Monday, February 27.
The PC bang was noisy with all kinds of game sound effects and the clattering of keyboards.
Junho, a college student, took his hand off the mouse.
“Hey, you’re not playing anymore?”
They had been on a winning streak for the first time in a while and were really getting into it, so when Junho put down his mouse, his friend asked in puzzlement.
Junho usually played all the way to the end once he started.
“No, I want to look at something. Let’s just take a break.”
His friend looked at Junho’s monitor.
It was the official YouTube channel of SAVEN, which Junho had logged into.
“SAVEN? Why them?”
“They said their song’s coming out soon. Maybe because I liked their last song, but I’m kind of looking forward to it.”
Junho spoke as if he did not care much, but in reality, he was a male student who was so interested in girl groups that he would search for their schedules and videos in detail.
‘They said six o’clock, right?’
The current time was 5:51.
In nine minutes, SAVEN’s comeback music video would be released.
“Their song was pretty good, though. They got number one on the charts and everything.”
Compared to Junho, his friend was less interested in girl groups, but he at least knew the famous ones.
He was a college student in his twenties, after all.
“And that… Dohee, was it?”
“Yeah, Lee Dohee.”
“Her and Eun Sera. Aren’t those two insanely pretty?”
Junho’s shoulders rose slightly for no reason.
But he answered calmly.
“They are. Those two are currently Tier 0 in terms of girl-group visuals.”
“Oh, there’s a tier list too?”
“Not exactly, but they group the three prettiest girls together. Dosemin.”
============
[The three fourth-generation main visuals whose appeal depends on your taste—also known as Dosemin]
1. Lee Dohee (2008, Korea, rabbit-like features)
-SAVEN, 2022
(Photo)
2. Eun Sera (2005, Korea, cat-like features)
-SAVEN, 2022
(Photo)
3. Minseo (2002, Korea, puppy-like charm)
-3M, 2020
(Photo)
The future of K-pop is bright…
What’s your type?
============
‘Dosemin.’
A noun that had originated on teenage reels like TikTok, it had now become common knowledge in idol fan communities. Anyone interested in idols would have at least heard of it.
“Min is that girl, right? Minseo from 3M?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“She really is pretty, too. But I like Kim Seoyoon.”
The time passed quickly as they chatted.
At exactly six, Junho pressed the F5 refresh key, and the video list updated. A new music video had appeared.
[SAVEN Official MV ‘UnSatisfied’]
Forgetting even to hide his usually impassive expression, Junho clicked without hesitation.
“Oh… She’s pretty…”
Of course, while there were people like Junho who watched music videos with relatively stoic expressions, there were also passionate fans who watched them with all their hearts.
“Fuuuuck, what do I do? She’s so damn pretty. What is this? Dohee’s underwater scene? Aaaah!!! I’m dying!!!”
Dohee’s fansite master was too busy twisting her entire body, intoxicated by the music video’s visual beauty—and especially Dohee’s beauty.
She was so dizzy she could not even tell what she had seen. She pulled herself together and replayed the music video so she could focus on listening to the song.
“Whew… This time, I’m going to watch it properly.”
As the video played, an instrumental arrangement composed of several sessions began to flow.
“Wow… Why is Shock Entertainment so good at their job?”
The fansite master immediately let out an admiring gasp.
“The bass is so good.”
The bass session had been distorted into a synth sound, with the final note processed like a chorus—a synthesized sound whose pitch naturally rose at the end, much like the final pitch of a saxophone phrase rising on its own when a note was ended with a decrescendo, regardless of the player’s intention.
“What’s different about it? Is it because the melody’s good?”
Dohee found the bass sound attractive.
She had immediately caught the reason: ‘Because the final note rises ever so slightly.’
But for anyone else, it was difficult to distinguish, buried beneath the various sessions and the melody.
The final note was so subtle that it was difficult to make out even in the instrumental version.
“But… it’s really so good…? This song is definitely going to be a huge hit.”
Even so, that tiny difference ran throughout the song, making what could have been a dull and simple arrangement feel remarkably sophisticated.
“If this does well… they could even aim for the year-end chart, couldn’t they…?”
Beneath the alluring bass sound, the snare and drum sounds repeated in alternation, keeping a steady four-four beat.
It was a disco-based funky rhythm combined with a drum pattern rooted in Black music.
After hearing only the short intro phrase, the fansite master was already spellbound by the song’s composition. But when Sera and Harang’s voices began alternating, she did not forget her original purpose and refocused on the music video.
-My pupils are turning red
-And you spread through my chest like poison
Harang and Sera were lying against a tree.
They were peaceful beneath the sunlight, biting into apples.
Their clothes, however, were distressed-style tops and bottoms, torn and frayed to give them a worn-out appearance.
Perhaps because of that, the rough texture of the clothing evoked a sense of freedom far more than peace.
-This transparent thirst cannot be quenched
-The sweetness I keep seeking
As the song passed to Seoyoon and Chaerin’s voices, Seoyoon and Chaerin appeared, running at full speed across a vast meadow.
Both of them were wearing vintage-style outfits as well.
The camera followed Seoyoon’s gaze as she ran.
Then, accompanied by a bright, bursting synth sound that evoked showtime, the scene shifted to a plaza paved with black-and-white checkered tiles.
The members stood on the tiles, performing synchronized choreography.
-The daze remains, unsatisfied
-My heart swells red, scattering the air
The members were all wearing wide-leg women’s denim pants, brightly colored T-shirts, and oversized bolero cardigans. Their outfits were sophisticated reinterpretations of 2000s fashion.
More than anything, they went perfectly with spring, which would soon arrive alongside the lingering cold.
“The styling is incredible too…”
-The daze remains, unsatisfied
-I can’t resist; the wound keeps growing deeper
Then came sophisticated choreography that reinterpreted the disco dance of the Y2K era.
The movements were large, with several stabbing points, but rather than sharp, angular jabs, the fluid and smooth dance lines felt as if they were pushing forward.
“This… I can really feel it…!”
Above all, there were the crisp, refreshing vocals and powerful voices.
The more she watched, the more she listened, the more a certain conviction took root.
“This is definitely making the top three on the year-end chart…!”
Five years as a fansite master.
Fifteen years as an idol fan.
This was the instinct of a K-pop veteran.
***
Several days after the music video and digital single were released.
The members had arrived at the broadcasting station to carry out their full-fledged music-show schedule.
After finishing their prerecording and coming offstage, everyone seemed to be overwhelmed by fatigue now that the tension had lifted, and they were all busy taking short naps.
I, however, was still too excited to sleep. My heart was pounding from the energy and exhilaration of the stage.
‘Am I the only one who still finds every stage new…?’
In any case, there was a long stretch of time to kill before the live broadcast.
While browsing YouTube to pass the time, I found a review of our music video.
[ENG [MV Analysis] Already Sweeping the Digital Charts! SAVEN’s Refreshing Comeback│A Complete Rundown of the Hidden Details in UnSatisfied]
-13K views · 1 day ago
‘I don’t know what the point is of analyzing it…’
Still, I was bored, so I decided to watch.
[Hello, subscribers~ Today, Lekbung, your MV-analysis tow truck, will be analyzing SAVEN’s music video.]
A deep male narration began playing beneath a group photo of us.
[SAVEN’s title track “Unsatisfied,” which warmed my heart in this cold weather, was released yesterday. Now, two days after its release, the title track “UnSatisfied” has claimed first place, while the b-sides have also succeeded in entering the charts, heightening anticipation for what achievements they will go on to accomplish.]
‘We did reach number one on the WaterMelon chart quickly this time. We entered at number two, too.’
[It’s amazing that a group that only debuted recently has already swept first place like this. We can look forward to SAVEN’s future in K-pop. By the way, my heart’s pounding so hard I can’t take it anymore. Aaaaaaah! SAVEN is the best!!!]
“Whoa, that scared me.”
Perhaps she had been woken by the shriek from the video. Sera unnie, who had been sleeping with her head on my shoulder, opened her eyes slightly.
Then she spoke softly.
“Dohee, what are you watching…?”
“An MV analysis.”
Sera unnie seemed uninterested and rested her head on my shoulder again.
“Then I’m going to sleep a little longer…”
I lifted my shoulder and used the momentum to knock Sera unnie’s head to the side.
“Sleep by yourself. My shoulder hurts.”
“Pout…”
Staring at me like that wasn’t going to get her anything.
[Now, I will begin analyzing the MV. First of all, everyone knows that “Unsatisfied” is a refreshing song about girls thirsting for love. To give you a spoiler, though, I didn’t even have time to feel thirsty because of the members and the refreshing melody.]
[I’ll interpret what can be seen as we follow the music video’s story. The opening begins with Sera and Harang leaning against a tree. At first glance, it feels peaceful and free. But they’re eating apples! In other words, they’re the forbidden fruit. They’ve learned about the taboo. But aren’t they both really beautiful?]
“Hmm… That seems a little too obvious.”
.
.
.
[The checkered plaza. As you can see at the end of the MV, it was a chessboard when viewed from above. In other words, the members looked free, but they were actually chess pieces. Put another way, it means that checkered patterns suit the members very well.]
‘…What the hell is this guy?’
.
.
.
[At the end, Dohee’s underwater scene appears, and… Aaaahhhh!!!! Why is she so pretty!?! This has been Lekbung, your MV-analysis tow truck!]
The YouTuber had done nothing but repeat that they were pretty from beginning to end.
“…He really was just a tow truck…? No wonder the view count was low.”
Still, I left a comment.
Not because my voice had been loudest during the final underwater scene.
The video had actually been pretty entertaining.
-Thanks for the great video! I especially agree with you a hundred times over that Dohee is beautiful! She’s seriously the prettiest in the world. In the underwater scene, the way she makes eye contact with those gray-lensed eyes is so dreamy, and her hair shining in the light looks incredibly mysterious. I think you could sum it up as “the prettiest in the world,” for real.
└Agreed, agreed!
After that, the YouTuber’s reply and a heart appeared on my comment.
I guess the YouTuber agreed, too.