#predebut project

[1eos]

vixx is leo's predebut project bc "voice, visual, value in excelsis" fits no one except him

YOU UNDERSTAND. me presenting this ask as major evidence when i go to trademark court to get vixx officially renamed to leo and the leoettes

[linggluu]

I heard rumours that 时代峰峻 is planning to debut a 3rd group? is that true? (ps. I'm the same anon who has been spamming your inbox with questions about tfboys/tnt every now and then for the past couple of years lol, the reason why I'm on anon is because I'm too shy to post from my main blog + I don't really talk about fan stuff on my main blog. if you don't mind I'll sign off my asks with this emoji 🤍 so you'll know it's me whenever I pop by)

lolol no worries!

And yeah, the batch of 3rd generation trainees are about to debut this summer. Currently, their predebut name/debut show is called Transform Project , it's already on youtube :D

[thisloveforyourmom]

the loona situation

there are some things that i think need to be said in the wake of the dispatch chuu article, and that i haven't seen anyone else directly address.

tldr for those who didnt see: loona had a system with blockberry where they shared costs equally, but revenue 70-30 in bbc's favor. this means that if the cost was $100, and the revenue was $100, loona and bbc each paid $50, but bbc earned $70 and loona earned $30, so loona went $20 more in debt to bbc despite the project recouping all of its expenses. these numbers only get worse the higher the cost/revenue ratio is. loona even pays bbc if there is zero revenue, because they get loona's portion of the cost.

functionally, this means that loona stays in debt. forever. according to bbc's numbers, the loona members - even after all of loona's successes and the fact that it makes a net gain now - are all still around $150,000 in debt to the company after 5 years. this is in addition to the other abuses standard to the idol industry, like starvation and mental abuse.

what i want to talk about is this: a series of facts.

1. many of the girls' families were concerned about the promises bbc made to their trainees and thought loona was a scam at best and a trafficking scheme at worst.

2. yves was promised debut within weeks of joining bbc. olivia hye trained for one day. loona 1/3 was flown all over the world for teeny tiny teaser videos. all of this was pre-debut. many of them talk about it seeming too good to be true.

3. go won and olivia hye have admitted they were already starstruck by older members of loona like heejin before even considering joining bbc. they saw their ads at the bus stop on the way to school. they wanted badly to be friends with them.

4. all contracts are individual. any revenue from one girl was given solely to her and applied solely to her own debt.

4a. chuu is the only member who's escaped her trainee debt. her revenue was not applied to anyone else's debts.

6. when a member is in debt to the company at the end of her contract, she can be compelled to renew to pay it back.

7. loona had the most expensive predebut in kpop history.

8. of the 12 members, only haseul, vivi, jinsoul, and yves were over south korea's age of majority — 19 in international age — when they debuted.

8a. of these 4, only vivi, jinsoul, and yves were 20. haseul had turned 19 less than four months ago. 9. kim lip was 18 when she debuted with 'eclipse.' chuu was 18 when she debuted with 'heart attack.' choerry was 17 when she debuted with 'love cherry motion.' go won was 17 when she debuted with 'one and only.' hyunjin was 16 when she debuted with 'around you.' olivia hye was 16 when she debuted with 'egoist.' heejin was 15 when she debuted with 'vivid.'

9a. yeojin was 14 years old when she debuted with 'kiss later'.

i'm begging at this point.

do not support loona's next comeback.

[daichiduskdrop]

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚⋆·˚ ༘ *𝙎𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 ⋆·˚ ༘ *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Chapter 25

Pairing: BTS Ot7 X fem! reader

Genre: A/B/O AU, Fluff, Angst, Strangers to lovers,

Warnings: none :)

Words: 3736

Taglist:@thelilbutifulthings @ilovemoneymorethenmen @singukieee @cherrysainttt @felicityroth @mageprincess7 @lucis-noctiana @danielle143 @osakis-gf @girl-nahh @vintageoldfashion @neverthefirstchoice @juju-227592 @silentreadersthings @i-have-no-life-charlie @everyonehatesshani @iamkookiesforyou @dragons-flare @fangirl125reader @roseidol @frieschan @popcatx0 @liz67900 @exfolitae

Previous:

⋆·˚ ༘ *ੈ✩‧₊˚˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚˚ ✩‧₊˚⋆·˚ ༘ *

Your cheeks heated up, your smile was soft and sweet on your lips. Yoongi's grip tightened on your palm, his fingers holding yours sincerely.

Namjoon smiled to himself, glad to know his pack was doing so well. The alpha wished to have an omega to take care of for so many years—pretty much since their pack was formed during their predebut.

And now that they finally had you, the packalpha was ready to spoil you. He would make sure you were always taken care of.

You would get only the softest blankets to cuddle up with—none that would itch or scratch your skin. The food they would make for you would be the tastiest they could ever manage, the meat always cooked well through to ensure no risks.

Nothing too chewy or crunchy, so your jaw wouldn't hurt from anything. They would make sure you had enough of everything under the sun and would always be protected and cared for.

While it wasn't that unusual for omegas to cook for their packs, it wasn't too abnormal for alphas and sometimes betas to fully do so instead.

The kitchen could be dangerous, and they didn't want you to get hurt. Plus, if something goes wrong, you might get stressed out, and they didn't want that to happen either.

Namjoon was sure you were a great cook, though, and so an idea for a cooking RUN BTS episode popped into his head, with you participating.

Oh, he could already just imagine—it would be for baking, a silly competition using random gadgets their staff would order for them, and whoever made the better pastry would win.

The packalpha was no professional in the kitchen, that's for sure, but he got a bit better over time. All of his packmates were still more skilled than him, that's certain.

It would all depend on how the meeting with the management goes today, and he can't get his hopes up like this. Namjoon knew you would make a nice first impression deep down; you made a great impression on him the first time he saw you.

Remembering the moment of how small and fragile you looked- oh, the packalpha could hear himself practically cooing if he thought of it any longer.

The way you entered their lives, triggering their alpha needs that have been tucked away for so long, had them wrapped around your tiny finger right away.

Scrolling through the many available radio stations they had recently purchased, he selected the one that seemed the most suitable, named Staticooll, the alpha's smile was dry at the play of words.

Switching it on, the simple conversation of two people flowed through the vehicle, the alphas quieting to hear better.

 

„-cial season, isn't it? Speaking of which, have you had a chance to visit any of the amazing Christmas markets around Seoul this year? A few of them had already opened!”

„Absolutely, Ji-hoon! The Christmas markets in Seoul are absolutely magical. One of my favourites is the Seoul Christmas Festival at Cheonggyecheon Stream. There's something so festive about strolling along the stream, browsing through the stalls, and sipping on hot chocolate while Christmas carols fill the air. It's such a delightful experience.”

„That sounds absolutely delightful, Eunji! I can just imagine the twinkling lights and the joyful atmosphere. Now, let's talk about your music. Any new songs or exciting projects that you're working on that we can look forward to?”

„I'm glad you asked! I'm actually releasing a new single next week called "Winter's Melody." It's a heartwarming ballad that captures the essence of the season—a blend of love, hope, and the joy of being together. I'm so excited to share it with everyone, and I hope it becomes the soundtrack for many cherished memories this winter.”

„Oh, that sounds absolutely enchanting, Eunji! I can't wait to listen to "Winter's Melody" myself. Will you be performing this song or any other winter-themed tracks at any upcoming events?”

„Yes, I will be performing "Winter's Melody" live at the Winter Sparks Concert happening at Olympic Park this Saturday. It's going to be an amazing night filled with incredible performances by various artists. I invite all of you to join-”

„I never heard of this singer; what's their name again?” Jimin asked from the backseat; the song's name was not familiar with him either.

„Me neither, do you think their song will be the next trend? Ah, I want to listen to it.” Jungkook whined softly. While the alpha was quite on point with the newest trends, he himself was on TikTok quite a lot; he truly never heard of the singer on the show.

„I'm sure they will play it soon, oppa.” You said gently, looking behind yourself, the three youngest alpha's eyes set on you. They watched you fondly, only leaning over to ruffle your hair gently.

The car ride continued peacefully, with the host and the singer talking about many things. It was a calm radio station, obviously meant to not scare and unsettle any omegas with how the songs they played sounded.

The pack members were glad you seemed to enjoy it, happy that the purchased monthly subscription didn't go to waste.

„Sunny? Baby, come here.” Hoseok whispered softly, pulling you closer to himself. Yoongi shot him a disapproving glance but let him be. They agreed to share after all.

Holding onto both of the alpha's hands, he looked into your eyes for a second or two. Sighing, his chin ran over the top of your head, his scent still carrying a worried undertone.

„Baby, listen to Alpha explain now, okay? There's a lot of bad people out there, you know that, hm? We are known quite a bit, especially around Korea, and it's very scary for us to have you go around and see strangers. I know you mean well, and my heart,...

Just, sunny-bub, baby, please be more careful.”

Hobi had a hard time explaining what he wanted to say and understood that his message didn't come across perfectly how he wanted it to. But he was sure you understood at least a bit.

Sure, it was just the police officers today, but it could have been practically anyone behind the doors. And having you go to open the doors so quickly truly scared the man.

They didn't want you to get hurt; their hearts were practically beating to protect you from any possible harm.

„I kno-know Hobi, and I'm sorry... I'll go with one of you next time, okay?” You said, meaning your words. You knew where the man's worry was coming from, and you felt your heart flutter at the thought of them worrying about you.

Pulling you close to himself, his lips brushed up against the top of your head. Breathing out a soft thank you, the alpha scented you slightly before tucking you back in with the blanket.

The rest of the car ride was mostly calm. Yoongi spoke softly to you about what other music styles you liked, encouraging you not to worry about anything.

He could sense you were scared about what they would think, and while music certainly was a big part of their lives, they didn't feel the need to judge any of your opinions.

Soon, you all arrived at the Hybe building, with Jin driving towards the security entrance to the underground parking lot. Showing the man at the booth a card, the officer opened the bar, and the vehicle went through, the surroundings now darker.

Parking at a reserved spot, the car stopped rumbling, and you all started climbing out. Gently taking the blanket from you and folding it up into his bag, Yoongi smiled gently at you, unclipping the seatbelt before he helped you climb out.

You tightened the grip on the alpha's hand, worried after being in such an unknown environment. You didn't truly register that you would be going here today, and so you weren't sure what to expect.

Clinging onto the alpha's seemed like a safe bet, though.

He didn't seem to mind, pulling you closer to himself, his arm gently rubbing up and down your back, the puffer jacket crinkling.

The others soon noticed your unsettled and worried scent; the first to hop over was Taehyung, his hands taking in your cheeks as he watched you closely.

„Aigoo, babycheeks, don't worry, okay? Alpha's are here, baby." He whispered to you softly, his voice deep and rumbly.

Leaning close to you, his nose gently touched yours, a sweet bunny kiss shared between the two of you.

Taking your other hand in his, at the called-out command "let's go, you guys, we are already late", you all started moving towards the entrance.

Jin pulled out an ID card, letting it scan before the doors opened up, allowing you to all enter. You were met with a clean staircase and an elevator; the alphas ushering you inside once it opened.

You never did too well with closed spaces, but this one was larger than the usual elevators you've seen.

Still, you moved closer to Taehyung, the alpha understanding quickly before his arms gently pulled you to himself.

„You're okay, baby; Alpha is here now." He murmured, and all of you quickly moved up to one of the highest levels of the tall building.

With the doors opening with a soft ding, Namjoon led the way, your small group mingling through the hallways, many offices and doors lining the way over.

There weren't many workers you met on your way, but you all saw a few. They wore dark clothes and an obvious ID tag hung up on their necks that moved whenever they would bow to the packmembers.

They would eye you weirdly, usually looking back at you once the packmates passed by after they shared their own short greetings.

You looked back yourself, unsure as to what to do. Going to do your usual habit of picking on your fingers, you realised you couldn't, since your hands have been tightly nested in the palms of the two alphas.

Still, you turned your head to look back, noticing the quite nasty and confused state you received from the short-bob hairstyle girl.

You didn't get to do anything before Jimin gently positioned your head to stay forward, his smile sweet, calming you a little from your suddenly worried state.

„Don't worry, princess. Keep your head up, precious; Alphas will take care of everything, my sweet baby.” He whispered, being mindful not to talk too loudly.

 Opening the doors for all of you, Hobi held them as your group entered, Namjoon at the front. Everyone was already sitting around the long table, but once you arrived, they were quick to stand up, bowing and politely greeting all of you.

While you stood a little astonished and suddenly even shyer than before, a man was quick to stand up and greet you individually.

You didn't dare to look up, your hands abandoning the alpha's in slight emberassment. You weren't sure if showing skinship in here was okay.

„Hello, Miss L/N, my name is Sejin, and I'm one of the main managers from HYBE for the group. It's good to finally meet you.” His voice was heavy, and the man was obviously tired.

You could smell that he was an alpha himself, therefore making you more timid and shy if that was even possible. You didn't dare shake his hand, only whispering out soft greetings yourself.

Taking your hand in his right hand, Jungkook led you over to the table, pulling out the chair for you and letting you take a seat first before he sat down next to you.

The young alpha grasped your hand right away, your fingers locking with his under the table as he leaned close to your ear.

„You're doing great, baby. Alpha is very proud of you, my bunny.” A wide, toothy grin took over his face, your eyes shooting up to his for only a millisecond.

The man felt worry deeply swarming under his skin at how your eyes looked. Wide and almost teary, you truly looked like a small, timid bunny kit sitting next to him and Jin on your other side.

„Okay, let's just get this done and over with; we are already behind on the schedule. So you guys have started courting Miss L/N?”

Another man, his voice younger, asked the group. You didn't look up in case you made any unintended eye contact; your usual worry was coming back to you.

„Yes, we want her as a part of our pack, as our mate.” Namjoon answered simply, stating the truth. You felt your cheeks heat up slightly at how blatantly he addressed it. He was talking about marking and mating with you, after all!

„...Right. And can you all just once again tell me who this even-" The other manager didn't get to finish; a low rumble sounded through the room, his snarky tone cut off.

„That's our 'mega." Yoongi's words sounded so cold and heartless, you felt a chill run down your spine. Jungkook's fingers tightened at yours, and when you looked up, you could see his jaw clenching—you thought he might just about break it.

The room fell quiet for a few seconds; a stare off was held between the pack members and the manager.

„Okay. I trust you guys will choose the right one. I've prepared the NDA to be signed, so if you would be so kind, miss, and go through it to see if everything is to your liking, We will need a few details about you too.” 

The manager, Sejin, as you remembered his name, seemed to have taken a slight pity on you, noticing your shaken-up form.

He slid a file of papers stapled together, and you thanked him quietly as you went to look through the long documents. Jin and Jungkook are leaning close to you, reading it with you.

 

NDA (non-disclosure agreement)

This NDA is made and entered into as of the date set forth below, by and between HYBE, a S. Korea's corporation, with a principal place of business located at 42, Hangangdae-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea, referred to herein as "Discloser," and L/N F/N, with a principal place of business located at Y/A, referred to herein as "Receiver."

 

Whereas the discloser is the owner of certain valuable and confidential proprietary information, including but not limited to trade secrets, processes, formulas, product designs, market strategies, and other valuable information related to its business operations,

 

Whereas the recipient desires to receive access to such confidential information in the course of conducting business or for any other purpose,

 

Whereas the discloser and receiver desire to protect and safeguard the confidentiality of such proprietary information,

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and covenants contained herein and other good and valuable considerations, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:

 

1. Definitions.

"Confidential Information" means all present and future, written or oral, technical or non-technical information, or data, relating to Discloser's company, products, processes, and/or information, including (without limitation) trade secrets, business plans, strategies, systems, software, research and development, financial information, customer lists, and supplier and customer information, which is disclosed by Discloser to Receiver during or following any discussion between the Parties.

"Discloser's Confidential Information" means all Confidential Information of the Discloser that is disclosed or made available to the Receiver pursuant to this Agreement.

 

2. Confidentiality.

The receiver agrees that the confidential information received from the discloser is highly confidential and will be maintained by the receiver in the strictest confidence. The receiver shall not disclose any confidential information to any person or entity, except to such of its directors, officers, employees, and/or consultants as may be required for the performance of the receiver's duties hereunder and who shall be required to keep the confidential information confidential. The receiver shall not make any use of confidential information of a commercial or competitive nature (other than for evaluating the feasibility of doing business with the discloser).

 

3. Return of Confidential Information

The recipient agrees that it shall not copy, reproduce, or remove any confidential information from its offices, and at the termination of this agreement, it shall return...

You felt like you didn't even understand half of these words. You never had to sign a contract like this in your entire life, logically, and you didn't really ever get to work except for small part-time jobs you would keep from time to time.

It wasn't like you would ever have the opportunity to get a job anyway; with you being an omega, it would be complicated.

You read through the whole stack of papers within the few next minutes, providing your ID and full name so the managers could get in touch with the police and get your full criminal records—there wasn't anything to really look at, though.

Jin would, from time to time, let his chin rest on top of your head, his own eyes tearing up slightly, his arms wrapping around you as much as he could in the current situation.

He felt his heart breaking at the things you had to agree to. Of course, it was a standard process for all of their staff members, and they had to sign such contracts all the time.

But having you sign that you wouldn't even get to talk to your friends about things you did with them? Something so absolutely normal and even considered necessary, in his opinion, for an omega to do?

You needed to have social contacts with other people, and the alpha didn't want you to have to cut off all of your social life because of them. What about that Yuki boy they met at the mall? Would you not be able to be friends with him because of their jobs?

With more and more worried thoughts clouding his mind, he sighed out once again, seeing you file in the list of required information from you.

You stopped at the address link; the pen handed to you by the managers stopped its smooth movements; you had pretty and sleek handwriting, the alpha noticed.

It probably had to do something with you drawing and painting your entire life, but nonetheless, it was so easy to read and pretty to look at.

„Sh-should I write my apartment address or yo-yours, oppa?” You whispered out softly, your fingers shaking lightly.

Jungkook looked up from the paper he was currently rereading, a small frown on his face as he leaned over to look at what you had struggled with.

„Sejin-hyung, the address should be ours or her own apartment?” The alpha didn't hesitate to ask, and the older man looked up from the notebook.

„You can write both.” Nodding timidly, you scribbled down the address of your place, letting Jin whisper the exact number of the street of their own softly.

You wrote out quite a lot of things: your full contact details, your previous pack name, your family pack name's (even though those were technically the same), your date of birth, your whole employment history, and the place of your occupations. There was a lot to do.

And with how long it was taking, it was only natural for someone to knock on the doors and ask for the alphas—they had a busy schedule today after all.

Whenever one of them would leave, either to go record a song, go to a dance practise, or just to have a meeting about their upcoming solo music, the alphas would make sure to tell you the most proper goodbyes.

Crouching on the floor next to you, Jimin found your soft hand, his fingers wrapping around yours. He held worried eye contact, smiling softly at you.

„Stay close to your alphas, my princess, okay? We will talk later, baby. Call me if you need anything. Alpha loves you precious, lots and lots.” He kept his words quiet, wanting you to understand they were meant for you and no one else in the room.

With his lips brushing against your forehead in a quick peck, he pulled away to leave himself. By now, you were in the room with only Namjoon, Jungkook, and Taehyung, though the second youngest was preparing for his own meeting that would happen only in a few minutes.

You finished the paperwork in a few minutes after he left, with Namjoon and Jungkook staying close with you the whole time, helping you whenever you weren't sure what exactly was requested from you.

Finishing with a signature from you and the main manager, the man then looked over everything, his eyes taking notice of your being an art student.

„You draw? You must be clever, then. Do you have a photo of some of your work?” He asked, the man warming up slightly to you over the time with you there. It has taken quite some time for you to read through everything, after all.

Fumbling with yourself, you took out your phone, going to the gallery. Before you slid over the cracked device for the man to look through, the album named 'Portfolio' opened.

Sejin wasn't so sure about everything when Namjoon and Yoongi came to tell him about starting the courting process. He was worried, naturally, that you might take advantage of them over time, but with how sweet and timid you looked, he felt reassured.

You were a sweet omega after all, and with how you had the packmates at your feet, quite literally, he knew you wouldn't do them much harm in the future.

„You are talented for sure. Good job!” Smiling widely, he placed your phone back on you, having you thank him for his kind words again.

It didn't take much longer before he was telling you all goodbyes, the other managers politely adding to the words as you all piled into the clean meeting room.

Just as the doors closed, you were immediately held against a chest, your body tightly gripped as the alpha's chin went over the top of your head, holding you close.

With Jungkook carefully hugging you from the back, you let yourself be held by the two alphas, their own chins and cheeks running over your head as they scented you.

„Alpha is so, so proud of you, my pup. You did so well."

„Such a good girl, babybun. Alpha's good 'mega.”

⋆·˚ ༘ *ੈ✩‧₊˚˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚˚ ✩‧₊˚⋆·˚ ༘ *

Next:

[atiny-for-life]

Creative Spotlight Masterlist - All of Ateez's Solo Projects

Ateez's Full Storyline Explained

Ateez's label, KQ Entertainment - Everything you need to know.

With so many new Atinys coming in, I figured now would be a good time to shed some light on all the boys' creative solo projects over the years, big and small. Click on the name to get to the post (all posts will remain updated whenever a new project is released!):

Hongjoong

Seonghwa

Yunho

Yeosang

San

Mingi

Wooyoung

Jongho

While you're at it, here are some lesser known group projects:

Up here, we've got their first ever predebut original song, and down here their appearance as a dance crew in a Bibi collab (center Jongho!):

In 2019, they also covered Block B's Very Good in suits (back then, their performances still had to be short so it's not a full cover but they brought the energy):

In 2020, all KQ artists collabed for a fun little Christmas/New Years song and it was glorious (they devided by roommate-arrangements so we got Yunsan in gaming gear, Woojongsang being goofballs and Matz dancing like grandparents at a wedding while Mingi was on hiatus):

[okmgi]

​‎‎ ✦✦✦  ‎ ˖     www     ﹑     ..     ❙❘❙❚❙❘❙❙❚❙❘❙❙❘❙     𝚜͟𝚢͟𝚗͟𝚘͟𝚙͟𝚜͟𝚒͟𝚜͟     ﹖ your job as guardian seems to vary in tasks depending on what your bosses have in mind. this time, you find yourself playing detective as you're tasked with finding the source of a glitch on the normal network and destroying it. as your investigation goes on, you’re forced to grapple with the meaning of your own existence. it doesn't help the local rebels are hellbent on waking up the world—you included—adding yet another variable into what was supposed to be an easy job. despite these new emotions, there's one question you know you ( and maybe even the rest of this world ) deserve an answer to: if the voices in the signal knew the ai would deem humanity defective, why would they build it?

before normal network, there's uReEL – a predebut project managed by sweet devil's center and creative director, dalri, under the company yr3000. uReEl was expensive as it was ambitious featuring vlogs, behind the scenes content, the creative process of their predebut albums, unedited dance practice videos, interviews with other trainees, and personal information of the members were uploaded to peterpan which functioned as the in universe website the uReEL members visited themselves.

for users to access the website, they'd have to answer yes or no to the question  aRe u also LoSt? if someone said no, even as a joke, their ip adress was banned while users who said yes were able to fully navigate the site.

uReEl went on to be a hit domestically even being talked about outside of the kpop sphere. peterpan became a hub for teenagers and young adults with the site eventually implementing a for you section featuring chatrooms, forums, and even minigames. it would gain traction overseas when youtubers uploaded videos of themselves accessing "kpop's dark web" — a name given to peterpan after users reported scary video clips and the members begging users to help them.

though dalri's earlier career as a girl group member helped uReEl, the predebut lineup also aided in the project's success. taoyi huang, haeyoung choi, hyosung kim, dewi liz, naza kalhor, and roshni deniz have lived in the public's eye since their were kids. their infamy landed cameos in music videos, minor tv roles, and even offers from kpop's big three. the six together have always boasted a strong friendship with many wondering if the friend group hangs out just for clicks and followers.

but the six wouldn't hold the public's attention for long. eventually eyes would shift from to the final two of uReEl: jc and saint — the adoptive younger siblings of dalri. unlike the other members, virtually no information exists of the two siblings. even dalri has refrained from sharing anything but a name and a birthday for the two. the anonymity would bring in questions, but their unknowability would keep them popular.

fans eagerly hoped for the eventual debut of uReEl, but that day never came. it would be announced that the predebut project had been moved to seven seasons ( later kq ) after a falling out between dalri and yr3000. sometime after, uReEl's members would be shuffled into kqrew and kqfellas with the company's hope of debuting the girl group, wendy, and the boy group, ateez. however, internal conflict would cause wendy members as well as haeyoung and hyosung to return to yr3000. their departure would spark rumors of a falling out between the trainee team—one that followed them well into their debut years.

for jc and saint, they'd stay signed to kq eventually debuting as the ateez unit, normal network. a video game in one universe and a website in the other, normal network combines the best of uReEl with the best of ateez with the unit still being overseen by dalri. since its conception, jc and saint have rarely interacted with their main group fueling the rumors of infighting. come 2023, jc would finally join promotions for bouncy while saint entered a hiatus for personal reasons.

for fans of normal network ( usually shortened to normal ) the mystery of jc and saint goes hand in hand with that of the lore. nicknamed kpop's webstars, the mystery may spark their appeal, but the likeability of normal network and the combined talents of the siblings have always kept the audience wanting more and more.

company: kq entertainment

debut date: november 24, 2018

debut album: bIrth Of thE InnErwEb

fandom: atiny

concept: cyberpirates, fate vs fatalism, i know something you don't, the lesser evil, whatever else atz got going on

genre: kpop, hyperpop, tehcno, hip hop

[ferie-anon]

Wayv dissection of birth-chart (Big 5 placements)

Note: Wayv’s group synastry is very compatible or balanced in a way, which also makes sense why their teamwork is great and their bond as a family.

Kun: January 1st 1996

Capricorn sun • Taurus moon • Capricorn mercury • Aquarius venus • Capricorn mars

With a capricorn stellium in his big 6, he rlly embodies the discipline and maturity of that energy, him being the leader and also caring for the members like a dad. He is strict yet knows when to have fun or let the members fool around, as his taurus moon paired with his capricorn sun makes him more chill yet draws the line at certain things. The way he conveys himself and leads is evident in his capricorn mercury, as he is responsible and practical. The members trust and rely on Kun for his reliability and sense of responsibility.

Ten: February 27th 1996

Pisces sun • Gemini moon • Aquarius mercury • Aries venus • Pisces mars

Chaotic energy and creativity 100x in his big 6 lol. He has a lot of ideas and creative vision that he can unleash thru projects such as his solo songs, his dance, and on top of that he can draw and etc. He’s also witty, sassy, and can make a killer comeback line, which Ten having all the star quality to capture the public’s attention. He does well on variety shows with tidbits and tea on other members which helps with the comedic timing of things. His placements also make sense for his free-spirited nature, how he follows his heart and has so many creative ideas to go with. He goes with how he feels on how to artistically convey the songs, appeal to the audience, and that makes him a great artist in the idol industry. A strong breeze thru kpop industry is wut Ten is.

Winwin: October 28th 1997

Scorpio sun • Virgo moon • Scorpio mercury • Sagittarius venus • Sagittarius mars

Quiet yet hardworking and sharp, Winwin is adored for how hard he works for what he is passionate for (eg. Acting, performing in nct). Also pretty witty and sarcastic with his wayv members and nct. He wants to show his mature and cool sides a lot but also he is seen as endearing and adorable on the way he practices and tries earnestly. Sagittarius venus and mars individuals are naturally athletic and have a knack for dancing and learning the key points of dance moves, it can explain why winwin is rlly good at dancing and grooving, plus predebut he was in a dance school in china I believe. His sag mars makes sense for why he delves into multiple hobbies or interests, this can be expressed thru his career or as a side-skill he would develop. Its probably why hes interested in acting career too. With his scorpio sun and virgo moon perfectionistic yet passionate nature, he’s able to express his artistic and musical expression and perfect it naturally.

Xiaojun: August 8th 1999

Leo sun • Cancer moon • Cancer mercury • Virgo venus • Scorpio mars

Sensitive yet thoughtful, he is usually the one receiving pranks and jokes from the other members yet he has a high eq (emotional intelligence) and the members usually joke with him becuz he’s quite expressive and they like seeing his reactions. He’s understanding and thinks about things genuinely which is why he can get worked up sometimes but in a endearing way to fans. He cares for his members and is very pure in the sense he does his best with passion and love, performing and singing - he’s good at expressing or getting into emotions (leo sun and cancer moon) which is why he also acted in a c-drama. Since he’s good at expressions and etc, when he’s performing his stage presence and key moves are very eye-catching.

Hendery: September 28th 1999

Libra sun • Taurus moon • Libra mercury • Leo venus • Sagittarius mars

His big 6 screams chaotic energy and expressiveness. He has a lot of fun or ideas in him which he can bring to light on stage and thru other creative endeavors. With his taurus moon paired with his libra sun, he may be grounded depending on his environment as seen between interactions with wayv vs. other nct units. He was more shy or quiet when with the other nct units during make a wish promotions and etc since that was the first the wayv members were introduced to the nct units comebacks. He is understanding and conscious of how to interact and once navigating the waters he’ll adapt and show himself more. His comedic timing is gold with libra mercury + leo venus + sag mars, so making other people laugh and being dramatic is his love language in a way. He is witty, knows when and wut to say, overall the spot of entertainment. He goes with the flow at times and hits up with a comedic line or dialogue that matches up with the situation or mood.

Yangyang: October 10th 2000

Libra sun • Pisces moon • Scorpio mercury • Scorpio venus • Virgo mars

All rounder prankster maknae is wut his big 6 screams. Yangyang being a libra sun with water energy of scorpio and a pisces moon makes him very creative and passionate. His pisces moon makes him sensitive to others reactions or aware of it, he’s understanding and receptive of others reactions and dynamics. His scorpio mercury paired with his pisces moon makes him playful and loves to joke with his loved ones, whether thats thru witty lines or roasting them. His scorpio mercury paired with his sun and moon placement makes him inquisitive and one to get to the bottom of things if he wanted to, which can contrast his duality of being playful and all but then he can be very “sharp” when focused on something. His venus and mars placement would further refute his work ethic with his attention to detail and organized approach paired with passion and drive to complete something when he wants to, whether thats thru solo projects, dance performances, etc. Yangyang puts his all, passion, thru wa lot of things, which is why he can rap, dance, and sing — and works to hone his skills which is why he’s well rounded in most of the skills an idol needs.

[dulcebot]

DON'T GIVE ME IDEASSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and when hiraeth releases their final mini album before a year long hiatus or more so poppy can focus in her health + kaia can do her own things + yvan can do musicals and do whatever projects they want because in the dulceverse yvan will be glinda for wicked instead of ari bc i can do whatever i want this is my silly universe and i can do whatever but two months in and vivi's rent is due and the lights are flickering and the eviction notice is at the front door and none of the girls are answering her calls despite them being together at poppy's vacay home in lake como so she had ONE chance and ONE dream she had NO OTHER CHOICE so she got out a dusty and retired angel of the season project and got these three talented girls from diff companies that she's been eyeing to be hiraeths little sister unit and it's all fun and games until the new girlies don't do good because there will never be another hiraeth / another kaia poppy and yvan and they have a lot to carry on their shoulders even during predebut and there's a lot of self doubts and hesitance and insecurity and tension between vivi and even themselves and it becomes a really big problem where they don't stand each other or just refuse to understand each other and it will be a story of them slowly becoming and understanding that they are their own person, either alone or together as they try to carry on a legacy even when they are not hiraeth they are THEMSELVES!

LORE SPEAKING they were born / created by "mother" the exact day each seasonal angels broke their own loop by eating their forbidden fruit = giving into temptation and they are little angels who were born to parallel hiraeth as hiraeth weren't "pure" anymore but ffs the little sisters wanted to be like them wtf....... and then they were left behind in celestias castle or palace i don't remember what it was and they hold some kind of grudge because why did they leave and not us?! why did they not took us with them?! but eventually hiraeths doctrine cult like messages gets to them and they are not ready to break their loop but instead they start shaking things up in celestia's castle palace whatever and being a pain in the ass for "mother" because they are sharing to other angels that they could be and do more outside mothers doctrine and this even makes the little sisters realize that they are their own person/angel and they are not the seasonal aengels as much as mother wanted them to be and maybe they start their own "cult" and its not like "mother" can force them to leave celestia because they are perfect w no sins!

[grlthngs]

✩࿐ GIRL THING is a four-member girl group under catchfly creative. consisting of DOAH, HYEIN, LI, and JINA, the girls were revealed over the course of four months. one by one, a member was revealed each month with a series of content – including her very own single album – introducing each member and her signature style to the public.

alongside the style-defining single album, various content was produced to help introduce each member to fans. fashion magazines were produced to further explore each girl's signature style, alongside documentary-style interviews to make the fans feel closer to each member. extensive profiles were included in each magazine to introduce each member's signature symbol, color, and nickname. in a press release explaining the predebut project, catchfly creative explained the intention behind the group was to "encourage girls to explore their own signature style" by showcasing four girls with unique, individual styles. they further explained that they "hoped everyone could find themselves within one of the members" and that GIRL THING strived to show how "four different girls could blend beautifully as one."

throughout their career, each girl has maintained the same "signature style". their dedication to the "individualist" concept has led to the group garnering a significant amount of akages and antis. fans of the group accuse catchfly creative of not doing much to "prevent" the intensity of solo stanning within the fandom. in fact, many speculate this is the outcome catchfly intended as solo schedules and comebacks are often prioritized over full group activities. solo comebacks often have longer albums, longer promotional periods, and member-specific merchandise is higher quality and in variety compared to the merchandise available for the group as a whole. speculation has risen in recent years as to whether or not the "styles" the girls represent are truly what they want to represent, and fans accuse the company of seeing the girls as "merchandise" to sell instead of human beings.

despite dissatisfaction around mismanagement, speculation of discord between the members and the company, and a recent uptick in scandals, GIRL THING remains one of the top-selling girl groups and is praised for the innovative marketing, merchandise, and for creating trends within the industry.

✩࿐ ISSUE ONE : THE BASICS

company : catchfly creative.

debut : october 1st, 2018.

debut album : it's a girl thing.

concept : individuality & self - expression, fashion, girl power & self - love.

fandom name : trendsetters.

fandom color : diamondz ( a7b6be )

✩࿐ ISSUE TWO : THE GIRLS

YOO DOAH, 1997

KANG HYEIN, 1997 ( leader )

WONG ' LI ' LIHUA, 1999

SON JINA, 1996

✩࿐ ISSUE THREE : THE DISCOGRAPHY

IT'S A GIRL THING, 2018.

HOT ISSUE, 2019.

FUNK OUT!, 2019.

OUR ATTITUDE, 2020.

ICONZ, 2020.

FASHION PIXIEZ, 2021.

PRETTY 'N' PUNK, 2021.

WANNABE ME?, 2022.

MIDNIGHT MASQUERADE, 2022.

GIRLS NITE OUT, 2023.

[w3bgrl]

how can i say it

synopsis: cantsay is a skz-record track written and produced by juyeon march third, 2021. however, cantsay was actually originally a song she released predebut that had long-lasting effects on a certain somebody.

date: march 4th, 2018

word count: 1.8k

featuring: kang juyeon, seo changbin

warnings: n/a

a/n: listen to cantsay here. keep your eyes peeled for a post with all of juyeon’s songs! also ٩( ᐛ )و this took 4 separate attempts to write so i may come back and fix it at some point sorry <3

changbin took a deep breath as he approached the studio door, palms sweaty in his balled fists. surely, she was here, but that’s exactly what worried him. he hadn’t spoken to her since last night and was pretty sure his judgment was still hazy from her update on soundcloud.

before he could work up an excuse to turn around and chalk this up as a missed opportunity changbin raised his knuckles to the door and knocked lightly. it was silent on the other side - there was honestly no noise at all, not even the familiar buzz of the fluorescent lights. he chewed on his bottom lip.

maybe he was wrong. maybe the dots he had connected weren’t actually there and now he was just knocking on the door of an empty room. the possibility that he had brought himself to a dead end irritated him on top of everything else and he brought his fist to the door again just to be sure. this time he knocked hard, loud enough that if there was someone inside there would be no way they could ignore it.

this time, however, there was a discernible boom! from inside the studio before he could hear the shuffling of footsteps. changbin was utterly unprepared when juyeon cracked open the door to the dark room with her hand on her knee. her curly hair was disheveled and sticking up by her ears as if she had carelessly shoved her headphones off.

“jeez,” she laughed once she recognized him and let him inside “you scared me! what are you doing here?” changbin made note of how she rushed to close her most recent project before he sat down.

“just checking on you. when were you planning on going home?”

“uh,” she sighed "soon…maybe? what time is it?”

changbin smiled warmly. typically, curfew was 10 pm. sometimes it could be flexible due to practices running later than planned, but everyone was supposed to be at least in their dorms by 10 pm. knowing her, her phone must’ve died long before he arrived.

"it's midnight." he said gently.

juyeon's cheeks bloomed a peachy pink and she tucked her hair behind her ears. "oh…good."

"it's okay, you're not in trouble or anything" he reassured her "chan asked if i'd heard from you, so i came to see if you'd be here."

changbin paid attention to how her lips pressed together as she hummed before she turned away from him to shut her laptop down. “what gave me away?” she asked over her shoulder.

“huh?”

she glanced back at him, the majority of her face obscured by her long brown locks. “how’d you know i was here?”

his mouth made an ‘o’ shape once he understood what she was saying. "you always post before leaving the studio. i thought maybe you came back to work on something else."

he was referencing the new song she had posted on soundcloud the night before. she had a habit of finishing up songs in the early hours of the morning and posting it before she went home for the night. so when chan reported her as missing to changbin and jisung half an hour ago, he had a strong sense that she would be back in the studio.

juyeon pushed her laptop into her bag before she turned back to him. her gaze pierced through the darkness like a spotlight when she met his eyes. “so…you saw my new song?” she asked, her cadence strange — as if she was finding the words along the way.

‘saw’ was a gross understatement. changbin had turned her post notifications on a while ago to make sure he could be the first to hear whatever creation she had gifted to the world of soundcloud, so of course he clicked on the notification as he was doom scrolling well into the morning. and of course he listened to it, first admiring the instrumentals paired with her honey-smooth voice. but about halfway into the song he started to actually comprehend what she was saying in the lyrics and something began to ache on the inside.

“tell me first about how you feel about me. i wonder if it’s possible for us, will we be able to love each other someday? i know i'm not your type. i just tend to be delusional, i'm totally fine being your sisi right now. i don't wanna make things awkward with words. i like it just how it is now. how can i say it? let’s pretend we’re just friends.”

as the moon started to fall from his view, changbin sat up in his bed and grabbed his chest as if he was having a heart attack. it felt like his feelings had been hit by a truck. there were a thousand different thoughts in his mind and all of them conflicted with each other; it wasn’t about him, but he felt so connected to it he could have written it himself. but certainly - most definitely - it was not about him. juyeon was not the type to like guys like him, he probably wouldn’t even cross her mind in that aspect. too much of a brother, maybe. or perhaps these were old lyrics about someone else she’d known a long time ago. or maybe it was about someone they were set to debut with soon.

whatever it was, the more he denied the idea that he was the subject of her pining, the more he longed for it. because when he thought about juyeon, those same words came to mind. ‘i know i’m not your type, not tall enough or cool enough. i’m totally fine being your ‘bro’ right now, i don’t want to change things by saying something that doesn’t need to be said. let’s pretend we’re just friends.’

the honest truth was; changbin always liked juyeon. who didn’t? she was thoughtful and warm and talented - not to mention how obviously beautiful she was. and the more he got to know her, the more this magnetism became apparent. so he vowed early on to never look too deep into this feeling - hide it away and leave it be.

— and then he listened to her new song. it re-inflicted that yearning that he honestly hadn't really come to terms with. a yearning that he couldn't even begin to think of describing, not because he didn't know what it was, but because he did.

changbin spent the rest of the night listening to this song while he made lists in his head of all the reasons this was a bad idea; why he was just a friend, or why he maybe could be a little bit more than a friend.

“yeah” he responded simply in the hopes she wouldn’t prod any further. that doesn’t mean he thought she actually would.

juyeon finally put all of her things away and zipped her bag to sling it over her shoulders, fingertips reaching to twist the ends of her hair. “and?” her voice was so soft he almost couldn’t hear her.

‘and; it hits a little too close to home right now, so i’d say it’s great for when you’re hopelessly doomed by the universe. you really got the pathetic pining down to a science’

“it was good.” changbin opened the door for her “you always have such interesting beats.”

she stepped into the hall and waited for him before starting their short walk back home. “thanks. took me a week.” although she didn’t say anything outwardly glum, changbin felt a shift in her demeanor, like she had been let down by his short response. he cleared his throat.

“and um — it really tells a story, i think. it sounds like you wrote it in the moment, you know what i mean? it’s almost like you were telling the other person directly…you know?”

he analyzed her out of the corner of his eye and he swore she was biting the smile from her lips, her hands in her hair again. another habit she probably didn’t know anyone else noticed.

the pair arrived to the elevators where their journey home split in two different directions; the girls’ dorm above the practice rooms while the boys’ was below. usually the boys said their goodbyes to juyeon and took different elevators to hurry back to their beds for the night, but tonight as they stopped in front of the elevators, she turned to changbin with a sparkle in her eyes.

“wanna make sure i get home safe?”

his eyebrows knit together with a confused smile. “what do you mean?”

she shrugged as she pressed the call button. “elevators are super dangerous — i’m sure — you should ride up with me to make sure i survive the trip home.”

the elevator arrived on their floor and the doors opened with a ding! changbin swallowed thick as she held the door open and gestured for him to get in, a mischievous smile on her lips. how could he say no?

changbin made quick strides into the elevator and pressed the button for floor 5 whilst she leaned against the railing inside. once the doors finally closed she nodded at him. “see? super dangerous.”

juyeon’s strange demeanor was scrambling his brain like eggs and he had to shake his head to sift for any conscious thoughts. “what is this?”

she laughed “nothing. i’m just in a good mood.”

“well, this is a weird mood, but i’m glad you’re having a good time.” changbin now noticed her messy hair again, and although he thought it was kinda cute, he knew her well enough to know that he’d be scolded for not at least telling her. “your hair’s all messed up.”

juyeon suddenly frowned and began running her nails through her hair, missing the right spot every time by the grace of god. “why didn’t you say anything before?”

changbin stifled a chuckle but couldn’t hide the smirk that came to his face at her response. “here,” he took a step into her space and ran his fingers through the soft brown hair above her ears to brush any stray hairs back in place. however, he was distracted by her big eyes staring up at him.

“what?”

he watched as the sparkles in her eyes disappeared and became half-crescent moons to compliment the smile on her face. “nothing! i just like to do this thing where i use my eyes to see.”

changbin opened his mouth to say something when the elevator stopped and the doors reopened.

ding!

juyeon laughed again and pretended to wipe sweat from her brow. “whew, we made it!” she fled their proximity into the hallway and turned back to the flabbergasted boy. “thanks for getting me home safe. i’ll see you tomorrow, changbin.”

all he could say was “yeah, goodnight, juyeon.” the elevator doors began to close and he could see her waving until they shut completely, leaving changbin in the sobering, silent elevator ride down to floor 3 like a descent to hell — a hell where he’d lay wide eyed in bed with his headphones entirely too loud for months to come.

[musicfranchisetournament]

propaganda under the cut !!

break my case :

The music variety is so fun and the rhythm-puzzle gameplay is so engrossing!! The depth to all the characters in the story with a setting that's very down-to-earth makes it feel like these guys are my friends and coworkers for reals.

hanadoll :

MY FAVORITE MUSIC PROJECT OF ALL MUSIC PROJECTS EVER. the basic premise is that there's this idol agency ( amagiri production ) looking to create the "perfect idol" and in order to achieve this, they developed a flower implant technology to nuture the potential of their idols. it currently has three seasons of voice dramas ( the fourth one is coming soon, which they just announced along w an anime for the s1 dramas in 2025 !! ) the first season follows the "main" idol group, anthos, in their predebut days and their struggles of "blooming" their flower seeds in order to become a full fledged idol group. season two adds another group, louloudi, and follows both them and anthos after their debut ( s2 also adds a new member to anthos !! ) and finally season three is well. i shant say but it's so good you gotta trust me i've been a fan for like. three or fourish years now its been great<3 aside from the story content though, the songs are truly so good !! i'm rather partial to s1 and s3 anthos music but basically everything slaps rlly hard wehehehe :] the lyrics are also insane and there's lot's of hint and puzzles/riddles/clues abt the story presented in them and in the mvs themselves !! also the art is gorgeous thank u teita <3 overall the project is just really really cool and honestly i think everyone should give it a try. trust :] ALSO last point but if anyone cares abt seiyuus here they have SUCH a good vocal cast its insane. in anthos we have seiichi, massun, itoken, tokishun, horie shun, daiki hamano, and wataru komada . . . then in louloudi we have tosshii, yamashita daiki, and takeuchi shunsuke . . . soooo good ouhh

Beloved silly crazy science media where a bunch of guys are implanted with a seed that blossoms when they reach their true potentional. The media is dark delving into different forms of trauma as we navigate the relationship ships between each of the members. The concept is super unique and the description of the blossoms blooming sounds so painful that I was shocked to read about it in a silly music franchise. The songs are ... so good lyrically and make you stare at a wall for a while.. the designs for all the characters really stand out. It's got some strange slightly immoral human experimentation science in a music media what more could u want.

[mobiused]

as much as i agree with your analysis and the fact that ctdenm seems to be treating the girls better, a part of me can’t help but worry that similar things are happening behind the scenes, much like how bbc seemed to be a relatively healthy and positive working environment early on

The myth that bbc was healthy and positive early on simply isn't true, sadly. Even recently, Vivi talked on the radio show she did about predebut stories, about how she learnt Korean quickly by arguing with staff so she could eat what she wanted amongst fighting for her other rights - and this would've been back in late 2015 early 2016. When trainee line (Basically oec, 1/3 and yeojin) were in the company before joining loona officially, that was when they were on the infamous 1 apple 1 egg a day diet. Even though yyxy were the most open about their mistreatment, that it was the worst during love4eva filming, and bad during hi high era and butterfly era, it was still bad before yyxy girls joined - the other girls are just far less open about it. This might be because the yyxy girls had such a short trainee period and therefore weren't as adjusted/indoctrinated into the trainee lifestyle to accept strict dieting and verbal abuse, or it might be because it's simply not in their temperament to talk about these issues, or whatever reasons they might have to want to share less in comparison to the yyxy girls, though yeojin and vivi have been opening up more about the past. I'm curious, did you have a specific time period where you thought BBC was a healthy working environment for the girls in mind?

If youre thinking about old loona TVs, BBC has always had staff that were very kind to the girls, that the girls loved and treated them well. The current CTD CEO, Yoon Doyeon is an example, as well as Lee Jonghyun, their old Project Manager and current Superbell CEO. At the same time they had to endure verbal abuse from certain other staff (this doesn't mean Jaden, there were other staff who were horrible or even worse than him), strict dieting and torturous schedules amongst other mistreatment that went beyond ordinary idol strictness. The loona TVs always made a deceptive effort to show the girls eating well early on, laughing and having fun etc, but we know it's a complete misrepresentation compared to what was happening behind the scenes.

When we have the girls transparently telling us via Fromm and Fab that CTD do not control or care what they eat, that they are 100% deciding for themselves, that exercise is up to them, that CTD's CEO paid for almost everything in Hyunjin's new apartment including a super expensive humidifier just because she asked for one, that CTD involved them in the album despite how quickly the album needed to be turned out because CEO cares about their creative input, it inspires a lot more trust.

I genuinely believe Doyeon is a good man who wants to take care of our girls. He gave up his job and started a company to become CEO in a role he had never tried before solely to give the 5 members a place where they would be safe and happy with someone they trusted (instead of risking getting taken advantage of again at another company) and could continue their careers, and has been listening to everything both the members and fans have been asking of him. I know Hyeju has said that this album prep era has been her favourite of her career, and I believe her. Right now the girls are actually enjoying their time in the US, eating whatever they like, having enough time for rest, actually seeing the sights of America this time. It's only the first stop but hopefully they can keep this up and have this experience knock the previous tour out of the water.

We can't trust a company 100% of the time without being there and witnessing exactly what's happening, but compared to Modhaus where we had Jaden lie to us about Jinsoul being involved in production in literally their first interview, exercises and diets being enforced, and OEC being marketed to NFT bros and military men, I just feel so much more confident about CTD's ability to treat the girls right.

[b-theone]

Setting: Predebut, 2017

Starring: B:ONE, Ad Astra ex trainees ( Jeongwon, Beomseok, Jisung), staff

Word Count: 3.1k

Before B:ONE there was ASTER, but for the first to exist, the latter had to fall apart.

Being a group of nine wasn't easy, at least not when you're supposed to be debuting at any minute, but any minute turned into months and no one debuted, nor changes were made for the lineup. Luck seemed to be running out in ASTER, and the group was starting to wonder if the project was about to be discarded to leave space for the next girl group. However, destiny has dealt its cards a long time ago, and only a few ones were destined to make it.

“I'll be leaving the dorms on Monday, I'm leaving the company and going back to Wonju. My father fell sick, so I doubt I would've been able to make it knowing that.”

Everyone knew that Jeongwon only had his father in life, and it had been hard enough for him to leave Wonju, even if it was near Seoul and he could just come and go for practice, everyone knew he wouldn't want to even try as he'd want to be with his father as much as possible, just in case it got worse. It was a hard hit, since Jeongwon had quickly assumed the position of leader since ASTER came to be as the nine member group eight months ago, rather than just being just Ad Astra's predebut team. Now someone else would have to take on that spot, and pray that this small change wouldn't be the end of ASTER.

“I think Beomseok would be a good leader. He might not be the oldest but he has been here for a long time, so he deserves it.” Jeongwon spoke again, earning a look from everyone.

There was a clear Hyung line, and it was made, now without Jeong, had three other people and Taeseok. Beomseok was part of the maknae line, one of the oldest, but not old enough. No one really cared about it, since he had more experience, and Jeongwon regarded him as a second in command.

“We can always go visit you after practices, and when we debut, we can go when we're free. This doesn't have to be the end of our friendship.” The youngest one spoke hopefully.

No one really looked at him, but everyone shared the same thought. He was too hopeful, and too naive. Jeongwon would probably fade into a memory, and even past that, and would be probably just another man from Korea, and millions of Korean men. They hoped one day their paths would cross, but it was highly unlikely, and no one dared to tell that to the maknae.

Being back at the practice room was hard, even if they were now eight, which means someone else could get a new chance to shine. Jeongwon didn't have any main position, or at least, no staff had positioned as such, so his place could be easily filled in, but there was something that made his absence feel like they had lost half of the group. He was someone who led the group through thick and thin, and now their worst moment was without him.

“I think we should do our best to debut, for Jeongwon hyung. I know it seems like we're just... Further and further from it, but we have to push harder to make them realize we're here to stay.”

Even though Beomseok was trying his best, no one felt moralized enough to do anything that day, having lost someone so important for the group in the middle of the uncertainty of debuting or not... It felt like hell. It felt worse for Jongbin, who shared a room with Jeongwon for six years,  and now he had to start again with other people.

It didn't help that the company took the news as an opportunity to experiment with the lineup. Sometimes it was  four, sometimes they added people to the point they were eleven, and so they went back and forth, further destabilizing the groups morale.

“I don't know if we're even debuting.” Kohya said to a fellow foreign member of Aster.

“I think they're going to move us around until we get tired and we quit. Maybe they were building the group around Jeong-ssi.” The other man said from his place on the bed.

Kohya, who was crammed on a small desk with all his strings for bracelets, let go of it just to look back at his friend, who then looked back at him.

“It could be but I'm not sure, wouldn't it be easier if they just kicked us out? They could clean up the building and give it to more girls and get more trainees in, and that way they'd be able to fit more possible future idols.” Kohya said after a while of careful consideration.

His friend seemed to think about it carefully, trying to find any problem in Kohya's logic, only to be met with nothing. “You're right” the older one ended up saying.

“What do you think they're doing next? They tried already many things and it's been barely a month.” Koya then asked again, sparking a new debate about what would and what should ad astra do next, as if they were debating a strategy for a game.

In the company, Taeseok, Kyungmin, Beomseok, and Kohya were just taking a break from the practice, as they were picked for the new pseudo lineup. In that break, the four guys were discussing the same question, what would ad astra do with them?

“I think with Jeongwon going, they're just doing time until they see who else will leave before doing anything else. You know, it was a hard blow, so it's expected they'll just go playing around until things settle.” Taeseok spoke, trying to settle down the anxiousness that had settled over the group lately.

The room was almost clinical, with the cold white lights illuminating the room almost in a blinding light, and the lack of windows made the place feel like a room like an underground place from those scary movies his dormmate loved. All trainees had to practice there, only debuted groups had the privilege to get a nice room, and it was probably because they had to upload their dance practice.

The room full of mirrors and grey walls and floor, making it feel almost like they were being watched. Taeseok didn't like it, but he didn't have to, he just had to get through it long enough to have a pretty practice room like those girlgroups he saw.

“Do you think they're just waiting? That we're not going to be kicked out of the company if we don't get out on our own?” Beomseok asked, playing with his water bottle.

“If they were planning to debut us then why are they changing the lineup so much?”

“Maybe they're going to debut us as subunits? Like that NCT group.” Kyungmin offered as an alternative, something that no one else had thought about it.

The group looked at each other, thinking about what Kyungmin had said, wondering if they were planning to debut them in some new way that wasn't used before.

“Doesn't seem like it, it seems too out of the pocket for a company that's debuting their first group, I think they'd play it safe."

It was hard to know what was going to happen, but Taeseok and Kyungmin quickly found a pattern. They were put together, no matter how the group was changed, they came and went as a pair. To them it joined a man by the name Jisung, born in 1994.

Jisung was a nice person, he was in the room next to Taeseok's, and they were both introverted people, so they glued to each other in practice while the others ran around and played. It could be said that they became friends rather quickly, like a fire started by thunder, and as such, it was bound to die soon.

“I've been kicked out of the company.” The man said one day,  coming into the practice room he was supposed to be in an hour ago.

He was about to get inside the room an hour ago, he was even with his arm around Taeseok's shoulders as they spoke about the latest drama they were watching, and then he was taken away by staff telling him he was requested into... No one was sure, he was too far by the time they told him why he had to follow them.

Apparently, it was to get him out of the company. And the question was hanging right in the tip of their tongues, why was him, the always honorable Jisung, being kicked out?

“They didn't give much of a reason” Jisung spoke, knowing what everyone thought, wanting to clear out any possible misunderstanding. “They just said they didn't think I'd fit Aster, and the higher ups didn't think I'd make a good fit on the company any longer, so they're ending my contract.”

It was definitely strange, even more when it came to a man who did nothing wrong. No one could believe it, not because they thought he was a bad man, but because the company was acting in strange ways. Maybe it was a way to kick him out of the company and slowly dismantle the group without raising suspicions.

Or maybe they were all putting their faith in a man who wasn't worth it, and he was lying so no one knew what he had done to get himself kicked out. No one could be completely sure anymore.

“Then what do we do from here?” Taeseok asked, not to Jisung in particular but to everyone in the group.

With Jisung gone they'd be down to seven, and now another reorder would happen. Once again the dorm arrangements would change, and then they would be subjected to a new restart full of lineup changes. But it didn't, once again it was the seven of them together, practicing as they always did, though this time there was a small change.

They were now given a song, a brand new song, an original. The only changes made were on positions, or who had to sing which lines, but the group stayed the same way.

It brought some relief that they were finally moving together in the same direction, further solidifying the idea that Jisung hadn't been the man they thought to be. It didn't help that Jisung seemed to have banished from earth, not even trying to communicate with them as Jeongwon had done on a few, scarce times.

It didn't matter, no one really cared, they were to busy to even do so as lately they had to train more and more to learn what they were given, and change what they were told. It was a hard time for everyone, but the promise of debuting soon made everything worth the hardships. All they hoped was for it to be worth it, and not end up disbanding after the numbers didn't go as high as staff hoped for.

Everyone was putting far too many expectations on them, the creator of Aster was even overseeing their practices, and choreographers started to press them harder. They tried different concepts, different songs, different everything and they didn't seem satisfied. They seemed to be waiting for the pressure to be too much.

Until it calmed down. It felt like the calm before the storm, as if they were waiting for the last jumpscare, but nothing was coming. They decided on a rather cute concept, almost as if they suddenly decided on them being the boys next door, the kind of sweet guys girls could fantasize about being their girlfriends and getting sweet dates under the moonlight.

No one complained, no one knew what to say, they were happy to have a debut set, one that they liked... More or less. There were some complains, some who would've preferred other things but after not knowing if they would even debut, anything was a good idea. Everything was good if their name was in the teasers. And soon, they were getting ready for it.

The name was announced to be changing to B:ONE, something about unity, and being the one group fans should love, none of them were really paying attention, at least no one but Beomseok, who should know because of his role as the leader. Fittings started, trying to see what would go for the MV, what would go for the teasers, what would be good for the member reveal, and so on and on with songs, clothes, and stage names. It almost felt like they were becoming a product more than the idol version of themselves.

And then, a call was made from the office of the creator himself, but it wasn't for the leader, but rather for Taeseok. Obedient as ever, Taeseok didn't question it before heading to the office, spending a total of an hour before getting back to the dorms, forgetting about the practice and all schedules. It was the creator who went to excuse him from it.

By the looks of it, Taeseok was the next one to go, being cut off so close before making it. No one could even go and comfort him, and neither did they know if they wanted to, after all there was a chance that he had been just as guilty as Jisung, and no one knew about it either.

Beomseok went to his room at night, when they had gotten back from the practice and the rest of the group was fighting to get to the shower first. They spend a long while speaking, long enough for everyone to settle who would shower first, and for each of them to shower. By the time he got out of the room, the sweat had dried up, and he had bloodshot eyes and a barely contained fury.

No one knew what happened after that, as Taeseok came behind him, with his head hanging low and unable to look at his groupmates, picking the skin of his hands apart as he walked to Beomseok and gently grabbed his arm, telling him in a hushed whisper to let it go, while the leader shouted that he wasn't going to let it happen.

No one knew what was going on, but they all heard the strain in Taeseok's voice as he pleaded their leader, and said leader seemed to grow more agitated, until the door was slammed and they all heard the sound of Taeseok trying to hide his cries. The first one to get out of his room in aid of the older was Hao, who got closer to him and hugged him, not saying anything and neither asking for anything. He was followed by Kohya, and who had been followed by Inwoo and Sanghoon just standing and watching. While the Japanese boy hugged Taeseok too, the English man went to get some water for the crying man.

Sanghoon wasn't good at emotions, but he understood the importance of showing Taeseok he was there for him too, so he got closer and awkwardly caressed the patch of black hair that wasn't being crushed by the heads of the two foreign members. Kyungmin, who was the last one to shower, got out of the bathroom to find the scene unfolding, couldn't do much more than just turn around looking for both Beomseok and Inwoo, just to find the English man getting out of the kitchen.

After a brief talk, Kyungmin went back into his room, getting out a few minutes later completely changed.

“Taeseok, do you want to talk?” He asked once he finally got closer to the group.

By then Taeseok seemed to have calmed down, with him only sniffling and drying his tears. Inwoo took his pale yellow handkerchief and gave it to the man, who dried his tears and cleaned his nose on it, before being told to keep it as Inwoo was gifting it to him.

“No, it's...” He seemed to choke up, and the group prepared for other round of tears, yet they never came. “I'd rather not talk about it.”

Everyone understood the best they could, and Inwoo went on to prepare mandu and tteokbokki, knowing Taeseok loved that. Sanghoon went on to help him prepare the food for the rest of the group, while Kohya, Hao, and Kyungmin decided to get Taeseok out of his gloomy mood again.

Dinner went by, and there was food untouched, making them remember that Beomseok had left a while ago and he was yet to get back. They all waited, using different excuses to keep themselves awake, until they all realized that it was most likely that he wouldn't go back to the dorms that night. For the group, it showed the seriousness of whatever he was told, for Taeseok, it was pure terror running through his veins.

Beomseok wasn't there either when they all got up, and he wasn't at practice either that day. And when they went back to their dorms, every trace of Beomseok ever being there was erased, as if they had imagined him. Now, they were six.

Everyone knew Taeseok would blame himself, that whatever happened to him and Beomseok would live forever in him and the guilt would eat him, they knew him that well. So they spent their time trying to cheer him up.

That was, until none of it worked and Taeseok wasn't there in the morning. But he was there when they got to the practice, already thinking they were five set to debut.

“Hey guys, I spoke with the staff. Beomseok decided to leave the company as he didn't agree with some stuff going on. We are still debuting, but, until the company is sure we are debuting as six, there won't be any new leaders."

“I wouldn't mind if we didn't get a leader, I'm happy you didn't get kicked out Tae, we thought we wouldn't see you again.” Kyungmin said, palming the back of the dancer.

“Alright then, let's practice?”

“Totally! We gotta show the company who's the boss!” Hao quickly said, putting his cap backwards as a sign of getting ready.

[atiny-for-life]

Creative Spotlight #1: Kim Hongjoong

Masterlist

Intro: With so many new Atinys coming in, I figured now would be a good time to shed some light on all the boys' creative solo projects over the years, big and small.

Photography

Hongjoong's love for photography goes way back to his predebut days. In one of the first videos ever uploaded to their channel, you can already see him holding a camera on the set of Pirate King.

2 years ago, in 2022, he got to announce his first photo exhibition, FROM NOVEMBER 7, 1998, as a birthday present to himself, which took place from November 1st to 7th at gallery99 and was used to collect money for charity.

There was no entrance fee but spots had to be reserved online to ensure there'd be no dangerous crowding. During the exhibition, there was a little event planned for all attendees in which fans could collect points which were then converted to money that was later donated under Hongjoong and Atiny's name. The total donated amount was 10 million won!

In Logbook Episode 101, we got to see Hongjoong visit the exhibition himself and take a stroll through memory lane.

Due to the success of the 2022 exhibition, Hongjoong held another one last year which took place between November 3rd and 9th, 2023, and was titled A Walker - the event was accompanied by the release of an original song and led to the donation of 50 million won under Hongjoong's and Atiny's name to the Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation.

BY. HONGJOONG

Back in 2018, Hongjoong shared during their stay in LA as KQ Fellaz, that he barely went to school since he already started producing music during his high school days. And yes, this is during the same tear jerking monologue where he calls Ateez his family for the first time and says he needs to hurry so he can see their sleeping faces before he goes to bed.

The first time we get to see Hongjoong fully in action as a producer is during his first 1-Day-Vlog in 2020 in which he's working on his Prince cover (more on that in a second).

But now to the main event: Hongjoong has an entire series going where he covers some of his all time favorite songs. Whenever he does, he likes to make the songs his own by recording his own instrumental track and typically adding an additional Korean rap verse with self-written lyrics highlighting his interpretation of the song's message.

Kicking things off with Space Oddity by David Bowie, a classic.

Side Note: As a lover of unisex clothing/androgyny, Hongjoong is likely not just inspired musically by Bowie, but also fashion wise. You can learn more about Bowie's influence on the climate surrounding gender and sexuality here.

Dressed in white, matching both his hair and the background, Hongjoong turned himself into a clean canvas on which he projected first footage of Bowie and later some floating orbs - it's very aesthetic.

Between the original verses and chorus, he placed a Korean rap verse in which he writes from Major Tom's perspective and laments his mental state while stuck alone in outer space, asking ground control to tell his mom he loves her while stating he still appreciates the beauty of space but feels lost and lonely all by himself.

Next up, we've got Purple Rain by Prince, another classic.

Side Note: Like Bowie, Prince too was famous for being androgynous in how he presented himself and toying with what society deemed masculine and feminine. He's famous to this day among the queer community for how persistently he defied gender norms and labels. Learn more about him here.

Instead of filming himself, we get a lyric video this time, fully kept in pastel lavender. Once again, Hongjoong added a rap verse of his own in which he speaks to a lost friend, talking about how he hopes that, even though they're apart now, his friend will still recall him as being sincere and that they can still think of each other fondly and remember the good times.

In a far more elaborate production, we've got Black or White by Michael Jackson up next.

Using green screen and multiple outfits, we get a fun spectacle of a little passion project featuring multiple versions of Hongjoong, background collages, emojis, and more:

Despite being shorter than the other covers, we still get the signature rap verse preceded by his famous giggle and, this time, he's got quite a bit to say.

Diving into the lyrics, he talks about how we're all different colors. Colors which are meant to be mixed. Our roots don't define us. Throughout life, we'll all get mixed up with each other, as we should. He doesn't want to see us divided. To quote: "What's wrong with you, babe? Stop it. You've already experienced the 20th century. Blah blah by dividing groups."

The song ends with the rap verse before the video dives into the making of in which Hongjoong specifically addresses his intent to talk about social issues like Michael Jackson famously used to while he was alive (think: They Don't Really Care About Us).

So long time by Yoon Jong Shin comes next with a sepia-toned video featuring Hongjoong at a grand piano. It's a pretty ballad highlighting his vocals and the use of multiple camera angles allows us to watch him play.

Shortly before we hit the 2 minute mark, Hongjoong gets up and we transition from the shot of the piano to a cassette player while the audio shifts to the original for a moment before Hongjoong returns.

We've reached the rap verse where he mourns a lost love, speaking of memories he can't let go of, even as he pretends everything is okay. He's cold and lonely now, a little mad at himself for continuously getting lost in the memories, and calls himself a fool before we return to the cover-part of the song.

At 3:58, the song wraps up and we've reached the making of section of the video where he talks about how his cover stems from the idea of a time machine taking you through the song, with the first verse (playing the piano) being the past, the rap verse symbolizing the present, and the memories then taking back over as he gets lost in them, leading to the piano's return.

Next up, we've got Last Christmas by Wham! which opens to a short clip of Hongjoong's acting on a pretty Christmas film set before we transition to a simple white back drop.

This time, the signature rap verse comes in early at 50 seconds with a little giggle before he talks about leaving the past in the past and moving on, letting the snow settle over painful memories.

However, this time, we also get a second rap verse at 1:45, where it becomes clear he hasn't moved on at all, plus a Korean vocal section at 2:43 which carries through to the end. Here, he highlights even further that he hopes they'll reconnect next winter so they can leave the painful past behind and live out a shared future.

Hongjoong in his emo era. This is the first Ateez-related video I've ever seen because I was born in '96 and my emo phase never ended so of course this was recommended to me when it was first released.

Numb by Linkin Park got the full Hongjoong treatment and was even reported on by Rolling Stone, quote:

The cover began trending on social media and YouTube within hours of its release, but the true prize came a day later when it caught the attention of Linkin Park themselves. The rock band’s official Twitter account ‘liked’ the post on ATEEZ’s page, with co-founder and vocalist Mike Shinoda confirming on a livestream that he’d seen and enjoyed the cover. As of this writing, Hongjoong’s version of “Numb” has over half a million views on YouTube and has garnered tremendous praise from Linkin Park’s fans.

We get the black eye makeup and nail polish, the plaid half skirt, the dramatic music video with fake fog and red lighting. The rap verse comes in hard, talking about getting mentally weighed down by an abuser and finally breaking free, cutting the ties.

As a long time Linkin Park fan, I love how unique this cover is and Chester would've loved it too I'm sure. I wish he could've seen it.

Fools Garden's Lemon Tree is another classic and I come back to it on the regular because the video has such a unique vibe and the song is famous for getting stuck in your head.

The video features Hongjoong alone in a house surrounded by colorful toys and games, bored out of his mind and visibly seeking a distraction from life but failing to find something, no matter how out of pocket his thinking gets.

Shoutout to the license plate - it's the release date of the song, November 3rd, 1995.

At 1:33, Hongjoong sprints off to the basement which is doused in red and we get a warped version of his signature giggle before the rap verse kicks in. The camera work in this section reminds me a bit of his rap verse in Not Okay.

While down there, he gets more and more deranged, talking about being locked up day by day, imprisoned, losing track of time, but being unable to break out. Instead of trying to escape, he just attempts to distract himself, listening to sad songs on a loop until his pain disappears and his world switches back to yellow.

Busking Event

In 2021, Hongjoong decided to put together a busking event featuring live performances of some covers, plus acoustic versions of some of their songs. Accompanying him were both Ateez and Maddox. You can find the full playlist here:

Collaboration

3 months ago, Chungha made a return to the music scene after escaping her former label and chose Hongjoong as a collaboration partner for her new debut. Beyond his rap verse, she also incorporated a move from Crazy Form in the choreography (she's lovely):

[9800sblog]

https://www.tumblr.com/4433xyz/722490798444347392/did-my-daily-energy-check-in-on-mingi-and?source=share

Hi, would you mind doing the same reading for yeosang or other mmbrs career?and share if you don't mind any pressure, though

ateez tarot reading

next big thing in each member's career

do I have their energy permission to do and share this reading? the emperor, 6 of wands

this is based on tarot and energy reading, don't trust me or rely on my words ☝️

seonghwa

something he used to do or enjoy predebut, a collaboration of some kind, he still developing this skill. it's emotional, intense, scary, a bit aggressive, he gotta juggle a lot at once, speed is also important. so this is making me think of rap, like getting an official position as one, which in ateez's case includes writing lyrics too. big stuff. the idea of a concept is important here too.

this year, next year, around his birthday, numbers 3, 6, 4 stood out.

hongjoong

his spread makes me think of rapping and collabing too (lil uzi vert x ateez 🧍‍♂️). hongjoong has got many options, this next big step is gonna bring him much visibility, he's gonna be showing off a lot, there's a lot of shimmer, which may be related to fashion. he's in a position of big authority delegating this and that, it's an emotional step for him, maybe a dream come true. the next big thing for hongjoong may be a clothing line or something similar 😭🫂

3 is a very consistent number here, 2 and 4 also. this is the consequences of his actions, gradual growth, completely inevitable, may start this year or next year, and get really done around this time of year 2025/6, september may be an important month for this project.

yunho

yunho might be acting again soon. this seems to be in it's early stages yet, like audition process. it's dreamy, a big big deal, it's emotional too, he seems nervous about it. I did read a while ago that yunho may soon live romance vicariously through fantasy and tv.

8 is an important number, may already be in progress, 6 and 3 also consistent. 2024, august, beginning of the year is important too.

yeosang

this spread can be interpreted as the end of his work as an mc in the show, and/or a new opportunity in a different but equally popular program in korean television. this is a skill he already has developed and is proud of, but doesn't get to use often, this would have more national than international reach. it's an opportunity that brings him liberation and excitement but makes him unsure because of real-life complications.

11, 2, 9, date calculation is not reliable for this reading, but the number 11 was super consistent.

san

a solo thing, for sure. his next big thing is related to his individuality and emotional maturity, this has to do with what makes his soul happy. it's an emotional thing that makes him look careless but he's very well prepared and thought about this a lot. the next big step in his career is a path not usually taken, it's scary, he doesn't know what comes next, anything can happen. this requires a lot of self control and introspection. I'm not sure what it is, san is quite secretive these days, but the cards may indicate romance depending on the perspective. this may be the revelation of something very important to him, changing the perspective of the general public, requires a leap of faith.

next august, this was really sure. when he feels confident.

mingi

mingi's thing has to do with discomfort, energy renewal, soul searching and is a big deal, makes him unsure. it's probably something unseen to the general public. mingi may get a big celebrity as a mentor backstage, become a guide for a big name or even take another break, either way, it's his destiny, he needs this. this may somehow relate to his future spouse, like he accumulates money or meets them because of this. it's something he's used to doing but still feels intimidating for him. this may be music, which he usually writes in a very personal and metaphorical manner.

he'll have to lose something to win something even bigger, really important for his future. may start or have started this year and "end" next year. numbers 8 and 7 are very consistent.

wooyoung

connection, relationships, fighting, competing. he comes out successful but not without making enemies along the way, it's almost like a scandal, which may make him look immature or have to do with the way he was brought up/his family. this may have international reach and make him influential, it's probably to do with his artistic side or his opinions. this is something he'll learn from and may taint his image.

november or september of this year or next, maybe next chuseok holiday (description reminds me of isac

jongho

ALL royalty cards, this is a really really big deal, a big influence, big position, maybe an authority figure. something he feels extremely comfortable, maybe even casual in/doing, he has accumulated skill and easily shines in (definitely to do with singing), very likely a solo thing but I see a big, influential female energy, someone or something he may be a fan of.

may happen on his b-day this year

[yunwooz]

i’m still thinking about it but the reason it’s so frustrating and infuriating for so many fans is because so much of the effort put towards ateez’s growth comes directly from the fandom. it comes from the fandom reaching out to content creators and brands and hyping up opportunities meanwhile kq finds and picks very niche and small things like wonderwall or this new pott collab rather than taking advantage of the brands and people who express desire to work with them. they lose out on so many opportunities by constantly booking ateez completely full while also using them as a buffer to get hype and opportunities for their new group, and there wouldn’t be a problem with that if kq were putting in the same amount of time and effort into promoting ateez as well. they’re hurting both ateez and their juniors bc how can their juniors stand on their own and make their own name that isn’t attached to ateez if the company just pushes them as ‘ateez’s juniors’ and nothing else??

they don’t let ateez do tiktok challenges with other artists despite having three members (hongjoong, yunho, yeosang) all in prime opportunities to capitalize off there dj/mc positions to take part in challenges. bc they pack ateez’s schedule so full with things like kcon and tours that it limits the opportunities other members receive when you have members like yeosang, san, yunho all expressing how badly they want to release contents like covers. seonghwa has been begging to do mc work for well over a year. you literally have hongjoong and seonghwa telling fans on lives ‘hey these members don’t get to sing so they really want to do covers’ and your group is 5 years into existence?

you don’t promote the opportunities they have well beyond saying ‘hey x member will be here at this date and time’, you don’t market to your chinese fanbase at ALL despite starting to do so with your new group, you don’t promote your japanese comebacks anywhere except one platform which is your japanese twitter account, but then you release 45 pieces of merch to run your most popular group who pull your ass out of debt into the ground bc all you want to do is use them as a cash cow to fund your newer projects. it’s infuriating as a fan to watch and as someone who has been following ateez since predebut it’s so fucking frustrating to watch their company basically lose interest in promoting them and pushing them to greater heights. 

we get 1 comeback a year and 2 tours, and you haven’t given ateez a full length album since 2019? you gave them a full length album within a year of debut and haven’t given them another in the past almost 4 years that’s absurd. members constantly talk about having so many songs waiting to be released but on the single album released with halazia all we got were remixes and an outro??? and the line distributions are a shred better bc wow wooyoung and yeosang get four lines instead of one! after 5 years!

all that fucking money ateez are earning them off all those tours and festivals, kq can and should hire more staff and legit business professionals who can pick up every ounce of slack otherwise they’re gonna lose their precious moneymaker by either running them into the ground with burnout or by stagnating ateez’s growth to the point of no return.