Chapter 526
Chapter 526
News of TeSTAR’s new album had already spread across the internet, but they hadn't released a formal promotion timetable beforehand.
Thus, the public was met with the release of the intro trailer without any warning.
Midnight. Fans who had been scrolling through their smartphones in bed received a sudden notification from TeSTAR’s official WeTube channel.
‘…!?’
‘What’s this?’
Since their collaboration with Section 127, this was the first time a video explicitly titled ‘Trailer’ had been released!
Sleep vanished instantly as fans tapped the notification, and the thumbnail immediately filled their screens.
A dark space, an image of a small, flickering, old yellow lightbulb.
Holding their breath, hearts racing with anticipation, the fans clicked it immediately.
[…….]
It began with a desolate street in a gloomy, modern city.
Pitter-patter, tap, thud, tap…
The rain fell steadily, creating a low, depressing hum. Beyond the dark back alleys of the muted, somber city, the camera captured a sky that was equally gray.
The alleyway was empty and filthy, cluttered with weeds, manholes, and tangled power lines.
Then, a distinct shadow appeared between the buildings.
Splash.
It was a figure without an umbrella.
Wearing a worn-out flight jacket, Kim Rae-bin looked into the camera from beyond the alley, backlit by the dim light.
‘…!!’
Looking somewhat weary and exhausted, his decadent eye shape stood out as he seemed to stare directly at the viewer through the lens.
The moment that sensation sharpened, the focus of the screen shifted.
Thud…
Suddenly, something had popped up right in front of the camera.
It was a white hand.
The camera panned down eerily to capture the source of the hand.
A manhole.
From the half-open manhole, a single white hand protruded, frozen like a mannequin.
[…….]
Tension bled through the screen.
Kim Rae-bin approached with heavy footsteps.
Then, he grabbed the white hand.
Snap.
In that instant, everything changed.
[Calling]
A flashy signature sound of intersecting trumpets and trombones burst forth, followed by a rhythmic, ultra-modernized swing house beat.
It was a cheerful, addictive sound.
To that rhythm, Kim Rae-bin was pulled by the white hand and fell down into the manhole.
The sewer.
[Oooo-!]
Surprisingly, it was a whole different world down there.
In contrast to the faded city above, colorful lights, shimmering water, and emergency lamps flashed in time with the beat.
Melody and color overflowed. A mix of cartoon-like CG and real colored fireworks erupted as if they couldn't be contained.
Yet, the structure was still a sewer.
Looking around, Kim Rae-bin found something caught on a protruding concrete pipe.
A black rabbit mask.
It was a plush mask that completely covered the head, looking so realistic it was as if a real rabbit’s head had been detached.
Without hesitation, Kim Rae-bin’s hand picked it up.
Donning the black rabbit mask, he began to run through the sewer as if dancing joyfully.
A hip-hop beat filled the space where the brass had faded.
[Starlight shines bright
I’ve lost my way
In the dark deep sea
A hopeful disarray]
Lights flashed all around him, and silhouettes of figures who seemed to be partying appeared and vanished behind iron bars in the distance.
Some wore animal masks, and their outfits ranged from summer school uniforms to harness uniforms and coats inspired by Hanbok.
They were the very stage costumes TeSTAR had worn in music videos from Idol Inc. until now.
Cheers and confetti filled the air.
[There is no right answer
I just keep running
New track is rough
Your trigger is born]
Despite the lyrics implying a rough new path and the birth of trauma, Kim Rae-bin looked happy in his rabbit mask.
The moment he took a large, energetic step forward, the cut changed to show a cramped, solitary room.
[Pang!]
Sitting on a chair alone in the middle of the small room, Kim Rae-bin, dressed in a perfectly tailored black stage outfit, began to rap.
He looked incredibly sharp, yet the background gave off a somewhat somber vibe.
Inside the dark room where the faded city was visible through the bars, an old lightbulb flickered.
In sync with that flickering, the scene cut back to the sewer.
[I
Pull the trigger
Beyond your narrow caliber
A burst Shot
A carved Hole]
The music rang out with a light, almost playful tone.
However, the sewer where the masked Kim Rae-bin ran became increasingly grotesque and distorted in color.
Every time the lights went out, the grim reality of the sewer flickered into view before vanishing.
On the other hand, Kim Rae-bin’s performance in the small room became more exquisite and intense.
[The future seen through
The narrow gap of the gunshot wound
That is]
The accompaniment subsided, and a technically brilliant trumpet solo rang out.
Grabbing the camera, he shouted with an expressionless face.
[“The exit has collapsed.”
Run.]
Boom.
The music returned, wilder than ever.
Lights exploded around the sewer like a detonation. Primary colors vibrated and hummed as if pounding on one's psyche.
The figure in the rabbit mask, who had seemed so happy dancing, was now running forward as if burdened.
[Starlight shines bright
I’ve lost my way
In the dark deep sea
A cliffside disarray]
Tense editing techniques, reminiscent of a thriller movie, tightened the grip on the visuals and music.
[The ground to stand on is gradually minimize
Focus on the clock (minutes, 55)
Arriving soon but
My stride is narrow
It’s not the hour yet]
The image of Kim Rae-bin running frantically in the rabbit mask, looking as if he might trip at any moment, alternated rapidly with the image of him performing intensely in the small room.
[I can never arrive
On time, by the given path
I don't know which way to go]
And finally, the rabbit mask reached the end of the sewer.
[Whoa!]
A green emergency light flickered with static.
Beneath it, words were crudely scrawled.
—GET OUT
Silence.
No color, no cheers, no confetti.
In the quiet white noise, the figure in the rabbit mask panted heavily, reached out to grab the handle of the emergency exit, and pushed the door open.
[This is the end.]
From beyond the door, a flood of orange light poured in.
It was a circus tent.
The orange tent and round lightbulbs filled the outdoor space, looking both enchanting and eerie.
The music returned.
[The end of the path
A dead end]
With trembling hands, Kim Rae-bin lowered his mask and stepped beyond the emergency exit.
The emergency light went out.
[There is no way out]
In that instant, the screen showing Kim Rae-bin transformed into a cartoon.
In a cartoon style that a child might watch, the figure in the rabbit mask cautiously approached the circus tent.
A flashy sign stood there.
—MAN only
And then, gazes that seemed to glare from all directions began to appear, suffocatingly.
[Dive into the hole
Into Wonderland
manhole]
Looking around as if paralyzed by fear, Kim Rae-bin hesitantly tore off his rabbit mask.
There was no head beneath it.
[There's no rabbit.
MAN only
So I call it a man-hole.]
The headless figure clutched the rabbit mask in both hands anxiously and began to stagger slowly into the burning red tent.
The lightbulb flickered.
[Manhole]
In the cut back to the small room, the performing Kim Rae-bin had vanished.
Only the chair and the old lightbulb above it remained.
Then, back to the circus scene.
The circus tent that had swallowed Kim Rae-bin lowered back into the ground as if nothing had happened.
Like a stage curtain falling.
Only the subtitles remained.
[Overture – Rabbit hole]
[TeSTAR]
A late autumn morning.
Park Moon-dae picked up his smartphone and naturally scrolled through the screen.
Kim Rae-bin’s solo trailer, released at midnight, was already at the very top of WeTube’s trending videos.
‘I expected it, but it’s still impressive.’
It wasn't a game collaboration, nor was it a blockbuster project planned over several months with a grand concept.
The reaction was unbelievable for a short, two-and-a-half-minute trailer featuring only one member.
It was that intense, and it somehow evoked deep emotions.
The buzz didn't stop at simple praise like ‘the song is good,’ ‘the video is great,’ or ‘he’s handsome.’ It kept regenerating.
It meant there was a story to tell.
Of course, there were those who were lukewarm or mocked it, calling it overly pretentious.
However, those opinions, which surfaced through the ‘Is it just me?’ route, failed to gain much traction.
It was because people instinctively felt it.
They felt that these were opinions that didn't even require a logical rebuttal.
‘Hmm….’
‘Is that an anti?’
It meant everyone had an intuition that not many people would agree with such comments anyway.
‘That’s how much the public opinion has shifted toward this trailer being well-made.’
Park Moon-dae analyzed quickly.
While Kim Rae-bin seemed to pour out a very personal story, he skillfully controlled the visuals and lyrics to end it as a metaphor for the new album.
And he matched public appeal with the visual beauty and melody.
‘In the end, no matter what the lyrics are, if the song is good, people will listen.’
The public appeal lay in the melody.
Thus, Kim Rae-bin’s lyrics weren't so obscure that they hindered that appeal. Rather, they provided just the right amount of talking points.
In conclusion, it was good to talk about.
It was attractive.
The related search terms that had already popped up supported this fact. Park Moon-dae smirked.
‘Interpretation, huh.’
However, the only one who truly knew the underlying meaning of these lyrics was Kim Rae-bin himself, the one who wrote the song.
‘Even we were only guessing until now.’
He recalled a certain dawn when he was talking to Ryu Cheong-woo. On his way back to his room, he had been startled to see Kim Rae-bin suddenly sitting at his desk.
The kid, who had been staring intensely at his laptop with bloodshot eyes, said that and then dove back into his composition program.
At the time, even the great Park Moon-dae was slightly taken aback.
He watched the scene with a bit of absurdity, but he didn't interfere.
[Maestro (S)]
A small trigger is all that’s needed.
Upon receiving inspiration, creation speed +150%.
It was because he had confirmed that Kim Rae-bin’s trait had been activated.
‘I’m pretty sure he heard our conversation.’
Park Moon-dae inwardly worried that it might have acted as a trigger for him to regain his memories in a not-so-pleasant way, but he didn't pry into that either.
‘I’ll wait until he’s stable.’
He simply gave sincere feedback along with the other members when Kim Rae-bin brought the semi-finished song a few days later.
Without any fuss, Kim Rae-bin calmly absorbed all the feedback as if soaking it up.
Since then, as if pouring out his soul, he focused all his time on the song and the trailer video request, eventually completing the trailer even faster than Park Moon-dae had anticipated.
And finally, today, the day the trailer was released.
“Rae-bin, the reaction is really good…!”
“Rae-bin, you worked so hard~ Congratulations!”
“I… have something to tell you.”
“…?? Oh. Okay.”
Kim Rae-bin finally stood before the members with hollow eyes, as if he had finally made up his mind.