Chapter 190
Debut or Die
Of course, I had guessed that the new idol group selected by season 4 of would come to the agency.
It was just, things were getting a little more interesting now.
âNaturally, I thought they would hire a new person in charge for that part.â
Testar was still in their 2nd year, so the company was going to hire someone here.
For the sake of a group that hadnât entered and gotten a proper estimate yet.
âOh~ Weâre getting juniors, too! Ah, but instead of hiring new ones, our employees are going there? Arenât you getting too much work?â
âTheyâll hire new ones, too! But it seems theyâre trying to distribute some of the experienced people. Donât worry, hyung isnât going~ Theyâll send off the second manager!â
âHaha~â
Keun Sejin laughed brightly at the managerâs joking remarks, but he must have roughly guessed the atmosphere since he had experience with big and small agencies.
âThe director has left Testar and hold onto the junior group.â
To be exact, he was fed up with Testarâs fans.
From the directorâs perspective, it was right to think that his predecessors had already been replaced two times at a fast pace and that the fans would get furious if he did anything.
In fact, Testarâs fans were already watching the agency closely.
âAnd the members even oppose his vision.â
That American disease.
The new group had also been through that crazy survival show and had formed enough fandom, so it wasnât strange that he turned the central manpower to that side and dreamed of a new vision.
âOur companyâs performance is good these days~ People with better skills will come, donât worry too much!â
âYes, yes!â
What do I think?
âItâs a great profit.â
It was great.
The company wouldnât want to pick a fight with the fans again, so they would take care of it properly.
In that case, this situation where the director could only pull capital investment without interfering was the best.
After all, we could plan on our own.
âIs this the second coming of the payment bot?â
However, there was one thing that bothered me.
There was a risk factor that they might stop investing properly in the new album and tried to turn the tour around.
âWeâre being treated like a cash cow.â
There was a good chance that the director would go crazy when he saw the sales volume once he checked the profits after this tour ended.
Now that he had other options to care about and grow on his own, it would be difficult if Testar asked him to withdraw money.
So what are the countermeasures?
Itâs simple.
âWe just need to make sure that they canât give up their capital investment in Testar.â
Three and a half years until the end of the contract.
In the meantime, we had to steadily keep growing.
It scratched both the economic aspect âbecause theyâre bigger, we can increase the scale of their tourâ and the honor-seeking aspect âthe singer under me has become so greatâ.
âLooking at the personality of the director this time, he wonât be able to give it up.â
Therefore, Testarâs external atmosphere was important during this tour.
It was the first long hiatus. We should manage our popularity beyond showing our faces at the awards ceremonies.
However, with the already tight schedule, we couldnât put in additional activities in Korea.
Then there was only one answer.
âWeâll have to present the reality show better than planned.â
To increase the scale of the schedule that was set.
âIâll have to be proactive.â
It was the first time I made this resolution since , so letâs grab the content and the personalities in a more provocative way.
âAre we going to watch our juniors??â
âIt will be difficult right now.â
I could hear Ryu Chungwoo answering Cha Eugeneâs words nearby.
And he was right.
The departure for the tour was tomorrow.
* * *
After the well-received Seoul concert, Testar left for America.
During the award ceremony season in January, they went to Japan, which was close to Korea, so that they could go back and forth quickly.
And the fans who used up all the content at the concert were sucking their fingers.
It was just around that time that the last episode of season 4, which drew aggro with Testarâs concert, was aired.
[Controversial ⦠Is the grand finale coming to an end?]
[ Season 4âs debut name âMirinay (Miry-nay)â has been finalized]
[âs New Season Winners, living under the same roof as Testar?]
In response to Testar fansâ sharp reaction, Tnet also slipped out, and Testarâs concert only briefly appeared as a nuance to praise themselves.
However, even if it wasnât for this issue, season 4 had failed to properly shake off numerous gossip.
Because Season 3 Testar was so good that they were constantly compared to each other, and it came out with a more stimulating composition each time.
â Even if I am a survival nerd, I canât stand this season, go away
â Looking back, season 3 is like a fairy
â After watching its craziness, I escaped to Testarã ã
The programâs image was at its worst, due to the accusations of being overly sadistic and squeezing the dreams and hopes of aspiring candidates, and testimonies from participants who dropped out.
Therefore, apart from the success of the program, the public felt uncomfortable about the group that was launched through this season.
So, naturally, Testarâs fans didnât want to be deeply involved. Even more so because they were creating their own image and worldview after their debut.
â Donât tie them up together
â I want to know what the kids are up to but I feel uncomfortable
â Itâs nice that youâre quiet when you release the group. As expected, losing is the answer
However, except for a few articles, there was no particular reckless act from the agency, so the hostility was not strong yet.
There were a lot more fans who were paying attention to Testarâs news, which was not long before this.
â Itâs been a long time since I saw the kidsâ faces, they left right after the pre-recording of Gayo Daejeon (photo taken on the way home)
â Come to the W app, guysã ã Thereâs no content these days and Iâm boredâ¦
â 2X1221 New Jersey Concert Preview (photo)
â Moondaeâs solo has been modified to sit on a chair and rise up. Itâs more stable, but itâs a bit disappointingã I hope the Seoul Concert V0D will be released immediately
Testar was not in Korea throughout December except for the year-end programs on public TV and big awards ceremonies.
Besides, except for a short W live to celebrate Park Moondaeâs birthday, they only heard the news of the tour.
There was no news of their own content. The behind-the-scenes footage of the concert was not uploaded either, probably because it was on VOD.
Naturally, people who were worried and freaking out began to appear.
It was an inductive reasoning formed by past experiences of KPOP enthusiasts.
â Looking at the atmosphere right now, I donât think there will be any content throughout the tour.
â Motherf*cking bastards, Itâs obvious that Testarâs new content will be put on the back burner to take care of the rookies by taking out Testarâs manpower. Itâs not just once or twice this has happened
-Enjoy the awards season to the fullest Loviewers, this year is the end of watching Testar on domestic music shows for three weeks every time they make a comebackã ã
â F*ck, Itâs only been 2 years since our kids debuted. Donât tell me they will go on a tour all around. Promise me theyâll make a comeback twice a year at least, you f*cking bastards
â Itâs time to gradually reorganize activities focusing on overseas, but each one is too big.
Some people even went this far.
â I hope that the next album will not be well received overseas so that they can focus on Korea
âDonât say things like that with the kidsâ profile
âI am not even Shamstar[1]In case youâve forgotten, Shamstar is Testarâs modified name to prevent searches. , so whatâs wrong with that?ã ã Getting more popular here wonât help you at all. They donât come to Korea and only fan sign cuts will f*cking increase. My initial determination is broken. Itâs the shortest way to get rid of early-days fans
In fact, it wasnât like they hadnât heard from Testar for over a month or two, so it was too early to say anything like that.
The problem was that Testar had been working nonstop like a cow, so news usually poured out every day.
The news, which was delivered on all kinds of SNS and videos even during the vacation, was suddenly cut off, so this brief silence alone agitated people.
â The tour just started and it overlapped with the year-end programs, so of course they must be busy
âWhat are you saying? Shamstar is hanging out everywhereã I guess leaving the country is for sightseeing rather than the tourã
â I am only saying it here.. Iâm a bit sad that itâs difficult to upload a picture of them goofing around
âThatâs right ã ã· The birthday celebration at the last concert⦠In the end, they did a lot of things that didnât solve anythingã ã
â Itâs a mess. I wonder if the idol has been too nice to you or if there are a lot of people who havenât been a fan before; Iâm sad and sick of everything
Still, itâs not that there wasnât any content at all thanks to the appearances in the year-end programs, so it was December when these voices were treated lightly
And on the last day of December, when fans felt sorry for Testar who also appeared in a pre-recorded event at MBSâ Gayo Daejejeon.
A notification came on Testarâs official WeTube channel.
Ring.
[(Trailer) Happy New Year! Testarâs new reality show with the New Year!]
The thumbnail was a picture of seven figures sitting on the beach.
âAh, finally!â
âYeah, you should release at least a reality show, itâs a vacuum!â
âSince theyâre on tour, itâs probably going to be like a boring documentary, but itâs okay! Itâs still content!â
Fans quickly clicked on the thumbnail, relieved by the New Yearâs gift.
And they got a bit perplexed by the video that was playing.
ââ¦??â
First of all⦠The high notes of magnificent brass instruments and vocalists roared.
Bam bam bam bam bam bambam!!
[Urgh!]
[Argh!]
[Wow,]
[Oops!!]
[Ugh!]
The scenes of each Testa member screaming and sighing to that beat quickly passed by.
[â¦]
And finally, Bae Sejin, who was completely frozen and raising his hands, was captured for a long time.
On the floor, spilled ice cream could be seen.
-???
-ã ã Hn?
â What is thisã ã ã
Leaving the bewildered real-time reaction behind, the video suddenly calmed down.
The peaceful daily life of Testar being interviewed suddenly followed.
The question was also simple.
[Have you ever had a part-time job?]
[Lee Sejin: Yes!]
[Chungwoo: I helped my parentsâ store?]
[Bae Sejin: â¦No. (Nervous) W-Why do you ask?]
White text appeared on a black screen.
[Just becauseã ]
And the scene changed again.
The production team shouted at Testar, who was wearing a suit during a business trip and carrying their briefcases.
[Everyone! Are you ready for the reality show shooting? This time, the theme is free travel!]
[Lee Sejin: Wow!!]
[Seon Ahyeon: Really?]
[Of course! Feel free to go around!]
And the heartwarming cuts of Testar having a good time in groups of two or three people at exotic beaches or restaurants flashed by.
With this red caption.
[â»A fee will be charged.â»]
Again, white text appeared significantly on a black screen.
[As expected, Testar⦠Will they be able to safely earn money and go out to play!?]
[Eugene: I want to go home.]
[Moondae: Please let us goâ¦]
Park Moondae and Cha Eugene, who covered their eyes with both hands, came out futile and funny.
[Testarâs reality showshowshow]
[Idol Working Holiday]
[Episode 1 will be released on Thursday, January 9th!]
Of course, it was a taste of full-fledged public entertainment that the fans didnât see coming.
* * *
âTodayâs sales finally exceed $1,000, so I think we can go to the theme park tomorrow without debt.â
âWow!â
There was applause all around. The members stretched out with proud faces and gave high fives.
âW-Would you like this?â
âThank you.â
I took the plum juice that Seon Ahyeon made. I was quite proud.
âEveryone worked hard.â
If this continued, we would be able to move smoothly without debt⦠Wait a minute.
ââ¦â
âThis⦠I donât think this is a variety show anymoreâ¦?â
Everyone was too immersed.
When I realized that in the filming site, we were more serious about paying off debt than playing around, I broke into a cold sweat
âHow can I save this?â
I am afraid I canât.
I guess Iâll have to encourage wasting money.
1. In case youâve forgotten, Shamstar is Testarâs modified name to prevent searches.