Debut or Die-Chapter 263
The promotion idea Yoo-jin suggested wasn’t exactly some outlandish stunt.
“Let’s make our own challenge!”
“A challenge?”
“A ‘try to dance’ challenge!”
In other words: “Shoot a video of yourself copying our dance.” It’s been a trending short‐video format for years now—honestly, I’ve never seen a comeback that didn’t try this.
“Even that Gold «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» I-tier group got big off one of these.”
But that was because their company executed it well; most teams see only minimal results—people don’t just copy a dance because the song and choreography are good. I don’t fully get it, but apparently there’s a particular kind of fun they enjoy.
Still, Yoo-jin had an uncanny sense for this kind of thing.
[We start with a sky filter... then at one point, boom, switch to a Halloween filter and change the song!]
“Oh.”
[At Wheel’s pre-chorus—da~nda~da, that rising feeling—and then...]
Yoo-jin cued the music so that at the climax of Wheel’s fresh, soaring build, Drill’s dark, intense whistle chorus dropped in.
[Whi-ik! then ta‐dan! drop in Drill’s hook, and it’s done. Nice, right?]
“Not bad.”
It was a little cheesy, but the instant shift—song, mood, choreography—all changed with one whistle, snapping attention. Even Seon Ah-hyun, who usually doesn’t care about this stuff, nodded.
“C-cool...!”
“I know, right!”
It looked plausible—even without prior knowledge, you could see the parallels with other viral trends.
“If we do it well, we’ll see some effect.”
“What do you all think...?”
I moved to a show-of-hands vote—then saw a few faces that looked like they weren’t sure if they’d understood my English explanation. Translation first, then.
“The idea is to link the two title tracks in a dance challenge to showcase the twist appeal.”
“Ahhh~”
Then the votes came in: mostly yes.
“That way both songs get promo.”
“It fits our story too—twist factor! Nice one, Yoo-jin.”
“Hehe.”
It wasn’t a wildly risky gamble—in these days it’s almost standard—so both the group and the company approved it quickly.
“We can even get a platform partner to add a custom effect.”
“Yeah~”
“Then let’s shoot a challenge announcement video—one per member.”
Bae Sejin swallowed.
“...Alone?”
“Yes.”
With these videos, at most two people appear together if you want maximum visibility. Worry filled Sejin’s face.
“Mememe! I’ll go first!”
Of course Yoo-jin eagerly filmed his. Honestly, his looked the most convincing—he’d clearly visualized it before pitching it. The way he turned his head and threw in that catchy Drill‐chorus hand move fit perfectly.
“Young.”
He had a natural knack.
But Kim Rae-bin—same age—had already flubbed the take ten times.
“L-like this...?”
“Hahaha! You’re hopeless, Rae-bin!”
“...! It’s my first try—once I get the hang of it, I’ll outdo you!”
“No, dummy!”
Rae-bin finally nailed it, conceding defeat to Yoo-jin mentally.
“D-done......”
Yoo-jin basked in the victor’s ease.
“You all did great. It’s because your song is so good, Rae-bin!”
Giving medicine after the drink.
...Wait—strictly speaking, Rae-bin, whose birthday is latest, is actually the youngest. But he’s clueless about these modern trends.
Anyway, the videos went up, synced perfectly with our promo strategy, and went moderately viral. They even evolved beyond Yoo-jin’s original idea—users started creating their own variations of the challenge.
[TeSTAR Twist Challenge!]
Bae Sejin watched a compilation on WeTube with a puzzled look.
“So now people are running through butterflies in mascot heads... then suddenly throwing off the head and acting like villains?”
“...Exactly.”
“...Isn’t that way different from what we did?!”
Sejin’s critique was harsh but valid. The Drill stage debut at the awards had become so famous that everyone was riffing on it.
“Better even,” I thought. The over-the-top reproductions were a huge success—videos kept flooding in.
“Youngrin can’t pull this off with her new song.”
“She stuck to the listening‐pleasure formula.”
As planned, our victory lay not on streaming charts but in supplementary content buzz. The company even suggested “Drill”‐themed filters, but Yoo-jin firmly rejected it.
“This challenge is too cheesy—people will hate it. Let the music video stand on its own!”
“Right.”
We’d already lowered the barrier by sparking familiarity; no need to overextend. It matched my own instincts.
“Not bad.”
Yoo-jin was clever—just unfortunate that he only applies his smarts to things he likes.
With Yoo-jin’s promo plan fueling things, the campaign proceeded smoothly as if the earlier emergency never happened.
[TeSTAR New Single Buzz]
[Drill MV View Count Trends.jpg]
[Drill Choreography Video Released]
Articles and clips about this comeback flooded the internet—true viral lift. As soon as results began tallying, we landed in the running for #1 on the major broadcast music show. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
The result?
“Live Music Show! This week’s #1 is... congratulations, TeSTAR!”
Of course we won. The scores were predictable.
“We’re about 1,000 points behind Youngrin on streaming.”
But that was fine—unless you’re an extreme streaming purist or a hater, the mood was “well-deserved.” It was a strategic win.
I nodded, savoring the thrill. We’d done it.
“...Thank you!”
“We’re so grateful for your unwavering support, for cheering and waiting. We love you...!”
Maybe because it’d been a while since our last #1, a lot of guys got choked up.
“Is Lee Sejin crying too?”
“Yeah, he’s bawling~”
Even the stoic ones were moved—it looked funny, but it was better than acting like it was expected.
“Domestically, we’ve sealed it.”
I joined the encore for about five songs with the sniffling crew. The narrative shifted from “TeSTAR got shoved out by Youngrin” to “Such a shame Youngrin’s song dropped alongside TeSTAR.”
About two weeks later, after riding the promo wave, I decided to check overseas buzz as well—especially after confirming the tour’s massive scale increase.
“Drill was made for a global reaction anyway.”
It’s a pure fun track with slick visuals and killer choreography—an emotion that resonates worldwide.
“So did this album drive demand up?”
But when I searched, I was a bit taken aback.
“...?”
“Why are there so many?”
Global reaction was dazzling—this was where Yoo-jin’s strategy truly shone.
The “TeSTAR Twist Dance Challenge” Yoo-jin created deeply inspired overseas fans.
“So this actually works on non-K-pop folks!”
K-pop fans who liked TeSTAR bombarded everyone—YouTubers and friends alike—with watch requests for our new single. The format was simple: make them watch “Wheel” first, then immediately “Drill.”
Honestly, many would’ve liked “Drill” on its own—it’s basically a blockbuster, comic-trailer‐style music video aimed at nerds worldwide. But by priming fans with the opposite vibe of “Wheel,” the gap from the same group in the same setting heightened reactions brilliantly.
[Oh, it’s literally the same amusement park? Promo tie-in... wait, those are the same people?]
[OMG, that carousel dude is badass!]
[I’m telling you, the only men I can stan with dyed hair are these K-pop stars who look like animated heroes.]
That made view-count chases even easier—everyone, not just reaction YouTubers, was filming their own takes. And since we went for global sensibilities in our visuals and music, the exposure soared and our MVs’ views skyrocketed. Especially “Drill,” which reportedly hit the US trending videos list.
“...We’re breaking into mainstream.”
A triumph. I had to admit it. I owed Yoo-jin a barbecue or something.
“Wanna have beef or pork?”
“Heard Yoo-jin’s voice from the next room: “I like beef! I love Korean beef!”
“Okay.”
But that wasn’t all. When something blows up, controversy inevitably follows. This time it was in Japan.
[This fits so perfectly I’m stunned (video) (´ω｀) _]
Some anime fans had superimposed our challenge and MV scenes in their edits, sparking an unexpected flame war—and even more fame.
Oddly, it wasn’t TeSTAR fans versus anime nerds, but Korea-haters.
“Do they use Korean idols because Japanese singers’ image rights are precious? They’re not in the same league—shouldn’t do this.”
“Hallyu fans always overstep (lol).”
“Is this reaction warranted? K-pop fans are too extreme.”
“I’m done with K-pop that apes America and Japan—go back home.”
└ “TeSTAR never even debuted in Japan, though? (´・ω・｀) ?”
“Just net-rightists excited, lol.”
In Korea, anti-K-pop forces and fans clashed online, a full-blown mess. A YouTuber summarizing Japanese reactions cheerily reported:
[So are net-rightists boycotting TeSTAR in Japan?]
[Actually, TeSTAR’s album hit #1 on this week’s Oricon chart!]
“.......”
Suddenly, our unintended Japanese viral was a hit. Since the debate wasn’t our fault, there was less resistance—curious viewers tuned in to see what the fuss was about. And with our conceptual style and... well, handsome members, our fanbase spiked rapidly.
“The lavender-horn guy’s face is unreal—he’s literally a prince.”
“Is that the black-haired center? He’s too handsome—dangerous. I’ve rewatched it five times already.”
“Pink! Pink! Pink! I’m officially a pink-puppy stan now! (screenshots of Park Mundae)”
These newfound fans effectively filled the domes on our concert tour. In the end... Yoo-jin’s dance challenge branched out like tree roots everywhere, exploding in success.
“.......”
Could this album even win the Grand Prize?
“Possible.”
I paused with hopeful thoughts, about to end my monitoring.
If only there hadn’t been that news in the search results...
[VTIC February comeback confirmed... the kings of K-pop return.]
“.......”
Those bastards never rest. Shortly after came the coup de grâce.
[VTIC Chayul senior: Next month we’re back, Mundae-ssi! Please give us lots of love~]
[VTIC Shino senior: (finger-gun emoji)]
I don’t know why they invite us all to the group chat for each private announcement—are they rubbing salt in the wound?
[C—Congratulations.]
I replied perfunctorily. Then the guy who usually posts dog pics messaged me directly.
[VTIC Shillyeo senior: Really?]
That jerk.
[Of course. Wishing you success in promotions. Sad I won’t see you when you enlist.]
Basically, “hurry up and enlist.”
After a brief pause, he replied.
[Huh? Why me?]
What?
Then two more messages arrived in quick succession.
[My mother is a national veteran, so I only serve six months. Didn’t you know?]
“.......”
[Oh, you didn’t announce that this time. Sorry ^^ senpai.]
[You’re active duty, right? Good luck.]
Son of a...
I turned off my phone, vowing:
“From this tour on... every schedule will be leveraged to grow our tier.”
Next year, I’d make sure he regrets that enlistment.
Then NetPlus made a timely proposal.
“A documentary.”
“Yes! They do that a lot these days.”
It would be a behind-the-scenes concert tour documentary.
