Chapter 108

Chapter 108

The stage was still dark. An odd, heavy bass began to play from the unlit stage, reminiscent of some kind of heavy machinery.

DOON DOON DOON DOON

DOON DOON DOON DOON

Many fans had already heard this part from streaming the song, but it was much more impressive in person. The tempo was faster than expected, creating tension. Above it all, an electric noise jolted into the soundscape.

Dvvvviiiiii—!

It was the same thunderous melodic leap that had featured in the trailer. The lights came on like lightning above the stage, as though shocked to life by the thunder.

The set resembled a back alley you might find in a science fiction game and was gleaming under the pale lights, which notably didn’t have a hint of yellow in them. However, there were desks, blackboards, and other school-related props abandoned here and there.

TeSTAR had their backs turned to the audience, each facing a slightly different direction. Cha Eugene slowly turned his head and then his body followed.

Do not trust it

There is no justice

Oooohh...

As the quiet melodic rap ended, the violent riff vanished and was replaced by a Moombahton beat. The music was rhythmic but not so much as to be described as bouncy, and it was with this finely tuned level of excitement that an early dance break began.

Eugene was at the center and the moves felt slightly mechanical in nature. As he vanished behind the others, the singing began.

No amount of looking back

Umm

Can tell me what happened

Target target target

GOT IT

Make a run for it, grab it

The vocal melody was completely different from the one featured in the trailer. Though the reason was unclear, this B-side track, “Better Me,” seemed to feature only the accompaniment from the song in the trailer. This track was much trendier and seemed more suited to an idol group. As a result, TeSTAR were dancing their hearts out. It made fans wonder how they even found time to breathe.

This feeling, it’s so clear

(I can’t erase it, I can’t let go)

I know it even now

(I got that CODE)

The pre-chorus began, and Raebin and Big Sejin’s vocals rang out in unison. After a duet dance, where they grabbed at one another dramatically, they split apart. Then came the second part of the pre-chorus.

Moondae came to the front and the electric sound from the trailer returned. Even the lyrics seemed similar to those heard in the trailer.

I will never die

Like I did before

I’m gonna keep ME

Alive—!

His voice rose easily to perfectly deliver the high notes. Though the vocal melody was completely different from the trailer, the difficulty of the song was indisputable.

Moondae kept this up as he wove among the other members dynamically, somehow conveying a wistful air to boot.

Wow… Raebin’s fan forgot to cheer for a moment and stood mesmerized like she was watching a TV show. She snapped to attention, pulling herself together and focusing on the stage again. Raebin finally appeared to deliver his solo lines in the chorus!

He glared into the camera as he sang the chorus with a slightly sad air.

BUT

It’s just confusing

I don’t know when it started

I’m just confused

Umm

Where is this taking me?

The Moombahton music was back, mixing with the deep, low, flowing vocals and the clanging beat. Ryu Chungwoo was now in the center and started singing the next part of the chorus.

It can be confusing

What do I really want?

Maybe I haven’t figured it out yet

Umm

What am I supposed to do?

The lyrics were centered around disorder and turmoil but came across as packed with meaning and abstract all at once. This, coupled with the set design, the choreography, and the costuming, worked together to depict the story of a lost soul in a dystopian world.

As a result, the neon signs and other props that could have been distracting only contributed to the slightly morose feel that was the crux of the powerful song.

Take me and get that might

The moment the melodic chorus came to an end, Cha Eugene launched into a punchy rap and choreography combo for the second verse that was even more powerful and complicated than the previous verse.

This distant feeling

(I want to erase it, I wanna let go)

But still, I know it

(I got that CODE)

The song seemed to be catapulting toward an exploding point as the accompaniment continued to incorporate more audio elements and the beat grew more intense. As the chorus was about to blast past the bridge, the song didn’t execute a drop. Instead, the accompaniment simply vanished, and the fierce melodic leap returned, unaccompanied.

Dvvvviiiiii—!

They entered the final chorus without missing a beat, competing with the leaping melody.

BUT

It’s NOT confusing!

I know who I am

I’m NOT confused

Oh!

I’m going to find the BETTER ME

Moondae followed Chungwoo’s part and he dragged his note out, going higher and higher. His voice was so loud that the AR track was completely drowned out.

Whoa!

The audience resisted the urge to scream with excitement. When they’d been streaming the track, the melody and the voice had gotten old rather fast because both were so powerful. When heard live on stage, the combination was extremely impressive.

The Moombahton music that kicked in right afterward was also highly addictive.

BETTER ME

Big Sejin smiled and jumped to the center for the final dance break, a variation of the accompaniment from the first dance break. The mood was lighter and more bouncy as if some kind of thirst had been quenched. The choreography, however, was even more compelling than before because there was more footwork involved now.

BETTER ME

They sang out the title of the song one last time as it came to an end, and then the performance was over. The audience instantly unleashed their excitement, roaring and screaming.

“Oh my god!”

The B-side track had obviously been created with stage performances in mind—it was both auditorily fascinating and gripping to watch. What was more, because it usually took several run-throughs to get all the needed footage, they’d be able to see it all over again several times!

The TeSTAR members were out of breath after such a hectic performance and stumbled a little as they gasped for breath. Then they bowed and waved in response to the loud cheering. Some of the members were pulling at their techwear jackets slightly and fanning themselves, obviously hot.

Chungwoo addressed the staff through pants for air. “Phew... So the next take will be— What? We’re done?”

The members all visibly brightened.

“Wow! That one take was enough!”

This was completely unexpected.

No! The fans cried inwardly. Since the rehearsal had already been finished before the fans were allowed inside, while the staff were doing equipment checks, this would be the only performance they’d get to see.

TeSTAR quickly realized that the fans were upset and tried negotiating another take.

“Director! I think we missed a few notes?”

“I didn’t look at the camera!”

It was no use, as the decision was final. They apologized to the audience, playing up their cute antics and dancing around a bit before disappearing from the stage.

The fans were forced to leave the set only twenty minutes after they’d entered it, holding a cream bun and bottle of americano each that TeSTAR had purchased from a well-known cafe for them.

Kim Raebin! Park Moondae! Who told you both to be so good at this?

Raebin’s fan bit into her bun, not understanding what she was even thinking. The bun tasted wonderful, which only pissed her off more.

***

That evening, the B-side and title track performances both aired on TV for the first time. The agency was giving them plenty of free time in between recordings, perhaps because the director was gone and there had been a lot going on lately.

This meant they could relax in their dorm at midnight the same day and check out the reactions to their performance. The title track had more views on WeTube and the like, as was to be expected, but the B-side track garnered almost as much excitement in the various community sites and across social media.

I clicked on a post with over five hundred comments.

========================

[TeSTAR’s new B-side track]

: (Social media video link)

It aired on Music Bomb just now. I think people liked it more than the title track, to be honest

========================

- This is totally a track meant for the stage

- Man, that looks tough to perform live

- They’re damn good...

- The title track ranks much higher on the music charts, but I can tell why they chose this B-side, too. It’s so much more amazing when you see them actually perform it haha

- Was this live?

└ Yeah, totally

- Almost looks like it was lip-synced, LOL. I can tell the AR track takes over when Park Moondae sings. He was like that during Idol Inc. too.

└ LMAO (link to video without background music)

- They really killed it on stage. But what do the lyrics mean?

└ No idea. But Kim Raebin wrote them. He’ll do a W Live soon and explain them. Come check it out if you have the time

└ LOL. Upload a summary for us?

Most people seemed to like the tracks. There were a few random malicious comments here and there, but those were generally unavoidable. I was also able to find the comments that I’d been expecting to see.

- Wow, Moondae really looks his best with blond hair

- Is that really Park Moondae? With the platinum blond hair? Wow, the version of him living in my head was from the press conference for Idol Inc. He’s changed so much!

- He’s so handsome

- Park Moondae looks like he was born with blond hair. What’s going on?

- I couldn’t watch Idol Inc. because of my exams. Did the guy with platinum blond hair get first place? It seems pretty obvious since he sings so well and is so handsome haha

└ Don’t be fooled, he’s a total natural when it comes to TV

The comments went something like this.

I guess investing points in my looks was worth it. Some comments expressed doubt over how I got so much more handsome so quickly, of course, but they didn’t gain much traction. I’d already made sure to leak information to counteract any weird rumors.

- Hmm, so his looks changed... There’s a lot I could say on this topic

└ He changed salons

└ How do you know that?

└ There’s W Live behind-the-scenes footage for the comeback where he’s getting his hair done

└ Oh, got it

- If getting a new shop means you end up looking completely different, I should go there too

└ Surprisingly, it’s very common for idols who start getting their makeup done in a way that’s tailored to the stage

└ LOL. Who told you that?

└ My favorite idol lost popularity after changing to a different beauty salon.

└ Oh. Sorry I asked

As I’d expected, the plausible excuse was doing its job. It’s a good thing the agency was considering going to a new beauty salon, anyway.

As a result, I’d been able to boost my physical attractiveness to A- without incident. As for why I’d decided to do so... Chungwoo, who’d had a B+, had recently gone up to A-. What with all the stress he’d been forced to deal with during Idol Inc., it seemed the physical toll it had taken on his body had only worn off recently. Even I could see he looked more alive these days.

In any case, if I hadn’t done something I’d have been the only B in the entire group and fallen prey to all manner of comparisons using screenshots of us, so I’d called it.

And what a good call. I’d invested one point in singing to boost that stat to A+. There had been no choice since I’d felt like my throat would give out if I kept practicing the final chorus of the B-side track.

It’s a pity, though. I’d probably have been able to raise my singing stat naturally if I’d just waited a little longer. That hadn’t been an option, though, since the comeback was right around the corner at the time.

I’ll save the remaining point for later, as planned. Shrugging to myself, I turned off my smartphone. Our day would once again begin early the next morning, so I needed to try and get to sleep right now.

I’ll look into reactions to the title track a little more tomorrow.

The next day, as I did just that while we waited to begin filming for yet another music show, we received some odd news.

“You guys will be on a variety show next week!”

“Wow!”

“Which one?”

“No birds, please.”

The members’ reaction was rather lukewarm, unable to forget how filming for Day in the Prank Life had gone. The manager gave us a thumbs up.

“You’ll be horseback riding and shooting bows!”

Everyone turned to look at Chungwoo.