Chapter 533
Chapter 533
Iter held a grudge against us.
“…Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
“They probably misunderstood and think we’re the ones who caused the controversy.”
“…….”
We were in TeSTAR’s waiting room after Iter had greeted us and left.
Bae Se-jin, who had been silent for a moment, spoke up with a look of disbelief.
“After what their company did to us?”
“They probably don’t know any better.”
Those kids probably hadn't even received their adult ID cards yet. How could their heads be mature enough to grasp the full scope of the situation? They were simply taking their company’s side.
‘Even though Wonder Hall still has a mole planted among us….’
In any case, too much had happened for me to be shaken by some snot-nosed brats who didn't understand how the world worked holding a grudge against TeSTAR.
Wasn't there a guy who used to pour manufactured controversies over our Rookie of the Year award while smiling to our faces?
‘We’ve even fought against broadcasting stations. We’ve come too far to be intimidated by some kids now.’
And so, we reached a conclusion.
“Well~ I’m sure they’ll figure it out. Let’s just do our job well and head back!”
“Yep!”
After a clean change of clothes, we headed to the filming set.
“A warm welcome back to all our returning artists!”
“Ooh!”
The opening concept for the first episode of the second half of True Competition was a party.
They were likely planning to open the curtains with a grand party and then use editing to contrast it with the grueling pain of the survival show immediately afterward….
‘Typical.’
Still, the sight of us in tailcoats would probably be in high demand among our respective fans.
I sipped on non-alcoholic champagne and greeted the other cast members while keeping an eye on the cameras. Naturally, these were people we had already greeted in the waiting rooms.
It felt a bit ridiculous for us to attend the opening ceremony when we were planning to voluntarily withdraw after just one performance, but that was all the more reason to work harder so that no one could complain.
Perhaps because they knew we were leaving soon, the other singers seemed less guarded than before.
Besides, didn't we have some recent news that was easy to bring up?
“Congratulations on TeSTAR’s comeback! The music video was seriously cool!”
Exactly this.
“Thank you.”
After greeting a member of Malang Dalkom, who was wearing a light green dress, I turned around to find another group rushing over to bow their heads.
It was Iter.
“Sunbaenim, congratulations on your comeback.”
They were visibly tense, as if determined to be more careful in front of the cameras.
However, they couldn't hide their eyes this time either.
‘Good grief.’
Moreover, it seemed the leader’s gaze had infected the others; it looked like they had been talking amongst themselves.
“Ah, thank you. Iter’s last stage was great, too. We’re looking forward to this one as well.”
“Yes! We look forward to your guidance!”
Looking at the way the leader stared at Ryu Cheong-woo, who had offered some standard words of encouragement….
‘Is it a "we’ll beat you no matter what" kind of thing?’
They definitely had a newfound venom in them.
‘Those Wonder Hall bastards are profiting here again.’
It seemed those kids had started to view the company’s pain as their own. Subconsciously, the logic that the company’s position was their own had taken root.
‘Once a mindset is established like that, it’s hard to change.’
Why would idols, who are essentially freelancers, adopt the kind of "ownership mentality" that old-fashioned companies used to demand from their employees?
“Yep~ Thank you!”
Regardless, TeSTAR handled the situation smoothly and naturally.
It takes two to tango, and since we weren't playing along, there wouldn't be any usable footage of tension for the cameras.
“Now then, the theme for the grand opening of the second half of True Competition is….”
We listened through the MC’s boisterous introduction of the theme and successfully finished the opening shoot.
Then, as usual, TeSTAR immediately dove into a meeting for our stage.
“Should we go with this, then?”
“Sounds good!”
The meeting was wrapped up in the blink of an eye.
This team had so much experience with self-produced stages, and we already had a complete grasp of each other’s capabilities.
On top of that, since we were all close, there were no friction points to hinder the meeting, allowing us to reach a result rapidly.
While first place might depend on the audience’s taste that day, this would easily land us in the top ranks.
‘We have some breathing room.’
After finishing our interviews, the filming concluded smoothly.
“Then we’ll be moving out in ten minutes.”
“Got it~”
It was a seamless process.
Most of us spent the short break in a typical fashion.
“Kim Rae-bin, smile!”
“…?!”
Picking photos to post on social media, packing clothes and electronics—one guy was even solving Sudoku. It was a mundane scene.
Not a single member looked anxious.
“Um, I guess no one’s curious about what kind of stage Iter is going to do?”
That included Keun Se-jin, who asked me this while handing me a drink.
I gave a short nod.
“Probably.”
We were in the middle of a comeback, so time was already scarce. Everyone had subconsciously concluded that there was no need to carve out more time to invest in detailed information warfare.
In fact, one of the staff members even said that even if TeSTAR’s stage plans were leaked and Iter copied them first, it didn't feel like TeSTAR would lose.
That was how apparent the gap in skill was.
This guy talking to me surely knew that, so the fact that he was asking anyway meant….
“Does it bother you?”
“Huh? Hey… it’s not quite that!”
He said that, but the smile faded slightly from his face.
“I guess you could say I’m just feeling a bit of… a sense of vigilance?”
Vigilance?
I set my drink down to show I was listening.
“Do you remember back during Idol Inc.? Back then, I was so desperate to do well. Because I wanted to debut so badly.”
I remembered.
And that wasn't something that only happened back then.
“You were like that even after you debuted.”
“Haha, I guess so?”
Right, he was like that even during our first concert.
—I have to do better than Cha Yu-jin in the unit stage this time.
I recalled this guy, who had insisted on doing a duet with Cha Yu-jin and successfully earned rave reviews.
Furthermore, since he was the type to grit his teeth and work himself to the bone even in the virtual world where he debuted as Zairop, no further explanation was needed.
“But back then, the whole team atmosphere was like that. How should I put it… that feeling of sprinting at full power for every single thing without any pacing.”
“Right.”
At least I was like that. I had no choice because I’d die if I didn't get results.
Keun Se-jin narrowed his eyes slightly.
“But now, maybe it’s because we’ve climbed so high, but it feels like that desperation has faded a bit. …Of course, that goes for me too.”
“…!”
Keun Se-jin muttered in a slightly subdued voice.
“What should I call it… a desperate desire for improvement? Or maybe a sense of crisis….”
“…….”
“The team runs well now even without those things.”
It was true; the team’s atmosphere was less frantic than before. It had become much calmer.
The group was stable, and there were no conflicts regarding direction, part distribution, or positions.
We were well-settled in our agency, too.
‘The days of walking on thin ice and putting insane effort into every single schedule for fear of not making it are gone.’
Unless something supernatural happened, like losing our memories, the group wouldn't be shaken now.
‘I mean, even I’ve escaped the situation where I’d drop dead if I didn't get results.’
Compared to the past few years, where I ran for survival in one crazy situation after another, the present was no different from soaking in lukewarm water.
‘But that also means we’re living like human beings.’
A human being can't live every day using their brain to the limit as if they’re in a death survival game.
Perhaps having a similar thought, Keun Se-jin soon added with a grimace, as if making a joke.
“Hmm, now that I’ve said it out loud, it sounds like I’m just complaining about having it too good, doesn't it?”
“I didn't say that.”
“Moondae-Moondae, you’re getting serious again!”
He grinned. But I didn't smile back.
“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, obviously… it just feels a bit strange.”
He probably knew logically that this stability was a good thing, yet he felt uncomfortable somewhere deep down.
And that feeling seemed more pronounced now that things had quieted down after the chaos of the members' memory issues.
‘…Hmm.’
I pulled up his status window.
[Name: Lee Se-jin]
Vocal: B (B+)
Dance: S- (S)
Appearance: A (A+)
Star Quality: A+ (A+)
Trait: Be Quiet (B)
The stats this guy had pulled up over the past few years alone were worth 7 points if converted into System points.
It was proof that he had been developing himself with terrifying persistence.
‘His Vocal and Dance grades have literally moved up an entire letter.’
In those stats, pushed closer to their limits, I could see the desperate attitude of someone who had never let his guard down even after debuting.
“Moondae-Moondae, I just felt like saying it, so don’t worry too much about it….”
“Is that so? I actually relate to it a bit.”
“…! Really?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded at him, as he looked slightly surprised.
It was only natural for someone like him to feel anxious if things weren't intense.
I felt that way to some extent, too.
“But how long do you think this period of stability will last? With so many incidents happening every year, we’ll probably have to get desperate again soon, whether we want to or not.”
“…….”
“Just take it easy while you can, before some unpredictable accident happens.”
A person needs to recover, after all.
“And you’re still overflowing with the desire to improve. I can say that for sure.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. …Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Without much pushback, he reopened his drink and took a sip, looking somewhat relieved.
And I fell into thought for a moment.
‘Is it a wariness of mannerism?’
This… might be a concern that naturally arises around this point in a career after succeeding in becoming famous.
Thinking about that made me remember someone who was at this stage of his career when I debuted.
VTIC’s Cheong-ryeo.
‘I wonder if he had similar thoughts.’
Not that my attitude toward him would change now.
But I could understand a bit more viscerally why he had acted the way he did.
‘Ah, come to think of it….’
I happened to have a short window of free time tomorrow morning.
Since it came to mind, I decided to take care of the favor he had asked for when I had the chance.
*
“Woof!”
I caught the yellow furball that came running across the artificial grass on the rooftop.
It was Cheong-ryeo’s dog, Kong.
“Hold on.”
Let’s take some pictures.
Avoiding the dog’s attempts to lick my face, I handed him over to the person called the ‘Puppy Teacher.’
I quickly took the photos before the little guy could get sad and then took him back.
“Whimper….”
“He’s such a good boy, but he seems to miss his hyung a lot since he keeps looking for him~”
The professionalism of not calling him ‘Daddy’ out of consideration for the fact that his ‘hyung’ was an idol was quite impressive.
I only stood up after confirming that the dog was healthy, eating well, and playing well.
I was damn busy, so I didn't have time to stay with him any longer.
It was as I was heading out through the reserved passage.
A person walking toward me from the private parking lot holding a pet carrier suddenly flinched and started waving frantically.
“Oh, oh, Moondae-ssi?”
What now?
‘Did someone recognize a TeSTAR member?’
I only recognized the face once he got closer; it was someone I knew.
“Hello, Sunbaenim.”
It was a member of T-Holic.
The guy, whose name was probably Ha Jin-tae, looked at me with curious eyes.
“Do you have a dog too, Moondae-ssi?”
“No. I’m doing a favor for an acquaintance.”
“Oh… Ah, is it that friend, Shin Jae-hyun?”
How did he know?
“……Yes.”
“Wow, you two really must be close.”
It’s just that the bastard doesn't have any other acquaintances.
However, I suppressed my twitching eyebrows and tried to resume my walk.
Let’s not make this conversation long. I don’t have time.
But his next words almost made me trip.
“Udan recommended this place to me.”
I doubted my ears.
“VTIC’s Ju-dan Sunbaenim?”
“Yeah. He’s good at finding information like this.”
It was hard to believe that this easygoing senior was close to that socially awkward guy, but I suppose the world is full of diverse relationships.
I wasn't interested.
“Ah… I see. I should ask him next time too. Well, I hope your dog has a good stay, Sunbaenim.”
“Oh, thank you. Thanks!”
However, instead of stopping, the T-Holic member started following me as I walked toward the parking lot.
“……?”
“No, I just had something to ask.”
“Yes?”
“The kids from our agency. Iter, who just debuted from Wonder Hall. What do you think of them after meeting them?”
He was asking this so bluntly?
‘What’s his intention?’
I replied flatly, showing no agitation.
“They seemed like hardworking hoobaes.”
“Hmm… I guess so.”
The T-Holic member nodded.
“You probably didn't get the feeling that they were ‘owning’ the stage yet. Lately, the agency has been obsessed with stages for TickTackTok, so they’ve only been making the kids do that kind of stuff.”
I see. He really must be planning not to renew his contract with Wonder Hall.
“Is that so.”
“Yeah.”
Despite my soulless response, the T-Holic member continued to talk with a friendly air.
But this time, his tone was a bit different.
“Still, don’t underestimate them too much. Kids who have spent a long time as trainees in a major agency usually have a certain ability.”
the T-Holic member gave a slightly bitter smile.
“Persistence.”
*
While Park Moon-dae was unexpectedly meeting a T-Holic member at a pet facility.
“…….”
At the same time, in Iter’s dorm, their leader was monitoring something with a serious expression.
A music video he had watched over and over again.
[TeSTAR ‘Hunting season’ Official MV]
It was TeSTAR’s music video for their current comeback.