Chapter 72

I heard that the music video for 'Magical Boy' was released last midnight.

However, there was no time to catch up and monitor it. Cha Eugene's half-dreaming nonsense was proving it.

"Hmm…? Is your hair done?"

"My hair was done a while ago, and we're moving in the car now."

"Oh…"

Cha Eugene went back to sleep with a vague exclamation.

Yes. Since last night, I'd been moving around, polishing, filming, interviewing…

We hadn't been able to sleep properly for about a month., so it wouldn't be strange if someone came out confused about who and where they were

"I-It's the showcase now, right?"

"That's right~"

I heard Seon Ahyeon take a deep breath after asking the manager with a tone of uncertainty. It seemed he was suddenly nervous because the event was right in front of him.

"Well, what we've been preparing this month… Let's show them everything. No matter where you go, practice won't betray you."

"Of course~"

"Y-Yes!"

Some of the members who were awake responded to the encouragement said by Ryu Chungwoo whose voice was sinking.

And Kim Raebin, who was sitting next to me, murmured quietly.

"…In fact, the proportion of practice compared to the time period is great, but it is insufficient in terms of the absolute amount of practice…"

"…"

When I stared at him in silence, his words changed subtly.

"I think I'll be able to perform the stage well with passion alone…"

"That's right."

It was a relief he was a sensible person even though he wasn't sociable.

* * *

Most of the reporters who attended the showcase had high expectations.

It wasn't about Testar's skills, but about their popularity.

'I'll pick the number of views for the article.'

'It would be damn nice if you fail.'

Reporters taking pictures and writing articles eagerly waited for the showcase to begin.

And in front of and behind the reporters, the shareholders who had purchased the stock package from <Idol Inc.> sat down.

Most of them had brought slogans and cheering tools. The shapes and colors were different because the official light stick had not yet been released, but the excitement of the fans was still visible.

In the atmosphere full of excitement, the opening began with lights on a dark stage.

– High five!

Wearing the same baseball uniform worn in the music video, Testar performed the stage with a more accurate group dance than in the music video.

– My feet are moving

Like zooming in~

To you

Ddan Ddan Daradara DAAN Yeah!

Jumping movements that move the body with excitement appeared frequently in the choreography to match the pleasant song.

Swish!

Every time they turned their bodies to the whistle or bounced their feet, the concentration on the stage increased significantly.

'They're good.'

'The song is good, too!'

The witty ad-libs, such as playing rock-paper-scissors or greeting each other, were also cleverly cute.

'They don't look like rookies.'

'People from the audition are good at this.'

The reporters turned the favorable impression into a fuss and worked hard to pick a title.

['Hi-five' Testar begins to prove its popularity]

[Testar 'Opening that ends with a homerun!']

In the meantime, the Testar members who finished the opening briefly went in. And instead, the MC came out and dragged the time.

It was a face that everyone here knew.

"Hello~"

"Oh!"

While fans were both pleased and disgusted at the familiar MC of <Idol Inc.>, Testar frantically changed their clothes under the stage with the help of the staff.

"Argh, my head!"

"The baseball uniform really doesn't come off…."

While Testar, who barely wore a school uniform jacket with splendid epaulets, ran out, the MC skillfully led the audience's reaction.

"Hey~ long time no see, shareholder-nim! …Huh? You're not happy to see me? Ah, let's not do that between us~ We haven't seen each other for three months! Of course, only the shareholder-nim saw my face."

A moment of laughter, playful boos, and cheers. The MC smiled and introduced the next stage.

"Then I hope you can meet your stock after a long time. Your stock has soared!"

And on the stage where the lights came on again.

Testar smiled and started dancing to the prelude.

It was <Just Me>.

"…!!"

It had been a while since the show ended, and the audience was enveloped in a strange nostalgia.

Moreover, it was a new feeling to see Testar singing <Just Me> with a smile, even dividing parts with each other.

It felt like watching the epilogue after a happy ending, so the audience enjoyed the stage with warm hearts.

– What shines on the stage today?

It's me!

Yes, you'll make Shining Star.

It's me!

"Finally, you wake up and shine~"

Eventually, a chorus of chants ensued.

Testar, who was flustered, sang the song with a bigger smile.

It was a fun trendy song time, even several reporters who watched <Idol Inc.> were nodding their heads.

However, it didn't warm everyone's hearts.

Some were cold-hearted.

'They're pretty much done with their songs.'

'They get excited just for sharing parts?'

They were fans of <Idol Inc.>'s eliminated participants who were attending the showcase with crooked minds.

Of course, most of the fans of the eliminated participants were just enjoying the stage.

Even if not the first participant they liked, Testar also had some members they liked to some extent.

However, there were always a few exceptions.

"It was the Challenger version! Thank you~"

The incident happened while the members were talking for a while after the next song was over.

"That version! I really wanted to do it!"

"Yes~ Congratulations, young Cha Eugene."

"Hee."

Cha Eugene was excited to try a different team version of the song <Final > than the one he did in the final, and the other members were looking at him more cutely than when there was no camera.

Reporters also didn't ask particularly malicious questions. However, a few sharp or trapping questions were asked.

"Everyone seems close, but who is the member you're least close with?"

"Hmm, the preparation for the album was done in a very short period of time. How was that possible?"

"VTIC made a comeback just a few days ago on the 12th. What do you think?"

The questions were all expected, so Ryu Chungwoo and Keun Sejin threw themselves out, gently blurring the topic.

"We're all getting to know each other~ But during <Idol Inc.>, everyone had developed a strange camaraderie… We're surprised that we became close faster than expected!"

"The preparation for the album was able to proceed quickly because the company had already prepared everything for it. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Director Kwak Shinkyun and the staff."

"When I meet VTIC sunbae-nim, I want to get a signed album! It was on my bucket list!"

At times like this, the surviving interview skills that the members learned to avoid evil editing were shining.

And the right question came up.

"You selected two songs. What is the charm of 'Magical Boy' that is different from the 'Hi-five' stage you showed earlier?"

"Ah."

Ryu Chungwoo reflexively tried to grab the microphone, but after a brief decision, he handed the answer to the inventor of the idea, Park Moondae.

'It's not a weird question, so it should be okay for Moondae to answer it.'

He did it out of complete consideration, but Park Moondae was not a person who liked interviews very much.

'Great.'

Still, he couldn't turn the microphone back, so Park Moondae picked it up.

"The Magical Boy…"

It was then.

"…!"

"Ah!"

Something translucent strongly bounced off from below the stage and hit Park Moondae's arm.

"Careful…!"

Ryu Chungwoo pulled Park Moondae with his quick reflexes, but since it flew so strongly, he couldn't stop it properly.

"…"

Park Moondae looked down at his arm.

It was all wet.

'They threw a water bottle.'

Water dripped from the splendid epaulets to the sleeves.

Seeing that his forehead was cold, it seemed that the side of his face was also slightly splattered.

His elbow throbbed a little.

'They threw it hard.'

In an instant, the concert hall hardened with panic.

There were all sorts of chatter, worried murmurs, and small screams from the audience.

And the reporters became happy.

'This is great.'

'I don't know who it is, but great job~'

Park Moondae quickly grasped the situation.

'First of all, there are no strange ingredients.'

Considering that his forehead was intact, it was not hydrochloric acid or alcohol. In the worst-case scenario, the person who threw it had spit on it.

'Then I'll just let it go.'

The whole accident was over in three seconds.

It was possible thanks to his adolescence, where he always had to live by measuring the situation.

Park Moondae smiled.

"How quick-witted."

"…!?"

"I guess they predicted my answer."

And he took off his jacket. Inside the jacket, a school uniform shirt that fans already knew was revealed.

It was the white summer uniform from the Magical Boy music video.

"If you look directly at the stage, you can see the differentiated charm of this song, um. Enough that you'll be able to confirm… That's what I thought."

"…Ah!"

The members quickly grasped the atmosphere, and they took off their jackets and threw them sideways.

"Then thanks to your urging, I'll start right away. Magical Boy."

Park Moondae brushed his hair which was still wet and took the microphone back.

Soon, the sound of a music box filled the concert hall.

♫♪♩♪-

♫♪♩♪-

♪♩-

In the dreamy purple stage setting, Park Moondae whose hair was still wet opened his mouth.

– I will meet you tomorrow

I've been thinking about it all-day

Have a dream blue as the day

And fans at the scene quickly forgot about the water bottle incident.

* * *

Testar's showcase lasted less than an hour, never too long. However, articles and reviews came out after another even before it was over. Of course, the articles didn't omit the mention of the accident.

[Testar, 'Magical Boy' with water-soaked dreams]

[The power of a prepared star. Crisis refined into a performance]

If you clicked on an article with these kinds of titles, you could see a picture of Park Moondae shaking off the remaining water from his hair in summer clothes.

Or it could also be a picture of him throwing a wet jacket. The water on the epaulet was splashed and reflected in the light, which actually enhanced the sense of beauty.

There were occasional photos of the water bottle, but most of them were captured from the videos they were taking, so the quality of the dynamic scenes where the object was inserted was not good.

Still, the response was clear.

– What kind of crazy idiot threw a water bottle at debuting idols?

– They threw it at his faceㅋㅋㅋㅋ If Cheongwoo hadn't pulled him, he would have been hit in the face

– They're obviously mentally ill

– They got caught, right? Please tell me they got caught and taken away

– I'm sad that I couldn't go to the showcase and had to watch the stage late, but that bastard took my seat?ㅋㅋ Die, please

Fans were furious but deeply relieved by Park Moondae's response.

– ㅠㅠIf he did something wrong, it could have ended in a mess, but I'm glad that Moondae handled it well. Really.

– He must have been flustered, but it was really amazing that he didn't show it and passed it off naturally.

– Hey, I think Park Moondae just seriously didn't notice?ㅋㅋㅋ It seems that the interpretation of his Idol Inc's character was correct~

└Did we ever mention his character here? Get the hell out

– I was moved to see the members take off their jackets as soon as they saw it. I think the kids get along well.

Still, WeTube's cyber wrecker did not miss this good prey.

(TL notes: cyber wrecker = an influencer/YouTuber who makes fake news and stupid videos for money.)

Thanks to that, these kinds of titles briefly appeared in real-time popular videos of the day.

[What is the identity of the water bottle that flew to <Idol Inc.>'s first place?]

[Number 1 Idol got hit by water at the showcase!]

Ironically, thanks to the good response, all of these things brought out a buzz like viral marketing.

"Hyung, did you see this?"

And the news reached the ears of VTIC, who had just finished their first week of activities.