The Villainous Member Has Returned! Episode 116: First, the membership cards updated on the teaser site.
The ToZ members inside the membership cards, overlaid with a hazy pinkish-brown filter, looked similar to yet different from their survival show days, driving fans past cheers to outright screams.[Neulbommiru @NBML__0412 (photo) (photo)
Everyone look at our #Chunyong's scout troop membership card photo and go ♡ The half-up hair suits him so well it physically hurts… Praise to the hair director who dyed his hair anew (clap) (clap) Need I even mention the face? Our kid is ToZ's scout team tone-setting specialist ㅠㅠ][ILikeEnglishGuys @logaaaanUKUK I really love the Logan curly perm so much. He already looked so much like a freaking puppy because of his natural brown hair, but now that his hair is all fluffy and curly he looks like a golden retriever that loves to play pranks ㅠㅠ And the native vibe is insane, seriously. Real Boy Scout (From UK) has made a splendid entrance][BangYuchanFaithGotMeIntoCollege @BangbangYourchan (photo) (photo)
I think my heart is completely shredded by Yuchani's jawline, but on top of that, a beret? A beret??? Isn't a beret originally a killer item that only the cutest member in the team can wear?
But our Yuchani is giving off sexy dynamite military vibes; what am I supposed to do with this? I won't sleep today. Yes. I'll die for you. Oppaaaah][⎿(Blocked Account) Bangmitdae, Yuchani isn't your oppa, is he? You're even older than Leopold's leader][⎿Trolls, piss off]
The refreshing quality that only a rookie on the verge of debut can possess, and the perfect conceptual style blended into it so appropriately.
Amidst it all, Jang Siu's beauty mark under his eye, Ji Hwaseong's sparkling eyes.
And the first individual teaser photos that capitalized on charm points like Son Jaeha's neat lips were more than enough to amplify people's expectations.
And how could that possibly be all?
Everyone who saw the membership cards knew it. That this was merely a trailer.
The reason Mun Yunha was able to make her name widely known as a visual director was not simply because she took good individual cuts.
Because Mun Yunha was a crazy woman who directed every single element visible to the public's eyes.
A single strand of hair falling on the forehead, the length of fingernails, even the trivial objects reflected in the eyes.
Therefore, to see the epitome of her craft, one had to look at the medium where such elements were revealed best.
Concept videos, mood samplers, and music videos that made people hit replay as if possessed.
That is, video content.
Click—The 1-minute 40-second mood sampler, with its thumbnail of an old, empty wall, began without a sound.
Whir—clack.
The moment the video was pressed, a short sound effect like a film projector rolling played, but that was all.
Yet those watching it couldn't help but feel the illusion that they were hearing sounds, without even realizing it.
Because… [Our Boyhood]
Behind those subtitles that appeared white on the screen, the first 20 seconds or so of black-and-white footage contained images of the ToZ members from when they appeared on
Days in the cramped dormitory that had never been revealed on broadcast.
Multiple hands gathered to pray in the space behind the stage. Legs trembling, a microphone in close-up.
Faces shedding tears after their debut was confirmed, and congratulatory bouquet petals falling wildly over trembling backs of hands.
Yet all of this appeared extremely briefly and concisely, giving rise to the illusion that it was like a documentary opening.
However, it is always the videos that suppress emotion and exercise restraint that resonate more deeply.[AG Hardware Store @HARDWARE_store I'm sobbing over Jaeha appearing around the 15-second mark, is this even okay? What if I get dehydrated and hospitalized after watching the rest and can't get up until ToZ's debut? Our baby is trembling, crazy… It feels like yesterday I was promoting him as '47.5 seconds left,' and now our Jaeha is right at debut's doorstep, I'm so moved][I was so immersed back then and poured my whole soul into it; now it looks like a past life ;; I prayed so hard for all the other members to get eliminated except our baby, but the other kids were desperate too][⎿No, but which of the kids on a survival show isn't desperate from the start][⎿⎿The one who came on with a fiancée, idk, didn't seem desperate. If he was, he would've broken off the engagement and come, right?][⎿No, but this is insane. Because there's no sound, I suddenly remember everything they explained in front of the kids during the announcements ㅠㅠ]
Already, that part alone had people's reactions on the verge of exploding.
This was also the reason Mun Yunha rushed the mood sampler release, cracking the whip on her team.
To remind the public of the trainees who had been momentarily forgotten due to debut preparations, nostalgia pandering was essential.
But not too much. Sophisticatedly.
The most youthful-looking among handsome faces. And the most desperate-looking among the most youthful-looking.
And by removing the sounds that burst out during those desperate moments, the viewer themselves should be made to recall those sounds.
The continued emphasis on the word "boyhood" from the beginning was an extension of that logic. Because
And, as everyone knows…
Boyhood is not eternal.
Whir—clack.
The subtitle "Our Boyhood" that had appeared earlier was erased, and slightly different text embedded itself on the screen. [Run Away form Boyhood]
And simultaneously. The screen, which had been in 35mm film camera ratio, stretched out horizontally, and the back view of someone sitting on a dirt floor appeared in the center.
Unlike the front portion where there had been no sound at all, the audio was filled with the desolate sound of wind blowing.
Crunch, crunch…
The camera stepped closer with the sound of stepping on fallen leaves, then began zooming in on each element of the seated figure.
A slightly tattered Boy Scout uniform. A puppy pendant clenched tight in the left hand.
A Boy Scout scarf tied clumsily, and gauze and band-aids stuck haphazardly on the knees.
And, as the camera slowly moved above the shoulder, just before the face was revealed. [—Whe
-re’s Xe
-ni
-a?]
Graffiti-like typography covered the Boy Scout member's face, making it impossible to be certain who the person was.
Naturally, SNS and communities exploded.[AG Hardware Store @HARDWARE_store (photo) (photo) No, how can they not show the face, I'm going crazy. Just from the jawline it looks like our Jaeha ;; Can't tell his height since he's sitting down, crazy][It'sOnFire @fireworksday Ugh, seeing how it's not blonde, it's not Hwaseong (Fire Star) lololol @AG_ent Are you really going to tease your push members like this? ㅠ How can I stan when I'm already upset even before debut ;;][⎿Sorry, but why are you overflowing with victim mentality? Jimaseu might have dyed his hair.][⎿I'm already pissed, so just go away][⎿Yep, I guess you're right that it's probably not the main character, Jimaseu. Fighting!][SiuHada @singsingull_ll11 (photo) (photo) If you rewind 0.3 seconds right before the face is covered, a blurry face comes out, right?! Doesn't that look like the beauty mark under the eye, everyone? There's only one member in ToZ with a beauty mark under his eye, haha]
While all fans rushed in, buzzing with "It must be my baby," and "How does it make sense that my baby isn't the mood sampler's protagonist?"
Even so, about 40 seconds of the video remained. [God, I need to find Xenia.]
[Before everyone arrives….]
When the Boy Scout member who had hidden his face to the very end sprang up and walked out of the frame in yellow walkers, something he had been sitting on swayed in the wind.
As the sound of wind grew louder, the camera moved faster and faster toward that something.
It was a brown map in a similar shade to the Boy Scout uniform. [Map/ Six
-Leaf Clover]
And the moment the camera captured the map's name next to the old-fashioned compass rose embedded at the top of the map. ♬♩♪— ♩♩♪…
Along with the sound of a music box turning, sentences processed in yellow like vintage movie subtitles scrolled down.
- "Ugh. It's clear someone stole Xenia. But since no one saw who took her… Goodness, this is troublesome."
- "Hmm. I don't want to say this, but… I do think one of us might have taken her. Everyone liked Xenia so much."
- "Well, finding her comes first, right? Once you start suspecting one person, it never ends. That might actually make things worse. For the record, it wasn't me. Really."
- "It’s insane. Poor Xenia. How scared must she be? We have to rescue her quickly. And let her rest with hot milk in a comfortable room. Trust me. I can definitely help."
- "It’s absurd. It’s not like I don't know how to do it. I was eyeing her too, but I didn't do it in the end. You have to have a conscience."
- "When Xenia disappeared, I was in the room, resting… —— said they played guitar for a bit, uh. And —— said they went to get firewood for the campfire. …I don't know."
Sentences that looked like a short discussion on the teaser site's ongoing theme: "Who Stole the Dog."
However, the fans—
No, the fans with a clear bias, or those who had watched the ToZ members in
And so, the puzzles in everyone's heads clicked perfectly into place, just as the ever-playing music box sound was reaching its end.
The screen switched quickly, and an old group photo was plastered on the log wall that had also appeared in the thumbnail.
Bang Yuchan, Son Jaeha. Kim Chunyong and Ji Hwaseong, Logan and Jang Siu.
Beneath the image of them smiling brightly with their arms around each other, the following words were stamped.[Six
-leaf Clover Scout Forever]
[D-24 ToZ (Target of Zenón) - 1st mini album 'Six
-leaf Clover' Title "Hide and Seek" release]
Before people could even finish reading that text, the screen went black.
The 1-minute 40-second mood sampler drew its curtains just like that, together with the title track's name.