Chapter 124
Chapter 124
“Ooh~ What’s the new General Manager like?”
“I heard he’s a decent guy.”
I overheard the conversation between the manager and Keun Se-jin.
‘Let’s not get our hopes up.’
The odds were high that the new higher-up would possess a mindset just as "impressive" as the previous General Manager.
After all, TeSTAR’s results under the former GM were good, so from the company’s perspective, wouldn't they have sent someone similar?
However, this expectation was shattered in a good way.
“…An Approval Bot?”
“That’s what they’re saying! Word is he’s playing it safe since he’s not far from retirement.”
According to what I heard through the grapevine from company staff, this General Manager didn't interfere or push any specific projects; he simply let the working-level staff do things the way they always had.
‘…Come to think of it, he hasn’t even called for us.’
Usually, you’d expect a new boss to want to see the face of the only singer under the label at least once, but there hadn't been a single word.
It didn't seem like he’d be around for long, but for now, it wasn't bad. It was much easier to have a superior who just shouted "OK" than one who knew nothing but was overflowing with ambition.
However, as a result of this shift, one massive project landed on our laps.
“A concert…”
“We’re finally preparing for a solo performance.”
As the backlog of major approvals was processed one by one, a date for the concert was finally set.
But here, another problem arose.
“…Isn't March a bit of an awkward time?”
That’s right.
It was scheduled right at the start of the new semester—a season when most people lacked the mental leeway to go see a show.
…Originally, they had aimed for the early-year peak season, but because the company had been in such a state of chaos, they supposedly couldn't secure a proper venue in time.
I wasn't sure if I should call it a relief, but because the date had been pushed back, preparations for renting concert equipment and the like were already complete.
Fortunately, the members quickly shook off their anxiety about the date.
“Still, it’s on a weekend, so won’t quite a few people come?”
“Th-there will be fans who have the time…!”
“The more people, the better!”
“I want to prepare well and show them a great performance.”
The atmosphere was fired up.
‘…And that leaves us with three months.’
Well, I’d seen singers who prepared for concerts for over half a year, but three months wasn't bad.
‘Realistically, half a year ago, we only had our debut song out, so preparation would have been impossible anyway.’
It would be a grueling process, but since we weren't in an active promotion period, I figured we could handle it reasonably well.
…Or so I thought, until a new proposal came down from the staff.
“How about revealing the first performance of the new song at the first concert?”
“…Are we having a comeback in March too?”
“Is that too much of a stretch?”
It was a stretch.
Had these people already forgotten the hell we went through churning out the debut album in a single month? Where were they coming from with this nonsense?
…But surprisingly, a logical answer followed.
“Well, we need to fill the concert setlist with several new performances anyway. Wouldn't it be better if those were TeSTAR’s own songs rather than covers of other artists?”
“…Hmm, true.”
“And for this album, almost all the B-sides are already done. We just need to work on the title track.”
That was a fair point.
Actually, this upcoming comeback was… our first full-length album.
To put extra effort into it, we had already produced about half of the B-sides for the next album while working on the previous one when we had some breathing room.
We had continued working on it in between activities since then, too.
“As for the music video and things like that, we have to film the concert VCRs anyway, so we can just align the schedules… We can even match the concept photos for the concert.”
“…….”
Cost and time efficiency.
Plus, it would be great for setting the concert's concept. If we structured it to link with the first full album’s concept, there would be a mutual promotional effect, and the fans would find it fun.
In the end, it was a situation where everyone would be happy—as long as the staff and the singers were ground to dust.
‘This is crazy.’
Sure enough, Kim Rae-bin, who had been listening quietly beside me, was slowly raising his hand in agreement.
He was like a sacrificial rabbit walking into a pit of fire of his own volition.
Ryu Cheong-woo stepped in to wrap things up for the moment.
“Could we talk it over amongst ourselves and get back to you?”
“Yes, of course. But please let us know by tomorrow.”
As it turned out, we didn't even need until tomorrow.
The conclusion was reached right there in the company practice room.
Surprisingly, it was unanimous.
“We’d like to try working on it.”
“Ah, good choice!”
The company was delighted.
And the members… it was obvious from their faces that they were thinking, ‘Well, we managed to do it before.’
This was the negative side effect of having good results from our previous insane schedules.
‘Even Bae Se-jin has been tainted.’
After changing a year-end stage in just one week, it seemed even he had developed a sense of seasoned grit.
Not long after, the company sent over a draft of the concert setlist.
Ryu Cheong-woo gave a quick briefing.
“Our title track and sub-track are all in… Even if we add the fan song and the B-sides, that’s only ten songs in total.”
“Hmm~ So we need at least twenty songs for a concert, right?”
“Actually, even twenty feels a bit on the low side. Shouldn't we add more?”
“Th-that’s true.”
The setlist, with gaps here and there, was still flimsy.
“Even if we take two songs from the new album for now, we still need to add eight more.”
There was a suggestion to include B-sides from the new album without choreography, but it was rejected in favor of wanting more performance-heavy tracks.
Watching these guys voluntarily cut away their own breathing room left me speechless.
‘They’re going to collapse at this rate.’
Fortunately, I remembered the company’s recommendation.
“They asked us to include unit songs, so let’s fill those in first.”
That would create a forced break while the other members were performing.
Moreover, the company seemed to be looking at the bigger picture.
“Ah, they said they’d film self-produced content for that, right?”
Exactly. They planned to edit the process of dividing the units and preparing the stages into a variety-style show to upload on WeTube.
And once the concert was over, they intended to upload those unit performances like dance practice videos.
“Then let’s set those three songs aside for now and think about the remaining five. Anyone have a song they want to do?”
“Me!”
“M-me too…!”
After a fierce competition, five songs were selected.
Thanks to Bae Se-jin exercising his right to remain silent and Ryu Cheong-woo choosing to yield, the process was very smooth.
“Then I’ll submit it like this for now.”
“Got it!”
The company asked about ten times if we were really okay with this before confirming the setlist with a few sequence adjustments.
However, they still didn't seem entirely convinced, as I heard through the grapevine that the VCR segments were being allocated a lot of time.
‘…I’ll have to work harder on my cardio.’
Seeing the staff’s reaction, I had a strong feeling that this concert was going to be deathly exhausting.
And after spending a few days deciding on the new album’s title and concept…
Cameras entered the dorm for the first time in a while.
It was indeed to film the scene where we divided into units for the concert stages.
But the method was unique.
“What day is today?”
“Roommate Swap Day~!”
They had decided to just have the guys who were matched as roommates perform together.
‘……This feels exactly like an Idol Inc. team match.’
They say if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes back into you; it seemed everyone had been fully assimilated into that way of doing things.
Well, it was true that it was unexpected and fun. I could also feel their confidence that they could do well no matter who they were paired with.
“Let’s say our goodbyes to the roommates we’ve grown fond of! Oh, my dear brothers~”
Keun Se-jin, holding a cue card, acted as the MC and shamelessly pretended to sob while hugging Cha Yu-jin and Ryu Cheong-woo.
It was a blatant comedy skit atmosphere.
Swept up in the mood, Kim Rae-bin bowed politely to Seon A-hyun.
“Thank you so much for always responding to my noise and work with such a generous and gentle attitude. I hope we can share a room again sometime.”
“I-I’m the one who’s grateful! A-and, I liked hearing you work. The songs were great…!”
It was a harmonious yet extremely formal scene.
They seemed to get along well and had good feelings toward each other, but it looked like they had failed to truly open up and become close.
I also said my goodbye to Bae Se-jin.
“Our lifestyles were similar, so I think you were a good roommate. It’s a shame.”
“……Yeah. It would have been nice to keep it that way.”
As he spoke, Bae Se-jin’s gaze was subtly fixed on Cha Yu-jin. He looked like he was getting heartburn just thinking about the possibility of ending up in a room with him.
‘…Surely not.’
I hoped not.
Sharing Bae Se-jin’s sentiment, I ended the conversation with a handshake.
“Now then, let’s meet our new roommates!”
“Wooooo!”
After the cliché applause died down, Keun Se-jin smiled and pulled out the prepared props from behind his back.
“The method for this roommate swap is… card flipping!”
“Oh!”
“You see the numbers on the back? Those are the room numbers! People who get the same number will stay together~”
Keun Se-jin shuffled the cards briskly. He seemed very practiced, as if he’d played games like this quite often.
Then he laid seven cards face down on the floor.
“Now, everyone pick the card you want~”
“OK!”
“Understood!”
The order of picking cards was decided by a quick karaoke score game.
“Yeah!”
Since the order didn't really matter, everyone focused more on creating content for the video rather than the game itself.
And the scores were completely meaningless.
“First place is… Cha Yu-jin with 100 points!”
“Oh!!”
That was because the guy who accidentally picked a song he didn't know and just made up the lyrics ended up in first place.
“Now, pick a card!”
“Yes!”
“Let’s see… Oh! It’s Number 1~”
Anyway, starting with Cha Yu-jin, everyone went up one by one and picked a card.
And I… surprisingly, ended up in the same room as Bae Se-jin again.
“Oh, Bae Se-jin hyung’s room number is… Number 3! He’s in the same room as Moon-dae again~”
“……!!”
Bae Se-jin clenched his fists tightly before letting out an embarrassed cough.
“Ahem. I look forward to… working with you again.”
“Likewise.”
Actually, I felt the same way about avoiding Cha Yu-jin, so I didn't have much to say.
But the problem was that it was Room 3.
Just like when we first decided roommates on the reality show, Room 3 was the room for three people.
And the remaining lineup was… Keun Se-jin and Seon A-hyun.
“Ah~ Only we’re left!”
“I-I guess so.”
“Well then, I’ll pick first—”
Keun Se-jin, who was next in order, placed his hand on one of the remaining cards as if contemplating.
Then, he subtly slid it away and placed his hand on the other card.
“……!”
Wait, that guy just now…….
“I’ll go with this one! A-hyun, shall we flip them together?”
“S-sure!”
“Then… one, two, three!”
Flip. Keun Se-jin and Seon A-hyun turned their cards over.
The result was…….
“Ooh!!”
“Hey! Yu-jin! I look forward to working with you again!”
Keun Se-jin was Number 1, Cha Yu-jin’s room.
And naturally, the remaining Number 3 was… Seon A-hyun.
Seon A-hyun showed his card with a bright smile.
“…! I-I look forward to it! Please take care of me!”
“Yeah. Let’s get along.”
Bae Se-jin’s face instantly relaxed. He seemed satisfied with this room assignment.
I added a word as well.
“It’s been a while since we shared a room.”
“Y-yeah!”
Clutching his card, Seon A-hyun quickly joined the Room 3 group.
“Now, we have a surprise announcement for the Loviewers! What could it be?”
The members laughed and provided a drumroll.
“Drrrrrrrrumroll!”
Keun Se-jin held the cue card high.
“Our new roommates will be performing unit stages together!”
“Please look forward to it!”
As rehearsed, the members waved enthusiastically at the camera.
With that, the filming in the living room came to an end.
“Whew!”
“Let’s start moving our luggage~”
The members immediately began moving to transfer their belongings to their new rooms.
But the guy who seemed like he’d be the first to run off did something else.
He picked up the cards that were on the living room floor.
“Ah! Here you go.”
“Yes. Thank you~”
Keun Se-jin neatly organized the cards, put them back in their original box, and handed them to the staff.
Then, seeing me still in the living room, he smiled and spoke to me.
“Moon-dae, aren't you moving your stuff?”
“……I should.”
I followed Keun Se-jin into the hallway.
And I thought to myself:
‘He definitely did something to those.’
That guy had avoided Room 3 on purpose.