Chapter 72
Chapter 72
I heard the news that the "Magical Boy" music video was released at midnight.
However, I didn't have the time to sit down and properly monitor it. Cha Yu-jin’s sleep-talking would serve as proof of that.
"Mm…? Is my hair done?"
"Your hair was finished a while ago. We’re moving in the car right now."
"Oh..."
With a faint exclamation, Cha Yu-jin fell back asleep.
That was the reality. Since last night, we had been moving from place to place, getting all dolled up and polished, filming something, doing interviews...
Having barely slept for nearly a month, it wouldn't have been strange if someone started questioning who they were or where they were.
"I-it’s the showcase now, right...?"
"That’s right~"
I heard Seon A-hyun take a sharp breath after asking the manager in a hesitant tone. It seemed the reality of it being right around the corner had finally made him nervous.
"Well, let's just... show them everything we've prepared over the last month. No matter where we are, practice never betrays you."
"Of course~"
"Y-yes!"
A few of the members who were awake responded to Ryu Cheong-woo’s encouragement, though his voice was raspy.
Then, Kim Rae-bin, who was sitting next to me, muttered quietly.
"...Actually, while the proportion of practice relative to the time frame is high, if we consider the absolute amount of practice, it is lack—"
"..."
When I stared at him in silence, he quickly changed his tune.
"—not lacking at all, and I believe we can passionately pull off the performance."
"Right."
He lacked social skills, but at least he knew how to read the room. It was a relief.
Most of the journalists attending the showcase had high expectations.
Not for TeSTAR’s talent, but for their buzzworthiness.
‘Well, the article view counts should be decent at least.’
‘If they flop, that’s fine too.’
Both the photographers and the columnists waited passionately for the showcase to begin.
In front of and behind the journalists sat the shareholders who had purchased the stock packages during Idol Inc.
Most of them had brought various slogans and cheering gear. Since official lightsticks hadn't been released yet, the shapes and colors varied, but the fans' excitement was palpable nonetheless.
In that generally hyped atmosphere, the lights on the dark stage flickered on, and the opening began.
—High five!
Wearing the same baseball uniforms they wore in the music video, TeSTAR performed with even more precise synchronization than in the video.
—My feet are moving
Like I’m zooming in~
Toward you
Ddan Ddan Daradara DAAN Yeah!
To match the upbeat song, the choreography frequently featured exciting jumping movements.
Fweet—!
Every time they spun their bodies or kicked their feet to the sound of a whistle, the focus on the stage intensified.
‘They’re good.’
‘The song is good too!’
During the interludes, their ad-libs—like playing rock-paper-scissors or waving to each other—were slick and charmingly cute.
‘They don’t seem like rookies.’
‘Audition show graduates are always good at this stuff.’
The journalists translated those favorable impressions into sensational headlines.
[TeSTAR Proves Their Trendiness with ‘Hi-five’]
[TeSTAR ‘Hits a Walk-off Home Run with the Opening!’]
Meanwhile, the TeSTAR members stepped offstage for a moment after finishing the opening. In their place, the MC came out to buy some time.
It was a face everyone in the room recognized.
"Hello there~"
"Whoa!!"
While the fans were feeling a mix of welcome and dread at the sight of the familiar Idol Inc. MC, TeSTAR was frantically changing clothes backstage with the help of the staff.
"Ack, my hair!"
"These baseball uniforms really don't want to come off..."
While TeSTAR, having barely managed to throw on school uniform jackets with ornate epaulettes, ran back out, the MC skillfully drew reactions from the audience.
"Wow~ It’s been a long time, Shareholders! ...Eh? You’re not happy to see me? Aw, don’t be like that between us~ We’ve been seeing each other’s faces for three months! Well, technically only you saw my face, but still."
In a moment where laughter, playful boos, and cheers were all mixed together, the MC smiled and introduced the next stage.
"Then, please meet your stocks again after all this time. Your stocks have taken flight!"
The lights came back on.
TeSTAR smiled and began dancing to the intro.
It was "Shining Star."
"...!!"
Even though the show hadn't been over for that long, the audience was swept up in a strange sense of nostalgia.
Moreover, seeing TeSTAR smile and sing "Shining Star" with the parts redistributed among themselves was a fresh experience.
It felt like watching an epilogue after a happy ending, so the audience enjoyed the performance with warm hearts.
—The one shining on stage today.
Is me!
Yes, the Shining Star you made.
Is me!
"Finally waking up to radiate light~"
Eventually, it turned into a full-blown sing-along.
TeSTAR, taken aback in a good way, sang even louder with wider smiles.
It was a pleasant "hit song" moment that even had a few journalists who had watched Idol Inc. nodding along.
However, not everyone’s heart was warmed.
A few people felt their hearts turn cold.
‘Look at them, acting like it’s their own song now.’
‘Redistributing parts and having a grand old time, huh?’
These were fans of the eliminated contestants from Idol Inc. who had attended the showcase with a twisted mindset.
Of course, most fans of eliminated contestants were simply enjoying the stage. Even if their top pick hadn't made it, they usually had some level of affection for the TeSTAR members.
But there are always a few exceptions.
"That was the Challenger version! Thank you~"
The incident occurred after the next song ended, while the members were having a brief talk session.
"I really wanted to do this version!"
"Yes~ Congratulations, Child Cha Yu-jin."
"Hehe."
Cha Yu-jin was excitedly chatting about how he got to try the other team's version of "Final," the song he performed in the finale, and the other members were looking at him even more fondly than they did when the cameras were off.
The journalists didn't ask any particularly malicious questions either. They just threw out a few sharp or slightly tricky ones.
"You all seem close, but who is the member you’re least close with?"
"Um, the album preparation happened in a very short period. How was that possible?"
"VTIC just made their comeback a few days ago on the 12th. What are your thoughts on that?"
Since these were all within the scope of expected questions, Ryu Cheong-woo and Keun Se-jin tossed the mic back and forth, smoothly deflecting the topics.
"We’re all still getting to know each other~ But we developed this strange sense of camaraderie while doing Idol Inc.... We’re actually surprised by how much faster we’ve become close than expected!"
"We were able to proceed quickly because the company had already made all the preparations for the album. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank General Manager Kwak Shin-kyun and the staff."
"If I meet the VTIC seniors, I definitely want to get a signed album! It was on my bucket list!"
It was the moment where the survival-type interview skills the members had honed to avoid "evil editing" truly shone.
Then, a proper question came up.
"You’ve selected double title tracks. Aside from the 'Hi-five' stage you showed earlier, what is the unique charm of 'Magical Boy'?"
"Ah."
Ryu Cheong-woo instinctively reached for the microphone, but after a quick judgment, he passed the answer to Park Moon-dae, the one who had proposed the idea.
‘It’s not a weird question, so it should be fine for Moon-dae to handle.’
It was an action born out of pure consideration, but Park Moon-dae was not a person who particularly enjoyed interviews.
‘Good grief.’
Still, he couldn't just pass the mic back, so Park Moon-dae calmly took it.
"Magical Boy is..."
It happened then.
"...!"
"Ah!"
Something translucent flew forcefully from the lower part of the stage and struck Park Moon-dae’s arm.
"Watch out...!"
Ryu Cheong-woo pulled Park Moon-dae back with quick reflexes, but because it had been thrown quite hard, he couldn't fully block it.
"..."
Park Moon-dae stared down at his arm.
It was completely soaked.
‘They threw a water bottle.’
Water dripped and pooled from the ornate epaulettes down to his sleeves.
Feeling the coldness on his forehead, it seemed some had splashed onto the side of his face as well.
His elbow throbbed slightly.
‘They threw it hard.’
In an instant, the venue froze in shock.
A commotion broke out among the audience—worried murmurs, small screams, all sorts of noises.
And the journalists were delighted.
‘Well, well.’
‘I don’t know who did it, but they just handed us a story~’
Park Moon-dae quickly assessed the situation.
‘First, there are no strange substances.’
Judging by the fact that his forehead was fine, it wasn't acid or alcohol. In the worst-case scenario, it might have contained some of the thrower's spit.
‘Then I’ll just let it slide.’
This entire calculation finished within the three seconds it took to shake off his arm.
It was something made possible by a youth spent constantly gauging situations to survive.
Park Moon-dae let out a smirk.
"You’re quite quick on the uptake."
"...!?"
"It seems you predicted my answer."
Then, he took off his jacket. Underneath the jacket, the school uniform shirt that the fans already knew was revealed.
It was the white summer uniform from the "Magical Boy" music video.
"I thought that... if you saw the stage for yourself, you would be able to fully confirm the unique charm of this song."
"...Ah!"
The members caught onto the atmosphere instantly and threw off their own jackets to the side.
"Then, bolstered by your encouragement, we will begin immediately. 'Magical Boy'."
Park Moon-dae gripped the microphone again, brushing back his still-wet side hair.
Soon, the sound of a music box filled the venue.
♫♪♩♪-
♫♪♩♪-
♪♩-
Amidst the dreamy purple stage set, a wet-haired Park Moon-dae opened his mouth.
—The you I’ll meet tomorrow
I think of you all day today
Dreaming a dream as blue as the day
And the fans at the scene instantly forgot about the water bottle incident.
TeSTAR’s showcase lasted about an hour—it wasn't long at all. However, even before it ended, articles and reviews were being posted one after another.
Naturally, articles mentioning the incident were not missing.
[TeSTAR, A Water-Soaked Dreamy ‘Magical Boy’]
[The Power of a Prepared Star. A Crisis Transformed into a Performance]
If you clicked on articles with these titles, you could invariably see photos of Park Moon-dae in his summer uniform, shaking off the moisture remaining in his hair.
There were also photos of him throwing his wet jacket. The water on the epaulettes splashing and reflecting the lights actually enhanced the aesthetic.
Photos of him being hit by the water bottle were occasionally posted, but most were screenshots from videos people were filming, so the quality of the dynamic moment the object struck wasn't great.
Still, the reaction was clear.
-Who the hell is this crazy bastard throwing a water bottle at an idol who’s just debuting?
-They were clearly aiming for his face lol. If Cheong-woo hadn't pulled him, he definitely would've been hit in the face.
-That’s a total psycho for sure.
-Did they catch them? Please tell me they were caught and taken away.
-I’m already sad enough that I couldn't go to the showcase and have to watch the stage late, and a piece of trash like that took my seat? lol Die, please.
While the fans were furious, they were also deeply relieved by Park Moon-dae’s response.
-ㅠㅠ It could have ended on a sour note if handled poorly, but I’m so glad Moon-dae settled it well.
-He must have been flustered, but the way he handled it naturally without showing it is truly amazing...
-Eh, I think Park Moon-dae just didn't realize and genuinely thought they were rushing him? lol The Idol Inc. character analysis was spot on~
└ Are you really bringing up character analysis here? Get lost.
-I was moved seeing the members take off their jackets together as soon as they saw him. I think the kids get along really well.
Even so, the cyber wreckers of WeTube didn't miss this juicy bait.
Thanks to that, titles like these briefly appeared on the real-time trending videos that day:
[The Identity of the Water Bottle Flown at the Idol Inc. #1?]
[The #1 Idol Who Got Drenched at His Showcase!]
Ridiculously, thanks to the good response, all of this brought about buzz upon buzz, acting like viral marketing.
"Hyung, did you see this?"
And this news even reached the ears of VTIC, who had just finished their first week of promotions.