Debut or Die

Chapter 131

‘I Like Waiting’, performed by the participants of <Idol Inc.>, was a stage that had been steadily gaining views to this day with its unique oriental and sentimental atmosphere.

Of course, besides this song, Testar had quite a few successful team-match stages.

Naturally, throughout the preparation of the concert, opinions on the stage they wanted to try again kept coming out.

– I think the hero concept is the most suitable for raising the scale of the concert!

– I-Into the new world. I-If we do it again, I think I can do it better…!

– Vampire! I want to do it!

– Guys, do you want to try V-tic sunbae-nim’s song? I think we can do it now…

– …Calm down, hyung.

However, most of them were eliminated at the discussion stage. Because the number of people had changed too much.

If we made a mistake, we could get criticized for ‘stealing away the dropouts’ song’.

However, this song, which was actively pushed by Keun Sejin, didn’t have a such concerning factor.

– Haha, the members are here, so well~

Except for Gold 1, all team members of Moon Rabbit successfully debuted as Testar.

In addition, Gold 1, who would debut soon, willingly left permission via text message on the condition that it would be used in his own concert as well.

So Testar was able to prepare the stage with excitement.

And now.

Seven figures wearing durumagis appeared at the front of the stage.

The sound of daegeum rang out.

Whoo-hoo Whoo-hoo-hoo Woo-woo woo-woo

An elegant and melancholy sound.

It was a sound that all the audience here had heard once.

At that moment, a figure gracefully turned back. Then, with the fluttering hem of the durumagi, he spurred upside down into the air.

The stretched, eerie wire leaped higher than before and then fell forward.

A splendid golden gongryongpo^[1]Gongryongpo = the clothes worn by the Kings in Dynasty Joseon that have a dragon as their main decoration. pattern shone on the fluttering navy blue durumagi.

“…!”

The audience didn’t understand the situation for a while but they soon started screaming when the detail of the rabbit mask was caught on the screen.

“Argh!”

“Crazy!”

Following the fun party, the nostalgic rabbit appeared.

And with luxurious decorations too.

– Every street corner waiting for you

I am always excited

Under the rabbit masks that the members flipped over, fancy jade norigaes^[2]Norigae is a typical, traditional Korean accessory used in Hanbok. swayed.

The details of the costume, which were more dazzling than in Idol Inc, made beautiful circles and glittered whenever the tall figures moved.

And Testar kept the strange atmosphere and the slightly inhumane group dance from that time intact.

No, rather, it became more intense.

– I like waiting

My wait is long

It’s always fun

Thanks to the increase in the number of people, the choreography of the chorus became even more grandiose both in formation and overall movement.

– When this wait is over

I know you’ll run into me

My heart is already bright

Park Moondae played the high notes in the chorus with a clear voice/ On that face which was captured on the screen, the glitter from the unit stage was still slightly visible.

And the second verse, which was cut in Idol Inc due to the performance time issue, continued without being cut this time around.

The new members of Moon Rabbit sang the new verses.

– Every moment that goes by again

My focus is on you

Cha Eugene smiled and made a grandiose movement with light foot movements. He received the choreography all the way to his durumagi.

– It doesn’t matter if you pass by

Because I already know

The moon rabbits expressed the stage as if they were overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do, and the audience was similarly infected and enjoyed the stage with groans.

The concert hall was heated with joy.

And in the bridge part.

– You’ve been waiting for me too

Talking, vivid sense of déjà vu

The moon rabbits ran to the extended stage and performed the verse, which had a sweet sensuality.

With a fan pulled out from the inside of the robe

“Aaaah!”

“Ugh!”

The screams heard from the surrounding stands were terrifying.

After the choreography of sweeping the floor with their whole bodies and lowering the durumagis, they were now wearing shirts.

Glittering string ornaments hung over the white shirt and were tied with a sash.

And finally at the end of the last chorus.

As if waiting with excitement again for someone, the choreography with the sound of humming and the moving feet continued happily.

– Hum hu hu hum- huhu

DDu-ru Du-ru Du Du

The audience responded excitedly by singing along to the humming.

Ddu-du-ru-du-du-du-du-du~

It was a chorus of honest pronunciation without a single mistake.

In the unexpected cute situation, the moon rabbits ended the stage with bigger smiles than they had planned.

– Wait for me

Even Keun Sejin’s last verse was sung in unison.

Keun Sejin smiled, crossed his arms, and leaned his head on the trunk of a huge tree that stick out on the extended stage.

Even after the stage went dark, the cheers continued.

Waaah!!

This development was followed the VCR, and it was time to announce a new stage. People were excited by the afterglow of the previous stage and looked forward to the next stage.

However, even after a few seconds, the stage was still dark.

Some of the cheering spectators soon began to voice their doubts.

“Hmm?”

“Huh??”

“What?”

Right before people started making a fuss, wondering if it was a stage accident.

Suddenly the stage was lit up.

Thud.

There was only one huge spotlight.

The spotlight was on the extended stage… It was illuminating a giant stump!

“…!!”

It was the spot where the tree used to be. But as if the body had been torn off, the whole thing disappeared and only the stump remained.

And on top of that stump… Two dark-haired people were sitting with their heads lowered down.

“…?!”

A slow solo string instrument played out. The two slowly raised their heads.

Their faces were completely covered with rabbit masks.

However, the head part of the mask was partially damaged, and paint trickled down from that part.

“…”

In such an unusual atmosphere, the song began in front of a large audience who became quiet.

-Je te donne des fleurs que….

With the accompaniment of the chanson that had became somewhat bizarre due to the extreme adjustment of pitch.

The third unit stage started without notice.

* * *

“Hey, Chungwoo hyung and Raebin are really amazing, aren’t they?”

Coming back down under the stage.

With people’s help, Keun Sejin talked to me while changing his clothes in a hurry.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean why, right now, without any choreography, they’re just playing the song with their own arrangement and voice. Look at their guts. So cool~”

It was a compliment to those who were suddenly absent while he was just busy breathing.

‘What are you thinking?’

But when I turned my head, I saw a camera for the behind-the-scenes of the concert.

‘As expected.’

I see. What a consistent fellow. I replied with admiration.

“Well, yes.”

Perhaps Ryu Chungwoo even thought of the risk of the characteristic of ‘Idol Concert’ like he said.

However, Kim Raebin probably didn’t need to have the guts.

‘The arrangement comes out well and the live performance is good, so he must have thought it isn’t a problem.’’

And the arrangement really did come out well.

The classic chanson that came out a few decades ago was broken and recombined, and turned into an indie style that had been popular on the recent music charts.

If the concert album came out, it would probably be the best song.

Keun Sejin grinned at my agreement.

“Right? Ah, of course, Moondae’s guts were amazing too. The ribbon headband was amazing~”

“…Uh, yes.”

There was a camera next to us. Let’s not forget.

“Moondaemoondae, don’t you have anything to say to me? Did you see the cowboy?”

“Yeah, that was cool.”

“Please say it again more sincerely~”

I ignored the nonsense and listened to the sounds coming from the stage.

…A bright riff melody that was pleasant to the ears was placed on top of a gloomy beat.

-… Wounds that do not heal

Tears harden like scabs

Leaving traces down there…

Then I heard a rap.

This was because the rap was entrusted with the development of the song, excluding the iconic intro and chorus.

It was a composition that people were familiar with to make it sound more catchy.

However, I wondered if the magic of the song, which only pushed ahead with rap, vocals, and atmosphere, could work at the concert.

‘Though I think the atmosphere also plays a part.’

They decided to give it a strong narrative by using the set and lighting on the stage like a play.

And on the screen, the meaning of the lyrics of the chanson would have appeared black like splashing ink.

– To you dear

I’m giving you flowers

Today is a special day

The streets are full of laughter

– The trivial moments

Piled up like dust.

Shining like a jewel

I still feel your breath

The lyrics would have been fresh in the original song, but it met the gloomy beat and rap and came out with a different feeling.

‘It will leave a strong impression.’

And in fact, thanks to those lyrics, in the first draft of the setlist we made, the next song was decided unanimously.

It was decided to take over the title track of the new album.

‘The lyrics are similar.’

It was a good composition for the build-up.

However, the company rejected it. It was a matter of stamina and time.

– Isn’t Raebin-ssi and Chungwoo-ssi going to collapse at this rate?

– If we do this in a row, I think a mistake will happen while changing the outfit. It could be fatal for the performance of the new song, so shouldn’t we avoid it?

Each one of them was true, so I kept my mouth shut and agreed.

So a short talk and communication with the audience were added, but even if we talked, could we liven up the atmosphere after that song…? I didn’t know.

‘I think it would be appropriate to have a talk after an exciting or lyrical song.’

It couldn’t be helped because we only had a small number of songs to choose from, but it was a bit disappointing.

I clicked my tongue and finished my costume and hair maintenance, and then moved down the hallway. And soon after, those who finished their third unit stage joined.

“Whoo….”

“How was it?”

“Yes, it was even better than I thought.”

“I think I have properly expressed everything l wanted to show them!”

The faces that answered were bright. It seemed the responses were good.

‘The cheers were long.’

Without much worry, the concert was going smoothly.

“Go up! Be careful where you sit!”

“Yes!”

We were seated in seven chairs side by side and raised to the center stage via a lift.

In front of my eyes, countless lights that filled the huge space were shimmering and making waves.

Aaah!

The cheers were like the sound of light.

‘…This is no joke.’

I did a little less compared to when I had to perform, but I felt dizzy sitting here with my mind sober.

If I think that over 10,000 people are sitting here, at each light… No, let’s stop.

‘It is difficult to even proceed with the script.’

I confirmed that Ryu Chungwoo, who would start the first talk, lifted the microphone.

[Nice to see you again, everyone! Are you enjoying the concert? Did you like our unit performances?]

[Ooh~ hyung, can you hear that? Everyone is enjoying it, they said it was so good!]

[So good!]

I put my mouth on the microphone, too.

[Which performance did you like the most?]

All kinds of words rushed in here and there like a tide.

.

All of them!

I like them all!

Rabbit!

Wire!

Moondae’s performance!

Those expressions without any sharp words rang in my ears.

“…”

For a moment, I unintentionally shut up. …My prepared answer came a beat late.

[…I like everything, too.]

[Ah, Moondae is completely touched~]

[I’m touched, too!]

[This is rarer than you think, everyone.]

After a brief moment of light teasing, the proceeding continued.

[Then… Let’s begin the <What I Want to Say to Testar> segment!]

And when I was about to enter the full-fledged content with the questions I had prepared.

Suddenly the lights around the stage went dark.

“…?”

This wasn’t planned.

I made eye contact with the slightly surprised members.

‘What is this?’

‘Is it an accident?’

At that moment, the light suddenly poured from behind.

It was light coming from the screen.

As I reflexively turned my head, an unexpected video was playing on the screen.

…It was Testar’s debut showcase.

[My artists came like magic]

[Thank you! I love you!]

With subtitles, the video continued to play out.

Activities from over the past nine months appeared on the screen. From the first public TV stage to the year-end stage, cuts of Testar in all kinds of costumes passed by.

Then the screen went back to the audience.

Suddenly, people were holding a light purple cloth in their hands.

That… It was a slogan.

On a huge screen, the phrase was clearly displayed.

[Sending it to Testar]

[Loviewer’s paper plane]

And the accompaniment of a song I already knew suddenly started to play out.

…<The Magic Is You>.

It was Testar’s first fan song.

I feel good today

I think something good is going to happen

In the blink of an eye, the concert hall was filled with numerous voices.

If it’s you, everything’s going to be fine.

It’s unfamiliar, but somehow it’s going to be great.

They were the voices of 10,000 people singing.

Numerous voices united, raining down from all directions along with the lights like shooting stars.

I was choked, out of breath.

• 1. Gongryongpo = the clothes worn by the Kings in Dynasty Joseon that have a dragon as their main decoration.
• 2. Norigae is a typical, traditional Korean accessory used in Hanbok.