An Unconventional Debut [Entertainment Industry]

At the start of the new year, D Agency revealed that Kim Jong-in, a member of the hugely popular group EXO, had spent the night with his rumored girlfriend, Bae Ji, a younger trainee idol at the same company who was about to debut.

The revelation caused an immediate sensation.

Fans criticized Bae Ji for dating a senior idol before even debuting, calling it completely unprofessional. They figured she would probably be kicked out of the debut lineup and abandoned by the company.

But three days later, SM Entertainment suddenly announced that the two people at the center of the rumor, Chinese trainee Bae Ji (Yuki) and EXO member Kim Jong-in (KAI), would form a co-ed group called SNS and debut as a duo. The announcement sent shock waves through the Korean entertainment world once again.

A co-ed duo was making a comeback for the first time in ten years, since Trouble Maker.

But on the eve of their debut, they faced a wave of backlash and a screen full of insults:

[What on earth is SM thinking? Do they expect us to pay to watch male and female idols date?]

[Even though the rumor has been cleared up, I still don't want to see my bias getting so close to a female idol. Thanks anyway.]

[No way! Give us our money back! Give us our money back! Give us our money back!]

[It's not the second generation anymore. Is there something seriously wrong with debuting a co-ed group now? Lee Soo-man, open your eyes and look at the world!!]

[Have they lost their minds? Bae Ji has only been training for three months. Are they expecting KAI to carry her?]

The SNS group's official channel was nearly drowned in angry protests. Then their first album's music video came out, and its overwhelming sexual chemistry and effortless rapport won the hearts of countless fans, far exceeding everyone's expectations. The mysterious relationship between Bae and Kim also drew a huge wave of fans into the shipping fandom!

Years later, the legendary co-ed group SNS was still dominating the charts, with albums selling brilliantly both at home and abroad. Someone interviewed a newer fan who had witnessed the group's entire debut journey.

The fan let out a long sigh:

“At first, I thought if those two didn't get together, I'd lose. Later, I begged them on my knees to date, but they still wouldn't.”

“Career-first fans are my lifelong nemesis.”

“...”

Notes:

1. This idea came to me out of nowhere. I took a screenshot of the blurb and saved it to the cloud on August 17, 2023.

2. The group name SNS stands for Sun Never Set.

3. For dramatic effect, I've changed D Agency's rules about not exposing ordinary people and about their reports always being true. The latter will be explained logically in the story. The male lead is Kim Jong-in. This should be an INFJ x INFJ green-haired old-man duo (...?), but there may not necessarily be a romance between the two.

Theme: To remain warmly in fans' memories, like spring.