Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Big Sejin grumbled for quite a while.

“Oh, come on. It’s not like I suggested you ask a female idol for her number.”

If you had, I wouldn’t be throwing just glucose candy in your face. Regardless, eating the candy seemed to improve his mood and he started joking around again once we’d gotten into the car.

“Oh, I get it. There’s a specific girl group you’d like to see?”

There’s no one, you idiot. I’ve seen more than my share in my previous life, I thought with a grin.

“What about you?” I asked.

“Me? I’m married to my fans, of course! Female idols? Never even heard of them!” Big Sejin’s voice was overly casual, making Chungwoo laugh.

Raebin responded gravely, “He’s right though. We should be on our guard against other groups, regardless of their gender.”

“Huh?”

“Female idols are also the competition!” Raebin declared suddenly, leaving everyone speechless for a moment. He seemed to interpret our reaction positively since his tone grew more serious.

“Think about it. In the idol industry, it’s all about remaining popular for the long term. Their audience is limited, however. Meaning the more idol groups that exist, trying out various concepts, the more our target audiences will overlap!” Ahyeon blinked, taken aback.

“I-I see!”

“Yes. That’s why we always need to be on guard against any idol groups who are targeting similar audiences as us!”

There was a brief silence, broken by the group’s troubled groans.

Let’s just go with it. I took an effort to pry my lips open.

“Uh, he’s got a point,” I began.

“Yes! See?” Raebin said, eyes glowing as he relished his victory.

Chungwoo smoothly adopted my approach. “Raebin, you’re so smart.”

“Thank you!” Raebin beamed.

I could hear Eugene muttering quietly behind me, “What is he, stupid?”

They were both identically dumb in my opinion, but apparently still found it within themselves to look down on the other for it.

Whatever.

***

We filmed for a new music show every day for the rest of the week all the way up until Sunday. I started feeling almost constantly dizzy after the middle of the night session. Friday’s music show began recording at nine, which made it a bit easier, but because we still had to be there by seven, it made little difference.

If I felt this way despite my Energy Drink trait, it was pretty obvious to me that the others were really going through it.

Lee Sejin nearly passed out yesterday. Thankfully, he’d collapsed inside the van and hadn’t gotten hurt. The agency seemed shocked by this turn of events and our strictly fat-free meals grew slightly richer after this incident. We were also filming content for the reality show in the evenings, which made it not at all surprising that we were all running dangerously low on energy.

We have to do this every week? The highlight in our otherwise grueling schedule was when we go to listen to the crowd’s cheering as we performed on stage. It was pretty terrible that both the fans and the idols themselves had to go through an excruciatingly long wait for those short moments together.

I felt even worse about the situation because there were many fans out there who’d kill for an opportunity to see us.

They’re squeezing us dry for every last drop of energy we have. I sighed.

“And on the top of the Inki Music chart for the third week of June... Congratulations, it’s ‘Night Sign’ by VTIC!”

In any case, the final music show for the weekend had just come to an end. I stood on stage and mechanically applauded for the first place winner.

I was able to get some sleep, at least, since there was no pre-recording for this show. I’d heard that our agency had pulled rank, using our huge popularity. We’d also performed somewhere in the middle of the lineup, too.

There were drawbacks to this, of course. Since there was no pre-recording, there were limits to what we could do on stage—we only had one shot to pull it off live.

I guess it’s pretty useful to do pre-recs in the first week of promotions. I couldn’t believe I was thinking this, since pre-recs were so much extra work, but if we weren’t going to get proper rest anyway, it was best that we produced the best possible results.

“Should we take some photos?”

“Sure!”

“Moondae, how about a selfie?”

The moment we were in the waiting room, I was asked to take a group photo.

I guess it’s for social media. It was important to take a lot of photos, that much was true. I didn’t complain, taking the smartphone and turning on the front-facing camera. Adjusting the angle so that all seven members’ torsos were visible, I took a dozen pictures in quick succession.

The others would pick out the best one, with great excitement, and upload it. As expected, a few of them started arguing about which one would be best to post.

“Don’t you think the third one’s the best? It’s better if all seven of us are smiling!”

“I don’t like the way my mouth looks in that one. Let’s use the next one!”

“Don’t listen to him. It’s unreasonable to choose a photo because only one person looks good.”

“A-all the ph-photos came out really well...”

As one might expect, no one listened to Ahyeon’s attempts to appease everyone. In the end, two pictures picked out by Big Sejin and two chosen by Eugene were uploaded to our social media.

Lee Sejin watched the entire process with a disgusted look on his face, shaking his head. He seemed to have quickly forgotten that he’d complained yesterday about a picture that made him look weird.

Haha. Our team is coming along nicely. It was a relief, at least, that the minor squabble hadn’t escalated into an actual fight since there were cameras on us. In any case, our first week since debuting properly seemed to be approaching its end.

It’s a relief that people seem pleased with our performances, at least. I’d been keeping an eye on things online. The views on all our performance videos and everyone’s overall reactions were very good so far.

Maybe I was right to invest my last point in dancing. I’d actually put my remaining point into my dancing stat right before filming the music video since I’d had pretty big roles not only in the vocals but in the choreography as well. It was probably because I’d placed first on the show.

There was no other choice really, since I was dancing in the center so often. I’d been undecided until the very end on what stat to choose, but I’d selected my most lacking trait to start with.

It would really suck if people started mocking me for my poor dancing. As a result, my dancing stat was now at B-, which was high enough that people considered me a fine dancer.

Not that I was all that impressive in the grand scheme of things, since no less than three of us have an A in dancing. Since we were no longer competing against each other, I decided to content myself with just pulling my weight in our performances. And it was pretty fun, to be honest, seeing the fans going crazy over fancams of Park Moondae.

“Good work, everyone!”

“We had a successful first week!”

The members and the staff congratulated each other before leaving the waiting room. The manager added, “And congrats on placing in the top ten!”

“Hahaha!”

Indeed, our songs were performing very well on the charts. A screenshot of the twenty-four-hour charts had been uploaded to our group chat today.

[#10 Magical Boys ▲4]

[#13 Hi-five ▲3]

I guess the audition show really gave us a bit of an edge. I’d been a little taken aback when Magical Boys had overtaken High Five. It was probably partly because of our performances, but Magical Boys also wasn’t a song you’d easily tire of, which probably also had something to do with it.

Even those who found High Five too noisy for frequent listening were probably happy with Magical Boys. I was satisfied by how effective my new song selection trait was. VTIC, of course, was still at the top of the charts. They were truly incredible.

I guess we won’t be able to reach the top of the music show TV charts this time around. It was looking like we’d probably be allowed to release a second album within the year and our current one had done pretty well. There was no need to be worried.

It would have been better, of course, if the threat of suddenly dying that hung over me was eliminated right from the start. The deep annoyance I’d forgotten about because of our recent busy schedule threatened to resurface for a moment. Being angry wouldn’t change anything, so I decided to try and let it go.

I’ll content myself with what a great start this is. With a shrug, I picked up my bag. I could hear Chungwoo speaking to the manager next to me.

“So are we heading back to the dorm now?”

“Oh... actually, a last-minute meeting cropped up.”

“What?”

“You guys wanted to go on a variety show, right? Well, that’s what this meeting is about!” the manager said cheerfully, and despite how tired everyone was, a few of the members took the bait.

“Wow! Which show is it?”

“Is it a fun one?”

The manager nodded proudly. “It’s called ‘Day in the Life’! It’s a new TVC show. You guys know that all the shows they put out usually perform really well, right?”

“Wow!”

A few of the members nodded, no doubt finding the offer enticing. The manager added, “It’s a show where you try out all kinds of interesting job experiences. People are expecting great things from the show. The producers seem really excited about working with TeSTAR, so let’s do our best, guys!”

Oh. I can see where this is going already. No wonder the manager suddenly started singing praise for the show. TVC was a T1-affiliated broadcast station. This probably meant T1 just wanted to use TeSTAR to promote their new tv show.

Worse still, I’d never heard of the show even though I was from three years into the future.

They’re involving TeSTAR because they’re afraid the show will flop. Other broadcasting companies seemed to be debating whether they wanted to invite a group that had debuted from a cable audition show since we hadn’t hit the top of any charts just yet.

They’re making this our first appearance on a variety show? Couldn’t they have waited just a little? It baffled me that they’d made a choice that was of no benefit to us as a group, just to forward T1’s agenda.

The clueless members, however, were already answering the manager with bright enthusiasm.

“Okay!”

“Sounds good!”

“All right...” I agreed, forced to go along with it as well.

What was the point in arguing, especially with all the cameras rolling around us? We were rookies, and rookies didn’t get to be choosy. I decided to just go with it.

I locked eyes with Big Sejin, who was also just smiling and nodding.

That is not the expression of a happy person. I asked him how he was feeling about this after we climbed into the car, and he told me that the first episode of Day in the Life, which had aired recently, had gotten a terrible reception.

I knew it. I’d thought my expectations for the company were already at rock bottom, but apparently, I’d come to believe in them a little during the process of working on the album without being aware of it. I reminded myself to abandon all semblance of hope.

***

“Hello!”

The agency seemed to have already given the go-ahead for us to participate in the show since there were cameras at the meeting with the staff of Day in the Life.

So we were only told after the deal was done.

“First of all, we have a few questions for you,” one of the staff said.

“Yes!”

They seemed to be in a hurry since they were due to begin filming the next episode and the meeting quickly came to a close after only ten or so questions. They skipped any pleasantries entirely. As the title of the show suggested, these questions were mostly regarding what jobs we wanted to try.

I’d prefer not to work at all if I could. Given my current line of work, however, responding like this was completely out of the question. Instead, I replied with a few of the most peculiar jobs I could think of.

They’re in a rush, aren’t they? After quickly getting the questions they wanted to ask out of the way, the production team ended the meeting. It was easy to see they had too much work on their hands.

I guess they’re being forced to work twice as hard since the first episode flopped so hard. In any case, thanks to how quickly the meeting wrapped up, we were back in our van before the sun had completely set.

“Now, please wave to the camera, guys!” Big Sejin was making a video for our social media account, so I waved at his phone dutifully. I felt a buzz in my pocket.

I suddenly have a bad feeling. After making sure that Big Sejin had finished filming his video, I checked my own phone.

[Cheongryeo (VTIC): You didn’t contact me, so I thought I’d text you first. Is this Park Moondae’s number? :)]

I stared at the phone.

Wow, this is really awkward. Is he taking a jab at me for not texting him first? I knew he wasn’t interested in becoming friends with me, I could tell that much. Because he was many years my senior in the industry, however, I couldn’t just ignore his message.

[Me: I don’t use my phone that often, so I didn’t get around to texting you yet. I’m sorry, Cheongryeo.]

His response was immediate.

[Cheongryeo (VTIC): There’s nothing to be sorry about. I just wanted us to keep in touch, if possible.]

How tiresome. I said I understood and thanked him politely before turning off my phone altogether.

I’ll change my profile message to say I don’t check my texts that often. Weirdos were starting to send me random texts for some reason anyway, having gotten their hands on my phone number somehow. I’d block any numbers I don’t know and update my messaging profile.

Be that as it may... that should be the last of our work for today. About to fall asleep in the van, I heard Chungwoo’s voice.

“Guys, our dancing is getting more and more out of sync. Do you think we should recalibrate now, while we have the time?”

This suggestion drove away any thought of sleep. I looked around at the others and noted that everyone looked like they could use some decent rest. Chungwoo was right, however, and the silence in response was a tacit agreement.

I withheld a sigh.

End of our work the day, my ass. It was time for more practice.

***

While TeSTAR closed out the busiest week of their lives, the fans were delighted at the influx of new content for them to enjoy. This alone provided part of the motivation that kept TeSTAR going, despite the crushing workload.

- A cross-edited version of the first week of music shows just appeared on WeTube. It’s gorgeous (link)

- This week’s episode of the reality show about the showcase was great! They were so cute when they were getting their hair done, and I had tears in my eyes watching them work so hard getting ready to perform. TeSTAR forever T_T

- CQ Magazine did a photo shoot with them as well as a behind-the-scenes interview. The magazines are all sold out for now. (link)

└ No... I saw this too late T_T

└ Please print more... T_T

Because the agency’s contract with TeSTAR was a long-term one, they did their best to encourage the public to become attached to the group as a whole, rather than stirring up competition between the members.

Their efforts were paying off within the fandom. The fact that the group used a single social media account and constantly uploaded pictures of them all together seemed to generally be well accepted now as well.

There was one area where this new tactic wasn’t applicable, however—the random photocards that came with albums.

Because they had a direct impact on album sales, the members’ photocards had been included randomly, as was the industry standard. Anyone who’d been waiting for their opportunity to criticize the group saw their chance in the comments section of posts that compared the different members’ photocards.

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[TeSTAR photocards, ranked by price]

: Cha Eugene ≧ Park Moondae > Seon Ahyeon > Kim Raebin = Big Sejin ≧ Ryu Chungwoo > Lee Sejin

P.S. I got this data from a popular second-hand trading platform so don’t try to argue they’re wrong. (Link)

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- Cha Eugene is at the top, as expected LOL

- Park Moondae shouldn’t be in the ending center position. Are you having a good time, using your dead parents to get first place?

- Looks like Lee Sejin is really useless in every aspect. What else does he do, other than hog screen time in the music videos?

- The Ryu Chungwoo bubble has finally burst. I knew he had no core fanbase of his own after I saw the final rankings haha

- Big Sejin, please stop pretending that you’re everyone’s friend, like you’re this handsome guy who’s perfectly in control all the time. You’re just not popular enough, and you should accept that

- Ahyeon never seems to get above third place despite his good looks. Makes me feel like he should have attempted a line of work that doesn’t involve talking. Maybe a fashion model or something like that?

Fans just ignored these awful comments and reported them, but there was only so much this could accomplish. The resentment and rage directed toward a group rising in popularity and on the verge of becoming a breakaway success was impossible to wrap one’s head around.

Because all the members received an equal share of the mocking, it formed a strange sort of bond between the fans.

- Don’t feed the animals, everyone

- Idol Inc. ended a long time ago. Why are they still obsessed with rankings? They’re not fans at all, not of a single one of the members

└ This. If they were real fans, they wouldn’t lose their sh*t in the comments like that LOL

- They’re talking like they know the show when all they’ve seen is a few episodes. No need to let these idiots sway us, guys. Just focus on TeSTAR

- Yeah, TeSTAR’s doing so well. We don’t need to waste energy on them. Blame the stupid agency

This wasn’t just surface-level talk at this point—the fans were really starting to form a united fandom. It was around this time that a special event appeared on the horizon—TeSTAR’s first fansign.