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I wasn’t talking about perfection or art. It was a song that stayed in your head even if you just listened to it once.

It was extremely attractive.

‘Damn it.’

Of course, there was still no possibility that Testar would be pushed back in grades.

But, the problem was, some people would start talking nonsense.

‘I’m not in a situation where I can tolerate that right now.’

First of all… This was the current atmosphere of Testar’s latest album, ‘Chakhogapsa^[1]Chackhogapsa = Military who were selected and deployed to catch tigers in the Dynasty Joseon. ‘.

First of all, the critic’s rating on the most famous music review site in Korea was 4 stars.

It was the first four-star among idol rookies released this year.

Aesthetics of balance.

They must be different in order to achieve harmony. From Moombahton’s <Rythm> to synth-pop’s <Breath>, various dishes were woven with Korean musical instruments and sublimated into a formal dinner with a focus on the title track <Present>.

Amidst the recent trend of singles and mini albums, the boldness of attempting to release consecutive regular albums in less than half a year has a well-organized basis.

……

The criticism that was added in the second half was ‘the build quality was excessive and the structure of the title track is typical’.

The praises by critics were more than I had expected. Of course, it helped the group’s status.

In addition, there were clear responses from overseas.

With clear results shown in music video views, album sales, global music sites, etc, we received love calls from aboard.

Right now, we were scheduled to perform on a semi-major English-speaking talk show and a Japanese morning broadcast.

Even though the song wasn’t easy to listen to because its purpose was to make an extreme performance, the domestic music score was good.

‘We are in 4th place right now.’

According to the company, the influx of official fandom subscribers was accelerating faster than the last album, and they must be benefiting from that.

So, to sum up all these indicators, this activity was a great opportunity to fly to the top-tier stability zone by capturing both commerciality and artistic value.

In short, we were about to open the door to the beginning of a crazy heyday.

But here, the Gold 1’s group, Golden Age, collectively bit Testar and hung onto us, and they even came out with a filthy good song.

‘Naturally, noises like ‘Golden Age’s song is better, but Testar won thanks to the fans’ will come out.’

In short, the fans’ and the public’s perceptions would be drained.

I could already see the risk that Testar’s image reputation as a ‘Popular group that is doing well in all areas’ would be reduced to ‘A male idol group with a big fandom’.

We were about to enter the top-tier category, so I refused to get caught here.

‘We have to go on a large-scale tour.’

In order to avoid sudden death due to status abnormality, Testar shouldn’t lose their momentum until the next comeback.

‘I have to make the public continues to appreciate Testar’s new album.’

After thinking about it, I quickly came to a conclusion.

‘Gukkpong^[2]Guk-ppong is a derogatory Korean word that is used to pejoratively describe a South Korean nationalist. I thought of translating it to ‘Overproud Nationalists’ but eventually decided against it. is the only answer.’

We should make Testar proud of its common denominator with the domestic public.

Just to the extent that it was so artificial and excessive that they didn’t feel repulsed.

I sighed briefly and replied to Gold 1’s message late. This was after several people had already replied.

[It’s a nice pleasant song. Congratulations, hyung.]

I sent it neatly without any unnecessities so that the company wouldn’t use it in a strange way.

Gold 1 was just grateful.

[Ha Iljoon (hyung): ㅠㅠThank you guys!]

[Ha Iljoon (hyung): I hope the reactions are good… I have to work hard]

Gold 1 was a bit nervous, so after a few words of conversation, he ended it with a joke.

[Ha Iljoon (hyung): If we meet at a music show next week, can you sign my CD…? My dongsaeng is trying to kill me]

But a few hours later, the group chat rang again.

[Ha Iljoon (Hyung): Guys, I’m not proud of this, but can I say in an interview this week that you guys complimented the song?]

[Ha Iljoon (hyung): I’m scared because the questions sound like they want us to pick a fight]

[Ha Iljoon (hyung): Ah, how different are we from Testar? They keep saying that, so I’m nervous… Help me.]

Sigh.

‘This isn’t good.’

He might be sincere, but I didn’t know how that company would use it.

It would be perfect for media play with words like ‘This is Golden Age’s new song that even Testar, their competitor, recognized’.

I quickly typed a message before the others could reply.

[Will it be okay? I’m worried they might say that you leaked the title track to another group through Idol Inc’s connection.]

Right after that, a personal message came in.

[Keun Sejin: ㅎㅎGood]

As expected, he didn’t reply on purpose.

And without having to set the mood with Keun Sejin, Gold 1’s scared reply came back right away.

[Ha Iljoon (hyung): Heol, that’s possible. Thank you, Moondae, this company went crazy and almost sold me out]

‘The company’s advice was correct.’

Those bastards weren’t normal, either.

In the first place, it seemed Gold 1 didn’t even think of keeping Testar in check because our level difference was too great, but it was clear that he trusted the company.

‘I’m jealous.’

This neighborhood couldn’t compare.

I held back my sigh and called the company.

‘I have to ask for the exact date.’

Just… Checking everything one by one was not the company’s way.

* * *

The week after Park Moondae checked Golden Age’s title track.

A reaction video was uploaded on a large WeTube channel.

It was a channel famous for producing interesting reactions by directing unique situations, so a lot of celebrities had made appearances recently.

However, it was also the first time that people from this field appeared.

[Korean traditional musicians watching the latest KPOP (feat. Testar) NAYA]

It was the appearance of people who performed traditional Korean music.

The video was taken by filming each cast member one by one and was edited by connecting the cuts.

[Hello, I’m Baek Joobin, a Korean traditional musician.]

[Last year, I had a gayageum recital at the National Traditional Music Center.]

[My most recent performance was… Cheoyongmu^[3]Cheoyongmu is a representative Korean mask dance based on the legend of Cheoyong, a son of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. It is also the oldest surviving Korean court dance created during the Unified Silla period. Sumber: Wiki ?]

The video briefly introduced the artists’ activity along with their data and then began with a simple Q and A session.

[NAYA: Do you listen to KPOP?]

[I know the famous ones.]

[No.]

[Yes, I like it].]

There were various reactions, but this was the evaluation emphasized in the video.

[It’s very different from the music I usually do.]

The channel’s production crew then opened their laptops and made the traditional musicians watch a music video.

To be exact, it was a teaser.

[NAYA: I will introduce you to a KPOP music video that is currently on the real-time popular video rankings.]

[Hmm… Can I just watch it?]

[One, ten, hundred, thousand… The unit is 10 million. Wow.]

[3, 2, 1, press it.]

Click.

Soon, the video was broadcasted together on a small window screen.

It was the teaser of Testar’s new song.

[Oh, this?]

And the traditional musicians… started laughing when Seon Ahyeon’s solo song came out.

[So, that’s why you showed it to me!]

[It’s gayageum.]

Of course, except for the main instrument, the elements were extremely close to KPOP, but the Korean traditional musicians still enjoyed it quite a bit.

[Very clever and well written.]

[They mixed it with the moves as well. There were arm movements used in taepyeongmu^[4]Taepyeongmu is a Korean dance with the function of wishing great peace for the country. .]

[Wow, he’s really handsome! Someone like that should have come to our side(?).]

However, when Cha Eugene’s solo song immediately followed, the reaction became slightly stronger.

[It wasn’t the end??]

[Oh, this person is also very cool! The kkwaenggwari suits him!]

[…Wait, the length of this video… Wait a minute.]

[NAYA: Please keep watching. (laugh)]

Traditional musicians enjoyed the first verse of each Testar member’s solo song.

Its visual beauty was overflowing with capital.

[Oh…]

The reaction that started out of politeness became stronger as they became more and more immersed in the video.

In particular, when the Korean traditional music instruments of each solo song piled up and made the title track, the most intense reaction erupted.

[Wow!!]

[Oh, this is all part of it!]

[How did they come up with this idea??]

[These instruments are originally used in different fields, so there is probably no case where they are all used together… Oh, it’s very refreshing.]

[NAYA: Those are the opinions that they came up with while making the song themselves.]

[That’s amazing!]

And the moment Ryu Chungwoo appeared, they eventually became immersed in the story.

[Are they spirits? In the book earlier, spirits…]

[Hmm~ I got it. Look. First of all, this one is a gumiho^[5]A kumiho or gumiho is a creature that appears in the folktales on East Asia and legends of Korea. It is similar to the Chinese huli jing and the Japanese kitsune. It can freely transform into a beautiful woman often set out to seduce men, and eat their liver or heart. Sumber: Wiki. .]

[Really? Ah, then perhaps, is that Cheoyong^[6]I think Cheoyong is the guy that inspired Cheoyongmu mentioned above. in the front? I think it’s really him.]

Then the channel’s producer declared a bombshell.

[NAYA: Why don’t you ask them yourself?]

[Yes??]

Then, Testar members appeared from off the screen.

[Park Moondae: Hello. I’m Testar’s Park Moondae.]

[Cha Eugene: Hello! I’m Cha Eugene. From Testar!]

[Oh my God!]

Testar’s members appeared one or two in each in each video cut and sat across from the traditional musicians.

With the shocked Korean traditional musicians, a fun and heartwarming appearance was produced.

[Oh, I really enjoyed watching the video!]

[Really… It was genius. Awesome.]

[You’re more handsome in person.]

[Excuse me, do you perhaps… Have trouble with your eyes…]

[Bae Sejin: ???Ah, no…I was, uh, a child actor…]

[Ahhh! What should I do? I’m sorry! I was blinded because your acting looked so real!]

The raw reactions of familiarity and laughter that came out of each other’s embarrassment played out for a long time.

And at the end, it leaned slightly towards a slightly touching and serious talk.

[In fact, as we continue to do this, we get the feeling that we are getting farther away from the public. Thank you for showing such a wonderful fusion.]

[Park Moondae: Thanks to you, we were able to use it knowing that Korean musical instruments make such wonderful sounds. Thank you.]

[Let’s cheer up each other!]

[Cha Eugene: Great! Let’s hug!]

And the situation was finished with a slight gag so that the lingering aftermath didn’t feel too heavy.

[Cha Eugene: But I’m actually an American! I love it!]

[????]

The Korean traditional musicians’ expressions turned confused.

[T-That’s great… I like foreigners too (?)]

That’s how the video ended.

And, of course, as soon as the video was uploaded, it quickly gained millions of views and became a popular video in Korea.

And it wasn’t just this video.

Testar performed in full-fledged hanbok on a WeTube channel specializing in choreography videos, and they appeared playing Korean traditional instruments in public entertainment previews.

It emphasized the appealing elements of this album at a level that suited the content appropriately and didn’t feel excessive.

After diligently laying the groundwork for the nuance that ‘Testar is introducing Korean traditional music’.

The agency started posting articles about Testar’s overseas schedule on the main portal.

It was a bomb that was dropped right when Gold 1’s group just started their activities.

The work was successful.

And doing this far, they couldn’t sit in a scary position like ‘a symbolic group representing Korea’.

Because VTIC was there.

However, not everything went as predicted.

* * *

In Testar’s first overseas scheduled shooting of this activity.

The backstage, which would have been busy with various inspections, turned into a mess with urgency and anxiety.

“Kim Raebin!”

“Are you okay??”

“I-I don’t know…”

Kim Raebin, whose face turned pale, reached out to his right foot and hurriedly pulled back. It was obvious that the pain was severe.

“Raebin, don’t touch your feet.”

“Do you have a kit?”

“Let me see!”

Staff hurriedly took off his shoes and carefully checked his condition.

His bloody instep was visibly swollen.

‘Damn it.’

I almost bit my tongue.

• 1. Chackhogapsa = Military who were selected and deployed to catch tigers in the Dynasty Joseon.
• 2. Guk-ppong is a derogatory Korean word that is used to pejoratively describe a South Korean nationalist. I thought of translating it to ‘Overproud Nationalists’ but eventually decided against it.
• 3. Cheoyongmu is a representative Korean mask dance based on the legend of Cheoyong, a son of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. It is also the oldest surviving Korean court dance created during the Unified Silla period. Sumber: Wiki
• 4. Taepyeongmu is a Korean dance with the function of wishing great peace for the country.
• 5. A kumiho or gumiho is a creature that appears in the folktales on East Asia and legends of Korea. It is similar to the Chinese huli jing and the Japanese kitsune. It can freely transform into a beautiful woman often set out to seduce men, and eat their liver or heart. Sumber: Wiki.
• 6. I think Cheoyong is the guy that inspired Cheoyongmu mentioned above.