Chapter 94
Chapter 94
“You awake?”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah. I feel refreshed.”
I spoke more openly than usual. After a long nap and a bath, I felt genuinely good.
“Alright, everyone look here and smile~!”
Keun Se-jin was rounding up the guys as they trickled into the living room to take a photo.
“For an upload?”
“Yep.”
He seemed to be handling the filters and editing well enough on his own, so I didn't interfere. Instead, I pulled out my smartphone to monitor the real-time reactions.
…It’s slow.
I had picked up the cheapest budget model available, and it seemed like it was starting to act up, probably because I used it for too many hours a day.
Well, I don't have the money to replace it right now, so let’s not think about it.
Anyway, the SNS timeline was buzzing with people waiting for the broadcast.
“Ah, it started!”
“Cha Yu-jin! The reality show is on!”
“Yes!!”
The broadcast began just as Cha Yu-jin came running from the kitchen clutching a bag of snacks.
The first thing to appear… was TeSTAR, looking excited as they prepared to depart.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Will this be enough to pack?]
[Cha Yu-jin: I love traveling~!]
[Keun Se-jin: We’ll be back!]
[A moment later……]
Then, a shot of a light aircraft for skydiving flying leisurely through the air appeared.
The camera panned down, showing TeSTAR standing blankly in the middle of some rural field, clutching their luggage.
[PD Jung: You see that plane up there?]
[TeSTAR: ……?]
[PD Jung: You’re going to get on that and jump.]
[TeSTAR: (Horrified)]
Over the dazed members of TeSTAR, a giant white caption appeared.
[The cause of this situation?]
Immediately after, the screen cut to the dorm.
[TeSTAR’s dorm, a few days ago]
On the living room floor strewn with balloons, a giant note that read ‘Special! TeSTAR’s 1st Place Commemorative Trip’ received a spotlight CG effect.
And a caption was added.
[※ The cause of this situation (Spoiler)]
After that… what TeSTAR went through was shown without much filter.
[Cha Yu-jin: Trip!]
It meant that the scenes of us getting all excited for a trip, only to spin the roulette, land on ‘Extreme,’ and panic, were edited humorously.
Of course, the highlight was the moment we realized the roulette was rigged.
[Ta-da! (Again) Extreme Travel]
[Ta-da! (Again) (Again) Extreme Travel]
[TeSTAR: ?!]
An interview followed.
[Park Moon-dae (Genius Puppy): When the roulette stopped, I saw it bounce once. It looked unnatural.]
[Park Moon-dae (Scammed Puppy): But I didn't think I'd actually be right…… (Speechless)]
[Lee Se-jin (The one Idol Inc. gave an ‘A’ to): Even Idol Inc. didn't rig things like this…!]
“…….”
Why… are they looking forward to the things I’m bad at?
Anyway, on the screen, TeSTAR received thorough skydiving training and boarded the light aircraft.
[TeSTAR: (Concentrating)]
During this process, the members' attitudes garnered quite a bit of attention.
Since I just got on and jumped, there wasn't much footage of my preparation.
However, I did receive… a caption and a composite image during the landing.
[Puppy Landing]
And a semi-transparent CG of a black Welsh Corgi jumping… was inserted.
“Bwahahaha!!”
“Puppy! Puppy!”
“……Stop it.”
And stop hitting the sofa.
…Those reality show producers, if they don't have enough footage, they just fill it in with puppy stuff.
Where on earth did they even find that video footage?
Regardless, the fans were cracking up and enjoying it. Though, seeing reactions about a ‘Tibetan fox’ pop up occasionally… I realized Keun Se-jin’s single interview was going to haunt me for a long time.
[Keun Se-jin: The feeling of flying? Haha, it’s not an experience you get easily. I liked it.]
[Cha Yu-jin: I want to do it again!]
[Kim Rae-bin: Once I actually jumped, I felt a refreshing sense of liberation.]
Perhaps to smooth over the shock of the ‘Out of the Blue Skydiving,’ the interviews were edited to focus on heartwarming comments.
And next was…
[PD Jung: Now everyone, please split into teams to enter ‘Invitation to the Haunted House’!]
That damn extreme horror experience.
[Keun Se-jin: We…! We have bad memories of making teams……!]
[Kim Rae-bin: We will all enter together!]
Fans felt bad for TeSTAR as they made requests that clearly wouldn't be granted, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.
And just as they wished… the footage of TeSTAR exploring the haunted house was aired.
But for some reason… our team had the most screen time.
…It’s probably because there were three of us.
If I didn't think that way, it was too embarrassing to watch.
[Keun Se-jin: Uwaaaagh!!]
[Cha Yu-jin: Aaaaaagh!!]
[Park Moon-dae: (Faints)]
Faints?
I was moving perfectly fine, why would they put a caption like that?
As I watched the screen with a sour expression, Keun Se-jin and Cha Yu-jin clapped and laughed.
“Right! I really thought you’d fainted!!”
“Your soul was gone!”
…Cha Yu-jin even knows sophisticated words like ‘soul.’
“…It wasn't that bad.”
“Oh? Really?”
Keun Se-jin grinned.
“Then tell me one thing that person said when they were chasing us.”
“…….”
Did they… say something?
“You don't remember, do you? You don't know! It’s because you fainted!”
Keun Se-jin cackled, telling me to be grateful to him for forming a team that didn't have any gaps in the audio.
“Hey, look. It’s coming up now!”
“…….”
When I turned my head, I saw the staff member sprinting down the hallway on the screen.
…They really were screaming something.
[Bbbirrrrrrrddd …!]
“See?”
Keun Se-jin asked triumphantly.
But immediately after, on the screen, Cha Yu-jin and Keun Se-jin on either side of me started screaming even louder.
[AAAAAAAGH!!]
[※ Volume has been adjusted.]
“…….”
It was because of these guys.
In the meantime, the broadcast was showing a highlight reel of Keun Se-jin’s quiet contributions.
[Does everything despite being scared]
[Oh? Found it?]
[Keun-se taking care of his teammates]
[Found it alone]
“…….”
When I turned my head, Keun Se-jin was smiling brightly.
“Wow, Keun Se-jin shortened the escape time! Let’s just say Moon-dae was letting me handle it!”
I know it’s against my professional interests, but I really wish I could punch that mouth of his just once.
‘Invitation to the Haunted House’ ended with a brief explanation of the backstory.
[The identity of the photo TeSTAR took is…?]
The storyline, which combined a classic 20th-century Western haunted house with human sacrifice, was quite chilling.
“Ah, so that’s why there was an altar there.”
“…It’s a bit sad.”
“…….”
Everyone’s sensibilities are different, so I let it slide.
Anyway, the first episode of the reality show concluded with a scene of us feasting on a whole roasted pig.
Since taking care of the staff’s portions in shots like this was practically a rule by now, that scene also came out looking very heartwarming.
Hmm, that last one was an opinion worth considering.
The reality show ends next week.
Episode 7 was effectively the end, and it seemed Episode 8 would be a special compilation of highlights, titled something like a Director’s Cut.
Actually, considering most idol reality shows wrap up within four episodes, this one had been dragged out to an almost excessive degree.
It was a result of the momentum from when Idol Inc. had just finished its final episode, combined with a gap in Tnet’s programming because a massive drama was airing on another cable channel at the same time.
It’s been longer than our actual promotion period.
Music shows were also ending this week. The debut album promotions were effectively coming to a close.
Should I do a W-App live to commemorate the end of promotions?
I went back to the bedroom and logged into TeSTAR’s W-App account to check.
And I was a bit surprised. The last live was only a few hours ago.
[Test]
But the video length was 1 minute and 2 seconds.
……One minute?
I couldn't tell what had happened.
Since I hadn't heard anything, it probably wasn't an accident, but I didn't know what was going on.
Who was it?
The most likely candidate was Keun Se-jin. But there was no way that guy would have only gone for a minute.
I clicked on the black thumbnail.
With a bit of white noise, a dark screen appeared.
And after a moment.
An arm suddenly filled the screen.
[Ah…, l-like this…….]
[Huh?]
[……Gasp!]
The video ended there.
It’s Seon A-hyun.
It looked like he had touched something by mistake while practicing and accidentally started a real live stream.
Looking at the comments, everyone was crying about how cute it was. Quite a few people were happily speculating that he would fix things and do a proper stream at night.
However, something was off.
Hmm, with his personality, he would have posted a long apology on SNS.
When I had accessed TeSTAR’s SNS account a few times today, I hadn't seen any sign of that.
I was planning on doing a W-Live anyway, so I should bring it up.
It was easier to host with about three people rather than doing it alone.
If someone motivated joined in, it would lessen my burden.
I went to the room next door and knocked.
“Can I come in?”
“……O-Oh!”
The door opened quickly. Kim Rae-bin must still be in the living room, as Seon A-hyun was alone in the room.
“W-Why…?”
But why is he acting so nervous?
He was always that type, but we were long past the point where he’d act like this just because I talked to him.
Come to think of it, I don't think I’ve heard Seon A-hyun speak today.
He had become quite talkative lately.
But his attitude and way of speaking had reverted back to how they were at the beginning of Idol Inc.
“Is something wrong?”
“N-No.”
Seon A-hyun firmly denied it. Good grief.
“You’re breaking out in a cold sweat right now.”
“……!!”
“If you don't want to tell me, talk to Cheong-woo hyung or the manager.”
“W-Wait.”
While still sweating, Seon A-hyun struggled to open his mouth.
“I, I… m-made a mistake.”
“The W-Live?”
“Y-You saw it…….”
“Yeah. The one you started by mistake. But… there wasn't any problem with it.”
I told him everyone in the comments was enjoying it, but Seon A-hyun shook his head heavily.
“T-That… I d-didn't start it by mistake.”
“…?”
Seon A-hyun swallowed hard.
“I, I started it because I wanted to do it, but I t-turned it off.”
“…….”
“I was t-too s-scared….”