Just as Dohee’s homma had worried that the members might feel awkward, there was someone else with the same concern.
A female university student who had only recently become a fan of Uah.
At first, she had merely been drawn in after watching Debonair’s trailer.
And it was only that Uah’s elegant, catlike appearance happened to be her type.
Curious, she naturally looked up her name.
Her real name was Jiua.
“How can someone’s real name be G. Elegance...? Crazy, that’s a perfect fit.”
She began looking up Debonair’s released concept photos one by one.
She had a strange, three-white-eyed gaze and a cold, sharp appearance.
But when she smiled, she gave off a pure, round-faced image.
And at 172 centimeters, she was also the tallest member of the group alongside Dohee.
Even so, she had no intention of becoming a fan, let alone making a fan account.
She had once had an idol—an ex-oppa—whom she had been forced to stop supporting after he caused a social scandal.
‘I said I’d be an idiot if I ever stanned another idol...’
More than anything, she had never been a fan of a girl group before.
‘But... girl-group idols probably do fewer drugs, right...?’
She couldn’t help being drawn in, anyway.
So she decided to at least listen to Debonair’s debut song.
“The song’s good...?”
She decided to watch their showcase as well.
“What? Why are they so good onstage? Are they really rookies...?”
She searched up their fancams one by one.
And she was quick to admit it.
Sael (Saram-i Elegance)
@UA_archive
250114 (photos) (photos)
─Uah ㅠㅠ Good luck with your second week of promotions~
#Debonair #데보네어 #UA #우아
But once she made a fan account,
she began noticing things she hadn’t seen before.
─The two Library Kids are going to get all the spotlight, and the rest will probably become filler...
─They’re pretty used to pushing the popular members.
─I was starting to notice that Uah girl too, but those two are so overwhelming that they might just develop the two guaranteed ones...
─Even if you add up everyone else’s fancam views, Dohee Lee still has the most.
The problem was that the malicious fans had already gathered in droves.
They were spewing nasty remarks while pretending to worry about the rookie members who had only debuted a week ago.
Of course, she knew.
Dohee and Seoyun had promoted as Seven, and thanks to that, Debonair had started out with plenty of buzz. And at a company the size of Top East, that could only benefit the other members—it certainly wasn’t a bad thing.
Even so, posts cursing them were appearing while mentioning ‘Uah,’ whom she had only just begun to like, so she couldn’t exactly feel good about it.
She found herself thinking without meaning to.
‘Ah... does this really count as being a fan...?’
In truth, one of the major reasons fans quit was the excessive mental and emotional exhaustion it caused.
The university student closed the community.
Then she went to the page of one of Debonair’s big-name hommas.
─Dol Ahyee @Dol_Ahyee
(Dohee selfie) Thank you, Princess Dohee, for blessing us with a selfie first thing after waking up again today.
└Seoyunhae @Jonna_seoyun
Ha... This won’t do. Next time I go to a fansign, I’m going to tell Seoyun to learn from Dohee how often she should upload selfies.
└Dol Ahyee @Dol_Ahyee
If you tell Seoyun to learn from Dohee, she’ll definitely have a fit lol.
Usually, when the big-name hommas got along well, the fandom atmosphere was often good as well.
‘The existing atmosphere doesn’t seem bad, either...’
Then again, the two had been members of Seven together, and they were famous even among ordinary people for behaving so similarly, so it wasn’t all that strange.
That was why she ended up worrying.
‘What if Uah feels awkward around them for no reason...?’
For now, she decided to watch their variety appearances for a few days before making up her mind.
Of course.
Once her eyes had been caught, quitting probably wouldn’t be as easy as she wished.
And the variety show that aired first that day came from KBC, the broadcaster of Melody Bank, the earliest Friday broadcast among the terrestrial music shows.
It was a concept variety show.
She logged into the channel at the scheduled time.
─You crazy Top East bastards, does it make sense for the debut self-produced content to come out later than the variety show?
As it happened, chats from viewers thinking the same thing as her were rapidly filling the screen, and the variety show began with the familiar Human Theater background music once again.
[• The place where Debonair’s masquerade ball will be held.]
It was obviously Top East’s practice room.
But a caption reading this appeared at the bottom of the video.
A rabbit mask sat on the sofa in the practice room.
─What are they doing this time lol
[Dohee (overimmersed from the start): Hello. My name is the Great Dotsby. I’m the host of Debonair’s ball today.]
─The Great Dotsby, my ass lol
─Ah lol They must’ve kept the same concept from when they paid homage to The Phantom of the Opera at their showcase before debut lol
[Dohee: Today’s mask code for the ball is simply yourselves. Yes, everyone knows why I’m wearing a rabbit mask.]
There was no response.
She merely clapped twice for ventilation.
[Dohee (a rabbit through and through): Now then, ladies and gentlemen! Please enter one at a time!]
Music could be heard.
[Da-da-da-dan~]
It was Wagner’s Wedding March!
[Seoyun: Da-da-da-dan~]
Of course, the one entering was wearing a dog mask.
That was Seoyun’s entrance music.
[Dohee: Excuse me. This isn’t a wedding venue.]
Seoyun, skilled at skits, removed her mask with trembling hands and put on a bewildered expression.
[Seoyun (wedding guest): Huh...? Isn’t this Kim Jiyeon’s wedding?]
[Dohee (a very angry Dotsby): No. This is a ballroom.]
The screen cut to another camera angle of the practice room.
Seoyun was sitting on a chair, while the members sat in a row on the practice-room floor behind her.
Then the voice of a female producer could be heard.
[PD: Who is Kim Jiyeon?]
[Seoyun: Oh, she’s my cousin who got married recently.]
The members seated in the audience behind her all burst into applause.
─??? lol
─Wow, her niece must be happy... Imagine being born and finding out your aunt is Kim Seoyun.
With that random congratulations, the scene cut back to the original ballroom.
The practice-room door opened, and this time, a cat mask entered.
At the same time, the university student watching live let out an instinctive cry of delight.
The model-like walk and long legs made it obvious that this was Uah.
‘That’s right! Cats are Uah!’
In any case, the host, Dohee, stepped forward and offered a formal greeting.
[Dohee: Welcome to the masquerade ball.]
But the answer she received was ridiculous.
[Uah: Then can I ‘go home’ now?]
[• Uah’s first line is already unusual.]
[Seoyun: Wow, wow...]
The chat window was instantly covered in question marks, just like Seoyun’s reaction.
─????
─Wow
─Huh?
─Ah
─Shit lol
Even the university student, who was a fan of Uah, was momentarily left speechless.
“U-Uah...? That’s a negative point...? I can’t excuse that just because you’re a variety rookie...?”
But Uah’s expression was confident.
[Seoyun: Ah, don’t laugh at this kind of thing.]
[Dohee: But it’s funny... The cat mask and her expression...]
Perhaps because one member was still letting out little chuckles by herself,
[Seoyun: I... I really don’t get it. And Jiua!]
[Uah: Yes, why are you calling me that?]
[Seoyun: No, you’re new to variety shows too.]
[Uah: Yesss~]
The screen cut back to an interview scene.
This time, Dohee and Uah were sitting together.
[PD: Dohee, you’re famous for having a certain tradition. You’re said to like dad jokes...]
[Dohee (a high-school girl with a taste for dad jokes): No, isn’t it funny because of the shameless tone and facial expression? It’s not that the joke itself is funny.]
[• Dohee’s excuse is getting long.]
[PD: Do you like dad jokes too, Uah?]
Dohee nodded and linked arms with Uah.
[Uah: Honestly, I just find it fascinating that Dohee laughs at things like this...]
[Dohee: ...?]
But Uah casually pulled her arm free.
[Uah: I don’t really understand it either.]
[Dohee: ...What?]
[Uah: I do them because she likes them.]
Dohee’s pupils expanded in an instant.
[• Betrayed.]
“Whew... Uah, you startled me...”
[Dohee: No, I don’t find things that lowbrow funny either, you know? But your expression... Ye-eun unni’s jokes were a little more sophisticated...]
The scene returned to the ballroom.
The entrances continued.
[Seoyun: Here comes the bride!]
[Dohee: I told you this isn’t a wedding.]
They bickered back and forth, but then the next member entered.
And the expressions of the two—or rather, three—of them suddenly became identical.
[• The members are extremely flustered.]
[Seoyun: There was a mask like that outside...?]
[Dohee: No, where did that unni even get that?]
[Uah: Ah...]
The camera shifted slightly to the side.
─???
─Lol
─What is that lol
─What is this kid lol
The chat window began racing upward.
Another tall idol stood onscreen.
[• Who might you be?]
[Chiyo (Hahoe mask): Greetings.]
She was wearing a Hahoe mask.
[Dohee: Where on earth did she get that?]
[Uah: Wasn’t it at the dorm...?]
[Dohee: That thing?]
[Uah: We went on a school field trip to Hahoe Village last year.]
[Seoyun: ...? Then when did you go to the dorm?]
The camera zoomed in dramatically on the Hahoe mask.
The elegant chin was one thing, but Chiyo’s lips were curved into a bright smile.
The screen changed.
Chiyo and Naeun sat in the interview seats.
Naturally, the Hahoe mask had been put away.
[PD: Chiyo, do you resemble a Hahoe mask?]
[Chiyo (Hahoe mask): Yesh. I have a very smiley face.]
─She suddenly looks pretty after taking off the Hahoe mask;
─Forget the smiley face and all that, Chiyo, you’re Japanese.
─A Japanese person wearing a Hahoe mask lol
─Lol, you can tell she’s Japanese just from the pronunciation.
─This is already making my head spin.
In any case, the entrances had to continue.
There was still one member left—the leader.
[Dohee (still Dotsby): Now then, our final star! Please enter!]
As everyone rose to applaud, the final leader entered.
True to her position as leader, she wore a splendid queen mask.
Despite her shy personality, Naeun strode in with the poise and confidence of a queen.
Naeun was taking her first variety appearance very seriously.
[Seoyun: Ah, what do we do?]
[Dohee: Right?]
[Uah: Exactly...]
[Chiyo (Hahoe mask): What are you talking about?]
But the members’ applause soon came to a stop.
[Naeun: ...Guys?]
As a result, Naeun’s entrance became extremely awkward and embarrassing.
[Dohee: Ha... Dotsby failed. I’m out of character now.]
[Seoyun: Sorry, but after seeing her Hahoe mask, I can’t see your mask anymore, unni.]
[Dohee: Ah, you ruined the concept for me.]
[Chiyo (Hahoe mask): I can still do well, though?]
[Uah: Take that thing off first.]
[Chiyo (smiling face): Eh...? It’s my trademark. I don’t want to...]
As if she had no choice, Dohee moved her mask aside and walked toward the camera.
[Dohee: Forget the masquerade ball. Let’s move on to the next thing.]
Then she began the next segment.
[Dohee: Now that everyone’s entered, shall we officially begin introducing the members?]
[Seoyun: Great! Me first! Me first!]
[Naeun: ...Guys?]
[• The leader’s authority has fallen to the ground.]
Separate from leader Naeun’s increasingly tearful expression, the university student watching the variety show found herself wondering how such a lively atmosphere had formed in only a few minutes.
“Uah too, but... why do they seem so close...?”
Considering their preparation period before debut, it couldn’t have even been a full year...