Chapter 289

Chapter 289

MusicBomb, Tnet’s music show, was about to begin its live broadcast. I was sitting in the waiting room.

“Want something to drink as well, Moondae?”

“I’d like some water, please.”

I took a bottle of water from Big Sejin, who had taken it upon himself to pass out drinks. Then I continued reading through what was being said online. We still had some free time left.

The physical albums first. There was a lot of numbers inflation going on as expected—or rather, far more than expected—for both VTIC and TeSTAR.

Do people see it as some kind of competition?

[TeSTAR “The Ocean of Wonder” - 1,317,215]

I couldn’t believe we’d already surpassed 1.3 million albums. With a stunned look, I stared at the figure, which had exceeded our expectations in only four days. Then I remembered VTIC’s first week sales, which gave me pause. What kind of group sold more than two million repackage albums in their first week? That was nuts!

They’re selling like hotcakes. If we wanted to appear to be their equal, we needed to consider our next steps very carefully. I checked the music charts.

[#7 VTIC - H.E.L.P.]

[#9 TeSTAR – Promise]

We were closing in on their rankings. In fact, we had almost caught up on the twenty-four-hour charts, and we might even overtake them soon.

People loved our song, as expected. It was an easy listen, and it had strong summer vibes. Anyone who’d listened to TeSTAR’s music in the past seemed to have added it to their playlists right away.

It’s great to listen to while driving. There was plenty of buzz about it, too, which was drawing in new listeners. Part of that buzz was thanks to the fact we released at the same time as VTIC.

“I think Ahyeon looks the best here.”

“I know, right? I think he would have looked great with a real mermaid’s tail!” Big Sejin said.

“We have plenty of tails! We don’t need anymore!” Eugene said.

“Hey, Eugene, your tail wasn’t even in the music video,” Big Sejin said.

“Haha.”

Hmm. The mermaid concept had also helped, for sure—it had gotten people talking.

I mean, it sounds pretty shocking when you hear of it for the first time… The fans were used to the way we made videos, but I could guess how the average person might feel if they heard that a boy group had appeared as mermaids in a music video.

Either it’s an animated short for children, or a low-budget movie. Considering the usual CGI used in music videos, it wouldn’t be hard for them to imagine what that might be like.

- TeSTAR’s mermaid concept is crazy

└ I’m sorry, what? Mermaids? Mermaids that live in the sea? Did I misread?

But when they clicked on the music video, curious after hearing about mermaids, they would find that the mermaids didn’t actually appear until the end, and only briefly at that. They weren’t CGI, either—they were real animatronic tails included in separate cuts and made to seem as though they belonged to the members. It was low-key, just enough for audiences to accept that the boys playing in the water at sunset in their T-shirts were actually supposed to be mermaids.

It feels more like artistic cinematography than anything else. Those who had expected TeSTAR to take off their shirts and swim around with CGI tails, leaving a trail of glitter when they moved, would be sorely disappointed.

- ?? What the… This is way better than I expected

- It’s a well-made, emotional music video. But it’s also got plenty of capital behind it

- So those tails—they’re supposed to mean the members are mermaids? Got it

- Only Chungwoo took off his shirt… Okay… I can be happy with silhouettes

Those who had been tricked left confused comments about how good the music video was, which made for some interesting discourse on the internet. As a result, the views on the music video were steadily climbing. People were spreading the word about how good the song was as well, which was helping the digital track gain streams as well.

Not that we’ve managed to avoid criticism entirely… Some people just don’t like this sort of thing.

- I love the mermaid thing T_T It’s the best concept ever

└ I beg to differ

- Please take out the mermaids and re-release, damn it. Are you serious? Mermaids?

└ Then just watch their stage performances instead of complaining

└ I’m sorry, but I’m writing this precisely because I’m afraid they’ll bring mermaids onto the stage, too. Please read this, you idiots at T1

In addition to people like this, some were disappointed, having expected us to really appear in mermaid costumes. The reactions were all over the place. But what mattered was that the majority were happy. All the rest just served as marketing buzz.

And I was expecting something like this. The music video wasn’t so poorly made that we would cringe when we looked at it in a few year’s time, so we would regret nothing. I had actually considered leaving the mermaid theme as more of an implicit suggestion than anything concrete, but that would not have attracted the same amount of attention.

We needed something impactful. A safe travel concept would never have competed against VTIC. The amount of buzz would have been different.

In the end, when pitting reputations against one another, it comes down to who goes harder. We couldn’t paint ourselves as the more generally popular group against VTIC since we didn’t have Youngrin levels of mass appeal.

More damning still, VTIC’s current concept was doing even better overseas. I recalled our encounter with them in the corridor just now.

“Hello, TeSTAR!”

“It’s been a while since we last met!”

They’d smiled and greeted us, though it wasn’t clear how they felt on the inside, and we had a relatively peaceful conversation.

We had no choice, since there were plenty of staff and other singers walking around. One of the compliments we’d paid them had been the following.

“Congratulations on #2 in the SongBoard Albums Chart! That’s amazing!”

“Haha! Thank you!”

They had broken their own record and entered the SongBoard Chart. As it happened, the strange cosmic horror concept was apparently quite established and popular in foreign countries. This had led to an influx of fans abroad, and they now suddenly had a full schedule of activities in the US. They’d probably been aiming for that from the start.

If the press starts reporting on this, they’ll be praised for elevating our country’s reputation, and that might push us out of the spotlight… I was simply relieved that we’d secured some buzz—even if it was potentially short-lived—with the mermaid concept.

I shrugged and put aside my reminiscing. The conclusion was obvious.

We’ll have to kill it on stage. We needed to maximize the current attention we were getting through our performances. That was the only way to maintain our position in the current situation.

I put down my phone. Chungwoo, who’d been listening to Raebin complain about Eugene, turned his head toward me.

“You’re going to stretch?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Our performance would be airing in the live broadcast soon.

TeSTAR was third to last. After us, there would be a female group who had been around for quite a while… and last up, of course, was VTIC.

The crowd roared. Perhaps the order had been arranged to prevent direct comparisons between us, but we were performing on the same show, so there was little point.

There’s a lot of people here. We got into formation, looking down at the VTIC and TeSTAR fans standing in front of the stage, almost divided neatly in two. In many cases, groups would not come out on stage at all or simply do enough to keep up appearances when pre-recorded footage played during a live broadcast. But the audience was focused on us, and that meant we had to do our best, regardless.

And there will be fancams of this, too.

We got onto the stage, waving. Then we assumed formation. The first track we were performing was a performance-oriented B-side that utilized chairs in the choreography and resembled Latin pop.

Como tu dulce y amargo café

You’re mine

Eugene took the Spanish part of the chorus, singing as he danced elegantly.

He’s gotten even better. The guy’s singing had improved. It occurred to me that I should check his status window for a moment, but I remembered that I was on stage at the last moment.

The charm of the hot air

My heart’s filling the air like smoke

I sang the melody in the first section of the second verse. I jumped into the air after a series of steps, then slid to the side, grabbed a chair, and moved into the new formation. Raebin sat alone in his chair and started his part in a sort of rap-sing.

We had no trouble delivering the chorus of the second verse, followed by the final climax. The adrenaline was coursing through our veins.

“Phew.”

The crowd loved it.

We went hard when it came to the difficulty of this performance, too. Preparing to perform the title track, which was coming up next, I stared down at my feet right before the instrumental break was about to begin.

I found myself grinning. I couldn’t help it. There was something funny about this scenario. Our outfits didn’t quite suit the slightly suggestive B-side, since we were dressed for the title track we’d be performing live.

Take your STAR

The stars are falling from on high

We were all in jeans and white T-shirts.

***

Good! Moondae’s first fansite master found herself balling her fists victoriously when she saw TeSTAR’s first comeback outfits. It couldn’t be helped—this particular set of outfits had been her favorite in the music video, and apparently, it was their first outfit in this promotional cycle.

I don’t believe anyone who has eyes can hate this look. Jeans and white T-shirts? How could you go wrong if the people wearing them had nice bodies?

The members seemed to have been working out a lot, since their muscles were easy to see despite how loose the T-shirts were. She instinctively got ready to record the screen, while at the same time mentally sorting through the possible remaining outfits. They would be doing the music video outfits during the first week, probably. There were their work outfits, their summer vacation outfits, and their beach outfits with robes…

And perhaps they’ll do something mermaid-related at least once? She quickly abandoned the idea, however, since no such costume had appeared in the music video. The mermaids were just a story element.

Their first outfit suggests they’ll just go with the pretty ones, and not do anything overly experimental. Let’s keep that up to the very end.

Oh! Their performance was starting. She pushed her thoughts aside, turning her focus on the screen. The backdrop was a refreshing blue sky and a beach with white sand. It seemed to be the amalgamation of treats for the eyes and ears.

Traveling to the island in the sky

We’re going to fly so far

Not once during the choreography did they walk. They were always either sliding, running, or jumping—always in motion and catching people’s eyes. The genre of the choreography seemed to shift with each part, the perfect moves selected for each beat and rhythm.

Lee Sejin’s bridge, for instance, incorporated the kicking motions of a tango, and locking was included in Eugene’s chorus. The only pause in the routine was mere illusions made using changes in pace. Nobody stopped to rest, even for a moment, and the audience was mesmerized, with no opportunity to grow bored.

Make you fly!

“Park Moondae!”

His clear, ringing singing filled the listeners with a cathartic feeling—not so different from a swig of a crispy carbonated drink. They assumed a characteristic move whenever they sang “Take your STAR,” performing a specific gesture each time and directing their gazes a certain way. It fit the song like a glove, and was catchy in the extreme.

I think the choreography helps draw focus to the song even more! Lee Sejin and Eugene had nearly come to blows as they tried to include only the moves that people would want to mimic, and they would probably have been touched to hear this opinion.

On screen, however, they kept their eyes on the camera at all times, always embodying the correct vibes and wearing the right expression as they all but flew around the stage. The song flew by at a speed similar to the formation changes, and before long, the performance was already over.

To the island beyond the horizon, beyond the sea

It’ll be a glittering day

The camera closed in on Ahyeon in the middle of the formation, utilizing camerawork to the extreme so that their pose seemed to resemble a wave. Emotional vocals and drums accompanied the first appearance of acrobatics in the choreography, appearing right at the end, making a striking impression.

Umm, umm umm

The members nodded along to the final strains of melody and sat down on crossed legs, even this movement a part of the choreography. The members grinned, throwing their arms around each other or cupping their chins. The song was over.

The camera slid smoothly between their handsome faces.

[TeSTAR - Promise]

“Whoa.”

The fansite master only breathed again after the title had appeared on the screen, and the close-up of Moondae had vanished.

That was so much fun. It was not a hard conclusion to reach:

This is going to be massive. The dance challenge for the song was bound to go viral. People were already talking about the song, and she could picture the variety of videos that would circulate after this performance. The music video had hinted at it—the choreography wasn’t too difficult, but still managed to be addictive and memorable.

People on social media were all reacting similarly at that very moment.

- It’s already over?

- They are so goddamn good. Mermaids be damned, it’s the performing that matters haha

- I think I like the song more after watching that. What’s happening to me?

- Fantastic stage. They always perform so well live

- The thing they do with their hands and waists during the chorus is so hip! I’m going to watch it over and over again on TicTacToe (video)

“They did it.”

No matter what VTIC fans might say, TeSTAR was taking over the country. She was satisfied with her predictions for the future, which turned out to be very accurate. It wasn’t just TeSTAR who had turned attention into consumption.

***

“Enjoyment of music at its absolute best! MusicBomb!”

“This week’s top group is… Congratulations, VTIC!”

The emcees of the show politely handed bouquets and trophies to the winning group. This was the most natural result. Last week’s numbers were included in the data, which meant VTIC was the only real option for first place.

“We would like to thank our fandom, our TIKA, who encouraged us all the way…”

I smiled and clapped as they gave a short speech, the same as everyone else on stage. No idiot would frown at a moment like this, regardless of what was actually going through their minds. As for me… I was gauging the situation.

These bastards are very good at what they do. This had been the first time I’d properly seen them do a title track performance. It would be an understatement to say I was impressed.

They’re really showcasing their skills, huh? The music video was supposed to be a union of everything that their fans might love. The stage had been no different.

Their work is high-quality stuff that’s stimulating and intense. They hadn’t gone so far as to damage their mass appeal, but the fight with a snake during the intro had obviously been catered to fans.

And they’re really good on stage. It was no wonder they were still attracting new fans despite how long they’d been around.

“MusicBomb! See you next week!”

I bowed at VTIC, who were waving to the fans and the other idols filtering offstage, reaching a conclusion as I stepped down from the stage. While our promotional cycles overlapped this time, we were each going with different styles, and it seemed unlikely that either of us would outdo the other on stage.

People’s reactions online actually seemed to support this thought.

During the next week, TeSTAR continued to climb the charts thanks to word-of-mouth and social media users.

Then it happened.

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[TeSTAR just surpassed VTIC on the charts]

: They’re #5 now. TeSTAR really seems to be the uncontested boy idol king of digital charts (screen capture)

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- That is out of this world!

- This is so much fun to watch LOL. Congrats, TeSTAR!

- The song is frankly a masterpiece. I think that’s the reason

└ Kim Raebin composed it

└ LOL we know better than to think that. Producing members’ names being at the end of the list means they did next to nothing

└ His name comes first, actually (screen capture)

└ LMAO

- Good thing they came in a week late. They can fudge the album sales too haha

- I knew they’d succeed. The stage performance was too good, and so was the story in the music video

- This was just luck

└ Feeling some kind of way, huh?

- The tension is real. Will this continue till we have a clear winner?

We’d overtaken VTIC on the digital charts. There was a bit of a commotion about it and claims that we’d already won, but such talk died down soon enough.

VTIC was doing extremely well overseas as well. They’d gotten #1 in seventy-six countries. They were being invited to do interviews and to awards ceremonies, being mentioned everywhere in English-speaking countries, and their music video views were through the roof. It was absurd.

More and more people were listening as their fame grew, and their title track remained close to the top of the Korean charts. This applied to not only their music, but to the amount of general buzz surrounding them. Now it was us who were hanging on by a thread.

It’s a close thing. We’d gotten all the #1 rankings this week, as planned, but it was unclear how the public would react come August.

But at least our rivalry is firmly established now. Nobody was complaining anymore about VTIC being completely out of TeSTAR’s league. This tension between us needed to be maintained until the end of the year. With this in mind, I decided to wait for the key moment to arrive.

Another music show soon came around. We were in our third week of promotions. It was also VTIC’s final music show for their current album. They usually would have finished last week, but this episode was a special, and Tnet had probably begged them to come. I realized that this was the moment I’d been waiting for.

We need to seize public opinion. We needed to make sure we were still being talked about.

I wasn’t aware, however, that this special would bring us in contact with a very unwelcome situation. A group of people who would be joining our agency at some point were performing a guest stage on the show—the debut team from the most recent season of Idol Inc.