Debut or Die - Chapter 468
It was in Seoul, at a quiet office.
“I’ll get straight to the point!”
“Yes, thank you.”
Bae Sejin sat down across the table as calmly as possible. It’s really happening.
It was his first project meeting in a long time. He had memories of acting for years in a strange virtual world, but those experiences felt vague, like a distant past or a vivid dream, even though they were recent. Perhaps that’s why he was so nervous.
He took a short, deep breath. Soon, the person he had been waiting for hurriedly appeared.
“Sejin, you’re here!”
“…! Hello.”
The director holding the documents was the one who had offered him the role. And she wasn’t alone.
“Director, Producer.”
“Yes~ Sejin, you’ve grown a lot.” The producer, with a bold impression, sat down on the sofa with a smile.
It was this person…! He was the director of the project where Sejin had played a kidnapped child as a child actor. His track record was… successful about half the time.
…Good. This seemed worth taking a shot. Bae Sejin bowed his head and then sat down again.
“This kid really hasn’t changed. He’s still calm.”
“Right? He still gives off that proper lifestyle vibe.”
Cough. It’s not to that extent.
Bae Sejin, who thought he had deviated quite a bit over the years, finally received the proposal. The document flipped over the table, lightly explaining the project.
Modern mystery horror… It was based on a webtoon depicting a slightly bizarre and chilly modern South Korean setting in the 21st century. As Bae Sejin quickly skimmed through it, a kind explanation followed.
“It’s a Netfler original drama.”
“Ah.”
If so, it was certainly capital-independent of T1, as long as the production studio wasn’t related. The… I can do this.
If it’s a drama, it would take longer to shoot than a movie, but wouldn’t it be fine if he promoted the next album after that?
While Sejin was deep in thought, the director spoke again. “But actually… we’ve already filmed quite a bit?”
“…!”
Wait a minute.
“…You’re casting me now?”
Is it a seasonal series?
Maybe he was to appear in season 2….
“Actually, we tried using a promising rookie… but that crazy guy got caught in a scandal with a video. Something about regional remarks!”
“…Cough.”
“Our Sejin has been in the industry for nearly 20 years and is still clean, but that rookie’s head was filled with WeTube, Insta, and Tiktaktok!”
The director almost frothed at the mouth with rage. The producer quickly offered him a sugary coffee, steering the conversation elsewhere.
“Anyway, because of that, we had to cut his scenes, which delayed the schedule and left a gap. So, we contacted Sejin and got the chance to work together after a long time.”
“Ah… thank you.”
“No problem. It’s just fate that brought us together again!”
“That’s really true~ Thank you, Producer~”
“It’s all thanks to Sejin agreeing to do it~”
The director and producer laughed. Meanwhile, Sejin felt his nerves getting sharper.
“…So, the role you’re offering me is the one that the rookie had?”
“…! Ah, but it’s a significant role!”
The hurried explanation continued.
“We met and auditioned many people, but none seemed right.”
The rookie, they found by chance, was irreplaceable, and the director convinced investors to give him a shot.
“Netfler is lenient with this, but even they suggested using a more recognizable actor. It’s a really good role!”
“And since the rookie had no promotional value, no articles were published. There won’t be any talk of replacements!”
“Ah, yes.”
Sejin nodded, but the director and producer watched for any sign that he might feel slighted by the ‘replacement’ treatment.
But that wasn’t what Sejin was concerned about. The filming period being shorter means the release date will be sooner than I thought.
Seeing the results sooner wasn’t bad. But at the same time, one thing was off the table.
With the album promotion… it would be ambiguous.
Netfler released drama seasons in bulk or at most twice, needing ample editing time, delaying the release. So, this drama would be released around the end of their current album promotions.
…Maybe a month or two.
It wouldn’t help with album promotion.
“…”
Sejin controlled his expression and asked himself. Did they not know this?
The members who knew idol activities much better than he did. That they had let him use a drama or movie, whose release date was uncertain, as part of ‘album promotion’…
…They just supported me. Whether it helped the group activities or not, it was just for Sejin’s sake.
Sejin suppressed his rising emotions. “…Well, let me take a look at the role first.”
“Sure, sure!”
“Wow, Sejin talks the same way as when he was little.”
Sejin pushed the document aside and picked up the new, completed script underneath. He flipped through it aggressively.
I’ll do well. No matter the role, he would do his best. To repay their support…
“…”
“How is it, Sejin?”
To… repay.
“Usually, idols start with modest supporting roles… but Sejin shouldn’t be treated the same with his acting skills!”
“…”
“Wouldn’t it be great to solidify your actor image with a strong psychopath role?”
“That,”
Bae Sejin started sweating!
* * *
Meanwhile, TeSTAR planned a 3-week album promotion starting with their first public music show. And the fans began to notice a change in the atmosphere.
-The guys aren’t on Ding Dong Karaoke. Didn’t they promise to come back for the next comeback?
-Wow, it’s odd. The variety show accounts that were super friendly are suddenly not mentioning them at all.
-The guys’ variety shows… SBC, MBS… hmm…
And everyone reached a similar conclusion.
-T1 is being T1.
-Oh, geez. As expected.
-Wow, they’re really petty. Blocking them from Music Bomb wasn’t enough?
-They really want to kill TeSTAR and steal their fans. Nope, not watching your survival show.
Fans filled SNS with untraceable curses at T1’s malicious actions, which made for popular posts.
[TeSTAR, being economically retaliated against by their former broadcaster]
[It looks like T1 has cut ties with TeSTAR?]
Posts detailing the fans’ reactions and TeSTAR’s public schedules spread the news. ‘TeSTAR has been targeted by T1! It’s not just a boundary; they’ve completely split!’
The scenario Park Moondae anticipated since the T1 executives’ arrests was now spreading among the public as rumors.
-Oh my god…
-This is huge, lol.
This could have harmed the group’s image. If an entertainer is ‘cut off’ by a platform, it seems like their popularity and appearances will decline. But it didn’t reach that point.
-T1 must be grinding their teeth looking at the album and music charts.
-Congrats, TeSTAR, on your newfound freedom!
-They’re not Tnet’s slaves anymore.
-Isn’t this an overreaction? Maybe TeSTAR just doesn’t want to appear there.
TeSTAR’s good performance protected them.
Yes. In the entertainment industry, ‘class’ attacks were defended by numbers and buzz, and Park Moondae trusted this logic. So, he knew special defenses weren’t needed in this situation.
-Pathetic. Ditched by a big company… they won’t last long.
└Pathetic troll.
└Hey, TeSTAR’s first-week sales have already exceeded 1.7 million, which is a career high. What do you think?
└Damn it, hahahaha.
└Ditching them was a blessing!
└Maybe the troll meant T1 won’t last long without TeSTAR (thinking emoji).
Netizens found TeSTAR’s journey more entertaining! How satisfying! The feeling of quitting a job and becoming more successful! But not all fans found this reaction joyful.
-Do you think they’re doing this just for our boys’ sake? They’re just success chasers…ㅠㅠ
-The reality is the boys have fewer places to appear now. Imagine how much they must be worrying… Ah, I’m so upset.
Becoming enemies with a platform wasn’t something to take lightly.
-Why did they include the game in the album? They knew they wouldn’t be able to appear on many shows, so they filled the content this way ㅠㅠ
└ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└Ah, it’s heartbreaking. I need to buy another copy.
When the members’ individual schedules were announced, everyone understood.
-Yeah, they’re trying.
-It’s the first time TeSTAR members have so many individual schedules… It’s common for other groups.
-I’ll watch them all. Fighting!
Moreover, the members spoke openly on the W app.
[This time, we’re trying to show ourselves in various schedules… We’ve filmed some individually too.]
[Right.]
[We’re working hard in our activities, everyone!]
They softly hinted that ‘we wanted to do individual activities this time’ was not the real reason. They were filling the time when the group couldn’t appear together.
-As expected.
-But let’s enjoy it. Imagine how fun it will be to see them interact during solo schedules ㅠㅠ
Group fans felt sad, and individual fans cheered at this timing.
Then Bae Sejin’s article came out.
[TeSTAR’s Bae Sejin, ‘Ten Million Child Actor,’ Returns in Netfler’ <The Doll Hunter>]
-????
Bae Sejin, who had no individual variety or event schedules, finally revealed his schedule.
-Crazy.
-It’s about time he started acting again, hahaha.
-I’m so excited, what to do
-This project has been awaited for a while. How’s Bae Sejin’s acting?
└Amazing.
└He’s originally an actor.
Public reaction was favorable. A good-looking actor with no acting controversies. Thanks to the groundwork, TeSTAR fans were also quite accepting.
-Yeah, Baese acting is better than doing variety shows.
-I wanted to see our hamster nervous on a variety show alone, but this is okay too, hahaha
–ㅠㅠㅠ TeSTAR, fighting!
Acting was a legitimate individual activity. Some toxic fans might wait for a slight lapse in Sejin’s group activity to pounce.
“Sejin, make sure to check this out today, even if you’re tired.”
“Got it.”
So TeSTAR was even more attentive during live broadcasts or schedules, working hard together. However, one member had another concern.
It’s about time.
It was Park Moondae.
A few days later would be TeSTAR’s debut anniversary, marking the end of June. The summer weather was also approaching. And I had peculiar information related to ‘this summer.’
Sure enough. One day, while checking repeatedly…
[T-Holic’s Junior Group Incoming… Wonder Hall, “Rookie Boy Group < ĭter > Debut”]
The article was out.
As expected.
I immediately checked my status window. The ‘hint’ I had picked.
[A Rookie from Wonder Hall (B)]
-In 202X, Wonder Hall is finally launching a new male idol rookie this summer. As a large-scale project with 20 billion won invested over three years, the rookie team’s groundbreaking plan is drawing attention within the agency.
The hint was accurate. It’s definitely useful.
And another noteworthy point. The hint was a golden ‘B,’ indicating high importance. Specificity often indicated higher importance, but it wasn’t just that. It was valuable because it was useful.
Thus, I thought. This rookie group is likely to become popular.
Even community comments were quite active. Of course, thanks to Wonder Hall and T-Holic’s names.
-Wow, finally T-Holic juniors.
-Wonder Hall picks only the most likable members, from soft tofu types to hot guys, so please do the same this time.
-I’m really curious. Can they become as popular as T-Holic?
└Times have changed. It’ll be tough.
└But it’s Wonder Hall, so it might happen.
The demand for the friendly, cool same-age or senior concept of T-Holic was still high. No matter how well TeSTAR made its name known through variety shows and songs, it wasn’t built on a concept.
I assessed coldly. I need to keep an eye on them.
But the next week, when their debut teaser was released.
-???????
-Crazy.
-This is T-Holic’s junior…?
-Hahaha, I never expected this.
I hadn’t even expected such a reaction.
“…!”
The nation’s idol, T-Holic’s juniors… had chosen a completely conceptual path, just like TeSTAR.