There is an entertainment community template that inevitably gets posted whenever a highly buzzworthy group makes a comeback.
[What do you think of □□ group’s □□?]
A post format for reviewing a new song.
Naturally, when a group as popular as Debonair made a comeback, that template was bound to rise to the very top of the board in no time.
[What do you think of Debonair’s “SAME”?]
─No, like, the song is actually insane. Lee Dohee’s breathing sounds are legendary.
─It’s a little disappointing that it’s all in English, but seeing as it was released at 1 p.m. on a Friday, it kind of seems like they’re aiming for Billboard.
─Musically, Debonair goes beyond the typical girl group style and really feels like actual artists. Even without watching the stage, the song alone is seriously good.
─The concept is seriously something I never imagined? They really do seem one of a kind among girl groups. I’m always surprised every comeback. How do they come up with that kind of concept and atmosphere? They don’t feel like a small company group.
─I’m honestly a fan of another group, but their title tracks are always good.
No matter how good a song is, reactions and opinions usually only converge after the brain has had time to adjust to the melody—the so-called “brain-washing-in” period.
And yet the best comments were, for the most part, unanimously close to rave reviews.
That was proof that the song had firmly secured both concept and public appeal.
Perhaps that was why the word of mouth on social media and communities, starting from posts like these, made it hard to believe there had been no comeback promotion whatsoever.
[Debonair suddenly makes a comeback out of nowhere]
[Debonair’s concept is apparently Friday the 13th]
At present, Debonair’s comeback music video views were rising rapidly.
─Ahahahahahaha
─LMAO
The fans’ emotional ups and downs grew more intense.
─Seriously, I tried to hold it in, but this is just wrong.
─Do they seriously think we’re pushovers?
Just one hour earlier, before the song went up, the mood in the fan community had been on the verge of marching out in protest over the one-sided comeback announcement.
─No, seriously, how is it good every single time? The song quality is insane.
─(Proof) As soon as I heard the song, I reserved 100 albums.
─Ahahaha, now this is what you call an idol group.
─Friday the 13th concept ㅠㅠㅠ
─Is this a bipolar disorder community, by any chance?
And now they were even posting things like this, calling it a music video interpretation.
[Only now do I understand TopEast’s grand intention]
A proper interpretation hasn’t come out yet, but if you watch this music video, the concept is obviously something like bipolar disorder or dual personalities, right? Turns out the one-sided announcement was a MacGuffin that helped Airs immerse themselves in the MV more than anyone else ㅠㅠㅠ
All hail Great Emperor Topdong
─Hul ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
─Amazing (OP’s intelligence)
─Wow, I worship you.
─goat
In any case, with Airs’ hearts pounding fiercely, it was clearly a successful start.
And the one responsible for ensuring that heat did not cool easily was the agency.
TopEast.
The first move was the songwriter credits list that finally appeared on music sites about two hours after the MV release.
─Holy crap, the composer info just went up on Water Melon.
If the previous album had been meaningful because it was the first time Dohee served as the main composer and arranger for the title track,
─Honestly, I expected Dohee to participate, but still.
this time, without a single famous composer’s name like Pedro, who had worked with them before,
─??????
[Lyrics: Debonair]
[Composition: Debonair]
[Arrangement: Lee Dohee (Debonair)]
it was so simple that it hit even harder.
─So this means they all wrote the lyrics and composed it together...?
─A work made by the group?
─Holy crap, Dohee arranged it alone.
And, as expected, TopEast turned the promotional material for the song into articles.
[Debonair unveils title track “SAME” from second mini album… This time, all members participated in lyrics and composition]
[Debonair’s new title track “SAME” arranged solely by Lee Dohee… Leading their third consecutive hit]
[Debonair on why they were quiet for so long: “We focused on album production”]
Then, when evening came, they uploaded material to Debonair’s official social media according to the schedule they had announced.
It was concept photos.
From a group shot of the members wearing the colorful suits seen in the music video, to solo shots of each member making striking expressions in their own spaces.
─It was a one-sided notice, but they really do stick to the schedule... so you can’t even say anything to them...
─The output is good again. I’m making this my wallpaper.
That day’s schedule did not end there.
[DEBONAIR Debonair “SAME” MV Reaction]
At around 9 p.m., a music video reaction video from the members was uploaded as well.
And the fans found vitality there once again.
[Dohee: The melody feels so good from the start. Who on earth composed this, seriously...? (Me.)]
[U-a: I feel like the lyrics here are especially good? (I wonder why.)]
[Seoyun: This part, this part—I suddenly came up with the melody.]
Because the members kept proudly appealing themselves.
[Naeun: ...This part too, a little. (Timid appeal)]
[Chiyo: Oh, I’m totally in a bridal dress. The prettiest here.]
Above all, unusually, even after the MV reaction ended, a cookie video had been edited in as well.
It was the members chatting as they got up from their seats after finishing filming.
[Dohee: But the director really made it so well, didn’t he?]
[Naeun: Right? It’s totally amazing.]
[Dohee: But honestly, don’t you think my scenario helped a little too? The story and direction I talked about, huh?]
[Seoyun: (A very unimpressed stare)]
On one hand, it provided laughs, but on the other, it was excellent bait.
[Chiyo: If it went according to Dohee’s story, I got burned at the stake.]
[U-a: If you look at the hem of the dress you wore at the end burning? Didn’t you get burned at the stake?]
[Chiyo: Gasp...]
─ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ These girls are still joking around even after filming a reaction.
─But Dohee came up with the MV direction and story? ㄷㄷ
─The girls must have been really serious about this album...
─Director Yu Hyeongwoo filmed this MV, so even if she explained it like crap, he probably turned it into something perfectㅋㅋㅋ
And the next day, just as even that had been captured and displayed all over various communities.
[Debonair’s “SAME” enters real-time Hot 100 at No. 1 in just one day]
[Dohee says she came up with the MV story and direction herself (feat. Seoyun asking if she has no conscience)]
[Kim Chiyo: “The maknae tried to burn me at the stake”]
Debonair’s YouTube did not rest.
▷Ding!
─What is it? What went up now?
* * *
“Ah, looks like the fanchant for ‘SAME’ is up.”
Bae Hayoung naturally thought that when she heard the notification.
After all, it was customary for music show fanchants to be uploaded a day after the MV release.
But that was not it.
▷ No Hyeonseo: Hey hey, did you see what just dropped?? Holy crap, it’s so cute.
▷Cherry-nim: Guys, guys, something just dropped!!!
Even if Debonair’s fansite masters’ group chat had not made such a fuss, she would have known.
[DEBONAIR Debonair “EUPHORIA” MV]
Because the title clearly said it was a music video.
They had said the comeback was next week, so she had thought the second title track would also come out with the album release next week.
But in truth, Dohee in the thumbnail was so cute that she no longer had any room to think.
‘A check skirt and t-twintails...!’
Since she was the group’s youngest, Hayoung had thought she would naturally be in charge of cuteness and they would get to see that often.
And yet this was the very hairstyle she had refused even during their debut song,
“Born Ideals,” where she had expressed a bouncy little devil.
‘What on earth got into our Dohee...!’
Her heart already felt strained, but the thumbnail made her wonder what kind of playful cuteness Dohee would show in the video, so Bae Hayoung clicked.
And immediately, on the screen, Naeun was watching the members walking toward a maze garden from the balcony of a place that looked like an old-fashioned private school.
An intro that was the complete opposite of the song she had heard yesterday began to play.
[Hello-?]
A full electronic synth sound, without any acoustic feeling like piano or organ.
More than anything, the melody made one side of her chest tickle, paired with Naeun’s aegyo-filled voice.
[Its time to bring out our inner selves]
‘...This is totally second-gen style, isn’t it?’
How should she put it? K-pop that expressed the fluttery, cute emotions of a girl’s first love with the unique charm of second-generation idols.
[Debs, are you ready?]
It did have a slightly old-fashioned feel, enough to be called outdated.
Yesterday, they had each been wearing different colorful suits, and today they were each wearing colorful check skirts.
[Ok, then!]
And as they swayed their hips left and right, smiling more idol-like than anyone else,
[I pout for no reason, acting grumpy again
(My heart goes thump thump, why am I like this?)
Oh, since when did I see only you, you forever]
it was the kind of song that naturally made her feel good and smile.
[Your gaze is sweet again, like cotton candy
(The world sparkling inside your eyes)
Oh, I’m falling deeper, melting more and more, dot dot euphoria]
And so, even though countless locations and props subtly appeared, connected symmetrically to the previous music video,
Bae Hayoung sobbed while watching Dohee’s twin tails that made her want to bite her in adoration and her lively choreography, failing to notice until the MV ended.
Only after it ended did she finally come to her senses.
“Ah...?”
* * *
“Sigh...”
“Stop sighing already. You came all the way to the filming set.”
“See? You’re not empathizing with how I feel again, are you? You always say you’re an F, so you’re good at empathizing.”
You hypocrite.
Double-standard jerk.
Damn Seoyun.
“No, I mean, did someone else come up with the concept? You even brought lyrics specifically for Valentine’s Day, and from the start you kept emphasizing how ‘you forever’ and ‘euphoria’ rhymed so well.”
“...But honestly, the vibe was good.”
“Exactly, so just accept it. You look perfectly cute for the concept, so what’s the problem?”
“Sure~”
Meanwhile, Naeun unnie was sitting behind me, laughing as she twirled my twin tails around, saying they were cute, and that stressed me out too.
“Seeing you like this reminds me of when Dohee was a trainee. On weekends, Dohee’s mother used to tie her hair up like a complete princess before sending her off, right?”
“Yeah.”
Though I untied it all as soon as I got to the practice room.
“But Dohee, you know that with this kind of concept, this sort of cute hairstyle always gets attention, right? People will only talk about you.”
I knew it was Naeun unnie’s own way of comforting me.
Normally, if I acted like this, I would have laughed it off and said, “Is that so...?”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
But this hairstyle is not it.
I seriously feel humiliated.
“If you like it that much, unnie, you do it.”
Wow, she just left without a word.
Hypocrite. Fraud.