Debut or Die-Chapter 419
The titles of TeSTAR’s healing variety show were as follows.
-〈Healing Artisan TeSTAR〉
Abbreviated to Healing TeSTAR.
It was a name that, to anyone, showed the producers’ ambition to let the cast rest fully.
Naturally, as soon as the project was announced and the producers’ previous works mentioned this successor, TeSTAR’s fans went wild.
-Finally
-Supply meets demand! Supply meets demand!
-Let us see TeSTAR camping too, please ㅠㅠㅠ Ah1!!!
But everyone also knew the flashy track record of these variety show producers.
A true history of betrayal!!
So once the excitement died down, cold-headed speculations about the producers’ grand plan poured in.
-It’s called “healing” but they’re going to stab the kids in the back again
-Usually a healing show uses sentimental, indirect titles. This is obvious irony—lol ㅠㅠ
-No don’t do this, just let the kids play in peaceㅠ
Fans pleaded with the producers to give up on betrayal, and the producers answered with a pre-release.
[TeSTAR and PD Jung take on healing... No betrayal (X), sincerity (O). A plan where TeSTAR does everything they want | 〈Healing Artisan TeSTAR〉 Pre-release]
The pre-release began with the producers receiving news of TeSTAR’s camping trip and chatting about it.
[The internet is ablaze with rumors of TeSTAR’s empty healing camping...]
[(photo), (proof)]
[Voices condemning TeSTAR’s past torturous, non-healing variety shows spread!]
Clips of TeSTAR’s horrified or screaming faces from past broadcasts flashed by.
Then this line appeared.
[Writer: Honestly, PD-nim, you went too far.]
[PD: You see, all of us agreed, and yet I’m the only devil here.]
[lolololololol]
The producers passed blame back and forth, but then each of them looked back at the shows they’d done with TeSTAR and finally admitted it.
[PD: It was a bit (?) over the top.]
[Self-reflection begins]
After some contrition, they tried calling TeSTAR.
That’s right. Even the great Park Mundae didn’t realize at the time that the producers had designed this very call as part of the filmed drama.
[PD: Hello, TeSTAR members~ How have you been? (overly polite)]
With a syrupy voice, the PD coaxed TeSTAR gently.
TeSTAR, having been tricked so many times—especially Park Mundae—finally agreed amid suspicion and wariness.
[Park Mundae: All right.]
[!]
[I’ve been had...! No, this time it’s not that.]
[It’s an uncompromising choice...☆]
-Hey producers, you’re for real reformed, right? lolol
-Park Mundae’s subtitle “disillusionment cloud” composite is insane, I’ll laugh till I puke, fan
-Leader is Ryu Cheong-woo but TeSTAR’s applying a victim-preference policy first, wtf lololol
-Damn producers, stop adding kiss and heart effects on our smartphones—are you high?
[Producers’ karmic retribution]
[This time we’ll make it up properly]
The call ended, the smartphone vanished in a dynamic flourish, and triumphant BGM played.
[Biggest production budget ever invested!]
[Truly letting TeSTAR do everything they want!]
TeSTAR’s cheers as they enjoy the healing course blended into the background.
[Wow]
[Awesome!]
[〈Indonesia, England, Mexico, and even Chile〉]
Gorgeous shots of each capital and scenic views passed on-screen, along with exuberant footage of TeSTAR rushing through airports.
[Everything is TeSTAR’s choice!] 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
[Will the variety artisans TeSTAR succeed at healing too?]
[Healing Artisan TeSTAR, see you on Tuesday, August 23~]
The clip ended with TeSTAR waving and a fluffy cloud graphic.
They’d set up such a strong atmosphere that even a betrayal here would earn the producers real ire.
So the fans believed it.
-It’s incredible.
-Wow, it really is healing.
-Amazing—they’re dropping variety teases during the tour and healing too, love itㅠㅠㅠ
They were completely reassured.
-The members themselves are planning it, so I’m really looking forward to seeing their tastesㅠ
-With four countries, do they break into teams of two or pick one collectively?
Then the second pre-release showed TeSTAR’s hotel party night during the tour, heating things up further.
-Healing!
And in that very situation, episode one was released.
A warm team-assignment mini-game, TeSTAR’s excited plane shots, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} and impressive performance clips passed by... and then appeared:
[Volcano Climbing]
“.......”
“.......”
W-what is this.
The fan watching the premiere at a room café with a grad-student friend blinked in shock.
The grad student spat out their aid drink.
But the image of TeSTAR climbing like rock-goats on a sheer cliff didn’t change.
[Seon Ah-hyun: The air...it’s so nice...!]
[Park Mundae: (can’t even respond)]
Why are our kids training instead of healing...?
Just as it seemed we’d cut to TeSTAR’s silent climbing shots, it shifted to a flashback of the two Sejins planning.
[Lee Se-jin: Oh~ how about a natural swimming pool by a waterfall? A waterpark looks fun too. There’s even a safari!]
[Bae Se-jin: It’d be fun, but you can visit those anywhere, right? I thought temples or history museums would be more distinctive.]
[Lee Se-jin: Oh~ got it.]
They started enthusiastically setting up a healing plan.
“But why climbing?!”
“Wait—”
Because they were about to hit a snag.
[Bae Se-jin: ...Yeah, I also thought seeing terraced rice fields could be worth it. After the museum, we could give historical context!]
[Lee Se-jin: ...Uh, hyung, but this is supposed to be a healing variety show. Isn’t that a bit too educational?]
[Bae Se-jin: Variety can have educational meaning too!]
[Lee Se-jin: That’s true. But it’d be nice if we’re funny and entertaining first, with extra meaning.]
[Bae Se-jin: It’ll be fun.]
[Lee Se-jin: Ah~ let’s ask the staff what they’d choose. They’d all pick the waterpark, right?]
Their goals were completely different.
[Lee Se-jin: .......]
[Bae Se-jin: .......]
A semi-transparent overlay of two furious red pandas appeared behind their faces.
[Heart-stopping standoff]
Even an interview clip popped up.
[Lee Se-jin: Did you know?]
[Lee Se-jin: Our MBTIs are opposite too.]
Cuckung!
A lightning effect struck.
Lee Se-jin’s desperate character-driven interview, determined not to be caught dead on camera, became prime material.
[Two people who only share a name]
[These folks... nothing matches!]
Clips rolled of them choosing completely opposite in-flight meals, carrying luggage differently, playing with members differently—even the way they tucked in under blankets differed.
[Here’s the kicker]
[※They apparently work well together when on the job]
-lolololololol
-This is the root of all tragedy.
They stared at each other comically with exaggerated subtitles and effects until they dramatically compromised.
[Lee Se-jin: Hyung, then shall we just do something that’ll help our work? Self-development?]
[Bae Se-jin: ...! That... is actually not bad.]
[(Boom) And so they decide to work hard (dying)]
With grandiose BGM and bold script, the course was unveiled.
[The foundation of performance is stamina!]
[TeSTAR’s three-day climbing course for stamina training]
Hellfire blazed.
-Hell
-Aaaah
-Unthinkable
-Guys, you didn’t have to get so serious about work, jeez
-I can’t believe this is real lolololololol
Viewers were horrified that the first course was a complete disaster, yet they roared with laughter. The producers didn’t miss this bait.
Though the two were wildly different, the edit made them look somehow close friends despite bickering.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: How about a fine for anyone who’s late in the morning?]
[Bae Se-jin: (agrees)]
[Lee Se-jin: (agrees)]
They nodded in perfect harmony at a tardiness punishment policy.
Then cutaway shots showed them glancing at each other as if they simply couldn’t understand each other in daily life—perfect reaction material.
[Lee Se-jin: Mundae Mundae, want to drink ice water? Oh, but it’s not free—you have to do three aegyo moves for the camera.]
[Bae Se-jin: (expression: “Why are you like this?”)]
[Truly incompatible]
[ENTJ ← ISFP]
It couldn’t be funnier.
“Puhahaha!!”
‘Oh, my god.’
The grad student snorted their aid drink and burst out laughing; the fan, too, laughed and admired.
‘This worked perfectly!’
In truth, the two Sejins not being that close was exactly the steady bait that kept attention simmering beneath the surface.
Rumor had it they ignored each other off-camera and were dismissive—but the editing was so slick they looked inseparable.
‘Maybe not healing for TeSTAR—but for fans, this is surprisingly healing.’
The fan felt the cool refreshment of a soda.
‘Now I won’t have to see crap about Mundae leading Se-jin and cutting out Bae Se-jin!’
Separately, the climb itself was pretty entertaining to watch.
Beautiful, surreal volcanic scenery, local interactions, TeSTAR’s energetic ascent—all sped by vividly.
Plus, the obnoxious, hilarious PD antics and the final flourish came next.
The writer’s line.
[Last day of the course]
[We casually mentioned it to the Sejins.]
[Writer Park: But couldn’t you have just gone to the rice terraces one day and a waterpark the next?]
[Lee Se-jin: !!!!]
[Bae Se-jin: !!!!]
A perfect, healing-type solution.
After stunned silence.
Behind the two Sejins, brief nagging and cute complaints from the other members, plus the grueling hardships of the climb, rewound in highlights...
[Lee Se-jin: Please, brilliant and capable Writer Park, keep this secret.]
[Bae Se-jin: (vigorous nod)]
Moved by their plea, Writer Park applauded, laughed, and toppled over.
Then with slick ads for the waterpark and rice terraces, a huge subtitle appeared.
[We kept your secret~]
[From today on, just don’t let the TeSTAR members access WeTube. Go, Sejin-ies! ^^]
It was outrageous.
“Uhaha ha!”
“Oh, they’ve lost it!!”
Both friends exploded with laughter. They’d long since forgotten any bewilderment about it not being healing and enjoyed watching Healing Artisan TeSTAR wholeheartedly.
‘This is fun!’
Truly a trustworthy combination.
[First healing(?) course complete]
Episodes one and two were released simultaneously so viewers could watch the Sejin-ies’ trip in one go.
It ended gently with them sleeping soundly in the hotel, so it wasn’t too savage.
[Munge: We saw wonderful mountains, and the hyungs took turns hugging Munge.]
[Munge: It was so warm and nice! The mountains were beautiful and I loved it!]
It even ended with Munge’s picture diary, cutely sleeping among the members.
The two who’d rented the room café felt like they’d just watched end credits—they even applauded happily. It was unexpected but genuinely fun!
“Ah~ that was fun!”
“Who’s next? Ah, Ryu Cheong-woo and Seon Ah-hyun.”
The home fan guessed, and even the grad student knew.
‘This one will truly be healing!’
Structuring episodes one and two like a variety show was probably a strategy to pull in more viewers.
Those seasoned in idol fandom thought so, and many on SNS agreed. Everyone assumed real healing would come next, but...
Next week.
[Ryu Cheong-woo: We thought, since it’s summer leisure, we’d pick something people really enjoy.]
[Seon Ah-hyun: We even prepared a plan in case someone didn’t want to do it.]
These two from the Happy Trip team, calmly discussing, presented... a horror experience.
“...??”
For reference, viewers’ thoughts were perfectly voiced by Park Mundae on screen.
[Park Mundae: (denying reality)]
[Park Mundae: (rereads)]
[Park Mundae: (it is real)]
[Park Mundae: ......]
[Park Mundae: ......!!!!]
-lolololololol
-Damn Mundae’s face
-(Even Seon Ah-hyun, really?)
-It’s the first time I’ve seen Mundae look at Ah-hyun like that
-That betrayal of our leader—I feel it too, btw
And the ordeal didn’t end there.
[Seon Ah-hyun: If you’re really scared, you don’t have to do it. No pressure...! (merciful)]
[Ryu Cheong-woo: Yeah, participation is voluntary. (kind)]
They handed out “Experience Exemption Tickets.”
The producers added this caption:
[❀Coward Certification Ticket❀]
[↑Use it and you’re certified a scaredy-cat crybaby]
The ornate subtitle font stuck to and moved with the handcrafted tickets splendidly.
And there was Park Mundae’s face, jaw clenched.
-lolololololol
-Mundae will definitely join
-lololol, how wicked
-He couldn’t resist—if he had, he’d never debut, lololol
Viewers roared with laughter, and as expected, Park Mundae exclaimed “Call!” for the challenge, causing even more hilarity.
And what came next was even funnier.
[Lee Se-jin: lolololol]
[Cha Yoo-jin: lolololol]
[Two still clueless people]
They even previewed their fate.
[??: Aaaaah!!]
[!!: Aaaah!!]
[??: That tastes bad!(?)]
Their pitiful screams ended episode three.
The ending credits showed famous UK horror spots.
Unsurprisingly, viewers flipped out at this full-on “killing” turn, and news of it spread lightning-fast.
[Thought Healing TeSTAR would be boring but it’s become real variety gold.jpg]
[Healing TeSTAR after climbing now does horror experiences lololol]
[Killing TeSTAR goes wild]
This self-inflicted disaster began to attract massive attention on the internet and beyond.
“.......”
“...Should we start preparing our album?”
Amid this unexpected publicity, the TeSTAR members monitored the mayhem during their tour.
But the stir wasn’t over yet.
The YouTube channel was so professionally run it offered subtitles in multiple languages.
Fans in each featured country, expecting a “healing course” showcasing local highlights, watched in eager anticipation...but...
-I mean...what did I just watch?
-What we expected: TeSTAR vows to return to this country
-Reality: They give us the hardest tourist challenge screams (caps lock)
-I can’t stop laughing and screaming
Fans in those countries reacted in horror, and TeSTAR’s “killing” travelogue went viral on those countries’ trending tabs.
...And in that situation, the famous UK horror experience finally aired.
