Testa’s teaser began with a steam locomotive crossing a barren field.
*Shhhhkkkk!*
A bronze-colored train with visible gears gradually approached the screen at an angle.
And then, as if drawn in, the camera zoomed through the train’s window.
[…]
Inside was a passenger compartment that combined mid-Joseon Dynasty aesthetics with modern elements.
Two passengers sat facing each other, each wearing a *dopo*—one in black and one in white—draped like coats.
Beneath the outer garment, the clothing featured leather straps and buckles, reflecting a modernized style.
Suddenly, the camera focused on the face of the person wearing the white *dopo*. Sun Ahyeon, with his neatly combed hair, was looking down.
And across from him…
A person was reading an old newspaper with the headline: ‘妖怪(Yeokai) Granted Citizenship – What Madness is This?’ That person lowered the paper.
It was Park Moondae, with silver hair.
Expressionless, Park Moondae lifted his head and stared directly into the camera.
At that moment, the music kicked in.
[♬♩-♪♬ ♩ ♩ ♩]
A rhythmic drumbeat and the tinkling of wind chimes created an atmosphere that evoked a historical drama, as the video rapidly transitioned between quick cuts.
A brief shot showed Lee Sejin, wearing a monocle, smirking while flipping a coin. Then, the scene cut to Kim Raebin, holding a gas lamp, walking past a coal mine in a suit.
Next, Bae Sejin, with light brown hair, was inspecting a strange, brass analog gauge.
As Bae Sejin looked down out the window, the camera followed his gaze, showing the train entering a peculiar city.
The cityscape, a chaotic mix of traditional architecture and symbols of the Industrial Revolution, was shown briefly before the focus returned to the train moving over buildings.
And then, the train derailed.
*SCREEEEECH!*
It collided with a building, sending roof tiles crashing down. Golden dust and debris swirled in the air.
From the wreckage, a booted foot kicked out.
*Pah!*
Dangling from the side of the train amidst the debris was Cha Yujin, grinning widely in a reformed military uniform, as the wreckage scattered behind him.
The camera followed one of the many swirling bounty posters in the debris—the most tattered one.
[100,000 nyang]
Just as the identity of the shadowed figure on the poster could be made out, the camera shook violently as if struck from outside, then dropped.
*Zzzzt!*
The backing track abruptly halted, as if broken.
In the shaking black background, Ryu Cheongwoo, with a musket slung over his shoulder, raised his chin and glared menacingly down at the camera.
Like in the poster, his eyes glowed an icy blue.
[…]
The screen went black.
A melodic line echoed:
-no oh, no-oh no-oh
Thirsting hours of longing
One melodic phrase.
Then, with a moment of silence, the subtitle appeared.
[TeSTAR]
[Spring out]
Immediately, the comment section exploded with question marks and tear-filled emojis, updating at a frantic pace.
—
“Whew!”
Kim Raebin’s fan took a deep breath when she saw the package arrive.
Although Testa’s latest activity only featured one title track and no album, T1 had made sure to sell an array of related merchandise.
The items she had purchased were some cute accessories to decorate her *응원봉* (fan lightstick) and… the concept photobook.
The site had offered everything from bags to hats, but she had decided against splurging to that extent. She didn’t want to be too much of a pushover.
‘T1, those guys really know how to get to us.’
She hadn’t expected them to sell photobooks so boldly in place of an album.
Of course, she wanted to check out the photobook right away, but first, she had to get through the lightstick accessories that came on top.
‘These are ridiculously cute!’
The golden gears and a pocket watch attached to pipes looked adorable. Huffing and puffing as she set them aside, she thought about the music video.
“They went crazy.”
She couldn’t think of any other way to describe it.
The response to the teaser had been explosive from the moment it was released. Of course, part of it was because of the high video quality, but there was another key reason.
-“Weren’t they supposed to be Spring Youths!? Spring Youths!”
-“Spring Youth (derails the train)”
-“Got it… Instead of cherry blossoms, they wanted to show the dust and pollution of spring.”
-“I didn’t know *Spring* meant that kind of spring.”
After the media had been hyping up the idea of “a refreshing spring carol,” the teaser had hit everyone with a full-blown SF fantasy world. The contrast was sharp, to say the least.
Still, there were more people thrilled than disappointed.
-“Yokai and traditional aesthetics? This is definitely part of the *Haengcha* (The Parade) universe, lol.”
-“Oh my god, Ryu Cheongwoo looks like the final boss, holy crap! Our national sniper!!”
-“Steam engines, brass, and gears? This is full-on steampunk. Steam punk Joseon? What on earth!”
-“T1 sure has money. That’s why I keep being a fan.”
-“Wow, they threw this out for a single?”
It wasn’t even a full album, just a fan-service single, but they had invested so much into it, people couldn’t help but feel emotional.
T1 was a subsidiary of a big company known for its deep pockets, so there weren’t many who were worried or upset about the spending.
That doesn’t mean no one had something to say.
-“But don’t singles need albums to really do well? I’m not sure about this.”
-“T1 is gutsy, but it feels like they’re overindulging their fantasy addiction lol.”
-“This was their chance to solidify their spot as a mainstream male group, and they blew it.”
Those who loved stirring up conflict were quick to flip-flop, now criticizing what they had once called “boring mainstream songs.”
But even that criticism ended as soon as the song was released.
-“The sensation of today’s rhythm See, enjoy this moment, sight, and premonition What’s up? the real flavor (come out)”
The song was a rhythmic, mellow reggae.
Though the interlude and bridge contained intense drops designed to enhance the performance, the overall feel of the song was easy-going and pleasant to listen to.
It was perfect for a laid-back drive—smooth and enjoyable.
‘Only Kim Raebin could masterfully pull off something like this, capturing both sides of the coin.’
Raebin’s fan grinned as she absentmindedly thought about this and continued unpacking the package.
But her mind kept wandering to the online reactions she had seen.
People who had never anticipated a Testa comeback, those who had only gotten into them through their reality show, had been confused from the teaser alone.
-“This looks like a movie trailer.”
-“Wow, they must be making good money.”
-“Wait, I thought this was a K-pop music video, but why is there steampunk Joseon?”
-“Was that Cheongwoo at the end? Wow, he can make that expression? He’s so cool!”
-“What happened to the cute guys who sold *hotteok*? Now they’ve got flashy hair colors like magical girls, lol.”
└”Surprisingly, their debut song was called ‘Magical Boys.'”
└”No way!”
While casual fans witnessed this through social media, the main YouTube comments section was filled with foreign fans, sweeping the page.
-“So, this is what they were ‘working’ on in Korea? (smirking emoji)”
-“I almost stopped breathing when I saw Ahyeon’s pomade hairstyle.”
-“So you’re telling me that in Korea, steam engines fly and trains run over buildings? (cry-laughing emoji)”
-“It’s amazing to think that these guys, who won that grueling audition program, are now shooting such epic videos. Supporting them all the way from Wisconsin ☺”
-“Testa deserves more recognition!”
Thanks to the meme-induced influx of foreign fans and the buzz about the “American incident,” *AJoSa* viewers from abroad had begun leaving comments as well.
Not only from the U.S., but from all around the global K-pop fandom, where news of what had happened in America had spread.
As a result, the music video surpassed 30 million views within the first 24 hours.
Testa’s fans were now beginning to make jokes about them being a “top-tier” group.
‘The tour schedule is probably going to get even crazier…’
Kim Raebin’s fan imagined the exhausting future ahead as she finally managed to unwrap the photobook from the packaging.
“Whew.”
There were four books in total.
T1, those capitalistic pigs, had brought their random photocard system from albums to the photobook market….
Had Park Moondae known about this, he might have put a stop to it, but in the midst of the crazy schedule, he hadn’t been able to pay attention to every detail.
The fan clenched her fists.
‘Please, let me
get Kim Raebin!’
She had already looked up which cards came with which photobooks.
There were 14 different photocards in total, two per member.
Kim Raebin had one winking selfie and another in a traditional suit with a *gat* (traditional Korean hat) from the behind-the-scenes of the music video.
‘I really hope I get the selfie.’
Kim Raebin was not one to take many selfies.
[Hello! I’m Kim Raebin. While working, I thought of my fans, so I’m uploading this. (photo)]
When he was a rookie, he used to post things like this on SNS, often attaching pictures of his instruments instead of himself.
And if she couldn’t get Raebin, there was one other thing she really, really hoped for:
‘Silver-haired Park Moondae…!’
This was the first time Park Moondae had dyed his hair such a cool color. He’d also styled it in a sleek, half-up look, which was just perfect!
-“Oh my god, silver Moondae, what is this?!”
-“I need this in person, I need to see it live.”
-“Let’s agree that Spring Moondae’s dog breed is Siberian Husky, no arguments (screenshot).”
As soon as the teaser was released, “Silver Moondae” trended in real-time, with the term hitting the top of various forums.
‘He really knows what he’s doing.’
Ignoring the fact that most members who had dyed their hair or worn colored lenses also became topics of conversation, she nodded to herself.
With determination, she opened the first photobook.
‘As long as I can get the card, I don’t care about the rest! Just one perfect book is enough!’
Her priority was, of course, checking the photocard.
She boldly opened the first book and, as the card fell out, she caught it.
“…!”
The person in the photo was… Cha Yujin.
“Ugh.”
Though neither Kim Raebin nor Park Moondae, she quickly regained her composure.
‘Yujin will be easy to trade!’
It was a well-known fact that there were plenty of crazed Yujin fans desperately looking to trade for his card.
Moreover, the photocard of Cha Yujin in his music video costume was exceptionally good.
Cha Yujin, lounging in an old-fashioned open car with one foot propped up, was shining golden, flashing a mischievous smile.
It made you want to scream and cherish the photo forever.
“…”
Maybe she shouldn’t sell it?
Even though she wasn’t a Yujin fan, she found herself carefully storing the card.
“I mean… the other three books might still have my favorites.”
Muttering to herself as she reached for the remaining photobooks, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wouldn’t be able to sell that card after all.
‘Oh well, I can always buy more later.’
The real question was whether they would perform the song in their music video outfits for their music show stages.
Two days later… or technically, as midnight had just passed, tomorrow was their first music show appearance.
She absentmindedly recalled the murderous schedule idols faced during their first week of promotions.
‘Hmm, they’re probably finishing up final choreography rehearsals right about now.’
Unfortunately, her prediction wasn’t accurate.
At that very moment, the members, all exhausted and worn out, were huddled together in their practice room, watching a monitor.
“Alright… let’s play it.”
“Yeah.”
Having just completed an insane schedule over the past month, they were finally sitting down to record their reactions to their own music video.