T.O.J, who had officially plunged into their post-debut activities, made brief appearances not only on numerous music shows but also on various other programs.
“Meeting new possibilities is always a joyful thing. And meeting a group that will let us hear new songs is truly a happy thing as well. Today, the group I will introduce is T.O.J, who appeared like a comet in the music industry, and this is Ha Yebin’s *Listen to the Song*.”
“Hello. Target of Xenon, T.O.J!”
Basic self-introduction variety shows, radio, YouTube channels, and even behind-the-scenes clips from music broadcasts.
It is an established theory that you cannot fully grasp an idol’s charm based on their on-stage appearance alone.
Therefore, to row when the water comes in, appearances on programs that filmed the members up close from their sides, showcasing each individual’s charm, were absolutely essential.
And Jucheolyeong’s reality show, which was clearly aware of that fact, had to be seen as having pulled off a proper job.
- “——!! Jesus, that’s ridiculous. Hwaseong, how on earth did you do that? I clearly hid the Spade Ace well, oops.”
- “Logan, isn’t that a curse? You cursed in English, right? It’s a curse, right? No, and who speaks so shamelessly about their own cheating like that!”
- “I… think… it will… be… bleeped… Logan hyung, please… don’t say that… from now on.”
- “No, no. Siu. This is just, like, Scout dialect. You know, there’s no way I’d say something that scary so carelessly.”
- “You… said… plenty of scary… words….”
Having stripped away provocative competition, emotional fatigue, and forced tear-jerking, Jucheolyeong’s T.O.J reality show, which took a relationship-oriented approach, was truly….
- “Hwaseongie teased you for everything up front, Yuchan hyung, but I really want to ask this. That… why did you bring a department hoodie?”
- “Hey, Chunyong. You’re too much! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t tease me? You said you wouldn’t tease me!”
- “No, but I’m really curious. Is it because you want to maintain a sense of belonging? Even from far away?”
- “Hmm, I think I know what you mean. Then I’ll suggest to the company that our team should match hoodies too….”
- “Jaeha, if you join in too, what does that make me?!”
It struck the fans’ hearts dead-on.
[TrustBangYuchanAndGoToCollege @BangbangYourchan (photo)(photo)
T.O.J’s eldest-hyung bullying form is insane. Yuchanie flustered after getting caught with the department hoodie is so cute ㅠㅠ Honestly the kids must’ve been so proud too, their team’s main vocal getting first place entering K University’s Practical Music department…
Hwaseongie looking at the hoodie on his own body is cute too ♡]
[⎿Seeing you enjoy watching your bias being treated like an idiot is f*cking hilarious lololol. Is that kind of thing fun for you?]
[⎿Yes, it’s fun. It means they’re all close. Why are you so twisted up about it? ㅠㅠ Is it that you can’t tease each other with friends? Ah, you don’t have friends… Then I understand!]
[⎿⎿Wow, BangMid Dae-nim’s aggro-catching form is even more insane]
[SiuHada @singsingull_ll11 (video)
Our darkie #Siu, who gets showered with cuteness from his hyungs and gets flustered, watch this collection ♡]
[⎿Hello, I’m Kim Seoyeon from class 1-4 of Cheongwon Elementary School, how do I download this video?]
[⎿⎿Wait, you can’t use SNS until you’re 15, how is an elementary student…?]
[⎿My older sister signed me up, is that not allowed?? More importantly, how do I download Siu’s video??]
[Neulbommireu @NBML__0412 (photo)(photo)
Yongyong introducing things he brought from home with Jaeha hyung ㅠ No, he showed a family photo and I was genuinely shocked. What kind of filial son brings a family photo to the dorm? Plus they briefly showed him on a call with his noona right after, totally a prankster second son so my heart is melting ㅠㅠㅠ]
[⎿Is he really a prankster second son? He was getting verbally beaten one-sidedly? Getting verbally beaten by his dongsaeng too?]
[⎿Shh]
[⎿⎿How is Son Jaeha listening with a completely serene expression while his dongsaengs tell him “hyung, oppa, cheer up”
idolnameisKimChunyong: < Sir, please, I heard someone tell you to work hard on face packs so you don’t get ugly]
The reason the reality show, initially planned for five episodes, was increased to six was precisely this.
People valued relationships even more than expected.
What position their idol took within the group. What manner of love they received.
However, once those aspects began to be shown to the extreme, people’s thirst would naturally grow in other directions as well.
Like how after eating lots of cake, your mouth grows sweet and you start wanting coffee.
Sure enough.
[Title: But is there no video of T.O.J kids singing or dancing during their lives?]
Unlike SNS, which aimed for exposure to uninterested people by using slightly more favorable words, such movements were slowly beginning to surface, led by communities where you had to painstakingly raise your rank just to view posts and comments.
[Okay, T.O.J kids being close and getting along well, okay. But it’s so different from AG’s previous route lolol. Wasn’t AG pushing “we compete with skill” all this time? Have they lost their初心…]
[⎿I think so too. Rather, the kids coming out on Queens this time seem to be pushed more for their skills? Is this Queens or AG~]
[They say the kids participated in album work and stuff, but there needs to be something visible. All that remains is the concept Mun Yunha made. A bit disappointing.]
[⎿Wait, is it already time to talk about being disappointed? To kids who debuted just ten days ago…? They’ve only done like 4 music show stages so far ;;]
[⎿⎿That’s because Wiz kids aren’t like that lololol. Did you see Wiz’s first live after their MV teaser dropped? They literally started in the recording studio. Their showcase the day after tomorrow is so looked forward to]
The thought that they couldn’t easily be seen by others made their words sharper.
If they couldn’t be seen, there was no need to take responsibility.
[For sure, Wiz seems to be pushing purely based on skill this time. The concept called Monochrome isn’t just like children of darkness, but dance
-song
-performance, claiming perfectionism connecting all of them lolol]
[T.O.J’s concept is good… The kids are from a survival show so their skills are okay too?? But how should I put it, seems like the disadvantages of survival shows are being highlighted too. Feels like they couldn’t prepare for long ㅠ Don’t get me wrong, I’m saying this because I like them.]
[(link) < This article was deleted but it said one of the members eliminated from Wiz’s debut team is an idol who debuted now?? After compiling info, somehow
idolnameisKimChunyong: < it’s this kid lolololol. I thought he danced well, but if they dropped him, how good are the kids in the debut team?]
And the fingers of a woman who was checking those community posts with great interest stopped at the last post.
“Ha, so f*cking rude, really….”
She, who was conquering both SNS and communities in front of her computer, gritted her teeth so hard that a grinding sound could be heard, then slammed her keyboard down with a bang.
“Crazy! How well does our Hwaseongie do? And, huh? Chu… nyongie too! Jindasol posted on Outgram that he personally participated in the choreo, so what’s the problem? What, should they do impromptu choreography on stage or something?”
Even as she vented her anger like that, her hand, which hadn’t hit the keyboard, was already diligently erasing the SNS post she had been writing.
[This week’s T.O.J reality show Spring Blossomz summary.
zip: A dongsaeng who completely plays with his hyung]
That is, a post saying this.
Bulnasseoyobul, a fan of Jihwaseong who had finally admitted to herself her fondness for Kim Chunyong.
Normally, she would lightly ignore posts with differing opinions and only say what she wanted, but there was a good reason she was erasing her SNS post today, along with a sense of defeat.
Because deep down, she somewhat agreed with what the community said.
To begin with, before crossing over to SNS with the mindset of “I will promote Jihwaseong and help him debut,” Bulnasseoyobul had been a longstanding regular on that community’s idol board.
Changing a person’s identity was no easy task.
Even though she had come to like Kim Chunyong, she still wrote posts focused on Jihwaseong, or couldn’t shake her anonymous community instincts on SNS and would speak carelessly and get cursed at, and so on.
“No, I’m the one who’s more disappointed. If you watch the videos from when Hwaseongie went to music camp before, he wrote all his own rap lyrics… This time we don’t even hear about that much. The Boyhood Ending that Logan made the main melody for was only shown once on Mumude!”
Bulnasseoyobul grumbled as she swept through SNS.
The fans were still clearly very excited over the T.O.J reality episode that had aired just yesterday.
And those kinds of posts only made Bulnasseoyobul’s mood sink further.
She got up from her computer and threw herself onto her bed, burying her face deep in her pillow, then muttered in an annoyed voice.
“No. I totally like T.O.J right now. I like them, okay? Their sales are good, their stages are good. The kids’ chemistry is good too….”
T.O.J’s first mini album [Six
-Leaf Clover]
achieved a feat of 820,000 copies, closing out its first week.
In a male idol scene dominated by Northern Grand Dukes, cyborgs, and werewolves, they certainly made their mark with a Boy Scout concept that wasn’t excessive but had a story.
Close relationships befitting survival program trainees, and solid skills as well.
However, the community post she had checked last was still floating around in Bulnasseoyobul’s head.
“Argh, they can do more, it’s just that they didn’t have enough time….”
In the fierce Idol Warring States period, catching both rabbits of “skill showcase” and “relationships” was a difficult task.
Getting one leg of the other rabbit caught in the trap was already a success; completely capturing it would definitely be a jackpot.
T.O.J was in a situation closer to the former, so in fact, it had to be seen as sufficient as it was.
However, there were people who held regrets in their hearts like Bulnasseoyobul.
No, more than that….
“Hm? What. Jindasol’s live? Tsk, since he’s handsome, should I watch it once? T.O.J doesn’t have another music show today either….”
Perhaps she should be described as someone tightly packed with the killer intent of “if you touch my team that’s already doing well just to get at me, I’ll kill you.”
- “A… nyeong, ha… seyo. Jin, dasol… imnida.”
“Damn, he talks even slower than on broadcast. How does a guy like this dance like that….”
Bulnasseoyobul, who had been letting out loose chuckles, stopped laughing in an instant.
- “To… day, I… re… ally, have a… guest, I… was looking forward to. So I… spe… cially, turned on… the… live.”
The very moment a familiar red head appeared behind Jindasol, child of darkness, in his all-black outfit.
- “—Haha, hello! Today I’m greeting you from Dasol ssaem’s practice room! It’s T.O.J’s Chunyong.”
- “Re… ally, I per… suaded him with… great… difficulty to bring… him….”
- “Haha! Dasol ssaem, no. …Dasol hyung. Why would you say that? Ah, the reason I came here today… is to film the ‘Hide and Seek’ choreography that Dasol ssaem and I created together!”
- “Hyung… yes. Be… sides that. You said… you’d do… one… more… thing….”
- “Ah, yes. That’s right. As you all know, our Logan made it! I tried creating the choreography draft for ‘Boyhood Ending.’ So I wanted to show that once with Dasol hyung too!”
- “…Awesome.”
“Wha, what! Why is Chu… nyongie appearing here! All of a sudden!”
At those words, it was perhaps only natural that Bulnasseoyobul’s sharp scream filled her room.
The Idol Warring States period, where catching even one rabbit properly was a success.
If the song is good, that’s okay for starters. If the dance and performance are good, that’s good. If the members’ chemistry is good too, that’s one rabbit.
However, the norm is that if someone scratches at you while aiming for skills and noise marketing, you pay them back.
It was the very moment the prelude opened to Kim Chunyong’s T.O.J skill showcase spectacle—a spectacle that hadn’t exactly been kneeling in search of momentum, but had now properly gained it.