Having settled my thoughts, I opened my eyes.
Kim Rae-bin, who had been watching me with sparkling eyes from the side, spoke up.
“...By any chance, the arrangement program...”
“He said it’s confidential.”
“I see……”
Sorry, but I don’t think the day I ask him about that will ever come.
I tossed a glucose candy to the dejected Kim Rae-bin.
After running through a few year-end events, the day for another major stage arrived.
This time, it was the KBC Music Festival.
Since the show only invited artists who had been active this year, we were given a decent amount of stage time compared to other network broadcasts, but...
The problem lay elsewhere.
“We’re on!”
“Whoa, it’s that commercial! The AI one!”
“Oh my god.”
...During the commercial break between Part 1 and Part 2, we finally saw the actual ad—the one worth 350 million won for three months.
On the screen, the TeSTAR members were shown sitting in a white living room that looked like a blatant set, each holding different props.
For the record, mine was... a lightstick. Specifically, one shaped like a glittering magic wand.
……I’d like to clarify that I had no choice in the matter.
Anyway, the selling point of the AI assistant we signed with was its small size and portability.
[Connect to the items that show off your vibe.]
[Your own assistant that understands you. It plays exactly the song you’re thinking of.]
Suddenly, the screen showed a character-shaped AI speaker with rather awkwardly finished eyes.
Cha Yu-jin smiled and tapped the speaker.
[I want to hear ‘Airplane’~]
Then, the speaker abruptly started blasting a low-quality version of the nursery rhyme ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’ (The Airplane Song).
[……?]
Following a cut of a surprised Cha Yu-jin, a calm-faced Park Moon-dae appeared.
Park Moon-dae smiled while waving the lightstick.
[Curious, play ‘Airplane.’]
Immediately, the audio was filled with TeSTAR’s song, ‘Airplane.’
Over the clean BGM, cuts of the TeSTAR members making gestures flashed by.
[Magical Boy TeSTAR’s]
[Magical AI Assistant!]
…And then, out of nowhere, Park Moon-dae—wearing drawn-on dog ears—imitated a puppy and shouted “Curious!” The commercial ended in an instant.
[Curious! Woof woof!]
The waiting room erupted in laughter.
“Pwahahaha!!”
“Pfft.”
That laughter... no matter how I looked at it, it was the sound of people relieved that they had dodged a bullet.
“……”
I held back a sigh. Ryu Cheong-woo, who was the first to stop laughing, cleared his throat and finally tried to offer some comfort.
“Ahem, I think it’s because you’re number one, Moon-dae. Isn't it a good thing to have so much screen time in a commercial?”
“O-Of course...!”
“Exactly~ Cheong-woo hyung is right.”
Oh, is that so?
I nodded.
“I guess. You’re right.”
“Right?”
“Yeah. I can’t wait to see everyone else’s versions too.”
“……??”
“Everyone else’s...?!”
Bae Se-jin quietly revealed the truth to the horrified members.
“...The storyboard said there were seven different versions.”
“……!”
It looked like we’d be playing a thrilling game of Russian roulette every time we watched TV for a while.
The members’ faces filled with tension as they recalled their own storyboards.
Well, there wasn't much time to worry. Our stage was scheduled near the end of Part 2.
And this performance was important.
It was our first year-end stage since the SBC incident.
‘We have to solidify the public opinion that turned in our favor.’
If we looked even slightly amateurish, people would inevitably say things like, ‘I don’t know about TeSTAR’s skills... I guess they just grit their teeth for that one special stage.’
We had to nail this.
Thanks to that, the guys quickly sharpened up with a different kind of tension.
Right before going on stage, we gathered to hype ourselves up.
“TeSTAR is going to show them something today!”
“Let’s go!”
I wondered if we really had to use that specific phrase... but well, it boosted the mood, so whatever.
TeSTAR rose onto the stage via the lift.
Waaaaaaaah!
Waves of light rippled through the audience.
It still didn't feel quite real that every single one of those lights represented a person.
However, there was one lightstick that stood out particularly well. As you might expect, it was TeSTAR’s.
...Because its brightness was on another level.
‘It’s like someone put a flashlight in the middle of a swarm of fireflies.’
Regardless, being easy to spot was a good thing. Since it was a live broadcast, we couldn't do anything grand, but we could at least wave in that direction as we entered.
Meanwhile, the intro music was coming to an end.
I walked out to the center and took my position.
Then, the intro to ‘Magical Boy,’ rearranged for the year-end stage, began to play.
It was a live orchestral version.
To the melody of a live violin echoing from below the stage, I began the opening.
“I think of you, whom I’ll meet tomorrow, all day long. I dream a dream as blue as the day—.”
The harmony of strings and brass filled the hall magnificently.
It was completely live music performed in real-time.
What this meant was that, in an attempt to capture the feel of a live band, they had boldly decided not to use any AR backing tracks at all.
‘I’m glad I was the one doing the intro.’
If you miss the pitch or the beat at the start, it’s a total disaster. It was only right that the person with the lowest failure rate took the lead.
Fortunately, everyone else was stable and sang well live.
“Cast a spell”
“Make a wish come true, true, true~”
To match the grand arrangement, we mixed some contemporary dance moves into the choreography. The atmosphere became more like a fantasy epic than a dreamlike one, but it had its own charm.
The outfits were a bit too frilly and embarrassing, but I figured the fans would love them.
‘Seon A-hyun is flying.’
Since he was the one who suited this concept best, he seemed even more excited than usual. During the dance break, which featured only a violin solo and percussion, it felt like a work of art.
Then came the part where the song naturally transitioned into the chorus of ‘Airplane.’
-Airplane
Screeeech—!
‘My in-ear, seriously.’
A sound like nails on a chalkboard erupted in my ear.
The device meant to keep us from losing the beat amidst the cheers and echoes was instead hindering my concentration.
Screech, screech, screeeech!
...I’ve had the volume be too loud or had trouble hearing things before, but this was a first.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Unable to take it anymore, I roughly pulled out the in-ear that was playing the accompaniment. Seeing several other members doing the same, it was clearly a transmission error.
‘Public broadcast year-end shows really are something else.’
But something even more disastrous happened next.
The in-ear Bae Se-jin had pulled out slid down during a choreography move where he had to lean back, and it fell onto the stage.
The person who secured it must have made a mistake.
‘...I’ll kick it away during the next part.’
But at that moment, Seon A-hyun, who was moving to the center while changing positions, stepped on the wire and slipped.
And he was falling headfirst toward the floor!
“……!”
Reflexively, I grabbed Seon A-hyun’s back.
I locked eyes with Ryu Cheong-woo, who had done the exact same thing from the other side.
‘Pull him up and get back to positions immediately.’
Accidents like this were unavoidable.
The situation unfolded in an instant, and the judgment was made in a split second.
However, just as I was about to apply force, Seon A-hyun used the momentum of his slip to kick off the ground.
“……!”
Using the inertia, Seon A-hyun leaned his hands on my and Ryu Cheong-woo’s arms—the ones holding his back—extended both legs, and performed a graceful backflip.
He landed perfectly, like a picture, and continued his part.
“...Fly high into the distance, I hope my heart—crosses the Milky Way and becomes a shining star.”
“……!”
Despite my internal shock, my body moved into the modified choreography we had practiced. It was a huge relief.
As the final verse approached, the members naturally returned to their original positions.
Bae Se-jin sang while pressing down on his head mic. His face and voice were steady, but his fingers were trembling slightly.
“...I want our hands to touch—”
The song concluded with the seven of them standing in a circle, gathering their hands toward the sky and then spreading them out.
“…….”
Waaaaaaaah!
The camera’s ‘on-air’ light went out along with the roar of the crowd.
Only after the lights dimmed did expressions of being drenched in cold sweat begin to appear on the members’ faces.
‘...Did we manage to save it?’
First, the stage went... no, shouldn't I check on Seon A-hyun first?
‘What kind of madman does a backflip after slipping without any practice?’
He could have cracked his head open if something had gone wrong.
But there was no time to linger given the broadcast schedule. We quickly waved to the fan section and headed offstage.
And without even a moment to exchange words, we were immediately faced with the monitoring screen.
“……!”