I heard that the music video of 'Magical Boy' was released at midnight.

However, there was no time for us to check it out. Cha Yujin, who was mumbling half-asleep was a proof of that.

"Hmh...? The hair is done?"

"The hair was done earlier. We're moving in the car now."

"Oh..."

Cha Yujin uttered with a pale face and fell back to sleep again.

That's right. We have been moving around since last night polishing ourselves, filming different things and doing interviews...

Since we couldn't sleep properly for the past month, it wouldn't be strange if one of us became confused while thinking 'where am I and who am I'.

"N-now is the showcase, right?"

"That's right~"

I could hear Seon Ahyun taking a deep breath after timidly asking the manager. It seems that he was nervous again because things were just around the corner.

"Well, all the things we have been preparing during this month... Let's show everything. No matter what happens, the amount of practice doesn't betray us."

"That's right~"

"Yes, yes!"

Some of the members who were awake responded to Ryu Chungwoo's encouragement, whose voice sounded hoarse from tiredness.

And Kim Raebin, who was sitting next to me, muttered quietly.

"...Actually, the amount of practice is high when compared to the limited time period, but in terms of absolute amount of practice, it is still insufficient..."

"..."

As I silently stared at him, he quietly changed his words.

"...Nevertheless, I think we can show a passionate performance on stage."

"Okay."

It's a good thing that he's an observant person, even though he lacked social skills.

* * *

Most of the reporters who attended the showcase had high expectations.

Although not about TeStar's skills, but the buzzworthiness it would bring to the press.

'First of all, it will surely pull some article views.'

'If they fail, they are as good as ruined.'

The reporters taking pictures and the reporters writing columns eagerly waited for the showcase to start.

And the shareholders who purchased the stock package from sat in front and behind of the reporters.

Most of them had brought slogan signs and cheering tools. There were different shapes and colors because the official lightstick had not been released yet, but the excitement of the fans could still be felt.

In that whole atmosphere of excitement, the dark stage lit up and the opening began.

Wearing the same baseball uniform that they wore in the music video, TeStar performed the choreography more accurately than they did in the music video.

The choreography also frequently featured jumping movements in which the body moved excitedly to match the fun song.

Fweet~

Every time they turned their bodies or bounced their feet to the rhythm of the whistle, the immersion of the stage increased significantly.

'They're good.'

'The song is good, too!'

The witty ad-libs, such as playing rock-paper-scissors or greeting each other on stage, were also cleverly cute.

'They don't look like rookies.'

'The audition show members are good at what they are doing.'

The reporters worked hard to think about the title by processing the sentiment of the favorable uproar.

Meanwhile, TeStar members briefly went in after finishing the opening. And instead, the MC came out and drew out the time.

It was a face everyone knew.

"Hello~"

"Ooh!!"

When fans were both happy and disgusted by the familiar MC of , TeStar were frantically changing clothes with the help of the staff behind the stage.

"Ack, my hair!"

"This baseball uniform seriously isn't coming off..."

While TeStar ran out after barely putting on the school uniform jacket with colorful epaulettes, the MC skillfully led the audience's rections.

"Wow~ It's been a while, dear shareholders! ...Huh? You're not happy to see me? Aw, let's not do that between us~ We've known each other for three months! Obviously, only you shareholders have seen my face."

There was a moment of laughter, mischievous booing and cheers. The MC laughed and introduced the next stage.

"Then I hope you can meet your stock after a long time. Your stock has taken off!"

And the lights on the stage lit up again.

TeStar were smiling and began to dance to the prelude of the song.

It was to the song.

"...!!"

It hasn't been long since the end of the show, the audience was enveloped with a strange sentimental feeling.

Besides, it was a new feeling to see TeStar singing with a smile as they divided the parts with each other.

It felt like watching an epilogue after a happy ending, so the audience enjoyed the performance feeling warm in their hearts.

"Finally waking up and shining~"

Eventually, a chorus of fanchants kept going.

The TeStar members were positively bewildered by this and sang the song with a bigger smile.

It was a fun popular song and even the reporters who have watched were nodding their heads.

However, this did not warm everyone's hearts.

Some felt frigid about it.

'So they're all done with their songs.'

'Are you that excited to share the song's parts?'

They were fans of the contestants, who were eliminated from who attended the showcase without any good intentions.

Of course, most of the fans of the eliminated ones were just enjoying the stage. There were some members in TeStar who they liked to some extent, even though the member wasn't their favorite in the show.

However, there were always a few exceptions.

"This was the Challenger version! Thank you."

The incident occurred after the next song was over, and the members were briefly talking.

"This version! I really wanted to do it!"

"Yes~ Congratulations, young Cha Yujin."

"Heh."

Cha Yujin was excited to try another team's version of the song which was performed in the finals, and the other members thought it was cuter than when there was no camera.

The reporters did not ask particularly malicious questions either. However, a few sharp or small trap questions were posed.

"Everyone seems close, but who is the least friendly member?"

"Well, the album preparation was done in a very short period of time. How was that possible?"

"VTIC made a comeback just a few days ago on the 12th. What do you think about it?"

The questions were all within our expectations, so Ryu Chungwoo and Keun Sejin both threw out answers, gently blurring the topic.

"We are all getting to know each other~ Everyone started developing a strange camaraderie after experiencing together. We're also surprised by how fast we got close to each other."

"We were able to proceed quickly because the company had already prepared everything for the album. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Director Kwak Shin-gyun and the staff."

"When I meet VTIC sunbaenim, I want to get a signed album! This is on my bucket list!"

This was the moment, when the survival interview skills that the members had learned to avoid evil editing, shined.

And then the right question came up.

"You chose two title songs. What's the charm of 'Magical Boy' that's different from the 'Hi-five' performance?"

"Ah."

Ryu Chungwoo reflexively tried to grab the microphone, but after a short judgment, he passed the answer to Park Moondae, the initiator of the idea.

'It's not a weird question, so it should be okay for Moondae to answer.'

His act was completely out of consideration, but Park Moondae was not the kind of person who liked interviews very much.

'Damn it.'

Still, he couldn't turn down the microphone, so Park Moondae picked it up.

"About the Magical Boy..."

It was then.

"..."

"Ah!"

Something translucent looking flew up from the bottom of the stage and hit Park Moondae's arm.

"Careful...!"

Ryu Chungwoo pulled Park Moondae with his quick reflexes, but he couldn't stop it properly since the object flew quite hard.

"..."

Park Moondae looked down at his arm. It was all wet.

'They threw a water bottle.'

Water dripped down from the colorful epaulettes to the sleeves.

Seeing that his forehead felt cold, the water must have splashed on the side of his face.

His elbows throbbed slightly from pain.

'They threw it hard.'

In an instant, the venue stiffened from the perplexity.

There were all kinds of sound coming from the audience, from worried murmurs to small screams.

And the reporters were delighted by this.

'Seriously.'

'I don't know who it is, but they did it~'

Park Moondae quickly grasped the situation.

'First of all, there are no strange substances mixed in.'

Judging from the fact that his forehead was intact, there was no hydrochloric acid or alcohol. Even in the worst case scenario, the guy who threw it would have just spit in it.

'Then I'll just let it go.'

The whole incident was over in three seconds after hitting the arm.

This was possible because he spent his adolescence observing and measuring his environment and acting accordingly to situations.

Park Moondae chuckled.

"How quick-witted of you."

"...!?"

"It seems you predicted my answer."

And then he took of his jacket. Inside the jacket, a school uniform shirt that the fans already knew was revealed.

It was the white summer uniform from the Magical Boy music video.

"I was thinking that... If you see the stage in person, you can see the distinctive charm of the song. That should be enough for you to confirm it."

"...Ah!"

The members quickly grasped the situation, and took of their jackets and threw it aside.

"Then we will start right away since you seem to insist. This is the Magical Boy."

Park Moondae swept his wet hair and grabbed the microphone.

Soon, the sound of music boxes filled the concert hall.

♫♪♩♪-

♫♪♩♪-

♪♩-

In the dreamy purple stage setting, wet-haired Park Moondae opened his mouth.

And the fans at the scene instantly forgot about the water bottle incident.

* * *

TeStar's showcase lasted for around an hour, and it was never too lengthy. However, articles and reviews were posted one after another before it was even over.

Of course, there were also articles mentioning the incident.

If you click on an article with these kinds of titles, you can see a picture of Park Moondae wiping off the excess water from his hair and the summer uniform.

Or there were pictures of him throwing the wet jacket. The water on the epaulettes splashed and reflected in the light, enhancing the aesthetics.

Some pictures of the water bottle were occasionally uploaded, but most of them were screen captures from videos so the quality and the visibility in the video was not good.

Still, the response was clear.

Although the fans were outraged, they were deeply relieved by Park Moondae's response.

Still, the WeTubers who profit from publicizing other people's misfortunes did not miss this good prey.

Ironically, thanks to the good response, all of these have provoked a topic of discussion like a viral marketing.

"Hyung, have you seen this?"

And the news even reached the ears of VTIC, who had just completed their first week of promotions.