Chapter 505
Chapter 505
The day of the first group recording for Real Sword Fight.
Greetings were exchanged among a cast packed with big names and established veterans, with not a single rookie in sight.
TeSTAR was no exception.
"Oh my goodness, it’s been so long, boys!"
"Senior Mudie!"
First up was Mudie. When we went to the waiting room of the singer who had served as a vocal trainer and judge on Idol Inc., she welcomed us with open arms.
"Wow, how many years has it been? You’ve all become so successful that I should be the one asking for your autographs now, really!"
"Oh, stop it! What are you talking about? We actually came here to get a signed album from you. We’re practically begging—please give us your autograph, Senior!"
"Ahaha! Oh, stop it, seriously!"
That guy, Lee Se-jin, really knows how to say exactly what people want to hear.
—I’ll try to lead the conversation as much as possible, so everyone just stay calm~
For the record, he was currently hosting a virtual one-man talk show to fill the void left by our leader, Ryu Cheong-woo, whose memories of TeSTAR had completely vanished.
Thanks to him, the atmosphere became incredibly harmonious.
"A-hyun is still as pretty as a deer... and Moon-dae, you can stop sending me red ginseng every holiday! I’ve received it every time and even mentioned it on the radio!"
"Hahaha!"
Mudie pleasantly offered words of encouragement and jokes to each member before finally turning her gaze toward TeSTAR’s leader.
Or rather, toward the person she believed to be the leader.
"Cheong-woo, it’s been a while. It must be tough being the leader, right?"
"Haha, I’m doing well because the members are so supportive."
However, since this "Steer" version of Cheong-woo had also participated in Idol Inc. and met Mudie as a vocal trainer, he had no trouble responding.
I watched as he chatted with Mudie, a smile fixed on his face.
‘He’s doing fine.’
In any case, it likely wasn't a coincidence that Mudie had been cast.
‘The production team probably sent out casting calls to big names who had some connection to TeSTAR early on.’
For the other party to calculate that they could "benefit from the editing," public displays of friendship like this were crucial.
‘They probably started recruiting by emphasizing that angle the moment TeSTAR signed the contract.’
Once three or four members of the cast were finalized, they would expand their recruitment horizons from there.
Perhaps because of that, Mudie wasn't the only cast member we were connected to.
"Moon-dae! Oh my goodness!"
As soon as we entered the next waiting room, the members of Malang Dalkom waved enthusiastically.
That’s right. The girl group from LeTi, the same agency as VTIC, known for the legendary "B-grade" concept song, "POP☆CON."
Malang Dalkom was also part of the cast. Even a member who had already found success as an actress had been recruited to join them.
"Hello, Senior So-hyun."
"Oh, wow! To think we’d meet again like this!"
It was a very unique case—a group of original members completely reuniting to appear on a survival show.
However, it wasn't a stupid choice at all.
‘They’re being smart.’
Since the group was past its prime anyway, they didn't have much to lose even if they didn't perform well among such a high-profile cast. And since the one successful member was now an actress, her image wouldn't be negatively affected by a different field.
As long as they avoided personality controversies—and they weren't rookies who didn't know how broadcasting worked—they’d be fine. These were people who had survived even that bizarre concept, after all.
I was nodding inwardly when it happened.
"You know we actually decided to come on the show partly because we heard you were going to be here, Moon-dae? Please take good care of us!"
"...?"
"Ahahat, look at Moon-dae’s face!"
What was she talking about?
Just then, So-hyun patted the laughing member’s shoulder and spoke with a warm smile.
"Moon-dae is a fan of ours! Knowing there’s at least one person who will watch us seriously gives us courage."
Hmm.
It had been years since I danced to "POP☆CON" on Idol Inc., and it was too late to clarify that I wasn't actually a fan. In the end, I just nodded shamelessly.
I’d just have to mention it in an interview or something.
"It’s an honor."
"No way, the honor is ours!"
And just as the conversation was winding down on a friendly note, a playful question popped up.
"As the leader, what do you think? Is Moon-dae still a fan of ours?"
‘...!’
The question was directed at Ryu Cheong-woo.
Given the nature of the question, it naturally shifted to the leader, but...
‘Oh no.’
This "Steer" Ryu Cheong-woo had no way of knowing whether I had danced to "POP☆CON" or done some popping. Naturally, he wouldn't know about the meme that I was a fan of these people.
I clenched my fists.
‘I have to cover for him.’
Keun Se-jin, who had been acting as the de facto leader today, flicked his eyes toward me and was about to jump in.
"Of course."
Steer Ryu Cheong-woo answered smoothly before he could.
"Moon-dae even plays your songs during our live broadcasts."
"...!!"
"No way! Really? That’s amazing..."
"Thank you, Moon-dae!"
The conversation flowed naturally from there. Steer Ryu Cheong-woo wrapped up the greetings by mentioning TeSTAR’s past activities without a hitch.
Seeing the atmosphere, Lee Se-jin just smiled and kept his mouth shut.
The rest of us followed the flow and ended the conversation well, but my head was a mess.
"..."
No way.
"See you in a bit~"
"Yes, Seniors!"
Click.
As we left Malang Dalkom’s waiting room, I turned to look at Ryu Cheong-woo.
"That just now..."
How did he know how to answer?
He scratched his face as if slightly embarrassed and gave a thin smile.
"Well, while I was watching your performances, some videos popped up in the algorithm... Fans have organized TeSTAR’s activities very well."
"..."
"I can't believe you watched all of that... Thank you. You’re truly amazing...!"
"Haha, it’s nothing special, but... thanks."
No.
This wasn't something that could be dismissed as just "amazing."
‘He didn't just stop at performance videos; he watched all of TeSTAR’s activities?’
He made it sound like he just happened to see them through the algorithm, but based on his answer earlier, he had practically memorized the entire fan wiki.
Furthermore, Ryu Cheong-woo wasn't the type to do that kind of searching. I doubted Steer Ryu Cheong-woo was any different. He had clearly gone out of his way to look it up.
‘When did he even do it?’
Did this guy even sleep?
It was staggering that he had voluntarily studied all of that without even being asked.
In the midst of my shock, he asked a casual question.
"Did I make any mistakes earlier?"
"No. It was perfect."
"Haha, thanks."
Honestly, I was the one who wanted to ask the questions. What kind of mental strength do you need to be dropped into a strange world without a Status Window and still produce results like this?
‘It’s like he’s the protagonist of a novel.’
But Steer Ryu Cheong-woo simply continued calmly.
"Still, let me know if I’m misunderstanding anything. Fans tend to describe things a bit more gently than how they actually happened."
"...Yes."
Fine. I don't even know anymore, damn it.
‘Is this the mental strength Cha Yu-jin was talking about when he said he was scared?’
It was quite convincing.
The subsequent filming proceeded smoothly.
An MBS announcer came out and grandly introduced each cast member as they entered, though it took an hour to get to the main point.
‘We were near the end of the order, so it was a breeze for us. That’s all that matters.’
The MC’s voice was already sounding a bit raspy, though. Poor guy.
"I will now announce the theme for the first competition."
Finally, the theme appeared in a massive font on the electronic display.
[Song Swap]
A theme where the cast members rotate and sing each other's songs. It was traditional, brutal, and interesting. Not bad.
"And since this is a competition, unlike the opening stage, the audience will be ranking your performances."
One obvious point as a setup. And then, the next point was equally obvious but provocative.
"And unfortunately, the person in last place will be eliminated."
"......!"
Everyone put on a surprised face despite knowing it was coming. They really knew how to work the camera.
Amidst the intentionally created tension, the cast members drew balls to choose whose song they would cover...
"Oh, we look forward to working with you."
TeSTAR drew Mudie’s ball.
‘Good.’
She was a participant with zero overlapping elements with us. That made it hard to compare us directly in a way that would cause bad blood, and it would be easy to create a stage with a different flavor.
‘Since we know each other, the editing angle will be good, too.’
Still, I should probably give some lip service in the interview about how I was also hoping for a Malang Dalkom song.
"Gasp!"
Coincidentally, Malang Dalkom had drawn TeSTAR’s ball and was screaming.
‘Congratulations.’
Clap, clap, clap.
I finished the first recording with polite reactions, all while thinking of words for the interview that wouldn't create any strange editing points.
As soon as we returned to the company, we immediately dove into practice.
"Hmm, for the arrangement, I think it would be good to use a completely different accompaniment...!"
"Right, changing the atmosphere completely would be charming~ So, should we just keep the melody?"
"Since the addictive melody and top notes are the strengths, we’re keeping those elements! That’s an excellent judgment."
"Then the concept... right, I already knew Moon-dae-Moon-dae would have something to say~ Hurry up and tell us. ...Oh? Yu-jin, too?"
"Hehe!"
We chose the song and decided on the concept. Cutting out the useless chatter, we held a quick discussion and reached a conclusion.
—Mudie’s hit song from ten years ago, completely transformed into a TeSTAR version!
Kim Rae-bin, who had taken the discussion to heart, presented a rough arrangement demo within an hour, and the members with good choreography skills took over to sketch out the performance.
It was only possible because our roles and processes had been thoroughly established through years of experience.
And Steer Ryu Cheong-woo observed and absorbed this entire process intently. It was as if he were an experienced new recruit.
"So this is when we have to report to the company and contact them."
"Yes. The production crew will probably come to film the practice process, so we need to coordinate that."
"I see. Got it."
At this rate, it felt like he’d be able to take over the leader role in no time.
‘His memories will return once the update is over anyway.’
He was doing so well that I felt a bit guilty for him putting in this much effort for something that was just temporary.
Moreover, something like this happened.
"...Ryu Cheong-woo."
"...!"
Right after the meeting, Bae Se-jin approached Steer Ryu Cheong-woo, who was about to get some water, and handed him a drink first.
"Drink this if you want."
"..."
Actually, there was no longer a need to agonize over how to handle the discrepancy with the Bae Se-jin from the Steer era. Because they had already talked a few days ago.
—I have something to tell you regarding Se-jin hyung.
—I heard from Yu-jin. You’re saying the situation is different now?
With that, Ryu Cheong-woo had never once expressed any animosity toward Bae Se-jin until now.
‘Is it for real that he’s this easy to talk to?’
However, it seemed Bae Se-jin had noticed something strange. That was probably why he was handing him something as if testing him.
"You looked thirsty... You don't have to drink it if you don't want to."
"..."
I saw it clearly. Steer Ryu Cheong-woo hesitated for a moment.
But in the end, he didn't refuse. He took the bottle and coolly twisted the cap open. Then, he replied with a smile.
"Thanks. I’ll enjoy it."
"...! It’s nothing!"
Ryu Cheong-woo even drank the beverage right then and there without showing any sign of discomfort. Bae Se-jin seemed somewhat relieved, and the atmosphere improved further.
‘Hmm.’
It was like watching Steer Cha Yu-jin’s relative personality score drop in real-time...
As practice continued into the evening in this atmosphere, Lee Se-jin even said something like this, whether he was being sincere or just testing the waters.
"Hyung-nim, thank you~ I can't believe you’re being so nice to us! Our Yu-jin even ran away from home because he lost his memories."
"Yeah."
"Haha, is that so?"
Ryu Cheong-woo spoke in a gentle voice.
"He’s still the same."
"...?"
"I’m glad to see he’s doing well now."
"...Yep."
Suddenly, a strange tension seemed to flicker for a moment before vanishing.
‘Hmm.’
I immediately focused on the conversation. The atmosphere was still good. Cha Yu-jin took a swig from his water bottle in silence before tossing out a comment.
"And congratulations. At this rate, Cheong-woo hyung, your memories will be back soon."
"Hmm?"
"When I acknowledged that the stage was good, I was able to get my memories back. Maybe that was the trigger? That’s how it felt."
Cha Yu-jin said it matter-of-factly, as if passing on a tip.
The way to regain TeSTAR’s memories!
‘He did say something like that.’
I recalled the conversation I had with Cha Yu-jin after he returned to his body.
[That "update" finishing so quickly might not have been a coincidence. I mean, the timing was too perfect, right?]
[I’d bet that my realization, or our honest conversation, influenced the timing.]
I don't know what that bastard System is up to, but in the process of supposedly updating the company system, it was rolling back the members' memories. So, the mental growth of the member in question influenced the completion of the update...
‘I adopted it as a very convincing hypothesis.’
I had already shared it with Keun-dal.
And since we had approached Ryu Cheong-woo with the premise that "you are in a state of memory loss," a "tip for regaining memories" was more appropriate than "how to get out of that body quickly."
Perhaps that was why Ryu Cheong-woo asked back with quite a bit of interest.
"Automatically?"
"Um, I asked Moon-dae hyung. This is what I explained. Moon-dae hyung has a weird ghost-like thing. Status Window?"
Hey.
Before I could even respond, Cha Yu-jin finished speaking nonchalantly.
I pressed my temples. Fine, do whatever you want...
"He returned our memories with that. It’ll be the same for you, hyung."
"Ah."
It was at that moment. Ryu Cheong-woo replied in that same gentle voice.
"Is there a need for that?"
What?
"Hyung?"
Ryu Cheong-woo turned to look at me. And in that same calm, unagitated voice, he spoke.
"I mean, is there really a need for me to regain my memories?"
I was a step late in interpreting the meaning behind those words.
‘That’s...’
—Is there a need to bring back TeSTAR’s Ryu Cheong-woo?
He was saying not to call back the original Ryu Cheong-woo.
A chill ran down my spine.