Chapter 107

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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A few days had passed since the song was revealed last Monday. This meant that the first stage schedule was just around the corner.

However, perhaps because the company was conscious of the accident during the last debut showcase, they reportedly would not be holding a showcase for this comeback.

Instead, a new piece of content was scheduled.

“To think we’d have a separate comeback show.”

“I’m really excited!”

Cha Yujin completed Ryu Chungwoo’s slightly burdened remark and completely changed the direction.

Anyway, it was exactly as it sounded. TeStar was given a solo comeback show slot following the next Thursday’s broadcast of MusicBOMB.

It was partly thanks to the results of the last album, but it seemed being from Tnet also had some influence.

‘Since we debuted through Idol Inc., we’re practically of the direct line.’

Regardless, the related VCR filming was already finished.

“Isn’t it also good that we have some songs now so we don’t have to do ‘Just Me’? It feels like we’ve properly established ourselves as a group, right? Haha!”

Big Sejin was overtly in a good mood. This comeback show seemed to be one of the step-by-step goals he had set for himself.

‘That’s good.’

I shrugged my shoulders and continued what I was doing. It was something I had intended to check long ago but couldn’t because of a lack of time.

“Are you, are you going to look at the album?”

“Yeah.”

It was the physical check of this album.

Although I had received some separately from the company, I had pre-ordered these myself.

It was because I had confirmed that there were quite a few cases where the physical albums of the last debut album, which were prepared in such a hurry, had unfinished details or defective inner printing.

‘Surely it won’t be like that this time.’

If I missed it due to bad luck in the draw, there would be nothing I could do, but I still wanted to order it myself and take a look.

“Oh, Moondae, are you unboxing the album? Shall I film a video for you?”

“No. It’s fine.”

I rejected Big Sejin’s suggestion while tearing off the bubble wrap.

A huge album set composition box was revealed before my eyes.

“Wow…….”

“…Can this even be called an album?”

Bae Sejin muttered. Ah, for reference, that guy completely escaped the ankle guard status last week.

Anyway, as he said, this box was the size of a drawer.

And there was a reason why it had to be so.

“Ah, is this the set configuration that includes the lightstick?”

“Right.”

It was because the lightstick was finally released and pre-orders were taken together.

‘Then shall I check the actual lightstick first?’

I opened the box. And I was flustered.

“……!”

Because the lightstick tucked between the cushioning materials on the left was… much more glamorous than I expected.

In particular, the huge aurora-colored cubic glittering in the middle was overwhelming.

‘It’s even more glamorous than the final drawing……?’

I could feel the madness of the office worker who thought that since they were making it anyway, they should just throw everything in.

The other guys who were watching from the side also seemed a bit flustered.

“Oh…, oh~”

“I-It’s really… big.”

“It’s sparkly!”

Cha Yujin’s vocabulary has increased a bit.

“Ah, is that thing next to it something you put on the lightstick?”

“Probably.”

I took out the black cylinder fixed next to the lightstick.

Ah, the baseball bat shape was rejected because it was difficult to ensure stable attachment and detachment given the time and unit price.

‘Even this is actually beyond expectations.’

I tried changing the shape of the lightstick by putting on the cylinder, and after confirming that it was stably fixed, I took it off again.

‘Now, the album.’

On the right side of the box, two albums, almost the thickness of a hardbound textbook, were majestically fixed.

“…It’s really big?”

“I think it’s because photos take up a large portion of the composition.”

“You could use that as a weapon.”

I picked up the two albums in turn and checked them well.

One side had a watercolor landscape of a summer day on a white background, and the other side featured fluorescent graffiti on a black background. However, thanks to the same basic design, a sense of unity was maintained.

Fortunately, both had clean finishes and the print quality seemed good.

“Ack, the photo cards are falling~”

“…! I, I caught them……!”

For reference, the photo cards were a selfie of Seon Ahyun with a classroom background and Ryu Chungwoo taking off a gas mask. I presented the cards to the owners and finished checking the album.

“Hey, Ahyun is really handsome. How can he be this handsome when he’s so bad at taking selfies?”

“Th-Thanks…?”

Since he recently hit stat S-, it was understandable.

Right then, it was time to prepare for the pre-recording of the comeback show.

“Since we’re not just doing one song, let’s distribute our physical strength well.”

“Yes!”

After finishing a few checks, we went out to the stage for the recording of the first song.

And we confirmed the actual presence of 500 lightsticks from a distance.

“Waaaaah!!”

“……!”

I had expected it, but… no, beyond expectation… it boasted an incredible brightness.

It felt like each person was holding a disco ball.

‘…Doesn’t it interfere with watching the performance itself?’

If the light source is that close, it’s bound to be distracting.

It looked mesmerisingly cool from on top of the stage, but if it’s uncomfortable for those holding it, then it’s of no use, isn’t it?

I lifted the microphone following the members who had exchanged a few words of greeting with the fans.

“…How is the lightstick—”

“It’s pretty!!”

“I love it so much!!”

“……I see.”

If they’re satisfied, then it’s fine.

* * *

In the early morning of the day after TeStar filmed the comeback show with fans all day. Naturally, reviews were posted.

Among them was Park Moondae’s anonymous fan community.

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[Review of the Comeback Show Pre-recording]
: Park Gom-meo, this crazy guy, came with platinum blonde hair. Damn, the shock is at the level of the Idol Inc. announcement ceremony. This guy must keep his hair blonde forever.
The stage was good. Yeah, I won’t tell you what it is, just watch the broadcast~
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– Heok.
– Is he blonde again?
– Blonde!! (Gif of Park Moondae landing like a puppy)
– No, my baby’s scalp is going to melt. He should just have black hair… Isn’t black hair better for the song concept?
└ No, it’s not. Park Gom-meo is only about blonde hair.
– How many songs did they do?
– Is this a fabrication?
└ Doesn’t seem so. Similar posts are popping up on other sites.

Since it was a point where the first comeback stage hadn’t even been aired yet, even if they read detailed reviews, the only thing fans could intuitively feel through the pre-recording reviews was the description of the changes in appearance.

And because the first comeback stage was scheduled to be aired that Thursday evening, the pre-recording for MusicBOMB was conducted at this very dawn.

Naturally, the dawn of mid-to-late October was quite cold.

“Please don’t push!”

‘…It’s cold!’

Kim Raebin’s fan grumbled as she entered the pre-recording site. The post she had checked earlier was still hovering in her mind.

‘Park Moondae dyed his hair blonde again?’

It was so good… no, Park Moondae was simply better with blonde hair.

Since she had subtly started to care about Park Moondae after the second team match, she would occasionally enter Park Moondae’s fan site to check for news.

She was even subtly defending him when Kim Raebin’s individual fans, who were her social media acquaintances, were sarcastic toward Park Moondae.

– Did you see Gom-meo being pushy toward Raebin-ie? The experience from taking first place by selling stories to the elders came out here. He’s no different from a young kkon-dae. LOL.
└ Still, Gom-meo feeds them well. If he’s with Big Bird-ssi, Raebin-ie only gets targeted by political moves.

…It was mostly like this. For reference, Big Bird was a nickname for Big Sejin, heavily modified to avoid search results.

Anyway, despite that, she was still denying feelings beyond a simple liking for Park Moondae.

‘Let’s just watch the stage!’

She quickly shook off her thoughts and took out her lightstick. Honestly, the configuration where a shiny magic wand came out when you took off this black cylinder was funny and interesting.

‘It’s that the lightstick is good, the lightstick.’

While the fans were waiting while holding their respective lightsticks, TeStar walked out from beyond the stage.

“Hello~”

“Loviewers, hi!”

Cheers that seemed to burst the eardrums echoed inside the recording studio.

“You’re tired, right? Thank you so much for coming.”

“Yeah!!”

“No, we’re not tired!”

It was a mess with a mix of people being honest and people saying nice things first, but the atmosphere itself was fun, so everyone was laughing.

TeStar showed signs of being nervous, but overall, they spoke quite well and….

Above all, the costumes were truly amazing.

‘What is that…!’

TeStar was wearing techwear fashion items instead of jackets over their winter school uniforms.

The silhouettes of equipment made of black leather, plastic, and metal on top of student shirts and pants weren’t excessive and fit perfectly.

‘I knew it would be different from the title track’s atmosphere… but!’

Even so, it was shocking because she hadn’t expected it to be more full-blown than the concept photos.

Furthermore, Kim Raebin had grown his hair slightly longer and was sweeping it back so only half of his forehead was revealed.

‘Half-exposed!’

She really liked that he was moving toward a feeling closer to being endangered rather than being a delinquent!

She wanted to express this excitement by hitting something even with her lightstick, but she held back because the situation was like a bean sprout steamer.

And around that time, Park Moondae, who was standing a little away from Kim Raebin, caught her eye.

“…!!”

He’s handsome?!

Why is he so handsome? She looked at Park Moondae while doubting her own eyes.

Park Moondae was a trendy and attractive type, and objectively on the handsome side, but… he wasn’t a handsome man who made one exclaim as soon as they saw him.

But for some reason, he looked like that today!!

‘Is it because of that platinum blonde hair?!’

Park Moondae had platinum blonde hair that was so desaturated it was close to having no color. And although she didn’t know the reason, it seemed to suit him incredibly well.

‘…Did he get work done?’

She suspected briefly, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was different in his features.

At that time, she heard someone whispering softly to each other next to her.

“I heard they changed shops…….”

“I guess they changed well. The kids look more handsome.”

“……”

‘Ah, so that’s what happened.’

She quickly understood the situation. It was clear that some great expert, whoever it was, had been attached.

In the meantime, TeStar finished their short greetings and small talk with the fans and adjusted their formation to prepare for the stage.

The moment TeStar turned around and each took their starting positions, she lightly shook the lightstick in her hand with excitement. And then she realized.

‘Ah, the lightstick cover…….’

Come to think of it, she had heard words not to take off this black cylinder when she entered.

‘Are we supposed to cheer like this?’

When she was looking at the black stick a bit skeptically, the light came on in the lightstick by the central control connected via Bluetooth.

Then, familiar fluorescent graffiti lit up all around the cylinder.

“…!”

Perhaps the light inside was penetrating and leaking out, but for some reason, it reminded her even more of a neon sign because of that.

“Heol.”

Since she had no particular interest in this cylinder and didn’t know about the related matters, she was momentarily surprised.

However, the majority of the fans seemed to have already turned it on once at home, as they were just staring intently at the stage.

‘Ah!’

She also quickly fixed her gaze on the stage. She couldn’t waste time on such matters.

At that moment. The lights in the recording studio went out.

And an intense intro began to flow on the stage.
tage.