After accepting the crazy deal that would make the status window disappear if I wasn't able to win a grand prize within 500 days…
The rest of the holiday vacation just went by peacefully.
Actually, I went back to the dorm a few days earlier and tried to extensively analyze the global and domestic trends in pop music for the next album…
When I came to my senses, I was producing holiday food.
"… … ?"
"Oh my, Moondae makes songpyeon so beautifully~ Our Sejin doesn't have dumplings?"
(TN: Songpyeon/송편: traditional Korean food made of rice powder. It is a type of rice cake in which a variety of fillings are used)
"Mom!"
"… Thank you."
It seemed that there was some influence from the 'Truth Confirmation' and the mission that made my head explode. I didn't want to think about them.
So, I just watched
[Cha Eugene: Whoa!]
[Ryu Chungwoo: Guys, watch your feet!]
"They edited it so spectacularly."
"… I know."
After preparing the equipment, climbing the hill and receiving supplies by helicopter, it somehow reminded me of a passionate sports game or expedition.
And predation was given like a reward.
[Yum, yum, yum]
[Enjoy, Enjoy, TeStar… ☆]
Rather than it just blindly being a healing show, I liked the image. Was it because it looked better in contrast to the hardships we faced?
'The response must have been good until the end.'
And the reaction on the internet that I sneakily checked was really like that.
-I thought it would be a no-fun entertainment show, but it was unexpectedly fulfilling.
-I'm getting refreshed while they're healing. Rest well, kids
-I want this to be continued as a regular show with other people. Like where they have to escape from the distress setting set?? It's a format that would be fun even if it wasn't TeStar ㅋㅋ
└If it wasn't for TeStar in the first place… The filming would have stopped as soon as they were in distress…
└Really. To be honest, it was possible because they were TeStar.
└?? I know you're a TeStar fan, but aren't you ignoring other idols and broadcasters too much?;;
└ You're ignoring TeStar
It meant that it was really exciting for it to come up to this level of fighting.
'The haters can't control the public opinion that was saying the show was funny, so they're pushing the opinion that it's not because of TeStar.'
It was a good thing.
However, what was unexpected was that this ripple effect did not end in Korea.
'Selling hotteok wasn't even this much.'
It wasn't the entertainment show that had no choice but to reflect the opinion of the general manager, who openly said he would target the United States, but I didn't know that a domestic pilot like this would flourish.
[TeSTAR in a deserted island and – DISASTER? (astonished emoticon)]
The broadcast summary clip uploaded by the broadcasting company quickly increased the number of views, and within a few days, English translation titles and subtitles began to be provided.
Distress and luxury vacation.
Maybe it was because it was originally fun and easy to understand, so it seemed like overseas fans were actively recommending summaries to WeTube reaction channels.
[Americans overwhelmed by TeStar's distress entertainment!]
[This is the entertainment of K-pop idols! Overseas WeTubers' reactions surprised by the explosion of fun (Korean subtitles)]
Naturally, it flowed into the translation channels, and a virtuous cycle of its own was created in which new content was created.
… It was a little cringe-worthy.
[WeTuber: Oh my god, are they trapped in a hurricane right now?? On an uninhabited island??]
[WeTuber: No, I thought it would be sweet and cute because I heard it was the real variety of K-pop idols…]
[WeTuber: Oh my God! Look at how surprised they are, haha]
[(As soon as you see it, you just automatically become a fan. Welcome.)]
Adding subtitles like this would be one of the selling points, but I couldn't help but feel that the viewers would be embarrassed.
"Hmm."
"…What are you looking at?"
"Ah, the overseas reaction to our variety show."
"That…! Did you see it too?"
Bae Sejin's eyes flashed. Like a guy who was looking for a way to escape, he seemed to have a deep knowledge of this.
"Oh, not this guy… There are people who have a good selection of videos. Wait a moment."
Bae Seiin turned on WeTube on TV and entered one of his subscription channels. It seems that he was enjoying his WeTube life in earnest more than I thought.
And the video played by Bae Sejin was quite good.
[Hello, this is K-Pop Mansae.]
In fact, there was no distortion or exaggeration, and there was also a backstory of who the WeTuber was. There were no subtitles that were forcefully used to fill in the air.
"It's fun."
"… Ahem! Yes."
I wish I managed to find something like this among the similarly solemn titles and channel names. This wasn't something I could find with keywords.
I watched the video on that channel for a long time after that. It was good to watch without thinking.
However, in the process, a strange pattern was discovered
'There is a flow.'
For example, if there was a foreigner who was new to TeStar through this variety show, they'd usually ask for a music video recommendation, since TeStar's main job was singing, in the comments.
[If there are any videos of them that I need to see again, please recommend them in the comments. Don't forget to subscribe too!]
Then, KPOP fans would go all over and post recommendations, mostly for
-Oh my God, he's reviewing TeStar! (laughing emoticon)
-Their true talent is the stage, not entertainment shows???????????? Please watch this music video first! (link)
-'Spring Out' is a must-watch. I can't wait for his reaction. (Emoji wearing a party cone hat)
It was the taste of Joseon steampunk where capital was poured. It seemed to work well because it was a blockbuster movie without any special likes or dislikes.
'We were aiming for that in the first place.'
It was rewarding to see that overseas fans were really using things that were intended for overseas reactions.
And if the reaction here was good, it'd be good the next time as well.
-The two songs are connected in a kind of series! I bet it will definitely be your taste ☺
They also didn't forget the meticulousness of letting people see the main story only after watching the teaser, which included all of the members' solo songs.
'And if he asks them to recommend something similar again, they'll tell him the <127 Section> game collaboration trailer video…'
After going through the same concept, 'Better me', he eventually watched 'Magical Boy'.
It was a magic circle where everyone volunteered to be a 'Loviewer' after it.
[Hello subscribers! As you know… I'm completely into TeStar, the big K-pop stars these days! I'm just, I'm just a Loviewer!]
[Today, we're going to react to their newest song, 'Nightmare'. Play 1, 2, 3!]
K-pop reactions were a business that got quite a lot of views, so many WeTubers may exaggerate their reactions, but it was a great thing anyway.
'Most of the famous groups went through this route as well.'
For example, VTIC also showed such a route. It usually started with
Anyway, more than I expected, TeStar was exerting a significant influence on the global WeTube trend.
And that wasn't the end.
[TeStar's overcoming of emergencies]
In the translation, similar sales videos with English titles with this meaning were going around with an unusually large number of views.
"… …"
I checked out the one with the most views.
[One of the eldest brothers and leader, Ryu Chungwoo, was originally a South Korean national archer and a gold medalist in the Olympics' men's team archery event.]
[However, due to fatal aftereffects from a childhood car accident, he retired from the national team in the year he became an adult.]
This video summarized TeStar's backstories, how we debuted through a brutal audition program, and how we achieved great results thereafter.
It was also a video talking about how we recovered from a recent horrific car accident and held a donation concert.
In short, it meant that it was a dramatic success story.
'It's an American taste…'
The taste of a self-made group and the twisted stories were as strong as bone.
[TeStar's oldest, Bae Sejin, was a child actor who appeared in a very famous movie in Korea.]
[He played a traditional Korean child shaman and won an award at a film festival with his tremendous acting skills…]
"Huh… …"
Beside me, Bae Sejin saw his young self performing and covered his face.
"Aren't you proud?"
"Are you kidding me?? I'm totally bad at it."
It seemed that he had a dark history because he had grown up and his eye level had increased.
In any case, even though it was somewhat exaggerated, it was clear that it was a well-made video.
In addition, the traffic accident was cross-edited with the news to reproduce the feeling of the fandom at the time.
"Hmm."
"… Everyone was worried."
[And finally, the moment the last member was discharged, they made an amazing plan.]
[It was an online donation concert for long-term hospitalized children.]
And the donation concert… Well, actually, from these people's point of view, since TeStar were foreigners, they would have a mental distance, so it didn't matter much if they focused on 'good influence'.
For entertainers from other countries, even if something embarrassing happened, wasn't the rationalization of 'cultural differences' a barrier?
'Still, I'll have to figure out the image.'
I even checked the comments on my phone just in case.
- A group of people who want to execute the ex-manager of this video
- He must rot in prison for the rest of his life.
-Oh my God, in the middle of the night, on the road, stopped the car and made threats? He's an evil seed that shouldn't exist in the world
"… …"
The comment section for the donation concert was about to burn the former manager at the stake. Even though they were in another country's language, I could feel the ferocity.
'As expected, anger is a universal sentiment.'
It wasn't too bad anyway. Because violent criminals got scolded for their crimes.
He didn't have a particularly heartbreaking story, and he had nothing to sympathize with.
'Of course, even if it wasn't for this, he didn't have anything going for him.'
He had a bleak future ahead of him.
I heard that the former manager, who faced the wrath of the public opinion, was charged with attempted murder due to intentional negligence.
And as a case of drawing attention and turning a large company into an enemy, it ended the criminal trial.
"Come to think of it, I heard he was sentenced to 17 years."
This was not commuted but was dealt with intact. Perhaps the same was true of the second trial that appealed.
Bae Sejin nodded bluntly.
"Yes. Actually, that kind of guy should live and die there for the rest of his life, not 17 years."
"… …"
No… Even if he got out of prison, he wouldn't be able to live properly.
Thanks to the fact that while working as a manager, all sorts of fans took pictures of him, his face would come up just from searching the Internet.
Perhaps, like in other cases, even after living in prison for about three to four years, he would have had to give up doing normal work in Korea.
Besides, now that I saw it, it seemed difficult to live abroad.
The TeStar sales video, in which the former manager's face was openly exposed, had 8 million views.
'The more popular TeStar gets, the harder it will be for him to live after being released from prison.'
So that was that.
I shrugged.
"I don't think we'll ever see him in the future, so let's be comfortable."
"… Okay. It's a holiday."
Bae Sejin nodded his head with difficulty.
Beside him, the boy's mother smiled happily.
Yes, it was a nice sight.
'I should rest a lot before I have to work again.'
As soon as the vacation ended, I planned to properly prepare for this album.
I thought for a moment.
What does the fan base who was drowning in the Algorithm Swamp of TeStar want?
'A good song.'
Okay. The deep concept was good, and the easy listening and musicality were also good, but we needed to take a more primitive approach than that.
Tight and cool choreography, an intense music video that kills visual beauty, and an exciting and expensive sound.
Just fun things to watch and listen to without thinking about anything else.
There was no better remedy than that to solidify the global momentum spreading like a viral virus.
'In a word, money should be poured like water.'
That was the only corner that the tops of this company were good at, so there would be no problem.
However, it was no longer possible to appease these guys who were trying to put a spoon on themselves somehow to interfere with the overall picture.
'It's a waste of time.'
I had to keep the words I said to Bae Sejin, who handed over the data collected for the lawsuit.
-I'm thinking that it could have the same effect as a lawsuit in a different direction.
It was a company that was about to slip away after giving all the attention to the ex-manager and almost got fucked.
'I need to see him.'
I spent the rest of the holiday planning a pleasant meeting with the general manager.
And on the first day after the holiday, I set up an interview with him.