Chapter 75
Chapter 75
Thursday evening, 7:00 PM—the start of MusicBomb.
In a rare occurrence, the internet was buzzing with people waiting for the live broadcast.
Two major boy groups were appearing on the same music show, and for one of them, it was their debut stage.
Naturally, TeSTAR’s fans were the most active.
Since the pre-recording reviews had already leaked, the fans were already well-versed in everything from the outfits and makeup to the fan service and talk segments.
Because of this, the fans waited for the live broadcast with even more excitement.
Unfortunately, TeSTAR’s stage didn’t appear for quite a while. This was thanks to the preferential treatment they received since it was a Tnet music show.
The only consolation for the fans was that the group introduction interview appeared toward the middle of the show.
[We’ve invited the rookies who appeared like a comet—TeSTAR!]
[Take your STAR! Hello, we are TeSTAR!]
TeSTAR appeared on the screen, smiling brightly and waving with both hands. Dressed in baseball uniforms, they each held props that matched their individual images, ranging from guards to gloves.
[TeSTAR, how do you feel ahead of your stage today?]
[We’re very nervous, but we worked hard to prepare, so we hope we can show you everything we’ve got!]
The interview was standard fare—a typical script followed by singing a snippet of the chorus. However, the fans thoroughly enjoyed watching the members.
And finally, when the stage was broadcast.
Reaction posts flooded in instantly.
The live performance of "Hi-five" was genuinely entertaining.
TeSTAR, who instantly found the cameras and made mischievous expressions or gave refreshing smiles to fit the concept, truly looked like the owners of the song.
Since they had divided the parts themselves, the live vocals were stable. Without a hint of nervousness, they breezed through the stage with perfectly synchronized choreography, looking like they were having the time of their lives.
People talked as if the show was already over after seeing "Hi-five," but the moment the "Magical Boy" stage began, the comment sections and social media were once again flooded with new posts.
On screen, the TeSTAR members dominated the stage to a sensory deep house track, set by a dreamy music box melody.
Taking advantage of the fact that the stage was pre-recorded, they added some graphic effects. The sparkles and glitches weren’t overdone, effectively capturing the mysterious keywords of "surreal" and "magic."
And because they didn’t abandon the "school" setting, the refreshing yet anxious vibe of adolescence was also alive within reasonable bounds.
This was because they had incorporated several dramatic, dance-like movements into the key choreography.
The members at the center of the choreography executed them so well it left viewers' mouths agape.
While admiring the performance, people also expressed their personal preferences.
The fans were ecstatic, basking in the afterglow of the stage.
The stage of a veteran ballad group followed, but TeSTAR’s fans were in a frenzy, still soaked in the lingering emotions of the first official debut stage.
However, the atmosphere shifted slightly when VTIC appeared.
The noir-inspired swing house track was terrifyingly sophisticated and intense.
However, people naturally tend to be more interested in fresh images and dark horses. Therefore, the mentions of TeSTAR did not die down.
Since VTIC’s stage was the ending, the first-place announcement followed immediately.
[This week’s winner is… VTIC’s "Night Sign"! Congratulations~]
[Whoo~!]
VTIC had skipped MusicBomb last week to appear on public broadcast first. Thanks to that, they were able to receive the first-place trophy along with their comeback stage.
[Thank you so much. First, to those who worked hard with us for this album…]
Neither VTIC nor the netizens were surprised.
The acceptance speech followed—not overly emotional, but happy and pleasant.
And before long, the MCs gave their closing remarks.
[The joy of music that pops!]
[Music~Bomb! See you next week!]
Amidst the clear atmosphere of the show winding down, the VTIC members stepped forward for their encore performance.
At that moment, an unexpected shot was broadcast.
Cheong-ryeo, who was walking forward, looked back at TeSTAR as they were heading offstage and waved with a smile.
People chatted happily, but they had no idea that the party receiving the greeting was actually quite uncomfortable.
‘…What was that sudden greeting?’
VTIC had arrived in a rush due to their schedule and went straight into the live broadcast, so there hadn't been any time for us to go and greet them.
In other words, this was the first time I’d seen Cheong-ryeo since Idol Inc. ended.
But he openly waved at me even though we didn't even lock eyes?
‘He didn't seem like the type to do that.’
I felt a brief sense of unease, but I quickly brushed it off. I was busy enough as it was; who cared if someone suddenly greeted me?
‘Maybe he’s just excited because he won first place.’
"I think he was waving at you, Moon-dae. It’s probably because you met during Casting Call."
"Hmm, maybe."
I agreed with Ryu Cheong-woo’s casual remark and kept walking.
I heard Cha Yu-jin’s expectant voice.
"Can we go home now?"
"Hey, we have to say our goodbyes before we leave~"
At the manager’s answer, Keun Se-jin muttered.
"Ah, I guess they still do that here too."
"What?"
"Standing in line to greet the PD before leaving."
"Hmm."
I’d heard about it. They said the reason idols were late leaving music shows was because of the group shot during the winner announcement and that greeting.
‘I heard a few public broadcast stations do this nonsense too, not just here.’
I wasn't exactly thrilled since it meant getting home later. I was exhausted from being awake since dawn.
‘…But what can you do if you want a social life?’
In times like this, it was better not to stand out for the wrong reasons.
We followed the manager without a word of complaint.
"T-This is a bit awkward…!"
When we arrived at the hallway and stood in line, Seon A-hyun whispered with a flustered face.
There were more performers than I expected, and eyes were drawn to us. The atmosphere felt like someone could strike up a conversation at any moment.
By custom, I had gone around to hand out albums and greet people, but this was the first time meeting everyone in a group like this.
‘The social butterflies will handle it themselves.’
I ignored the stares and chatted with Seon A-hyun.
"How was the stage?"
"Huh? O-Of course… it was v-very good!"
"In what way?"
"Um… w-well, there were people cheering for us, the s-song is good, and the m-members I’m with are close……."
"……."
‘Are we really all that close, though?’
But there was no need to point that out and ruin the mood. I just kept my mouth shut and nodded. Seon A-hyun’s face brightened considerably.
Just then, I saw people at the other end of the hallway clearing the way like a receding tide.
At this timing, it could only be one group.
‘It must be VTIC.’
The ballad group that performed after us had already left before the winner announcement due to their schedule. It was interesting to see that you could only benefit from things like that once you had enough seniority.
By the same logic, it seemed VTIC was able to greet the PD quickly thanks to their years of experience and popularity.
‘…Is there no special treatment for T1 affiliates?’
While I was muttering such corrupt thoughts to myself, VTIC happened to pass right in front of us.
Let’s just give them a polite bow.
However, someone stopped in their tracks and spoke to me.
"Ah, Moon-dae, we meet again. Congratulations on your debut."
"……!"
It was Cheong-ryeo.
"Ah, is this the person…?"
"That’s right."
"Wow, nice to meet you. Good luck with your promotions!"
The other VTIC members also recognized me and chimed in. Cheong-ryeo was smiling.
‘…I feel like this guy is doing this on purpose.’
Unable to shake my suspicion, I just greeted them.
"Yes. Thank you. It’s an honor to meet you, sunbaenim."
"The pleasure is mine. Um…… shall we exchange numbers? It’s rare for our promotions to overlap like this."
"…I’d be grateful."
For now, let’s exchange numbers. I might have a use for it later. I readily pulled out my smartphone.
However, I was suspicious of his intentions for saying this in a hallway crowded with other performers.
‘He could have just gotten my number quietly through a manager.’
Between waving while the cameras were rolling earlier and this, he definitely had something up his sleeve. I just didn't know what it was.
‘…Is he just showing off his connections?’
After all, it was true that Park Moon-dae was the winner of an audition program. Or maybe Cheong-ryeo was just an attention seeker.
‘There’s no way I’d truly know the personality of someone I’ve only met once.’
"I’ll be in touch."
"Thank you. Get home safely."
VTIC quickly disappeared from the hallway. I suppressed a sigh and put my phone back in my pocket.
Beside me, Keun Se-jin clapped his hands and smirked.
"Wow~ Moon-dae, getting a boy group’s number before a girl group’s… Gack."
Go eat some more glucose candy.