Is it possible to summarize the charm of popular idols with a single element?
Probably not.
If people liked them simply because they were pretty,
then everyone would have liked only me.
.
.
.
Or not.
Whatever.
Anyway.
Seoyun unnie, hugging Yeeun unnie tight and saying she missed her,
and Yeeun unnie before me, whose pupils were trembling—
the public liked them for a variety of reasons and causes.
So if I had to specifically pinpoint what their charms were,
"Hmm..."
"Hrmm..."
"Sigh..."
Anyway.
Just as I liked and loved these two for reasons I couldn't fathom, the elements that people liked about them were equally diverse.
But "idol" is, fundamentally, a word meaning "idol."
Worthy of that name, icons of K-pop who are considered the idol of idols.
When it came to NND and Coral Blue, there was a shared commonality.
Namely, "coolness."
An essential value understood and loved universally across diverse generations and cultures, regardless of time or place—not merely a phenomenon of the current generation.
This wasn't something bound by the image they usually showed either.
Rather, like me—
—Dohui's Dark History Compilation Part 2 (Dohui: Absolutely Do Not Watch This Time)
—Dohui Compilation: I Just Want to Tease Her for Being an Idiot.gif
—having an image completely at odds with coolness absurdly forced upon her,
—Let's Learn About Dohui's Practice Look (White Tee, Sweatpants)
—Let's Learn About Dohui's School After-Class Look (School Gym Clothes)
—Let's Learn About Dohui's Work Look (The Stylist Picked This)
or even when a distorted image of being fashion-clueless became entrenched despite having her own fashion philosophy.
When standing on a stage where she could show off her coolness the most,
and when showing a performance,
if she showed a different side from usual,
it would strike all the harder in reverse.
That's why, since a challenge is also a performance, it had to be cool at least once.
Not just me, but Yeeun unnie as well.
Not to torment my unnie,
but for her sake.
Because unnie is a professional idol too.
"Do you understand what I'm saying, unnie?"
"Yeah..."
My sincerity got through!
"Alright. Let's try hard."
"Bu... but... still... I want an easy one..."
"Sigh..."
"Ah, no...! You did an easy challenge with other people...! I saw you in the hallway...!"
"Let me explain again. That was a challenge made easy so that everyone could follow along. But you and me? Best friends."
"Ah, no, best friends..."
"Sigh..."
"Ah, no... I don't mean we're not close... but still, I'm the unnie..."
"Of course. Yeeun unnie is my family-like unnie who's one year older than me. Alright, enough, should I teach you now?"
Despite my affectionate and kind tone,
Yeeun unnie still seemed oblivious to my intentions.
She turned her head to stare at Seoyun unnie with a desperate gaze,
"Uh, unnie...!"
"But Seoyun unnie would avoid that gaze, pretending not to notice.
"Ah, come to think of it... The manager told me to contact the director. A solo ad came in. Ugh... I totally forgot about that. Yeeun, just work hard learning it for now!"
Since I had agreed to nullify the month-long bathroom priority bet I had won recently,
'Yeeun unnie, for your sake, I'm taking a huge loss today too...'
"I'll call you when that's ready!"
And so, Seoyun unnie hurriedly left the waiting room.
Yeeun unnie looked around anxiously, as if searching for someone again.
"Uh, where..."
For the record, Naeun unnie had agreed with my suggestion that we greet together and briefly followed me out, but she politely greeted and left in a hurry.
Because she was working hard to learn the production staff's names,
wouldn't she be out in the hallway right now, furtively matching names to faces and memorizing them...
"Dohee-ssi, would you like some hangwa? I bought some today to give to the production staff early for Seollal, though it's a little early."
"Ah, is that alright? Thank you. I'll eat it as soon as I finish the challenge!"
In the end, what remained in Yeeun unnie's waiting room
were Yeeun unnie's kind manager and the two of us.
The manager had a very pleased gaze.
I had quite a good reputation among industry insiders.
Polite, kind, speaking prettily, always going around smiling...
Anyway.
"Unnie, let's start learning now. It might be easier than you think. I probably... learned this choreography in about 10 minutes? No, honestly that's an exaggeration, but maybe about 15 minutes? I picked it up around then, so you'll learn it quickly too, unnie."
Yeeun unnie's face turned pale as a sheet.
Back in our Seven days, Chaerin unnie and I had been the fastest at picking up choreography, and the two of us could dance most things right away just by watching.
Yeeun unnie would be fine since she learns quickly when I teach her.
I took out my phone and checked the time.
"Until the live broadcast... 3 hours."
Plenty of time.
"That should be enough. Since unnie is good at this now too, if we go fast, it should take about an hour. I'll teach you step by step, meticulously down to the smallest details."
"Everyone's going to love it so much."
* * *
For a year, even while preparing for her debut, she constantly provided topics of conversation.
Whenever things got even slightly boring, she released a flood of selfies so fans had no time to feel neglected—this was the admirable Dohee.
"This... this is what a debut is... this...!"
Now, content was pouring out.
Debonair's variety show trailers being revealed here and there.
The main broadcast of Melody Bank that had started earlier was the signal flare.
Yeeun, Dohui, and Seoyun looking at each other affectionately.
—Yeeun's expression looks somehow wistful today... Is it because she's seeing her Seven members after so long?
└ㄹㅇ For real, this is that unique expression she had in Seven. A feeling where joy and sadness somehow coexist...
└My mother raises a puppy. Usually grocery shopping takes two hours. When it takes five hours because it dragged on a bit. When I get home, my dog has that exact expression.
Following that wistful exchange of gazes was the first title stage, where they shouted with all their might and danced as if their bodies would shatter, just as they had at the showcase.
—I thought the choreography point looked hard enough that even male idols would struggle, but I looked up the choreography team and it really was made by a male dance team. Zeta Crew. No wonder it's so satisfying to watch...
And the second title stage, that of a cute little devil, performed with perfect facial acting and without a single choreography mistake despite being broadcast live immediately without pre-recording.
—It's amazing that contrasting stages were the concept from the start... They went from just cool unnies to cute, pretty kids... The gap is dizzying.
Right now, her SNS was being flooded with endless posts gushing with devoted adoration.
It was a given for Dohee and Seoyun, who were from Seven,
but the other members too.
—Watching the showcase and interviews, I kept feeling like Ua really doesn't get nervous and is so good at interviewing haha I think I know what my school friends meant, her smile is just so relaxed... That feeling just carries onto the stage... Honestly, she's probably Debonair's #1 in the pecking order, for real.
—Chiyo's way of speaking is bursting with adorable charm... Her tone is cute because she's Japanese, but her pronunciation doesn't slip and it's crisp and clear... I want to see the kids' self-produced content ASAP, I'm really curious about their variety shows and personalities haha
—Naeun in the part "What spell have I fallen under, what curse have I fallen under," her dreamy tone and meaningful smile meeting her surreal visuals just makes you want to kneel... But the point is that she's more magical girl than witch... No, but eldest daughter, leader, AND magical girl? How is this one person?
Thanks to that, Dohee's home master felt like she'd get a crick in her neck from nodding along in a hundred-fold agreement,
and her satisfied smile made her cheeks hurt more and more because the corners of her mouth wouldn't come down.
Still, she planned to devour every piece of content that came out immediately.
Short challenges were welcome too.
Of course, they had been going up since early afternoon.
[#Born_Ideals_Challenge #LittleDevil_Challenge #Official_Debon...]
Starting with the "Born Ideals" chorus challenge that the members filmed at the music video set.
[#DebonairChallenge(Easy ver.) #Ua #Chiyo #Han Yuyeon...]
[#DebonairChallenge(Easy ver.) #Naeun #FLORIS...]
The "Debonair Easy ver" being pushed as the main title was done together with other singers.
However, there was regret.
It was a version with the footwork removed to lower the barrier to entry so that everyone could follow along easily.
"This is something that needs the dance to absolutely pop to be satisfying..."
She understood.
Since even the chorus, which should be easy to follow, looked difficult because of its steps, not to mention the dance break part that looked hard at a glance.
"Well, still... I can just watch this on stage."
Just as the home master was watching today's stage fancam on repeat to console her regret, another new alarm popped up.
[#DebonairChallenge #illli #Yeeun #YEUUN #Dohui #DOHEE #Seoyun...]
"It's here, it's here! It's finally here~!"
Yes.
Dohee and Seoyun.
She had known their first challenge would be with the Seven members.
Moreover, the "(Easy ver.)" title was missing.
"Topdong, you've still got it...!"
Because it felt like a declaration showing what the stage would have been like if Yeeun were still on the same team as Dohee and Seoyun,
the home master clicked the video without hesitation.
"Damn..."
And the home master let out another exclamation.
Because in the video, the three in a triangular formation were stepping coolly forward.
At the same time, a short, high exclamation of an ad-lib rang out, full of satisfaction.
[Au!]
Anyone could see it wasn't the chorus part.
Rather than being merely difficult for difficulty's sake, it was the bridge part—a dance break—that felt exhilarating just to watch.
"Crazy... they're doing this?"
Even more, the challenge continued through the chorus after the dance break.
Naturally, it was the version that included the steps as well.
What was even more surprising was Yeeun's execution, matching the two original singers perfectly in every detail.
It was exactly her stage presence from Seven.
Thus, she could tell now.
The intention of this short wasn't "what if they were one team."
It was a declaration that they still are, and always will be, the same team going forward.
"Who on earth... came up with such an admirable idea..."
It probably wasn't Topist staff.
The home master couldn't help but think of one person.
It might have been a delusion because she was her bias,
but if it was the Dohee she knew, she felt like she would have wanted to show fans that kind of side.