Chapter 64

Chapter 64

The videos that Park Moondae had enjoyed watching were my own and even the message I’d uploaded as I deleted my account was the same.

[I’m quitting to play games. Ciao.]

I hadn’t wanted to explain what I was really doing—that information was private, after all. Then a realization hit me.

Could this be why I got a status window? Was it because I’d used gaming as an excuse that I now found myself forced into a game? As punishment?

Surely that doesn’t mean I deserve to die, though? Frankly, it felt strange knowing that someone was so attached to my fancams. Even so, this train of thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. If the strange vision I’d had was actually real, then Moondae had been dead for only a few seconds when I woke up in his body. Which meant the real Park Moondae was truly dead. He hadn’t done anything to deserve suffering that fate, though.

I wish someone had been willing to help him... but I suppose that’s a lot to ask. Humans were surprisingly uninterested in other people’s lives, the one exception being when they had the opportunity to criticize, of course. Regardless, the why of how I’d ended up in this body was starting to become clear, though that didn’t make any of it less fantastical.

I guess I was the only person Park Moondae felt emotionally attached to, at least on some level. But I’d deleted my account and just left, which was probably why I’d been afflicted with this status abnormality. It didn’t matter if whoever was responsible for the status window had trapped me out of pity for Moondae, or if it was just a mysterious mechanism that existed in the afterlife.

This should give him some measure of peace. The paparazzo he’d been a fan of had entered his body, became an actual idol, and was going to become the subject of a bunch of fancams. I felt sorry for him but also a sense of catharsis at the same time. At least the situation had become a little clearer to me, which in turn made me feel much better.

“These are the seven members of TeSTAR, as voted for by the shareholders! Please continue to invest and support them!” shouted the emcee.

Confetti exploded from above, raining down on us.

“Let’s go, guys!”

“Good work, everyone!”

“Let’s do this!”

As the members of the debuting team exchanged handshakes and hugs, the cameras turned off. The show was over. Some of the guys sank to the floor, their knees giving out.

I watched as a variety of reactions played out before me—some of the winners approached those who’d been disqualified, consoling and receiving applause in return, and some were crying. The cheers and screaming from the audience were deafening, and the banners they were holding undulated like a turbulent sea. I took a deep breath.

Now all I have to do is start my career—

Ding!

[Alert!]

Status abnormality: “Get First Place or Die!”

I was struck dumb.

[“Get First Place or Die!”]

: You will die unless you reach first place in a music show’s weekly rankings.

Days remaining: D-365

Son of a b*tch. If I ever found out who was responsible for this, I would make them pay.

***

As Park Moondae endured being the angriest he’d ever felt in his entire life, the internet exploded with posts on online community sites and social media regarding the final winners of Idol Inc.

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[Idol Inc. debut members confirmed (7 members)]

: In order of their rankings, we have Park Moondae, Cha Eugene, Seon Ahyeon, Kim Raebin, Ryu Chungwoo, Lee Sejin (Big), and Lee Sejin (actor).

Their group name is TeSTAR.

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Despite the slow-paced episode dragging on for 3 hours, Idol Inc. had set records in viewer ratings and was once again the topic on everyone’s lips. As a result, those who’d seen the episode, as well as those who’d missed it—or chosen not to watch—alike could be found in the excited comments section.

As one might expect, quite a few people were talking about Park Moondae’s rapid rise to first place.

- Park Moondae won?

- Oh my gosh

- Wow, seriously? That’s amazing! T_T I’m about to cry

- He deserved it, from what I saw. Congrats

- Congratulations! I hope Moondae is really successful T_T

- So the drama worked, huh? LOL

ㄴ You’re right. Maybe he leaked his personal information himself?

ㄴ ? Have you lost your mind?

Most people seemed happy, but there was the odd person who joked that Moondae had only managed first place thanks to the drama surrounding his family background. In fact, some people even uploaded analyses of the situation.

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[Here’s why Park Moondae got first place]

: The shocking revelation about his family background united his fans and made him an attractive stock option to the general public. Basically, it was like the universe wanted him to win.

Cha Eugene’s the type to gain fans through the strength of his performances. People like emotional stories though, and that’s why more voted for Park Moondae. And since Cha Eugene was always at the top from the very start, it might have led his fans to let their guard down.

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Of course, as soon as Moondae’s fans got over the giddy euphoria of victory, they got to work discrediting these divisive posts.

- Both of them debuted and their vote count is pretty similar. Would you look at these guys, over-analyzing things?!

- So Park Moondae had a sob story on his side and Cha Eugene’s fans were caught off guard? I’m sick of hearing this sh*t. We fans are happy with the result, so please shut up. They’re good friends and work great as a team.

As the fans fought, the casual viewers who hadn’t been rooting for anyone in particular snickered amongst themselves as they commented on the last episode.

- LOL the production team was so desperate to get another member on the team

└ ROFL yeah they took an average, then offered the winner the choice to add one more person? So hypocritical of them

└ Yeah, and they should have just given Moondae the money T_T He looks like he needs it...

└ Don’t worry, he’ll be making a fortune soon enough. LOL

Many people were talking about Moondae’s decision, too.

- Park Moondae was smart. When he said he’d choose whoever was in seventh place, I started clapping in my living room

- He didn’t waste time talking to the other contestants and just left the choice to the viewers. I thought it was really cool of him!

└ Yeah, it was like he trusted our judgment LOL

└ It was the logical choice, really. But I know it must have been difficult not to name someone he was close to.

└ You’re right, I wondered if he was going to say Heeseung’s name LOL. Moondae seemed worried about him when his own name was called

└ Moondae knows to keep his feelings out of it

Most people regarded his split-second decision favorably—it had turned out to be a wise one. But the vicious fans of those who’d been disqualified and those who disliked the winners did their best to subtly play the debuting members against each other.

- Moondae looked shocked for a moment when Lee Sejin got picked LOL. I bet they won’t get on very well

└ I don’t think that’s the problem. Isn’t it Lee Sejin’s attitude and aptitude that’s worrying?

└ This. Moondae probably would have preferred the guy who was caught out on a date with his girlfriend or regretted not picking Kwon Heeseung after all. Haha

└ None of these comments are based on fact. Please stop. Moondae didn’t have any visible reaction...

└ Don’t use our Moondae for your stupid accusations, please

But there was a limit to what the fans could do to stop people, and more and more negative posts began appearing. The backlash against Lee Sejin, who’d only qualified thanks to the first-place winner, was especially vicious.

- Frankly, Lee Sejin’s the only one who doesn’t belong in the debuting group. Everyone else was recognized for their skills, but he grew famous over what, a meme?

└ I’ll bet losers who just want to look edgy are rooting for this guy

└ Yeah, he’s just plain rude, but the fans used memes and stuff to make him look palatable

└ Those assholes

The endless criticism of the winners began to die down after a few days, following countless posts and comments being reported. Fans were now just excited as they waited for the new group to start making public appearances.

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[Countdown begins for TeSTAR debut song. Will they become Korea’s most popular boy group? (Article)]

: Here’s an article I found! They’re coming out with a song within the month ♡ (link)

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- My god, that’s amazing T_T I can’t wait to see them!

- Let’s go and leave nice comments

- They’re signing with an agency that belongs to T1, right? Looking forward to seeing that company’s immense capital at work!

└ Yeah! I hope their music video and song feel expensive...

└ The show’s been a huge hit, with record viewer ratings. I heard T1’s pretty excited. They’re even making a new agency specifically for this group!

└ Wow! I hope they get all the funding they need, and get to do everything they want!

The newer fans who’d been introduced to the world of idol fandoms through the hit show had fairly sensible hopes as they waited for the debut album.

But, as was usually the case in the world of idols, sensible was too much to ask for from big companies.

Fans with much more experience under their belts were growing nervous.

- They’re producing a debut song in only a week? Is that really true?

└ Let’s just assume they had a hit song ready from the start. It’s better for our mental health

- LOL from what I heard, their agency still hasn’t even been decided. There must be some jealous infighting going on because the group did so well

- T1 is launching a new agency just for TeSTAR… Are they out of their minds? Now our boys will have to suffer through all the growing pains of a new agency...

└ T1’s a big company, but they’ve got no experience running an idol agency LOL

└ Ha... They named it TeSTAR for a reason. The group’s going to be their tester

- I have a feeling someone in management might be hoping to boost themselves up using them... I don’t like this at all

People were generally weary that a big corporation with no idea what they were doing was about to make some kind of huge mistake, eager for money and experience.

- Do we have any other news? Can we get a group picture of them or something, at least...

- It’s been ten days without any updates. I just want to see their faces, at least

- We don’t want any more behind-the-scenes videos of Idol Inc. We want to know what’s going on with TeSTAR. I’m sick of that show

Thankfully, as people were running out of patience, they finally got what they were asking for.

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[This is the new TeSTAR account!]

: Hello, everyone! We’re TeSTAR, and we’ll be debuting soon! Nice to meet you! :) (picture)

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TeSTAR had created an official social media account. The picture attached to the first post was of the group smiling at the camera. They seemed to be sitting in a living room and were relaxing in casual clothing, which had to mean this was their new dorm.

- !!

- Guys, they must have moved into their new dorm

- I guess they have an agency now

- The debut album is going to be a hit, I know it already. If a group that good-looking can’t succeed, there’s something shady going on

It was only a single social media post, but the fans were still relieved. It took mere moments for TeSTAR’s follower and share count to go through the roof, rising by the thousands every minute. People dissected the photograph, having a great time.

- Moondae’s yellow hoodie is so cute. Where did he find something so adorable? T_T

- I was worried since he was always wearing kind of worn clothes. I’m so relieved he’s got some new clothes now... T_T

- Raebin got his ears pierced.

└ HOLY CRAP they look so good on him

└ Please wear super fancy earrings when you perform, please

- Eugene’s lying down on the sofa. He’s already made himself at home. Haha

└ LOL I was laughing at this comment, then I saw how long his legs are...

Because the group had been formed through an audition show, there were still a lot of fans only concerned with their bias. Members who’d worked together in the team battles sometimes got a little affection from the other’s fans. However, they tended to like different groupings of members, so there was rarely much consensus.

- Guys, please keep uploading! T_T

And so it was amid much excitement and expectation, accompanied by some instability, that TeSTAR prepared for their debut.

As for the members themselves, they were already coming up against these unstable factors.

***

“Phew.”

We’ve managed to move into our new dorm somehow. I held back a sigh as we stepped through the doorway. There had been a full week of snail-paced power struggles between several companies, going so far as to delay finding us a place to live.

Of course, I couldn’t show my displeasure, since the entire place was filled with cameras, including the bedrooms.

“Hey guys! This place is amazing!”

“This is great!”

“Wow...”

The first contract we’d landed was for a reality show.