Chapter 465
Chapter 465
It’s a bit funny to mention it now, but to be honest, the game wasn't supposed to be this massive when we first planned it.
—Hmm, so it’s a supplement for the USB album.
—That’s right. And I think the fans will enjoy it if it offers about a day’s worth of gameplay.
—I like it! It’s fresh, so it’ll probably get people talking on social media, right? I’m in!
It was literally just an extended version of the music video.
The plan was simply to take a one-hour film—the kind you’d get as a bonus for buying an album—and add some choices to it. It was a scheme to transform the weakness of a meager physical album into an "extreme immersion" concept.
‘...But.’
The root of all the trouble was that our first meeting took place at Ruin Factory...
—That... seems possible. Yeah, it sounds fun!
Everything was fine back when I first brought up the interactive MV format.
—Really?
—Yes! Actually, we have a tool we were developing before. If you don’t mind, we could adapt that... Hey, we can do this, right?
—Yeah, it’s doable. You said the playtime is around an hour? We can definitely make the schedule work!
At that moment, I even allowed myself a triumphant internal smirk.
I’d come prepared, knowing exactly who they were.
‘I heard the project these people were originally going to release as the successor to Section 127 was an interactive MV-style horror adventure.’
Then, after they were acquired by T1, Section 127 became a massive hit...
Well, the rest was obvious.
‘T1 probably kept badgering them to just churn out a sequel to Section 127 over and over.’
So, unable to stomach the brainless "parachute" executives at T1 Plays who wanted to milk Section 127 to the bone, they jumped ship. That was the academic consensus... or rather, the consensus among hardcore gamers.
I figured if I brought them a genre they’d stopped developing in their youth, they could recycle their old work, earn some funds for their next project, and everyone would win.
—However, the implementation of the physics engine and such is an older version... If you want to include action elements, we’ll need more development time.
—Oh, we’re perfectly fine with just adding choices!
It didn't matter. We weren't trying to create a legendary masterpiece with incredible gameplay; we just needed something that looked visually stunning where you could pick a route. As long as the fans felt like they were interacting with us, that was enough.
—Ah, if that’s the case, we just need to polish the UI a bit...
And so, the discussion proceeded smoothly and swiftly. We spent a pleasant time together, and I even signed autographs for the staff in a warm, friendly atmosphere.
Then, this topic came up.
—Oh! Then would you like to come watch us film the music video?
—Wait, is that okay?
—Of course! We’re working as one team now. We’d be grateful to have you!
—It would be a huge help to have experts in game production watch the content being made and give us their feedback!
That was how the two CEOs and a few key production staff members ended up being invited to the filming set—a place where we were shooting something labeled as a music video but intended to be both game content and a film.
And... on the day of the shoot.
“...!!”
“Gosh, it’s been a while.”
“This is a full-blown production.”
Their jaws dropped and their eyes widened at the sight of the high-end equipment and elaborate sets that the crew Bae Se-jin recruited had rolled out.
‘Of course, it’s all my money...’
No matter how well Bae Se-jin acted as a child or how much talent he showed in his cameos, a capitalist society doesn't run without cash. I realized then just how important capital is. I could practically hear the sound of 10 billion won burning.
‘At least it’s a relief we secured the filming location in advance...’
It was lucky we found a suitable building in the countryside. Anything that didn't work would have to be fixed with CG in post-production, but still, this was a great start.
“Moon-dae, look down a bit~”
“Yes.”
Following the makeup artist’s instructions, I narrowed my eyes and watched today’s first runner standing in the middle of the set wearing a police uniform.
“Um, should I go with this kind of vibe?”
It was Keun Se-jin, filming the prologue. He’d taken on the role of a jailer character—the kind from urban legends who pretends to be a kind policeman before kidnapping people... He’d written the lines himself to ensure he could deliver them as naturally as possible.
‘We aren't professional actors to begin with.’
We made the characters use speech patterns as similar to the members’ real-life personalities as possible, or if that wasn't feasible, we drastically cut down their lines.
In Lee Se-jin’s case... the acting lessons he took back when he was in Zairop, in that virtual world created by the system, played a part in him landing that role.
—Wow~ that trashy group life is actually coming in handy! I guess hardships and trials really are stepping stones for growth, haha!
—That hyung is clenching his fists. He’s definitely traumatized.
Of course, even so, it would have been impossible without Bae Se-jin’s coaching. Even now, Bae Se-jin was staring at Keun Se-jin, who had just finished his first cut, with hawk-like eyes and firing off feedback.
“No. Speak even more like you usually do. If a beginner tries to act like they’re hiding something because they’re conscious of the story, it just looks more unnatural.”
“Ah.”
“Once the BGM and the other actor’s reaction are added, it’ll look suspicious enough. Don't try so hard to be mysterious yourself.”
“Got it, got it. Oh, hyung-nim. About this part where I sling the camera over my shoulder like a pro...”
Lee Se-jin didn't seem awkward at all about the reversed roles, shamelessly asking questions and soaking up as much knowledge as he could.
‘Well, with a 60-day schedule, there’s no room for being shy.’
And he finished the prologue shoot more successfully than expected.
“Cut! Great~”
“...! Thank you!”
I smirked as I heard light exclamations of "that was pretty good" and saw impressed glances exchanged among the filming staff.
“...Good job!”
“It’s all thanks to your great teaching~”
The two guys with the same name exchanged awkward compliments.
“Man, if it weren't for the car exploding, I’d love to do one more take... It’s a shame, but I guess this is it!”
True to form, Keun Se-jin didn't miss the chance to appeal to the behind-the-scenes camera at the end.
Then, we immediately moved locations to start filming the main story. The time Bae Se-jin had promised the crew wasn't long.
‘The schedule is brutal.’
For the record, from the main story onwards, the baton was passed to the established actor. We tackled the most important scenes first.
[...]
In other words, Bae Se-jin filmed the scene where he attempts to escape through the main gate and got an "OK" in a single take.
‘...It’s overwhelming.’
His acting was at a level where you could practically feel an aura coming off him. It was like watching Cha Yu-jin on stage. Bae Se-jin was now more than capable of pulling his weight on stage, but when compared to his acting, the difference was clear. Even the director seemed the most excited he’d been all day.
“Hey, our Se-jin’s still got it~”
“Ah, um... thank you.”
Bae Se-jin looked a bit embarrassed, but he also seemed quite proud.
After that, the filming continued smoothly but at a breakneck pace.
“Alright, moving on to Secret Room 3!”
The only saving grace was that the filming order was fixed so that no one had to change outfits, saving time. Thanks to that, I was stuck wearing a damnably uncomfortable straitjacket the whole time...
‘If this doesn't look good on screen, I’m hunting down the person who made it.’
I spent the day with those thoughts.
“M-Moon-dae. How does this look...?”
“It looks very convincing.”
It was around the time I was nodding at Seon A-hyun, who was walking down the hallway while crisply swinging a riot baton.
“Excuse me.”
“...? Yes.”
The people from Ruin Factory—no, the Ruined Industrial Complex—had followed us there. These people, who had been quietly enjoying themselves the whole time, suddenly started speaking up aggressively.
“By any chance, have you thought of anything else regarding the gameplay?”
Like what?
“That ending cut we shot earlier. What if you design the album in the shape of that key device... and put the code on the photo cards? You said you were going to put codes on them, right?”
“Yes.”
And?
“Seeing it in person, it’s just so good. The gate design, the composition, the costumes... everything is perfect...”
The female CEO clenched her hands together. The male CEO hurriedly chimed in.
“Um, what if the character who enters the code changes depending on which member is on the photo card?”
“...??”
“Or, based on the choices made previously, affinity builds up, and based on that...”
Wait a minute.
All sorts of ideas that had been brought up among the members but cut due to time and environmental constraints... were now pouring out of the developers' own mouths.
“...”
It seemed the filming set, the costume concepts, and even Bae Se-jin’s acting had hit all their buttons. But still.
‘Do these people not know what a realistic mindset is?’
I managed to ask, “That sounds great, but is it... possible to implement?”
“...Would it not be?”
How should we know...?
“But don't you want to try? While filming, I saw some bloopers caused by ad-libs that looked like they’d be great to use as new choices...”
“...”
“Oh, and I was really drawn to Yu-jin’s escape attempt. It could be used as a sort of gag ending in the middle!”
“Did I film well? Was I good earlier?”
“Hold on.”
Where did you pop out from?
The two CEOs nodded in perfect unison at Cha Yu-jin, who had rushed over in his straitjacket with sparkling eyes.
“Yes!”
“We want to use it!”
“Then use it! Umm, please use it!”
“Wow!”
The guy who had been dead set against this concept was now all for it just because he got a compliment... No, before that.
I barely managed to open my mouth.
“......Um, do you have the time for that?”
“Haha, well, it’s just adding existing footage as choices...”
And?
“If we, who are free from labor laws, work overtime!”
“Exactly!”
“...”
And so... the volume of the game ballooned insanely as ad-libbed scenes and bloopers that were supposed to be cut were resurrected as choices and gag endings.
But it didn't end there.
“And you said there are three versions, right?”
“Yes. But only the USB album shape and the prologue were supposed to be different...”
“Wow, wouldn't adding some individual events make that feeling stand out more?”
“...??”
“If we revive some of the discarded scenarios here...”
That was when it happened.
“Oh? There are discarded scenarios? Really?”
“Yes! Look at this.”
The director, who had joined in before I knew it, teamed up with them, and suddenly, an extension of the shoot was decided on the spot.
“I’m sorry, but we don't have time to memorize scripts...”
“Ah~ it’s similar to your real personalities anyway, so don't worry too much about the script and just go with the flow of the situation!”
“...”
“You guys wrote it anyway, why are you overthinking it! You need this kind of experience if you want to act.”
We are idols who want to perform on stage.
...However, due to the existence of numerous "acting-capable" idols led by Bae Se-jin, that counterargument was impossible. And even our leader...
“Ah, we’re fine with it.”
“...!”
...So, in conclusion, a game with an absurd volume of over two and a half hours was born.
‘It’s 2.5 times the original size.’
Furthermore, with three versions and the implementation of bad endings, gag endings, normal endings, true endings, and even a hidden ending, the actual playtime increased tremendously.
Thanks to that, the "aggro" seemed to have tripled compared to the plan as well. Every time something happened, crazy talk about the game would pop up and streams would keep appearing, keeping the buzz alive for days.
—I tried the TeSTAR game that’s hot lately...
—Do you guys know this? There’s a route where if you don't check on Rae-bin in the lab even once, he causes an accident. Bottles smashing, Keun-se’s mental state smashing lol (Video)
—The hidden ending Seon A-hyun that’s causing a stir among TeSTAR fans (Horror Warning)
Of course, not everyone who saw these actually played our game. Most people just watched short clips or edited videos floating around, or laughed at fans' reactions.
‘In the first place, it’s a package game, not a mobile game, so how much public appeal could it have?’
Especially since the concept was an extension of the music video’s worldview, specifically targeting fans. While it likely helped album sales significantly, it wasn't a massive explosion.
‘Since we allowed streaming, there’s also the side effect where people who are only mildly interested are satisfied with just watching that.’
However, the fact that the game acted as a lure to bring in a new potential fanbase and that existing fans were satisfied was very good...
And we achieved the most important thing.
—Wow, I can't believe TeSTAR is coming back like this lol
—The title melody is already stuck in my head because I’ve watched so many reaction videos lol
At the very least, we’d etched the fact that "TeSTAR is making a comeback" into the internet’s consciousness. Moreover, since we’d tucked the chorus melody of the title track into various parts of the game, anyone who had seen a stream or a reaction video would have it ringing in their ears.
‘As long as I can get them to listen once, I’m satisfied.’
And as expected, TeSTAR’s digital chart ranking is not lacking compared to when we had T1’s insane promotion backing us.
‘...! That’s right.’
Now that we’ve announced the comeback news like this... we just need to deliver the finishing blow with the stage.
‘And that’s today.’
We will perform our first comeback stage live. On a major broadcast station.
“Hmm.”
I smiled. It was a pretty satisfying result.
Except...
[Moon-dae-ssi! By any chance, are the TeSTAR members interested in more serious games? We were wondering if the TeSTAR characters could make a short cameo in a gag ending for our next project...]
“No, thank you. We’re really fine.”
I’ll deal with the Ruined Industrial Complex people—who now seem to consider us their colleagues—later.
-
“...Yes. Thank you.”
Bae Se-jin thanked the person on the other end of the line once more.
It was the director who had readily accepted his call even though it had been a while since they last spoke. The director of the drama where he’d recently made a cameo as a shaman. That director, who had also been part of the production crew for the blockbuster movie where he’d appeared as a child shaman, was naturally someone who wrote and directed films.
She had made this opportunity possible. Thanks to her, he was able to meet with film production staff he’d known since his child actor days and attempt to ask for a difficult favor.
‘...I’m glad I found the courage.’
It had been an absurdly forced march... but it felt like the first time he’d contributed this much to the team.
‘The, um, reaction was good, too...’
Now he just had to work hard on the stage. It was just as he was once again making a firm resolution for this promotion.
—Do you remember? When you were this small, you suddenly started crying fat tears on set, and all the adults were so flustered.
—P-pardon?
—And you coolly said, ‘I was just getting into character, why are you like that~’ You were such a bold little thing.
“Ugh... ahem, yes.”
Bae Se-jin barely suppressed a dry cough. The director, who had been happily reminiscing, suddenly murmured in a low voice.
—Still... it’s a waste. Such a waste.
“...”
—I really liked working with you this time, Se-jin. Jung-jin said he was happy to see you again after so long, too.
“Ah.”
Bae Se-jin thought of the actor who had played the driver in the prologue scene. He had been a senior to him during his child actor days.
‘...He was kind to me.’
He was lost in those memories for a moment.
—I’ve actually gotten my hands on a really good script this time.
From across the phone came a direct proposal.
—You’re old enough now. Don't you want to give it a try?
“...!”
This happened 30 minutes before TeSTAR’s first live comeback stage.