Chapter 310
Chapter 310
TeSTAR’s concert began by perfectly recreating an underwater landscape within the venue.
What unfolded next… was a performance far beyond what the gamer, who had followed her friend to the concert on a whim, had ever expected.
‘Huh.’
Usually, whether the subject was a singer or an idol, there was a certain expected format for a ‘concert.’
A performance centered on the artist, showcasing their stages. A sequence where hit songs and the latest tracks were mixed and distributed to keep the tension from dropping.
In fact, TeSTAR had always performed those kinds of concerts until now, so her friends had given her similar explanations.
But this was different. Instead of the usual format, this concert had a story.
[Slowly sinking
Into the time, into the night
I don’t want to escape]
Amidst the dry ice, an elegant choreography inspired by modern dance unfolded, fabric fluttering as if floating through the deep sea.
The first song chosen was ‘Midnight and next,’ rearranged into a perfect orchestral version.
It was a highly unusual choice.
For idols with as many hit songs as they had at this point in their career, debut-era songs that had been performed many times were usually relegated to a medley at best.
However, TeSTAR went out of their way to rearrange and use this specific song.
Because this was the starting point of the narrative they were showing in this performance.
[Forget the songs, forget the dreams
Everything is forgotten, here it is midnight.
Your Midnight]
A boy who has fallen into the sea becomes stagnant in the past along with his dreams.
The clockwork turns, and the members sink into the ocean, experiencing the past.
As the sound of a grandfather clock signaled the end of ‘Midnight and next,’ the members lay down in the deep sea.
[Dong—]
Then, the stage background naturally transformed into a classroom.
Vividly, as if dreaming, the lighting shifted.
The song that followed naturally was ‘High Five.’ A bright and cheerful rock sound singing of exuberant youth!
After an instrumental break where the members woke up looking slightly dazed, they ran across the stage with a grinning, foot-stomping choreography.
[My feet are moving
Faster, further!]
The boy, having returned to the past, chases his dreams, falls in love, encounters enemies, and builds the strength to win.
TeSTAR’s songs were slotted into each of those contexts one by one.
Of course, TeSTAR were idols, and the structure wasn’t as overtly narrative-driven as a real musical or opera.
However, through the lyrics, the atmosphere, and the VCRs that appeared intermittently, the context was easy enough to understand.
Even more so for someone like the gamer, who had no background knowledge of TeSTAR!
‘Wait… were these songs originally made to be used like this?’
The gamer was bewildered.
The fans, being familiar with the songs, transitioned more smoothly, but the members were actually highlighting expressions tailored to the story between each track.
And the gamer absorbed all those subtexts in equal proportion to the music.
Bewilderment, joy, tension, wariness…
Because their overflowing star quality and expressiveness were so exceptional, the gamer was instantly immersed, even in songs she didn't know.
The protagonist on stage, having grown through the realization of love, delivered an intense performance as if flaunting his power.
[Bite it, tear it, enjoy it
Now Spring out!]
The narrative added a three-dimensional depth to the stage.
By the time the concert-style performance—utilizing cannons and dancers—exploded with intensity, she was almost unconsciously sending applause and cheers from the edge of her seat!
“Gasp.”
To think she was having such a conditioned, review-like reaction instead of just cheering at an idol concert.
She felt absurd, wondering if she had come to watch a musical, but there was no need for that.
TeSTAR was even more serious about it.
High notes, vocal volume, and aggressive choreography became one for the intense ending of ‘Spring out,’ at the conclusion of which the lights flickered and died.
A crescendo of piercing screams and a heart-pounding narrative peak.
But in an instant, everything stopped as if washed away.
“…!”
After a song that concluded with a brilliant climax… it was break time.
[~Intermission~]
[Act 2 will begin shortly.]
They had even incorporated an intermission format.
As if telling the audience to chew over what they had just seen. As if to inflate their expectations even further.
[Yahoo!]
The gamer watched with her mouth agape as a VCR played, showing the members running around in animal pajamas like some public service announcement.
She wasn't the only one.
As the lights came up for the intermission and the atmosphere loosened, fans began to go wild at the implicit permission for a ‘break.’
“Phew, phew, wow…”
“What is this?”
Countless people were holding their smartphones, typing away like mad.
And a message arrived for the gamer as well.
It was her two friends.
Checking their seats with her naked eye, it seemed both of them had sent the KakaoTalk messages while their eyes remained completely fixed on the VCR.
‘Whoa.’
It was a little scary.
But she understood it a bit. ‘They made it so well that even someone like me, who knows nothing, can really enjoy it.’
A concert like this was worth seeing at least once. She inwardly admitted that she understood why they had insisted she come.
Without even guessing that this was the first time TeSTAR had performed in this format and that social media was in an uproar because of it, she waited for Act 2 with a heart beating faster than before.
‘Is the fighting part coming out now?’
She was familiar with this kind of classic game protagonist narrative! Adding flashy dancing and singing to it made it impossible not to be fun!
Soon, the performance resumed with a cheerful announcement.
[Ladies and gentlemen, you were a bit surprised by what these guys were thinking when they planned this show, weren't you? You're quite curious, right?]
It was Lee Se-jin.
As the audience erupted in laughter and reactions to his sly comment.
[Well, you’ll soon find out what happens to TeSTAR. Now, Act 2 begins.]
The lights went out.
A light orchestral piece flowed, and as expectations rose in people's hearts according to the tempo set by the performers.
By now, the gamer was easily impressed.
‘They did this to make it feel like the audience is participating in the stage, right?’
This perverted level of detail somehow touched the heart of a hardcore enthusiast!
‘They really went all out!’
Indeed.
TeSTAR had delicately framed the structure and poured in their capabilities to give this performance narrative context and immersion.
However, no matter how they pieced it together, inevitable gaps appeared in between.
TeSTAR’s songs weren't composed with a single story in mind, and they didn't have as vast a variety as the songs of composers who write for musicals.
That was why cover stages were used to fill those voids.
Solo and unit performances.
Act 2 was filled with the latest trending songs that would serve as highlights, along with cover songs that supported them.
Therefore, TeSTAR had to move with very precise calculations even behind the scenes.
*
“Haa.”
“3 minutes!”
Backstage was a flurry of groans, short answers, and shouts.
Regardless of whether the noise was grating on my nerves or not, I continued my calculations.
‘It’s tight.’
Because the connection between stages had become more important, there was even less time to catch one's breath. There was no time to insert talks or relax between stages.
— Waaaaah!
I bit my tongue to avoid being swept away by the cheers I just heard.
And I thought coldly.
‘As expected, opinions will be divided.’
Right now, the audience loves it because it’s fresh and fun, but the moment their heads cool down, talk will start.
Because there will be fans who want to communicate more two-way at a concert.
To compensate for that, planning a W-Live communication session after the concert was the right call.
‘Good.’
There was no more time to be satisfied. The guy next to me, who was about to go on stage next, had a grim look on his face.
I asked Kim Rae-bin, whose face was pale.
“Are you worried?”
“Pardon? Ah, no, sir! I will do my best to show a stage that the fans will be satisfied with…!”
Kim Rae-bin answered promptly, but he was clenching and unclenching his hands.
It meant he was more nervous than usual.
‘It’s understandable.’
I crossed my arms.
We lacked this kind of experience.
The effort to perfectly understand and implement a song given unilaterally by someone else without touching it.
Since our debut, we had almost no career history of fitting ourselves into a work already completed according to a composer’s intention.
‘Because we’ve always participated in the songs and concepts.’
It was essentially skipping the foundational training that a rookie would typically undergo over four or five years.
Since we couldn't touch the audio, we had to learn how to use every other element… especially how to utilize ourselves to the limit.
‘We’ll acquire it through this opportunity.’
That was exactly what we had to show properly today as we split up one by one.
In the first place, why would Keun Se-jin have revised the setlist into a form where the story stood out so much?
It was simple.
— “We decided not to touch the songs, right? Let’s use that time here instead.”
He had removed the time spent on arranging and added the capability to further polish ourselves within that void.
He had included ‘context’ as an element for the performer to consider and express on stage.
I patted Kim Rae-bin on the back.
“You were good during practice, so just do it comfortably.”
I heard him swallow.
“…Yes.”
Kim Rae-bin nodded firmly.
Well, honestly, it was a matter that would be fine even if we didn't go this far.
“M-Moon-dae, um, I have to move with Rae-bin…”
The guy who had finished changing clothes crept up in front of Kim Rae-bin.
Seon A-hyun.
He was the member who would perform the unit stage with Kim Rae-bin next. I opened my mouth with a smile.
“Seon A-hyun.”
“Yeah?”
“You think Kim Rae-bin will do well on this stage, right?”
Seon A-hyun answered without blinking an eye.
“Yes.”
A determination without a hint of hesitation. It was a statement filled with self-confidence, rare for him.
“Thank you…!”
Thanks to that, Kim Rae-bin seemed impressed by his momentum. The two shook hands before running off.
“L-Let’s do well!”
“Yes!”
‘I’m glad I paired them up.’
Seon A-hyun’s confidence had a basis. He was the only one among us who didn't need to build this kind of foundation.
Because he already had it.
Seon A-hyun had spent his entire childhood aiming to deliver perfect interpretations and expressions of existing works.
He was a top ballet major.
“W-We’re going…!”
“Right.”
I watched Kim Rae-bin and Seon A-hyun run off.
The picture looked good.
*
On the stage just before.
[This is the sou-nd calling you]
The temptation called by the boy’s inner self, the performance of ‘Call,’ ended. With Bae Se-jin glaring at the audience while his neck was held.
‘Aaaaah!!’
Park Moon-dae’s fansite master swallowed a scream internally.
‘How can they plan such a cute and brilliant genius project for a concert and not promote it once! Was “as rich as a musical” in the details page a hint?!’
She took a deep breath. She had to calm down.
Even if she wanted to savor Park Moon-dae’s gloomy solo part added to the ‘Call’ performance because it was incredibly sexy, she had to watch the next stage clearly!
[Thud.]
But looking at the VCR, it seemed the next one was a unit stage.
‘Hmm.’
She guessed it wasn't Park Moon-dae just by looking at the two hands shaking. So she relaxed a bit.
‘Let’s just enjoy it as a stage.’
Having regained her composure, she fixed her gaze again.
At that moment, below the stage, the TeSTAR members who had also finished their costume changes were waiting and watching the monitor.
“It’s starting!”
Park Moon-dae reached to touch his chin but lowered his hand, mindful of his makeup.
Then he focused on the screen.
The stage scene was being broadcast on a large monitor installed by the dedicated team.
For the unit stage inserted at the final buildup stage of the climax, the VCR turned off and music began to ring out.
Rrrrrrrrrr!
It was the intense sound of a progressive rock band that had been responsible for the experimentalism of the late 90s.
‘The implementation is good.’
The boy who was defeated at a decisive moment in the confrontation with the enemy.
The performance that followed ‘Call,’ which was a temptation toward greater power, was ultimately an internal conflict.
The thunderous electric guitar that raged like an intense temptation soon subsided, and in its place, the elegant and agile sound that had been active in Act 1 filled the space.
An orchestral violin solo, and a low vocal.
[A place that stays dizzyingly]
So, the first one to step onto the stage was Seon A-hyun.
The character, who expressed every possible symbol of reason, intelligence, and character through the production, crossed the stage smoothly.
Along with movements adapted from modern dance, a white spotlight fell.
[Standing on tiptoes]
It was an experimental song, but it didn't harm the performance carried out with A-hyun on stage.
Because the delivery was unbelievably good.
“Wow.”
“Cooool.”
A-hyun, drawing straight lines in his white outfit, perfectly painted the landscape of the song.
His unwavering vocals melted into the accompaniment, making the performance stand out.
[Even if the lights change, I must protect my voice]
[One step, one step]
Fabric fluttered as he reached out his hand and landed softly after a backflip.
The power given by that proficiency, as if using every last bit of his capability, was extraordinary.
‘Truly…’
The static climax that the audience was completely absorbed in.
But the dissonance appeared here.
Thump.
The violin broke.
Rrrrrrrrrr!
The electric guitar raged.
And with a flickering spotlight, someone else revealed themselves from the other side of the stage.
[Red light]
It was Kim Rae-bin, wearing clothes tightened with countless black buckles.
He didn't do anything like dancing.
Instead, he just slowly advanced while holding a head mic.
Slowly, imposingly.
[If you walk, you’ll fall
Stop there and go back]
And then, the rap shot out.
The off-beat rap, a mix of English and Korean, started slowly and then gradually sped up.
Then, a crackling electronic sound from the microphone.
It was a song presented as a collaboration with a Korean-American rapper at a band concert in the 2000s.
The focus of this song's performance remained in the interviews from that time.
— “A song that must break in like an uninvited guest in the middle of the stage and become the master.”
And Kim Rae-bin did just that. He pushed aside the orchestra and forced his way onto the stage, settling in according to the tempo of the electric guitar.
[Tick-tock, Tick-tock]
[When the lines change, you are not yourself
Where your feet are, that’s where your heart is]
The rap kicked in, gestures grew larger, and the choreography spread.
He was stealing the stage.
Along with the orchestral sound, Seon A-hyun clashed with a short and intense performance like a final resistance, but he had already been consumed by all the production.
Thus, the orchestra disappeared, and Seon A-hyun also vanished, falling impressively to one side along with the stage equipment.
Rrrrrrrrrr!
A stage with a completely changed tone. And only then did Kim Rae-bin’s short and intense group dance with the dancers fill the stage for as long as Seon A-hyun had dominated the beginning.
— Wak. Wak. Wak. Wak!
Amidst the group dance of the dancers mixed with dominant and intense krumping, Kim Rae-bin kept pace, his coat fluttering.
His inner self was being dominated by impulse.
In that way, the song was recreated in the 2020s, carrying the exact meaning intended by the original artist.
With only one exception: the ending.
— Mmm, mmm, mmm.
Reason did not return.
The only thing standing until the end was impulse.
— Get off.
At the end of the song, Kim Rae-bin turned around and disappeared below the stage.
*
Waaaaaaaah!!!
“Wow, listen to that sound!”
The screams from the venue echoed as if they would demolish even the narrow corridor structure of the backstage.
They were usually generous with their cheers, but this could be considered an honest impression.
‘It means the unit’s cover song was as good as the main stage.’
It was a success. I readily opened my mouth.
“You did well.”
“T-Thanks…!”
Seon A-hyun, who returned first, smiled while covered with a towel. And the remaining guy now revealed himself in the hallway. The members cheered unreservedly.
“Kim Rae-bin!!”
“You really did great! It was totally cool!”
“Thank you…!”
Kim Rae-bin, who had taken off his coat, bowed his head with a flushed face, not holding back.
‘He must think he did pretty well himself.’
There were few guys as honest as him.
I smirked.
“Good job.”
“Yes…!”
I didn't say much more and just patted Kim Rae-bin on the shoulder a few times.
Anyway, there wouldn't be time for more right now.
“Change your clothes.”
“Ah!!”
Kim Rae-bin opened his mouth as if to say something, but he was immediately left to the staff to perform the mission of ‘changing clothes in 20 seconds.’
“Now, now, 150 seconds left~ We have to go for the Haengcha, right?”
“Haengcha!”
Yes, the concert wasn't over yet.
And this wasn't all I had prepared.