Debut or Die-Chapter 261
The moment the live broadcast ended, I called the office and spoke with whoever was on duty in management.
“They’re releasing at the same time as Youngrin.”
And the company went into a frenzy. It was understandable. Youngrin’s recent performance boiled down to this:
“In the country’s largest music site annual chart: 3rd place.”
For comparison, TeSTAR’s latest song “Bureum” ranked 37th for the year.
And in that annual chart’s TOP 50, Youngrin has four tracks: two title songs, one OST, and one variety‐show collaboration.
It was staggering.
“We absolutely can’t win.”
Not only does Youngrin have mass appeal, but her core fandom is rock solid—there’s nowhere to chip away. In short, simultaneous release on music sites... is nothing short of an honorable death. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
Of course, the company wasn’t the only one flipped out.
“Youngrin senior?”
“Yes.”
“Sigh...”
Even within the group, the first meeting of the new year was convened. We spent New Year’s Eve sleepless on work, but that’s trivial compared to this crisis.
I stayed calm.
“They told us now on purpose.”
With only four days until our comeback, changing the date was impossible. Cheongryeo must have decided that, at least, we should be warned so we could brace ourselves. If it’s meant as a courtesy, I don’t need to waste emotion on it. As rivals, it stings but it makes sense.
...Alright, it does sting.
“Mundae.”
“What.”
“Are you sure about that info? Where’d you hear it?”
“A VTIC source told me.”
Big Sejin looked ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) at me knowingly. Roughly translated: “They’re messing with you.”
Right. Just in case, I’d confirmed it. Tossing and catching my phone, I said:
“I asked Youngrin senior myself, just to be safe. It’s true.”
“Phew.”
With less than four days left and overlapping release windows, Youngrin wouldn’t lie. She did sound curious, though.
— We just decided it recently, but how did Mundae-ssi know already?
I hedged, saying I overheard the staff and thought to check. The crew will have to tighten up on leaks, but compared to our situation, that’s not a priority.
“I’m losing my mind.”
I rubbed my temple. Then Cha Yoo-jin shot his hand up.
“Excuse me! I have a question!”
“Go ahead, Yoo-jin.”
“Why can’t we promote alongside Youngrin senior?”
Ryu Cheong-woo answered.
“Because Youngrin senior’s image is so trusted, we’ll get buried on the charts.”
“You never know until you try! Let’s do it!”
Ambition is admirable... but this is a matter of morale. We come back with a full album, yet if we can’t even snag real-time #1 on music sites, how crushed will we feel? And Youngrin’s user base will only grow in the days after release, so her new‐song‐one‐day-later timing is the worst possible.
When Youngrin’s song is peaking and we debut our track the next day...
“There’s no way we can hit #1 unless we’re on some fringe site.”
Our regular‐album record would collapse.
...
Seeing the members sunk in thought, Cha Yoo-jin shrugged.
“Okay. It’s fine if we don’t get #1 on streaming. Let’s focus on a great stage!”
“...!”
“Let’s aim for stage #1!”
Simple words, but the mood lifted.
“Yeah. It’s our first full album in a while—doing well and getting through it smoothly is what matters.”
“R-right. We worked so hard... if we focus on showing our best, this can still be fun, right...?”
That positivity was good. But... I like winning.
I tapped my finger on the living-room floor.
“How do we beat Youngrin on the streaming charts?”
For one, Youngrin isn’t promoting this song at all—it hasn’t circulated in the industry. Her own reaction and her company’s reaction confirm it.
“But even so, it’s T1 Stars—big comebacks get leaked.”
She said it was decided only a few days ago, so this was unique to her agency’s intel. Most people don’t know yet.
“If we tried to blitz variety shows and public promotions...”
No. We already did year-end and early-year variety; more would just burn our image.
I rubbed my neck and met Kim Rae-bin’s solemn gaze.
“You’re pretty worried, huh?”
“Huh? N-no!”
You have reason to worry—half this album is your work. When I learned you’d finished it on that dying battery marooned on an island, I was floored.
“It’s just... when listeners satisfy their need for new songs with Youngrin’s track, many might not even try ours.”
That was a sharp worry. And accurate.
“Exactly. If someone with mass appeal grabs all the attention, the fandom-driven side ends up in its own league.”
An unavoidable trend.
...
After thinking more, I spoke.
“So we have to assume we’ll lose streaming. Instead, let’s aim for average there and pour everything into generating buzz.”
“...!”
“Promotion, publicity, media mentions, release order... everything.”
We needed an extreme focus. I said it, and the members seemed to mull it over. Big Sejin raised his hand first.
“I agree. It’s the most rational plan. There’s no alternative.”
“True. Strategy is crucial now.”
Kim Rae-bin nodded.
“If our activities get famous, I believe some will come back to listen.”
He’s resilient. I smiled and nodded.
Bae Sejin, still tense, spoke up.
“So how do we create that buzz?”
“Details need more discussion, but... shock value, right?”
To steal the hype Youngrin would snag with her surprise drop, shock was the answer.
“Let’s blindside people.”
“...??”
A twist. Surprise.
Some time later, January 5.
TeSTAR’s new music video went live smoothly at midnight. Its title was “Wheel (Day).”
-Spin the wheel
So it flies far away
The melody rings and it’s beautiful
It touches my heart let it pop
The music video was beautiful. A sunlit amusement park at midday. Dreamlike filters and time-space overlay effects created a mystical vibe. Fixed cameras captured the fairy-tale beauty of the old park. Surreal frames—members appearing twice in one shot—added an uncanny, otherworldly feel.
-Tok tok tok
Time and space intertwined. Before a spinning golden Ferris wheel, arms outstretched against a blue sky, stood a boy. Anyone could see it as the spiritual successor to debut track “Magic Boy,” faithful to the world-building, and quietly moving.
But... it was kind of bland.
-This song is really good ㅠㅠ
-Great for the New Year
-Feels a bit like a carol, makes me excited
Fans praised it yet couldn’t shake that uneasy “already heard this” feeling. Yesterday, Youngrin’s sudden song announcement had charged the air.
-Insane Youngrin lol
-Wow, what about TeSTAR tomorrow?
-Popcorn time
-RIP TeSTAR streaming... condolences in advance... too bad it’s a full album
It wasn’t a random thunderbolt—it was a bombshell just a day before our comeback. We effectively got a fail stamp on the streaming front.
-Why now?
-They prepared so hard, why do thisㅠㅠㅠ
-They were my bias but now I’m so upset, feels like a cold shower...
-TeSTAR’s agency sucks, can’t even set a comeback date, I’m so mad I’ll cancel my internet
-Please stop hyping it before we even hear it... It’s been a while, let’s enjoy TeSTAR’s comeback if they try hard
Still, people waited for the video, hoping to savor good audio content, only to sigh—it sounded like any pleasant album track, and missing some expected elements made the disappointment deeper.
-Mundae’s hair is black
-lol must’ve been reflection
-Ah lol hmm
Especially fans who’d seen end-of-year pics of Park Mundae bleaching his hair pink were deflated to see him in natural color. Other members likewise wore their natural hair—stylish but not impactful.
Going up against an unbeatable streaming juggernaut with our most important full album, a few missteps left energy drained and spirits fallen.
-Let’s just stream more
-Another banger, please do it right this time, they worked so hard
Fans streamed the pre‐released title track as much as they could, but the results matched expectations:
[TeSTAR fails to hit realtime #1]
[Comparison graph: Youngrin vs. TeSTAR chart entry]
[Somewhat shocking TeSTAR streaming numbers]
Every spoiler and troll surfaced across sites. Many wanted TeSTAR to succeed, but even more found the flounderings fascinating.
-TeSTAR’s good but idol limitations show, big difference in users
-Fans streamed their guts out to catch up but normies stick with Youngrin lol
-Did they prerelease the title track to focus firepower? If only they’d sequenced album tracks, would’ve looked better
Our comeback left everyone even more deflated.
It would’ve been fine to just enjoy the content, but human nature got in the way, and fans suffered.
[202X ToneA / 01.08. Fri]
The day of our first comeback stage at the T1 Stars Awards arrived. Fans, glad to see a stage, rallied their spirits, expecting a light, breezy set like “Picnic.”
But their expectations were shattered—in a good way.
After three hours of waiting, what appeared backstage were seven figures in oversized amusement-park mascot costumes. The wistful, clear vibe of the prerelease video was gone. In its place: intense neon, punk, zippers, and shine—black gangster. Splashes of neon paint flickered across the mascots as stage lights swept.
[Vroooom.]
They strode out in delinquent style, the goofy mascot heads bobbing cutely as they struck poses. Then, in the intro, came the dazzling moves like riders on a human motorcycle.
Drr, Drr, Drrrrrrrrrr-!
A bass like engine exhaust roared. On top, a staccato snare and bell‐like electronic tones heightened the atmosphere. Lights flickered orange and white. The members executed rapid, interlocking choreography with uncanny precision. Then, from the split formation, the “dog” mascot burst forward! He threw off the headpiece.
[Hi?]
Park Mundae. His pink hair, curled and pushed to the side, whipped around.
Fans gasped.
The double title we’d withheld until the stage had begun:
“Drill (Night)”
