Chapter 108

The stage was still dark.

On the stage without lights, a subtle and heavy bass sound resounded as if a dull machine was moving.

DOON DOON DOON DOON DOON DOON DOON DOON

Most of the fans had already listened to it while streaming, but the power when listening to it live was different.

Tension was created at a faster tempo than expected.

And on top of that, an electric sound was plugged in.

Dvvvviiiiii-!

It was the thunderous riff melody that appeared in the trailer.

As if surprised by thunder, the lights came on the stage like lightning.

A stage set resembling a back alley in a sci-fi game was revealed under the pale lighting that didn’t have any shade of color yellow. However, school props such as desks and blackboards were placed here and there and looked as though they were being thrown away.

Testar turned back and looked in different directions.

Cha Eugene slowly turned his head and faced forward.

– Do not trust it

There no justice

Oooohh—.

The moment the low-pitched rap was over, the slashing riff melody disappeared.

And on the spot, a moombahton unfolded.

The early first dance break entered a thrilling level that was full of rhythm but not exciting.

It was a group dance centered on Cha Eugene, with a slightly mechanical feel.

And the moment Cha Eugene disappeared behind the formation, the song began.

– Looking back, I can’t tell

Umm

What happened.

– Target Target Target

GOT IT

As you run, as you grab

It was a completely different vocal melody from the song in the trailer.

She didn’t know, but this b-side track, ‘Better Me’, seemed to have only sampled the accompaniment from the song in the trailer.

However, this was a trendy dance song that seemed much more befitting of an idol.

Thanks to this, Testar on the stage was almost flying.

It was a composition that made her wonder if there was room to breathe.

– This clear feeling.

(It won’t be erased, it won’t be forgotten)

I know even now.

(I got that CODE)

The moment they entered the pre-chorus, the voices of Kim Raebin and Keun Sejin intertwined and spread.

The two parted ways after showing a violent pair of dance moves that seemed to capture each other.

And at the second part of the pre-chorus.

Park Moondae came out, and suddenly, the electric sound of the trailer returned.

And lyrics similar to the trailer came out.

– I will never die

Like I did before

I’m gonna keep ME

Alive-!

The high notes rose flawlessly.

The trailer and vocal melody were completely different, but the level of difficulty was indisputable.

And Park Moondae sang this high note with a dynamic choreography that came out by intertwining with other members.

In a slightly gloomy mood at that.

‘Wow…’

Kim Raebin’s fan forgot to cheer and admired it as if she was watching a competition program, but soon she came back to her senses and focused on the stage.

Finally, Kim Raebin come out in the chorus!

Kim Raebin sang the chorus in a slightly melancholy mood with glaring eyes.

– BUT.

It’s just confusing

Since when

I’m just confused

Umm

How far you’re going

The chorus returned to moombahton and was tightly woven with low-pitched vocals and bright beats.

Then Ryu Chungwoo came out and took over the next chorus.

– Could be confusing

What do you want

May be confused

Umm

How do I do this

The lyrics and atmosphere seemed to wander, but it was somehow meaningful and abstract.

Thanks to the combination of the stage, choreography, and costumes, the stage looked as though they were wandering in a dystopian worldview, not reality.

Thanks to this, neon signs and devices that could be distracting, on the contrary, saved the slightly melancholy taste at the center of the intense song.

– Take me and get that might

As soon as the melodious chorus ended, the choreography for the second verse with Cha Eugene’s sharp rapping became more intense and complex.

– This distant feeling

(Erasing and forgetting)

But I know

(I got that CODE)

Elements continued to be added to the accompaniment and the beat became more intense as if it were climbing endlessly until it was about to burst.

And the moment the chorus burst through the bridge.

Instead of the song being dropped, the accompaniments were all removed. And only that intense riff melody came back alone.

Dvvvviiiiii~!

And in the absence of the beat, the last chorus broke out, competing only with the riff melody.

– BUT.

It’s NOT confusing!

Who am I

I’m NOT confused

Oh!

To find BETTER ME

Park Moondae, who received the note from Ryu Chungwoo, captured the note by playing it up to a super high pitch.

It was so loud that the AR could not be heard properly.

‘Heol!’

The audience cheered internally.

When she listened to the song, both the riff melody and the voice were bright, so she got tired after listening to it a few times, but it was incredibly dramatic on stage.

In addition, the moombahton, which started again shortly after, stuck to her ears.

– BETTER ME

With a big smile, Keun Sejin jumped out to the center at the last dance break.

And the accompaniment of the first dance break was changed.

As if a conflict had been resolved, a lighter and more upbeat atmosphere continued.

However, the choreography was more impressive in terms of difficulty and attraction because the number of foot movements increased and became extravagant.

– BETTER ME

It wasn’t until the end of the song that the song ended by singing the title that popped out as a variation hook once again.

And the internal shouts immediately burst out.

“Waaaaaaaa!!!”

“Aaahh!!”

“Oh my gosh!!”

The b-side track stage, which seemed to be shouted out for its performance by everyone, had a great composition that made it fun to watch and listen to.

Even better, they would be recording it repeatedly, so the audience would be able to watch this stage several more times!

Testar stumbled and gasped for breath because of the song composition that had no structure to rest, then waved their hands in gratitude.

Perhaps it was too hot, a few members secretly picked up the techware props and fanned themselves.

Then, a moment later, Ryu Chungwoo talked to the staff.

“Huft… hu, next take… Yes? Like this?”

Testar’s expression brightened.

“Wow, they said we did it in one go!”

The sentence was like a lightning bolt.

‘No!!!’

Even the rehearsals were already completed due to equipment maintenance, so the only thing fans could see was that stage!

But, of course, there was no turnaround. Testar belatedly figured out the situation and made a vain attempt.

“Director, don’t you think we made a mistake with the vocal?”

“I didn’t see the camera!”

But that didn’t work either. Thanks to this, they showed aegyo or danced apologetically and disappeared.

“…”

Thus, the fans came out of the recording studio 20 minutes after entering.

All they had in their hands was cream bread and Americano from a restaurant that Testar had prepared.

‘…Kim Raebin!! Park Moondae!! Who told you to be so good!!’

Not knowing what she was thinking, Kim Raebin’s fan tore off the cream bread.

That it was delicious made her even more pissed off.

* * *

That evening, all of Testar’s b-side and title track performances were finally broadcasted for the first time.

Perhaps because the director was gone and there were a lot of recent incidents, the company gave us time to sleep during the activity.

Thanks to this, I was able to see the reactions to the first stage at the dorm at midnight on the same day.

Of course, there were a lot of views for the title track on WeTube and others, but when I entered SNS or community, the response to the b-sides was almost equal.

I clicked on a post with over 500 comments.

[Testar’s new b-side]

: (Link to SNS video)

I just came out from ‘Music Night’, and to be honest, the response to this stage seemed better than to the title track

– This is really for performance.

– It’s difficult

– They’re good at it;

– The title track is much better, but I think I know why they chose this as a b-side. It’s much better when you see it on stageㅋㅋ

– Is this live?

└ㅇㅇIt’s totally live.

– It’s almost like lip syncㅋㅋㅋPark Moondae’s AR part is so obvious. He did that during Idol Inc

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ (MR removal image link)

– The stage is really good, but what the hell are the lyrics?

└We don’t know either, but Kim Raebin wrote the lyrics. In a little while, he’s going to come to W live and talk about it. Please come and see it when you have time.

└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋPlease post a summary

In general, there were a lot of good comments. Occasionally, there were people trying to throw aggro but those were the guys that always popped up every day.

Of course, among those comments, I also found the talk that I had expected.

– Wow, Park Moondae is on a roll whenever he has blonde hairㅋㅋㅋ

– Is that really Park Moondae with platinum-blonde hair? Heol, Park Moondae in my head is his image from Idol Inc. What the hell happened?

– Moondae is really handsome

– No, Park Moondae’s hair looks really perfect as if it will grow blonde. What’s going on?

– I couldn’t watch Idol Inc because of the exam, but is platinum blonde hair the first-place winner? Since he sang with that face, I thought he must have won first place.;;

└This is the guy who poured the broadcast material into his mouth with a water purifier. Don’t be fooled.

It was mostly like this.

‘It was worth it.’

Of course, doubtful reactions also popped up, but they didn’t develop further there.

It was because I was a player that had laid the groundwork.

– Hmmㅋㅋ Change in appearance… I have a lot to say but I won’t say it

└I heard they changed the salon

└How do you know that?

└Behind the scenes of the comeback dub live, there is a scene where they do their hair

└Ahaㅇㅋ

– If your face changes because you change the salon, I will go to that salon too.

└Surprisingly, this is a common occurrence for idols who wear stage makeup…

└ㅋWho said that?

└I know because the idols whose data I had sold were ruined after changing salons

└Sorry;

Hmm, as expected, it was a good excuse so I rubbed it in moderation.

‘It was fortunate that the company was about to change the salon.’

Thanks to that, I was able to raise my visual to A- without difficulty.

And the reason why I took care of my visual… This was because Ryu Chungwoo, who was recently B+, went up to A-.

…He had a hard time during Idol Inc, and it seemed the aftermath of that had disappeared. I could see that his look had improved.

Anyway, if this continued, I thought I would be left alone as B stat and I would be caught in comparison screenshots, so I made an investment now.

‘It was a good choice.’

Ah, and I took the other one for vocal and made it an A+.

As I kept practicing the last chorus of that b-side, I had a strong feeling that I would lose my voice someday, so I couldn’t help it.

‘It’s a bit unfortunate.’

Actually, I thought I could raise my vocal naturally if I waited a little longer. However, I couldn’t help it because the comeback was right around the corner.

‘I’ll save the remaining points as planned.’

I shrugged and turned off my phone. I had to sleep right away because my schedule tomorrow started almost very early in the morning.

‘Let’s take a closer look at the reaction to the title track tomorrow.’

And the next day, while waiting for the music show and looking at the response to the title track, I heard strange news.

“You guys will shoot a variety show next week~”

“Oh~”

“Where?”

“I don’t like birds.”

In the midst of bitter reactions from the guys who couldn’t escape the afterimage of <Man who only needs to say it once>, the manager raised his thumb.

“It’s an entertainment show where you ride a horse and shoot an arrow!!”

“…!”

At that moment, everyone’s eyes turned to Ryu Chungwoo.