Debut or Die-Chapter 260
When TeSTAR was deep in live-broadcast preparations even on the last day of the year...
“They started early.”
A working fan, watching Park Mundae and Lee Sejin on the MBS Gayo Daejejeon’s Part Two nearing its end, clicked her tongue. It was laughable that she herself was only relaxing in front of the TV because she’d been doing overtime, and even more laughable that the show, which ran past midnight, had begun before nine.
In fact, she didn’t really need to watch now—TeSTAR wouldn’t appear for quite a while.
‘I’ve already commissioned the upload data since I’m working late anyway.’
So she watched purely out of light curiosity.
‘I’m curious how Ah-hyun’s collab will go.’
Not that she doubted his skill. Among some of Park Mundae’s home managers in a group chat, whispers had spread about those fleeting fierce eyes he’d shown on the night he MC’d SBC.
‘Almost never happens.’
Park Mundae was astonishingly polished in front of cameras. Apart from Lee Sejin, who’d once looked a bit off during a summer package show, that had been his only slip.
Even this time it was so quick no controversy would arise, but the home managers, guided by an inexplicable feeling, had analyzed angles and even located the singer’s seats at that timing.
And they’d confirmed it:
– He bowed with the collab guys...
– lol oh um
– Looks like it, but let’s not say anything, teachers
So they’d already arrived—quite accurately—at the conjecture that “Ah-hyun must’ve struggled preparing the collab stage.” Of course, wary of capture or public shaming, they hadn’t mentioned specifics and had deleted everything. But yes, there was a working fan there.
‘Did Ah-hyun’s mental break?’
Speculating the behind-the-scenes, she decided she had to check this stage. She wondered if it’d show.
She refreshed her SNS, then casually watched the TV.
[Coming up!]
[Gayo Daejejeon Special Stage]
[Winter Boys]
The special stage was slotted at the end of Part Two.
It was the typical format: pick legendary 1st-generation KPOP seniors, play their songs, throw together juniors for a one-off stage.
‘Still so tacky.’
Half those seniors had fled after DUI scandals, she thought skeptically as she clicked on it. A song she didn’t care about by artists she didn’t care about—she regretted pressing play.
Soon the machine-mixed backing track started. It was arranged for a dance performance—no vocals.
-Wee Oo Wee Oo-
They’d spent some money: the LED screen and floor’s water-puddle effects looked ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) decent.
‘But it’ll chill the moment they dance.’
She expected a chaotic group shot—busy people practicing separately rarely nail synchronized choreography.
But the instant the dance began...
-Oo-u Oo Oo-u Oo-
It looked impressively high-quality.
“Huh?”
Her many years of KPOP experience instantly identified the reason.
‘The center’s great.’
And the opening center was Seon Ah-hyun.
“Oh.”
Right from the start, his long limbs tossed off acrobatic moves that stood out. Even when the camera botched its framing, Ah-hyun’s timing created an optical illusion as if it had captured him perfectly.
No razor-sharp group uniformity was needed—because the performer at center was so dominant, it made everyone else look competent by comparison.
Wait, hold on.
“Cancel.”
Four seconds later, she clicked her tongue at the corner chaos—dancers rising late or nearly stumbling off the floor.
‘It’s ruined.’
Year-end collabs of busy people often went awry, but this felt even more shoddy. The contrast to Ah-hyun’s center moments was brutal.
“Only Ah-hyun gets a free win?”
Is this a skill gap? she wondered, eyes glued to the screen for professional interest. Only Ah-hyun seemed to benefit from choreography closer to dance than broadcast dance.
He’d said he majored in some Vallenji modern dance; clearly he’d trained rigorously for longer than the industry average.
A close-up of Ah-hyun appeared on screen. As he pressed one hand to the floor, his beautiful face shone with unexpectedly intense eyes.
She knew he was handsome—but this was a surprise.
‘Thought he’d be too cautious to show his full skill.’
She revised her judgment: not just a token inclusion with Sejin and Mundae, Ah-hyun clearly had backbone.
She didn’t take her eyes off the TV until Ah-hyun’s dance performance reached its end.
And if she tweaked that reaction to an extreme, it’d be her exact viewer response.
“Ah-hyun, you crushed it!”
“You were seriously amazing.”
“T-thanks so much...!”
Blushing, Ah-hyun returned to the waiting room.
“This is off-camera talk, but wow, Ah-hyun was the best~”
“Yeah! You aced it solo! The others messed up...”
“Hey, that’s too much.”
Cha Yoo-jin’s unfiltered remark was swiftly shut down. Ah-hyun looked like he might break into a cold sweat.
Sure, the others had done fine in practice. They were seasoned pros despite their rotten attitudes.
The problem came on site.
“I-it was kind of slippery....”
Because it was live, they’d misjudged drying time and the water from the previous stage’s effects was still wet.
But since only Ah-hyun moved flawlessly, it only underscored his edge.
“But you didn’t slip, hyung!”
“I’d practiced here before, that’s why...!”
“See, past experience builds the skills of today! I respect that!”
“Th-that's... oh, thanks....”
Just like that.
‘So unfair.’
Normally, after some flak then a factual reveal, public opinion would turn to criticizing the broadcaster’s poor working conditions. But now, Ah-hyun alone would rise in status.
No wonder Ah-hyun’s a top-tier member
Honestly, the best main dancer among boy groups
Modern dance, ballet, audition background? That combo can’t fail lol
Checking real-time buzz, it flowed as expected.
‘Perfect.’
Relieved—it was all rolling smoothly. Except that this wasn’t a private waiting room.
“We loved it too, Ah-hyun!”
“Y-yes! Th-thanks....”
“Hey, didn’t someone here cover Senior Battle A’s stage back then?”
“Not me—Cheongryeo hyung did. He’s our main dancer.”
“Ha, right! But it was similar and it reminded me.”
“.......”
VTIC shared this waiting room. And they were trying to wedge themselves into TeSTAR’s conversation.
‘Why does this happen?’
Roommates were chosen so awkwardly: VTIC, the industry’s unquestioned No. 1, and TeSTAR were forced together to induce discomfort. And because both could appear on U.S. New Year specials, the agency had to be cautious.
‘Damn it.’
But these guys hadn’t learned interpersonal tact over nine years—they kept butting into our space.
‘Cut it out.’
Yet they still pulled in another member.
“You remember too, right? The year-end special stage!”
“Mm.”
Cheongryeo—he should have just stayed off, rather than bug someone about standby time.
“Yes, you got lots of coverage.”
“.......”
So I had to welcome him too. As Cheongryeo and I had our spat, it felt like exile to be stuck with him here.
“Guys, Sejin’s on next.”
“Oh!!”
At that moment, Ryu Cheong-woo, sitting on the sofa, called the others over.
On his phone flickered the ongoing Acting Awards on a neighboring network.
“Hello, I’m Ahn So-hyun.”
“Hello, I’m Bae Sejin of TeSTAR.”
Sejin entered alongside the only cast member from “Soft & Sweet” who’d succeeded as an actor.
He looked a bit nervous, but in his suit he definitely looked the part.
“Oo—nice suit.”
“Had little time, must’ve worked hard to set it up.”
“You look sharp, hyung!”
Amid jokes that he should wear suits on the next album, Sejin calmly carried on.
[We stand here today at the Acting Awards as idols turned actors. How does it feel to appear here today, Sejin?]
[Yes. It’s been a while, so I feel I must do well. Thank you for having me.]
“Hyung’s pronunciation is great and he’s not shaking...!”
“Right?”
Sejin fielded questions smoothly.
[I started as an idol then moved into drama—Sejin, it’s the opposite for you? How do you feel about idol life?]
[Yes. I’m active as a member of the group TeSTAR. ...It’s very enjoyable and rewarding. I’ve met many great people.]
“Oo....”
“Is he talking about us?”
“Probably.”
On the small screen, Sejin gave a faint smile. Among the guys watching, a warm, sheepish feeling rippled.
“Oh, sounds genuine.”
“TeSTAR’s awesome~”
No, you guys should go back to your own spots.
Silently, I gave Big Sejin’s shoulder a light tap—he shrugged sheepishly.
‘Time heals.’
They seemed to have reached mutual respect—even if our living situation was terrible.
[Though our fields differ, we’ll work to show you pride-worthy performances. Now, let us present the next award.]
Sejin finished presenting well and closed with a “hope to see you again” remark.
And later, after fighting through the bottlenecked highway, Sejin arrived.
“...I’m here.”
“Ooh!”
“Hyung, you were amazing!”
“Outstanding.”
“Th-thanks... but this was originally a short script!”
“No, it was great! Thanks for talking about us!”
“...! A ah.”
“You mean us?”
“Well... yeah, but!”
A barrage of greetings. Sejin blushed, but the mood didn’t last.
“Hi again—great presenting!”
“...Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Sejin nodded politely at VTIC’s forced familiarity, then slipped back toward TeSTAR’s section of the waiting room.
Guess he hadn’t forgotten my earlier fight with Cheongryeo.
“Hyung. Change your clothes first.”
“Right!”
I hung back with him in a corner until show time.
Even before TeSTAR’s stage arrived...
“Everyone, are you enjoying the last and most dazzling delight of the year, Gayo Daejejeon?”
“We’ll soon welcome the New Year.”
We were ushered onto the giant main stage for the countdown.
On the way out, it was oddly satisfying to greet those poor fools Cheongryeo had K.O.’d, though some seemed distracted by other worries.
“It’s cold.”
“Shut up, Cha Yoo-jin! Countless people are watching—start the New Year happily!”
“You’re not even smiling!”
“Now I will!”
“Quit it.”
I caught the two about to fight and looped an arm around each.
On a stage lined with idols and singers, we took position before a cluster of familiar lightsticks.
‘At least the fancam will look good.’
The crew had assigned us a spot, but with crowds shifting, boundaries blurred.
“Wow, the year flew by~”
“Y-yeah! It really did....”
We whispered to avoid mic pickup. The countdown began.
“3!”
“2!”
“1!”
Confetti exploded as lights and sound swelled. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
“Happy New Year!!”
Clapping and shouting, swept into the moment, we welcomed the year again.
“TeSTAR always delivers something, even this year~”
“Here’s to a year of healthy, accident-free, great music!”
We high-fived and cheered roughly. When we waved to the wildly shaking lightsticks, they shook even harder.
‘Do their arms not hurt?’
Well, if they’re happy.
Then arms poured onto my shoulders.
“Mundae, you worked hard! Let’s work less hard and just crush it from now on~”
“Yeah, please look after us...!”
“...Right. Happy New Year.”
We exchanged high-fives and well-wishes.
It felt strange.
‘Still, we welcomed the New Year.’
Despite many risks, we made it through and greeted it as idols. Around this time last year, I thought it might be my last.
“...Hmm.”
It was surprisingly uplifting.
“Happy New Year!”
The first stage of the new year was cold, loud, lively, and bright.
After the dazzling countdown, the main stage was swiftly reset for the next act.
TeSTAR would wait just below—it was our turn next.
On our way off the stage to slip into the restroom, I ran into that guy again.
“We’ll see each other soon again this year. Awards run straight through January.”
“Yes.”
Cheongryeo.
If he was going to say something so obvious, he shouldn’t disturb someone on standby.
“Your juniors drop a new song January 5th... they’ll perform it at awards. Bold choice.”
“.......”
I stopped walking.
‘Bold choice?’
That nuance... implying TeSTAR would lose by debuting a new song.
“Oh, you don’t know.”
“.......”
“You really don’t have sources, do you? That’s... your biggest issue.”
Cheongryeo’s eyes glinted. He offered “advice” to his junior.
“You have no connections.”
“.......”
“Well... as a New Year’s gift, hear this.”
He smiled.
“You know Youngrin’s prepping her own comeback?”
“...I heard.”
I recalled a passing remark from Youngrin while prepping that MC gig: she’d noted Youngrin would always do well whenever she released.
‘...Wait.’
Could it be....
Cheongryeo gave a wry grin.
“You didn’t know. It’s a surprise New Year digital release.”
“...!!”
“January 4th. So... just one day before your juniors.”
Oh, fuck.
