Chapter 69

'Today has finally come.'

Park Moondae's first homma stared at the monitor, cracking her fingers.

Today was the day the first episode of the reality show aired.

There was still a record of her being excited with her friend in the group talk because of the scene in the trailer released a few days ago.

– Moondae is cooking!

– Moondae is playing a game!

– Gyaaah!!

…The video clips that were thrown in while they were suffering from a chronic lack of content were no different from drugs.

She had watched the cutely edited short trailer so many times that she almost memorized all the contents.

And now, she was finally about to watch the full video!

'It's starting…!'

She rubbed her hands together when the 'For 12-year-olds' sign came out. The teaser streaming that she had played for the record of the number of views was temporarily suspended and she stared at the screen with a disciplined attitude.

[Honored debut!]

The program began by introducing Testar's situation, briefly showing the final moments in the last episode of <Idol Inc.> and various media reactions.

[TeSTAR is finally formed]

[Where are they?]

Meaningful captions.

And what came right after…

[Uaaah!!]

[Let's do it one more time!]

[U-Uh…]

It was the figures of Testar members who were overly immersed in board games.

– You've been doing well, noona is relieved!

– Looks like a lot of fun

It was as people said on SNS, Testar looked very happy.

Fans were happy to see them look comfortable outside of the audition.

[Testar, why… are you playing the game so seriously…?]

With a humorous caption, the screen changed.

[<202■May■■Day 9 AM>]

[Wow!!]

[I love this place!]

Testar was seen entering the dorm noisily.

The editing and effort of the members to look bright and excited shined through, making them look like a pack of puppies.

'What about Moondae?'

Park Moondae was not running around, but he was looking around the house with his eyes wide open. What he was wearing was the yellow hoodie that she had seen in Testar's first photo on SNS.

'It's even cuter watching it in a moving image…!'

While she was moved, other viewers were also busy talking about the plain clothes.

– I finally see the kids wearing what they want in high-definition. Is this the taste of debut!

– Their preferred style is exposed

– Ah, everyone is predictable, only Moondae sticks out

└I know, according to eyewitnesses, he only wore t-shirts every day, but for some reason, he's wearing such cute clothes

└He had worn a Welsh Corgi doll mask too. He's serious about his character…

└It's so true

└As expected, he mysteriously works hard

And on the screen, the scene of the Testar members receiving a mission card from the robot vacuum cleaner began to be broadcasted.

[Clear the mission so that you can become a true group!]

[Ah.]

[Ah… Mission.]

After that, the figures of the passing participants overreacting to each element reminiscent of <Idol Inc.> and being slightly depressed was used as a good gag element.

– Aah

– What should I do

– Guys, actually, we all suffer from Idol Inc PTSD…

– The program is really sinful, now that Testar has come out, get rid of it now!

– I hope there's next season of Testar reality show every year

Viewers laughed but sympathized.

And they burst into laughter again when they saw the members change their attitude due to being overly immersed in the game during the roommate mission.

[Please, just once!]

[I want to win!]

– What should I do with the kids' competitive spirit

– This is kind of… Could it be an occupational disease… They couldn't break Idol Inc's habit of working to death.

└I think this is correct

And the fact that the most immersed person and the most calm person came in first and second place side by side also became a fun element.

[Yeaaah! I won!]

[…Um, congratulations.]

The calm appearance of Park Moondae, who seemed bemused by Cha Eugene's loud ceremony, made the contrast even more hilarious as it reminded them of the team match between the two.

– Moon Puppy looks like a Tibetan fox again

– The two of them are so different, but since they're on the same team, it's so much fun. Please continue being close, guys

– First and second place exchanged their rankings and became first and second place again

– Cha Yu is very lucky and Moon Puppy seems to be good at games?

However, the reaction faded slightly at the roommate's result.

This was because the combinations that they had never really thought about or hoped for came true.

– Oh

– It ended up like this

– I hope they're doing well

– The roommate won't stay like this until the end, they'll change it again, right?

However, most of the reaction was recovered in the scene of making dinner.

It was because the grocery shopping team, which excitedly ran through the mart and picked up goods, and the cooking team, which made jjimdak in harmony, were both cute.

In particular, Park Moondae and Seon Ahyeon pulled out their portions with unexpected cooking skills.

[I think it would be better to start by trimming the ingredients first. I'm going to prepare the chicken, is that okay?]

As soon as the cooking materials arrived, Park Moondae distributed the work in an instant and took on the most difficult task himself.

It was purely because he couldn't trust the other members, but on the screen, he looked quite reliable.

And Seon Ahyeon somehow looked like he was good at cooking but he mercilessly messed it all up, taking his portion with a very embarrassed look.

[S-Sorry…]

[You have nothing to apologize for.]

Park Moondae looked alternately between the miserable onion and the kitchen knife that almost cut Seon Ahyeon's hand and gave the depressed Seon Ahyeon a new job.

[With this… Can you set up the table over there?]

[Y-Yes!]

Seon Ahyeon on the screen instantly brightened with a bright effect. And of course, the fans were amused.

– Moondae is good at cooking?;; I'm flustered

– Aigoo, Ahyeon

– Guys, let's not leave Ahyeon with a kitchen knife (alone) from now on. I think he's going to get hurt

-Moondae is good at taking care of people?ㅠㅠ Why did he come out like that at the beginning of Idol Inc…

└I think this is the question of every Park Moondae's fans

The scene of their first meal at the dorm, where they ate jjimdak and had a friendly conversation, was well-received as a typical image that fans expected from a reality show.

– The kids have big hands, they made a lot of jjimdak

– Everyone is eating well

– The kids seem to be closer than I thought. Is it a comradeship born out of captivation

– Let's be together for a long time, guys ♡

And the climax finally came up.

The group watching a horror movie.

[Hihihihihihi]

At the ghost's face floating on the screen, the supermarket PB popcorn cut through the air.

[Ugh…]

[Ooh!!]

Thanks to the production crew who caught each member's reaction, fans were able to happily build more characters of the members.

– Cha Eugene is laughing?

– No, the world's Keun Sejin, is scared of ghosts! I thought he was such a socialite that even the ghost wouldn't pay attention to him!

– Raebin, you're going to tear your clothes lol

– Ryu Chungwoo-ssi, I didn't see you like that, but you're so dishonorable. You chose a horror movie because you're not afraid!

And before Park Moondae's cut came out, Park Moondae's fans were all guessing.

Of course, Park Moondae can't be scared!

– Looks like the Tibetan fox will come out again. lmao

– (Everyone seems scared. Horror movies are scary things.)

└hahahahaha

└It's already cute

– I think he's just eating popcorn and watching

But Moondae, who was the last to appear on the screen…

He was eating popcorn with his eyes down.

And every time he heard a ghost, the popcorn bucket jumped sporadically.

[Guuuuuuurgh…]

[(Popcorn acrobatics)]

Still, Park Moondae firmly didn't turn his attention to the movie.

Comments flooded in.

-…?

– ?!??

– Scared… He's scared!

– Oh my gosh

– I must be losing it, he's so cute

Fans were completely excited by the agitation of Park Moondae, who always appeared calm on broadcasts whether he stayed up all night for a week or won first place in the final.

– Wow, he can't look at the screen until the endㅠㅠ Ehehe look at him pretending he can

– He's eaten all the popcorn, but he keeps holding onto the empty bucket! He can't let go because he's so scared!

– He'd wake up when the movie had turned off

– The other kids didn't notice? Did Moondae think he'd look natural in front of the camera?

Park Moondae's homma who was watching the screen couldn't hold back and sent a message to her friend.

[Aah]

[Moondae is good at cooking]

[He's good at board games]

[But he can't watch horror moviesㅋㅋ Crazy, he's so cute that I want to break down my apartment]

There were a series of typos because she kept her eyes fixed on the screen while typing the message, but that was what she wanted to say.

[7 members, 7 colors]

[Testar is getting to know each other from scratch]

[What will happen tomorrow?]

The first episode of the reality show ended with the horror movie part that brought joy to all the fans of each member.

"…Ah."

Come to think of it, it had already been an hour.

As she regretted it, the commercial break ended and a trailer was shown.

[We are now in the studio~]

The figure of the Testar exchanging discussions in a music studio with a soundproof booth.

And…

[Right now… We're on our way to give a presentation.]

It was the figures of the members wearing neat clothes and entering the meeting room.

"Gasp."

There must be a lot of footage related to the album!

She already wanted to see the next episode.

She hurriedly turned on SNS. She wanted to share this overflowing feeling.

– Honestly, I expected it to be boring, but it was really fun

– Where did all the guys who said the kids would be awkward with each other go hiding? They seemed close and content?

– Ah, in the trailer, it's great that the story related to the debut is being released. I feel relieved

– Wow, no way, was it the members who choose the new concept? Is this because of Idol Inc's experience, too?

She could relate to every word that showed up in her timeline feed.

She was about to press the write button with a happy smile when she saw an article pop up on the newly updated timeline.

=========================

[Ah… I'm going crazy (link) (screenshot)]

=========================

"Huh?"

The link was a portal site news address.

And the screenshot… It was from that article.

"…!"

As soon as she read the contents, her heart felt as if iyt had been hit by cold water.

=========================

[The unfair contract of <Idol Inc.>'s Testar was revealed in a lawsuit]

: The former agency (Dream K) of Lee Sejin (22), a member of TeSTAR who debuted through Idol Inc

According to Dream K's claim, Tnet forcibly requested the participation of artists from multiple agencies in order to recruit participants for <Re-listed! Idol Inc.>, which aired last January, and when a participant debuted through the program, they were forced to sign an unfair contract in which the artist's affiliation was transferred to Tnet.

...

=========================

She swallowed and clicked on the article.

* * *

In the middle of the night, past midnight.

A cold atmosphere broke out at the dorm.

"…Let's sort it out."

"…"

"So, Sejin's former agency… They're asking for their artist back."

Ryu Chungwoo calmly sorted out the situation.

I held back a sigh.

'It was something that could explode any time.'

In the first place, it was unreasonable to push through a contract stating that any participants who debuted with Idol Inc. would belong to them.

They must have made it that way because they couldn't resist the greed of having a long-lived group created by the audition.

'Still, if possible, can't you pay twice for the double affiliation?'

It seemed there was hardly any stealing in this industry.

Since they couldn't fight the broadcasting station, the agency would have lost anyway, but this season of <Idol Inc.> went so well that one thing exploded in the end.

'Perhaps… Complaints had already piled up since the 'Casting Call' content, where the broadcaster proposed to change the agency at will.'

Besides, they could use Lee Sejin as an actor alone, so it was understandable that they regretted it.

Even if they couldn't, they must at least want to receive their share of his Testar activities.

"…"

Lee Sejin didn't answer even in the confrontation that lasted for quite a long time. He just sat on the sofa with his head down.

Keun Sejin urged with a smile.

"Hyung, let's talk~"

At first, he coaxed him gently, but his tone gradually changed as if he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Keun Sejin."

"We need to get this sorted out quickly. You know there's a week left until the date of our debut, right? We don't have time~"

"…"

"If hyung-nim doesn't clear up his position now, other agencies can do the same and talk about lawsuits, right?"

Keun Sejin was still smiling his usual smile, but his words got faster and faster.

"If we stay still, it won't end with hyung alone, it might harm other members too, you know? Whether you leave or not, hurry up and talk to your agency now."

'This one is also having a mental breakdown.'

I clicked my tongue.

Come to think of it, Keun Sejin's agency could have joined the lawsuit filed by Lee Sejin's agency after taking a look.

He barely passed the audition and was about to make his debut; just thinking of going through that situation seemed to make Keun Sejin's blood rising upside down.

"…"

However, instead of opening his mouth, Lee Sejin got up and ran away.

"…!"

"Hey."

Bang.

Then he went into his room and shut the door.

'…Are you kidding me?'

It's your own business, but you're avoiding it one-dimensionally like this.

At this point, even I who hadn't thought much of it was starting to get annoyed. It's not just once or twice this happened, what are you doing?

'…In any case, I'll have to open that door if I want to sleep tonight.'

I approached the room and struck the locked doorknob from above.

Thud.

It was a doorknob used at home, so it just opened. There were benefits to working out.

"…!"

"I'm going in."