Chapter 425
Chapter 425
Kim Rae-bin’s fan was checking up on TeSTAR’s recent activities, as she did every day.
She was the type to dismiss a few tour fancams as "content," but this time, her expectations were actually quite high.
‘If it’s being broadcast, then I’ll admit it’s real content.’
The problem was that once the lid was opened, "TeSTAR’s concert" wasn't the only thing inside!
[Spacer - To the World]
"The bundling is freaking shameless, seriously."
She held back a string of curses as she watched public broadcast TV for the first time in a long while.
[Make some noise!]
The opening and the first few stages were actual live footage from the concert, but seeing other groups pop up in the slots where the VCRs and special concert event stages should have been made her blood boil. Especially when those groups had fans who talked like this:
"Those crazy bastards!"
Since that side had been getting trashed so much lately, they were lashing out like cornered rats biting a cat, their aggressive opinions piercing like needles. Regardless of the cause, a needle was still a needle.
Of course, she gritted her teeth and retorted as coolly as possible.
Since TeSTAR was a survival show group, unless you were a hardcore survival show fanatic, there was no such thing as "loving the juniors because they're from the same agency."
TeSTAR had even established their own label, so it would have been better if they just treated each other like strangers, but the agency had been pushing the "transfer" narrative especially hard over the past few months.
And now, here was the result of those efforts.
"Fuck...!"
The general public was showing interest and reacting favorably to Spacer’s guest stage!
Even the fans couldn't openly criticize it. Since it was an 11 PM broadcast on a major channel, the place was crawling with non-fans.
‘The agency must have hired part-timers to post.’
If she didn't think that way, she wouldn't be able to handle the rage.
...And that wasn't the only problem.
Trolls like that appeared on almost every page.
While furiously typing replies like "The victim-blaming is insane," Kim Rae-bin’s fan muttered to herself.
‘You guys better do well.’
They were a group that always delivered during important moments, but they really had to nail it this time.
Especially in a situation like this.
[---]
The screen changed, and the true owners of this concert title finally appeared.
The lights shifted from the heat of the concert hall to a silent stage.
Click.
A stark, pale light.
A color like moonlight illuminated the stage, glowing softly like the surface of water.
And then, a dancer appeared.
A ballerino.
Cutting through the heavy silence, a slender dancer—his face hidden behind a white mask, wearing a classic black poet shirt—began a solo dance.
It was to a melody the fans hadn't heard in a while, yet it felt intimately familiar.
(It’s quiet now
The songs, the dreams
Forget them all)
The elegant cello melody of "Midnight and next," the title track of TeSTAR’s first studio album, filled the speakers, accompanied by piano and strings.
(This is midnight.
Your Midnight)
There were no vocals, but it felt as if the lyrics could be heard.
It was a performance closer to fine art, with bone-chilling quality in movement and expression, striking an exquisite balance between the original choreography and classical ballet.
Right, it was all great, but...
‘...But where is TeSTAR?’
No, were they seriously bundling a ballerino now? Was Tnet doing a ballet survival show next?
Just as Kim Rae-bin’s fan, who had been watching with her mouth agape as if possessed, was about to explode in frustration—
The ballerino, standing elegantly at the edge of the stage, slowly composed his silhouette as the music ended.
Then, a white hand reaching out from a black sleeve removed the mask...
[Midnight Intro - Seon A-hyun (TeSTAR)]
"...??"
W-what is this?
Kim Rae-bin’s fan felt like her eyes were going to pop out.
But it was real. Unless it was a deepfake, the ballerino who just appeared on screen was Seon A-hyun.
"......."
She checked again, and it was definitely him.
And this was... a live broadcast?
Recalling the body of the masked ballerino from moments ago, she looked at Seon A-hyun on the screen—his bangs swept back as the grand orchestra swelled.
‘...Now that I look again, that is definitely Seon A-hyun’s body.’
Even if she didn't particularly like Seon A-hyun and thus hadn't noticed, there must have been a reason why even Seon A-hyun’s fans hadn't been talking about this, even if they suspected it.
Because, logically, it should have been impossible!
Even to a layperson, it looked like a professional ballet performance.
‘When did he practice this?’
No, is this something you can achieve with just a short practice period? No matter how much Seon A-hyun majored in modern dance, he said he only learned ballet briefly when he was a kid!
"Ah!"
At that moment, a rumor flashed through her mind like lightning.
A rumor that had been circulating not just about Seon A-hyun, but about all of TeSTAR since the tour began!
‘I thought they were just high on having tickets and hyping each other up to make the rest of us feel left out.’
It seemed these guys had truly entered some kind of "Awakening" state.
‘You know, they say some athletes get like that too.’
Kim Rae-bin’s fan nodded inwardly, recalling a spat—not quite a fight—she’d had with her younger brother.
She was beyond pleased.
‘Anyone in this group just needs to do well. If you mess up, you’re dead, seriously.’
Though unintended, the external enemy had created a unifying effect among TeSTAR’s individual fanbases.
Of course, this situation wasn't exactly the case she was thinking of, but there were some similarities. The feeling of being in an "Awakening" state, for instance.
‘Whew.’
On stage.
Seon A-hyun lifted his head and began to walk. The camera with the tally light on followed him.
And he judged himself coldly. The performance just now was acceptable.
Of course, because his body had changed, there were limits. He couldn't execute difficult techniques or capture every tiny detail.
Even so.
‘This is... fun.’
The newly acquired knowledge and experience fueled the exhilaration of the stage.
And then, the other members, dressed similarly to him, appeared on stage amidst special effects.
[Welcome]
With a faint smile, Seon A-hyun joined the formation.
What followed was another of TeSTAR’s past hits.
"Call (Nightmare)."
The song, rearranged for an orchestra, echoed with a deeper, lingering minor key.
[Call-it
Call that name now
It’ll stick like honey and never let go]
This decadent song, which had only appeared briefly in a medley during this tour, had been arranged as a special stage.
And as always, the provocative sexy concept was powerful. Since many members had temporarily changed their hair for this stage, the reaction was even more explosive.
To the point where Kim Rae-bin’s fan was busily posting.
Furthermore, there were even closing comments prepared specifically for the broadcast.
[Thank you for enjoying this long concert with us. Finally, only the last stage remains.]
The reaction exploded once more as Seon A-hyun held the MC card and spoke with unprecedentedly smooth and clear pronunciation.
[And now, we will perform "Promise."]
Thus, the broadcast of TeSTAR’s concert ended successfully.
It drew attention not just because the performance was excellent, but because of the unexpectedness and unique points of interest.
However, for that very reason, the "controversy" surrounding the agency grew even larger.
After returning home following the live concert schedule.
[The Outfit from TeSTAR’s Concert—You Can’t Buy It. (Progressive Daily: Talk-Talk Sympathy)]
"Hmm, the articles are getting more aggressive, aren't they?"
"Oh boy, they really linked it well to our concert story."
"...I see."
I don't know why they're looking at me with those expressions, but I didn't do it.
‘I just gave them a little nudge.’
It all started with me pretending to send an early holiday gift to the Management Office Chief to overhear what the higher-ups at the agency were thinking.
"It was an obvious outcome."
I shrugged and wiped off the water. I felt refreshed after my shower.
Just as it’s natural to feel refreshed after washing, this was bound to fail inevitably if no one intervened.
Because the agency was busy doing other things instead of promoting the idols they were supposed to.
Actually, considering they had collaborated with games like Section 127 before, this was relatively mild.
‘Idols film clothing commercials all the time, anyway.’
The problem was... the company had done something reckless, dreaming of "revenue diversification."
They had pushed this collaboration hard.
They had somehow split the designs into several lines, and it seemed they had taken the grades directly from Idol Inc. They even paid royalties to the program to do this.
‘It’s just a money grab.’
Even so, if this was all they had announced, people would have just criticized them for being tasteless, old-fashioned, and total highway robbers.
The problem started after that.
First, they revealed their desire to collect even more money between the lines, making the fans extremely uncomfortable. But even that could have been managed somehow.
If it hadn't been for the next round of media play.
If only these lunatics hadn't told the press that the Platinum grade clothes would only be sold in "the size the idols actually wear."
I can see what they were aiming for.
They probably wanted to go beyond the feeling of "actual wear" and stimulate the fans' desire to collect, but they were screwed.
The result of failing to recognize the difference between merchandise and clothing hit them like this:
In the midst of that, an interview with an official saying they were "planning an actual-wear verification photo event" was unearthed, and... public opinion plummeted into the abyss.
They had only succeeded in breeding massive resentment.
‘Are they idiots?’
Actually, if you think about it, they could have used "only people like idols can wear it" as a differentiation strategy to unethically rake in money.
But they failed to pierce that psychology accurately and instead took a fatal blow.
‘If you wanted to profit from tiering, you should have been more subtle.’
Why do Tnet-style survival shows keep people watching even while they get trashed?
It’s because they are provocative, sophisticated, and create content appeal by making fun of themselves.
‘But these guys?’
There are very few people in this company who can do that. Because we swept them all up when we created our label.
And the people who are left are all in the working-level staff. So who ran this business? The higher-ups, eager to share the portfolio and profits, actively signed the contracts.
Therefore...
‘The promised result has arrived.’
It was a total wreck.
"Really?"
Yes.
"Is that all?"
I am innocent.
I just took the context and posted one anonymous thread.
"That’s instigation!"
"No. I wrote exactly what was in the article."
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Just in case, I even used a VPN to write it. There’s no way I’ll get caught.
Well, since the people at the top aren't the ones who launched the agency with a vision but are just vultures trying to scavenge, I just pulled forward an already destined disaster.
"...And the outfits we wore during the live concert were originally intended to be sold as 'Platinum' grade here."
"Wow, our agency is truly something else."
"So that’s why so many articles like that popped up...."
Thanks to the live concert broadcast doing so well, it seems it became even more fuel for the fire, drawing more heat.
Does that mean we, who are tied to this agency, will take a hit too?
‘We might have taken a momentary hit.’
After all, we are the face of this agency.
But it won't last long enough to have a real impact.
Because when a problem gets this big, the parent company steps in.
"Hmm. Because it shouldn't affect the stock price?"
"Probably."
Furthermore.
‘From T1 Entertainment’s perspective, the agency under them just needs to do its job as an agency.’
From the parent company's perspective, they can just do other businesses through other subsidiaries. It was only the higher-ups here who were so desperate for side businesses.
In that case, what would the T1 Entertainment experts, who are well-versed in this business unlike the higher-ups at this agency, do?
They would try to preserve the value of the brand products they already have.
Namely, their best-selling idols.
"Cleanup articles are already popping up."
I was refreshing the news page when I spotted the parent company's movement.
They were probably preparing and testing the waters, then released it as soon as they checked the reaction after the concert ended.
[T1 Stars’ Unilateral Actions, Artists’ Bewilderment]
[Tusle-A, "Contract claims are groundless... it was only at the discussion stage."]
Everything was being framed as the incompetent management of the agency running wild.
It was a beautiful sight where the ones who committed the wrong paid the full price. Thus, the board of directors of this agency is being cut off by the parent company.
‘One or two of them won't be able to keep their seats.’
And to quickly cover up this bad news, wouldn't they hold an event in their main field of expertise?
Ryu Cheong-woo gave a wide grin.
"Does that mean...?"
I smiled too.
"They’re giving us an album."
"Oooooh!"
It was the promised development.
"They’ll prioritize the teams with good results. They need to cover this up with good news."
"If that’s the case..."
Bae Se-jin didn't finish his sentence, but everyone realized it and grinned. Of course, it would be TeSTAR.
"And that! It was easier thanks to A-hyun doing so well in today’s broadcast~"
"That’s right, you did great!"
"Thank you...!"
Compliments flew across the living room late at night.
‘The ones doing nonsense are failing... and we’re getting an album.’
The atmosphere was good.
That was when it happened.
Bzzz—
My phone vibrated.
"Wait, did the call come already...?"
"Is it T1??"
At 2 AM?
I doubted T1 would act that quickly, but I also had a bit of expectation.
I quickly lowered my gaze to my smartphone, and then a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘But if it’s about the album, shouldn't they be calling Ryu Cheong-woo, not me?’
True.
And as expected, it wasn't a call about the album. Instead, someone I had never imagined called me.
"......."
"Moon-dae?"
I answered for now.
It was a voice from VTIC.
...But it was someone who had never called me before.
It was Ju-dan.
Why is a guy who’s going to the military calling in the middle of the night...?
I already wanted to hang up.