"Unnie, do you want some water?"
"Thanks."
A working adult fan—who until just recently had stan'd Sungjin of FLOYER as her ultimate bias—had been dragged all the way down to Gyeonggi Province today by the fansite master she had been doing fan activities with.
'I didn't think I'd actually end up using a vacation day for this.'
Clicking her tongue at the thought, the office worker drank the water. Meanwhile, the fansite master beside her was meticulously checking her camera.
"Once we get in, I'll fall back. Unnie, you go to the front."
"To take photos?"
"Of course... How could I miss my baby's first stage..."
Watching her tuck a dummy memory card into her wallet, just in case staff tried to check her equipment, the office worker nodded with a reluctant expression.
'Does she like him that much…?'
Well, probably.
Remembering how she herself was during the early days of her fan life, the office worker quickly accepted it. Obsession burned brightest at the beginning.
She silently recalled the name of the fansite master's new bias—the KRM Entertainment trainee who had brought them all the way here.
'Won Yu-ha… was it?'
The reason she had wasted a precious vacation day to travel to Gyeonggi—it was all because of her curiosity. Curiosity about who her friend, a former top fansite master for Sungjin, had chosen as her new bias.
The office worker and the fansite master had become so-called "fangirling mates" while stanning Sungjin and being active in the FLOYER fandom.
During FLOYER's debut era, the two had joined the fandom around similar times, followed each other on Whisper (a social media platform) when the fandom was still forming, and soon began talking.
The office worker mainly used her post-work hours and money to handle goods production and event organizing, while the fansite master—who'd been a student at the time and was now a freelancer—used her career skills to shoot high-quality photos and release content to the fandom.
Sharing the same bias, and complementing each other's fan activities, they had spent four years fangirling together.
Same bias. Photographer and goods-maker.
They thought of each other as the perfect fangirl partners, messaging almost daily and enjoying the fandom.
'Sungjin… that bastard deserves to rot in hell.'
That is, until their shared bias caused a scandal and ran off.
After Sungjin's scandal broke, the two couldn't bring themselves to message each other for a while. They both knew the other must be devastated—and neither knew what the other was thinking now, so they were cautious.
'No idea whether she's gonna drop him or cling to him.'
While both hesitated to reach out—uncertain whether the other was "drop that jerk immediately" camp or "trust my idol" camp—a message finally appeared in their chat, right after Sungjin's military enlistment was announced.
[Fansite Master: Unnie, I'm not the only one who wants to murder Sungjin, right]
From that day on, instead of the fun chats and "my bias is so cute" messages they used to share, the two started exchanging curses about Sungjin and lamentations about their own lives.
Then, one day, the office worker received the announcement: the fansite master was finally quitting the fandom.
[Fansite Master: I'm dropping him for real. I'm giving away all my FLOYER merch for free today.]
[Office Worker: WHAT??? Wait hold on]
[Fansite Master: The albums… the ones even secondhand sites wouldn't take… I got drunk last night and smashed them all. Once I clear out the merch, it's over.]
[Office Worker: Please pick up your phone]
[Fansite Master: I'm selling my camera too… I've done enough. I'm never stanning a K-boy group again.]
'No, don't leave me behind in this hell… I'm dropping him too...'
Because they'd basically been engaged in an unspoken competition over who would leave the fandom first, the office worker cried.
While she hesitated—regretting the time, money, and effort she'd invested—the fansite master had already severed all ties.
After that "I'm never stanning K-boy groups again," their chat became silent.The office worker spent the rest of the day feeling like a lone surviving soldier who'd lost her last comrade.
Then one evening, she received a new photo from the fansite master.
Frantically checking her messages, she saw it wasn't Sungjin.Not FLOYER, either.
A completely unfamiliar idol's face—also quite handsome.
[Office Worker: What is this???]
[Fansite Master: Unnie... I think I finally found someone good. For real this time.]
[Office Worker: You said you were quitting…]
The person in the photo, she was told, wasn't even an idol yet—just a trainee.A contestant on a new survival show produced by A-Net.
'Isn't that an even shakier investment than a rookie…?'
She was relieved the fansite master hadn't left K-pop entirely, but the fact that her new bias was an uncertain trainee bothered her.
Still, criticizing someone who's just found a new obsession only destroys relationships, so the office worker wisely kept quiet.
And the fansite master—hopelessly smitten—immediately made a new account without hesitation.
Then she rushed to secure early recognition, and maybe because of that, the trainee she stanned began appearing regularly on entertainment community sites.
'Well, he is good-looking…'
The office worker followed her friend's new account and listened to her gushes, though somewhat reluctantly. Stanning a trainee who might not even debut felt dangerously risky.
Even so, she was curious—since they always had similar taste—so she watched all the promotional videos released so far for Design Your Idol, featuring Won Yu-ha.
In the main theme song video of
The only real content was the 1-minute PR video.
—Hello. I'm Won Yu-ha, a 5-year trainee under KRM Entertainment.
In casual clothes, with clean, composed visuals, Won Yu-ha presented an impeccably restrained image in his one-minute introduction.
He began with his name, then a short self-introduction. After that, he sang a few lines of a song that showed off his tone. His faint smile paired with his firm, clear, sweet voice had a subtle charm to it.
He didn't overact or force unnecessary flair, making the video comfortable to watch—but overall, it lacked a bit of excitement.
The office worker also felt that his face was oddly too calm for someone appearing on a survival show.
'Can't tell if he's mentally strong or just… not desperate.'
Still, Won Yu-ha had enough charm to warrant using a vacation day. She was also slightly intrigued by trainee survival shows in general.
And that was why she could muster the motivation to follow the fansite master all the way to Gyeonggi for the first round of performances.
"Please move inside~!"
Holding the slogan the fansite master had made using a photo of her "smiling boy," she followed staff directions after a long wait outside.
The venue was simple. At the front was a large rectangular stage and a big screen. Behind that, the space was divided once, and the rest was all standing sections.
Since she'd been waiting since dawn, the office worker pushed up to the front row, determined to make the most of the trip. Meanwhile, the fansite master slipped to the back, finding her usual sweet spot for taking photos.
Once everyone had entered and things had settled, the lights went dark, stage lights came on, and the MC walked out.
"Hello, Idol Makers! Welcome to the first performance stage of Design Your Idol! I'm Linkers' Ji-woong, your special MC for the first round. Please take good care of me!"
"Waaahhhh!!"
The MC was Ji-woong of LINKERS, the group of Do-min, the vocal mentor of Design Your Idol. Recently active on various variety shows, he had been appearing on many programs thanks to his flawless wit and clean hosting skills.
Using his strengths to the fullest, he warmed up the audience's excitement and explained how the trainee voting would proceed, leaving no room for boredom before continuing smoothly.
"Then now, let me introduce the twelve teams who will open the first round of performances for Design Your Idol!"
With scream-like cheers, trainees in flashy stage outfits and makeup appeared on stage. She quickly scanned the trainees who had come out.
'Won Yu-ha isn't here.'
It seemed it would take a bit more time before her friend's bias appeared.
"…This is boring."
"My legs hurt..."
By about the midpoint of the performances, the entire audience was beginning to complain.
There were many teams going up on stage, and with the stage being frequently set up, broken down, and followed by bits of talk segments, the audience had already been standing in place for several hours.
'I expected it, but it's rough.'
She knew that broadcasts didn't magically appear out of thin air, and this wasn't her first time attending a filming, so she wasn't surprised—just tired.
And whenever anyone crouched down from leg pain, the staff would rush over to scold them, so everyone was enduring with a metaphorical mustard-coated tear.
'And honestly… the quality is just so-so.'
She'd been excited because it was a creative mission, but because they were trainees, the level was mediocre. Teams were either extremely good or extremely sloppy. Other than a few standouts, most were stuck at "decent but nothing special." Hardly any strayed far from the original song either.
'But Kang Hyun-jin and Do Ji-hyuk, those two were actually really good.'
Kang Hyun-jin had taken the main dancer position and showed off a flashy dance performance—definitely someone seasoned in survival shows. His face went without saying.
Do Ji-hyuk, though from a failed idol group, had six years of experience, and his stage manners and skills showed it. He had some controversies, but once broadcast aired, he felt like the type who'd gain enough popularity to overshadow them.
There were also a few other trainees who stood out. She hadn't studied profiles thoroughly, so she couldn't match names to faces, though.
'I should look them up once I get home.'
She tapped her leg lightly, thinking that out of fourteen teams total, only four remained. Won Yu-ha should be in one of them.
And just as expected—
"LUMIEL has pioneered many genres, and among their songs, there's one that became a turning point. The two teams performing LUMIEL's 'BINGO,' please come up on stage!"
"Waaahhhh!!"
Soon, Won Yu-ha—the one she and her friend had been waiting for—walked onto the stage.
'…Huh?'
And she couldn't help tilting her head as she looked at him.
Of the two teams that came up, one openly showed a sexy concept, while the other showed a refreshing concept—and Won Yu-ha belonged to the refreshing one.
The reason she found his team questionable was simple: the stark contrast between the two teams' outfits.
Naturally—
'BINGO is a sexy concept.'
She knew LUMIEL's "BINGO" well, and it wasn't a song that went well with refreshing outfits.
'It suits him, but… did they pick the concept wrong?'
Won Yu-ha's team of seven wore light, sailor-like outfits inspired by school uniforms, completely different from the opposing team wearing red-and-black mixed suits.
White and blue as the base, with occasional pastel-toned accents. She grew curious about how they had rearranged "BINGO" to fit such styling.
While the audience murmured with small questions, Won Yu-ha's team began their introduction.
"Idol Makers! What type do you like?"
"Cute types?"
"Sexy types?"
"Sweet types?"
"Cool types?"
"Handsome types?"
"Refreshing types?"
"We'll become all of those types—YOUR TYPE!"
"Waaaaaaahhh!!!"
As each member showed off their charm following the leader's playful call, the office worker found herself smiling. Each showcased charm matched well with their faces.
'They have good visuals.'
No visibly lacking members, and maybe because they were all young, the refreshing styling suited them well overall.
'I hope they perform well....'
She just hoped they wouldn't overreach. With those visuals, even a solid, safe performance would earn them fans.
However—
"I heard YOUR TYPE… selected three creative parts to challenge this time?"
"Ah, yes. Aiden here handled the rearrangement, the overall concept was done by Yu-ha, the choreography was done by me, Won-hyo, and Zixuan, and the lyrics were handled by Dan-woo hyung, Yu-ha, and Young-oh."
"One week isn't very long. Should we look forward to it?"
"We all worked hard to complete it within the time given!"
"I'm excited. Then YOUR TYPE, please prepare for your stage!"
The office worker swallowed nervously. Attempting that much within a week was too big a gamble.
Some teams before them had also tried two or three creative parts. Probably tempted by the benefit points—but the lack of time clearly showed on their stages as sloppiness.
'I'm sure they all got bad evaluations.'
She assumed YOUR TYPE, the team Won Yu-ha belonged to, would end up the same. She couldn't help worrying about her friend.
'She just found a new bias; what if he messes up right away? Well… he's from KRM, so he probably won't get eliminated in the first round, but still...'
Don't aim too high—just don't make mistakes. Thinking this, the office worker tightened her grip on the slogan and waved it stiffly in front of her. She had already abandoned high expectations for the stage.
Soon, staff cleaned the stage and set up the props. The trainees reappeared, scattering into position among the props, and as the lights dimmed—
She heard a lively electronic sound and tilted her head once more.