Debut or Die - Chapter 467
Actually, it’s natural for members of an idol group to pursue individual activities once they’ve accumulated enough experience.
When a group passes its prime, profitability declines. Therefore, each member needs to explore their own career paths in advance. Of course, there are many exceptions these days, and TeSTAR was one of those exceptions.
“We haven’t really done any individual activities until now.”
“That’s right.”
The group has been doing well continuously…
The only individual activities we’ve done are variety shows or photo shoots. Because we came from a survival show, we refrained from individual activities for a few years to help unify the fandom, which led us to this point.
I spoke up. “But don’t you think it’s about time to start now?”
“Hmm.”
Bae Sejin shuddered. The members’ gazes reflexively turned towards him.
Cha Eugene raised his hand. “So, are we having a meeting? Is Sejin hyung going to act?
What a quick-witted guy.
“…I received an offer.”
“…! Really?!”
“C-Congratulations…!”
In the midst of the kind but oblivious members reacting positively, Bae Sejin’s face turned red and blue.
“No, I said I won’t do it…!”
“…?!”
“I told Park Moondae earlier, too. We just had a comeback, and I can’t leave to act!”
“Ah…!”
An exclamation mark appeared on Seon Ahyeon and Kim Raebin’s faces. But soon, Kim Raebin asked cautiously.
“Is it impossible to manage both schedules?”
Right! Then you can do both!
It’s a question fitting of someone with a crazy efficiency trait that doubles the speed of composing. However, Bae Sejin clenched his hands.
“…What if I make a mistake?”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll be honest. I learn stage performances the slowest here. I started late, and maybe it’s a talent issue too.”
“…Well, it’s subjective depending on the criteria…”
“But do you think I can balance such a different type of work like acting and not make a single mistake on stage?”
“…!!”
Bae Sejin looked up. His face was pale.
“If something goes wrong, what will people think?”
If he makes a mistake as the first to start individual activities, he’ll be criticized heavily. But surprisingly, he wasn’t even pointing out that.
“They’ll think something’s wrong internally, that Bae Sejin is being overworked to the point of balancing group activities and acting…!”
“…”
“I may not know much about idol activities as when I just debuted, but I understand the situation now.”
Yeah. I know you watch those nationalistic WeTube channels. Then, KPOP reaction videos, public response videos, and even leaks must show up as related videos. Even just reading the titles, he’d get an idea of how rumors create secondary rumors. And which rumors become a hot topic and create waves.
“In the situation where we’ve just changed companies and made our first comeback… I won’t do it.” Bae Sejin finished speaking with a rather firm expression. “That’s my judgment.”
“…”
Oh.
I rested my chin on my hand. Leaving aside the validity of his conclusion.
He drew a pretty logical and deep process to that conclusion. It wasn’t an attempt to avoid the situation, but rather a thorough analysis after confronting it head-on. He has grown a lot.
Respecting that attitude, I was going to start the discussion with partial agreement, but…
“Why?”
“…?!”
Is this guy questioning first?
Ryu Chungwoo calmly continued while staring at Bae Sejin among the wide-eyed members. “Sejin, why do you think acting will definitely affect your stage performance?”
“Who said definitely?” Bae Sejin seemed upset but soon calmed down. “… I’m saying the possibility is high. I can imagine it. That situation…!”
“Imagining doesn’t always become reality.”
“…!”
“Sejin.” Ryu Chungwoo spoke gently. But somehow, there was a strict undertone. “As I’ve mentioned before… when you imagine the future, you tend to think of the bad possibilities more than the good ones.”
“…”
“That doesn’t necessarily have to be correct.”
Bae Sejin looked a bit dazed.
“When we talked about this before, it turned out well, despite your worries. Remember?”
“…”
There was a silent agreement.
And although Ryu Chungwoo vaguely referred to it, I realized what situation he was talking about.
Bae Sejin glanced at Keun Sejin momentarily.
It seems to refer to when they fought badly.
At that time, I handled the conversation with Keun Sejin, and Ryu Chungwoo handled Bae Sejin. It seems they had a similar conversation back then.
Bae Sejin probably thought Keun Sejin hated him and would never apologize first… He might have thought even if he apologized, they wouldn’t reconcile.
Ryu Chungwoo seems to have gently calmed him down. And well, the two Sejin reconciled and, despite some friction, continued to get along.
In short, Bae Sejin was indeed too negative at that time. However, I understood why Bae Sejin made that judgment. It wasn’t just because they didn’t get along and emotions built up, leading to a big fight. I think it was also due to his thinking process being influenced by his past experiences. Probably because of his experiences as a child actor…
He failed once due to a terrible agency. Plus, even his biological father nearly ruined him, which we witnessed live. It seems natural for him to consider the worst outcome in critical decisions. The problem is…
And me too… I understood that mindset. I also have a few terrible childhood experiences that come to mind. Situations where the worst assumptions became reality. Anyone who has experienced that tends to plan their future with those worst-case scenarios in mind. It’s preparation.
I don’t have any complaints about my thought process, thinking I haven’t suffered any losses… But Ryu Chungwoo seems to find Bae Sejin’s mindset regrettable.
“You’ve rarely made mistakes on stage so far, even when you couldn’t sleep properly. Why would you suddenly start making mistakes now?”
“…”
“I don’t think so. And even if you do, it might pass without much issue… Isn’t it a shame to give up just for that reason?”
Bae Sejin’s eyes became hazy.
And I felt a sense of astonishment towards Ryu Chungwoo. How can he be like that? Knowing he retired just before his prime due to lingering effects from an accident he can’t even remember, how can he live with such a mindset? We’ve lived together for years, and I know his situation… but that makes it even harder to understand.
Well, people can’t all be the same. There are all kinds of people, and that’s why a team works.
As evidence, Bae Sejin seemed somewhat emotionally moved by those resolute words. And as if to build on that momentum, Ryu Chungwoo spoke to me instead of Bae Sejin.
“What do you think?”
“…”
Why?
He thinks I’ll back him up since we called this meeting.
“Well… you’re right. But I think Sejin hyung is also right. There’s a possibility.”
“…!”
“…Really?”
Why do you look so dejected, too, Ryu Chungwoo?
Anyway, I shrugged my shoulders. “And even if you persuade him, I think Sejin hyung will keep worrying. He doesn’t need to force himself to do individual activities.”
“…!”
“So I’d like to refute Sejin hyung’s reasoning.”
“…??”
“R-Refute… what?”
Yes.
“I think there’s a fundamental reason behind his worry about making mistakes.”
“…Fundamental reason?”
He looks like he doesn’t understand.
Listen.
“It’s because our schedule during activity periods is tight.”
The tighter it is, the less time there is to prepare mentally and physically for the stage. In that environment, it’s natural to worry that his skills will inevitably lead to mistakes.
“If we had a more relaxed schedule, he wouldn’t have to worry. He’d have time to practice even while doing other activities.”
Bae Sejin responded with a blank expression. “That’s… true.”
I nodded. “Then there’s no need to worry.”
“…?? Why…?”
“Our schedule is more relaxed than before.”
“Why?!”
I clasped my hands together. “T1-affiliated schedules are all blocked…”
“…”
“…”
That’s right. Assuming a similar intensity to previous albums, Bae Sejin missed this loophole.
We don’t have many shows to appear on. If we do a couple of broadcast shows and a few WeTube appearances, that’s it. The rest are rather out of our league, so we can’t appear on them even if we want to.
However, the game is making up for the buzz… In the end, the crazy 60 days of album preparation and promotional activities are more or less condensed.
And realizing this, Bae Sejin’s eyes became dots. He seemed flustered. “I… need to think.”
“Sure. And while you think, I have other agenda items to discuss.”
“Wh-What?”
I didn’t call this meeting just to talk about your acting.
“I’m thinking we could all do some individual activities during this promotional period.”
“Pardon??”
“W-We…?”
“Um, it’s not about the album. It’s about appearances. We should split up and do some individual activities to show our faces more.”
“Ah.”
This would help compensate for the schedules we missed due to T1 affiliates. Even for those who don’t use social media, communities, or WeTube much, they should know TeSTAR has a new album out. And… there’s another benefit, which Seon Ahyeon seemed to notice.
“Ah…! Th-Then Sejin hyung’s acting will be part of the individual appearances, making it seem like everyone’s doing something!”
Exactly.
Though Bae Sejin’s activity is unique and more significant, spreading it out will prevent him from being solely targeted.
“…! Indeed, I hadn’t thought that far!”
“Then I’m going out!”
The meeting room buzzed with Kim Raebin admiring Seon Ahyeon and Cha Eugene eagerly looking for programs.
Bae Sejin bowed his head. “…Thank you. Really.”
“…!”
“No problem! I admire your willingness to consider giving up for the album! I’ll support your acting…!”
“Yeah. I’ll support you.”
“Good luck…!”
Should I add a word?
“If it’s another psychopath role, ask for a change.”
“…Okay.”
There was a hint of laughter in Bae Sejin’s voice. Then, raising his head, he clenched his fist, and his eyes shone.
“I’ll do well.”
Yes.
“I’ll keep practicing for the stage too.”
Good.
“I’ll… work hard and promote the album during the shoot…!”
“That’s okay.”
No, it’s not. The industry is too cutthroat for that. Just focus on your role.
“Cough, um, but…”
Bae Sejin seemed to want to say more, but suddenly, he met someone’s eyes and stopped. It was the person who hadn’t spoken a word throughout the meeting.
“…”
It was Keun Sejin. He was watching Bae Sejin with a neutral expression.
Bae Sejin momentarily looked away reflexively, but soon, that hesitance disappeared. Instead, he asked Keun Sejin seriously.
“You… What do you think about it?”
“…”
“About me acting during activities.”
Keun Sejin glanced at the table before speaking. “In this situation, it should be fine, right?”
“…!”
It was a relaxed tone. And a subtle agreement.
Bae Sejin looked surprised, almost jumping out of his chair, but soon coughed awkwardly. “No, I mean, I thought you were staying silent because you didn’t like it!”
“Well… I thought you’d interpret my reaction negatively anyway~”
“…”
He hit the mark.
Keun Sejin’s playful tone was genuine. And it seemed to have pricked Bae Sejin’s conscience. If he had said individual activities were fine, he would’ve suspected sarcasm, and if he opposed, he would’ve agreed.
Keun Sejin rubbed his neck. “We’re at that stage where everyone can start doing individual activities~ And I heard that you were planning on turning it down anyway.”
“…”
“It’d be nice if we all do well.” Keun Sejin finished his statement. It didn’t seem like an empty remark.
“…Okay.” And this time, Bae Sejin seemed able to accept that.
“Good. I’ll contact the director and finalize it!”
“Great!”
And so, TeSTAR was ready to enter the album promotion phase in earnest. In a slightly unique way that is different from before.
* * *
“Uh… if all collaborations with T1-related companies are impossible, does that mean we can’t produce a group reality show this time either?!”
“Wait and see.”