Chapter 207
Chapter 207
It was an eventful month.
As the countdown to the promotion began, there were endless things to fix, and eventually, the entire staff worked as if they had lost their minds.
The peak of the chaos, of course, was the music video.
No matter what the hell we tried, we reached the conclusion that the editing wouldn't be finished by the deadline.
‘That was chilling.’
So, we adjusted the schedule: the digital track would be released first on Tuesday, the comeback date, and the music video would follow at midnight on Thursday.
At the time, I was bitter because I thought we’d take a hit... but surprisingly, this method brought about quite positive results.
‘Thanks to the song being released first, it settled onto the charts without any prejudice.’
The appearance of Steampunk Joseon in a music video is an interesting element, but it’s not exactly a familiar one.
If that eccentricity had influenced the first impression of the song, there was a high probability it would have hindered its mainstream appeal for no reason.
However, after generating buzz with a curious teaser, people listened to the song separately, allowing its mainstream appeal to blend in smoothly.
Thanks to that, we are currently fluctuating between 4th and 5th place on the largest music chart.
[4th: Spring out / TeSTAR] ▲1
Honestly, I expected the top 10, but it’s going surprisingly well.
‘I wonder if the number of listeners will increase once we start doing music shows and variety programs like before.’
That’s why this time, we intentionally scheduled quite a few appearances on major domestic variety shows as a full group. It was also to capitalize on the buzz generated by our reality program.
‘It’s worth looking forward to.’
Of course, for a smooth corporate life ahead... the most important thing is the global reaction.
For the record, I don’t even expect to enter the main Billboard charts.
‘Our overseas recognition isn't at that level yet.’
In the first place, to seriously target Billboard, we would have had to release the song simultaneously in the US on a Friday so that the first week's results after the comeback would be fully reflected in the charts.
It’s perfectly understandable that such an infrastructure couldn't possibly be built within three weeks.
‘Damn it.’
Besides, targeting the album chart is the only way to have a fighting chance; for the singles chart, there’s no hope unless you have an overseas fandom on the level of VTIC.
Therefore, for this promotion where we’re only active with one song, TeSTAR's global growth cannot be measured by a Billboard chart entry.
‘The focus is on proving that TeSTAR's global recognition has increased.’
The answer lies in TeSTAR's search volume on global search engines, views by country on various platforms, and the scale of growth for our tour.
And the music video reaction we’re filming now will also serve as good WeTube content to drive that.
"Oh, it’s starting."
"My heart is pounding~"
The members were putting in a great effort to chatter enthusiastically despite their eyes being bloodshot from fatigue.
‘Is it thanks to the payout?’
The payout for the first quarter of this year, which came in a few days ago, exceeded the first payout we received after waiting over half a year since our debut.
Bae Se-jin was so shocked he nearly fainted, saying he had paid off his entire mortgage.
Anyway, I also clapped my hands as sincerely as possible while looking at the monitor.
The music video started from the end of the teaser—the overturned train.
Crash!
As the low-pitched, narration-like rap ended, the train exploded.
And Cha Yu-jin, who emerged unscathed from the explosion, snatched a newspaper fluttering in the air and smirked.
It was the same old newspaper that 'Park Moon-dae' was reading in the teaser.
"Oh~"
"Looking good!"
"Exactly!"
While the real Cha Yu-jin beside me excitedly asserted his own coolness, the Cha Yu-jin on screen ran toward the city, unfolding the music video's storyline.
Then came the rhythmic, slow intro melody.
An exploration unfolds in a bizarre city that blends SF, the modern era, and Joseon. In short, it was close to an old American Western-style adventure.
However, I made sure we didn't look too obsessed with the story.
‘After all, it’s a music video.’
This meant we made sure to include cool choreography scenes set against unrealistically styled building interiors or shimmering wilderness.
I had also specified that care should be taken with the distribution of screen time in the story.
Cha Yu-jin kicked things off, but after that, the members would appear one by one during their respective parts to pass the baton.
"Why, why is Se-jin wearing a monocle...?"
"Ah~ I was a Gumiho before, right? You know, the whole 'you'll be bewitched if you look into my eyes' thing? I'm showing a bit of that."
"That’s cool."
"Uh-oh? Moon-dae, Moon-dae, put more soul into it!"
"Wow, it’s really cool."
I even filled in the gaps with pre-planned comments like this. It’s no fun if you only use exclamations.
Of course, I didn't forget the exclamations either.
"Wow, Bae Se-jin hyung!"
"Your, your acting is always amazing...!"
"Ahem, it’s not that much."
These were the praises showered upon him during the scene where the train was restored with turning gears as Bae Se-jin pressed an analog dashboard.
"There was no object in front of you, but it really feels like it exists!"
"That’s right. When Se-jin was acting, that place was just full of green, everyone."
It meant he acted in front of a green screen with only a tracking marker.
It might seem like we were bragging about the technology, but that wasn't actually it.
We simply chose CG, which could buy time with a budget, because there was absolutely no time to build all the sets...
‘That company must have been a living hell to work for, too.’
And in that situation, we gave the flashy CG scenes to the guy who could act without being fazed, and that was Bae Se-jin.
"...I'm glad it turned out well, and I'll continue to work hard."
"Whoo!"
Bae Se-jin’s face turned bright red as he bowed to the camera.
Well, public opinion has been favorable toward him lately, so he seems much more at ease.
The music video reaction continued in that manner.
"Look at that! Kim Rae-bin can't move!"
"That is not true! Since I played the role of a Dokkaebi, the director requested such static movements for the sake of mystery!"
Soon, a significant scene where I—Park Moon-dae—and Kim Rae-bin met in a coal mine passed by, and both the song and the screen reached a fever pitch.
From lazy reggae to intense, deep moombahton.
This was because a specific sense of purpose in the story was revealed toward the end.
The train derailment in the music video teaser was targeting the yogwi who had come up to the city to receive their 'Citizenship Certificates.'
So, for various reasons, the members try to catch this terrorist in order to obtain their citizenship.
And as anyone who saw the teaser would have guessed, the terrorist is Ryu Cheong-woo.
Soon, the members on screen faced off at midnight against Ryu Cheong-woo, who was looking down with a haughty expression.
"Ooh!"
The scene, enhanced with impressive CG, looked plausible without being excessive.
It could have easily looked like a low-budget B-movie, but as expected, money is worth what you spend.
And it was quite interesting to see the various interpretations of this scene.
For the record, the dominant theory was this:
The reasoning was as follows:
I hadn't actually thought about it in such grand terms... but it was surprising that they immediately recognized what I had considered.
Though it seemed it was eventually utilized like this:
[Comparing yogwi to this? Foreigners shocked by TeSTAR's amazing music video!]
[A counterattack against the racial discrimination Asians faced in the US? Review of TeSTAR's new song]
Since we were filming this video so late, I had already skimmed through the public reactions and analyses... so the thoughts came to me naturally.
Anyway, at the song's peak, a battle between the members and Ryu Cheong-woo is hinted at, and the intense climax choreography begins.
Ah, it happens to be my part.
Cuts of Ryu Cheong-woo spinning a black long rifle and firing were inserted into the appropriate parts.
"Wooooo!"
"Hyung-nim~ You look so cool??"
"You really, really look like a Boss! What a badass!"
"Um, is that so? Haha."
Ryu Cheong-woo laughed sheepishly. Actually, at the time of filming, he seemed to like it quite a bit himself and was looking into shooting as a hobby... but let’s not mention that for now.
"Wow~ But the 6-on-1 visual is a bit much. Right?"
"No! Winning is good! We just have to win!"
"……."
Let’s ask them to edit that out.
The music video captured the dramatic choreography well, featuring more body rolls and leaning back than our previous title tracks, and it concluded with the yogwi finally overpowering Ryu Cheong-woo.
However, as a smirking Cha Yu-jin stepped forward, an interlude not present in the digital track played briefly.
[…….]
Cha Yu-jin slipped a citizenship application into Ryu Cheong-woo's hand.
As the music returned, the ending concluded just like that.
The members added comments as if they were seeing it for the first time, quite shamelessly.
"Oh~"
"I, I think it turned out really cool...!"
"I was just in awe of how brilliantly it was implemented according to the storyboard!"
"Thank you, Director~ Loviewers who watched the music video, I love you~"
"I hope it becomes a huge hit."
I already knew that the music video views had broken TeSTAR's own record, but let’s add these kinds of comments for the sake of courtesy.
[Waaaah!]
[Wahahaha!]
After watching the post-credit scene for a few seconds, where the guys who got their citizenship were running around excitedly, it seemed we had captured enough footage.
"Then everyone, we will work hard and show you a great performance this time as well, so please give us lots of interest and love."
"See you soon~"
The camera turned off along with the closing remarks.
And the moment the staff started packing the equipment, all the members instantly returned to their fatigue-stricken states.
"Whew..."
"Will we... be able to stay awake tomorrow?"
The current time was 1:30 AM.
Considering we had to leave for the salon at 4:00 AM tomorrow, we should have gone to sleep immediately, but given the final choreography practice, staying up all night was a certainty.
"Let's hang in there."
"Yes."
Well, there was no other way, so we just had to do it... but I wished we could at least reduce the travel time.
‘Isn't it about time we changed dorms?’
I really wanted to move the dorm to central Seoul.
Looking at the payout amount, it seemed like we could get that kind of investment.
‘Should I make a deal after seeing the results of this promotion?’
To get the best possible location and conditions, I decided to carefully consider the timing and pushed the thought aside for now. I was too busy.
However, the very next day.
This topic surfaced immediately.
"Our TeSTAR members, how about moving to a better dorm?"
"Huh?"
Of course, it wasn't a philanthropic idea like the agency voluntarily footing the bill out of concern for their tired artists.
The chief manager said with a troubled expression, as if on purpose.
"No... well, they say complaints keep coming in from the apartment complex."
Ah.
"You know those crazy kids, they keep trying to trespass into the complex, and the management office says they can't handle it anymore..."
Right. I wondered why this issue hadn't come up yet.