Chapter 241
Chapter 241
The real-time comments were exploding at a terrifying rate.
From people testing out different numbers to those sincerely pushing for one side, and the majority simply picking one for the fun of it.
A wide variety of comments updated so rapidly that the chat window seemed ready to burst.
Meanwhile, the count on the electronic display climbed quickly.
[TeSTAR is...]
1. Cool (2017)
2. Cute (1992)
Park Moon-dae’s voice, though he hadn't appeared on screen yet, was heard again.
[Hmm... It’s a very close race. Thank you for the quick support.]
[The time limit is three minutes. There are... 120 seconds left.]
Perhaps he hadn't expected the count to rise so passionately; a hint of flustered surprise seeped into Park Moon-dae’s usually calm voice.
‘Ah, he’s so cute!’
The graduate student tapped her keyboard with both hands and quickly added to the count herself.
‘Moon-dae probably wanted to do something cool for the concert, right?’
The graduate student smiled, satisfied with her choice. It helped that the number of people who picked Option 1 was slightly higher at the moment!
Unfortunately for her, however, the data was a bit skewed.
First of all, many of those who were just testing the system had picked Option 1.
Furthermore, the people who had signed up and waited to log in the moment the concert started... a significant number of them were extremely passionate fans.
And the more hardcore a fan was, the more likely they were to make a choice that diverged from the general public.
This was because there was already a massive database of TeSTAR looking cool on stage.
Since cute performances could only be seen intermittently during surprise concert stages or on social media, they couldn't let this opportunity slip away.
‘An official cute stage!!’
The fans pushed Option 2 like crazy, and as a result:
[TeSTAR is...]
1. Cool (10286)
2. Cute (15601)
It was an overwhelming victory.
Whether he could see the comments filled with nonsense and laughter or not, Park Moon-dae’s voice remained composed.
[The audience’s choice is... <TeSTAR is cute>. Thank you for participating.]
However, there was a slight hint of a smile in his voice.
[Well, I didn't expect it to be to this extent.]
‘So cute!!’
Even the graduate student, who had been a bit disappointed that Option 1 didn't win, accepted Option 2 in an instant.
[Then, please meet... the ‘cute’ TeSTAR.]
The moment he finished speaking, the screen changed.
“Whoa.”
What appeared was... a new stage.
TeSTAR hadn't rented just one stage at the venue.
And this newly revealed stage... looked like a very high-quality kindergarten performance set.
‘Cardboard cutouts?’
Stage props depicting trees, the sea, traditional tiled houses, and a bright sun were gathered together, decorating the stage in a charming way.
It was a bright stage that looked as if a children’s folk tale was about to unfold.
[I... like playing around excitedly and then falling asleep!]
Cha Yu-jin’s Korean narration, significantly more cheerful than the original, was heard.
Then, amidst sparkling helium balloons bursting over the stage, TeSTAR came pouring out.
The sound of children cheering was layered in.
[Waaaaah!]
Every member of TeSTAR who ran out was dressed in outfits that would suit a children’s folk tale play.
The styling for the woodcutter, the scholar, the tiger, the magpie, and the goblin was theatrically exaggerated and finished with a cute touch.
It was truly a stage for children.
However, TeSTAR remained undeterred and steadfastly began their performance.
It was their intense title track, ‘Spring out,’ which originally had a Steampunk Joseon concept.
In the midst of it all, even the choreography had been slightly altered to feel more like a rhythmic children's dance.
It was an opening that was intense in a completely different sense.
The audience typed comments while bursting into laughter at the bright and earnest stage that looked like it belonged at an actual charity event.
However, some fans became a bit sentimental.
With all these emotions mixing together, the real-time comment section became absolute mayhem.
As similar reactions were repeated on social media and online communities, the promotional effect was significant.
Even people who had no interest in an idol’s donation concert clicked the link out of curiosity.
Meanwhile, TeSTAR was performing the stage perfectly.
They didn't act shamelessly cute; instead, showing a bit of embarrassment was part of the fun.
After seeing such an unconventional stage, people became curious about what the other option would have been.
With a bit of anticipation, people waited for a 'standard' cool stage to follow.
But there was no mercy.
[If you choose one side of the fork in the road, you cannot go the other way.]
[So, the side that wasn't chosen~ never happened!]
These words came after the members’ awkward individual greetings once the stage ended.
Lee Se-jin grinned and held up his index finger to form an 'X' in front of the camera.
The members also chuckled as if they found it absurd, but the commenters weren't laughing.
[Ah~ what a shame! We prepared so hard~]
[But the show must go on. Moving to the next choice!]
At the members’ cheerful voices, the people in the comments slowly realized the situation.
Everyone tried to think rationally, telling themselves 'there's no way they'd just throw away something they prepared,' but regardless, what they saw before their eyes was TeSTAR performing only the chosen option and moving on.
A binary choice, and that was it!
Thanks to that, the voting began to heat up.
[This winter,]
1. Go to the snowy winter sea
2. Drink warm cocoa at home
The voting screen returned to the stage.
Now, the comments began to actively persuade one another.
This time, after a close battle with over 50,000 total votes, the winter sea eventually won with 30,000 votes.
[Oh~ what a result!]
[An excellent choice.]
Then, a transition.
The members sang while sitting on the floor in a dreamlike, swaying gray stage.
It was ‘Picnic,’ rearranged with more delicate notes to suit a vocal performance.
It was a cool and beautiful acapella.
Taking advantage of the non-face-to-face concert format, softly undulating silver-blue waves drenched the screen along with the beautiful song.
The stage ended with a lingering resonance, led by Park Moon-dae’s dramatic harmony at the climax.
As interesting or impressive stages piled up one by one, people became more immersed in the concert, either praising their own choices or wondering about the ones they missed.
Even people who had been watching illegal broadcasts on WeTube because they found the unfamiliar platform bothersome were drawn in by the voting.
There were people trying to cause trouble, but it was actually meaningless.
The comments weren't visible to TeSTAR anyway, and they had no influence other than adding a number to one of the choices.
It was just that the real-time reflection and the act of choosing were stimulating and incredibly fun.
People picked various options like ‘Dog vs. Cat,’ ‘Hotteok vs. Yakgwa,’ and ‘Magic vs. Baseball.’
Some choices seemed to blatantly push for the side connected to TeSTAR, while others made people wonder what on earth they had to do with the stage.
But no matter what they chose, watching the stage resolved their questions and elicited laughter or admiration.
-
Ingenious captures and GIFs were produced in real-time and circulated on social media.
And TeSTAR didn't forget the mid-roll advertisements.
[Please gift a tomorrow where dreams come true to Somang, who has never been able to leave her hospital room.]
Through cooperation with a child welfare foundation, hopeful donation request talks were inserted here and there.
This was to remind everyone that it was a donation concert, and it was quite effective.
Since the timing for receiving donations was set, the donation funds exploded all at once.
And the firework effects that appeared every time a donation was made covered the comment section incessantly, encouraging participation and making even those who wouldn't normally donate join in.
It was just when people had become completely accustomed to this system and flow.
[The choice we are giving you this time... is about a special stage.]
[We ask for your support...!]
Following Seon A-hyun’s soft voice, the text that appeared on the electronic display was something the audience hadn't expected at all.
[In my estimation, the special stage is...]
1. TeSTAR covering VTIC
2. VTIC covering TeSTAR
Suddenly, another top-tier group appeared in the options.
But soon, people grasped the situation.
The options were clearly a joke. Wasn't Option 2 put there so people would pick Option 1 instead?
Since mostly TeSTAR fans were watching, they expected everyone to naturally pick Option 1.
The problem was that because the event had grown so large, the audience pool had also expanded.
There was no way the audience, who had already found the choice format fun, would miss such a hilarious bait.
Furthermore, with fans who wanted to tease TeSTAR joining in, the tide turned toward Option 2.
Of course, some fans were feeling uneasy, sensing something was off.
‘If this goes wrong, they might get criticized for using VTIC...’
‘Ah, this is risky...’
However, there were only three minutes.
Before public opinion could flip, the conclusion was reached.
VTIC covering TeSTAR (71432)
It was a victory for Option 2.
Just as that mischievous expectation swelled to its peak.
[Ah... so it turned out like this.]
[I know, right?]
A sudden narration of a conversation flowed out.
However, it wasn't the voice they had heard earlier.
People who weren't fans of TeSTAR laughed and posted comments, but TeSTAR’s fans were slightly flustered.
‘This...’
The voice didn't belong to TeSTAR.
And a moment later.
Instead of the screen showing a different stage, the electronic display suddenly opened up.
“...!!”
And from the dark backstage, four silhouettes walked out through the dry ice.
The 'no way' was exactly right.
The actual VTIC had made a cameo appearance at TeSTAR’s concert.
At this dramatic development that no one had expected, the audience's reaction began to explode.