Debut or Die - Chapter 262

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Fatal Illness if I Don’t Debut – Episode 262
When Testa’s new music video first dropped, people had predicted a certain stage style.
-A dance style that’s kind of ticklish?
-It looks like a refreshing sweet, jeans and white tees and school uniformㅠㅠ
-A clean and gentle feeling, like that vibe from the picnic
And the stage unfolding now was precisely… the opposite.
On a black stage, neon LED lights and white spotlights gleamed off black costumes.
As each member entered center during the intro, they hurled their puppet masks roughly to the side of the stage, revealing their confident faces.
Whoosh.
The glossy eyes attached to the puppet masks glinted as the moving spotlight swept across them.
[Good luck! Come on in
Step on today and move faster
Run hurry up
A giant burning with immortal fire
An immortal night]
Seven members clad in fitted leather jackets and leather pants glided across the dark stage, weaving together electrifying choreography.
Between each movement and collision, whenever the LED glow-in-the-dark paint from the backdrop scattered, imposing worker boots struck the beat.
One member even kicked off their discarded puppet mask as part of the choreography. It was Lee Sae-jin’s part.
It conveyed power without a hint of strain.
Not just Park Moon-dae, who went first, but every time a member removed their mask, vibrant colors burst forth from within.
Intense hues that contrasted sharply with the black costumes.
[Bouncing strikes
Piston joints one by one
An engine roaring to life]
The song consisted solely of extreme lows or high-pitched melodies and rap—polarizing elements—yet the hook and structure were so strong it stuck from the first listen.
[Rush faster still
Tear through the sky
This is an acrobatic feat that transcends night]
And the relentless momentum that built up until just before the pre-chorus drop transforms with a drawn-out exclamation.
[Yeaaaaah-]
After the fading accompaniment and vocals, what breaks the brief silence is… a whistle.
[Whee-wheewee whee-wick!]
And the iconic choreography of the chorus, where everyone moves as one.
The riff melody that clings perfectly to the song amplifies its addictiveness and rhythmic feel.
The playful mime-like choreography, which breaks down even the whistle-like sounds and cymbal crashes, blended seamlessly.
[Jump off]
At center, Cha Yu-jin, the sole member with black hair, smirked.
The fact that he alone had jet-black hair, while other members were usually dyed, made him stand out all the more.
Moreover, his eyes were fitted with striking crimson-colored contact lenses.
[No parachute needed
Just run in
Come in]
The sound of sturdy boots scraping against the smooth floor bled through the microphone.
The whistle melody was fast and cheerful, yet the use of minor notes gave it an unsettling, mischievous quality.
[In this night, in the dead of night
Just wake up
Come in]
A siren-like wail rode the melody and became the beat itself.
[Like a drill
Warning Warning Emergency]
The choreography was intense—as if riding a thrill ride, the dancers vaulted over the members’ arms and legs, struck exquisite poses, and fell away with precision.
Regardless of personal taste, it was Survival Show Program-caliber performance.
[That’s ma thrill, Ha!]
The ending arrived like a runaway rush.
Dancers who had produced new mascot costumes fitted one onto Sun Ah-hyun, the center of the final dance break, as if it were part of the choreography itself.
Meanwhile, members wearing identical mascot costumes formed the grand finale formation.
The movement of tilting the costumed neck at an angle like a wooden puppet was intense yet possessed a playful, comedic edge.
Screeeeeeeech!
A sound like brakes locking on a motorcycle echoed across the stage in rhythm.
The lights cut out abruptly.
[Drill]
And so the performance ended.
But the audience’s reaction was only just beginning.

* * *
—and me
Hahahahahahaha
—Testa! Testa! Testa! Testa!
Haha, that’s crazy.
From the live audience seats to the real-time comments flooding the Internet, screams, gasps, and delirious laughter erupted everywhere.
The stage held no pretentious interpretation or deeper meaning.
People were electrified by the mad performance and song—nothing but calculated moves aimed at those WOW moments.
That’s exactly what the promotional track was designed for.
Man, this is so good lol. Testa really knows how to put on a show on stage lol.
—they really know how to pull off those plot twists
Park Moon-dae’s rap is insane, and what’s up with everyone’s hair colors? They look so good lolol
Taking off the mascot costume was a bit creepy and embarrassing, but it was so cool lol
It was a stage that possessed all three essential qualities: intense and entertaining performance, mainstream appeal that could digest even slightly niche elements as individuality, and the unexpected twists fans craved.
True fans spent the night dissecting every moment of the stage, savoring the taste of this new activity.
The fanbase’s energy, which had cooled somewhat after the simultaneous release with Young-rin, reignited with fierce intensity.
Because there had never been such a perfectly timed and delightful reversal!
—let me organize the hair colors
00:26 Park Moon-dae pink / 00:38 Lee Sae-jin ash blonde / 00:51 Kim Rae-bin silver / 01:02 Sun Ah-hyun pale purple….
-Bae Se-jin’s blue hair is so good. It’s a great ticket to Human Summer Schoolㅠㅠ
—thought Chung-woo’s dyed hair wouldn’t suit him but he looks like a northern duke gray is absolutely legendary wolf mask should be preserved forever no wait he’s going full wolf
—compared the pre-release song with the instrumental and there’s quite a bit of overlap also the lyrics seem to have more connections?
—release the audio already don’t you know how to row when the tide comes in company
And before that joyful moment could even end, Testa released a brand new music video at midnight that very day.
[Testa(TeSTAR) ‘Drill (Night)’ Official MV]
—what
What the heck is going on here lol
—already??
Lol, they even released all the crazy songs
—are they finally rowing when the tide comes in?
The buzz that exploded on stage was passed like a baton to the music video. The viral momentum erupted all over again.
The music video distilled pure visual beauty and group choreography appeal with crystalline clarity.
Inside a night-time amusement park glittering with fireworks and glow sticks, members in exaggerated staff costumes continued with shooting and acrobatic choreography.
Wearing costume masks, they rode wild motorcycles with sirens wailing through Fairy Plaza.
—fantasy amusement park day / night concept
—right, idol music videos are all about those group dances
Thanks to the members’ outstanding charisma, it wasn’t awkward at all—just overflowing with captivating impact. Slightly eerie and strange, which made it entertaining, and above all, a visual feast for the eyes.
Naturally there were no overtly worldbuilding elements visible, but it wasn’t entirely disconnected either.
========================
[the music video is insane?]
The drill and wheel music videos are connected scene-by-scene across different time periods.
(Link) Here in front of the carousel, in front of the observation wheel, in front of the mirror—all the same composition.
I bet there are more if we keep looking.
=======================
-Creepy
-They connected it like this?
-I had a hunch after seeing that crazy post, and when I reversed the drill interlude, the wheel chorus melody comes out (file)
└Insane
└No wonder the interlude felt so unique… wow… wow..
Ugh, this is so fun! When is my album coming out? I need to see it soon!
It was because they wove it symmetrically with the other title track.
The bright freshness and mystery of daytime transforming into the intensity and glamour of nighttime was quite an entertaining touch.
And Testa had no intention of treating this pre-released title track as a throwaway card.
On the second day of ToneA, which ran for two consecutive days, they also performed ‘Wheel (Daytime)’.
[Turn the wheel for me
So I can fly again]
It was a beautiful and refreshing performance that maximized camera work on a massive stage set that looked like they’d transported an entire amusement park.
What would have been a decent stage performance originally drew attention precisely because of the contrast with the previously released ‘Drill (Nighttime)’ stage.
Moreover, it elevated Testa’s reputation to the next level.
-Testa really has a wide spectrum, being a fan seems fun
It’s true that when there are two original titles, it makes sense to give them different vibes, but it’s interesting how extremely different they are like this.
-This is why singers need to be good at their main job..
They really lined up the releases – doing a midnight surprise drop like this is tough enough as it is..lol
Testa’s strategy of capturing all the buzz outside of first place on the charts was a complete success.
However, the mastermind who orchestrated this entire plan was clicking her tongue at the slightly bitter aftertaste.

* * *
‘The mission clear notification isn’t showing up.’
I frowned at the mission window where the countdown continued to tick away.
In truth, I did receive an award at this ToneA ceremony. Artist of the Year, to be precise.
‘It was possible because the award had three categories.’
While VTIC took the album award and Young-rin claimed the song award, we managed to secure one ourselves.
Even then, VTIC fans considered it ‘stolen’ due to company politics, so perhaps it was only natural.
It was similar logic to when I won the Rookie Award.
‘The public had to acknowledge the recipient as worthy of the award.’
In other words, I needed to be the undisputed top tier at VTIC’s current level. Until now, Testa had occupied the challenger’s position.
Until now.
‘This year, we need to reach the point where we’re trading blows.’
Perhaps this album could make it possible.
The album sales were astronomical—whether the fans had been anticipating it or not. Pre-orders alone had already reached 700,000 copies. That was even more than during the ‘Call’ era.
…The marketing strategy of releasing four versions and selling a special edition limited to pre-orders certainly helped.
Still, the composition was solid enough that it wouldn’t violate ethical standards. We included a photobook, Blu-ray bonuses, and even keychains modeled after the mask designs.
‘The digital charts are progressing smoothly too.’
The controversial stage strategy had worked perfectly—the pre-released track ‘Wheel’ was climbing the digital charts in reverse momentum.
It still couldn’t surpass Young-rin’s numbers, but what mattered was perception.
‘It doesn’t feel like a trend yet.’
The more famous this album’s songs became, the less backlash there would be when we hit number one.
Even if our digital score fell short of Young-rin’s, this was the perfect result at a moment when we needed the reputation that ‘we deserved it anyway’ when we hit number one.
Similar comments were already appearing.
-Testa should’ve released the drill from the start, I feel like we’re wasting it
-If they’d promoted the digital track more and released it later, they probably could’ve won the charts too.. such a shame
-I think it’s a promotional strategy failure. If they’d pushed the drill and followed up with Wheel, they would’ve won the digital charts too
└That’s it
The success of the strategy was shining even brighter through public opinion that viewed Testa as having suffered losses due to strategic failure instead.
‘Good.’
We’d smoothly secure first place on the music shows and manage the backlash sentiment afterward. I decided to be satisfied with this.
Besides, I didn’t have time to do anything more even if I wasn’t satisfied.
“Your mask is really cute, hyung!”
“Oh, yours too.”
“My mask is a tiger, so it’s cool!”
No, that was a striped cat. I brushed past Cha Yu-jin’s unconvincing claim and grabbed Big Sae-jin.
Even in these scraps of time between schedules, I had to use the gaps to film dance videos and otherwise practice or memorize scripts.
“Have you all checked your smartphones~?”
“Yeah. The response is good.”
I pushed my phone to the side and affirmed.
“Are you perhaps satisfied with the songs as well? I’m curious how much similarity you all discovered between the two title tracks!”
“You caught that quickly. Analysis posts are already going up.”
“…! Really?”
“Kim Rae-bin must be thrilled~”
I watched Big Sae-jin and Kim Rae-bin, who were happily organizing their dyed hair and beginning to put on their masks at the good news.
More specifically, their faded hair color.
‘That won’t dry out completely.’
Everyone’s roots seemed strong enough and their hair condition was still decent, but the real problem was that they were sweating out the dye color with every movement.
Since all seven of us were doing it, every activity became a total mess. Before this promotion ended, I suspected even the inside of the costume masks would be dyed.
‘They’re going to have a rough time managing this.’
The bathroom was going to be a disaster for a while. Still, it was a meaningful challenge, and everyone seemed satisfied.
‘People love it.’
That’s what matters. We just need to endure it for a couple of months.
My hair… well, it does generate static electricity more easily now.
[Hi]
I shrugged my shoulders and executed the choreography cleanly to the beat of the song.
As those busy, hectic days passed quickly, a new schedule plan came out.
“Oh~ Spring tour!”
“We’re finally doing a concert.”
“I-I’m so excited…!”
It was this year’s concert tour.
I understood that much. We cancelled last year, so it was about time.
But the scale was the problem.
“…A dome tour.”
“Yes!”
In Japan, we’d booked a dome tour—a massive venue that holds over 30,000 people.
I thought it was a joke.
‘An arena would be perfect for our level.’
But it wasn’t.
“Starting in Tokyo and ending in Osaka, six shows….”
“Oh….”
These guys actually booked the venues.
…Apparently, after reviewing last year’s fourth quarter financial statements, the company executives were biting their nails.
Revenue had dried up due to the tour cancellation and the hiatus period.
So the Director made a decision—he overestimated TeSTAR’s performance demand for next year and booked the venues accordingly.
One of them was the Japan dome tour.
‘Hmm, this won’t work.’
We’re not at the level to do a dome tour.
And yet….
“Wait, it’s sold out??”
“…??”
Remarkably, it had come to pass.
The album had resonated well in Japan too, and like a miracle, the Director’s audacious gamble from last year had paid off.
And it wasn’t just Japan where things had shifted.
‘What is this?’
The catalyst had been a promotional strategy that Cha Yu-jin had proposed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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