Debut or Die-Chapter 281
TeSTAR roommate content was usually a short video, ending after one or two ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) episodes.
But this time they grandly numbered it by season—and there were zombies?
Even without analyzing the specific reasons in detail, the reaction was immediate.
“This... is going to be fun!”
Whenever content seems this straightforwardly entertaining, expectations immediately rise.
With a thumbnail and title that really grabbed attention, even people who thought “I’ll watch this over the weekend” and then forgot about it still clicked the video.
The graduate student was no exception.
She planned to go home, shower, get settled, and then watch it with a solemn mind—but she started it right away on the subway.
“Thanks, Bluetooth earphones!”
The first thing she heard was elegant string quartet music.
Danda dandanda rarara~
[Today’s story]
[Researcher: Through scientific methods! We will match you with the most suitable roommate among you.]
[TeSTAR: “Wow!” (twinkle twinkle)]
Then, to some awkwardly innocent recorder BGM, TeSTAR appeared, eyes shining, clapping hands.
[TeSTAR’s curiosity and joy are....]
[Kim Rae-bin (cute youngest): “It was a fascinating experience. I feel I’ll learn more deeply about myself!”]
[Seon Ah-hyun (flower deer): “Wouldn’t it be warmer on this side...?”]
But as soon as the black captions and eerie sound effects kicked in, the mood flipped entirely.
[It sublimates into zombies!]
[Kim Rae-bin: “Eaaah!”]
[Lee Sejin (Deug-eum): “Hyaaahsss!”]
Quick cuts showed Kim Rae-bin screaming trapped in a vent, Ryu Cheong-woo sliding while wielding a laser gun, and Cha Yoo-jin hanging from furniture in the darkness.
Finally, the members ran down a smoke-filled hallway with flickering lights.
[TeSTAR: “Eaaah!!”]
[↑ fooled by production again]
“Ugh.”
The graduate student clamped her mouth shut in a panic. It was so funny she felt like her stomach would burst, but she couldn’t make a sound.
[♡Always rewarding to film♡]
“Hold it! Hold it!”
Determined not to become the crazy person on the subway, she took deep breaths.
But she couldn’t take her eyes off the screen—it was already that entertaining!
Next, the video parodied the opening of a famous sci-fi classic, rolling subtitles over a grand OST.
[May XX, at a research lab in Ilsan]
[The TeSTAR members, whose time for roommate reassignment has come, gather once more, recalling the last three roommate allocations (actually, they’re always together). But in this gathering lurks the evil conspiracy of the attention-seeking production team.......]
Against a black cosmic backdrop, highlights from past roommate videos drifted by.
Bae Sejin being tricked, Cha Yoo-jin winning first place, Park Mundae throwing down cards and chasing Lee Sejin....
And then, TeSTAR standing cheerfully in a white interior space appeared on screen.
[Lee Sejin: “Everyone~ what content are we doing today?”]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “Let’s all say it together.”]
[TeSTAR: “’Roommate Is Science!’”]
Just like idol content should be, the first episode filled out the psychology test results in full detail—because fans wanted to know.
[Chinchilla VS Rabbit: which is stronger?]
[Bae Sejin: (wide-eyed shock) “Wouldn’t a rabbit be stronger? I mean, they have teeth.”]
[Despite the bizarre line of questions, the members never lost their professional spirit]
The questions looked utterly unscientific, but knowing they were about to be torn apart by zombies made that even funnier.
And watching the members bicker or cooperate as they answered was always a delight.
[Cha Yoo-jin: “Chinchillas have teeth too!”]
[Bae Sejin: (rocket-ship effect)]
So cute ♡♡
Their ideas are so fresh lol
Why are the maknae so excited lol
If anyone goes to fan sign, please ask a lot about the psychology test 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Mundae is so smart, genius level—how did he think of another animal?ㅠㅠ
By the way, the last one was typed by the graduate student in the live chat. It was how she vented since she couldn’t scream.
“Aaah!”
She thought she was smoothly spiraling into deep fan life, but it was still a perfectly normal choice.
Thus, Episode 1 had already shown the warm, humorous flavor of idol content so fully that you could almost forget the zombies....
But the promised twist didn’t wait until the end of the episode—it sprung up halfway through.
[Researcher: “Ugh!”]
[She collapses...?]
Clank. Bang!
The office was spectacularly sealed by iron doors, edited so crisply that even viewers who knew what was coming were drawn in by the tension and pacing.
Still, as soon as things went south, the way TeSTAR huddled together cutely in the center was endearing.
[TeSTAR: “...?”]
[Suddenly, zombie mood]
Frozen in place, they tried to figure out what on earth was happening, then realized they’d been tricked, and the situation ended in comedy.
[Lee Sejin: “Director!!”]
The live chat exploded.
lolololol call out the camera director lol
They immediately went for the production team
How much were they fooled?ㅋㅠ
Stop photoshopping Bae Sejin as the hamster who got the Happsy stolen, it’s too funny
Ah, so fun
[Unexpected: Escape the Zombie Research Lab!]
[How will TeSTAR handle it?]
And here begins TeSTAR’s individual interview data.
[Kim Rae-bin / Rapper / Age 20 / Born Nov 11, 200X / Rabbit]
[The timid rabbit of this group, yet a worker of the era]
[Counselor: “Your score distribution shows you’re very diligent and kind, with a clear sense of self. You’ll have great synergy when you receive good feedback and advice.”]
On screen, footage of Kim Rae-bin’s feats in past TeSTAR variety shows rolled by, often pulling off perfect hotteok dough portions with one hand.
Fans had laughed when he brought an actual rabbit instead of a medieval one, but the video didn’t stop.
[Cha Yoo-jin / Center / Age 21 / Born Mar 6, 200X / Tiger (self-proclaimed)]
[Agility and a sense of wildness, the alley boss of this district]
His introduction felt like a heist-movie team roll call, which only elevated the mood.
Finally, the graduate student’s favorite appeared.
“Mundae!”
[Park Mundae / Main Vocal / Age 22 / Born Dec 15, 200X / Puppy]
“Puppy!!!”
She was touched by something so simple.
[Brilliant ideas and judgment, the Tibetan fox of this district]
[Counselor: “You’re strongly introverted, but you’ve developed many extroverted skills—a mature person. You seem to use both appropriately when making decisions.”]
[Counselor: “However, you are somewhat of a perfectionist. (laughs)”]
Footage of Park Mundae seriously calculating the varieties of hotteok and drinks he’d sold passed across the screen.
“He’s just too cute....”
The graduate student checked the live chat and felt happy.
Park Mundae is the best puppy, no arguments
Mundae is always so serious about his work lol
Giving props to the Tibetan fox faction, the production team knows what’s up
The final introduction—going in reverse birthday order—was Ryu Cheong-woo.
“Huh? Sejin’s Feb 7 and Cheong-woo’s Oct 28... doesn’t that make Sejin the oldest?”
The graduate student was puzzled recalling the earlier screen, but accepted it since Cheong-woo was the leader.
[Ryu Cheong-woo / Reliable leader, dazzling survivability]
[Counselor: “You’re independent and self-directed, yet your capacity for empathy in leadership is impressive.”]
[Counselor: “Your psyche is very stable.”]
Footage showed Ryu Cheong-woo looking calm and supportive in every horror content, always smiling as he took care of the members.
And back to the main story.
[Cha Yoo-jin: “Wait, wait!! There’s a door back here!”]
The members finally found the vent behind production and crawled inside, bringing the video to a close.
[TeSTAR dream team!]
[Will they succeed in escaping the zombie-filled lab?]
“Ah, starting from Episode 2, it really turns into zombie material!”
Actually, there wasn’t much zombie story in Episode 1 despite the grand title, but the pacing and role previews laid the groundwork so well that it delivered both satisfaction and anticipation.
The reactions were overwhelmingly positive.
Wow, they went all out on scale
Amazing production, they even blocked the vent lol
Give me Episode 2 right nowㅠㅠ how do I wait until next week
Some law should force them to release Episode 2 all at once, seriously pleaseㅠㅠ
So what does this have to do with roommates—complete roommate betrayal lol
The graduate student enjoyed lingering over posts from people she followed on her SNS.
“I bet Yeon-ju watched it too?”
She contacted her fan-artist friend and fangirled again, then let out an inner scream.
“I missed my stop!”
For reference, her friend’s reaction was: “I’m dying to know if Mundae is scared of zombies.”
Exactly one week later, TeSTAR’s zombie escape story was fully released.
“Kyaaaak!!”
[Lee Sejin: “Uugh” (hands over mouth)]
The thrilling chase and fight scenes, mixed with moments of TeSTAR supporting each other, were edited masterfully.
Especially the part where they emerged from the vent and blocked the entrance with a cabinet—it truly felt like a zombie movie.
It’s even more fun than I imagined;
Ryu Cheong-woo is insane, like a movie hero shooting zombies
Even people who don’t know the members would find this fun, perfect for promotion
Hurry up and release Episode 3ㅠㅠ
Episode 2 balanced the discovery of the laser gun and cautious zombie-slaying discussion perfectly, giving a satisfying mix of relief and fear.
I almost screamed in the bathroom when zombies pounded on every door—so creepy
└ I thought Rae-bin was going to faint there lol
└ lololololol true
When Ah-hyun was rifling through toys in the playroom, I screamed so loud
Especially the edits highlighting Seon Ah-hyun’s fearless behavior in a corner really boosted her character.
I guess TeSTAR didn’t know Ah-hyun was like this; so many SNS posts lol (link)
Ah-hyun still doesn’t understand why people are surprised, it’s so cuteㅠㅠ
A perfect example of calm strength, my flower-deer elk..
And Park Mundae’s fans were satisfied too. One sent this message to their friend:
[Yeon-ju: “This variety gave the precious info that Mundae is only half-scared of zombies.”]
Because while he was scared of off-screen zombie noises, he turned into a Tibetan fox expression the moment one appeared.
Fans replayed the ending—TeSTAR racing toward the back door in Episode 2—and produced countless GIFs.
Even if the next concept is something like this, I’d love it: zombie apocalypse survivor students... already full on headcanon
Anyone want to see the clip of Cha Yoo-jin luring zombies with a ball in the playroom? (GIF file)
The way Lee Sejin communicates with zombies is amazing lol (screenshot link)
Overall, fans were thoroughly pleased and peacefully enjoying it.
There were no particular questions or controversies.
Episode 3 will probably be the escape + roommate assignment; zombie part seems almost over lol
Episode 2’s pace was awesome—I predict Episode 3 will have that cute traditional roommate content vibe
That was the consensus.
But on the day the much-anticipated Episode 3 dropped:
OMG
I’m dying
Cheong-woo?
[Ryu Cheong-woo: “I need your ID card, Mundae.”]
[Park Mundae: “!!!!”]
As soon as the scene cut to Ryu Cheong-woo pointing a laser gun at Park Mundae—who had just made a brilliant deduction—reactions exploded.
And just like in a movie freeze-frame, the two stared at each other.
The screen then rewound to Ryu Cheong-woo’s individual interview cut.
