Debut or Die - Chapter 470
After successfully increasing their buzz, the new group ĭter, benchmarked by a big agency, started to gradually continue their marketing. From this point on, the predictions were easy.
If it were me… I’d refine the game once more. ’
Since they had already sparked interest, it was time to lay some groundwork for their image.
-There’s even that famous producer from MS Entertainment in ĭter’s planning team. Seems like they’ve gathered talents from everywhere.
└ Wow, amazing.
-Haha, no wonder MS quality went down after the 2nd year of Xyrop working. They all moved.
– They’re really getting bashed from all directions right after debut. Their media play is dirty…
└ Are you sad for Floprop? ㅠㅠ How pathetic ㅠㅠ
-Lol lol, they say it’s plagiarism, but didn’t they just follow MS idols instead of TeSTAR?
└ Seems like they’re really feeling the pressure.
Stories about how amazing the team behind this group was and how ĭter became one group started to emerge gradually.
– Crazy, I heard there were 30 people in the debut team for 5 months before they picked the perfect 5 members.
– The reason why ĭter’s visual harmony is so great.jpg
– Wonder Hall debuted this new boy group after five years of preparation. They really put their all into it.
Without personal stories for each member that could be shown on broadcast, like in survival groups, they decided to emphasize their marketability instead.
Luxury image.
One group was created by a big company, investing heavily in capital and manpower. The image of being high-end and the latest model definitely worked. It annoyed fans of other low-profile idol groups who suddenly felt downgraded. But even that was manipulated to garner sympathy by emphasizing harsh criticisms and aggressive comments.
– Do you enjoy manipulating recommendations to push this up?
– What did the newly debuted kids do wrong? Stop personal attacks.
– Supporting a plagiarizing group is why the idol industry is going downhill, don’t you know?
└ Seems like it’s because of people like you.
It was a mess, but they didn’t care about gaining some dislike. Their differentiation strategy was working well.
– But Wonder Hall is still Wonder Hall. They shifted from T-HOLIC’s variety idol path without looking awkward, and it really smells like money.
– You can’t ignore experience in the idol industry ㅋㅋㅋ
– I love capital-heavy concepts like TeSTAR’s, so I’d love more idols in that line. It makes things more enjoyable. But TeSTAR fans’ reactions are scaryㅠ
…This is possible because they made a good album in the first place.
They absorbed various ‘references.’ The new group, perfectly matching the song, choreography, and MV, rose smoothly with the power of capital and a big agency.
[Go, gogogo, yes, Go!]
They nailed the concept of the dance challenge on Tiktaktok. ĭter’s exclusive filter turned the boss monster in the music video into a crude crayon drawing. The dance gesture of shooting at the monster at the right timing became popular among teenagers on Tiktaktok.
– Who would have thought Wonder Hall would take the conceptual boy group line…
– Wow, this is super fun.
– Is it finally a generational shift?
– No boy group has really made it big since TeSTAR.
-Lol lol, they’ll flop because they lack mainstream appeal. Is everyone here a hired commenter?
Expectations, sarcasm, hostility, favor…. At this moment, ĭter succeeded in becoming a hot topic in the idol industry. Of course, the idol industry, especially for male idols, had shifted much of its target audience overseas, creating some distance from the general public…
Even a storm in a teacup is fine.
The stage was set. They had phrases to introduce to the public.
[Wonder Hall’s monster rookie. Shooting hot dance challenge, resulting in WeTube views exploding.]
They had a few keywords to latch onto.
When they appeared on variety shows, it was clear why they were there and how to consume and highlight the group’s image. From then on, public exposure began.
[Today’s guests… Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!]
[I thought they were shooting the boss, but they were actually shooting my heart? Here are the sparkling supernatural boy guides, Wonder Hall’s new group, ĭter!]
[Woooow!]
“Hmm… Ding Dong Karaoke is out.”
“Ooh.”
“We even got our stamps to reappear a few months ago, but things have turned out like this~”
A few of the hottest variety shows. And they appeared on the variety show hosted by T-HOLIC, showing their fresh rookie side.
They didn’t appear too often. They chose only the highest-level shows they could appear on, about three or four. Moreover, their slightly awkward but polite and formal attitude wasn’t explosively entertaining…. But their image got imprinted.
Big agency, successful debut!
– T-HOLIC is really carrying them.
– It’s definitely better to debut with a big agency.
– But the kids seem nice and okay, and the dance members are all good-looking.
Gradually permeating into the public perception, ‘ĭter’ started being accepted as just ‘the new conceptual idol.’
‘Oh, T-HOLIC’s juniors? I’ve heard their name once.’
‘Don’t they do weird concepts too? Nowadays, all idols do that. But it seems like they’re trending.’
This clever in-and-out positioning took hold.
“…”
After skimming through the media play articles related to ‘ĭter’s successful debut,’ I concluded. They had successfully solidified their position.
Now, they’ll probably promote these achievements overseas to attract the global KPOP fandom.
Following the standard course, that’s what they’ll do. A meticulous set up by a big agency, based on exploiting TeSTAR’s core concepts, was executed cleanly. Oh, and they timed it perfectly when TeSTAR was at its weakest. And at this moment, for us, the ones affected…
“It’s time to wrap up our activities.”
“Yes.”
Hmm, we didn’t particularly react. We were just wrapping up our domestic schedule of three weeks as planned, finishing the group activities for album promotion.
Why? Well, it was impossible to extend our group activities just to check that new rookie group. We had already squeezed out the maximum.
Actually, from the start,
Reacting to them would be stupid. We needed to maintain a policy of ignoring them as much as possible. Any reaction from us would only boost that group’s buzz.
As long as they were the challengers, the underdogs, the rookies, the rising stars… the narrative was set. No matter what gesture TeSTAR made, it would only be too easy for the other side to frame it and build their image. They probably hoped for that too.
They might have thought that, as a new agency with strong artist influence, we would take some measures. Or they might have hoped that TeSTAR would get angry and leave some cryptic message.
The fact that we kept silent ended the narrative with ‘ĭter left a successful debut footprint.’ That was the right approach.
Of course, damn it…. Not that we weren’t angry.
Just yesterday, Keun Sejin went boxing instead of Pilates. He probably wanted to hit something other than a punching bag.
Anyway… So, for now, what remained for TeSTAR, who chose to wait quietly, was the continuation of individual activities already scheduled. For example, those appearing in variety show series.
“Um, Ahyeon is still fishing, right?”
“Yes…!”
Oh, by the way, Seon Ahyeon surprisingly decided to appear on a show about fishing on a boat. It even had a rather wild concept, close to ‘surviving’ with limited supplies….
“Isn’t it hard?”
“E-Everyone is kind, so… I’m trying my best to learn…!”
“Hmm. Okay.”
Seon Ahyeon, who was inherently strong and fearless, seemed to have found it surprisingly suitable… To begin with, he’s a guy who only has a glass heart when it comes to social relationships with peers. So, he easily handled gross things like catching bugs with bare hands or diving without hesitation, leaving a good impression on middle-aged viewers.
-What’s up with Flower Deer?
-Oh, surprisingly, Seon Ahyeon is quite easygoing?
└After watching three consecutive episodes: Correction, not easygoing but has a crazy steel mental.
-Doing that with a prince-like faceㅠㅠㅠㅠ
It seemed to connect with the unexpected character he showed in the hidden route of the game, drawing light fans. Indeed, Seon Ahyeon, who didn’t change his facial expression all day on the boat, seemed like a drama character.
Doesn’t he get seasick? Well, it would be funny if a guy who practiced spinning in mid-air daily during middle and high school got seasick on a boat.
Anyway, this meant that TeSTAR’s individual activities were successful regardless of the new group.
“Oh, and Sejin hyung is filming a drama this afternoon!”
“Oh!”
“F-Fighting…!”
“…Cough, thanks.”
Bae Sejin was also officially filming now.
Cha Eugene, who had already finished his personal schedule first, hovered around Bae Sejin, holding a script. “Hyung, do you like filming?”
“Well, it’s okay.”
“Is this part of Hyung’s role fun? What kind of person is it?”
“Um… the protagonist’s friend.” Bae Sejin pulled the script closer and answered bluntly, probably worried Cha Eugene might tear it up.
“There are many types of friends! But I think it’s either the best friend or a small part. Or the worst friend?”
“…Neither, but they do form a deep bond in a short time.” Bae Sejin spoke as vaguely as possible.
For your information, he explained the reason for this on the day after the first meeting.
“I… signed the contract!”
“Wooow!”
The guy who raised his fist confidently froze at the next question.
“Ah! What role did you get?”
“…”
“Hyung?”
“There’s a non-disclosure agreement, so I can’t tell you the exact role! It’s not that I don’t trust you, but there could be eavesdroppers, so just in case…!”
“Calm down, Sejin, we understand.”
We left him alone because he said so.
And Bae Sejin continued his roundabout explanation to Cha Eugene with a serious face. “It’s a supporting role, but there’s a memorable scene… a very meaningful one, so it’s quite good.”
“Umm.”
“…I give the protagonist an awakening moment! Something like that!”
Having roughly read the original webtoon, I could think of a few candidates. All of them died in the middle of the season, though. Is this why he’s so cautious about the non-disclosure clause?
“OK. As long as hyung is happy.”
“Yeah!”
Cha Eugene shrugged his shoulders, and Bae Sejin quickly closed the script and turned his head.
“But more importantly… are we just leaving those guys alone? The ones copying us…”
“Um…”
He was clearly changing the subject, but should I go along with it?
“For now, our response is exactly what they want, so we left it alone.”
“I understand that… but we can’t keep doing this.”
“Hyung…”
“Yeah, I agree with hyung.”
“…!” Bae Sejin looked back with slightly surprised eyes.
Freshly showered, Keun Sejin sat on the table. “If their next comeback isn’t as hot, they’ll probably cling to TeSTAR more, even overlapping schedules on purpose.”
Bae Sejin straightened his face, but Keun Sejin just laughed.
“Hey~ but we already know that, right? We can start preparing now.” Then he looked at me. “Right, Moondae?”
Yes.
I looked down at my smartphone.
-Spacer Kwon Heeseung: Moondae hyung! Congratulations on another legendary activity for TeSTAR ㅎㅎ!!
-Spacer Kwon Heeseung: We’re working hard to come back soon too!ㅠㅠ
Spacer.
Just as Miri-nay was deliberately pitted against the new artists from Youngrin’s company last time… Spacer would also be intentionally bulked up to be tied with them.
I need to position them.
I quickly finished my thoughts while checking Spacer’s profile. And in fact, even without that, I had planned to meet Kwon Heeseung anyway.
The truth is, with TeSTAR’s album release… the company finally had some results.
[TeSTAR(★★★★★) album: Released!]
Album rating: S
Digital ranking: 3rd (daily highest)
Album sales: 1,823,281 copies
Total revenue: Being calculated
Although it’s marked this way because we’ve only completed domestic promotions without going on tour, the important thing was elsewhere. As soon as the performance and income were recorded, it was immediately reflected in the company’s grade.
[Company Grade (D+) → Company Grade (B-)]
The promotion is successful!
It was rapid. A lot changed and was given as rewards, but the most important was this popup.
[Mission Accomplished!]
Mission: <Stars Orbit Entertainment> Achieve B-grade
– ‘■■■ Fragment’. Can be retrieved
It was accomplished.
“…”
The fragment of the system. The cause of the ‘mission failure’ that collapsed the building and swapped my body with Keundal. I could finally retrieve it from him. Before the ‘mission failure’ appeared.