Chapter 68

If we can't debut, I'll get a deadly disease - Chapter 068

“……”

A moment of silence, like a lie, passed.

The department head asked, as if he had just heard an unexpected joke.

“…Magical girl? You mean the kind for kids, like Luna Moon?”

“Yes.”

Before the department head could become displeased, Park Moondae quickly clarified the situation.

Thud.

“Of course, I don't mean real children's magical girls.”

The PPT advanced to the next slide, showing dreamy props.

A classroom window gleaming in the sunset.

A sky-themed background on a cracked feature phone.

A classroom clock with a purple effect.

……

“However, if we only take the symbolic motifs of this genre and restructure them, it can be a highly competitive genre. With the recent trend of retro aesthetics, it can appeal to both the masses and be forward-thinking.”

“…Hmm.”

Park Moondae displayed a few examples of retro marketing on the PPT. Among them was a viral SNS campaign conducted by T1, the parent company of their agency.

“Moreover, if we combine the dreamy atmosphere of the songs with the keywords 'youth' and 'magic,' I believe we can also achieve artistic value through elements like art films.”

Art.

He had hit a weak spot of the department head, a high-ranking official.

Park Moondae had noticed what kind of image the department head expected from this agency's business when he talked about self-produced idols.

‘He wants it to look impressive; it’s bound to work.’

He had already talked enough about mass appeal, so he had also sufficiently defended the commercial aspect.

“Here are the related image references and arrangement proposals.”

Park Moondae flipped through the PPT, showing additional image materials selected with the members.

Finally, he played a short version of the 7th song.

It was the chorus part.

But it felt different from the demo.

“……!”

“I plan to proceed with the overall arrangement in this direction.”

Kim Raebin, who was standing next to him to present the materials, nodded slightly.

Seeing his satisfaction gave a strange sense of relief, and the other members also felt a bit relieved.

‘He must have been up all night working on this.’

It was fortunate that Ryu Cheongwoo had a car and a driver's license, so they could just send a message to the manager and go to the studio.

Of course, the manager was shocked when he saw the message in the morning.

“O……”

The department head let out a strange exclamation and soon nodded.

Then he clapped.

“Ah, definitely, we need young and talented people. To prepare and present everything in just one day, wow~”

‘He seems to like it.’

Park Moondae suppressed a smirk.

The department head, who was boasting to the staff that the new hires were better than the current ones, finally got to the main point.

“Great~ Let's proceed with this.”

“Thank you!”

“Ah, I'm okay with this. The other department heads, the old folks, don't really understand this kind of thing~”

Park Moondae smiled as professionally as possible, as if dealing with a professor.

By the way, the members, seeing this, were exchanging glances, wondering how much they wanted to do the 7th song.

“Right. I have one more thing to say, with the trust of the department head.”

“Hmm?”

Park Moondae flipped one more slide, which he thought was over.

“This is about the song the company has been working on.”

“……?”

“Ah, the baseball team concept was really great, wasn't it? Right?”

“Of course!”

“I really wanted to try it once.”

“I heard the department head chose it. Thank you!”

Park Moondae and the members exchanged the pre-planned responses enthusiastically.

‘I’ll finish this before the company people realize what’s happening.’

“So, to make the traditional baseball team feel stronger, instead of disco, how about adding another genre?”

“What, what?”

Park Moondae smiled faintly.

“How about rock?”

* * *

Two weeks before Testa's debut date, which was officially announced by the agency.

An article appeared on a portal site.

[Testa to debut on June 18]

[Debut of large rookie Testa from an audition]

[Testa (TeSTAR) appears... Chaos in June music scene]

Although the debut date was about five days later than the original deadline, the fans' reaction was still enthusiastic.

Because there had been no news for the past two weeks.

- Finally!

- It seems something was in progress. Phew…

- 20 days left. Finally, I can wait in peace.

- The kids haven't posted anything on their SNS except the first post. Please do your best, guys! They must be busy with the album, right? :(

- The reality show schedule is also set. I hope the preview comes out soon.

Some fans were slightly worried about the overlap with VTIC's schedule, but they couldn't delay the debut that was already announced, so they just had to accept it.

- The kids must be happy. :D I heard some members really respect VTIC.

- Well, it's not a simultaneous release, just a week apart, so it should be fine.

- I can see Min and Cheongryeong again.

└ Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Fans chatted about various topics, using the news as a starting point.

While there were some who expressed dissatisfaction, the majority were still willing to wait.

And a week later.

With only two weeks left until the comeback.

- Why is there nothing?

People exploded.

- Is the agency not working?

- It's time for teaser images to come out, but why aren't they showing up? The kids' SNS is also silent.

- How can there be no news at all? It doesn't make sense.

- Did they lock the kids on an island? There are no sightings.

- Are they neglecting the kids and embezzling the agency's investment? I won't let it slide.

The atmosphere was so tense that it seemed a statement would be issued at any moment. The hastily created agency website was already inaccessible due to traffic overload.

Just as the internet was about to tear apart from the explosive anger, that day.

- Mimi, what's this? (link)

The teaser appeared at midnight that night.

* * *

[TeSTAR (테스타) 'Magical Boy' Official Teaser]

“……”

The thumbnail showed two hands reaching up to the sky. The sky, a mix of yellow and purple, caught the eye.

But when you clicked play, a sudden black screen appeared.

Click.

English narration flowed with subtitles.

[When I was a child, I always returned home before sunset.]

[There was never a moon in that daily routine.]

[And now]

[I look out the window from inside the classroom.]

[The sunset was setting.]

Rustle - Click.

The sound of film being projected was heard.

At that moment, the sunset sky filled the screen.

Golden and purple light, red sunlight, clashed chaotically.

The sound of a music box played.

♫♪♩♪-♫♪♫♪-♪♩-

Two musical scales dripped like water, dyeing the screen dreamily.

The camera slowly pulled back. The fantastic sky was framed by a white border.

It was a window with a curtain fluttering.

And, a figure leaning against the window was seen.

[……]

The back of a black-haired boy in a white summer uniform.

Around him were scattered old gloves and baseballs.

The boy shifted slightly, and the sunset light poured in.

♫♪♩♪-♫♪♫♪-♪♩-

The moment the boy's white uniform turned pink in the sunset.

The fluttering curtain spread wide, shining white and breaking like crystals.

Pitter-patter…

The transparent crystal pieces fell onto the boy's back, scattering the purple sunset in all directions.

It was a dazzling display of colors.

And.

The screen turned black.

[Magical Boy]

[06.18. 00 : 00]

“……”

The 30-second short video ended there.

But the number of views proved the reaction.

[Views: 5,191,045]

It was an incredible momentum.

It's said that it reached three million in just one day.

Considering that Testa had no significant overseas base, it was a remarkable achievement.

“How is it?”

“P, people… like it?”

I nodded.

“Yeah.”

“T, that's a relief…!”

Some members, who were doing internet detox for their mental health before the debut, collapsed on the floor.

The tension seemed to have drained them, making their eyes dark with fatigue.

‘It’s understandable.’

Honestly, if the reaction had been bad, I would have been mentally drained too.

Because I've been working like a sleepless cow for the past 25 days….

‘…But the timing is still tight.’

Actually, the teaser was supposed to be released later. The editing of the 'Magical Boy' music video wasn't even finished yet.

But if they waited any longer, the people waiting might have stressed out to the point of bleeding, so everyone tried to release it as soon as possible.

‘The agency finally seemed a bit scared.’

Anyway, the reaction was overwhelmingly… good.

- What is this insane quality?

- How did they come up with this concept? I'm really confused. Can you give me your bank account number?

- The kids are already fun. It's already a hit.

- What? Magical Boy? You guys are my magic… Ahhh…

- That's why there was no news. They were making this… Well, there's nothing we can do. Okay, I understand.

- My wallet belongs to Testa. Reserved by the teaser.

There were no comments that gently criticized the fans. The reviews were so good that any negative comments were pushed down.

To me, the teaser looked great.

They chose the right parts to reveal from the song, and the direction was appropriate.

‘It was a good choice to show only the back, so people wouldn't know who was in it.’

If they had shown just one person in the teaser for a group debuting through a survival show, who knows what might have happened.

And most importantly, the visual quality, which poured in capital, was excellent. It was like they made up for the lack of time with money.

‘The expectations are really high, but since the song is good, it should be able to meet them.’

Additional content will keep coming out in the next few days, so there's no reason for fans to be anxious.

“…Guys, let's pull ourselves together and prepare again.”

“Yes……”

Ryu Cheongwoo's tired voice made the members rise like zombies.

I also joined, putting my smartphone aside.

“Good job. Now, the music video… we only have this song left to shoot.”

“Wow……”

“The schedule will focus on dance practice.”

“……”

It was a hellish schedule.

“Yes!”

In the oppressive silence, only Cha Yujin's enthusiastic response echoed.

At that moment, a staff member approached.

“The setup is complete~”

“Yes!”

The second music video shoot was almost wrapping up.

Actually, considering that they usually start shooting at least a month in advance, this was a crazy schedule.

‘…It means everyone involved will be working all night.’

By the way, the director who shot 'Magical Boy' is also shooting this.

‘This company, the staff definitely know how to work.’

They somehow managed to secure a well-known up-and-coming director. It seemed they had poached him through connections.

It was a move befitting T1, which had ambitiously gathered experienced professionals.

…The problem is the unpredictable department head and the chaotic company system, which could explode at any time.

Especially, the higher-ups who, blinded by the hype of 'Testa is with this agency,' started pushing for a debut within a month, should quit immediately.

……Let's erase that from my mind for now.

I need to work, but this is just causing unnecessary stress.

“Everyone, have you all memorized your parts for the shoot?”

“I didn’t have anything special to memorize.”

“Me neither!”

“Oh, right~ We don’t have anything special. Sejin, you must be working hard, right?”

“…Not really.”

Lee Sejin answered grumpily, but he didn’t seem uncooperative.

By chance, both music videos had storylines, so they decided to make good use of the members who were former child actors.

‘Hmm, it wouldn’t hurt to encourage him to work a bit harder.’

I approached Lee Sejin.

“Actually, I was quite impressed watching you. …You really did a great job.”

“……”

It wasn’t a complete lie. He definitely had the skills. Among them, he was the only one who didn’t look amateurish in an unedited shot.

“Moondae, I understand your feelings. He’s the one who’s embarrassed by the solo shots in the teaser, where only the back is shown~”

An unexpected comment came from an unexpected person.

When I turned to look, Lee Sejin quickly averted his gaze and pretended to be busy. That kid is really….

“…I was trying to make a living with that, so I have to do well.”

“Huh?”

Lee Sejin didn’t say anything more. He just followed the staff with a slightly sullen face.

‘Does he react like this even when praised?’

I suppressed a sigh. It was a waste of energy to get annoyed.

“Alright, let’s start with the group dance scene~”

“Yes!”

I adjusted my posture to match the dance formation and mentally reviewed the schedule.

Originally, the concept photos should have been released first, but the schedule was delayed due to the teaser, so they are expected to be released around the time the album is released.

‘So, the reality show will probably be released first.’

Actually, I thought the preview would have been released the previous week, but it was already quite late. There were only a few days left until the main episode.

And as expected, the reality show preview was uploaded that night.

[Testa's Co-Living TEST]

[Friday, June 8, 7:00 PM, Grand Premiere!]