Chapter 338
Chapter 338
April.
The Kim Rae-bin fan visited a movie theater for the first time in a very long while.
‘I’ve finally lost it!’
With graduation right around the corner, she had applied for every single premiere event during midterms and actually managed to win a ticket. Even as a college student, she thought she was acting insane.
And all because of a rumor that wasn't even confirmed.
The rumor was that a K-pop idol would make a cameo in the new Limestone film.
To make matters worse, the movie was based on the game series universe of Ruin Factory, the creators of 127 Section—the ultimate movie targeted at nationalistic pride.
Naturally, the list of potential groups was a hot topic, and her idols were the number one candidates. All the signs pointed to them.
On the surface, the mainstream reaction was a mix of anticipation and anxiety.
Of course, in the gaming communities, people were bashing the game company, saying things like, "They aimed for the US and lost their roots."
The general consensus was that if the "K-pop idol cameo" was true, the company had sold out its game universe for cheap, over-the-top nationalistic marketing.
Interestingly, similar reactions were brewing under the surface in idol fan communities.
For the record, Kim Rae-bin’s fan belonged to this camp.
‘Don’t tell me the independent label was just bait to send them to America?!’
Fans, who were already suspicious that "the company would never just give them an independent label for free," were ready to attack the agency at a moment's notice.
At the same time, they were busy hushing up and managing negative public reactions toward TeSTAR.
‘Is the agency insane? Making us this anxious during their non-promotional period.’
Despite the heated reactions, T1 Stars remained silent.
Usually, this company would be frantically playing the media, whether it was a denial or a hype piece. Their silence only made the fans more uneasy.
They grew suspicious.
‘Is the quality so trash that they can’t even use it for media play…?’
‘Did they sell the kids off in some garbage deal?’
‘Why are they being so secretive about a tiny cameo? Is there something more?’
To make matters worse, TeSTAR was currently on tour, making it difficult to distract the fans with other content.
The fact that the members didn't answer even when fans flooded their W Live chats with questions led to the general conclusion: TeSTAR was in the movie, and they were under a non-disclosure agreement.
The anxiety reached a fever pitch.
‘Don’t be in it! I’d rather you not be in it at all!’
That was exactly what the college student had been thinking while she was hell-bent on finding every possible premiere raffle.
But time marched on.
Yesterday, the first day of the movie's premiere took place.
And everything flipped upside down.
The movie was a solid masterpiece, averaging four stars from critics. It successfully brought the game's universe to life, providing great material for nationalistic WeTubers.
Furthermore, TeSTAR’s appearance was…
She logged out right after reading that.
‘Which crazy bastard posted a searchable spoiler!’
She didn't want to be influenced by anything beforehand. She didn't touch social media again until she arrived at the premiere today.
She didn't even check TeSTAR’s official accounts.
‘I’m going to watch and judge this from a completely neutral standpoint.’
It wasn't like paid commenters manipulating movie ratings or fans trying to control the narrative on day one was anything new.
She organized her thoughts with a sense of vigilance.
‘The only thing for sure is that TeSTAR is actually in it!’
The college student sat in the theater with a cold, analytical mind.
“Hey, get me some popcorn.”
“Shut up.”
She snapped at her younger brother, whom she had brought along only because she had no one else to go with. Soon, the emergency exit announcement ended, and the logo appeared.
The signature English sentence of Limestone.
And then, the title.
[COSMIC GUNNER]
It was a typical title for that kind of movie. Being a premiere, short cheers erupted from all over the theater.
However, the grand plot that followed… while the visuals were stunning, it was just okay to her.
She wasn't particularly interested in sci-fi. She didn't really understand what was going on, and she didn't care much for the game either.
‘I knew it.’
The student listlessly chewed on her caramel popcorn.
‘When is TeSTAR coming out?’
Still, it was definitely an entertaining movie.
The biting black humor used to explain how Earth was ruined, the cool scene transitions, and the easy-to-follow storyline—all in all, it was a movie worth watching at least once, even for someone who didn't know or care about sci-fi or heroes.
‘It’s not bad.’
She felt the familiar "Limestone flavor." She relaxed and watched the movie blankly.
She guessed that TeSTAR would probably appear after the midpoint, as Hollywood cameos usually do.
Around that time, the screen showed the protagonist looking at the decadent and flashy neon signs of a space station he had accidentally arrived at.
[Wow, quite a sight, isn't it?]
(I’m telling you, this was a total delusion.)
The audience burst into laughter at the flashback monologue that contradicted the protagonist's words.
Meanwhile, the protagonist saw a bar sign shaped like a liquor bottle and slipped inside.
An intense and meaningful band performance was shown in a close-up, serving as the background music as the protagonist took a seat at a table.
Then, a banter-filled conversation began between him and a supporting character who acted as his guide.
[You from Earth? How is it there?]
[Well, it’s the same. The music in these bars is just as loud.]
At that moment, a burst of rough, slang-filled English erupted from the bizarre band in the background.
[What the f*ck did you just say?]
[I said I love this song, pal! Wow! Best performance of my life!]
In the distance, a band member glared at the protagonist before nodding and looking away, his figure slightly blurred. The audience laughed again.
The protagonist grumbled.
[Teenagers who haven't even dried the blood behind their ears, glaring at me.]
[Uh-uh, watch it! Rookie friend, you shouldn't judge people by your planet's common sense.]
The small alien supporting character sitting across from the protagonist lowered his voice and began to introduce the world the protagonist was about to face.
[There are over 1,200 planets contracted with this station!]
Flashy and expansive shots of alien worlds were edited together, rushing toward the audience.
‘Oh.’
The effect filled the entire theater. The student let out a short exclamation of admiration.
Even then, the supporting character's voice continued the narration.
He spoke about the unique histories, treasures, power dynamics, and armed groups of the various planetary citizens who used this space station.
Quite a few things contradicted Earth's common sense.
Including the level of danger.
[Most of the small ones carry hidden force shooters thanks to the protection laws. See that?]
[Like you?]
[Yeah, like me.]
The screen returned to the bar. The supporting character chuckled, briefly showing the force shooter in his coat before hiding it again. The protagonist watched him intently.
[And finally… you have to watch out for the crazies who walk around looking like crazies.]
[Crazies?]
[You know, the ones who dress to stand out!]
As the supporting character finished his sentence, the screen shifted once more.
Back to the "teenage" band on the small stage, the ones who had spoken to the protagonist earlier.
As they were packing up their gear and heading down, they were intercepted by soldiers dressed in intimidating combat gear.
Seen only from the back and side, the band members were dressed in avant-garde outfits that looked like a mix between a 70s rock band and game characters, but they weren't as large as the soldiers.
The atmosphere suggested the band was about to be beaten up or forced to run away.
[Oh.]
However, when the camera showed the band head-on from the soldiers' perspective…
Their faces were merely bored.
And those faces were extremely familiar to most of the audience at the premiere.
“…!”
“Whoa!”
TeSTAR!
Just as exclamations and reactions began to pop up from the audience at the unexpected appearance…
[They dress like crazies because they can afford to!]
Along with the supporting character's narration, the camera spun.
“…!”
Whoosh!
The soldiers were subdued with exaggerated cleanliness by bizarre space instruments in a fast and dynamic sequence.
Thud!
One member of the band sent the last soldier flying over a table with a laser.
He naturally brushed off his crumpled gown, carefully but brashly smoothing out a green stain on it.
That one momentary action was enough for the audience to realize that the stain on the white gown was a deliberate fashion choice.
As he looked up, a young man wearing glasses and makeup tilted his head with an expressionless face.
‘Holy crap.’
The student realized it.
It was a stage outfit mimicking the "Doctor" from 127 Section!
And only a beat later did she realize that the person was Bae Se-jin.
“…!”
Even though Bae Se-jin didn't say a word, he looked like a completely different person from the idol Bae Se-jin. Even his voice when he shouted in English earlier was unrecognizable.
Even though the student knew TeSTAR so well—or perhaps because she did—he felt even more foreign.
In that brief moment, Bae Se-jin had successfully sold the character he was given.
‘What the…?’
Kim Rae-bin’s fan swallowed hard at the talent of the "tag-along" she used to treat as baggage, and now as a mascot.
The camera angle shifted again.
The seven band members were briefly shown walking leisurely past the protagonist's table, ignoring the fallen soldiers.
Without even looking back, Bae Se-jin said:
[Come listen again.]
[That, um, would be an honor….]
But before the protagonist could even finish, they vanished from the screen, leaving only the sci-fi sound effect of a door opening.
Shuuuuk!
[……]
The two main characters, who had been watching with wide eyes, quickly lowered their heads and whispered.
[See? This is the kind of neighborhood this is.]
[……Wow.]
The protagonist blinked.
[So I just….]
[Yeah, you almost died. Anyway, I have a great plan….]
The theater was filled with laughter again. It was the kind of fun and joy reserved for those who knew who the cameos were.
Meanwhile, Kim Rae-bin’s fan sat there, popcorn in hand, in a state of shock.
That scene, which ended on a humorous note, was clearly a way to effectively introduce the world to both the protagonist and the audience.
Humor, a twist, and coolness.
A cameo appearance that possessed all three virtues.
‘Holy fck.’*
There was no way T1 could be this good at their job… No, that’s not it. This was only possible because the members pulled it off so well. It wasn't thanks to those bastards.
‘Bae Se-jin….’
As she uncharacteristically muttered the name of the member who had carried the scene, Kim Rae-bin’s fan was hit by a sudden realization.
Come to think of it, was that song they were playing…?
And the moment the band's music from the bar flowed out with vocals during the final battle and the ending credits, she knew she wasn't wrong.
-Exploding far away
This high note that fit perfectly even in a pop song.
And who else could have produced such an insanely good OST?
‘Kim Rae-bin! Park Moon-dae!’
Her picks had not failed her!!
As soon as the premiere ended, she logged back onto the internet, where the waves caused by this short cameo and the OST were already exploding.