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Debut or Die - Chapter 1

by Baek Deoksoo

Chapter 001

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Si no debutas, morirás.

Capítulo 108.

The stage was dark.

On a stage without lights, a mysterious and heavy bass sounded as if a slow machine was moving.

DOON DOON DOON DOON

DOON DOON DOON DOON

Most fans had already heard it while streaming the game's collaborative mv, but hearing it live on set was something else entirely.

The tempo was accelerating more than expected, generating tension in the listeners. Along with this, an electronic rhythm flourished.

NT(note): "Tempo" is the speed with which a musical composition is played.

Dvviiiiiiiii-!

It was the thunderous riff tune that appeared in the trailer.

And just as thunder causes a huge commotion, the lights turn on as if lightning had struck the stage.

Under the cold pale light, a setting like an alley from a science fiction game was revealed. However, school items, such as desks and blackboards, were scattered around as if thrown in the trash.

The TeSTAR members turned, looking in different directions.

And slowly, Cha YooJin turned his head to look forward.

Do not trust it

There is no justice

Ooohhh...

As soon as YooJin's slow rap finished, the riff melody disappeared.

And on the spot, the Moombahton rhythm was developed.

NT: Moombahton is a subgenre of electronic dance music that mainly fuses house music with elements of reggaeton.

It was so full of rhythm that the first dance break reached an impressive level prematurely, but not to the point of being dangerous.

It was a group dance with a slightly mechanical feel, centered around Cha YooJin.

And just as the free spirit of the choreography disappeared as the boys fell back into line in formation, the song began.

Even if I look back, I can't understand it

Hmm

I do not know what happened

Target Target Target

GOT IT

As soon as you run, get it

It was a completely different vocal melody from the song in the trailer.

The reason is unknown, but this secondary song called "Better Me" seemed to have used the musical accompaniment sample of the song from the trailer.

However, this was a trending dance song that was much more likely to be released by an idol group.

Thanks to this, TeSTAR, instead of dancing, seemed to fly on stage. It was a composition that made the fan wonder if they even had time to breathe.

This clear feeling

(I can't erase it, I can't forget it)

Now I understand

(I got that CODE)

The moment they entered the pre-choir, Kim RaeBin and Keun SeJin's voices intersected and complemented each other.

The two parted ways after showing off a rather radical couple dance that seemed to want to capture each other.

And in the second part before the chorus, Park MoonDae appeared and, suddenly, the electric sound of the accompaniment returned.

Lyrics similar to those in the trailer also flowed.

I will never die

Like I did before

I'm gonna keep ME

Alive-!

The young man cleanly sang the high notes.

The trailer and the vocal melody were totally different, but the level of difficulty to sing it was undeniable.

And Park MoonDae sang these high notes while performing the dynamic choreography that came up while he was together with other members.

Although this one also had a slightly gloomy atmosphere.

"Wow..."

Kim RaeBin's fan forgot to cheer and admire as if she was watching a game show from the comfort of her home, but she soon came to her senses and focused on the stage.

Finally, Kim RaeBin appeared in the chorus! He sang the chorus in a slightly depressing tone, but with a dazzling look.

BUT.

It's just confusing

Since when was it like this?

I'm just confused

Hmm

Let's see how far I go

The choir returned to the moombahton style and was loosely interlaced with low-pitched vocals and powerful rhythms.

Then Ryu CheongWoo came out and took over the next chorus.

Could be confusing

What do I want?

May be confused

Hmm

I don't know how to make it

The lyrics and atmosphere seemed to be wandering, but somehow, they were meaningful and abstract.

Also, the combination of the setting, the choreography, and the costumes, the set seemed to wander into a dystopian worldview, not reality.

Thanks to this, the neon signs and devices that can distract the audience revived the slightly gloomy flavor at the heart of the intense song.

Take me and get that might

As soon as the melodic chorus ended, the choreography of Cha YooJin's rap verses became more intense and complex.

This is a distant feeling

(I try to forget it and delete it)

But i already know him

(I got that CODE)

As if climbing steadily towards the breaking point, components continued to be added to the accompaniment and the rhythm grew more intense.

And by the time the chorus played after the bridge was over, instead of being dropped, the song had no accompaniment at all. Then an intense riff melody came back on its own.

Dvvviiiiii-!

And in the absence of other rhythms, the final chorus exploded competing only with the melody of the riff.

BUT,

It's NOT confusing!

Who am I?

I'm NOT confused

Oh!

I'll find a "BETTER ME"

Park MoonDae, who finished the chorus that Ryu CheongWoo had started, recorded the last high notes, capturing them accurately.

But it was so strong that it couldn't be identified if it was AR.

NT: AR (All Recorded) contains the recording of the background instrumental and the voices of the idols singing. This is used for idols to lip-sync, meaning they pretend to sing and make gestures while their microphones are off, thus giving a better performance dancing and acting than singing live.

"Hah!"

The audience internally cheered.

When they heard the song, both the riff-filled musical composition and the idols' voices were very dynamic, so they got tired after hearing it several times, but it was an extremely dramatic experience to feel the performance on stage.

Also, the Moombahton, which started again, hit their ears.

BETTER ME

Keun SeJin, who smiled widely, came out to the center at the last drop in which the musical accompaniment of the first dance break was played.

As if the conflict had been resolved, a lighter and more cheerful atmosphere was maintained.

However, the choreography was more impressive in terms of difficulty and attraction, as the number of movements of his feet increased and became incredibly colorful and intense.

BETTER ME

To end the song, they sang its title again, making it stand out from the musical accompaniment.

And at the end, the inner scream of all the fans finally came out immediately, as if it was a great roar.

- Woooooow!!

- Ooooh!!

- Oh God!!

The presentation of this B side track, which was vociferously acclaimed by everyone, was a great composition that was fun to watch and listen to.

The best of all is that they could see it again as many times as they want in the future because it was recorded.

TeSTAR gasped due to the intensity of the song. Staggering and panting, they waved their hands in acknowledgment of their audience's responses.

Some of the members secretly took off some of the tech-style accessories they were wearing and blew it out with their hands, they felt too hot.

And after a while, Ryu CheongWoo talked to the staff.

- Huuk... Huh, shall we... do it again to get more takes? Really?

The members' expressions lit up.

- Wow, we made it on our first try!

It was a verdict that fell like a bolt from the sky.

"Not!!"

Part of the rehearsal that the boys performed for this song had even been filmed, so this would be the only performance that fans could see live.

Of course, there was no reversal of that decision. TeSTAR belatedly realized that situation and made excuses for it to be re-introduced for the Loviewers present.

- Director-nim, don't you think we were wrong to sing?

- I couldn't see the cameras!

But their pleas and wails didn't work, so they just apologized to the audience, did aegyo, or danced before disappearing from the stage for a while to change their outfits.

- ...

The fans left the recording studio 20 minutes after entering.

The only thing they had in their hands was cream bread and an American coffee from a restaurant that TeSTAR had prepared for them.

"Kim Raebin!! Park MoonDae!! Who told them they were so unbelievably good ?!"

Kim RaeBin's fan, inadvertently because she was deep in thought of her, opened the cream bread that was handed to her.

The bread was so delicious that it made her even more frustrated.

* * *

That night, all the supporting songs and the title song were broadcast for the first time.

Perhaps because the CEO flew away and there were many recent incidents, the agency gave us time to sleep during activities.

Thanks to that, I was able to check the reactions of the public today, at midnight.

Sure, there were a lot of views for our title track on WeTube and other sites, but when I hit social media or communities, the response to the more intense side track was almost dizzying.

I clicked on a post with more than five hundred comments.

---

[TeSTAR Side Song]

(Video link)

I just saw the show they did after Music Bomb and honestly I think the performance of this side song was better than the main one.

---

That was a real show

It was seen as the most difficult

It was so cool;

It's much better than the title song, but I think I know why they chose it as the sub song. It only feels better after presenting it that way haha

Was it live?

L Yes, yes, totally live

It was almost a lip sync hahaha Park MoonDae's AR was amazing, he said it himself in the recording

L Hahahahahaha (Link to video without MR)

MoonDae was great at the stage, but what did the lyrics say?

L We don't know, but Kim RaeBin composed the lyrics. She will soon go on W Live and talk about it. Please, if you have time, do not miss his transmission

L Hahahahaha no, better publish a synthesis of the lyrics

NT: MR is the instrumental accompaniment that also includes some vocal parts recorded in low tones as if they were background voices that make a chorus. "MR removed" or "without MR" is the edited video removing this so that the true voice of the idols can be heard in their presentation and thus know how well they sing. The answer they gave with the link without MR proves that the song did not have AR, but only MR.

Most of the comments were good. There were aggros who commented that it was a song to listen to once and throw away, but that's how their comments usually go every day.

Obviously, I found what I expected to read among all the comments.

Wow, Park MoonDae's golden days are back lol

Does Park MoonDae really have platinum blonde hair now? Oh no, that reminds me of the image he had when he was in Icorpo

MoonDae is so beautiful

No, Park Moon-Dae's hair suits him so perfectly that it looks like he was born to be blonde. What's going on?

I couldn't watch Icorpo because I was preparing to do well in my exams, but had I already been dyed platinum blonde when I participated in that program? If so, I think he would have won the first place because he sang with that face ;v;

L You can't fool me, you sure saw all the episodes as if you were drinking purified water

The comments went something like this.

"It was worth doing."

Of course there were also skeptical reasons, but they failed to develop because these commentators lost as soon as they established the basis for their suspicions.

Hmm haha the change in his appearance is... not possible

L Changed beauty salon

L How do you know?

L In the behind the scenes of the comeback show, there is a scene where the boys get their hair done but it is in another beauty salon

L oh haha

If his face changed becauseshe changed stores, then I'll go there too

L Surprisingly, that happens to all idols when they put on makeup for their performances

L Ha who says that?

L I know because I supported another idol who also changed beauty salons, but his image changed so much that he went bankrupt

L I'm sorry;

Hmm, as expected, it was a good excuse, so I used it sparingly and went ahead with my plan.

"It was lucky that the agency also changed salons for everyone."

Because of that, I was able to raise my appearance to "A-" without difficulty.

And the reason why I raised that level... is because CheongWoo, who previously had a "B+" ranked appearance, upgraded to "A-".

...Since we all went through a difficult time when we were in Icorpo, these changes in appearance seemed to reveal that the bad consequences that that program left us, had now disappeared. I think my eyes look a little better.

Anyway, if I hadn't improved my looks, I would have been the only TeSTAR member with class "B" looks and would immediately be compared to others, so this was the right time to invest in my looks.

"I made a good choice."

Ah, I invested another point in Singing, getting an "A+".

While practicing the last chorus of that side song, I had a strong feeling that one day I would lose my voice, so I couldn't help but invest it in that category.

"It was disappointing."

In fact, I thought that if I kept practicing, one day I would be able to make those notes naturally, but the comeback was just around the corner, so I had to use that point.

"I'll save the remaining point as planned."

I shrugged and turned off the phone. Tomorrow's schedule starts almost at dawn, so I have to sleep.

"I'll check the reactions of the title song tomorrow."

And the next day, while waiting for our turn to perform on the music show we attend and checking out the reactions to the title track of our new album, I heard some strange news.

- You are scheduled to participate in a variety show next week~

- Oh~

- In which one?

- I hate birds.

Faced with the trembling reactions that could not be avoided after the experience with the program "Working humans whom must be stopped", the manager gave us a thumbs up to assure us.

- It's a show where you'll shoot arrows while riding a horse!!

- ...!

In that instant, all eyes turned in CheongWoo's direction.