First, there was one thing I needed to make clear.
Just because the ‘Now That You Mention It, You’re Right’ Trait activated didn’t mean it was some omnipotent persuasion skill.
Let’s look at the Trait description again.
[Trait: Now That You Mention It, You’re Right (A)]
-Causes emotional agitation in the listener.
: 60% activation chance, active by default
It caused ‘emotional agitation.’
It didn’t mean someone would accept whatever nonsense I babbled at them.
In other words, this was basically a set of training wheels for communication situations of all kinds, from performances to conversations.
Therefore, if I wanted to derail this America-obsessed division head, I still needed to bring up something they could actually accept.
So where should I hit?
I needed to prod the hidden reason this person wanted America so badly.
Their image.
“We’d obviously be very happy if things went well in America… but how long are you planning for this to take?”
Apparently they had already worked everything out, because the division head answered without hesitation.
“I’m thinking two years at minimum, three at maximum. It’s a completely feasible plan.”
Meaning they intended to milk the entire remaining contract period.
Absolutely not.
I immediately asked,
“But if we spend that long promoting in America, won’t all our Korean fans leave?”
“Haha, that’s an old concern. These days we have WeTube and SNS, and everyone knows what’s happening around the world in real time. You’ll still all be speaking Korean, won’t you? If anything, your Korean fans will have easier access.”
“Hmm… I think they might dislike it even more.”
“Pardon?”
“No. If we go to America, we’ll have to start from zero again without any recognition, right? I think watching that might actually make them dislike it.”
I deliberately paused for a beat before adding,
“If they thought we were an impressive group, but then saw us starting from the bottom in America, wouldn’t that really break the image?”
“…!”
“And if people don’t see us succeeding in Korea for two or three years, I don’t think the image will recover easily.”
“Yeah~ I think part of why other countries are responding to us in the first place is because we’re doing so well in the place we originally worked! Like you said, Division Head, these days everyone everywhere learns everything in real time~”
Big Sejin cut in with a smile.
I immediately continued.
“And regarding the Japanese response you mentioned earlier, maybe people became more immersed in <Idol Inc.> because they already knew we went on to succeed in Korea afterward.”
“…Hmm.”
A strange look passed over the division head’s face, mixed with irritation at being talked back to by ignorant kids who hadn’t even graduated college.
It was exactly the agitation of someone hearing a point that struck right where it bothered them.
And at that moment, a pop-up appeared.
[‘Now That You Mention It, You’re Right (A)’ activated!]
Got it.
Apparently the prediction that focusing on America for two or three years could damage TeSTAR’s brand image at home and destabilize a Korean market we had already secured sounded convincing enough.
Normally, stubbornness might have led this person to say something like, It won’t matter because if you follow my master plan, you’ll succeed in America!
But the Trait triggered right there and intensified the hesitation.
Now all we have to do is arrange the board so the division head can graciously concede.
Something that would let them back off while rationalizing it as, I’m doing this out of consideration for the artists.
“…It’s because we’re anxious.”
“R-Right.”
“We’re still growing domestically, so we’d like to keep trying to reach the very top here first.”
Support came in neatly from the members too.
We had already reached an agreement after the previous meeting.
-I’m fine with filming the reality show in America, but outright targeting America is a little…….
-It’s weird. It’s like making a movie with some half-baked imitation of their sensibilities because you desperately want Hollywood.
-I believe that was an appropriate analogy, hyungnim!
-Wh-What…!
After going through that conversation, we had already decided that if more talk about America came up, we would stop it.
Then Ryu Chungwoo added the final point in a serious voice.
“Until our position in Korea is firm enough that we’ve won a Daesang… could we think about it a little longer? Please.”
“…….”
The division head’s eyebrows twitched briefly, then they shrugged like some magnanimous adult.
“Well, it can’t be helped. This is the entertainment business, so the thoughts of the people directly involved are important. I believe they deserve respect.”
“Thank you!”
Now we just had to leave before they changed their mind.
“Haa.”
As soon as we left the division head’s office, sighs of relief sounded from all around.
“I can’t believe they actually meant to send us.”
“I-I was surprised.”
At least we bought time until the end of this year.
If we happened to win a Daesang this time… well, by then our leverage would be stronger, so negotiations might actually become easier.
Ryu Chungwoo lightly patted me and Big Sejin on the back.
“Good work.”
“It was nothing.”
“Whew.”
“But we still go America? I go my house?”
“Yeah. We’re still going there.”
There was no helping the reality-show filming itself.
“Wow!!”
Cha Eugene threw both hands into the air.
A few looks that seemed to say, At least one of us is happy, briefly landed on him, then disappeared.
Still, things are going smoothly enough.
After meeting the division head, I was certain.
This person was the type to overestimate their own work, but they weren’t particularly difficult to handle.
You just need to make them feel like they’re the one being generous.
More importantly, they seemed more interested in growing TeSTAR itself than in exploiting TeSTAR for T1’s sake, which was preferable.
We just need to steer the direction properly.
I stretched.
My shoulder seemed to make a strange sound.
“Jeez, want me to give you a massage?”
“I’m fine.”
Ever since <Procession>, and now all the way through the <Picnic> repackaged promotions, we had been going nonstop without a real break.
My body was starting to wear down a little.
Still, the results are good.
Promotions for this album on music shows had already ended, but its digital performance was still strong.
Though VTIC overtook us at the end.
Yesterday, VTIC had released a pre-release track by the same composer and forced its way up the digital charts at a terrifying speed.
Can’t be helped.
Still, the text I got yesterday was pretty damn annoying.
-Thanks for the song, hoobae^^
That bastard even attached a screenshot of the digital chart.
A burst of irritation flared up for a moment, but when I realized how peaceful the current situation was and that there was nothing I actually had to deal with, it immediately subsided.
Now… all that’s left is deciding the concert unit stage, I guess.
Whether we were adding unit stages to the concert.
And if we did, who I would pair up with.
There wasn’t any enormous land mine hidden in that issue, so all I had to consider was the quality of the concert and Cha Eugene’s morale.
I’d still rather do a unit with someone else if possible. Kim Raebin, maybe.
Thinking over the unit candidates I had originally considered, I wondered how to peel Cha Eugene away from me.
However, before the meeting where we would make the final decision, something happened that had a major influence on that choice.
Namely, the edited version of the horror escape-room episode I had done with Cha Eugene was uploaded.
[Moondae-Pup and Cha-Kitty’s Horror Escape No. 1│TeSTAR Roommate Extra EP.1]
The video, whose title had gained a bit more flair than the preliminary one Park Moondae had heard, offered a different kind of fun from the WLive broadcast.
When viewed live, the entire thing had been transmitted through a single shaky smartphone camera, giving it the feel of some found-footage-style mockumentary.
But in this video, that atmosphere was stripped away and replaced with variety-show editing.
As a result, rather than immersion in the horror escape room itself, the pair’s character dynamics were emphasized much more strongly.
[The theme of this room is… the nightmare of a child who picked up a strange doll……. Hmm. This is why proper recycling is important.]
[Scary doll? I don’t like nightmares!]
Up until they went inside, Park Moondae remained calm while Cha Eugene made a huge fuss.
That general structure remained similar once they entered, but their positions reversed.
[Hyung, hyung!! Hair over there! Teddy Bear has human hair! Not pretty!]
[Put it down. Put that down, Eugene.]
Cha Eugene excitedly made a fuss, while Park Moondae recoiled in horror with a completely calm face.
And by the end, they threw the original setup out entirely and both became thoroughly terrified, trembling in fear.
It was because they had become immersed in the story.
But to the fans, who could watch from one step removed thanks to the editing, it was comedy gold.
[If we… put this together. Is it an English sentence?]
[Yes! Umm~ THIS IS NOT A DREAM… It says it’s not a dream!! It’s not a dream!!]
[W-Wait. Wait a second.]
Rrrrrrrumble!
Suddenly the lights flashed red, and the cheap mannequin sitting in the corner turned its head.
[Eeeeeek!!]
Even on the infrared camera, the sight of the two of them practically clinging to each other as they jumped backward was truly worth seeing.
And people who had expected exactly this kind of scene from the moment they saw the video’s theme were thoroughly satisfied.
-(00:57)(05:14)(13:09) both their eyes keep getting bigger as time passesㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-This one is the mannequin’s fault. It threatened two scaredy-cats
-F*ck this is the first time I’ve seen Park Moondae rely on Cha Eugene this muchㅋㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠㅠ
-It’s heartwarming how they only grab each other’s clothes because they don’t want to damage the props. Truly law-abiding idols
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ insane
Both of them had images as people with exceptionally strong mental fortitude, and there was even an added explanation saying they had chosen the content themselves.
Thanks to that, very few people found the setup uncomfortable.
[It was fun. Refreshing.]
[Let’s come again!!]
[Sure.]
Even after escaping, they casually acted pleased as though they had breezed through the whole thing.
It was practically a textbook example of excellent idol self-produced content.
And this ended up taking root far more strongly than Park Moondae expected.
-Scaredy-Cats, may nothing but roads of horror lie ahead of you…
Read only on MUGEX
With the nickname ‘Scaredy-Cats.’
In effect, it gave a firm little push to people who had wanted to like the first- and second-place members together but had never had a particularly strong connection between them to latch onto.
The response from people who liked both members was strong enough to make even the fierce solo fans baring their teeth at one another beneath the surface watch themselves.
“…….”
In the end, after doing some light monitoring, even Park Moondae ended up saying this to Cha Eugene.
“Hey. Let’s do the unit.”
“Wow!!”
It was a concise declaration of surrender.
However, in order to avoid direct comparison with the unit stages from the previous concert, they made a slight adjustment to when the unit stage would be revealed.
“Then we’ll unveil the unit stages later, at the encore concert?”
“Good, good~”
That was the conclusion reached at the final concert-concept meeting.
Instead, they added a few surprise events to this tour.
“People are going to be surprised, right?”
“I believe some may fall over laughing.”
Everything was neat and tidy.
Without any particular conflict, TeSTAR steadily finished preparing for the concert.
They even received a long ten-day vacation before the final round of tour rehearsals, by order of the newly arrived division head.
Along with the impressive statement, ‘Managing the artists’ condition is also the company’s duty.’
Trying to establish dominance?
Park Moondae wasn’t particularly moved, but in any case, he welcomed the vacation.
It was about time everyone got some rest.
“It’s been forever since I went home~”
“Let’s get plenty of rest.”
“I’ll make sure to contact everyone frequently.”
Only after making a huge fuss saying goodbye as though they were going to be apart for half a year did the others finally leave the dorm.
-I-If you’re okay with it… do you want to come over?
-My grandmother said she was deeply impressed by <May Groom>.
-…I’m going to look at houses to move into with Mom, no, I mean, if you have plans too, I thought it might be good to share them!
A few guys even invited me to come to their homes with them, but I politely turned them down.
Finally, I’m alone.
I reviewed my ten-day plan for seclusion and silently cheered.
In case I got sick, I had already established an emergency contact line with the company and received a proper supply of basic medicine.
I had even bought porridge.
A cold with body aches is nothing.
Even if I caught one now, it wouldn’t matter.
I had ten whole days, so even if I spent about three of them sick, I would still have a full week to rest with a clear head.
Let’s not monitor too often.
Funny as it was, this time I decided to actually take Cha Eugene’s advice into account.
I can rest for a few days.
This division head was excessively interested in TeSTAR, so the company had definitely strengthened its internet-monitoring work too.
Meaning I could now reasonably expect someone to contact me if a problem broke out.
“Good.”
I had even switched my smartphone to silent for everything except emergency contacts.
In an uncharacteristic move, I had even put up a status message.
-Vacation. Slow to respond.
Like that.
I picked up my smartphone to double-check it, only to realize the screen was already lit.
Someone was calling me.
[VTIC Shin Jaehyun sunbaenim]
I really did not want to answer.