The atmosphere in TeStar's personal fandom was shattered.
To be honest, a beautiful solution wouldn't work like magic here.
Was I expecting that the idea of 'Since the members are close, let's get along well with each other with a sense of solidarity' was going to work? It was a vain hope.
It could be a good start to like the same object, but wasn't the most important thing in the end direct experience?
In that sense, the Cha Eugene controversy was tantamount to experiencing first-hand the implicit trust between each other that had barely been built up after
'That's why we can't openly let Cha Eugene float in order to compensate.'
In this way, Cha Eugene's individual fans would feel a little better, but the opposing side that was attacked by Cha Eugene's vicious individual fans during the beginning would explode.
-Honestly, Cha Eugene didn't do anything well, so why are his akgaes so proud?
(TN: Akgae/악개: When a fan likes one individual member of a group and hates the others. It is the shortened version of the word akseong gaeinpaen (악성개인팬) which means malicious individual fan)
-I'm tired… I'm really tired so I'm going to go away.
These words would pour out.
In the end, one side should not give the other side the nuance of 'victory'.
"…It's difficult."
Several methods had come to mind, but it was difficult to deduce them because it was hard to establish a balanced standard.
'Let's collect some more cases.'
I tried to open the internet, but I stopped.
'… Wouldn't it be better to ask the parties involved?'
Even if I came up with a method anyway, I needed the consent of the group to use it. It would be easier to proceed if I referred to their thoughts.
I decided to ask the members about the situation.
If I explained the situation specifically, they might say 'Our fans will eventually get along!' The same distorted hope may be included, so I used a different metaphor appropriately.
"So, how do group members who hurt each other to the extreme get along?"
"Alright."
Keun Sejin shrugged his shoulders.
"They're just someone you work with~ Isn't it best to think before acting? You only need to look good while working."
It was an established theory.
The answer was to just look at the purpose and go, but the problem was that being in the fandom was not a job, so it was less effective because the pressure would be weak.
The atmospheree in our fandom right now was just like that… It also meant that there would be people who would try to escape soon.
'The answer is that it will be difficult to maintain the status quo.'
"But why is Moondaemoondae suddenly like this? Is there a group that you've fallen out with?"
"No, I was just asking."
Anyway, if I explained it to him in detail, I think it would only stress me out, so I would talk about it after we've sorted it out.
I asked the same question to another guy.
And I lost again.
"Well, I don't know. Uh… Listening to each other and moving forward with respect…"
Kim Raebin, next.
"… How to get along?"
"Yes."
Bae Sejin asked with suspicious eyes.
"…Um, are you asking me?"
"… …"
It meant that he wasn't confident in his sociability. I skipped over this guy too.
Ryu Chungwoo, who happened to be sitting next to him, replied as if he had nothing to worry about.
"If we all suffered together, we'd become close quickly."
"… …Hmmm."
A bit of that too.
'What is he doing to people who have already suffered enough?'
Of course, Ryu Chungwoo answered without knowing what the subject was.
And with a slightly embarrassed face, he himself added an explanation.
"Ah, I'm not saying you have to suffer unconditionally… There are rewards, and when we all overcome the same obstacles, we become close. That's what I was saying."
"Ah."
It felt like it was his experience as an athlete.
'It's true, but…'
Rewards and obstacles.
I decided to remember this and moved on.
And next came something similar to what Ryu Chungwoo said, but it sounded better.
"Me! I know! We should do something fun together! Like sports!"
"Sports."
"Yes! We should run and play together. And if we win together, we'll get close!"
A useful idea.
'Surely… Isn't fan activity similar to a kind of sport?'
In that, there were rules, there were wins and losses, and there was an emotional sense of achievement.
If there was a difference, it must be that it was less immersive than playing sports directly.
But it seemed like a very good point of view, so I asked one more time.
"What if you run together but fight more because your hands and feet don't match? What if you get selfish to score or your opponent doesn't hand the ball over?"
[Hmm… Those people will need someone to encourage them!]
Cha Eugene answered without hesitation.
[You know why? It makes you feel ashamed of what you did. After that, if you focus more on the game and win, you will have no choice but to reflect and become closer!]
"Hmm. Okay."
That was what it meant after all.
If they couldn't solve it by themselves, an authoritative third party must intervene.
But TeStar couldn't do that.
'We can't teach fans.'
It would be a strange composition, as if the company was trying to teach its customers. It would be absurd since it was already visible that they were being beaten by the headwind.
Then all that was left… Was it an appeal?
'Should we make ourselves look weak so they'll listen to us?'
I frowned at the culled solution.
… I didn't like it. It was too simplistic.
"Moo-Moondae?"
"Ah."
When I turned my head, Seon Ahyeon was hesitating, unable to enter the kitchen. I guess it was because I was blocking the hallway.
This would be a good time to ask.
"Is it okay if I ask you something?"
"S-sure!"
I got out of the way and asked Seon Ahyeon the same question one more time.
"What do you think that members in a group who have been feeling bad about each other should do to make the group good?"
"What??"
Seon Ahyeon was taken aback.
Cha Eugene looked at him with curious eyes.
"Um…"
And Seon Ahyeon seemed to be thinking about it quite deeply and gave an unexpected answer.
Deeply and gave an unexpected answer.
"I-I think… Wouldn't it be difficult?"
"…!"
It was just 'impossible'.
"Because the relationship is already so bad… I think there must be a reason for it. So if we suddenly had to get along… I-I think it would be difficult."
It was the most realistic, sober answer.
"O-of course other people might come up with a good way, but… This is what I think."
"… Okay."
I nodded.
Seon Ahyeon smiled awkwardly, and Cha Eugene firmly raised his hand.
"But I like my way!"
"Ah, w-what way… ?"
I let the two of them talk, lost in thought.
'The round of collecting opinions is over, and if you ask me…'
A conclusion had been drawn.
'With our own strength, it is impossible to completely relieve emotions immediately.'
Seon Ahyeon was right.
This was not something that could be resolved immediately in the mind just because TeStar did something.
So, let's put aside vague words like reconciliation and restoration of relationships, and go back to the norm.
What do people move with?
'Benefits.'
Victory, reward, achievement. Joy, in the end, when they are given it, the process was also rationalized.
I remembered Ryu Chungwoo's words.
-There are rewards, and when we all overcome the same obstacles, we become close.
After all, this was what made the joy of the result positive for the 'team members' in the process.
So, we had to operate on the same principle.
'Each member has to show the benefits of being a fan of TeStar.'
When the seven of us were together, we had to make them feel at once that we were the most picturesque, popular, and first-rate team.
So that they knew on a visceral level that it was best for each individual to remain in this group.
The fun they got when TeStar was maintained was greater than the stress they got from other individual fandoms who didn't like to look at them.
'And it makes an excuse.'
The emotional part went in to help make this process go smoother.
'The kids are close to each other, and they all work very hard together… Because the group called TeStar looks precious.'
It was to help fans cite emotional and human reasons instead of the fact that they were openly weighing gains and losses.
Pretending not to win, they would be moved by the warm and passionate atmosphere so that the fandom atmosphere would calm down.
-They need someone to encourage them!
In a sense, this was what Cha Eugene said.
But since we couldn't admonish the fans, we had to go in a different direction.
'So, what to do…'
Beyond working hard on idol activities, TeStar had to show that they valued the group itself very much and attach great meaning to it.
Also, when I thought about it, if it was direct like an appeal, it seemed to be rather cold.
'We shouldn't mention it, but we should make it deeply felt.'
After laying the groundwork like that, was it an image that would work for TeStar?
"Hmm."
[… After a team match like that, it would be solved coolly, right? Why should there be so many sports movies?]
"I-I suppose so… !"
I left the kitchen with a smile while watching Cha Eugene, who was still arguing, and Seon Ahyeon, who was being persuaded.
"Where are you going!?"
"To wash up."
I had to tidy up.
There were a lot of things to discuss to get content, but there was a priority among them.
'I should ask to contact W Live.'
First of all, I needed to redefine the format of the encore concert.
• * *
TeStar would hold an encore concert in Korea after a successful dome tour in Japan!
Of course, it was good news for everyone.
-Finally, it's worth living again
-Please give me a seat this time.
-They're coming back to Korea right away like this? Why does T1 not know how to work?
And this time, she was waiting for the next good news.
The moment the ticketing ended, a W Live was announced.
[Failed to get a ticket for the TeStar concert? Don't worry! Open real-time broadcasting on W Live♡]
It was a live broadcast of the concert online. The intention was to attract as many people as possible to the scene, but those who failed ticketing were relieved anyway.
-No way, I think they put it in because the reaction was good during the donation concert, I really like it ㅋㅋㅋ
-Whew, was going crazy, but at least I'm being comforted now.. ㅠㅠ
"Ha."
Kim Raebin's fan snorted after reading the post.
'They didn't have to broadcast it!'
There was a reason for this. This was because she proudly succeeded in booking a standing seat for this concert!
That was why she could come to the concert site now and leisurely browse through the old posts.
'Well, the atmosphere is nice.'
She put down her smartphone and glanced around.
For a while, the atmosphere of the individual fans was like a thin ice field, but as expected, when they went offline, everything was harmonious and good.
'Is the online world really just the world they live in?'
Among the people full of anticipation, she clicked her tongue, but she nodded her head when she saw a post about the concert that popped up on social media.
-Somebody tried to give cookies to Ryu Chungwoo, but they were ignored? It was a fan. Oh, it's ridiculous ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
She tried to ignore it.
'I shouldn't show it.'
It was shit. Kim Raebin's fan turned off her social media and decided to watch the concert. Because she felt like if she didn't, she would cut in and she'd say something too.
'Let's take a good look at Kim Raebin and Park Moondae.'
What remained was to watch.
She waited for the concert on the left block, which she had carefully chosen based on her previous experiences.
Anyway, her heart was pounding at the sight of her idols in real life after a long time.
And after a while…
[Hello, Seoul~!]
Wow!!
The stage started with explosive momentum.
The performance, which opened with the newest song
'Drill', overlapped with the previous concert in Seoul and absorbed the audience in an instant.
'Let's go to the next song!!'
Because it was an encore concert, there was little change in composition from the last concert in Seoul, but knowing all the setlists worked as an advantage.
Because there was a taste that satisfied expectations.
Above all, TeStar's concert had a force that could only be felt on the spot, so even though it felt the same as on the screen, the intensity was different.
[Stinging you
Devour as much as you like!]
Title songs, sub-songs, and solo performances.
"Waaaaaagh!!!"
It made her scream until her voice stopped.
The concert, which was driven by skillfully adjusting the tempo, flowed in an instant, and eventually, the ending came.
[Bye-bye~]
The lighting on the stage dimmed and returned to its default state.
"Wow!"
Of course, it wasn't the real ending. Because she already knew that they would do three or four more songs as an encore.
Kim Raebin's fan wiped her forehead.
They were so handsome that she thought she was about to collapse!
So she calmly thought about the next song.
'Was the first song of the encore a medley?'
During the tour, this was the part where they would put in one local song, but originally, they did a short arrangement of a medley of songs from the time of
'They'll do it as it was.'
Kim Raebin's fan guessed that and looked around at the people around her who were singing the fan song.
Given the atmosphere these days, if songs from
'I don't know. They were just swearing at each other.'
However, it'd be okay if they just got good results. She grumbled and erased her thoughts.
"I feel good today, like~ good things are going to happen~"
In the meantime, people were singing the first fan song while waiting for the encore.
It was a national rule, but looking at the SNS earlier, she felt strange because a quarter of them seemed to hate each other.
Everyone seemed happy. It didn't seem like a lie.
'There's concert music.'
Even if they were just themselves, while singing along, people would slightly experience the feeling of being an all-fan of the group.
'Come out, boys!'
At that moment, sound and lighting returned to the stage.
AA AA AA!
Amid cheers, they expected the VCR used to promote the tour before the encore…
"Uh?"
But it wasn't there.
It was not a magnificent intro that was heard from the giant electronic board, but a thin and warm acoustic guitar sound.
The melody of the fan song that people sang until just now, 'The Magic is You'.
And playing that melody on the screen with a guitar… It was Kim Raebin.
"Wow…?"
However, Kim Raebin's outfit was unusual.
Pajama pants and a T-shirt.
He wore pajamas that were very comfortable for anyone to see, and he even had his hair tied in a ponytail.
"Eh."
And looking at it again, the video didn't look professional, but it looked like it came from a phone camera with filters.
It felt like a very private video.
[Mm, mmm~]
Next to Kim Raebin was Cha Eugene, who was lying down and humming, and Bae Sejin, who was sitting on the sofa and choosing food with a serious expression.
Park Moondae, who brought drinks from behind, and Lee Sejin, who looked for a towel after showering, came out and waved at the camera.
[Hello~ What are we filming?]
[It's just a commemoration.]
Ryu Chungwoo's laughter was heard. Then, after turning the camera around once as if recording, it was turned off.
"Uh."
And then a black screen with subtitles appeared at the top.
[TeStar's Documentary]
[Producers: Ryu Chungwoo, Bae Sejin, Seon Ahyeon, Lee Sejin, Park Moondae, Cha Eugene, Kim Raebin]
[Sponsored by: Ryu Chungwoo! <-important]
Instead of a ruined documentary, it was behind-the-scenes footage of TeStar's tour, made by combining photos and videos taken while preparing for the concert.