Chapter 89
Chapter 89
A title appeared beneath the TeSTAR video that had popped up out of nowhere.
[TeSTAR - Magic is You]
It was a title that lacked any special description, giving it a less-than-official vibe.
And above all, seeing TeSTAR standing there in animal pajamas made it feel like some cute, minor "bait," like a behind-the-scenes cam.
‘Nice~’
With lighthearted excitement, fans clicked play.
A fresh, soft medium-tempo melody from an electronic piano began to flow.
Then, the members of TeSTAR, who had been lounging around the indoor space, scrambled to their feet and took their positions in a formation.
‘...??’
A new song? A cover?
As the fans watched in confusion, the vocals rang out.
— I feel so good today, it’s like
Something wonderful is about to happen
— If it’s you, everything will be okay
It might be unfamiliar, but somehow it’ll be good
It was a pleasant melody, not too over-the-top.
Then, TeSTAR, dressed in their animal pajamas, hopped into the air once before beginning the choreography.
The fabric animal ears on their heads flapped about.
“……!”
In real-time, fans' outcries began to flood social media.
The dance was at a difficulty level that added a touch of cuteness to the basics.
However, because they were wearing animal pajamas and freely making various gestures and movements toward the camera, it didn't look awkward at all.
— Reality shines like a dream
In dreams, I envision a wonderful tomorrow
— When I meet you tomorrow
I’ll only tell you about my sparkling dreams
Cha Yu-jin, wearing snow leopard pajamas, came forward while swinging his tail with one hand and humming the verse.
Then, he scattered confetti in time with the lyrics.
Seon A-hyun, in deer pajamas, appeared through the falling confetti.
— My dreams that won't stay locked away
Make me kick off from reality and run
Reality is breathing~ Yeh
YES breathing (breathing!)
Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha!
Whether it was because of the cheers from those around him or the sudden hip-hop arrangement, Seon A-hyun performed movements that looked like a rhythmic dance, which was quite unlike his usual self.
And around this time, the fans realized.
‘These are the lyrics from Magical Boy!’
Words taken from the lyrics of Magical Boy had been cheerfully reassembled to construct the feeling of an overwhelming, heart-fluttering day.
And at the same time, everyone thought:
‘It’s Kim Rae-bin.’
‘This is definitely Kim Rae-bin.’
It was the impact of the "Moon Rabbit" performance.
Meanwhile, the song moved into the pre-chorus.
— I’ll run to you, breathless (Umm~)
Will you smile when you see me?
Park Moon-dae, wearing white puppy pajamas, stepped into the center and suddenly dropped to his knees.
‘...??’
He began to mimic Keun Se-jin, the center of the Magical Boy ending choreography.
It was obviously a joke, but he did it with total sincerity.
The fans were rolling on the floor.
The part ended with the members pulling Park Moon-dae back up to suppress the "riot."
In the midst of that, the lyrics were sweet.
— Even if nothing stays the same
(Even so)
The magic of this very moment is—
— Maybe it’s YOU~
After TeSTAR sang the last line of the pre-chorus in unison, they began to execute the choreography perfectly during the chorus.
Keun Se-jin, wearing a black bear hood, was the center.
— I feel so good today, it’s like
Something wonderful is about to happen
(Ooh- yeah!)
— If it’s you, everything will be okay
It might be unfamiliar, but somehow it’ll be good
Thanks to the feel-good lyrics and Keun Se-jin’s large, sweeping movements, the chorus felt like a refreshing, well-executed dance video.
But next, Kim Rae-bin appeared in pink rabbit pajamas.
It was the height of imbalance.
Holding a carrot-shaped pen like a microphone, Kim Rae-bin hummed a singing rap.
— LIFE is strange
Lightly kick off and rise
Shall I try walking above the sky?
I don’t care if it rains
My life is—
— bright, pouring light
All right, you’re right
I’m shining today, aren’t I?
The sight of TeSTAR headbanging like they were at a rock festival, their animal ears flapping, was the highlight.
The video continued with a composition that mixed a bucket of humor with a spoonful of coolness.
However, the end was serious, as they finished with shy smiles.
— My meeting with you yesterday
Becomes today’s shining dream
And tomorrow’s magic
Yes, the magic is you.
The video ended with TeSTAR holding hands and bowing together.
The fans were so delighted by the sudden new song and video that they felt like they might get indigestion from the excitement. But at the same time, they had questions.
Fans who had experienced the agency’s incompetence a few times before suddenly began to suffer from anxiety. No matter how they thought about it, this was strange.
Fortunately, less than half an hour later, a new post appeared on TeSTAR’s account.
*
[This is a small gift from TeSTAR to the Loviewers who have given us so many things, from our debut to our 1st place win. We love you ♡
‘Magic is You’
Soundcloudy: (Link)]
*
The fans were stunned by the fan song, which was released entirely for free.
While the fans were happy about TeSTAR’s unexpected gift, they also agonized, saying, "That’s a perfect easy-listening song," and "If it had been released on music sites, it would have climbed straight up."
Of course, there were more people soaked in emotion.
In any case, most of the fans were happy, and TeSTAR, who was monitoring the reactions, was happy too.
“It was worth working even while on a trip.”
“I know, right? We filmed it in a hurry, but it turned out well~”
“I like the pajamas.”
Cha Yu-jin, still wearing his snow leopard pajamas, grinned broadly.
The current time was 1:30 PM. It was about time to film the final content for Extreme Travel.
‘...To be honest, I didn't expect the production crew to go along with it.’
Actually, from last night until this morning, all the time had been spent recording the fan song and producing the video.
The production crew, who were hooked on the idea of "fan song production" content, had cleared the schedule for them.
‘Thanks to that, what was supposed to be just a draft ended up being mostly finished.’
I had planned to release it later, but it seemed the production crew had even persuaded the company to release it now.
They probably intended to use it to promote the reality show.
Next week’s teaser would likely feature a phrase like "The Making of That Fan Song." And the actual making-of would probably start in earnest the week after that... something like that.
Anyway, everyone’s expression was bright because the reaction was good.
“...Shall we go eat now?”
“Yes!”
We had skipped breakfast to practice the choreography. I was hungry.
Fortunately, the production crew had a conscience and took us to a famous local restaurant. It was a spicy stir-fried duck place, and I think we ate about three servings per person.
“That was a great meal~”
“It w-was delicious.”
“Moon-dae, do you have any detailed reviews?”
“The balance of sweet and spicy was good, and the meat was high quality. Plus, the rice tasted great, so I kept eating. Satisfied?”
“Oh~!”
And the next activity was... valley rafting.
“You’re falling over there! Careful!”
“Aaaah!!”
Splash! Valley water hit my face like a water bomb. Even in the midst of that, I had to row.
“Now, now, everyone! If one person makes a mistake, we all fall in! Let’s take care of each other as we go!”
“Ye... Yes!”
Exerting strength while getting hit by water on a rocking boat... was closer to manual labor.
“Yahoo!”
However, a few members seemed quite excited. Especially Cha Yu-jin and Ryu Cheong-woo.
I don't know what kind of fun they were finding in this. I only knew one thing.
‘...Are they telling us to burn off the calories we just ate?’
It felt like a schedule the company might have hinted at.
I silently rowed, unable to shake the thought that the stir-fried duck was the culprit.
“Yes~ move your arms like that—”
It was an experience that reminded me of my part-time job at a factory.
“Great job, everyone~!”
“It was fun!”
After finishing the rafting, washing up at a nearby facility, and changing clothes, the afternoon had flown by. It was time to wrap up the shoot.
They set up in a place with a good view nearby, and the cameras were positioned.
“Wow, really... we’re leaving after using our time so fully.”
“It was really fun because it felt like we just came on a trip together. Thank you for giving us such an enjoyable time.”
The members exchanged ending comments with smiles that were half-sincere and half-broadcast-ready.
“N-next time... if we g-get the chance, I’d l-like to go on a trip together again.”
However, this one seemed completely sincere.
“Right, let’s try going on a trip by ourselves again.”
“I agree~”
“I’d like to try going abroad too.”
...Wait, were the others being sincere too?
“Then, we will see our fans again with a cool image!”
“This has been~ TeSTAR’s Living Together TEST!”
After finishing the designated ending comment, the members waved their hands enthusiastically. Of course, I did too.
“Thank you for watching~!”
“See you again!”
The filming ended like that.
“Cut! Good job, everyone~!”
“Yay!!”
“Thank you!”
Everyone’s faces were bright, thanks to successfully finishing another schedule.
It seemed that this shoot really had been quite fun.
“This place is close to Seoul and nice. It would be good to come here with family next time.”
“It was decent.”
I was listening to Ryu Cheong-woo and Lee Se-jin talk while returning the microphone attached to my body, when the manager suddenly ran over from the side.
“……?”
“Rae-bin, for a second...”
The manager took Kim Rae-bin to a corner nearby.
Then, he handed back Kim Rae-bin’s smartphone, which had been set aside during the water activities, and whispered something to him.
In that moment, Kim Rae-bin’s face turned deathly pale.
“……!”