Chapter 303

Chapter 303

The performance or skit that T-Holic’s Show Business gave as a penalty, of course, was for laughs. It usually involved a recently trending or constantly popular meme and reinterpreting it or reenacting it as-is.

And up till now, half of them have been done by T-Holic—perhaps more, since they often let the guests win. Because they were so good at making it funny, there was a strong perception that even if the guests were given good coaching or direction, the originality came from T-Holic. That meant there was something to watch out for as we prepared.

“Next is a draft that uses drums and a modified beat.”

There was a rumbling accompaniment that sounded like the revving of a sports car engine. Eugene’s eyes glowed.

“This is cool! Let’s go with this!”

“Wait,” I said, stopping him. “We’ll listen to the other ones, too.”

“I’ll play the third one, then,” Raebin said.

We needed to avoid making everything look perfect from the start.

That’ll bore the audience. What the viewers wanted was something funny. If we did everything perfectly with no comedy, there was a high chance that our performance would be seen as deficient. We only had a week left, and even if we used all our energy to turn out a masterpiece, the audience would not recognize that.

A narrative like that would only work on a survival show. On ordinary variety shows, it was no good. That didn’t mean only going for laughs was the solution.

There are way too many people who managed to be really hilarious in this penalty thing. It would be easier to find participants who’d failed to make people laugh, rather than the other way around. The directors were good at what they did.

If TeSTAR followed this trend, however, we would only be adding to the show’s reputation, and little else.

- The show is merciless LOL. They’ve done it to even TeSTAR!

- This is so entertaining. I never expected to see TeSTAR doing something like this

- Please invite TeSTAR again next time. Promise? :)

It wasn’t hard to guess how the show expected people to respond.

They even gave us a list of recommended names. I glanced over the candidate “nostalgic anime theme songs” list that the production team had given us. First, there was an anime about motorcycle racing, then about Greek mythology, then mystery and detective work…

What we just heard now was the third one… Raebin had changed it into a slick, hard-boiled rhythm. In other words, it wasn’t funny at all—just cool. The same went for the next song.

“The music is great!” Eugene said.

“You’re right.”

The next one was from the Greek mythology anime. It had been made easier to listen to, and suddenly it sounded like a smooth tune from an indie band. That was when I realized my mistake. I’d tried to get the arrangements ready before deciding on a direction, but that was the wrong way to approach things.

I should have hinted at the direction I wanted him to go in from the start. Because I’d told him to arrange the theme songs to fit a TeSTAR performance, Raebin had done just that. They weren’t silly at all, and very refined.

In fact, I doubt he would be able to produce a low-quality arrangement that’s funny to boot… He was a sensible one, so he could probably make something if he had the right references. But this wasn’t what he was built for. In particular, he’d made samples for all the candidate songs, thinking it’d be fun. It was very likely he’d be disappointed when he heard what I had to say.

“How do you like it? They may sound a little crude at the moment, since I haven’t gone into the detailed adjustments and the mixing, but they all have the vibe I was going for!”

“Yes. They’re easy to listen to, that’s for sure,” I said.

“Thank you.”

He was very excited right now.

We don’t have much time. If I said something unnecessary here and confused him with a request for funny music, I’d have more trouble on my hands. I listened to the three songs that Raebin had prepared and fell into thought. What was the goal of the video?

Why did they only choose the anime that went viral on WeTube? I really wanted to stop talking about generation differences, but their choice targeted the Millennials or Gen Z, who had seen the anime as children or seen the viral videos, respectively. The keyword here was common ground, meaning the content had the potential to go viral.

Hmm. I rubbed my chin.

Eugene immediately asked, “Moondae! Do you not like this?”

“…!”

Ugh.

“If you see anything lacking, please point it out. I’ll fix it!”

Raebin seemed shocked as he stood at attention like a soldier.

Maybe I said too little. Anyone with even a little tact would have noticed that I wasn’t entirely happy. I’d let down my guard because it was Kim Raebin. At moments like this, I needed to react in a relaxed way to keep the mood from getting too serious. I shrugged. I’d thought of a way to maneuver this situation.

“The arrangements are good… but I don’t think they’re songs that everyone knows. Do you know these anime?”

“No!” Eugene said.

“I’ve seen Detective Arthur, but I’ve only heard of the others.”

Eugene asked cheerfully, “Do you know them, Moondae? Have you seen them?”

Right. Moondae was only two years older than they were. I gave them a sensible answer.

“I saw them on… WeTube.”

“Ooh.”

“I see. For the performance, huh? You’re very thorough, as usual!” Raebin said.

I decided I wouldn’t clear up that misunderstanding. “In any case, the songs from the production team are nice and all, but they don’t have much to do with us…” I tossed them the bait. “Don’t you think it would be more fun if the song had something to do with us?”

“Is there a song like that?” Raebin asked.

“I like Billy’s Exciting Animal Tales!” Eugene said.

It seemed to be an American show I’d never heard of. I shook my head.

“We need to choose something that was famous in Korea around the 2000s. That’s the condition.”

“Oh…” Eugene said, disappointed.

The song was supposed to be nostalgic, so in that sense, Eugene’s choice was inadequate.

Perhaps this will do. I showed them a WeTube video with a song that I’d just thought of. It had become a meme on TicTacToe because it had creative gestures.

“How about something like this?”

“Huh?”

With this, we wouldn’t have to come up with a silly arrangement and negatively affect Raebin’s morale.

It doesn’t mean we have to dress up funny, either. We could provide laughs in a different way.

The performance itself won’t be funny, but the situation will. It was contextual humor that would allow Raebin to arrange the music without any difficulty, unaware that anything was funny at all.

“This is… Oh.”

Just as expected, Raebin’s expression brightened.

“I see. This could be a meaningful challenge! Please give me a moment!”

Raebin put on his headset and started working away on the spot.

He’s working without even the original track? In any case, he sure seemed fired up. I nodded.

I guess that does it, then. The final member of our little team, next to me, spoke with a serious look on his face.

“Moondae.”

Oh, he might prove a little troublesome. I was pretty sure this song wasn’t the sort that Eugene liked.

“What?” I asked.

“Do you and Raebin really like this?” Really?

“Yeah.”

Eugene glanced at the video, then at Raebin, then finally at me. Then he sighed. “Oh my god,” he said in English.

Well, look at you, sassy.

“This is supposed to be a comical stage. I’d say it’s pretty good in that regard,” I said.

“I know that! Ugh…” Eugene licked his lips, looking put out. He eventually shrugged. It was a gesture of surrender. “Moondae, I’m really doing this for the team, and for no other reason. I never thought I’d ever do anything like it in my entire life,” he said, once again in English.

I grinned at him. All right. I get it.

“And now the pitch…”

Raebin adjusted the keys and the accompaniment carefully. He was done with an arrangement that was a minute and twenty-four seconds long in only half a day.

We arranged a practice right away, set for early morning.

***

The strange debate on the show with TeSTAR had just ended. The penalty was filmed a week after the main episode, but on the show, the penalty performance following TeSTAR’s wild defeat was shown right away—after an ad, of course.

[※What has TeSTAR put together for the penalty?※]

[※Coming in sixty seconds※]

People were used to this by now and began chatting about their predictions.

- I expect a classic Dionysus dance

└ Hey, T-Holic has already done that…

└ LOL

└ I’m starting to really respect them

There were many silly songs and concepts people could think of under the theme of nostalgic anime. Given the track record of the show, it had never failed to provide laughs. There were already high expectations as a result.

- There’s going to be that nineties halo behind their head for sure

- Please don’t touch their looks

└ LOL

There was sure to be extreme humor that doubled down on the old-fashioned, low-budget film feel. The show was deliberate about how it delivered its humor to the audience, but it was very good at reenacting funny vibes.

When the ad was over, however, and the show continued, the three TeSTAR members were shown wearing neat school uniforms and standing in the studio. They had their backs to the cameras, and the lights trained on them were very modern. There were no filters on the video at all.

- Huh?

- This is the penalty thing, right?

A bright and cheery accompaniment began to play. Park Moondae, who was in the center, spun around and took an iconic pose.

The dream of love, told through the medium of music

It’s starting now

- ??

This was the same gesture used in the transformation theme song belonging to the magical girl anime from 2001, Melody Angel. It was a classic magical girl anime with a protagonist who turned into a magical girl when she sang and used her music to cleanse her enemies.

TeSTAR wore realistic renditions of the school uniform the character wore, with no excessive makeup, and they began a live performance with real microphones in their hands.

- What is this?

- Is this a live performance?

Magical lights up!

The anime had its own original track, instead of an adaptation, thanks to the investment of a broadcast station that specialized in anime. This was that song, the theme song of the protagonist’s group. The nostalgic song had been edited neatly to make it lovely to listen to by today’s standards. Almost everyone in their twenties and thirties knew the melody, and the song was faithful to the original vibe.

My music contains honest love

My magical heart bullets will take you down!

The lyrics and gestures that accompanied them had led to a trend including funny videos of people pretending they’d been hit by a real gun, the intent being to destroy the innocent feel of the children’s show. As a result, even teens knew the original video.

TeSTAR did not use or replicate the meme, however. Instead, they simply focused on reenacting the anime, and nothing else. In the chorus, they even put on pretty cloaks and gloves as stage props as they continued to sing, precisely at the point when the cloak appeared in Melody Angel after the character had completed her full transformation.

Open your heart, LOVE

Today I’m going to make a wish

TeSTAR really gave it their all. In terms of how similar it was to the anime and how cool it was, their performance trumped any other video on the internet. Their singing, facial expressions, and even the group dance were very professional.

This made it extremely hilarious to watch.

- ??

- LMAO

- Guys, they’re serious about this LOL

- They were so engrossed in that debate, too. And now this haha

- Remember, they made “Magical Boys”

There was an incredible amount of respect being shown toward the artist of the original song. The group that had debuted with a song titled “Magical Boys” was covering a singing magical girl with all their heart. It was overindulgence in the truest sense of the word, and it was extremely funny.

One of the T-Holic members was listening with his arms crossed in the background, a look on his face that seemed to suggest, You went that far? and this was the cherry on top.

- LOL Jintae is so shocked right now

- Talk about wasting talent… We gotta give them credit for being talented, at least

- TeSTAR is sincere about this, too, but why?

From the viewers’ perspective, this was a continuation of how serious the group had been during the debate, and a legitimate climax to the episode. They couldn’t contain their laughter.

Imagine the best of your dreams.

Think of a beautiful world!

There was only one instance of computer-generated glitter, and it happened at exactly the same moment as it did in the anime, which made it all the more impressive.

A short instrumental break followed the performance, where, by tradition, guests shared their thoughts regarding the show. And this was the funniest part by far in TeSTAR’s case.

[※Melody Angel Peperto, thank you so much for the great music. Much respect. - Park Moondae※]

[※The concept of saving people with music was something we could wholeheartedly get behind. Covering the song has been an experience. We’re rooting for you! - Kim Raebin※]

[※This is my first time seeing the anime, and I like all the characters. - Cha Eugene※]

- What are they rooting for, exactly?

- That’s nuts LOL

- Park Moondae was a fan of Marshmallow, if you’ll recall. Now he’s sending his respects to Melody Angel haha

- I thought they were Gen Z? They feel a lot older

- And why is Cha Eugene giving a review of the anime? ROFL

The performance was amazing, but the comments were comedic. The three TeSTAR members retained their serious attitude to the very end of the performance.

- What is going on with TeSTAR?

- I’ve never seen a group like them before haha

The amount of buzz surrounding them began to increase, exactly how Moondae had wanted.