Chapter 191
Debut or Die
In fact, when this reality program was planned, it had a simple travel and healing concept.
With the directorâs American disease and the part that reacted to American culture added, this composition was very obvious.
âItâs going to end with only a few fans watching.â
You got the estimate.
Well-known idols appeared only to heal, so how could they stay popular for so long?
So, the reality show crew was languishing, too. Because they were already having fun picking out provocative images that tormented the cast.
So it was quite easy to fish around.
â Wouldnât it be fun if there are curves in the program? Like earning money for the trip on your ownâ¦
â Wouldnât it??
We fell for it right away.
The director was already distracted by the prospective junior group, so the change of proposal easily passed.
And, as expected, the reality show crew began to reconstruct the concept of âearning money on your own and playingâ in the most stimulating way.
â¦That meant I didnât expect to get hit at the back of my head by a debt claim on the first day of filming.
âAh~ I was so worn out that day that it was so hard to recover.â
âThatâs right. I learned the importance of responsible consumptionâ¦â
âWhat did we eat back then? Lobster?â
âLobster and King Crab! It was very delicious!â
âYes, it was deliciousâ¦â
Cha Eugeneâs bright remarks made some people look sad. It was understandable.
âThe crew deliberately drove us to an expensive course.â
â No~ you really can go anywhere!
By saying it like this.
All of the members commented that the nuance sounded like âplaying to your heartâs content on the first day will motivate you to work hard to go play againâ.
So on the first day, we watched dolphins, ate lobsters, and slept at a luxury resort in Cape May, New Jersey.
And here was the amount charged.
âBut I didnât expect to be charged a whole $4,000.â
âI know, right.â
It was about 4.5 million won in Korean won.
If I hadnât reduced the price to $1,800 by asking, âShouldnât we stay at the dorm even if we didnât play?â I would still be in debt.
It was a very shocking start, but looking back, it certainly had been fun.
Itâs not that I didnât really have that money, it was betrayal and shock in an entertainment show, so there was nothing particularly sadistic about it.
âAll the staff laughedâ¦â
I remembered Bae Sejin looking at them with a face full of betrayal.
Anyway, I had worked like a cow ever since, paid off the debt in three days, and saved $800 for the theme park tomorrow.
It was more fun than expected.
ââ¦I was so immersed in it because making money was addictive.â
Cash came and went, but it felt different when I got it in my hands.
We played one more time in the middle, but I didnât think it had much of an impact because all we did was run around the beach snacking on things to save money as much as possible.
âSo this time, itâs better to edit it with some stimulation.â
âAll right, letâs plan it out tomorrow.â
âF-Fighting!â
âTestar is doing great today, too~â
The theme park tomorrow seemed like a good opportunity. I would make us spend all our savings and put us back into debt.
The tickets to the amusement park and safari alone would already cost $450, so there was about $350 left⦠Each person spending 50,000 won would be quick.
âItâs easy.â
I just had to target Cha Eugene.
I took off my apron and hung it by the sink.
Anyway, I hoped they would just enjoy the program.
* * *
Testarâs reality show was carried out in the form of two episodes being released weekly.
However, only those who signed up for a paid membership could see the sequel right away, and general users had to wait three more days to watch the sequel.
It was a preview arrangement that showed a determination to take care of both money and popularity.
And their determination worked well.
[Testar going crazy at Working Holiday Reality show is revealed todayã ã ã ]
The reaction to the first episode, where Testar was scammed by the production crew from the airport and eventually started a part-time job to repay the interest-free loan, was very hot.
The percentage of paid membership subscribers increased noticeably.
In addition, Park Moondae had one more goal that was mixed in here.
That nuance was revealed in the scene where Testar finally realized the existence of the debt.
[Here it is~ The small store we rented! You can make a profit there!]
[Kim Raebin: Gasp.]
[Ryu Chungwoo: A-Are the items already decided? What kind of store is it?]
[Itâs not decided yet, but if the cost exceeds $100, it is added to the debt!]
[Lee Sejin: Heol.]
And a shameless caption appeared.
[Whatever you want~ You can sell anythingã ã ]
But right after that, Park Moondae, who had been calmly listening to the production team without expression, said this.
[Park Moondae: Then letâs sell hotteok.]
(TL notes: Hotteok = Korean sweet pancake.)
[????]
[Seon Ahyeon: Hotteok?]
[Lee Sejin: Moondae, do you want to eat hotteok?]
[Park Moondae: No, itâs not an obvious choice of menu, but I think there will be some competitiveness. The cost is cheap, and the taste is good. I think you just have to do well with the customers⦠I think everyone will be fine.]
It was a convincing tone. Sounds like âOhâ and âThatâs fineâ began to come out here and there.
The idols, who had been hit in the back of their heads so many times even before their debut and got used to it, quickly understood the situation on their own and began to pioneer a survival route.
The weak point where Testar could be boring and frustrating if dragged too one-sidedly by the production crew had disappeared.
Rather, the production crew began to panic.
[Lee Sejin: But is there a place that sells them?]
[Seon Ahyeon: Wouldnât there be a Korean mart nearbyâ¦? Many Koreans live in New Jersey⦠I think I heard something like that!]
[Park Mundae: Yes. And I am good at making hotteok.]
[Lee Sejin: Oh~ So confident!]
[Cha Eugene: Iâm in! (Expresssion of confidence)]
[Ryu Chungwoo: Thatâs nice. Ah, it would go well with chocolate or ice cream on top.]
Even Bae Sejin nodded with a nervous face, and the agreement was over in an instant.
Ryu Chungwoo answered the production team refreshingly.
[Ryu Chungwoo: Okay. Weâll sell hotteok.]
[PD: I-Is that so? Donât you want to consider anything else? Well, it doesnât have to be food, there are a lot of other things~]
[Cha Eugene: Nope!]
With the memberâs clear refusal, the image of the PD looking at the sky entered the cut scene.
[Expecting a lot of trial and error from Testar]
[Weâve prepared a lot of mini-games]
[But in the end, we couldnât use any of them and sent them back to Koreaâ¦]
Along with the blue sky, lively country music played hilariously.
[âDecided to open Testarâs hotteok storeâ]
[(It took 5 minutes)]
That was how Testar started the hotteok business in the corner of an American beachâ¦That was the composition.
It was a choice that captured all three types of popularity: money, food, and gukppong.
[That employee is cute!]
[Hotteok? Itâs crispy and delicious.]
And after a lot of twists and turns while hearing compliments from foreigners who didnât know Testar, the scene of selling hotteok was briefly inserted as a preview.
It was no wonder that people couldnât resist this familiar taste of entertainment and paid for the paid membership.
â The production crew is so evil. So funnyã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã
â ã ã Itâs so cute when Testar was surprised. Please tell us a lot of behind-the-scenes stories, too!
â Wow, an idol reality show is doing something like this, too. Itâs cool and itâs a lot of funã ã ã ã
â Foreignerâs reaction to hotteok? This taste⦠Itâs the taste of gukppong!
â I didnât expect it to be this funny. Hurry up, show the next episode
There were a lot of comments from people who were full of expectations.
Fortunately, their expectations were not betrayed.
In the second episode that followed, Testar started running the store, boasting quite good teamwork.
And up to episode 3 where they took time off to see the beach a few days later, the reality show progressed at a fun and fast tempo.
[What club are you in? Are you a college student? A high school student?]
[Similar! Dancing, singing~]
The scene where Cha Eugene smiled and said something half-truthful made the taste of the so-called âMeta who hides his powerâ could be felt properly.
Peopleâs reactions to the second and third episodes, which faithfully met their expectations, didnât cool down.
â Hey, these guys are doing a really good job, they wonât starve anywhereã ã ã ã
-Itâs smart that they spread food taster and drink coupons on the beach for promotion. As expected, Lee Sejin is a genius;
-Chungwoo is hot even by American standards⦠I knew it.
â Hotteok ice cream is really crazy. Is it only Americans who can order? Loviewers want it tooã
â Cooking: Park Moondae, Kim Raebin
Taking orders: Seon Ahyeon, Cha Eugene
Serving: Lee Sejin, Ryu Chungwoo
Hamster: Bae Sejin
The best combination
âã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã
âWhy is only Bae Sejin the hamsterã ã ã ã ã ã
âOur hamster is working hardã ã
As the entertainment-type personalities were discovered, there was also the effect of having the image of the members softened.
And finally, the emotional moment when they finally exceeded $1,000 in sales and went to the theme park.
Testarâs determination to deliberately spend money only on their savings was smashed, causing a burst of laughter as the scene went through editing.
The trigger was Park Moondae, as determined by Park Moondae.
[Park Moondae: Thatâs cute.]
[Lee Sejin: Heol~ Moondae, if we buy something like that, our budget is over!]
[Park Moondae: â¦.Right. Sorry.]
Park Moondae reacted a little sullenly to Lee Sejinâs gag skit at the souvenir shop.
After Keun Sejinâs backpedaling, numerous exclamation marks were edited, and Cha Eugene intervened.
[Cha Eugene: Buy it! Letâs buy it!]
[Kim Raebin: Huh??]
[Seon Ahyeon: Right, I think itâll be fineâ¦!]
[Cha Yujin: Weâll work again! Earn money again!]
[Bae Sejin: T-Thatâs true, butâ¦]
It just so happened that Ryu Chungwoo was away.
The moment Bae Sejin, the eldest, was flustered by Cha Eugeneâs assertive claim, Cha Eugene deliberately pretended to be pitiful.
[Cha Eugene: Letâs enjoy it today! Weâre working hardâ¦]
[Bae Sejin: â¦Then, just this time.]
[Cha Eugene: Yeah!]
That was how Testar went shopping at the souvenir shop with the rationalization âLetâs buy it just this onceâ.
The caption from the happy production team appeared.
[Of course, it doesnât end with just this one timeâ¡]
They were right.
Saying that it was easy once you tried it, Testar went through a similar pattern and started buying all kinds of souvenirs and snacks.
And in the end, they began to reach out to the production teamâs finance.
[Ask for this much~ Guys, thatâs the money you can earn by working for 3 hours!]
[Seon Ahyeon: Thatâs true, butâ¦]
[Cha Eugene: Thatâs right!]
[Bae Sejin: (Confused)]
[It doesnât have interests so who cares? Everyone, this is your first trip to the US!]
The result of falling for this trick.
[Todayâs settlement⦠Wow! Minus 1,012 dollars!]
[!!!!]
It ended like this.
[You have to work hard, everyone~]
Episode 4 ended with Testar hugging dolls, cushions, and hats, and returning to the dorm with confused faces.
â ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã ã The kids lost all their money, what should I do!!
â This is why loan s are dangerous.
-The production crew prevented these unfortunate guys from working for more than 7 hours a day to manage their tour conditions and encourages debtã ã
âEven if the kids beg to sell a little more because people are rushing in, they say, âItâs for you guys ^^â Iâve never heard such a wickedly nice sound
âã ã ã ã ã ã ã¹ã n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
The Gold Disc Awards was even held in the week when the story of the Testarâs theme park money squandering ended.
That meant it was the week Testar entered the country.
The viewers of the reality show had already waiting been for that day.
Because it was an opportunity to laugh when the number of cases was caught even if just a little.
â Please add hotteok to Testarâs fan chant
â Ah, I think Iâll laugh just by looking at their faces
â I canât wait to see you guys, seriouslyã ã ã ã ã ã
â It would be legendary if they even certify it with the souvenirs
But it wasnât just their fans who were waiting for Testarâs domestic schedule.
* * *
âHuft.â
The evening of Testarâs arrival.
Sitting in the lobby for company staff, the rookie idol waited quite a long time to meet Testar.
ââ¦I heard they would stop by the office today.â
The news was delivered by their manager, who also worked as Testarâs manager, so his words were reliable.
The idol clasped her hands together and thought calmly.
âGet a grip. I have to say it well today.â
Just then, the automatic door to the parking lot opened.
ââ¦!â
What appeared after that⦠were several tall men wearing hats and masks.
They were Testar.
âTheyâre hereâ¦!â
The rookie idol jumped up and ran toward them.
âHello, sunbae-nim!â
The rookie from the same company as Testar, the participant who debuted in second place in Season 4 bowed her head to them.
âYes? Ah, yes. Hello.â
âAh, nice to meet you.â
âYes! Iâm terribly sorry, but if you donât mind, can I talk to you for a secondâ¦!â
ââ¦â
It was extremely polite and desperate.
It was like a new employeeâs attitude toward their boss.
âUhâ¦â
Among Testar members who exchanged glances with slight bewilderment, Park Moondae was slightly impressed.
âOh.â
He had a feeling.
He felt like she was going to unravel the story of the director.