Chapter 271
Chapter 271
Making the documentary themselves?
‘Whoa.’
After all the drama that had unfolded, Kim Rae-bin’s fan felt her stomach churn at the mere mention of the word "documentary." She felt a sudden chill.
‘Hey, isn't this...’
Wasn't this just looking for trouble?
However, that thought didn't last long before sinking beneath the surface. It was because the TeSTAR members appearing on the screen looked so incredibly familiar and friendly.
It seemed to be morning. The person filming—their hand shaking slightly—nudged the members who were sprawled out on the floor.
[Let’s eat.]
[Wow... I’m so sleepy.]
[...I want meat.]
“...??”
It wasn't just that they looked close... their behavior was simply plain and realistic, devoid of any specific purpose or exaggeration.
There were plenty of TeSTAR videos that had been well-processed through the planning and editing of professional producers. In those, TeSTAR showed off their unique charms and personalities, but this was the first time she had faced such a blatant feeling of them being completely unconcerned with the public eye.
Pluck, strum—.
The slow accompaniment playing in the background was the acoustic guitar version of Kim Rae-bin’s "Magic is You" that had played just moments ago. The raw live sound, which had barely undergone any mixing, echoed through the venue.
[Hmm.]
[You’re not sure, right?]
[A little.]
Between cuts of them practicing concert choreography, there were scenes of them huddled together monitoring their performance.
Scenes of them blankly watching foreign broadcasts while eating ice cream in a hotel room.
In a hotel in another country, they were playing board games and playfully throwing cards at each other.
[Haha!]
The cameraman’s laughter rang out over the guitar. The screen shook. Short clips like these continued one after another.
“…….”
Before she knew it, Kim Rae-bin’s fan was watching the video without any other thoughts. She didn't even realize she was doing so.
The screen jumped along with the members as they danced, threw and caught objects, checked their hair dye, and ran off the stage laughing.
And as the accompaniment passed the bridge and entered the climax...
Whoosh...
Photos of concert preparations and after-parties they had taken themselves passed through the video like a panorama.
A photo of everyone holding fireworks at the beach; Park Moon-dae grilling meat at an after-party while Lee Se-jin shook a drink.
Cha Yu-jin laughing while climbing onto a rehearsal stage prop...
It was a record of TeSTAR’s countless hours, captured at times and in ways no one could have known.
The fact that they shared so much of their time together outside of their official activities poured down like a massive meteor shower, connected into a single screen, a single bond...
“…….”
The audience fell into a heavy silence, even the occasional screams vanishing.
Only then could Kim Rae-bin’s fan let out an internal scream.
‘You... you dirty players!!’
The venue was already soaked in melancholy. The group fans, who had unhesitatingly abandoned the documentary to save Cha Yu-jin, were probably crying their eyes out while watching the broadcast.
And for some reason, she felt her own nose tingling. It would have been stranger not to, given how the atmosphere in the hall had heated up.
“Haah...”
She acknowledged her state, feeling unfamiliar with her own emotional fullness.
‘Fine, I guess it works for now...’
It might not last forever, but adding this kind of seasoning to the magic of a concert was bound to be effective.
‘The atmosphere will be good for a while after the concert ends...’
However, what the members had prepared didn't end there.
[Encore Preparation]
Under the subtitles on the screen, silent scenes passed of the members eating fried chicken and talking in the studio. Then, it showed them entering the recording booth in comfortable clothes.
[In other countries, we sang songs that were famous there. So... we thought it would be nice to do the same in Korea.]
The screen, which showed a short note written in handwriting, turned black again. The soft guitar sound reached its climax and faded away gently.
Then, a subtitle appeared.
[To Commemorate TeSTAR’s Birth]
[200X]
[The year all of TeSTAR was in Korea, the song most people listened to]
The stage opened, and dry ice pushed out softly, awakening the scent of the stage. Instead of a medley from Idol Inc., a lyrical accompaniment rich in melody began to flow.
“...!”
A familiar and beautiful melody. It was a carol-sampling song released at the end of the year when Cha Yu-jin and Kim Rae-bin—TeSTAR’s youngest members—were born.
[Improving]
The carol, arranged as a Korean-style ballad, echoed beautifully through the concert hall. From the opening floor of the stage, a lift slowly rose from beneath the dry ice.
The members stood upon it, dressed in neat winter casual wear. Bae Se-jin, wearing a coat, picked up the microphone first.
— When a trivial mistake becomes a wound
When I feel like I’ll crumble from a small scar
His voice, devoid of excessive technique, sounded strangely sincere.
— I just sit quietly by the window
And think about myself next year
Seon A-hyun added a clear, low note. Then Lee Se-jin added harmony as he sang the next verse.
— On the same day in the same season
When I suddenly remember and look back
The orchestra swelled. The live band, which had been producing intense sounds throughout the concert, stopped their electronic instruments and layered notes with soft strings and keyboards.
Over that, a clear and strong voice rose.
— May this gloomy today
Become nourishment for my heart
May these sharp pains
Become my sturdy bolts
It was Park Moon-dae’s voice. A solid sound came from within the pink hair, paired with a gray shearling jacket. Pleasant harmonies connected above and below him. Ryu Cheong-woo’s mid-to-low range held the center.
— Going down to the very bottom, eventually
On the day I finally become myself
Cha Yu-jin sang the final line with a smile on his face.
— I won’t feel a thing
It was a sound that felt somewhat liberating.
“......Ah.”
The lyrics, the atmosphere of the song, and the preceding video. Everything blended together to create an insane synergy.
‘These guys... they really worked hard.’
From various parts of the audience, strange sounds of people stifling their sobs could be heard intermittently beneath the audio.
Kim Rae-bin’s fan tried to maintain a cold rationality, thinking it was too blatant. She self-deprecatingly thought she must look exactly like those internet memes of people holding back tears while pretending not to be moved.
— You won’t feel a thing
The song progressed sincerely and tenderly, without excessive embellishment. Fans everywhere slowly waved their lightsticks, their lights sparkling along with the rhythm.
The sampled carol melody spread through the humming.
— Du- durururudu-
As if submerged in the depths of a warm sea, the audience was lost in the performance amidst the harmony of sound and light.
— Happy new year to you
I know you’ll be okay.
The song concluded with a gentle low note.
“…….”
‘It’s a scam.’
Kim Rae-bin’s fan muttered as she saw the close-up of the smiling members lowering their microphones on the electronic display.
‘They’re just... squeezing every last drop out of this concert...’
Perhaps because she was an individual fan, she felt like she had been played. She felt as if all the emotion had been sucked out of her body.
‘Do you guys love TeSTAR that much... Rae-bin...’
Watching Kim Rae-bin, dressed in a cute white puffer jacket, holding hands with the members and bowing, she felt a complex sense of defeat...
They say there are plenty of fans who "win" against their idols these days, but at least not at this moment.
However, Kim Rae-bin’s fan pulled herself together once more.
‘It’s just for a moment, though! Give it a week and the hype will all fade...’
[Thank you for listening.]
[How did you like the song we prepared?]
“It was amazing!!”
“Waaaaah!!”
It couldn't be helped. It was a reflex reaction from the audience.
The members smiled with faces full of anticipation, then stepped down from the lift, took their positions, and turned around.
[We’re going straight into the next encore song.]
‘In those clothes??’
Just as the thought stopped and a question popped up, Kim Rae-bin’s fan saw the members throwing off their winter coats. Underneath were typical stage outfits: leather pants and white linen shirts.
“Uwaaaah!!”
It was a classic but effective production. As screams poured out for the boys who had even tossed their gloves and hats far away, the lights suddenly cut out.
Then, a sweet intro rang out.
It was "Wheel [Day]."
— Turn the wheel
So we can fly far away
The melody rings out beautifully
It touches the heart, let it pop
‘Huh?’
They had already performed that song earlier. Well, it was a good stage to watch multiple times (perhaps because of who composed it), but it was true that it was a bit puzzling.
— Turn the wheel
So I can find you in your dreams
Stay like this today too
It won’t end, let me in
And the outfits were a bit too sharp to be for "Wheel." It was unbalanced.
‘Hmm.’
Did they reuse it because they were in a hurry?
It was the moment Kim Rae-bin’s fan was about to cool down slightly.
— Right now as we fly
Whi-whi-whi-whistle!
“...!!”
Suddenly, a familiar whistle cut into the song. Then, a heavy bass and beat naturally kicked in...
And like magic, it dropped.
— Jump off
No parachute needed
Just jump
‘It’s Drill!!’
That’s right. The chorus of their double title track, "Drill [Night]," instantly swallowed the song.
In the meantime, the stage where the members stood changed from the lingering, refreshing feeling of "Wheel" to intense pinpoint lighting. The fluorescent paint on their leather pants, which had been hidden by the black color, flashed under the lights.
And then, the point choreography of "Drill" kicked in relentlessly.
“What the!!”
Only then did everyone realize the situation.
— Going in, Come in
(let me in)
These guys had remixed the two title tracks into one song!!
And for those watching this through the broadcast, a subtitle appeared.
TeSTAR - ‘Daybreak’ (Wheel + Drill)
It was the title of the new song.
While the people watching the broadcast were buzzing, the song raced ahead like crazy. And the chorus mixed the two songs entirely to create a new line.
— like a drill
Digging in to catch you
Yes, it’s beautiful
It touches the heart, let it pop
She didn't know how they had done it, but the two moods were mixed brilliantly without either one being lost. The structure of "Wheel," which was pleasant but a bit plain, and "Drill," which was intense but a bit much, fit together like puzzle pieces.
Furthermore, the members maintained that delicate balance incredibly well. The stage was intense yet had a refreshing carbonated feel, while simultaneously bursting with a playful charm.
— Turn my ferris wheel around
Lights exploding like stars
Picking out only the best-received scenes from both choreographies and weaving them together provided the catharsis of watching a "best-of" reel.
“Aaaaah!!”
Kim Rae-bin’s fan screamed, but it wasn't really heard. The surroundings were already filled with screams.
The adrenaline bursting from the pleasant surprise and satisfaction, and the tension maximized by the contrast with the previous stage, gripped the audience.
— Enjoy the moment
That’s my thrill, ha!
Amidst the perfectly synchronized group choreography formation, Cha Yu-jin’s satisfying ad-libs and tumbling landed coolly in the concert hall.
Aaaaah!
“Uuuuugh....”
Kim Rae-bin’s fan let out a groan that sounded like she was dying, and finally admitted it.
The concert high wasn't going to fade for a very long time.
The first day of TeSTAR’s Seoul encore concert ended.
An hour and a half later, the internet situation was as follows:
‘Good.’
It seemed we had achieved all the desired effects. Now, as long as the people satisfied with the stage quality maintained a truce mood using our clumsy documentary as a justification, we were set.
And that seemed to be steadily becoming a reality.
The voices of the group fans grew louder.
‘People become generous when they’re satisfied.’
I shrugged and put down my phone.
“Did things go the way you wanted~?”
“Yeah.”
“Hurry up and sit down and eat some meat, Park Moon-dae!”
I sat down and ate a late dinner, following the words of Bae Se-jin, who had become brave because he was tipsy. And I thought about the relief pitcher who would arrive before this concert high ended.
‘We’ve done everything we could.’
We reduced fatigue and provided a justification and satisfaction. Then what was the next step? A battle with an enemy.
And just in time, the perfect guys were coming.
A target for comparison that would make fans say things like, "At least we’re better than them," or "Looking back, they’re angels." And at the same time... an external enemy.
I recalled the article I had checked just moments ago.
[<Re-listing! Idol Inc.> Season 3 First Stage Revealed]
It was the new season of Idol Inc. Not a girl group, but a boy group season. TeSTAR’s direct juniors.
‘As long as we can prevent fandom leakage, there’s no external enemy quite like this.’
I shrugged.
Let’s see how it goes.