Chapter 71

If we can't debut, I'll get a fatal disease 071

The new teaser video started with a cheerful voice.

- High-five~

Against the backdrop of what appeared to be a school playground and a clear blue sky, Cha Yujin waved and shouted.

Behind Cha Yujin, the members were seen forming a dance formation.

They all wore perfectly fitting striped baseball uniforms. The members, who were warming up, suddenly started the choreography to the sudden start of the chorus.

- This shot

Tang Tang Tang

Will fit perfectly

- In your heart

Pang Pang Pang

Like a fanfare!

- Burst out!

It was an energetic choreography with large movements and finely divided beats.

When the chorus ended, the screen froze on the final pose, which was a pose with one foot extended towards the camera and a turned-around stance.

And a moment later.

[…Cut!]

[Oh!]

White subtitles appeared over the members who had collapsed on the ground at the director's words.

['High-five' Music Video]

[First revealed in Episode 2 of 'Testa's Living Together TEST'!]

This teaser, humorous and dynamic, contrasted with the first teaser of 'Magic Boy' that was initially released.

Naturally, the comments exploded instantly.

- Are these two titles crazy?

- Is this a pre-release? What can I do, this is good too.

- Seriously, they even did a school-themed performance lol

- One of them will surely appeal to you, right? lol By the way, I like both. Excellent, Testa.

└lol You too? Me too!

- Wow, just the chorus and I'm already hyped. This will probably win the chart.

└No, the 'Magic Boy' choreography hasn't even been released yet. Give us a fair chance! lol

- When the drum roll starts, my heart beats like it's being hit; Testa is the human defibrillator!

The internet was ablaze with excitement and enthusiasm, enough to overshadow the previous gloomy events.

However, some were also a bit perplexed.

Because they did too well, better than expected.

- Seriously, did they go into seclusion at the agency while out of the public eye? They released two songs and both are good?

- Even the concepts are completely different, and they seem to have connected them somehow;; I remember the glove and baseball in the 'Magic Boy' teaser.

└Wow

└Really impressive…

- Watching the preview for Episode 2 of the reality show, it seems the kids were very proactive in their participation; I'm already looking forward to it.

- Let's aim for 500,000 first-week sales with our debut album!

And this reaction exploded again when Episode 2 of the reality show aired.

[This is the reference image and arrangement proposal.]

It was because the members prepared the presentation materials in just one day, which was shown on the broadcast.

Thanks to the broadcast's smooth editing, the unreasonable demands of the department head and the mention of simultaneous release of VTIC were cut out.

Instead, Testa's passionate process of selecting the title songs was well portrayed.

- Why are these kids so good at their jobs;;

- I never imagined they would choose all the songs and set the concept themselves.

- Moreover, no one is fighting, and they are harmonious! They are persuading each other when they have different opinions!

- Testa's group project happiness circuit is coming to life in reality…

Of course, some skeptical people also chimed in.

- Newbies like this? lol It's all staged. Don't fall for it~

- It's all pre-decided, and the idols are just presenting it. Don't believe the broadcast script!

└Your favorite idol can't do anything alone, how pitiful lol

└Yeah… Cheer up!

However, the fans whose excitement meters were about to explode left just a few words and ignored them completely, not even paying much attention.

Because the feeling that things would go well was already pervasive.

- This will definitely be a hit.

- The buzz index is skyrocketing without end lol The teaser is so good, it will probably do well.

- The music video will be shown at the end of the broadcast, right?

Episode 2 of the reality show was close to a production diary. However, at the end, a bit of variety content was added, showing a scene of pulling a prize from a claw machine.

This was a cut that was omitted from the first episode, which had been moved to make room for the horror movie segment.

It mainly captured the members' cute reactions to failing at the claw machine and their mental victories.

[That's right. The machine is broken.]

- lol

- Ah, Sejin is so funny!

Episode 2 ended with Lee Sejin pulling a dog prize from the claw machine.

And as the music video preview subtitles appeared, the atmosphere tensed up again.

- It's starting.

- The music video is coming!

As the mid-commercial ended.

The screen changed to a classroom window with bright sunlight.

* * *

"The music video is coming."

"Wait, wait a moment."

Seo Ah-hyun slid into the living room. And at the same time, the mid-commercial ended.

'Good timing.'

I focused my gaze on the screen.

The first scene was of Park Mun-dae… that is, me, looking out the window. It was a bright blue sky.

Then, a paper notice was thrust in front of Park Mun-dae.

[Sports Festival]

[School Baseball Tournament]

The person who handed the notice was Lee Sejin.

He looked like a nervous model student, with no trace of his usual sullen demeanor.

The moment Park Mun-dae looked at the notice and tilted his head, the prelude began.

Whew!

The song started with a cheerful whistle melody.

An upbeat drum rhythm with the snare removed and an electric guitar added to create a modified disco sound… Honestly, I don't really understand it, but it was energetic.

At least, following Kim Rae-bin's recommendation, the previous samurai feel was completely gone, which was a relief.

However… there was no time to change the lyrics.

-OH, after much deliberation

I made a decision Um~

Today I will throw

I will throw myself

In your heart~ Shot Shot!

…That should do it.

"The choreography fits well."

"Yujin is flying around?"

"Hehe."

As soon as the group choreography scene appeared, the members each commented.

It seemed they were aware of the reality cameras set up to capture their reactions to the music video.

'Since they saw the storyboard before starting, there's nothing particularly surprising.'

On the screen, the story unfolded with choreography scenes interspersed.

In summary, it was about model student Lee Sejin trying to gather students for a baseball game to fill his extracurricular activities.

In the process of gathering students who wouldn't participate in the sports festival, he ended up collecting a variety of quirky and unique characters… that's the story.

"Mun-dae is in the library club!"

"Good fit."

I was given the role of someone who mainly reads books and e-books.

-You need to give off a mysterious vibe. Got it?

The director emphasized this, but honestly, I don't know if I managed to be mysterious… but I did come across as inscrutable.

Next was Seo Ah-hyun. As everyone might have guessed… the dance club.

"Really good."

"Pro-level skills."

"Th, thank you…"

Seo Ah-hyun, who was doing modern dance on screen, was indeed impressive. The authenticity of her being dragged into playing baseball despite not being able to refuse was well portrayed.

Next was Ryu Cheong-woo.

"Of course, the national team representative!"

"Everyone! This guy actually hit the target in real life!"

"Haha, my form was all off from not practicing, but still."

The scene of him being cast while practicing archery was included, and it was naturally not awkward at all. After all, he's not an amateur.

And next… Cha Yujin and Kim Rae-bin appeared together.

A small skit was included.

First, Lee Sejin forcefully opened the door to the sports equipment storage.

Swoosh!

Inside the storage, Kim Rae-bin and Cha Yujin were sprawled out.

The two, who looked like troublemakers, stared blankly at Lee Sejin, who had opened the door.

[…….]

[…….]

[…Sorry!]

Swoosh!

The door that had been opened was quickly closed again.

"Ha ha ha!!"

"Phew, it turned out well."

The guys watching the music video burst into laughter.

Honestly, even I found it funny.

'Giving the youngest two such roles must have made it even more entertaining.'

Incidentally, they chose these playful characters themselves.

'They said they wanted to experience the life of being at the top of the peer hierarchy, even in a fictional work…'

Recalling Kim Rae-bin's detailed statement, Cha Yujin's cheerful words also came to mind.

-It's fun!

In any case, both of them, who are not exactly gentle, did a great job.

Finally… the scene with the student council election was included, with Lee Sejin being recruited under the condition of campaigning.

"Experienced people are different."

"Ah, in that world, he would have been elected~"

Lee Sejin said with a sly smile.

'They chose this on purpose.'

Since the student council election was mentioned during the school violence rumors, they decided to use this character in the music video to overshadow that story.

In any case, the music video ended with a humorous ending where a group of misfits somehow manage to win the sports festival against other schools.

Incidentally, the purpose of Lee Sejin, which was to fill his extracurricular activities, was subtly revealed in a cookie scene at the end.

"Wow!"

"It was fun until the end!"

It was perfectly entertaining, neither disjointed nor boring, thanks to the well-placed group choreography scenes.

"Everyone did a great job!"

"Good job!"

The joy of successfully releasing a music video was evident in the relieved comments from all around.

And Ryu Cheong-woo, seemingly on purpose, said casually.

"Especially… Sejin, thank you."

"……!"

"That's right. Thanks to Sejin, we amateurs were able to naturally fit into the scenes."

"Wow, Rae-bin. The seniors seemed quite amateur…"

"Ah, no, that's not what I meant…"

Ignoring the fact that Kim Rae-bin was hooked again by Lee Sejin's words.

"……"

Lee Sejin bit his lip but soon nodded.

And he added softly.

"…No, everyone did well. And… if my attitude has been poor, I'm sorry."

"Ah, no…"

"From now on… I won't avoid things. I'll pull myself together."

Lee Sejin was clenching both hands.

'He seems to have regained his composure after the immediate crisis.'

He must have reflected on the past few days.

"It's, it's okay! The, the senior worked hard and…"

"We're debuting now. It's natural to go through trial and error."

"Cheer up!"

"…Thank you."

Thanks to the low-key reception from the others, the atmosphere became warm again.

After Lee Sejin's incident, the slightly awkward atmosphere that had persisted for a few days seemed to have been dispelled by the music video.

Not that they suddenly became close friends, but that's not normal when seven strangers are together.

"Let's do our best~"

For example, the smiling Lee Sejin still seemed to dislike Lee Sejin, but… it's strange to expect everyone to like each other when there are seven strangers together.

As long as they don't fight, it's fine.

'The atmosphere in the reality show will also come out well.'

The apologies will be edited out.

I stretched and turned my shoulders. At that moment, Ryu Cheong-woo spoke gently.

"Let's go back to the practice room."

"……."

"…Yes!"

Even