Debut or Die-Chapter 268
“Let’s formulate the premise.
This TeSTAR documentary crew are the same bunch who tried to reboot their studio after Idol Corporation 2 tanked.
They took the contract-violating footage, clipped only the parts that suited them, tried to hide it—and then let it leak.
“.......”
Damn these bastards... I need to calm down.
The more I think it through, the more ridiculous it is.
‘I need someone to feed this back to.’
My head was buzzing, my reasoning about to run away with me. I needed to keep myself balanced. I told the coldest thinker I knew.
“...No wonder.”
Big Sejin’s easygoing expression vanished the instant he heard my theory. He finally looked convinced.
“For a ‘documentary’ crew, they sure went overboard chasing drama.”
“Right.”
They mixed in with real documentary pros, but their tactics were pure variety-show madness. Sure, the TeSTAR doc was entertaining—but they’ve now screwed themselves.
‘I need to smash their livelihoods.’
I never want to see those jokers making either variety or “celebrity doc” garbage ever again.
What should we do? First, there’s a simple, comfy option.
“How about telling T1?”
“Hm—didn’t the company already know these were Idol Corporation 2 producers? Now that I think about it, they probably trusted them with our doc because of that.”
I shook my head.
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what?”
“I want to plant a suspicion.”
Just shift the narrative slightly, and it becomes a line the company can’t ignore:
“It seems they deliberately carved out sensitive footage of one of our artists to sell or negotiate with another company.”
A deadly hint of betrayal—and not an accident, but a deliberate attempt to profit. Big firms get furious when they realize they’ve been duped, as we saw with that Gold 1 agency industrial-spy scandal.
‘So let them feel like suckers.’
I laid out the facts swiftly, then added:
“They’ll be angrier once they think, ‘We helped them rebuild after Idol Corporation 2 flopped—and this is how they repay us?’”
Let T1 believe these washed-up Idol Corporation 2 producers have turned on them. That would bury them.
‘...Not exactly false.’
Headquarters would cut ties flat, and even if they didn’t, the suspicion alone would brand them. Small studios disappear all the time. A clean, powerful social strike.
“.......”
Big Sejin rubbed his chin, then cracked a bitter smile.
“Honestly... this might work? You have a way with words.”
“But—”
“Yeah, but... would it really benefit us? It’s just revenge.”
“...Right.”
Big Sejin shrugged.
“Bae Se-jin might enjoy it, but in the end it hands the whole mess over to the company.”
“...True.”
I’m not sure Bae Se-jin would appreciate it, but Big Sejin was right about the downside.
This path has side effects.
‘We have to end this here.’
It would be awkward to publicly accuse the crew again once Yoo-jin himself had already spoken out. T1’s pressure would look like unjust bullying, overlapping awkwardly with Yoo-jin’s controversy:
“So now they bully the doc crew because Yoo-jin shoved a camera lol.”
“Great, an idol bullying the very studio °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° that filmed them.”
We need to handle this quietly, so the crew’s careers quietly crash without anyone defending them. That’s the wise move.
“.......”
But damn, why does this plan feel wrong?
Big Sejin was right. I slammed the sofa’s arm.
“That’s exactly what bothers me.”
“Yeah, I thought you’d say that.”
He knew I’d resent how easily the crew could spin it as “unfair pressure” and claim the moral high ground. Plus, T1’s execs are probably already thinking the same.
‘Just fan the flames a bit—hardly a genius idea.’
And... this wouldn’t actually help Yoo-jin.
‘Damn it.’
I buried my face in the sofa cushion. I needed a solution that hurt the crew and helped Yoo-jin.
“What if... we frame it on them?”
Could we cast them as the internet’s scapegoat in place of Yoo-jin?
Big Sejin’s voice took on a strange tone.
“Uh, that’d be ideal, but...”
He meant it was unrealistic. Right: “They’re Idol Corporation 2 rejects—so what?” Public sentiment wouldn’t follow.
My mind cooled. Enough wild ideas—time for realism. We keep the revenge option on hold; we know it can work.
‘But the only way that still benefits Yoo-jin is...’
I ran it through again. For now, nothing.
So I needed a longer-term view. Once people got tired of the Yoo-jin bullying story, we had to give Yoo-jin fans something to rally behind.
‘Someone to testify about Yoo-jin’s character.’
We needed witnesses.
“We need to gather testimonies.”
“Testimonies? Like, ‘Yoo-jin’s a good guy’?”
“Yeah. Something we can use later.”
“...Okay. That’s the best we’ve got right now.”
Predictable, but if we time it right and strike fast, it has a decent chance of sticking.
Big Sejin gave a rueful grin. I felt like I’d just conceded a mental victory to him. I clicked my tongue and threw my phone onto the sofa. Big Sejin patted my back.
“You did good, Mundae. Don’t overthink it.”
“Right.”
...A beer sounded nice.
Four days passed.
As predicted, no reversal in public sentiment occurred. Rumors quieted compared to Day One, but people still dredged up Yoo-jin’s past footage whenever they felt like it.
True to plan, random staff at TeSTAR’s usual haunts and former crew posted unsponsored, meaningful defenses of Yoo-jin. Yet they were drowned out by cynics mocking “the company trying so hard.”
‘If Yoo-jin shows up at the next concert...’
I didn’t know. Whether he looked fine or fragile, people would still talk.
“Sigh.”
I put my phone down, aching all over.
Then:
“Mundae, sorry—can I get you on a quick call?”
“...? Sure.”
Our studio manager, tucked in a corner, handed me her phone.
‘Who on earth is this?’
Bleary-eyed, I answered:
“Hello?”
“Hello, senior!”
A voice I’d heard before—the one I’d spoken to last time.
‘A junior who debuted second in Idol Corporation.’
No time for pleasantries; I cut to the chase.
“You called—what’s up?”
“Um, yes! I actually have a request.”
My theory gained traction. I couldn’t hold back.
“Is this about Mirinae’s concert staff?”
“...!! Yes, yes! Exactly—”
I got the answer I’d hoped for.
“It was one of Mirinae’s concert staff.”
TeSTAR hadn’t brought their U.S. staff to Japan; local crews handled most. Instead, our U.S. crew joined Mirinae’s small U.S. tour. So the staff she meant was...
‘Very likely they worked with us on our doc shoot.’
The junior’s voice trembled but she pressed on.
“She—she’s the masseuse who tends to our muscles. She worked our concerts too. She heard we’re gathering witness statements....”
Right.
“And she wants—she insists on full personal protection above all else if she testifies.”
“Of course.”
“Yes!”
After a swallow, the junior got to the point:
“She said... she recorded them saying it.”
Fuck.
I gripped the phone like a lifeline.
‘The masseuse—she was right there when the documentary crew harassed Yoo-jin!’
Perfect. If we present her recording, half the public will switch sides...
“Senior?”
I forced myself calm. Verification first.
“What sort of recording?”
“Well... um....”
My mind raced, expecting the worst.
“She said Yoo-jin protected her.”
...What?
Here’s what the recording staff reported:
The documentary producers tried to interview not only TeSTAR but also various backstage personnel. That included this masseuse.
She refused, saying her health was personal and sensitive.
They insisted she get approval, but knew Yoo-jin would never allow it. So they badgered her, tried to trick her into speaking, and she endured a lot of stress.
When that failed, some crew members sneered and threatened her. She witnessed Yoo-jin rushing over to defend her.
He was extremely firm.
By her job habit, she always recorded her interactions for protection—and captured the entire incident.
She hesitated to come forward, but she was so moved by Yoo-jin’s intervention that she decided to report it.
I folded my arms.
“...That’s her story.”
“Oh, I remember!”
Yoo-jin answered brightly.
“You remember?”
“Yes! The big-cam guy was intimidating the staff. She said no, but he ignored her—so I shouted, ‘Stop that!’ Ah! Did Kim Rae-bin go nuts??”
“If that happened, you should’ve told us sooner!”
Nobody had stopped Kim Rae-bin from hitting Yoo-jin? Yoo-jin’s indignation burst out:
[Wait, wait! You think just because I say it, everyone will believe me? This is a different incident from me blocking a camera!]
Poor kid.
“If you make it the same scandal, that’s that.”
“What??”
“Just listen.”
I gathered the members and called the company. We already had the masseuse’s recording.
Five days since the Yoo-jin video leak.
Online, Yoo-jin had already been torn apart. People turned to new amusement: the source of the video.
“Clearly staff leaked it lol”
└ “I thought so—Yoo-jin was fed up and exposed them”
“He must have been so mistreated to risk a lawsuit and leak it. I feel sorry.”
“If the agency slapped a lawsuit notice, it’d be classic bullying scandal—who knew Yoo-jin would go this far”
Because T1 was still silent, people took that as admission.
“No comment, so they must be guilty lol”
“They can’t deny it”
“They might as well claim it’s fake lol”
The staff’s timid defenses were feeble next to the impact of that video. Yoo-jin’s scandal had frozen into an image that wouldn’t budge—until now.
“This looks like Yoo-jin’s story” (link)
Then the article appeared—but its focus wasn’t Yoo-jin.
[TeSTAR Documentary Shoot Controversy... Concert Staff Recording Released]
[Another Case of Producer Bullying? TeSTAR Doc Crew Recording Reconstruction]
A media outlet known for exposing celebrity privacy invasions ran it—so people assumed it was factual.
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[(Exclusive) Why Mirinae Concert Staff Came Forward... “A Monster Created by the Broadcaster”]
January 20XX. TeSTAR began their world tour and filmed a behind-the-scenes documentary. (Photo)
In the doc, members were earnest and sincere.
But was the filming process sincere?
Recently, a staff member’s recording was submitted via email.
.......
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The article laid bare how coercive the producers were—especially how they treated backstage staff with no compunction.
------------------------=
Producer: “Can’t you understand me? Why can’t you answer?”
Staff A: “.......”
Producer: “Not a single ‘good’ or ‘bad’? You’re truly uncooperative. If we can’t get the shot, it’s on Ms. OO. You know that, right?”
------------------------=
In the later section, they intercut Yoo-jin’s video with the audio transcript—even though they weren’t originally connected—making it seem like Yoo-jin’s shove was part of the same incident.
------------------------=
Producer: “Can’t you hear me? This—“
Yoo-jin: (runs up and pushes the camera) “Stop that!”
------------------------=
It was magic editing. Yet no one could prove it was spliced. The audio was authentic, and the raw video data was gone.
The article didn’t dwell on Yoo-jin—it kept the focus on “how bad the bullying was, that the artist had to intervene.” A clear exposé, not defense.
------------------------=
The reporter’s investigation confirmed the crew weren’t documentary pros but reality-variety producers from Idol Corporation 2...
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And it concluded by reminding readers these were the same people whose over-the-top sensationalism had killed Idol Corporation 2.
The message was crystal clear: these producers were the kind who’d torment anyone for a story.
‘This crew deserves to be damned.’
It was a direct strike. A collective will to turn the bomb they dropped on Yoo-jin back on its makers.
“Insane Idol Corporation 2 producers;;”
“Creepy as hell, fuck”
And that will succeeded.
