≫ Kim Iwol has always been in his prime but he seriously hit peak prime this time
The other members all had songs where people went “this fits them perfectly!” but Iwol always felt more like he was completing a mission, and then “Alight” came along and stamped it officially
Kim Iwol’s personal color is textbook sexy this is going to be on the exam everyone take notes
└ He’s got the physique for it too so his dance lines have this weight to them + that naturally cool expression the oldest members have is perfectㅠㅠ It’s rare seeing sweaty Iwol but the choreo is brutal so we keep getting damp Iwol overflowing everywhere......
≫ I always figured the oldest members being in charge of sexy was just ancient idol industry tradition~ but Choi and Kim feel different somehow
Spark overall has sharp features so they look more mature than their actual age (I’m NOT calling them old-looking please don’t attack me antis)
When I look at the maknae line > These are the youngest members? Seriously? Their sexy potential is endless
When I look at the main vocal line > Okay the younger ones were cute but the older members really are different. If they sing well and dance well the company should carry them around on their backs
Then Choi comes out and it’s like holy shit...... insane...... that was usually the end of it but in “Alight” Kim Iwol stole the final boss position
I’m devastated by my own lack of vocabulary too but...... he’s got that adult kind of sexy
└ It’s not those over-the-top expressions people force to pull off a sexy concept. It looks natural but he somehow still seduces people so you keep staring. Kim Iwol when I say this nicely please show us your ID already stop lying about your age
≫ I like that Iwol seems happy these days
Aside from the song being good and the concept fitting them perfectly and the styling setting legendary records every single day, he just genuinely looks like he’s having fun
└ Seriously...... I never realized because he’s such a professional idol who never shows when he’s tired, but after seeing him smile this time I realized there’s a difference between smiling brightly for show and smiling because you genuinely can’t hold it back
└ Is he dating someone?
└ Do you seriously think romance is the only thing in the world that can make people smile? I can already tell how bleak your life is
≫ What’s up with KIW
Dude’s flying aroundㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Looks like he awakened
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋHe suits the concept so well, he must’ve been trying hard as hell to hold himself back from sexy concepts at UA
└ Honestly shocking they kept Choi Jeho and Kim Iwol around this long without doing sexy concepts. Maybe they were trying to avoid overusing the image?
└ Isn’t it because once you do a sexy concept you can’t go back to refreshing concepts anymore? I thought that was why they only tested the waters during the mission and backed off
└ Since this is a full album I think they committed to the image transformation while using “Dreamer” to maintain some of their original concept tone too
≫ When the “Alight” MV first dropped everyone said the song and choreography were more intense than “Dreamer,” but the conceptual side and the MV visuals themselves were weaker. But “Alight” is climbing faster in views compared to “Dreamer”
These bastards seriously know how to use their heads
└ Dramatized MVs are fun the first time but you don’t really rewatch them compared to shorter MVs
└ Even the group name, and how they’ve always used flames and embers in their MVs and lyrics before...... honestly “Alight” fits the group identity more. I totally get now why they pushed it as the title track
└ The razor-sharp synchronized choreography was a god-tier move...... “Alight” feels way more optimized for music shows and fancams too
≫ For idols the challenge is finding a color that suits every member while still being hard for others to imitate
In Spark’s case, they’ve focused heavily on youthful refreshing band sounds, but the fact they can also pull off hardcore rock bases + restrained sexiness + dance is a huge strength
Youthful concepts get weird if even one member feels too much like an uncle, and sexy concepts make you go “please wait until they’re older......” if some members look too baby-faced...... but Spark’s average age is still early twenties, and overall their visual styles are similar enough that no matter what concept you throw at them they match each other and pull it off well
└ Seriously agreed...... bulking up and getting fit is great and all but sometimes there are idols whose true dream clearly isn’t being an idol but becoming a personal trainer, and the fact Spark works out that much without having members like that is a blessing too
└ The fact that they’re pushing restrained sexy instead of sleazy sexy with faces that look like they’d suit decadent sexy concepts the most is honestly genius
└ Though I’m not sure this counts as mild sexy;;; During the mission I was like “oh their first sexy concept~” but this time I literally watched the MV hiding in my room
└ I kept laughing like an idiot so I could only watch it at home
Posts related to “Alight” promotions were especially full of comments saying my face looked brighter lately. People kept saying I looked more relaxed, that my lips were practically curling up to my ears.
‘Is it really that obvious?’
I touched my face a few times for no reason. But those people saw my face more often than I did, so maybe the fans were right.
‘Honestly, even the amount of irritation I feel at the SYSTEM’s tone has noticeably decreased.’
After meeting Manager Nam, the SYSTEM had practically been throwing confetti around by itself.
▶ Kim Assistant Manager, congratulations~. I knew from the beginning you were going to succeed!
I had worried that seeing Manager Nam again might hurt my concentration. But if anything, the sense of relief afterward let me focus on work even better.
Today’s Spark looked like children of darkness decked out in silver accessories from head to toe. As always, we looked like the strongest people in the broadcasting station.
We had brought “Dreamer” along too so we could still return to a cheerful, approachable concept whenever necessary, but honestly...... could Spark really become refreshing idols again after this?
“Hyung, if you’re a vampire, is it okay to wear silver rings?”
“They told me it’s fake.”
“Who did?”
“Lee Cheonghyeon.”
Some unbelievably idiotic conversation drifted over from the distance. I was confident I could identify Choi Jeho and Kang Giyeon even through voice modulation.
Meanwhile, Lee Cheonghyeon—the very culprit who had passed along those brain-melting life tips—was away at a photoshoot for Linis, a brand that made accessories from platinum rather than sterling silver to begin with. He was scheduled to arrive before the live broadcast, so only five of us were in the waiting room.
“I wonder if the photoshoot is going well.......”
“Cheonghyeon will do great......!”
Maybe he’d overheard me muttering, because Park Juu came over to comfort me.
“What if the outfits fail to fully capture Cheonghyeon’s visuals.......”
“So that was the problem.......”
After a brief groan, Park Juu walked away again. Linis...... if they failed to prepare a pedestal worthy of Spark’s porcelain moon jar Lee Cheonghyeon, then they would pay the appropriate price. Even if they took a hundred photos, their new products would be cursed to never stand out......
I was busy receiving makeup while indulging in sinister and impure thoughts when the waiting room door opened. Manager Chanyeong hurriedly stepped outside after being called away.
“What’s going on? Did the filming order change?”
“Please no.”
At the stylist’s lament, everyone in the waiting room became busy at once. Wanting at least not to get in the way, I sharpened my hearing so I could instantly react to instructions about whether to keep my eyes open or closed, whether to lower my head or raise it.
Then the manager returned.
“Iwol.”
“Yes!”
“Do you think you could do temporary MC work?”
What?
......was what my brain thought.
“Of course!”
But apparently some mouths moved faster than thoughts.
Three minutes after agreeing, a music show cue sheet landed in my hands.
Music show MC positions had long been reserved for idols with at least a certain level of name recognition.
Several Spark members had received offers too. But by the time our popularity had grown enough for those love calls to start arriving, every member was already busy with individual activities, so we had politely declined permanent MC positions.
Lee Cheonghyeon was the exception. His revolutionary visuals had drawn attention the moment he debuted, and even early on he was often invited as a special MC if not a permanent one. Because of those connections, he still occasionally filled empty spots whenever existing MCs were absent for personal reasons.
But Lee Cheonghyeon wasn’t here today. If it had been a planned absence, they would have had time to find a replacement, but unfortunately......
‘Acute appendicitis.......’
......It was the kind of emergency nobody could predict. Jeong Seongbin merely commented, “I hope they recover quickly.”
There wasn’t even enough time to rewrite the script from a three-MC format into a two-person format. So I got shoved in instead.
When I asked whether it was really okay since I had no live broadcast experience, they answered that Iwol 씨 was smart, wasn’t he? In other words, even if I didn’t know how, I was expected to do well anyway.
And so......
“Wait, where did Taeseon 씨 go? Why is Iwol 씨 here instead?”
“Today, I’ll be joining you as Spark’s special MC, Iwol!”
......I ended up making my adorable and charming MC debut.
Thankfully, there weren’t that many lines to memorize. They told me I could always glance at the prompts if needed, but it wasn’t enough dialogue to overwhelm me anyway.
The real problem was somewhere else.
“My heart’s racing because I’m so nervous, but I’ll work hard, [N O V E L I G H T] so I’d appreciate it if everyone watches kindly!”
“Of course, of course! I, Sei, will be right beside you! Doing my absolute best! To help make Iwol 씨’s MC debut a success!”
“Huh? Sei 씨, are you already acting like a senior MC?”
The hastily assembled intro and the overly theatrical dialogue style unique to music shows were truly a bizarre hybrid. And to make matters worse, my assigned role was “gentle maknae with nervousness level 100 because it’s his first live MC broadcast.”
They were clearly trying to make the audience accept any line flubs or nervous eye movements naturally, so I couldn’t complain. I just had to play the role of a rookie MC who was somehow both the biggest and the most worried person there.
Even after mentally layering five sheets of steel over my face, it still wasn’t easy. I gained a whole new respect for how naturally veteran MCs delivered lines like these.
After barely surviving the introductions for the first stages, I stepped away from the MC desk and happened to make eye contact with a Sparkler in the audience. The expression of the Sparkler, who had probably traveled far to witness the explosive live performance of “Alight,” was......
Pure shock and terror.
But even amid the chaos, the fans’ love and support remained unwavering. The people holding familiar lightsticks gave me thumbs-ups from the darkness.
The only thing I could do for them in return was bow a full ninety degrees with tears in my eyes.
Whoever said freshmen spent day and night drinking and partying their lives away clearly hadn’t met Baek Haewon.
Most of his classmates did exactly that, but Baek Haewon was different. As always, the moment class ended, he sprinted home. Then he turned on the TV channel in advance and headed into the bathroom to purify himself.
‘Music show Spark going all out is the greatest thing in the world.......’
The outside air had gone beyond chilly and become outright cold, but his passion refused to cool. If Spark was burning brightly, how could a Sparkler possibly feel cold? Baek Haewon was convinced he could survive winter without even an electric blanket.
‘They’ll upload selfies after the performance, right? Honestly they look like they’ve already run out of outfits to wear by now, so what are they wearing today? Whenever creativity runs dry, the answer is faith hope love and above all mesh clothing.......’
After washing thoroughly in mountains of foam, the freshly scrubbed Baek Haewon headed straight for the refrigerator. He poured himself an enormous serving of cold mango juice—a product Park Juu had advertised after returning from the deserted island. He’d originally bought it because he was a fan, then stockpiled huge amounts once he realized it actually tasted good—and at that exact moment, a familiar voice reached his ears.
『Huh?! Could it finally be their turn?!』
The soft, clean voice was definitely one Baek Haewon recognized.
But something was strange. The owner of that voice had never spoken in that kind of tone in his entire life.
Besides, it still wasn’t time for interviews yet. Thanks to their rising popularity, Spark had become the kind of group that appeared near the end of the broadcast.
Sensing something was wrong, Baek Haewon grabbed the entire bottle of mango juice and ran into the living room.
『Oh my gosh, I’m so excited I don’t know what to do with myself!』
On the massive TV screen, Kim Iwol was shyly covering his face with both hands. And Baek Haewon clearly saw the “MC” label attached to the tilted microphone.
“Ah! Since when has Kim Iwol been MCing?!”
Baek Haewon roared like a lion.
Regardless, Kim Iwol cheerfully stretched an arm toward the camera and suggested they go meet someone Baek Haewon absolutely did not care about at all.
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