Chapter 197

Chapter 197

TeSTAR’s reality show continued to be the talk of the town even as its second season aired. In fact, in terms of mass appeal, it performed even better. Because the first season received good viewer ratings after being broadcast on TV, the second season was being shown on TV with a much shorter delay—only a week.

The edits for WeTube and TV were slightly different, so assiduous fans were sure to watch both. Of course, many preferred to enjoy the quick and easy labor of netizens.

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[Idol Working Holiday (TV version) extra cuts (1/3)]

: (video)

0:43 Interview with Cha Kitty’s grandmother

3:58 Big Sejin whistles

5:02 Park Moondae’s smile collection

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- So Eugene’s grandmother likes Chungwoo best… That’s my boy

└ Go to bed, kiddo

- No way! Lee Sejin’s even good at whistling. What can’t he do?

- He smiled while offering that free drink. Park Moondae is guilty

TeSTAR hadn’t been exposed to the public in a variety show like this as a group ever since Idol Inc. Naturally, the fans were enjoying the situation, which made for favorable marketing. They’d expected VTIC to sweep in and snatch up any successes for a while, so seeing TeSTAR being such a hit even while on hiatus domestically pleased them.

[TeSTAR’s variety show begins its second season]

[The TeSTAR member everyone said was hot while serving food in America]

[The idol who can measure 30 grams exactly with his bare hands]

The first week of the second season, and the release of the first two episodes, saw dozens of posts about it hitting trending on various websites. The excitement continued going strong in the next week, with the release of episodes three and four, which featured the group being tourists.

[TeSTAR’s Secret Santa tour!]

The members became each other’s secret Santas through a draw.

[Kim Raebin: Chungwoo!]

[Ryu Chungwoo: Oh, it’s Moondae.]

[Bae Sejin: Lee Sejin…]

They had to buy a gift for the person whose name they’d drawn. The gift had to be from the person’s wishlist, and it had to be kept a secret. The plan was to make TeSTAR act like spies around each other, doing their best to avoid getting a penalty.

[Director: You’ll be able to show off your deep friendship with each other!]

[Ryu Chungwoo: You’re right!]

[Ryu Chungwoo: We can simply take turns, then.]

[Production team: !!]

Ryu Chungwoo’s easy strategy—suggested without any malicious intent—quickly put an end to that idea. The members stood in a line, each entering the mall one at a time, before walking out with a wrapped gift box each.

[Director: G-guys, aren’t you curious who your secret Santa is?]

[Lee Sejin: Not really.]

[Kim Raebin: We’ll learn later in the day. I can wait!]

TeSTAR didn’t budge despite the director’s pleas. Worse still for the put-upon man, Cha Eugene even misunderstood the director’s words as a question.

[Cha Eugene: Oh! Me!]

[Director: I knew it! You’re curious, Eugene?]

[Cha Eugene: Nope! I know what ‘secret Santa’ is supposed to mean! The Spanish word for it is manito!]

[Park Moondae: !]

[Moondae is taken aback by how smart the youngest member can be sometimes…]

The director pulled his hair with frustration, and Moondae marveled silently. The scene was edited to be comical. It was a development that defeated clichés, only possible because they’d provided plenty of comical content as the director had his fun with them in the previous episode.

And that wasn’t the end of it, either. The latter part of the episodes showed off a bit of their professionalism, with a side of heart-warming kindness, not just comedy. It happened in the evening of the day they’d made their rounds of the safari zone and the shopping mall.

[Lee Sejin: How about a toast over there? With non-alcoholic drinks!]

[Ryu Chungwoo: Shall we? Sounds good. How about you guys?]

[Seon Ahyeon: Sounds good to me!]

[Bae Sejin: Let’s just order drinks, not food.]

It resembled the usual trope in this sort of variety show, where the members would have a heart-to-heart conversation in a pub, but there was an element to it that changed things up.

[Lee Sejin: Is that a karaoke machine on the stage? Oh, this place is meant to look like a noraebang!]

TeSTAR had entered a karaoke bar.

[Ryu Chungwoo: I remember Moondae saying he wanted to sing.]

[Park Moondae: Me?]

[Lee Sejin: Wow! A round of applause, everyone!]

[Park Moondae: (Tibetan fox face)]

TeSTAR joked around for a bit, then began to sing at the karaoke machine.

[Park Moondae: (immersed in his singing)]

[A professional crashes a casual pub]

[He just sings far too well…]

The captions were playful, but his skill was not. And this was the first time TeSTAR’s actual job was being displayed on the show.

[Cheers and applause]

The way the people in the pub, who knew nothing about them, acknowledged how good they were gave viewers an odd sense of vicarious pleasure. And it wasn’t just Park Moondae who sang, either.

[Lee Sejin: Hey! How about a song?]

[Ryu Chungwoo: Maybe I will. Want to sing with me, Raebin?]

[Kim Raebin: I’ll do my best!]

The members took turns singing, sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs or groups of three. There were almost no Korean songs, but that didn’t matter—they all knew how to sing a few pop songs. Later, they got carried away and sang an American boy band song with a stranger as they danced.

[Cha Eugene: You’ve got a good vibe! (Meant as a compliment)]

[Stranger: I know! (Drunk)]

[The amazing stranger bought them drinks because he had so much fun]

The show was made even more worth watching since, in addition to the funny moments, it stayed true to its core tenet as a music variety show. TeSTAR didn’t force things by singing their own songs or trying to promote themselves, but rather, spent time at the bar naturally.

The viewers were able to watch without feeling uncomfortable as a result.

[Seon Ahyeon: Uh... I think we’ll be in debt if we order any more!]

[Lee Sejin: Whoops.]

[Park Moondae: Let’s leave, then.]

When they returned to Eugene’s house, the most heart-warming scene of all unfolded—they handed each other the gifts they’d bought.

[Ryu Chungwoo: You let Eugene have your seat cushion, Moondae. So I bought this.]

[Seon Ahyeon: I have a wrist cushion for you, Raebin. You’re on the computer a lot, so…]

Things were drawing to a close on that lovely note when Cha Eugene spoke.

[Cha Eugene: Popcorn is the best!]

[Bae Sejin: (visibly confused)]

The camera zoomed in on Bae Sejin, who looked shocked by the super-sized container of popcorn Cha Eugene had just handed him.

[Bae Sejin: Wh-when did I ever—]

Bae Sejin’s complaint was cut off, and peaceful background music began to play.

[An investigation revealed]

[that Bae Sejin’s wishlist]

[contained a request for snacks.]

[Cha Eugene wins!]

The episode ended with a shot taken from behind Bae Sejin as he waddled away with the huge container. The hilarious ending left viewers very pleased. An enticing trailer wrapped everything up, leaving viewers excited for what was coming and making for a lovely overall episode. No wonder people liked the show so much.

- That was hella fun

- Please continue this series for other idols, too T_T

- This must be fun because it’s TeSTAR. Let’s keep this going

- I’m always looking forward to Wednesdays now. Please don’t let this series ever end!

Fans of other groups left unpleasant comments, but it was so popular that some people started watching it simply because it was a variety show, not because they were fans. As one might expect, the fans began screaming for a comeback.

- Please, do a comeback before this wave of popularity fizzles out

- Ride the wave, T1! Ride the wave!

- Do some kind of promotion, you bastards

They were desperate that TeSTAR not miss this golden opportunity. During the awards ceremony season, the ceremonies had drawn in new fans, and so the pressure on them to promote had been smaller. But as of right now, the group had no upcoming schedules.

- What if they do more tours or something? I have a feeling they might be forced to perform overseas because they’re doing so well in Korea

- Miry-nay is debuting next month. I hope TeSTAR doesn’t have their schedules pushed back because of that

- I’m nervous. These T1 idiots are known to be stupid

- They’re not going to draw this reality show out, are they? Know when to quit while you’re ahead and focus on the music

Thankfully, news arrived before the next week’s episodes even aired.

[Ticket sales announcement for TeSTAR’s “Enchanted ME” encore concert in Seoul]

It was an announcement about the encore concert to be held in Seoul.

- Finally

- Damn it, I’m so excited!

- We’ll finally get to see their faces T_T

└ That is, if you manage to get a ticket

└ I’ll sell my liver if I have to

The fans were elated by the news of an additional concert as if they’d never been worried about additional tours. It wasn’t simply because they’d get to see TeSTAR in person. A concert in Korea, TeSTAR’s own turf, meant a possibility for more content.

They would be returning to Korea, and in most cases, other events accompanied the concert for efficiency’s sake, instead of the group leaving right away. A good example of what usually happened was a comeback and a new album.

- I know it hasn’t been that many months since Picnic. I’ve got a conscience—I’ll be happy with a single

- If they do some events, at the very least, that will mean more chances to see them offline

- Moondae, wait for me. I’m going to dip into my savings... I’m getting into the fansign this time for sure T_T

What was more, TeSTAR had revealed a new song at their first concert. The various TeSTAR fan communities began to grow restless, wondering if a comeback was on the horizon.

- Raebin just uploaded a photo of the wrist rest Ahyeon gave him. I’m guessing he’s trying to show that he’s been working on something

People were even reading into every social media post uploaded by the members, and assuming that they were hinting at a comeback. Before long, the agency released an announcement about an upcoming promotional cycle.

- Huh?

But it wasn’t TeSTAR.

[Miry-nay Debut Intro - “No Magic in This World”]

It was a debut trailer for the second group.

- F*ck, I already despise that they share an agency

- Can’t they just upload to a separate official group channel?

- The girls are cute, tho. I’m rooting for them, yes yes

TeSTAR fans grumbled and ignored the video, some clicking out of curiosity. Some of those who clicked, however, did so because they had an odd feeling.

Magic? The background is purple… They were greeted with a familiar scene from the start of the video.

The sun was setting, and a young person in a school uniform turned around as she stood in front of an orange-tinted window. It was a very familiar scene.

- That’s from “Magical Boys!”

The resemblance was obvious.

***

It was one in the morning, Korean Standard Time. I sat in my seat on a plane—we were headed to our next destination—as I watched a video that had been uploaded only an hour ago. Surprisingly, the plane had Wi-Fi.

“Hmm…”

An idol wearing a school uniform appeared, shot at a familiar angle, and then jumped through the window. She fell into a vast spider web in the darkness outside, and the screen faded to black as a cocoon of sorts formed around her. Only the first three seconds were reminiscent of “Magical Boys.”

“Ah.”

Clever.

I grinned and exited out of the video. I’d already been informed of this—they had decided on the other song that had been created by the members themselves as the new group’s title track. So what was this, then?

They’re trying to get as much of a leg up as possible. They wanted to use “Magical Boys,” even if all they did was copy a scene from it to promote Miry-nay’s title track, being careful not to cross the line between homage and plagiarism.

They were being careful so that even if the TeSTAR fans raised a public fuss about this, the public wouldn’t support them. After taking my advice, the new group had persuaded the agency, who’d taken to the gist of their argument and only barely touched the trap I’d set in place, neatly side-stepping it.

Smart. I had to admit it. I didn’t know who was responsible, but the agency had made a more intelligent decision than I’d expected from them. I felt more offended than I’d thought I would be.

This won’t do. The agency was still trying to follow its original plan to bag themselves some extra credit.

I hate the way they make these decisions without consulting the group who will get the most flak for it. I was starting to feel like doing something that I had resisted doing in the past since I had no idea where I would be half a year from now.

Time to shake things up. I was going to stir up some trouble in the agency.