Chapter 582
Chapter 582
TeSTAR’s dreamlike concert had come to an end.
What remained were memories, joy, lingering emotions, and…
Data!
“Hmm.”
Ryu Seo-jin—the master of the Park Moon-dae and Lee Se-jin twin fansite and a college senior to the original Ryu Gun-woo—sorted through the photos she had taken with a hawk-like gaze.
‘These turned out well.’
Even after the encore ended, TeSTAR had stayed back to chat with the audience, taking song requests and continuing with a double encore.
The photos she managed to snag during that time were quite excellent.
Once the official setlist was over, the members had scattered in all directions, waving, talking to fans, and focusing entirely on fan service.
—Aaaaahhh!
—This! Look at this! A-hyun!
It was a melting pot of madness, with smartphones, dolls, slogans, and lightsticks flying through the air.
To make matters better, her seats on both days had been incredibly lucky.
‘The kids kept coming over.’
She nodded, looking at a crisp shot of Ryu Cheong-woo’s abs.
The quality seemed high enough to trade for shots of Lee Se-jin or Park Moon-dae from different angles.
In conclusion, the harvest from the two-day concert was great.
…Except for the fact that there were no photos of Park Moon-dae from the first day since he was absent.
‘Well, that couldn't be helped.’
A person’s life had been on the line. Even if he had attended the concert, he would have been cursed out as a psychopath; so, helping to save a life instead was the best possible outcome.
‘Things got a bit messy, but at least it’s being settled.’
The twin fansite master clicked her tongue.
Even though she understood, she still felt a lingering sense of disappointment. At the same time, it was impressive how the members had carried the show professionally on the first day without letting their concern show.
In fact, quite a few fans seemed deeply moved by the process of worrying and then being reassured by the members' performance.
‘Well, I expected as much from Lee Se-jin.’
Furthermore, the follow-up measures were decent.
It didn't just end with giving fans a choice between a refund or a VR concert ticket.
TeSTAR extended their upcoming Seoul encore concert—scheduled for after their two-to-three-month tour—by two days, giving the affected audience members priority booking for one of those dates.
Naturally, the twin fansite master chose the VR ticket and priority booking over a refund.
‘The agency knows how to do business without making people feel bad.’
They didn't make the fandom uncomfortable by making it obvious they were looking out for their own profit under the guise of compensation, yet they didn't lose out in the long run either.
She nodded, acknowledging it as a clever decision.
A future-oriented solution.
With that, the controversy surrounding a member’s absence from the first concert of the tour was quickly put to rest.
However… that wasn't all.
Click.
She clicked on the fancam she had uploaded and scrolled through the comments.
It was the video where she had zoomed in as much as possible on Park Moon-dae’s solo stage.
—Legendary.
—This is insane, I have goosebumps.
—Is he usually this good? This isn't edited, is it?
—It’s like a mountain spirit swapped his vocal cords as a reward for doing a good deed.
—Incredible… Wow, just… incredible…
The comment section was flooded with expressions of shock and excitement.
There were even fierce dogfights breaking out between people arguing over whether the video was color-corrected or not, and others pointing out a lack of copyright awareness regarding those who mentioned extracting the audio.
The fact that the trolls were having a field day was proof of a viral video.
Indeed.
As soon as Park Moon-dae’s solo stage was performed at the concert, it trended in real-time and was mentioned everywhere.
But at the time, there were no related videos.
This was because the official VOD created from the stream hadn't been released yet.
Moreover, anyone who recorded and uploaded the streaming footage was hit with copyright strikes!
—Please, a video before it evaporates from my brain, please.
—Orbit, do your job, damn it.
—When is the VOD coming out? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
So, as soon as a fancam—which, despite lacking professional polish, captured the raw atmosphere of the venue—was uploaded, it racked up a staggering number of views.
—Thank you… Thank you…
—There might be people who haven't seen this, but there’s no one who’s only seen it once.
While streamed footage was subject to copyright, personal fancams existed in a gray area that agencies usually overlooked, so they weren't taken down.
As fans clicked and commented like crazy, it even entered the trending charts.
Even a "Shorts" video on another social media platform—which had illegally cropped her fancam with a title like "Main Vocalist Killing It ㄷㄷㄷ"—had already surpassed 2 million views.
‘Those Inheart industry bastards….’
She was annoyed, but she had to admit it. Those guys played a part in making non-fans watch it.
Of course, that was only possible because Park Moon-dae sang… really, really well.
“…….”
She liked idols for their multifaceted nature as entertainers, not because someone was a singer with insane vocal talent.
Nevertheless, Park Moon-dae’s solo stage this time was so overwhelming in skill and quality that it forced people to ignore their personal preferences.
‘What on earth did he do?’
The moment the song ended, she felt a thrill as if her blood, which she’d been holding back, was finally rushing through her body.
It was pure shock.
The twin fansite master had an intuition.
The impact was likely greater because it was so unexpected.
Therefore, it was only natural that the fans who had been there in person or watched the stream were running wild with pride.
—The amazing thing is that this doesn't even capture 10% of the emotion of seeing it live from the seats… As expected, you have to hear singing in person.
—No, but it was even more incredible on-site. Everyone, please watch the stream ㅠㅠㅠ It’s not too late, buy the VOD, please.
└ This is the correct answer.
└ This is why so-called fangirls are a problem, tsk tsk. If people praise him, you should be grateful; instead, you’re pushing people to buy stuff… Hanging onto a man like that, how shameless and unsightly.
└ Oh lol, a sudden lecture.
└ I’m not Park Moon-dae, so why should I be grateful? Are you going to marry me off to him?
└ Eh, Moon-dae isn't an adult man, he’s a 17-year-old god-tier baby.
The twin fansite master nodded indifferently even after seeing this mess.
‘There’s a large influx of young kids.’
In her experience, it was usually energetic teenagers who left such aggressive comments.
TeSTAR’s fandom had always been particularly talkative and active for a group in their seventh year, but after this concert, it strangely felt like teenagers had become the absolute majority of the new influx.
She immediately identified the entry point.
‘This is it.’
The "videos with binary choices" that TeSTAR had released as concert promotion had perfectly suited the tastes of the younger demographic.
To be honest, anyone over their early twenties might have found the concept a bit cringey, but the quality and fan sentiment had compensated for it… However, for elementary and middle schoolers full of dreams and fantasies, it was a direct hit to their preferences.
—Which one do I have to pick to see Yu-jin? ㅠㅠ Please let me know.
└ In the next video, pick the front one twice and the back one once. Then Yu-jin oppa will appear.
└ Thank you! ㅠㅠ
And since the concert followed a similar line, letting them choose between "RED" and "WONDER," the kids were completely immersed and attached.
They had settled into the fandom.
In the past, the twin fansite master would have coldly judged that noisy kids who didn't contribute much to financial records had joined.
But now, at this point in their career, consistent new influx was vital for the group, so she nodded coolly.
‘This way, the company won't get any other ideas, like changing their direction.’
Besides, teenagers had great influence on the internet.
Thanks to them talking about it everywhere, the stories from TeSTAR’s concert, coupled with the episode of Park Moon-dae’s absence, seemed to be popping up everywhere as casual entertainment.
[The Idol Who Gained a God-Tier Voice After Running Away from His Concert]
Clickbait WeTube videos using clumsy AI voices and pieced-together images were overflowing.
‘I knew this would happen.’
But what was surprising was the number of foreign comments.
‘For a mere "wrecker" channel, they’re even providing Thai subtitles?’
Seeing that they supported subtitles for as many as 20 countries—even if they were auto-translated—showed they were truly serious about views. Even the office-worker fansite master was impressed.
And as Park Moon-dae acted as the gateway for buzz, other stages from the concert were naturally gaining attention.
The other members' solo stages were trending one after another, and the unique structure of their concert also piqued interest.
VR and choices.
—These guys even released a game, and now their concert structure is insane too.
—Just how much money did they spend?
—The ticket price wouldn't be a waste lol. They’d need to be at the Jamsil Main Stadium level just to not go into the red. Amazing.
It was a good thing.
However, this wasn't just a domestic reaction.
The twin fansite master quickly checked the view distribution.
“They added those subtitles earlier because they’re getting international views.”
It seemed TeSTAR’s concert had become famous among K-POP fans worldwide.
She felt even more certain after visiting an account that translated international fandom reactions and reading a few posts.
—Reviews have popped up in other magazines too… Wow (Translation photo)
In truth, Park Moon-dae’s incident had only served as a trigger to draw attention.
The TeSTAR concert structure itself was said to be interesting enough to suit international tastes.
A circus inside a ghost story disguised as a hotel.
Ghost stories about haunted houses were actually more popular and familiar abroad than domestically, making the barrier to entry lower.
Furthermore, the quality of the stage sets and the choice-based concert structure—which is difficult to attempt due to cost and practice time—made it incredibly attractive.
And then there were the rave reviews from those who had seen it.
Ultimately, the tour itself gained recognition as a piece of content.
—I pre-ordered the MD online, I seriously can't wait. Why do they always come to Jakarta so late? ;(
—The resale price is a burden, but I think it’s worth buying.
—You must watch the stream at least.
Even the concert MD, inspired by the popular "manual-style" ghost stories, became famous, making TeSTAR’s tour a hot topic in its own right.
There was even a review from a famous music criticism magazine in the English-speaking world.
The post on the translation account she checked was about that very review.
[TeSTAR Review: Endless Surprises and Dynamism; Calling for an Autonomous Audience]
[★★★★☆]
That review, written in English, carried symbolic weight.
“…….”
The twin fansite master rested her chin on her hand.
In Korea, tours are often seen as a non-promotional period or a break.
But overseas, it was the time when fans could actually see TeSTAR, and with fancams pouring out, many fans actually preferred the tour season.
As a result, a peculiar phenomenon was occurring where sales for their previous Hunting album were surging now.
And to sum it all up…
‘They’ve moved up a level.’
TeSTAR had established an image.
Internationally.
That meant global recognition.
She nodded, thinking that pouring an enormous amount of capital into everything from stage equipment to structure had been worth it.
…And so was all the trouble Park Moon-dae went through.
“…….”
She recalled the last concert.
Park Moon-dae looked like he was on the verge of tears only once, at the very end of that solo stage.
This was despite him being a member with a high "crybaby" rate at every concert.
When he was running around doing fan service after the encore, when the members took turns talking, when the fans held an event….
‘I feel like he cried during at least one of those three.’
That was why he had bizarre nicknames like "Moist Steamed Bun Apple Rice Cake."
But this time, although he occasionally looked overwhelmed with emotion, he showed nothing but a smile throughout.
—ㅜㅜㅜㅜ Moon-dae is stubbornly not crying, so why am I the one crying?
—Be happy, Moon-dae-ya...
That also seemed to be a point that strangely drove fans crazy, but the twin fansite master deduced Park Moon-dae’s psychology.
‘If he cried in this situation, it would look a bit calculating, like he’s trying to get sympathy.’
It was also awkward to apologize. He was called by 119 to save a person—should he have refused? No matter how you put it, the logic would be weird.
‘If he said, "I’m sorry, regardless of the reason, it’s my fault," it would just sound hypocritical.’
So it wouldn't be strange if Park Moon-dae had considered those things.
But that day, Park Moon-dae…….
‘…He might not have even thought that far.’
He just looked happy to be standing at the concert. He seemed very grateful to the fans.
“…….”
The twin fansite master, Ryu Seo-jin, was briefly lost in sentiment before snapping back to her senses, feeling absurd that she had gotten emotional.
Anyway… well, if Park Moon-dae had his head on straight, it was a good thing!
‘Let’s get back to editing.’
She busily tapped on her keyboard.
Because it was an important time.
By the way, if you were wondering what TeSTAR was doing during this important time while on tour…….
“This is… a new record! Hyung, you’ve broken the record! That’s the highest note!”
“Oooooh!”
“I-Incredible, Moon-dae-ya!”
…They were in the middle of the Ultimate Cleopatra Contest with Park Moon-dae!