Debut or Die

Fans were naturally looking forward to this Testar’s album but at the same time, some of them were concerned.

This was because of the announcement of each member’s solo song.

– What do you mean, solo song? What are you going to do about the lining upㅠㅠ

– The aggro ㅌㅅㅌ I’m already stressed out when I think about how they’re going to rearrange the rankings

– You were trying to make us multi-fan, but why are you running off the line?

Of course, the music score of the solo songs didn’t directly indicate the members’ popularity.

Because they were released as one album anyway, and they were exposed together under the group’s name, so in the end, the ranking differed in the popularity of the songs.

However, due to the nature of the survival show’s group, it was inevitable that they would be expecting live broadcasting of ‘Music score by Testar members’.

Right when such slight concerns were growing amidst the high expectations, Testar’s teaser was announced.

It was a video preview using WeTube’s first public release function.

It meant the video would be released a day later.

[Testar(TeSTAR) ‘present’ Official Teaser]

A thumbnail ‘dark forest, an arrow stuck in a tree’ that didn’t reveal any hints appeared together.

It didn’t spark any interest, so people were unenthusiastic.

– I think it’s using the style of historical drama

– Is this on purpose

– An arrow?ㅋㅋ

However, the situation changed when people checked the video information.

The length of the video was 8 minutes and 12 seconds.

– You said it was a teaser! A teaser!

– There is a group that has an 8-minute preview??

– Guys, what the hell’s going on? I’m so curious

-Isn’t there something wrong? What kind of teaser is 8 minutes long;

KPOP music video teasers were usually short, less than one minute. Eight minutes was unusually long.

Of course, there was nothing fatal about it being so long. After all, the roles of the teasers were now to satisfy fans’ expectations rather than a promotional purpose.

Still, some of the fans who cared about their results were disappointed.

Since it was a teaser, there would be fewer people watching unless they were already fans, but it was obvious that the number of views would decrease if it was eight minutes long.

As the appearance on an American program went booming and they expected an influx in overseas K-pop fandom, there was also something they wanted to quickly check for certain indicators.

– Even if the number of views on teasers doesn’t matter to them… It would be better if it was shortㅠ

– I think it would have been better to split it up and release it in several videos, but whatever

– Please, T1, it’s not a boring story music video, is it? Please tell me it’s not

– I think it’s going to be a miss this time, but I hope it’s not, I hope you spent your money wisely

Of course, because nothing should happen right before the comeback, fans pushed the atmosphere with positive words in public communities and SNS.

– 8 minutes is good. You’ll be able to see the kids’ faces for a long time from the teaserㅠㅠ

– Can I see our Bae Hamster’s acting??? I’m so excited

– How am I supposed to wait 24 hours

– I’ve been waiting for the first release, I think I’m going to go crazy if it ends in 30 seconds. I can’t believe they gave us 8 minutes. As expected of Testar Daehyeja Group

(TL: Hyeja = products that are very good in quantity and quality compared to the price, and have very good cost-effectiveness that is more than reasonable. Dae = great)

Fans anxiously waited for the release of the teaser, hoping that this anticipation wouldn’t cool down as soon as the teaser came out.

And the day it was released.

In the live chat of the teaser video, people who were waiting for the first release were pleasantly shocked.

-????

– What’s this

As the fans had guessed, the teaser had a very authentic historical drama style.

However, the roles the members played were not people.

The video began with a huge palace, went inside as if being sucked in, turned around the corner, opened one of the paper doors, and entered.

It was a library full of books.

Among them, the screen followed an old, worn-out book lying open on the floor.

Inside, an arm rising out from the sea was drawn roughly in ink.

At that moment, the video screen changed to a real beach.

Flutter.

The screen went into the sea in an instant and reflected a figure lying on a huge rock under the water.

The figure was Seon Ahyeon with blonde hair in a loose white robe.

Sunlight broke through the blue waters and shimmered on the white surfaces of the rocks. It was a beautiful but strange scenery.

At the bottom, a white caption appeared in an old-fashioned font.

[Breath]

It was the name of a song on the released track list.

And along with a delicate sound of gayageum^[1]The gayageum or kayagum is a traditional Korean plucked zither with 12 strings, though some more recent variants have 18, 21 or 25 strings. It is probably the best known traditional Korean musical instrument. Sumber: Wiki. , Seon Ahyeon’s solo song came out.

At that moment, Seon Ahyeon got up and slowly began to dance in the water.

It was just a beautiful movement, not a set choreography in the song.

His hair and his dopo^[2]Dopo (Kor. 도포, Chin. 道袍, lit. “Taoist robe”) is a variety of po, or overcoat in hanbok (한복), which was first worn in the middle of the Joseon since the 16th century. The dopo was mostly worn by male Confucian scholars called seonbi (선비) during the Joseon period. Sumber: Wiki. drew a graceful line in the water.

– Ahㅠㅠㅠ

– So handsome

– Crazy, underwater shooting

People were amazed. And they thought.

‘Seon Ahyeonn’s solo song is the intro!’

However, as soon as the beautiful underwater performance was over, the camera made eye contact with Seon Ahyeon in the foam and soared from the sea again.

And it approached a strange circular pattern drawn with mother-of-pearl on the sandy beach.

When the evening sun was setting in the dark, a figure who had been crouching in the pattern stretched out and stood up.

It was Cha Eugene covering his mouth with one hand.

On his cheek, collarbone, and back of his hands, old Hangeul letters in strange handwriting shone like a pattern in five-colored mother-of-pearl.

Tidying, Tingting, Tingting!

A new song with a strong beat began with the sound of a kkwaenggwari^[3]The kkwaenggwari is a small flat gong used primarily in the folk music of Korea. It is made of brass and is played with a hard stick. It produces a distinctively high-pitched, metallic tone that breaks into a cymbal-like crashing timbre when struck forcefully. Sumber: Wiki. .

[Rythim]

It was Cha Eugene’s solo song.

– Huh?

– It’s great

– Heol, no way

– Crazy Cha Eugeneㅠㅠㅠ

Reactions to Cha Eugene’s performance and strong speculation about the current situation were mixing in dizzyingly, flooding the live chat window.

And their guesses were right.

In this way, all the members’ solo songs were introduced continuously.

After Cha Eugene, Bae Sejin, who had his eyes blindfolded, sat on an old tree and sang a ballad melody. There was a subtle chirping sound.

The field of vision of the video entered a cave in the forest and illuminated Kim Raebin, who used lantern lights like neon.

Kim Raebin’s solo song was Future Base with saenghwang^[4]The saenghwang is a Korean wind instrument. It is a free reed mouth organ derived from the Chinese sheng, though its tuning is different. It is constructed from 17 bamboo pipes, each with a metal free reed, mounted vertically in a windchest. Sumber: Wiki. as the main instrument.

Afterward, the camera came out of the cave and headed to an old thatched hut in a forest.

Between the strange-colored fabrics winding around the rotten paper gate of the thatched house.

Park Moondae was sitting on the veranda.

And the already familiar sound of sogeum^[5]The sogeum is a small bamboo transverse flute used in traditional Korean music. Unlike the larger daegeum, it does not have a buzzing membrane. It is used in court, aristocratic, and folk music, as well as in contemporary classical music, popular music, and film scores. Sumber: Wiki. in ‘Flower’s Eve’ rang out.

– Wedding clothes!! Crazy, thank youㅠㅠ

– As expected, I need to see Moondae’s face

Finally, the video returned to the spectacular palace in contrast to the thatched house.

In the middle, Lee Sejin performed a stunt-like dance to the sound of the drum while wearing a huge waist ornament similar to a tail.

It was an enjoyable upbeat song.

Of course, the fans were happy.

– Hey, all the songs are good

– ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– Hair+makeup is good

– The visual beauty, oh my goodness

– I want to get the album soonㅠㅠ

– Please, full video

– The most fruitful 8 minutes of my life

However, after Lee Sejin’s dance, the screen turned off as he smiled and turned around, disappearing into the palace.

– ???

– Where’s Chungwoo

– Aren’t you going to show the title track?ㅋㅋ

– This is really the teaser, right?

Fans, who were perplexed because one of the members didn’t come out and the title track wasn’t even shown, breathed a sigh of relief when the screen was turned back on.

– Is it a traffic error

– Oh, it’s a relief

– This is the first release so it’s a big dealㅠㅠ

However, the screen reflected Seon Ahyeon under the sea again. With the sound of gayageum used in the solo song.

– Eh

– Again?

– It’s a repeated error

It wasn’t an error.

Seon Ahyeon on the screen stared at the camera for a while and then disappeared, and then, the cut of Cha Eugene on the sandy beach staring at the camera also changed.

Next was Bae Sejin.

However, even when the person changed, the sound of the traditional musical instrument in the background didn’t disappear and continued to pile up.

– Huh?

The members added Korean traditional instruments one by one to their solo song’s beat melody.

As the Korean instruments entered harmoniously one by one, a new beat melody began to appear.

Finally, when the screen shone on Lee Sejin, the song began to take shape with the sound of drums now heard.

The moment modern instruments filled it.

Suddenly the song stopped.

And on the screen that went back… A hand appeared.

[…]

A large, sturdy hand picked up a book that had fallen to the floor. It was a book with a strange ink painting that appeared in the first scene.

The camera caught the back of the book.

[Ghost Record]

“Are you going to appear?”

The camera climbed up the hand and caught the owner of the arm.

It was Ryu Chungwoo in a cheollik^[6]Cheollik is a jacket that used to be worn as daily wear for men or official wear for military officials. .

(TL notes: )

– So handsome

– Aargh Chungwoo

No matter what people shouted in the chat window, Ryu Chungwoo in the video whisked off the book with a complicated expression.

And with clear eyes, he answered someone who was off the screen.

“I should.”

The melody exploded, catching Ryu Chungwoo’s back as he turned around and left the library.

Then, walking out of the fence, Ryu Chungwoo took out the bow from his back and aimed it at the forest.

It was a black lacquered archery target

[Now, he appears

Warning again warning

approaching with one’s life

Slow and thrilling]

The arrow flew with a bang and pierced deep into the giant bamboo.

[Me.]

The video ended with an arrow stuck in a tree.

It was the thumbnail.

– Crazycrazy

– Ah

– Is that the title song??

– Uaaaa

– The other members are spirits, and Chungwoo is going to catch them??

– I love you, Testarㅠㅠ

– It’s crazy that all the solo songs are connected!

The solo songs of the members were connected to form the title song. And through the video, the story of the music video was insinuated.

In a sense, it faithfully carried the meaning of the teaser.

And it was a clear composition that clearly showed their consideration for the organic perfection of the album.

This point was more evident in the information that was added in the ‘See more’ column of the teaser video.

It included a list of songwriting, composition, arrangement, and copyright holders of all the songs on the album.

– Each song has the kids’ name

– They all made it togetherㅠㅠ

Although the order was backward, the names of various members could be seen in each song. The same was true for songs that weren’t their solo songs.

And with the fact that all these were connected and shown in the teaser video, their intention was clearly conveyed

‘Album songs are the work of a group’.

This meant that even if there might be a line-up in the future due to the number of views of the fancams, the music in the album presented a logic to defend against the comparison of each member’s performance.

– The kids are really serious about the group

– Let’s go together until you have a dinner show. We will watch Testar's dinner show^[7]When people said ‘Let’s watch xxx’s dinner show’, they imply that they want the group to last long because only old artists show up in dinner shows. ㅠㅠ

– Yes, the number of views of the music video is important. It’s a teaser. As long as it’s for us. Thank you, guys. 8 minutes were enough

Most of the Testar’s multi-fans and the casual solo fans seemed satisfied.

However, Ryu Chungwoo’s fans reacted strangely.

At the end of the teaser, Ryu Chungwoo looked like the center of the title track, but it was because he didn’t introduce his solo song.

– No way, does Chungwoo’s song has its own video?

– It’s annoying that I have to pray because he didn’t even get basics but this neglect is beyond my imaginationㅋㅋㅋ

– If I made a protest, they would say ‘he got the center, why do you have to complain about the teaser’ ㅊㅇㅈFools, are you crazyㅋㅋㅋI am disillusioned

– I hate it more when the atmosphere is set to prevent people from protesting

There was a subtle fight between ‘You’re overreacting, the lid of the comeback hasn’t even opened yet’ and ‘His song didn’t come out on the teaser at all, so of course, I feel like sh*t’.

Fortunately, before it could be screenshotted and displayed everywhere as a ‘controversial topic in Testar’s fandom’, a post came up on Testar’s SNS.

Hello, Loviewer. Did you enjoy the teaser?

I’m a little nervous because I’ve heard the encouragement that I play a big role in this activity, but I hope you look forward to the album.

Ah, This is Ryu Chungwoo (smiling emoticon)

It was an article with a nuance that said, ‘You don’t have to worry about Ryu Chungwoo’s footage’.

* * *

“Is this enough?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I think it’s a little cheeky.”

“No, don’t worry.”

“Haha, I see. …Thank you.”

“…Don’t mention it.”

Ryu Chungwoo turned off his smartphone with a smile.

He didn’t seem to dwell much on the reaction. Because it was a reaction that would subside once the content was released anyway.

Still, I recommended it because I thought it would be better to reassure them at this time.

‘This is enough.’

After confirming that Ryu Chungwoo’s fans agreed to ‘let’s wait and see’, I turned back to the articles I saw earlier.

‘This will take longer.’

It was an article about the group that had Gold 1 in it.

[Big rookie Golden Age, countdown to comeback]

[Golden Age from <Idol Inc.>, will they meet Testar?]

[Blue music industry in August… From Testar to Golden Age]

In short, these articles indicated that the group’s comeback coincided with Testar’s activity.

Of course, when I saw it, a format came to mind.

‘When we debuted.’

Testar’s debut, which was accompanied by the immovable top-tier Vtic.

These simultaneous activities reminded me of that format.

‘Sigh.’

I clicked my tongue. I was certain now.

These punks’ agency did a good job.

• 1. The gayageum or kayagum is a traditional Korean plucked zither with 12 strings, though some more recent variants have 18, 21 or 25 strings. It is probably the best known traditional Korean musical instrument. Sumber: Wiki.
• 2. Dopo (Kor. 도포, Chin. 道袍, lit. “Taoist robe”) is a variety of po, or overcoat in hanbok (한복), which was first worn in the middle of the Joseon since the 16th century. The dopo was mostly worn by male Confucian scholars called seonbi (선비) during the Joseon period. Sumber: Wiki.
• 3. The kkwaenggwari is a small flat gong used primarily in the folk music of Korea. It is made of brass and is played with a hard stick. It produces a distinctively high-pitched, metallic tone that breaks into a cymbal-like crashing timbre when struck forcefully. Sumber: Wiki.
• 4. The saenghwang is a Korean wind instrument. It is a free reed mouth organ derived from the Chinese sheng, though its tuning is different. It is constructed from 17 bamboo pipes, each with a metal free reed, mounted vertically in a windchest. Sumber: Wiki.
• 5. The sogeum is a small bamboo transverse flute used in traditional Korean music. Unlike the larger daegeum, it does not have a buzzing membrane. It is used in court, aristocratic, and folk music, as well as in contemporary classical music, popular music, and film scores. Sumber: Wiki.
• 6. Cheollik is a jacket that used to be worn as daily wear for men or official wear for military officials.
• 7. When people said ‘Let’s watch xxx’s dinner show’, they imply that they want the group to last long because only old artists show up in dinner shows.