Chapter 227

Chapter 227

Kim Raebin’s fan froze as soon as she saw the thumbnail. He had chains dangling from his ears and over his arms. He wore a slightly unraveled black knitted top as he stared provocatively down the camera’s lens.

“Oh my god!”

Both the mood of the shot and his expression were amazing, but beyond that, there were elements at play that were very moving for his fans. They had been waiting for this moment for quite some time—for a promotional cycle where Kim Raebin was at the center!

The others all got to their turns! Even members who were less popular than Raebin got to be center during the choruses! When line distribution was compared in each new song, Raebin was always in fourth or fifth place. Many of his solo stans were furious every time they saw these statistics.

Doesn’t the producing member usually get criticized for giving themselves too many parts? Upset, his fans had begun to wonder why Raebin was the exception to this rather than the rule. While it was charming that he wasn’t the selfish sort who kept the best parts for himself, it was also frustrating.

But his moment had finally come! I mean, look at him. He should have gotten center ages ago. Let’s go!

She clicked the video without another thought, almost reflexively. A dark image in black and white appeared. The teaser for TeSTAR’s new song began with smoke pouring into the shot, resembling a slowly spreading, hazy smog.

Black letters appeared.

CALL it.

Beyond the smoke, a white, thin hand was shaking a line of lamps hanging from a black wire. The lamps left a hazy light trail, disturbing the smoke as they moved. There was no sound, however. The video ratio was that of a black-and-white silent film, and captions appeared in between shots, meant to replace dialogue.

It was odd for a music teaser to have no sound.

Sometimes, it will CALL you back.

Suddenly, the footage appeared in color. The lamps dyed the smoke below with their pale, blue-green and purple lights, and the members appeared one by one. They all wore odd accessories consisting of chains over some part of their body that made it look as though they were being restrained in some way.

Bright blue or yellow eyes flashed at the camera, bright against dark hair and loose tops. Short cuts of each member striking a different pose, faces expressionless, flitted past, woven together with what felt like crafty symbolism.

Then came the final shot that appeared in the thumbnail—Kim Raebin looking at the screen with purple eyes. Six hands appeared from off-screen and grabbed him.

“Oh!”

Kim Raebin was calm, however. Instead of reacting, he opened his mouth and whispered something.

The video still had no sound, since it had been shot in the style of a silent movie. Like earlier, dialogue appeared as a slide after the footage. That was when the sound finally kicked in. A low, reverberating voice was accompanied by a beautiful voice an octave higher as the screen remained dark.

Welcome, welcome

This is the sound of me calling out to you

The almost whispered, airy melody had a slightly ominous feel to it. There was a very important element that was clear to the fans based on this teaser, however.

They’re doing a sexy concept! Kim Raebin’s fan threw her mouse clean across the room. The short teaser was already over, but it had been more than enough. They were obviously doing a decadent, sexy concept! Everything from the extreme close-up of the hand to the members’ outfits all screamed a lazy, corrupt, sexy theme.

Is this why Kim Raebin is in the center? This choice was so on point that she banged her forehead against her desk.

The fan response instantly exploded like a volcano online, coming hardest and fastest in the fan communities.

- Holy crap that teaser

- What’s with the teaser

- Guys, it’s finally happening! So long after TeSTAR’s debut, we finally get a sexy concept

- I guess they incorporated a bit of horror as well because it’s early summer. I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat, but it’s okay. I’ll try to enjoy it

- The outfits are insane T_T

- It’s the other members that are grabbing Raebin, right? There are six hands. That has to be it. That’s what I’m choosing to believe, guys

- Is this… what sexy looks like?

As Park Moondae had believed during the third team battle of Idol Inc., there were very few concepts that would make as powerful an impression and be as effective as a sexy one if executed properly. The teaser had not been overly blatant and had incorporated artistic references, mollifying even those who didn’t want to admit to liking this sort of thing. As such, the teaser instantly became a hot topic not only among the fans but in various celebrity communities as well.

[TeSTAR’s new teaser makes news as soon as it’s released]

[Reactions to TeSTAR’s new song “Nightmare”]

[TeSTAR’s teaser suggests they’re doubling down with a sexy concept]

[The TeSTAR member who’s netting popularity with his black hair and a body chain]

There were even WeTube review videos going up analyzing why the public’s response was so eager. No teaser had elicited this sort of fervor since “Present.” That teaser had been eight minutes long—basically the length of two full music videos—so comparing the two didn’t really hold water.

But as usual, opinions were divided outside the fan communities.

- Gosh, I don’t know about this. They’re being too in your face about it

- Yuck. This time they took it too far

- Even VTIC only tried this sort of thing during their fifth year LOL. Maybe they were in a hurry because their contract ends in the 5th year?

- I’m a little worried we won’t like what they drop this time

- Can’t they just let go of their obsession with strong concepts already? They could do so much with a simple sexy concept in black suits. They always take it too far

Most of this was lies and exaggeration. Even excited overseas K-pop fans were clicking the video many times over, and the signs that they were about to release an unprecedented hit were all there. As a result, some people were trying to ruin everyone else’s excitement as best they could.

Of course, some really didn’t find the teaser to their taste, the biggest reason being that the concept was too heavy and mature for an idol group that was only three years old.

- That sort of thing is a double-edged sword. If they don’t do it right, they’re going to become meme fodder

Even some of their most die-hard fans worried, but most of them trusted in TeSTAR’s track record.

If the agency’s willing to fund them, they’ll produce something amazing no matter what! This was a fair assumption to make and was widespread among the fans, who took a sort of pride in it. As a result, TeSTAR released a wide variety of pre-comeback content, which was met with anticipation that lacked any glaring signs of opposition or worry.

- The concept photos are here

- The white one with the dry flowers is amazing. Moondae is such a little fox. All these flowers and I wasn’t reminded of the May Bridegroom at all

- Oh my god. I’m so excited now. I need to calm down

- An idol who looks good with black nails is making a comeback. This is your chance to join the fandom

At this point, if TeSTAR succeeded, their song would be a massive hit, but if they failed, the damage would be far worse than expected.

The day the music video would be released arrived.

Hurry up. Come on.

The fans waited with bloodshot eyes, already excited beyond measure, as a short five-minute music video finally appeared on their timelines.

The video began with Park Moondae, who’d dragged a white bed into view. The footage seemed to be shot from the point of view of a security camera. He sighed quietly and lay down on the bed, but suddenly, the bed collapsed under him.

Without warning, everything on the screen turned black, and the image flipped upside down. Moondae, hair now black, dropped from the black bed on the bronze ceiling, landing softly on the cracked floor. He cocked his head curiously, and an old-fashioned silent film slide appeared, just like in the teaser.

[A… dream?]

Park Moondae smiled and fell backward.

Diiing!

Diiing!

Didididididididi

An odd riff that sounded like an alarm bell ringing filled the soundscape, and the song began.

[Take a good bite

They taste slightly sweet

My final thoughts of you]

The music video didn’t necessarily have a storyline. The camera slowly moved through the strange space like it was on a roller coaster, the members appearing without warning in the dizzying shot. They slowly made an enticing or powerful entrance one by one, performing their part of the song, but the focus shifted between them in rather an odd way.

A member would appear in the camera’s view, only to be suddenly dragged away, for example, by a white hand that appeared out of nowhere. A new member—presumably the owner of the hand—would then emerge from the smog, the transition abrupt and jarring. It was a dreamy, slightly confusing sequence that worked well with the dark, supple appearance of the members. The resulting music video was dizzying and stimulating.

[Dreams can be horrible

But not right now, at least

I can hear it, your voice

So call out to me]

The choreography that utilized a lot of hand movements, the bold accessories, and the vocals all indicated that this was a sexy concept, as everyone had assumed it would be. However, it wasn’t as heavy as some had worried it would be.

[Call it

Call it now, the name

It’ll stick like honey and refuse to fall away

Nananananana-name.]

Hints of playfulness were incorporated at appropriate times. The style they sang in made the song seem slightly lethargic, but the strong beat and bass kept it from becoming too much so. The members’ characteristic movements and behaviors appeared at unexpected moments in each scene, keeping the odd and fantastical concept from feeling overdone.

They hadn’t completely discarded the hint of horror or slow heaviness from the teaser, either. These elements were crammed into the later bridge, short but impactful, mostly to satisfy the fans who’d been looking forward to seeing them.

[Welcome, welcome

This sound is calling out to you]

The odd, whispering chorus was the same. Then a black and white smoke would blow toward the camera and give way to an impressively powerful bridge in the mode of the teaser. The members’ large hands grabbed at their own faces roughly, reminiscent of ghosts or creatures, their eyes flashing from between their fingers.

The decadence of their movements was almost sensual. The climax of the song brought with it an elaborate, visually appealing cut of the choreography that seemed intended to make the viewers forget the bridge entirely, keeping their eyes locked on the screen.

The wicked video had viewers transfixed and completely mesmerized when the choreography suddenly stopped and the music came to an abrupt end. Everyone turned toward the screen as if they’d been interrupted mid-dance, and the screen blacked out.

Someone was breathing heavily in the silence.

[Oh!]

Bae Sejin opened his eyes, lying on a white bed, wearing a white T-shirt. He was breathing hard, as if shocked by his nightmare. The camera closed in on his face, and his expression transformed into a faint smile, as if he’d been possessed by something. He tapped a single finger against his sweaty ear slowly as the video came to an end.

[Call me]

The words could be taken symbolically, but they could also be very simply interpreted differently. The music video had been packed with all manner of provocative imagery.

- What did I just watch?

- You guys are wild

- TeSTAR!!!

- I love it so much, I can’t believe it LMAO

The fans began to upload posts wildly, their high expectations met, to the shock of many.

***

“It looks like you’re causing quite the sensation already, and at the beginning of your promotional cycle, too!”

“Oh, thank you!”

The interviewer was quite energetic. The members, who were suffering from lack of sleep, seemed to find her enthusiasm a little contagious. The compliment she had paid them also happened to be true.

I didn’t think everyone would like it this much… It had only been half a day since the video had gone live. With enhanced GIFs making the rounds and being shared as trending posts, I could very easily see the power behind our latest concept, considerations of the music aside. I was left feeling that the music itself had taken a back seat, but we would have to wait until we actually performed before we could determine if this was the case.

Regardless, what we needed to focus on right now was the interviewer, who was excited by our responsiveness.

“So… do the piercings you’re wearing right now have any significance regarding the music video?”

“Not really, but having many piercings gives us more choices when doing concepts. We’ve maintained them for that reason!” Kim Raebin said.

“I see!”

I glanced at Raebin, who seemed eager to contribute to the interview, then smiled without comment and nodded.

They said they would be filming this. This interview was being conducted by a middling media company, their focus on producing a compelling article online, but there was nothing to lose from making sure the behind-the-scenes footage came out well, too. The questions, however, weren’t anything more compelling than asking if the piercings in the music video were real.

My turn came.

“What about you, Moondae?”

“Mine were all fake.”

“I see. Do you have a personal reason for avoiding any real piercings?”

“No. I was just scared of the pain.”

“What? Hahaha!”

This was a better answer than the truth, though the real reason was that maintaining piercings was a chore and I didn’t want to put holes in a body that didn’t belong to me to begin with.

“You’d be surprised how easily frightened Moondae is! He can’t watch horror movies, either!” Big Sejin said.

“Really? But the music video is quite scary. How did you watch it back?”

“Well, I covered my eyes,” I said.

“Hahaha!”

I admitted the truth, resigned, and everyone laughed. I hoped anyone who saw the interview would laugh as well. Trivial interviews like this were easy enough to do now that I’d gotten used to them. The questions people tended to ask were surprisingly predictable. It was performances and variety shows that took far more effort.

There was one thing in particular we would only be able to do during this promotional cycle. It’s about time, isn’t it?

I smiled faintly, thinking of the announcement regarding TeSTAR’s dedicated management team that I’d seen only that morning. I’d take control of it, one way or another.