Hard Mode Idol

SR Entertainment’s new idol group ‘DIAS’ revealed

Shows confidence as a “group with unrivaled visuals and skills”

SR Entertainment announced that the countdown has begun for the reveal of ‘DIAS’, the next-generation male idol group following the trendy idol group THEOS.

Ambitiously announced, ‘DIAS’ is a 5-member male idol group with different charms, and no official information other than the members’ names has been revealed so far.

Many recent rookie idol groups make their faces known to the media even before their debut, but DIAS has maintained complete secrecy. Not a single video or photo of the members has been released until now, March 14th, ahead of the concept photo reveal, drawing attention to their unique approach.

Regarding the now-abandoned secrecy strategy, SR Entertainment’s director Kim Hyemi confidently said,

“These are the kids that CEO Park Taemin and I personally discovered. You can look forward to them.”

SR CEO Park Taemin and director Kim Hyemi’s eye for recognizing raw gems to become idols is known to be the best in the industry. This is why numerous industry insiders are paying attention to the rookie group they are presenting after 5 years.

The members of DIAS are Park Yoochan (23/Leader/Lead Vocal), Jung Ilhan (22/Main Rapper), Baek Kanghyun (21/Main Dancer), Lee Seoho (20/Sub Vocal), and Jin Haon (19/Main Vocal).

(Reporter Jung Yoo-jin)

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als*** Yeah, next up is another unknown group~

moo*** What secrecy strategy lolㅋㅋ Look at that overflowing confidence, they’ll realize “Ah, I was wrong” only after failingㅋ

voi*** Ah, so the one who replaced Jaehyuk oppa is Jin Haon?ㅎㅎ Our oppa is doing well,ㅎㅎ you shouldn’t have clung to him pretending to be close,ㅎㅎ

┗ asx*** Who’s Jaehyuk?

┗ voi*** He’s Joon Jaehyuk from CLOZ! He’s not debuted yet but there are many videos of him! Come check out our oppas! [link]

┗ asx*** Another unknown trainee ㅂㅂ

┗ voi*** Your comment has been hidden for containing inappropriate language.

lee*** Will our Duri be there? Our Duri, who disappeared after being street casted…

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sun*** I went to see the concept photos and I ‘slap’ my knee to the two’s eye for talent. Thank you. Thank you. May you receive a million blessings. May you live a long and prosperous life.

hee*** I went to diss them but I got charmed insteadㅠㅠ The visuals of the five members combined are crazy, they’re really crazy…

bas*** Everyone, go see Haon. He’s really so pretty… Can a boy be that pretty?ㅠㅠ I’m feeling a sense of self-loathing, why am I a girl… But the more I look, the more handsome he is… No, he’s cute… What is this… He’s got it allㅎㅎㅎ

lee*** Haon is Doori, the pretty boy from the xx cafe at 2pm!

┗ cow*** Doori? The Doori that everyone who knows him knows?

┗ apt*** The two aboveㅋㅋㅋ It’s so obvious you’re posting this togetherㅋㅋㅋㅋ But I get why you simped for himㅋㅋㅋㅋ

asp*** Just because an idol has a good face doesn’t mean they’ll do well~ Are they going to dance and sing with their faces?ㅋㅋ

┗ neo*** Isn’t SR focused on skills? THEOS are stage masters. Even their solo singers are all good ㅇㅇ

┗ asp*** I acknowledge that THEOS is good, but these kids… I don’t know? It’s obvious they just gathered visual picks,ㅋㅋ

┗ lov*** You also agree that their visuals are top-notch, right?

“The reactions to your photocards are pretty good.”

The manager opened the practice room door wide with a big smile. We had been given a “No Searching” order, and so far, everyone was faithfully following it. Honestly, I don’t mind looking, but Yoochan and the others were keeping a close eye on each other, especially on me.

In particular, I was under strict control, and just holding my cell phone would put me under surveillance. This is all because of the abnormal condition. They know that if I’m psychologically cornered, it will be a big problem. Most malicious comments can’t even scratch my mental state, you know.

“But Haon.”

“Yes?”

“You know there are people calling you Doori, right?”

The manager showed me the comments.

─ So Doori’s name was Haon! It’s such a perfect fit for his pretty name! Noona will pave a flowery path for you!

─ Doori, congratulations on your debut!!!!! Thank you for being born!!!!

─ Agreeing with the above comment! Doori! Thank you for becoming my idol,ㅠㅠ

“…Huh? Who’s Doori?”

“You don’t know?”

I shook my head. Who’s Doori? They seem to be mistaking me for someone else. I guess I must look a lot like him. They’re thanking me for being born. It would be really happy to hear such words.

“You often went to the XX cafe before your debut, right? That’s where the CEO casted you too.”

“That’s right.”

“You always appeared there at 2 pm, right? That’s why you became known as the pretty boy of 2 pm through word of mouth. The nickname you got then is Doori. 2 pm. Oh-dul-i. Doori.”

“…Are you saying I’m Doori? Not someone who looks like me?”

The manager smiled confidently.

“It’s definitely you. There was a post about a sighting of you getting casted by the CEO. There were no photos circulating, but it seems a few people who actually saw you occasionally posted longing posts.”

“Then those words are really directed at me?”

“Yeah.”

I carefully read the comments under my photo once again. Are these words really meant for me? I was frozen in disbelief, and Yoochan patted my back.

“Are you happy?”

“…It’s a bit unbelievable.”

I read the same content over and over again with a blissful face as if I had discovered a gold mine. It was amazing. The favorable comments I received for the first time kept tickling me. I was happy.

“Manager hyung, what about my comments? What did I get?”

“They say you’re so cute they’re going to die. That you’re completely like a puppy and adorable.”

The manager briefly showed me the comments that received a lot of recommendations. Since there weren’t as intense reactions as mine, everyone started teasing me.

“Haon is the top one~”

Yoochan said it jokingly, but…

“Our Haon already had a fandom? That’s amazing!”

The starry-eyed Jung Ilhan is burdensome. Is he serious or joking? It’s confusing.

“Jin Haon’s face is turning red again, hehehe!”

“…Shut up.”

Why can’t I hide my face color when I can hide everything else? At times like this, I resent myself for being too honest.

Time passed really quickly day by day, and it was already the weekend. Except for Yoochan, all the members went home after Friday’s practice. Since it was a holiday, I woke up leisurely and found Yoochan preparing breakfast.

“Hyung? You haven’t left yet?”

“I wanted to take care of your meal before leaving.”

“I can eat by myself…”

“Hot dogs?”

“If you eat it in the morning, it’s breakfast. What does it matter what kind it is?”

Yoochan smiled crookedly and shook his head.

“When I go home, I’ll get some side dishes from my mom. And how many times have I told you to wake me up when you get up in the morning? Don’t get ready alone and leave swiftly, let’s go together.”

“You’re tired when I wake up at dawn. You should sleep more.”

“You’re the one going out alone at that hour.”

“Ey, you can’t even wake up after hearing the alarm, do you think you’ll wake up if I wake you?”

“You think I don’t know that you’re the one turning off that alarm?”

What happened to our Yoochan hyung? He wasn’t like this before. I had nothing more to say, so I just smiled brightly.

“At least move together with Kanghyun.”

“These days, Kanghyun hyung is even faster than me. When I wake up, he’s usually gone. There are only occasional times when our schedules match.”

“I’ll have to tell Kanghyun to take you with him.”

“I’m not a kid, it’s fine. There haven’t been any problems so far.”

Yoochan put down the spoon and sat me at the dining table. He sits across from me as if to eat together.

“Just because there haven’t been any problems so far doesn’t guarantee there won’t be any in the future. Once we debut, there will be people who recognize you, so don’t go around alone. Especially for you, I think there will be a lot of sasaengs.”

“That’s interesting. I’ve heard that before. Why did you think that?”

I mumbled while swallowing the rice that filled my mouth.

“You heard it but still go around alone?”

“No, well. It’s still fine so far.”

“Enough, so eat slowly and a lot.”

“I’m curious about the reason…”

Why don’t you answer when I’m curious! Yoochan prettily put rice on the spoon, slowly chewed it thoroughly, and then spoke.

“Just a feeling. I think you have a charm that captivates people.”

Ah, it must be the stat effect. I’ve been pushed around so much since coming here that I just recognized it and lived on. I’ve never actually heard something like, “You’re not my type, but strangely, my heart is drawn to you!”

“Some of the trainees said they want to be friends with you, so they asked me to put in a good word for them.”

“The girls?”

“There are no girls among our trainees. Don’t you know that the company only selects boys because they think they’ll date if boys and girls mix?”

Ah, right. That’s how it was. They only selected male trainees.

“Why do they want to be friends with me?”

No one talked to me when I walked around the company, so it’s strange.

“They say you’re pretty.”

“Cough, cough, cough.”

Are they crazy? Out of their minds? It gave me chills. Why would they want to be friends for that reason? I gulped down the water Yoochan handed me.

“They said they’re strangely drawn to you. They said they can’t even talk to you because they’re shy, so they asked me to put in a good word for them.”

Wow, the charm stat. Wow! They can’t even talk because they’re shy. Does this work on men too? Does it work regardless of gender, even if they’re not your type? I’m bewildered. Really. Seriously.

“Absolutely don’t connect me with them…”

“Of course.”

Yoochan was protecting me in places I didn’t know. I’m really glad. Whew. Just thinking about it is creepy.

“I’m telling you this because I think you’ll have a lot of male fans too, so be aware that it can be that much more dangerous. Don’t go around alone. Sasaengs are, to be precise, stalkers. Stalkers mean that person’s tendencies are not normal, regardless of gender. Got it?”

“…Yes. I will. I’ll wake you up.”

“Okay. You promise?”

I nodded my head vigorously. After eating a few bites, my rice bowl was cleanly emptied. Yoochan’s was still full. It’s nice to be full.