Chapter 129
Chapter 129
“Are there a lot of people?”
“There are so many!”
“Even though there are still over eight hours left until the show starts, I see several groups gathered and chatting…!”
Kim Rae-bin and Cha Yu-jin, who had gone to scout the outside under the pretext of going to the bathroom, chattered excitedly.
The members standing on stage either covered their faces or took deep breaths.
“Phew….”
“They’ll be able to hear everything from the rehearsal.”
That was right. They had just stepped onto the stage for the concert rehearsal.
In the case of idols on world tours, they sometimes sold tickets that included rehearsal viewings, but fortunately, that wasn't the case today.
If the rehearsal had been open for their very first concert, there would have been a succession of members ten times more nervous than they were now.
Of course, everyone was already fully pumped up.
“Let’s do really well. We practiced so much; we have to show them at least as much as we’ve worked.”
“Right!”
“We really… really did a lot.”
Bae Se-jin’s face turned slightly pale. He seemed to be recalling the recent practice period.
It was a bit extreme.
There were more than a few times when I thought my lung capacity wouldn't hold out, regardless of my physical strength.
Thanks to that, we even brought a cycle machine into the dorm. It was a unanimous decision that the time spent on PT alone wasn't enough.
In the midst of that, we had to show a lively appearance for the unit stage production reality show, so it was no ordinary task.
…Still, the day has finally come.
I didn't feel regretful or anxious. All the preparations were finished.
And it would be the same for the others.
“Yeah. This time, let’s trust the amount of practice we put in and go for it.”
“Yes!”
In that solid atmosphere, Keun Se-jin slightly raised his hand.
“Shall we shout our slogan once before we go~?”
“Slogan?”
“You know, that one~”
“…Ah.”
Exclamation marks appeared over the faces of the guys who finally realized what he meant.
A moment later, hands were piled on top of each other.
“Ah, TeSTAR is going to show them something today!”
“Let’s go!”
…It was a phrase that traded embarrassment for atmosphere, but it was effective.
“We’re starting from the opening, right?”
The rehearsal proceeded smoothly without any problems.
There wasn't much time left until the empty seats were filled.
*
The area in front of the Gymnastics Arena was a sea of people. There were many reasons, but one of the main purposes was purchasing concert merchandise.
I got all the MD!!
Park Moon-dae’s fansite master also stood in the entry line with shopping bags full in both hands. They were trophies of a successful hunt.
Moreover, the quality of everything was great!
In particular, the set of sparkling custom parts that could be attached to the lightstick was very pretty.
She had already confirmed on social media that it was the first to sell out instantly based on the image cuts during the pre-order period.
They designed these so well.
Many fans had softened their stance toward T1 lately, as the company was finally showing the "taste of a big corporation."
Since they were producing good stuff, people were even starting to turn favorable.
However, the fansite master braced herself.
…Let’s not let our guard down.
It was because she might find out in the concert Blu-ray that the kids were the ones who came up with the designs for this and that.
But regardless, she couldn't help her heart fluttering.
It looks like they prepared really hard, right?!
She was so excited for the concert that a smile spread across her face. The sense of accomplishment that only those with tickets could feel was already washing over her like a wave.
Furthermore, her seat was… Section 8 on the 2nd floor!
It was the very seat Park Moon-dae had tried to challenge but failed to even attempt.
Moon-dae, I’m the one sitting here…!
Originally, she had planned to look for an exchange for a standing ticket to get better fancams, but the moment she saw TeSTAR’s ticketing video, she thought it was fate and decided to accept it.
I’ll just take more professional shots tomorrow!
It was the leisure of someone who also had a ticket for tomorrow.
“Um, would you like to have some of this…?”
“Oh, thank you!”
She received snacks and a small photo postcard prepared by a stranger sitting next to her, a Kim Rae-bin fan.
As she chatted and occasionally checked the situation on social media, time flew by.
It was almost time for the concert to start.
An announcement echoed through the venue.
“……Phew.”
Park Moon-dae’s fansite master skillfully took out her camera and hid it under her belongings.
At that moment, the lights in the venue dimmed.
“……!”
Into the space where the people’s murmuring abruptly stopped, the light from a giant screen poured out.
Vrooooom—.
Filling the screen were… the silhouettes of seven people lying in a circle on a classroom floor.
It was TeSTAR.
Waaaaaaaah!!!
The video unfolded along with the cheers.
The faces of the TeSTAR members opening their eyes on the floor were shown in close-ups one by one, and in the next moment, soap bubbles drifted over their heads.
The members chased the bubbles and lightly threw themselves out of the classroom window where sunlight was pouring in.
And then, the screen cut to black.
♫♪♩♪-♫♪♫♪-♪♩-
The concert hall darkened again. A familiar melody echoed, rearranged into a more grand version.
And before they knew it, the venue was filled with drifting soap bubbles and the sparkling lights of lightsticks.
“……!”
In that fantastic space shimmering with purple lights, the intro of Park Moon-dae’s ‘Magical Boy’ began to be heard.
— I think of you, whom I’ll meet tomorrow, all day today
Silhouettes riding wires began to descend from the ceiling.
“……!”
All seven members of TeSTAR appeared from all directions while riding wires.
The idols entrusted their bodies to the stage equipment and began to circle around the concert hall.
— But reality is breathing, All the time…
Seon A-hyun flew past over her head, singing his part.
Crazy!
Scream-like cheers erupted from all around.
Aaaaaah!!
A gentle breeze blew from where Seon A-hyun had passed, tickling her hair.
She got goosebumps.
Moon-dae, where’s Moon-dae?!
Park Moon-dae was gliding over the standing area slightly away from her.
That’s my section for tomorrow!!
His blonde hair fluttering was caught on the screen. Park Moon-dae was smiling lightly.
A fairy! Please be there tomorrow too…!!
She wailed internally and raised her camera.
— Cast a spell
Just before the second chorus, TeSTAR gathered at the center stage during a small inserted interlude.
Then, they unhooked from the devices and began the chorus choreography.
The decorations on their school uniform outfits, which were much flashier than the ones in the music video, sparkled under the lights.
And without a moment to catch their breath, the accompaniment connected like a storm, leading into the next song. It was ‘Airplane,’ the title track of their second promotion period.
— My heart is fluttering, I want to fly away somewhere
From the opening, TeSTAR had flown in using wires and exhausted all their title tracks in the first stage.
Oh my god.
The feeling was intense, as if they were determined to immerse the audience first, regardless of the following segments.
However, the atmosphere was certain.
As hit songs came out one after another, the audience’s heads heated up with adrenaline before they could even worry about the structure of the latter half of the show.
TeSTAR’s first concert began like that.
*
After singing one more quiet ballad from the ‘Choose Your Side’ album, TeSTAR finally proceeded with a light talk session.
[Phew, the opening, did you guys enjoy it??]
“YES!!!”
The venue was filled with deafening affirmative answers to the slightly echoing voice.
Ryu Cheong-woo, who had spoken, seemed a bit surprised by the momentum, but he soon laughed and nodded.
He’s cute too, the more I see him.
Even while giving a generous evaluation, the fansite master’s eyes and camera were focused on Park Moon-dae.
Park Moon-dae handed the water bottle he had been drinking from to Seon A-hyun next to him and greeted with a slight wave of his hand.
[Hello, Loviewers. I am… Moon-dae. I hope you have a fun and exciting time today.]
So cute!!
She could see the effort he put into trying to replicate his social media tone. However, his ears were red, perhaps because he was quite embarrassed.
Our puppy gathered his courage…!
While she was holding her camera and wailing, she heard the sound of sobbing next to her.
“He’s so cute…….”
“……?”
The person in the next seat was definitely a Kim Rae-bin individual fan.
Anyway, since it meant Moon-dae was destructively cute, she decided to think of it warmly.
[For the next stage~ I think you’ve all already seen us preparing hard for it!]
[It’s the very first unit stage!]
The members looked nervous, but they still handled the talk well with excited faces.
[Ah, you’re wondering which team is first? That’s… a secret!]
[Secret!]
After a few more exchanges of playful boos from the fans and comments from the laughing TeSTAR members, TeSTAR prepared to go down under the stage.
[Is everyone ready? Then please wait with anticipation to see who comes out!]
[We’ll reveal it soon!]
Then TeSTAR waved their hands and ran backstage.
Only after showing all of that on purpose did the lights go out and a video began to play on the screen again.
[Bam-ba-bam!]
[Ba-ba-ba-bam!!]
The two who poked their heads out were… Cha Yu-jin and Keun Se-jin!
This unit already??
It was because she thought the unit that mainly did dance performances would appear in the latter half for the sake of the atmosphere.
Moreover, wasn't ‘the’ Cha Yu-jin there?
Stage-destroyer Cha Yu-jin, individual fan-maker Cha Yu-jin!
…Whatever. It’s not like Moon-dae is coming out!
She shrugged and leaned her back against the backrest. Since Moon-dae wasn't coming out, she intended to watch comfortably.
Well, Cha Yu-jin will be flying around… and Se-jin will dance well too, right?
From what she roughly remembered seeing on the WeTube reality show, she thought they would do a somewhat famous and old jazz-style R&B pop song.
The cute VCR of the two giggling also ended quickly.
[So our concept is……, what is it, Yu-jin?]
[Outlaw of the Wilderness!]
With Cha Yu-jin’s last words, the screen cut to black once.
And the screen that lit up again was… truly a desolate wilderness.
Huh?
It was a landscape one would expect to see in a typical American Western.
Bam Bam Bam Barabarararabam
The intro began to flow. Along with a saxophone rhythm much more cheerful than the original song, an image appeared on the screen.
[WANTED]
[$100,000,000]
It was a bounty poster. There was an effect where humorous cartoon caricatures of the two were slapped onto the video.
— Who’s next?
The moment Cha Yu-jin’s nasal voice sharply threw out a line.
The two popped up simultaneously from under both ends of the center stage.
And they rushed toward each other.
“……!”
The two, who rushed fiercely from the left and right, crossed each other with sliding choreography movements, then magically straightened their bodies and looked back at each other again.
The two tall guys were both wearing leather pants, loose shirts, tight vests, and cowboy hats pressed down crookedly.
However, Cha Yu-jin’s was light brown, and Keun Se-jin’s was dark brown.
— Now~ You have to know
What is right D’oh
What is left
The two threw their hats at the same time.
While Keun Se-jin’s vocals popped along to the cheerful pop song, dancers dressed in black appeared behind the two who were smiling crookedly.
And the two took out ropes from their waists.
“……?!”
An aggressive group dance unfolded in all directions.
Using their feet and ropes, Cha Yu-jin and Keun Se-jin began to trip and lay down the dancers one by one with strange and lively movements.
Those movements had similarities with the dancers’ choreography, yet they were also synchronized with each other. In every verse, there was always a part where they used the same movements at the same timing.
Therefore, the unity of the stage was maintained smoothly.
It was a spectacle to watch with one's mouth agape.
— Take my gun and
Bababababa-by Say
Goodbye!
The moment they entered the chorus, the two ripped off their vests and threw them back.
Then, hidden costume elements revealed themselves.
It was a gun holster.
— Oh my~
The two continued the choreography while pointing guns at each other with one hand.
The choreography, which organically connected and constantly changed positions while returning to their original spots, was very musical-like, but at the same time, as one hand was restricted, the other movements became more aggressive.
And finally.
The choreography concluded with a movement of knocking away the gun held by the other.
— Say Goooodbye~~
Over the drum roll and the frantically playing saxophone, the two slowly took a movement as if tipping a non-existent hat in greeting.
And they gradually disappeared below the stage.
— Yay ha!
Even before the last line of the song came out, the concert hall was filled with screams.
Whoa.
Having been so immersed that the stage flew by before she could even evaluate it, Park Moon-dae’s fansite master tried to close her gaping mouth.
It’s so good…….
It was a stage with an intense composition that hit the elements the audience would have expected as soon as they heard the keyword ‘Outlaw of the Wilderness’ even better than expected.
…Should I post this stage cut on April Fool’s Day?
Thinking that the cut of throwing the vest seemed to have come out well, she tried to think calmly.
And like her, the stage left a deep impression on the minds of the majority of the audience who saw the first unit stage.
Not an individual member, but the stage itself.
It was a win by decision for Keun Se-jin.
*
The unit stage just ended.
While waiting after changing clothes, the vibration from the cheers echoed all the way under the stage.
“Th-the two of them must have done really well!”
Seon A-hyun smiled with a bright expression.
I nodded.
…He wouldn't have been pushed back.
Well, actually, I wasn't that worried about Keun Se-jin.
It was because a few days ago, while coming out after a shower, I had suddenly heard the whole story behind the song selection.
— Moon-dae, want me to tell you something interesting?
— What?
— I practiced my basics with that song, you know? Ever since I first joined as a trainee.
— ……
— So, I just ended up using it whenever I practiced alone.
— ……For how long?
— Well… maybe 8 years? Haha.
To put it simply, Cha Yu-jin had been matched with a song this guy had been playing with for eight years.
Of course, just holding onto it for a long time doesn't mean you'll pull off the song well.
But considering Keun Se-jin’s personality, he must have already tried out every possible performance by tearing apart every single element of the song.
From there, he surely picked only what he thought he was good at and what was good, and then gently coaxed Cha Yu-jin, so the result was obvious.
A good stage came out in a direction Keun Se-jin is good at.
Furthermore, Keun Se-jin added one more device.
…There was no solo part.
In that unit stage, there was no solo part where someone moved alone.
They moved together unconditionally.
And in almost every moment they moved together, Keun Se-jin didn't let his spotlight be stolen recklessly.
It was because he composed an organic stage so that it would be less fun to look at only one person.
Of course, if he didn't have the skills, it wouldn't have mattered what he did. But Keun Se-jin had the skills.
So probably, all his strategies worked well.
…He’s a guy whose head really spins fast.
I nodded inwardly.
Of course, I didn't have time to care more about someone else's unit stage now.
“O-our stage is… the second one, so let’s do well too!”
It was almost my turn.