Chapter 295
Chapter 295
An agency joint concert.
Usually, this is the kind of event hosted by a company that boasts at least one established male and female idol group each, along with promising rookies.
In that sense, one might think this agency, which manages three groups from Idol Inc., meets the minimum requirements... but that would be a mistake.
On my way home, I frowned as I reviewed the proposal I’d brought with me.
‘I don’t think anyone is going to like this.’
No matter how hard I looked, this makeshift agency didn't have a color of its own.
I’m talking about that so-called "signature vibe" unique to a specific label.
‘There needs to be some common ground between the groups for the audience to be satisfied.’
I don’t know where an agency that simply scooped up winning groups from audition programs got the nerve to plan its own concert.
Well, I can take a rough guess at their objective, though.
"Hmm~ It looks like they’re trying to give the new debut kids a push," Keun Se-jin said with a shrug. "Look, they even gave them a setlist to cover a few of our songs. Our season's songs from Idol Inc. are even in the draft."
"Mmm."
Bae Se-jin, who was drinking water in the kitchen, added with a slightly tense expression, "...Isn't this an attempt at a generational handover?"
"A generational handover?"
"You know, since our contract period doesn't have much time left... they’re trying to induce the fans to like the rookie group!"
"That’s...! Are you saying they’ve already misjudged this group’s potential as being exhausted?"
Kim Rae-bin looked horrified, as if the theory sounded plausible. Bae Se-jin nodded seriously.
"...I’m saying it’s a possibility."
Good grief.
‘Did he see that on WeTube or something?’
He’s been watching so many K-Pop related channels lately that it seems he’s picked up some half-baked knowledge.
I let out a short laugh and shook my head.
"Probably not. It looks like they’re just trying to attach some buzz to that group."
"R-really?"
"Yes. Since the previous season didn't do as well as ours, they’re likely trying to benefit from us. Don't worry too much."
The company has barely managed to build a cooperative relationship with us; it would be a waste for them to give up on TeSTAR now.
‘They’re definitely assuming we’ll renew our contracts.’
They’ll stop at nibbling away at the profits attached to TeSTAR’s scale.
‘There’s no real merit in killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.’
Keun Se-jin readily agreed.
"I agree! Still, it’s good to stay alert~ I think your perspective is a good one too, hyung-nim."
"...Right."
"Those are wise words."
Bae Se-jin and Kim Rae-bin discarded the conspiracy theory in an instant. Then, Cha Yu-jin jumped in out of nowhere.
"So when are we doing that? Is it soon?"
"Let’s see... it’s in 25 days?"
Ryu Cheong-woo pointed to the "August Venue Secured" section of the proposal. I paid more attention to a different part.
‘The scale is smaller than I thought.’
Jamsil Indoor Stadium, with a capacity of 11,000.
At the very least, they didn't calculate demand using a stupid fan-count logic like "TeSTAR + Mirinae + Rookies? Let’s go to a stadium!"
This was an insight into the industry that I couldn't expect from the head of this agency.
‘The parent company intervened.’
It felt like T1’s influence was at work.
Seeing as the concert itself was being broadcast on Tnet, it seemed T1 was pushing for it, and the agency was rushing to make it happen.
‘They probably saw the good response to TaKon and want to make another quick buck.’
The fans will probably curse them out... but well, TeSTAR has almost nothing to lose.
‘Having parts of the concert stage broadcast will have a promotional effect.’
Since we’re in the latter half of our contract, it’s a good time to avoid friction with T1 to prevent future issues. We can probably just go along with this without a boycott.
"We only need to prepare five songs."
I chuckled and tapped the proposal.
‘Let them take some of the buzz.’
However, they’ll have to take responsibility for what kind of "buzz" that turns out to be.
Two boy groups from the same audition series, similar in age... performing the same song?
The comparisons will be brutal.
And we don't have much to worry about.
"Hmm, about three and a half weeks. It’s tight."
"Since the theme is similar to our last concert, it shouldn't be too much trouble~"
"I should inquire about the details regarding whether separate arrangement work will be necessary."
I pulled up the status window of one of the guys currently chatting away.
*
[Name: Kim Rae-bin]
Rap: A+ (S+)
(Vocals: C+)
Dance: B+ (A+)
Appearance: A- (A+)
Star Quality: A (S)
Trait: Maestro (S)
*
Even if I picked anyone at random from this group, their stats would look something like that.
In fact, there are plenty of guys whose stats have risen by at least 3 points compared to their time on Idol Inc.
‘In the meantime, Kim Rae-bin’s trait grade even went up.’
It might be natural, considering he voluntarily grinds himself down with short-term work for every album.
The weakest link was Bae Se-jin, but even he seems to have picked up a strange knack lately.
—I realized I just have to memorize the movements as a whole along with the lyrics...!
—...??
Having become familiar with basic dance routines, he used this trick to focus on replicating movements rather than dancing to the rhythm, making his performance in group choreography look much more convincing.
‘Isn't that actually harder?’
Well, he says it’s easier for him, so whatever.
Anyway, the important thing is that it’s now hard to find any opinions on the internet criticizing TeSTAR for their stage performance.
‘The difficulty of covering us is extreme.’
Ever since Onyx performed a song swap back when we were rookies, the public has already made up its mind about our image.
Furthermore, this time, the other side is unilaterally covering us.
The moment there’s a gap in basic stats and practice time, the result is as good as fixed.
So, it would be stranger to worry about fandom leakage over something like this.
‘I just need to worry about our attitude toward the juniors.’
Rather, what I’m worried about is this stage they threw in just for appearances. Ryu Cheong-woo happened to point to it.
Collaboration Stage (TBD) / 2 members per team
"And there’s one collaboration stage among the five."
"Yes."
It’s a collaboration stage where some of our members will perform with the juniors.
Excluding the tacky ending where everyone sings a national pop song together, this is the first and last stage where TeSTAR and the juniors will perform together.
‘There’s going to be some noise about who gets the spotlight.’
Just then, Cha Yu-jin raised his hand high.
"I'll do it! I'll do the collaboration stage!"
"Haha."
I knew he would.
Despite Cha Yu-jin’s enthusiastic volunteering, none of the members gave a definitive answer. If we said okay just to go with the flow, Cha Yu-jin would actually end up doing it.
‘Sending Cha Yu-jin out might be a bit cruel.’
It doesn't matter to us, but in terms of public opinion.
It’s like deploying a strategic weapon for a friendly match.
Since this was something worth thinking about more, I decided to put it on hold for now.
And a short while later, during the first group meeting and practice schedule, it turned out my worries were justified.
"Here is the new setlist."
On the paper I received after arriving earlier than scheduled, the collaboration stage part had changed.
Collaboration Stage (TBD) / TeSTAR 2 members, Mirinae 2 members
‘These punks backed out.’
The current debut group from Idol Inc. was missing from the collaboration list.
The reason given was a desperate plea: "We have to prepare for our debut, so preparing a new stage is too much of a burden."
"If you guys are okay with it, we’re planning to make a spot for them by having them naturally transition into the next stage at the end of this performance in a storytelling format."
The director’s explanation sounded plausible, but separately, it was a very strategic decision for a rookie group to make.
The excuse was fine... but the timing was impeccable.
"Hmm."
...It was a very interesting situation.
I’ll let it slide for now and deal with the immediate task at hand.
While the director was away due to another call, I began to revise the plan for this collaboration stage.
Mirinae arrived a short while later, looking like they had sprinted there.
Thud!
"Hello!"
They weren't late, but they seemed busy with their own comeback preparations. After some greetings and preparations, and once the staff had moved, Ryu Cheong-woo kindly explained.
"There have been some changes from the preliminary proposal. It turns out we’ll be doing the collaboration stage together."
"Ah, yes."
The 2nd place winner, Park Min-ha, said with a hollow expression.
"A proposal... we didn't receive anything like that, sunbaenim..."
As the fate of a group with less seniority, it seemed Mirinae had just been told to participate.
‘No, is it not a seniority issue, but rather that TeSTAR is a special case?’
We took the lead because of overlapping incidents, but usually, even in your fourth year, it’s a time when you listen to the company.
‘Hmm.’
Keun Se-jin quickly jumped in to liven up the atmosphere.
"Hey, does that initial proposal even matter~? What matters is that we make a great stage now! We look forward to working with you~"
"Yes! You’re absolutely right. We’ll work our hardest no matter what. We look forward to working with you too!"
Cha Yu-jin brightly reached out his hand for a handshake.
"Yeees! I look forward to the stage with you too—"
"Wait."
Without changing my expression, I calmly pulled Cha Yu-jin’s shoulder.
"Yu-jin, it’s not 'with' you."
"...??"
"Oh, right... I’m not doing the stage with them."
Cha Yu-jin looked a bit dejected and withdrew his hand.
That’s right. Through an emergency meeting just now, I had pulled Cha Yu-jin out of the collaboration stage.
—What? I’m good at it!
—Yeah, I know you’re good. That’s why let’s do a bigger stage at our concert.
—What’s the bigger one?
—Well...
...I’ll just say I used a lot of carrots. And the reason I went this far was different from what I initially considered.
‘This guy is too friendly, so it won't work.’
At the same time, he has no reservations. He’ll perform whatever fits the stage without hesitation, so if we’re not careful, he might cross the line of what fans can comfortably accept.
‘There are many things to consider for a one-on-one performance between male and female idols, so that would be problematic.’
In this situation, it’s safest to only have guys who know how to use their heads for these kinds of things.
So, there was only one answer.
"I... I see!"
"Yes, yes~"
Keun Se-jin smiled and put his arm around my shoulder.
"The collaboration stage will be me and Moon-dae. We look forward to working with you!"
That’s how it turned out.
This way, even in the worst-case scenario, the most people would say is that it’s funny because we don't match.
"Oh, I see! Is it okay if I actively give my opinions?? I want us to do something cool!"
"Yul-gi-yaaaak!"
"Eh, why? Am I being weird??"
At the 1st place winner Yul-gi's comment, the surrounding members made strange noises and hung their heads.
The 2nd place winner, Min-ha, nodded quietly with a face that had given up on everything.
"Yes. For us, it’s me and Yul-gi unnie."
The 1st and 2nd place winners were coming out together.
It meant they didn't want to be pushed back in terms of momentum... and that lineup was probably made by the 2nd place winner.
‘Did she guess that TeSTAR would try to win regardless of whether it’s co-ed or not?’
Maybe it’s because we’re all from audition shows. This was another unique situation.
At this rate, we might end up checking each other like a team battle on an audition program, which would definitely lead to noise during the process.
"Wow, that’s reassuring~ Let’s work hard!"
Furthermore, the guy who would usually say things like "Let’s make a slogan" or "Let’s start a group chat" was acting like he just wanted to get the job done, so I could roughly see how things would go.
‘If I were to pick someone with decent quality here...’
Then is this the only way?
I naturally left only one of the stage concept candidates I had envisioned and excluded the rest.
Then, I ran a few simulations in my head so the flow of the meeting would go as naturally as possible.
After the director returned and all the important announcements and discussions were over.
The members preparing for the collaboration stage went into a separate additional meeting.
First, to discuss things that couldn't be easily changed later... stage equipment.
‘As expected.’
Furthermore, since this collaboration stage was being added to each group’s existing stages, the equipment used in the preceding and following stages had already been claimed.
"Director, you said it’s better if we don't overlap like this if possible, right~?"
"Yes, yes."
Hmm.
Then wires are out for now. Plus, confetti and lifts are being used in the following stage, so exclude those too.
"Water will be difficult too. After all, the stage after next is our title track, so it would be a bit much if they were compared too directly, right?"
"Yes, yes."
Keun Se-jin naturally crossed out the things TeSTAR was planning to use for their main stage. He’s good.
However, Mirinae’s 1st place winner seemed a bit frustrated.
"How about we start by picking a song like we usually do? Since we’re only talking about what we can't do right now, let’s get more energized!"
"U-unnie!"
"That’s true."
She said it at the right time.
"What do you want to do?"
"Ah! First of all, I like hip-hop too..."
I waited for the Mirinae side to list as many songs as they wanted.
Until all sorts of candidates came to mind as they got excited.
‘Based on her personality, she’s the type to have a lot of things she wants to do.’
And surely, as she talked, the songs I was considering would pop up.
"Looking at it that way, 'Attack' is also..."
There, it came out.
This way, it’ll feel like you guys picked the song.
After pausing for a moment, I gave Keun Se-jin a signal and jumped in.
"Come to think of it, you said you wanted to do something cool earlier."
"Yes, yes!"
"Then, for the song you just mentioned... how about a concept like this?"
I began to draw lines and write words on the paper.
Concept, expected effect, direction of the arrangement...
I made it look like a brainstorm, as if I were coming up with it on the spot.
"Something like this."
As I wrote, I started getting interested, so it became even more natural, like it was truly spontaneous.
I tapped the paper once and looked up.
Mirinae’s 1st place winner’s eyes were sparkling.
It worked.
"I love it!"
"Me too... I mean, yes. I think sunbaenim gave a really good opinion!"
Good. There was probably some professional courtesy mixed in, but she seemed sincere.
Then, it was time for the next build-up.
"Ah~ Everyone’s heart is leaning toward this. Then the stage elements are easy too! I think using this would be perfect!"
Keun Se-jin took their words and naturally pointed to one of the remaining pieces of stage equipment.
—Laser
And so, without wasting time on checking each other, the picture was completed step by step.