* * *
[Gayo TALK TALK] Board
– I guess MOST’s fandom name has been decided as ‘Best’? Cute.
– Bests, thanks for voting and streaming the songs.
– Recruiting members for MOST’s fan club Bests~ Come join us~
– Wow, MOST’s recognition has skyrocketed, is it thanks to the Gyeonggi bus ads?
– The atmosphere was always good thoughㅋㅋ It’s always trending on other communities too.
– Sanseongdol rocks!
– Among the recent idol groups, aren’t there no others with this level of looks and talent?
– Proving once again that if the song is really good, it will succeed.
– Now that they got first place, the hype is real. But there are plenty of idols with similar looks.
– What do you mean by plenty? Would you compare them to Jung Woosun too?
– Comparing them to Jung Woosun is really off… He’s the top face in our country.
– Talking only about looks means you can’t criticize their skills, huh?
– MOST fans are so extra…
– I prefer The Origin.
– What’s with MOST? First place is too much.
– I get that they’re popular, but having both songs as first place candidates is definitely an overreach.
– If it were anywhere else, they’d say they bought the spot, but since it’s Kingdom, there’s no such talkㅋㅋㅋ
– Isn’t that rumor true though?
– What rumor?
– These guys are rookies and already have rumors?
– Rumor??
– They say Dojae’s dad is the CEO of SVS, so they’re pushing them hard. They weren’t originally candidates for first place, but were hurriedly pushed to the top at the end of their promotions.
– Really? That far?
– Okay, now it makes sense.
– Oh, no wonder they seem so refined… They’re from a rich family.
– Really?
– Where did you hear that? Is it true?
– I heard it from a middle school friend.
– You know you can get sued for spreading false information, right?
– Prince Dojae…ㅠㅠ Truly a prince…
Heera was shocked by the rumor.
“No way, this is crazy!”
“Have you ever heard this kind of talk? This is totally a rumor, right?”
“Probably. It seems like they just made it up on the spot.”
“When you go to another fan meeting, ask Dojae oppa about his father’s job. Just in case.”
“Fan meetings are hard to get into now… But even if he is the CEO, would that make them first place? These people need to get sued to come to their senses! Let’s screenshot this and send it to Kingdom.”
“Okay.”
Just as Heera was about to take a screenshot of the comment, it started getting dozens of replies and was already deleted.
“Ah… Too late.”
“Now that they’re getting popular, other group’s fans seem to be on edge. They’re just spouting nonsense.”
“Looks like it. So annoying.”
“Hey, forget about that crap. Let’s rewatch today’s performance. Dojae oppa was amazing again today.”
Baseless rumors always fade quickly.
Sunmi hurriedly played the newly uploaded edited version of MOST’s performance on [The Best Gayo].
*
As Sunmi expected, the rumor about Dojae completely disappeared before it could spread.
Shortly after MOST’s first place win on [The Best Gayo], an interview and photo shoot with MOST was published in a magazine.
[Artist of the Month: MOST]
– Meeting with the hot new group that achieved MOST VS MOST, MOST!
We had a brief but impactful meeting with MOST at a studio in Gangnam.
It’s only been a month and a half since their debut.
MOST captivates with the passion of rookies and a polished attitude uncharacteristic of newcomers.
Q. Nice to meet you. Originally, this shoot was scheduled after your broadcast activities, but I was worried it might get canceled since you extended your activities by a week.
(Kijoon) No way. It’s only right to fulfill the scheduled activities.
(Woochul) How could we cancel a shoot with you? We’ve been looking forward to this.
Q. Thank you. Both of your title tracks were candidates for first place and you achieved your first terrestrial broadcast win. Congratulations.
(Kijoon) Thank you. It was unexpected and we’re very lucky.
(MIN) It still feels unreal.
(Dojae) We never expected to enjoy the advantage of having two title tracks in this way. It’s overwhelming.
(Louis) It’s all thanks to our fans. We love you.
Q. Fans would have loved to see Louis’s wink. The promotional video for [Dynamic] also seemed to have a significant impact. How did you end up filming that?
(Kijoon) Actually, MIN’s father is a city official. The promotional video had a very low budget, making it hard to find well-known models. During discussions, we were recommended and approved.
Q. I had no idea about that backstory. So you did it to help his father?
(Kijoon) Not at all. Initially, we didn’t even know it was suggested by his father. Only the company knew.
(Dojae) We thought promoting cultural heritage was a good cause and as rookies, we saw it as an opportunity to gain exposure.
Q. The nickname ‘Prince Dojae’ suits you. The image matched well.
(Dojae) Right. But we never expected the video to get so much attention.
Q. Previous promotional videos never gained this much attention. It’s because MOST was the model and [Dynamic] was used as the background music.
(Kijoon) Thank you for seeing it that way.
Q. Your father must be really pleased with the outcome. He must be proud.
(Woochul) Of course. I heard he even gave out rice cakes at the office.
(MIN) He seems proud now.
Q. Now?
(MIN) He was strongly against me becoming a singer before debut. I was kicked out of the house and had to live in a study room during my trainee days. I earned my living expenses through part-time jobs. But I think this experience has changed his mind a lot.
Q. I didn’t know you had such a story. Did the other members’ families support their dreams of becoming singers?
Woochul: My mom is an elementary school teacher, but I wasn’t good at studying. I was great at playing, though. She always asked me not to cause trouble because of her job, so becoming a singer was probably okay.
Kijoon: Both my parents said they would support me no matter what I chose to do, and they really did. I’m grateful for that.
Kyuseong: My parents were the ones who suggested I become a singer because they thought I had some talent. I was also in a choir.
Q. It’s a blessing that your parents discovered your talent first.
Min: My father was the only one who opposed it. I hope he reads this interview. But my mother helped me secretly behind his back. Oh, I hope he doesn’t see this part.
Dojae: Haha. My mother also paid a lot of attention to me. My father passed away early, but if he were still here, he probably would have supported me too. Maybe.
Louis: My situation is similar to Woochul’s. My parents just asked me not to embarrass myself internationally by becoming a singer.
Q. (Everyone laughs) Louis, I know you often get mistaken for being mixed-race because of your exotic looks and name, but both of your parents are Korean.
This interview came out when MOST was in the spotlight.
The content was pieced together with a photo shoot where they wore casual outfits of white shirts and jeans and circulated on the internet.
The public was reminded of why MOST was chosen to shoot a promotional video for cultural heritage, and fans focused on the members’ family stories.
For fans who didn’t know much about the members’ private lives, this was a major point of interest.
“Hyung, I guess the fans were really surprised to learn that your father isn’t around,” said Louis as he flipped through a physical copy of the magazine they had received upon returning to their dorm.
Their extended activity period was ending the next day.
The members were relaxing in the dorm’s living room before their last music show schedule.
“Yeah, it seems so.”
Dojae replied calmly as he re-read his answers printed in the magazine.
‘Kang Dojae’s father seemed to lack financial stability and wasn’t a great person for the family…’
But Dojae didn’t feel the need to speak ill of his deceased father.
Instead, he expressed his hope that his father would have supported him if he were still alive.
What was certain was that both ‘Lee Dojae’ and ‘Kang Dojae’ desired a supportive father.
Louis, interpreting Dojae’s darkened expression, patted him on the back.
Dojae smiled quietly at his younger brother’s kind gesture.
“Hey, stop wiping that so much.”
Heungmin scolded Kijoon from the living room table below the sofa where Dojae and Louis were sharing a warm moment.
Kijoon was carefully wiping their first-place trophies in the display case with a microfiber cloth.
The case, once filled with miscellaneous items, now boasted quite a few first-place trophies.
They had won four for “I Am Different” and eight for “Dynamic.”
“It’s my choice.”
“They’re going to wear out,” Heungmin teased, clicking his tongue.
The other members chuckled quietly.
The reason Kijoon, who usually stayed holed up in his studio, was now frequently in the living room was because of those trophies.
“It’s nice when the trophies are clean. Seeing how much Kijoon hyung likes it makes me proud too,” Kyuseong said with a smile.
“It’s funny,” Heungmin laughed as he sat on the sofa.
Woochul, who was monitoring yesterday’s broadcast of “Music Town” on TV, asked the members, “So, what do you think will happen tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? ‘Top Song’?” Kyuseong replied.
“Yeah.”
Their debut activity’s last stage was set to be on “Top Song.” And “Dynamic” was a nominee for first place again tomorrow.
“It would be nice to win first place one more time. Is that too much to ask?”
Woochul said, scratching his forehead with the remote in his hand.
“It would be great if we could,” Dojae added.
MOST had already achieved more than their goal, but it was natural to desire more.
Moreover, “Top Song” was significant to the members as it was where they first won a public broadcast first place.
They had since won first place on other public broadcasts, but “Top Song” was the only one where both songs had been nominated at the right time.
‘Thanks to that, we received a lot of attention…’
Dojae thought, turning his head toward the TV screen.
However, despite their hopes, none of them believed they would secure first place on their last broadcast the next day.
‘Our performance is declining, and the other nominees are tough competition.’
The TV was showing a VCR of the next week’s performers.
It was The Origin, who had recently released a digital single.
The flashy video and subtitles welcomed The Origin’s comeback.
“Oh, come on…”
Woochul frowned at the TV screen.
Heungmin checked Dojae’s expression as he sat next to Woochul.
The Origin, making their first comeback stage on “Top Song,” was the other first-place nominee for tomorrow.
Their digital single had achieved high chart rankings immediately upon release, and their album’s pre-orders were significant, putting them in first place contention without any broadcast activities.
That was why the members were particularly eager for tomorrow’s first place, even knowing it was a tough challenge.
“Dojae… will you be okay tomorrow?”
Heungmin asked cautiously.
Since they were both first-place nominees, they had to share the stage, standing side by side.
All eyes were on Dojae as he thought for a moment before answering.
“I’m fine. But… I have one request.”
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Bullies