Chapter 67

If we can't debut, I'll get a disease that will kill me - Chapter 067

The sudden emergence of the baseball club concept was due to the department head.

It seems that the department head rejected the existing concept presented by the staff last night.

"Because the department head decided to go with a cartoon-like world, and for a school setting cartoon, he said sports, so, well, it was decided to be the baseball club."

For reference, the existing concept was retro.

'This school-related world might be a bit of a stretch.'

But at least it would have suited the disco songs.

Disco and the baseball club... they were completely unrelated.

The staff, knowing this, kept talking about the songs.

They must have felt wronged, but they were clearly regretting bringing up the department head.

"Although we did work under a tight schedule, we think the song turned out well."

"Hmm, yes."

Come to think of it, it did sound familiar. It was originally the debut song for the 〈Azusa〉 qualifiers. The arrangement was a bit different, and there were no lyrics yet.

"I hope you can choose a concept that isn't too distant from such a youthful style of students."

"Yes, I'll do my best."

"If it doesn't work out, just picking the song would be fine too!"

"Ah... Yes."

"Don't worry, just let us know quickly~"

'They don't really have high hopes.'

I could only feel the desperation of a working professional trying to meet the deadline.

'Time is really short.'

If things got more urgent, it felt like 'Testa's participation' would only be used for marketing, and the company would handle everything else.

The prospects for the hastily prepared album... well, they weren't very promising.

"Thank you!"

The atmosphere among the members as they left the meeting was ambiguous.

Everyone instinctively felt that their debut performance would be a disaster.

Ryu Cheong-woo spoke up.

"Let's do our best until we can't anymore, shall we?"

"Yeah."

"Let's at least use the studio!"

Surprisingly, the consensus was to work through the night to get results quickly.

They were used to producing results first and then worrying, a habit from the auditions where they had run themselves ragged.

"Hey, guys, wait a moment!"

Noticing the manager urgently contacting the reality show production team, I had a strong premonition.

'I won't be getting more than 5 hours of sleep for a while.'

The grand march to organize the debut activities within a month was just beginning.

* * *

The studio for the reality show was hastily set up in the basement of a building near the company.

'The company doesn't even have extra studios or dance practice rooms yet.'

It was a company that lacked both mental and physical structure.

"Hi~"

"We're starting work now!"

After giving a suitable response to the camera, the discussion began immediately.

"Let's choose between 2 and 7. Majority rule?"

"Yes!"

I want to push for 7.

The result was 4:3.

"Then 2?"

"Yes~"

2 won.

'... This is going to be tough.'

Those who voted for 2 were Ryu Cheong-woo, Big Sejin, Seon Ah-hyun, and Lee Sejin.

"Since the company's song is an upbeat disco, it might be better for us to choose a more listenable song."

"2, with its medium tempo, is quite listenable. It has a nostalgic youth feel, and it could work well with the school concept."

"Me, me too... 2."

In summary, they were considering the company's song and the school concept.

'Hmm.'

I wanted to persuade them, but since the majority rule was applied from the start, it was awkward to bring it up. If I didn't accept the result, my persuasion would lose credibility.

'Maybe I should bring it up again later.'

And a short while later, the timing arrived with an unwelcome piece of news.

"Huh? Whoa!"

"Ah..."

While eating dinner and checking their smartphones, they saw this article.

[June's Comeback War, from VTIC to Cha Dolce]

The article summarized the artists making comebacks in June.

Among them, VTIC was listed for the second week of June.

Our scheduled date was right around that time.

'Shit.'

So... the artist who could crush Testa's debut performance, backed by 〈Azusa〉, was making a comeback at the same time.

"If the article is true... our activity week will overlap with VTIC's seniors, right?"

Big Sejin mumbled after quickly calculating.

"... We might be able to get their autographs."

"Ugh, um..."

The members made awkward sounds and forced smiles.

If the schedule was fixed, it would essentially mean giving up on winning the music show's number one spot.

Moreover, given how the company has been operating, the situation was clear.

'Given the department head's enthusiasm, he'll probably say we have a chance against VTIC. Even if the staff try to persuade him, he might only delay it by a week at most.'

In the best-case scenario, we'd be up against VTIC's second week.