Chapter 469
Chapter 469
“Is it them?”
“Yeah.”
Having returned from his individual schedule, Keun Se-jin checked the link on his smartphone.
For context, after debating between various solo gigs ranging from performance competitions to exploration variety shows, he had made a rather unexpected choice.
[Hope Game – Choice and Reversal]
It was a death game survival reality show.
Produced by a WeTube channel under a major broadcaster, the program wasn't exactly mainstream, but it had a dedicated cult following and generated massive buzz online.
—And they subtly use dice as a symbol there, too~ Since our album is Roll the Dice, I thought it’d be a good chance to sneak in some promotion.
—I figured if I did well, they’d use our game footage in the edited clips.
True to his reputation for being socially savvy and quick-witted, he was currently building a solid image—acting as a likable supporting player before stepping up with a decisive performance at key moments.
It seemed this show was doing more to sharpen his character image than a typical, broad-appeal variety show ever could.
They filmed two episodes at a time, and he was apparently still surviving as of episode six, which was currently being shot.
‘Well, he is a survival show veteran, after all.’
He was likely handling himself perfectly, never once forgetting that the cameras were rolling.
In any case, the fact that he checked the situation as soon as he joined us—despite the significant mental toll the show must take—meant he was reading the room just as sharply as I was.
“T-Holic sunbaenims’ juniors… Hmm, Wonder Hall agency.”
The group’s name was ĭter.
Their teaser video had finally been released.
I turned my gaze back to the smartphone where the video was playing.
“……”
The background featured nostalgic, hazy colors.
A light sepia filter and an aesthetic reminiscent of a film camera.
The scenery unfolded with grassy fields, smiles, soft saturation, and highlights that weren't too harsh.
And then, the boys.
They ran, leaping across countless spaces.
The rooftop of an old school, a bus stop, a junkyard, a bridge sparkling with night views, a grass-covered playground…
Props from the passing landscapes appeared or were placed in mid-air as if following them, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
And though the streets seemed desolate and empty, they reached a crossroad that felt poignant under the pure, clear filter.
After a few sensory dance cuts synchronized to the ethereal, refreshing music…
The singing echoed out amidst the silence.
[Jump over the timeline
To you
Whom I haven't seen yet]
A boy standing atop a traffic light leaped forward as if taking flight toward a sky still soft with the light of dawn.
A white hand shielded the sky as the sunlight flashed brilliantly.
[Show the way
— ĭter]
White subtitles appeared silently over the screen, and it ended.
“……”
Keun Se-jin watched the whole thing without a word. Then, he checked the view count.
It was in the millions.
“Hmm.”
He grimaced slightly as he let out a small laugh.
“Shall we hear an expert’s opinion first?”
“So, Rae-bin, what do you think?”
“There are several interesting points regarding the chords and instrumentation, but…”
Before long, the ‘expert’ among the gathered TeSTAR members began to comment on the teaser.
Kim Rae-bin.
He was currently appearing alone on a program where he provided songs to obscure singers who were being rediscovered.
Of course, the composer’s identity wasn't revealed at first. The singers, who made it through auditions, would listen to only thirty seconds of the provided tracks before competing to claim them and evaluating them.
Only after a song became theirs could they see the composer’s identity and hear the full track.
—MC: The identity of the composer ‘White Rabbit,’ who created track number five, ‘Melody,’ is… TeSTAR’s Kim Rae-bin!
—Kim Rae-bin: I look forward to working with you…
—Participant: Aaaaah!! Oh my god!!
—Participant: Thank you so much!
—Kim Rae-bin: …??
Even though it was a position where he could have fully enjoyed the prestige of TeSTAR’s name, he hadn't enjoyed it one bit. Only the viewers were having a good time.
Anyway, after finishing the teaser, he offered this evaluation:
“Their criteria for melody progression and the selection of auxiliary instruments seem similar to mine! I would like to ask them how they came to choose this particular method.”
“……”
Bae Se-jin, who had been quietly enduring, couldn't hold back any longer and shouted.
“They copied you!”
“Pardon?!”
Exactly.
I rubbed my chin.
“They analyzed your songs and used them as a reference.”
“…!”
“To my ears, it sounds like they referenced the Magical Boy or Wheel lines.”
The person in question probably had far more similar songs popping up in his head right now.
Seon A-hyun blinked, looking flustered.
“O-oh, now that you mention it, this teaser image also…”
“Yeah. It has a similar vibe to our debut teaser.”
However, it wasn't as if they had only referenced the Magical Boy teaser.
For instance, the length of this teaser, as well as the editing and composition, were closer to Haengcha.
The color palette was from Airplane, and the props were from Picnic.
It felt like they had taken various elements from TeSTAR’s past activities to suit their tastes and then re-established them by mixing them well with other things that looked good.
‘It’s like a puzzle.’
“…! Don’t tell me they created a lore universe too?”
“Wouldn't that be a given these days?”
It would be harder to find a boy group without a lore universe in the current idol market.
I immediately searched and found a summary.
—Superpowered boys who travel between the past and the future within virtual reality.
The guides of the dreaming eternity.
Wandering through their respective youths, they set out to find the light.
Show the way — ĭter
‘Oh.’
Time travel, magic, and even dreams.
Bae Se-jin’s hands trembled.
“…This is way too similar to our previous concepts…!”
“To be precise, only the keywords are similar,” I noted coldly.
“And even the keywords don't overlap perfectly.”
They had subtly twisted things, swapping time travel for virtual reality and magic for superpowers.
‘It’s a bit more high-tech.’
It would be easy to link with modern platforms.
“Plus, they’ve firmly established their own identity.”
“Where!?”
“Right here.”
I pointed to the group name.
—ĭter
“Apparently, it means ‘path’ or ‘way’ in Latin. By setting the group’s concept as ‘guides,’ they’ve attached a unique image to themselves.”
“……”
Perhaps we should have expected this kind of conceptual approach the moment we heard the name was ‘ĭter.’
Regardless, Bae Se-jin muttered in a somewhat hollow tone.
“Then… you’re saying they didn't copy us?”
“They did copy us, but it’s more like benchmarking.”
Strictly speaking, it meant it wasn't plagiarism.
“I guess you could say they researched the best-selling product in the market and made their own version of it.”
“……”
Bae Se-jin sat down with a look of discomfort.
‘I understand.’
It wasn't like I felt great about it either.
Looking at it, since they had cobbled it together from various references and mixed in their agency’s unique traits, it definitely wasn't plagiarism.
However… it was also true that this group wouldn't have existed if not for TeSTAR.
‘Hmm.’
And it seemed everyone felt the same way.
Bae Se-jin eventually muttered with a slightly bitter expression.
“It’s not like we’re the only ones allowed to do this kind of concept… but still, it felt like we were the only ones doing it until now.”
“……”
Keun Se-jin hesitated for a moment, but soon spoke up with a reluctant smile.
“Well~ actually, there were plenty of groups like this before, you know?”
“W-what??”
Bae Se-jin was taken aback.
But it was the undeniable truth.
‘Latecomers usually put out whatever is currently working well in the market.’
How many groups had tried to benchmark TeSTAR’s conceptual vibe over the past few years?
There was just one decisive difference.
“It’s just that none of them really got a big reaction~ That’s why you didn't even notice them passing by, hyung.”
“……”
“This kind of concept is actually hard to make look cool.”
Exactly.
It came down to planning and capital.
If you tried to copy and release something in a short period with a small budget and limited staff, you wouldn't even break even on a conceptual image like this.
“Then these guys…”
I answered.
“20 billion won over three years.”
“…!!”
“They even established a new project planning team for this… so they must have poured in a lot of manpower too.”
This was information I had gained from the hints.
In other words… planning, capital, and manpower.
They had prepared with all three elements in place.
For three whole years.
“……”
A brief silence followed.
Ryu Cheong-woo, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
“Then… they must have come prepared.”
And a short while later, their title track was released.
[Ready and shut, go!]
Laser lights sliced through the screen along with intense Moombahton music.
CG screens with flashy effects exploding, flickering coding screens, and superpowered boys in goggles on a boss raid!
And even a dance break part that felt like it was personifying a giant beast, looking ready to devour everything.
“Wow.”
Cha Yu-jin chewed on popcorn with a disinterested face.
“What do you think?”
“The typical nerdy things. [Seriously, did they open some kind of K-pop academy or something?]”
Saying that video game nerds would go wild for it, Cha Yu-jin sat coolly on the sofa. He seemed to have forgotten that he had literally made a game for our last album.
“You did it too.”
“I’m cool. I’m good at everything. But those kids, they didn't do that. [Immersion]?”
Hmm.
I replayed the music video.
‘Their visual stats look decent.’
The camera work was dazzling, and the dynamic compositions alternated well with close-up shots, making it look like cuts from an action game.
I wasn't sure about Cha Yu-jin’s point, but at the very least, it didn't look awkward.
Thanks to that, hardcore K-pop fans were already flocking to the comments.
—The silver-haired boy has perfect skin.
—They are reaaaally perfect five stars! I’m looking forward to their music show stage :D
—I think ĭter is going to be one of the biggest K-pop groups.
However, TeSTAR, having finished monitoring on the TV, gave a cold evaluation.
“This reminds me of Better Me or Drill again.”
“Yep. The dance break is the same style we did during Haengcha.”
Well, even a casual glance showed that sections were similar.
The composition and outfits with the motorcycle props brought Drill to mind, and that combat composition… the atmosphere of the realized enclosed facility reminded me of Better Me.
Of course, since the basic concept was different, it probably wouldn't be enough for the general public to notice immediately.
‘Still, at this point, those who know would have figured it out.’
Even if we felt it more keenly because we were the ones who produced the albums ourselves, there was no way we were the only ones noticing this.
“This… the fans are talking about it too, right?”
“……”
“Park Moon-dae, just say it comfortably.”
I glanced briefly at my smartphone.
“It’s coming up.”
“…!”
I could see it right now in the top English comments.
—Is it just me, or do they look like just another TeSTAR copycat? :(
“…I knew it!”
“But it’s hard to see that as a purely good thing.”
“Ahem.”
Bae Se-jin looked like he was about to shout ‘Why?’ at any moment, but he seemed to hold back out of years of empirical trust.
And Seon A-hyun muttered somewhat cautiously.
“……Ah, b-because it can’t be considered plagiarism?”
“Right.”
Instead, it could become a target of mockery.
Like this.
—Did TeSTAR lease out the refreshing-dreamy concept or something?
—They’re just salty because the quality is good lol. Only our TeSTAR is allowed to do this!
—Man, Magical Boy was years ago, how long are you gonna bring that up? And ĭter? These guys aren't even wearing school uniforms lol.
—If you’re gonna cut up every TeSTAR music video and compare it scene by scene like this, then every idol is a plagiarist. Get a life, Loviewers.
The discourses clashed.
It had become something worth fighting over.
‘This isn't good.’
Even if public opinion was initially shaped into ‘they followed them, they’re copycats’ over something so ambiguous to prove, it could be flipped at any time.
‘As long as the opponent gains popularity!’
I immediately accessed an entertainment gossip board and scanned the popular posts.
[They say this is the visual member of ĭter]
[Wonder Hall’s rookies remind me of TeSTAR, not T-Holic]
[Have you heard ĭter’s debut song?]
[Wonder Hall’s new boy group feels too mid-tier agency-ish ㅠㅠ]
Posts fiercely bashing the rookies, posts praising their looks, and posts evaluating or mocking the song were rising as popular posts one after another.
“……”
Fuck, we’ve been played.
“Hyung, you don't look good.”
“……”
Ryu Cheong-woo spoke to me as if to soothe me.
“Is it because of what you called the backlash?”
“…It hasn't even gotten that far yet.”
I massaged my shoulders.
“They’re becoming a hot topic. This group.”
“……!”
“This kind of controversy is the type that can be crushed once they gain fans over time. If the song and choreography are good, it’s a win for them just to get people to click one more time.”
“So that’s what’s happening.”
Exactly.
In other words… their buzz volume had just increased significantly.
Viral marketing.
‘Dammit.’
At the same time, I had a gut feeling.
“They definitely aimed for this timing to debut.”
“This timing?”
“……”
I looked up. My eyes met Keun Se-jin’s, who spoke with a bitter smile.
“When our relationship with T1 is at its worst… right?”
“……”
“There’s no way people in the industry didn't know the rumors when we were making a fuss about going independent. If they heard it then… it’s almost a certainty, right?”
Bingo.
“……Yeah.”
“……!”
The expressions of the members who understood those words changed.
“Then, they… tried to debut… when our relationship with T1 soured……”
“Yeah.”
It’s the moment TeSTAR is at its weakest.
When we’ve just been coldly abandoned by the broadcasting station affiliates we were firmly connected to, making it easy for a distance to form with the public and for our exposure frequency to drop.
When it’s hard to respond to a rising star pushing their way up.
“Right now, we can’t do any schedules related to T1. Whether it’s broadcasts or WeTube.”
But.
If it’s a rookie from Wonder Hall, a large agency that has already raised T-Holic, who are close with every broadcasting station…
“But these guys can go anywhere.”
An unfair game had begun.