Chapter 48

When the photo was uploaded to Lemon Entertainment's official SNS, we were all in the practice room, catching our breath.

We had just finished practice and were on a break.

The youngest member, who had been resting his head on my thigh, suddenly jumped up.

"Seniors! Look at this, it just went up!"

"Really? Let's see."

Like meerkats, the five of us gathered in front of the smartphone.

On the screen Jiho had pulled up, our photos were displayed on Lemon Entertainment's official SNS account.

Each time we swiped through, exclamations of amazement followed.

"Wow, we don't look like us, we look like other people."

As the youngest member said, we really did look like other people.

The people in the photos looked like young men from another world.

Jiho, with a red headband, was smiling brightly.

Ri-hyuk, with paint on his face, was sitting in front of a canvas with a sea painted on it, looking cool.

Bi-ju, holding a yellow flower, was gazing at it lovingly.

Jung-hyun, lying leisurely, was taking a bite out of a green apple.

Each of our concept shots, which brought out our individual colors, was so impressive that if I were an idol fan, I would want to know who they were right away.

"Wow, the photos are really beautiful. I'll send them to my mom, dad, and sisters later. I haven't seen such good shots of myself in the past few years."

"Jang Jiho, how do I look? Do I look good?"

"Totally, you look great. I have to admit."

"Really?"

"You look like a cool young man in the photo, which is why I like it."

The warm atmosphere of the youngest line turned into chaos when Ri-hyuk searched for "piraluku."

"Mine looks good. How about yours?"

"Looks fine. Actually, I was more worried about how our juniors would turn out. The atmosphere on the set that day was really intense."

"Everyone got a lot of criticism."

The senior line smiled calmly, as if relieved.

"Hey, the last one is a group shot with Woo-ju hyung!"

"What, why are there so many photos?"

"They're up!"

Just then, my concept shots and group shots were uploaded.

And...

Though it's embarrassing to say, my individual shot was truly the best.

"Wow..."

My younger brothers opened their mouths wide and stared at the photo.

In the photo, I was sitting on a box with purple fireworks sticking out, smiling.

It was refreshing.

Seeing that smile, which was so refreshing just by looking at it, made me feel proud.

I had tried everything to practice that expression.

From magazine photoshoots to the expressions models made while walking in bikinis.

It was definitely worth the preparation.

"I thought it was good on set, but it's really a hit."

"I keep looking at it, it's so strange."

"Exactly. How do you even make that expression?"

Ri-hyuk, who was trying to mimic the expression, made a strange face and laughed.

Feeling embarrassed, I changed the subject.

"How are the reactions to our photos?"

"For now, it's just likes. Our fans probably haven't seen it yet. It was just uploaded."

There were only about 10 likes from our fans so far.

"I'm really curious to see what happens when it spreads online. They'll probably talk a lot about Woo-ju hyung's photo, right?"

"Exactly. I'm looking forward to it."

"To be honest, even we think it's pretty good..."

As the younger brothers chimed in, I also felt a sense of anticipation.

Photos that looked good to me.

What would people comment on these photos?

* * *

After Lemon and DNS uploaded their concept shots, the photos began to appear on idol community forums.

-[Warning] Compilation of Concept Shots for Boy Groups Debuting in June

The post listed the concept shots of New Black, Street Boys, and two other groups.

-Are the Lemon guys going for a refreshing concept?

-Both groups have great concepts.

-Who's the guy with brown hair?? He's so handsome :((((

-Is this some kind of filter magic...? They didn't look like this when I saw New Black on a music show.

-Oh, they're not bad?

-You have to see it to believe it. This isn't their first profile photo.

-But they all stand out visually. Maybe because Lemon is an acting agency, they definitely picked unique members.

-When are they debuting?

-Dude, why are you only talking about New Black? Street Boys must be sad.

-You're worse for being so harsh.

-Street Boys have a strong concept, which makes them a bit scary. They all look so intense, like you'd have to pay to be their friend.

-Already, people are swooning. lol lol lol You have to see their performance.

Similar posts appeared, but most were filled with positive comments about Lemon's concept shots.

A clear win for New Black.

In a way, it was expected.

The refreshing concept of New Black was more approachable than the intense concept of Street Boys, who had a hip-hop warrior theme. Plus, the photos were taken by an excellent photographer, making them even more eye-catching.

Of course, there was a bigger reason.

-That brown-haired guy is so my type... What's his name?

-There are a lot of brown-haired guys.

-You have to be subtle. The brown-haired guy here is the one.

-The brown-haired guy.

-Why do you need to specify his name? lol lol lol

Comments started with questions about his name.

-The guy has a really unique look... I can't stop looking at him.

-I'm not sure if it's his expression, but I keep getting drawn to him.

-Wow... Look at that expression. He doesn't look like a rookie at all. He must have some experience.

-If he looks this good in photos, he'll be amazing on stage.

Praise for his expression.

But there were always keen observers.

-But he looks really familiar.

-I keep looking at him, and I think I know what it is.

-?

-It feels similar to this clip. (GIF of a model walking and smiling on a beach)

-Oh, that's it.

-lol lol lol Why is it similar?

-They look completely different.

-Their mouth shapes are similar.

-There's a similar vibe. It's like a refreshing summer feeling. They did a great job with the concept.

-This is the most refreshing concept shot I've seen from an idol.

-lol lol lol After seeing that clip, I feel like I should call him 'sister.' It keeps overlapping in my mind.

-If he were in a girl group, the older guys would go crazy.

-Agreed lol lol Why is he so pure lol lol

-There are a few posts on male-dominated forums too.

As the comments on the post suggested, the concept shot of the rookie male idol member had also made its way to male-dominated communities.

[Seon Joo's son is debuting, and his looks are amazing ㄷㄷㄷ]

-Is he top-tier material?

-Definitely.

-National top... lol I've never seen anyone like him.

-Top in a small city, maybe. Metropolitan level is iffy.

Initially, the debate was about how his looks ranked, but it quickly shifted to other topics.

-Oh, but his expression is... I don't know how to say it, but it's really good.

-Guys, if he smiles and asks for your number, would you give it to him?

-Of course.

-What are you talking about;;;

-Here, they're all about it, but in person, I might be swayed.

-lol lol lol Why are the comments like this?

-It's because of his expression. If this were a woman's photo, it would have made a lot of hearts flutter.

-Not just men, right?

-lol lol lol

The comments flooded the post, turning it into a best post, all because of the question of whether someone would give their number to such a good-looking guy.

The reason for this was Seon Woo-ju's expression.

His refreshing smile was designed to be universally appealing, and its effect was gender-neutral.

Even men found it strangely captivating.

It was an unexpected side effect for the person involved.

* * *

Eulwangri Beach.

While shooting the outdoor part of the music video, I was suffering from an unexpected pain.

"Hey! There's someone on the sand."

"Whoa, I'm being sucked in."

"Hey, isn't that the charming guy, Seon Woo-ju?"

"Hey? He's running. Catch him!"

As I ran, my younger brothers, holding mini cameras, chased me like a pack of hyenas.

"Guys! Don't run, you might get hurt! Be careful!"

Despite the staff's warnings, their laughter was evident.

They were the ones who had teased me as soon as they saw me.

I was going to lose my mind.

Well, it's good that the concept shots are getting a lot of attention.

But why did it become a topic in male-dominated communities? And then it spread back to idol communities, making things even bigger.

'New male idol making waves in male-dominated forums.jpg' kind of thing.

After that, it was all downhill.

The company teased me every time they saw me. The managers laughed. My younger brothers went crazy.

I preferred the soufflé incident.

Compared to now, being teased for mispronouncing New Black as "soufflé" was almost nothing.

Now, it's twice as bad because we've become closer.

"