Debut or Die - Chapter 465
It’s funny to talk about it now, but when we first planned it, our game wasn’t supposed to have this much volume.
“Oh, it’s a supplement for the USB album.”
“Yes. And I think fans will enjoy it if they play it for about a day.”
“Good~ It’s fresh, so it might get talked about on SNS. I’m in favor!”
Literally, an extended version of the music video. It was meant to be like a one-hour movie, with choices included as a bonus with the album. In other words, it was a trick to turn the disadvantage of a sparse physical album into an extreme immersion concept.
However… The first meeting being at the Ruin Factory was the start of all the problems….
“I think that’s possible? Yeah, it sounds fun!”
It was fine when we first brought up the idea of an interactive MV.
“Really?”
“Yes! Actually, we have a tool we were developing before. If you don’t mind, we can apply it… right?”
“Oh, yes, it works. You said the playtime is about an hour? We can manage that within the schedule!”
At this point, I even smiled inwardly. I knew all this beforehand.
Originally, these people were developing an interactive MV horror adventure as the next project after <127 Section>. Then they joined T1, and <127 Section> became a huge hit….
So, what’s the obvious result?
T1 must have pressured them to churn out the next installment of <127 Section>. Unable to tolerate the insane parachute leadership of T1 Plays trying to milk <127 Section> dry, they left.
That’s the academic consensus… no, the gamers’ consensus. But if they brought out the genre they were developing in the past, it would be reusable, and they could make some money for the next project.
“But the implementation of the physics engine and such is an older version… If you want to include action elements in the game, it will require more development time.”
“Oh, we’re fine with just adding choices!”
It didn’t matter. We weren’t trying to create a legendary game with amazing gameplay. We just needed great visuals with route choices. As long as fans felt they were interacting with us, that was enough.
“Ah, if that’s the case, we just need to refine the UI a bit….”
So, the conversation progressed smoothly and in a friendly atmosphere. We even signed autographs for the staff, having a good time. Then, this came up.
“Oh! Would you like to come and watch us film the music video?”
“Huh, is that okay?”
“Of course~ We’re going to be working as a team. It would be a pleasure for us if you watched!”
“It would be great if you, experts in game production, could see the content creation process and give us your feedback!”
Thus, the two representatives and some key production personnel were invited to the filming site, which was a music video and game content film.
And… on the day of filming.
“…!!”
“Wow, it’s been a while.”
“It’s like a crank-in.”
They were astonished by the flashy equipment and setup brought in by the people Bae Sejin had arranged.
Of course, all the money came from me… No matter how well Bae Sejin acted as a child actor or during cameo appearances, the capitalist society wouldn’t function without money. I realized the importance of capital.
It sounded like a hundred billion won was burning.
At least we secured the filming location in advance, so that’s fortunate… We found a suitable building in the countryside. If worse came to worst, we’d fix it with post-production CG, but at least it was something.
“Moondae, lower your eyes~”
“Yes.”
Following the makeup artist’s instructions, I narrowed my eyes and saw today’s first actor standing in the middle of the set in a police uniform.
“Hmm, does this look okay?”
It was Keun Sejin filming the prologue. He played a guard character, a city legend who kidnaps people while pretending to be a friendly police officer… he even wrote his lines himself. It was to make them as natural as possible for him.
To begin with, we’re not professional actors. Characters typically spoke in a way similar to the members’ usual speech, or if that wasn’t possible, their lines were drastically reduced.
In Lee Sejin’s case… the acting lessons he received while being a gyro in the virtual world made by the system influenced him to get that role.
-Wow~ that crappy group life helps now! Struggles and hardships really become stepping stones for growth, haha!
-That hyung is clenching his fist. He must have been clearly traumatized.
Of course, it would have been impossible without Bae Sejin’s coaching. Even now, Bae Sejin was giving sharp feedback to Keun Sejin, who had just finished filming the first cut.
“No. Speak more like you normally do. Trying to express that you’re hiding something because of the story makes beginners more unnatural.”
“Ah.”
“With BGM and the other actor’s reactions, it’ll look suspicious enough, so don’t try to make it meaningful on your own.”
“Yes, yes. Oh, Hyung. About hanging the camera on your shoulder like this…”
Lee Sejin, without any sign of awkwardness in the reversed situation, was asking questions and absorbing advice.
Well, with a 60-day schedule, there’s no time for that. And he finished filming the prologue more successfully than expected.
“Cut! Good job~”
“…! Thank you!”
I smirked, hearing the light exclamations and approving looks among the filming staff.
“…You did well!”
“Thanks to your good teaching~”
The two guys with the same name exchanged somewhat awkward compliments.
“Ah, it would be good to shoot one more time if the car wasn’t about to blow up… unfortunately, that’s it for now!” Keun Sejin didn’t miss a chance to appeal to the behind-the-scenes camera at the end.
Then, we moved straight to the main shoot. After all, the time Bae Sejin had promised to this crew wasn’t long.
The schedule is killing me. For the main shoot, seasoned actors took over. And we tackled the most crucial scene first.
[…]
That is, Bae Sejin filmed the escape attempt scene at the main gate, getting a one-take approval.
…He’s overwhelming. His acting was almost like a presence you could feel. It was like Cha Eugene on stage.
While Bae Sejin was now performing well on stage, there was still a noticeable difference compared to acting. Even the director seemed the most excited today.
“Yo, our Sejin is still the same~”
“Ah, um… thank you.” Bae Sejin looked a bit embarrassed but quite pleased.
The shoot continued smoothly and proceeded tightly.
“Yes, moving to Room 3 for the next closed-room scene!”
At least the costumes were fixed to minimize the number of changes, which saved time. So I had to stay in an uncomfortable prison uniform….
I’ll find the guy who made this if it doesn’t look good on screen. I spent the day thinking about that.
“Moo-Moondae, what do you think…?”
“It looks pretty convincing.” I nodded at Seon Ahyeon, who was striding down the hallway wielding a baton.
“Excuse me.”
“…? Yes.”
Some people from the Ruin Factory, or rather the industrial complex, were following us. The usually quiet and cheerful people suddenly started talking actively.
“Do you have any other ideas about the progression?”
What?
“That first ending cut we shot, with the key mechanism, you said you’d design the album and put a code on the photocard, right?”
“Yes.”
And?
“It looks so good in person. The door design, the layout, and the costumes, everything…”
The female representative clasped her hands together. The male representative hurriedly continued.
“That, how about changing the character pressing the code based on the photocard member?”
“…??”
“Or building on the existing choices and accumulating affinity points…”
Wait a minute. Various ideas, initially dismissed due to time and environmental constraints, started pouring out from the developers themselves.
“…”
Apparently… the filming location, costume concept, and Bae Sejin’s acting stimulated their tastes. But still. Don’t they know what realistic thinking means?
I barely asked. “It’s good, but… is it possible to implement?”
“…Can’t it be done?”
How would we know…?
“But don’t you want to try? There were ad-libs you had to redo because of NGs that could be turned into new choices…”
“…”
“And Eugene’s escape caught my eye. It could be used as a gag ending if positioned in the middle!”
“Did I do well? Was it good earlier?”
“Hold on.”
Where did you come from?
The two representatives nodded enthusiastically at Cha Eugene, who had popped up in a prison uniform.
“Yes!”
“We want to use it!”
“Then use it! Umm, please use it!”
“Wow!”
The guy who had vehemently opposed this concept was now happy with the praise… but before that. I barely spoke. “…Do you even have time for that?”
“Haha, it’s just adding existing material as choices…”
Then?
“We’ll work overtime since we’re free from labor laws!”
“That’s right!”
“…”
So… the volume exploded with crazy scenes and NG cuts added as choices and gag endings. It didn’t end there.
“And you said there are three versions.”
“Yes, but only the USB album shape and prologue are different…”
“Wow, wouldn’t personal events bring it to life?”
“…??”
“If we revive some scrapped scenarios…”
It was then.
“Oh, are there scrapped scenarios? Really?”
“Yes! Look at this.”
The director, who had somehow joined in, decided on additional shooting on the spot.
“I’m sorry, but there’s no time to memorize the script….”
“Ah~ don’t worry about the script too much. Just go with the flow since it’s similar to your personality!”
“…”
“It’s something you wrote, so don’t stress! Actors need experiences like this for acting.”
We are idols preparing for the stage. However, due to the existence of many idols capable of acting led by Bae Sejin, that counterargument was impossible.
And the leader….
“Oh, we’re fine with it.”
“…!”
So, in conclusion, a ridiculous game of over 2.5 hours was created.
It’s 2.5 times the volume. Moreover, with three versions, bad endings, gag endings, normal endings, true endings, and hidden endings implemented, the actual playtime significantly increased.
Thanks to that, the buzz seemed to have tripled as well. Every day, insane remarks about the game and constant streaming kept the topic hot for days.
-These days, TeSTAR’s hot game… I tried it too.
-Did you know? There’s a route where Raebin messes up if you never check in the lab. Keunse’s mental breaks, lol (video)
-Seon Ahyeon’s hidden ending that’s causing a stir among TeSTAR fans (horror warning)
Of course, not everyone actually played our game. Most just watched short clips, edited videos, or fan reactions and laughed it off.
It’s a packaged game, not a mobile game, so there’s no mass appeal. It was an extension of the music video concept aimed at hardcore fans. While it likely boosted album sales, it wasn’t a massive increase.
Allowing streaming also led to people being satisfied with just watching. And, the attraction for new potential fans and the satisfaction of existing fans were very good… We captured the most important thing.
-Wow, TeSTAR’s comeback like this, lol.
-I already have the title melody stuck in my head from watching so many reactions, lolol.
At least we imprinted the fact of TeSTAR’s comeback on the internet. Plus, inserting the title song’s chorus into the game meant anyone who watched or reacted to it would remember it.
If we can get them to listen once, it’s a success. As expected, TeSTAR’s music ranking was not inferior to when we had T1’s massive promotion backing.
…! Right. With the comeback news spread, all that’s left is to deliver the final blow with a performance.
And today is the day. We will perform our first comeback stage live on a public broadcast.
“Hmm.”
I smiled. The results were quite satisfying, but…
[Moondae! Are you interested in more serious games for TeSTAR? How about appearing as characters in a short gag ending in our next project…]
“I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.”
The people from the Ruin Factory who now seemed to consider us comrades… I’ll think about them later.
* * *
“…Yes. Thank you.”
Bae Sejin thanked the person on the other end of the phone again. Even though it had been a while, the director graciously accepted his call.
She was a director of the drama, where he made a cameo as a shaman. She was also the producer of the ten-million-viewer movie where Bae Sejin acted as a child shaman.
Bae Sejin had created an opportunity. So he could meet the film production team he had known as a child actor and make a difficult request.
…I’m glad I had the courage.
It was an absurdly grueling task… but it felt like the first time he had contributed so much to the team.
The reactions were good…
Now, he just had to work hard on stage. As he resolved himself again for this activity.
“Remember? When you were this small, you suddenly shed big tears on set, startling all the adults.”
“Yes, yes?”
“You said, ‘I was just getting into the emotion, why the fuss~,’ so coolly. Such a bold kid.”
“Uh… ahem, yes.”
Bae Sejin barely held back a cough. The director, reminiscing joyfully, suddenly muttered in a low voice.
“Still… It’s a pity. Such a pity.”
“…”
“I really enjoyed the shoot this time, Sejin. Jungjin was also happy to see you after a long time.
“Ah.”
Bae Sejin recalled the actor who played the driver in the prologue scene. He was a senior actor from his child actor days.
“…You did a good job.”
While briefly lost in those memories.
“I’ve got a really good script this time.”
A direct offer came from the other end of the phone.
“You’re old enough now. Don’t you want to try?”
“..!”
It was 30 minutes before TeSTAR’s first comeback stage live.