Three months later. [TL] I feel the need to warn people cause this is gonna get pretty bad but do wait until Chapter 16 for any judgment. [/TL]
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[Debut 'HappyJoy', "Happy to achieve our dream, we want to be like our seniors, Plan L."]
Rookie girl group HappyJoy shared their thoughts on their debut.
At their debut showcase held at the Cheongnok Art Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 6th, HappyJoy expressed their aspirations, saying, "We are happy to have achieved our dream of debuting," and, "We want to be loved for a long time with strong teamwork like our seniors, Plan L."
Meanwhile, HappyJoy is a six-member girl group consisting of Gahee, Rojin, Eun-bit, Suyeon, Jeong, and Saerim. They released their debut album 'We are HappyJoy' on this day and threw their hat into the music industry.
The debut title track, 'No No!', is a dance number with a simple minor chord progression followed by a chorus that transforms into a rich, contrasting sound, offering a powerful addictiveness.
The lyrics, which use irony to express the ambivalent heart of a girl clumsy in love, along with the unique pop melody and the powerful vocals of main vocalist Eun-bit, add to the charm and will showcase HappyJoy's unique, bubbly appeal.
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Wow, that was fast.
I, along with Representative Yeom and Hyeon-dong, attended Eun-bit's showcase stage, and during the intermission, I was searching for articles about HappyJoy.
The opening song had barely finished, and articles about the showcase were already up.
Even now, in the press seats filled with four rows in front, the sound of camera shutters and typing never ceased.
It was quite fascinating to see pictures of the scene I was currently watching being uploaded in real time.
There were a few other articles related to the showcase, most of which were similar in content. It's inevitable since the agency gave guidelines for the articles.
It was a month later than the scheduled debut, but they say it's practically the same as proceeding without any errors.
There are six members now, but the team was originally planned to be a seven-member group. There was a separate main vocalist, but that member had health problems right before the album recording and temporarily gave up activities.
As a result, the positions and movements were rearranged for a six-member formation, and Eun-bit, who joined the latest, temporarily took on the role of main vocalist.
“One, two, three, one more time, HappyJoy! Hello, we are HappyJoy!”
“Yes, nice to meet you, HappyJoy! Wow, you're so pretty!”
“Thank you!”
After the opening song, a brief interview was conducted, including member introductions, according to the comedian MC's lead. Each member took turns introducing themselves, and it was Eun-bit's turn fourth.
“Nice to meet you, I'm Eun-bit, the HappyJoy from lead vocal!”
Oh...
A leaky bucket at home is a leaky bucket outside. She went and switched lead vocal and HappyJoy.
“Wait a minute, wait a minute. You're who from what?”
The male MC quickly caught on, drawing an X with his hands.
Eun-bit repeated brightly.
“Yes. I'm Eun-bit, the HappyJoy from lead vocal!”
“Puhahaha! It's switched!”
“Yes...?”
Eun-bit burst into laughter only after another member whispered the mistake to her.
Laughter also came from the audience, which naturally lightened the somewhat stiff atmosphere.
Anyway, that Eun-bit.
Her face, reflected on the large screen behind the stage, had become unbelievably pretty.
Since she entered the dormitory after signing the contract with Plan Maker, it was my first reunion with her in three months, and she looked quite like a celebrity.
Not only her face, but her stage presence and expressions were also professional. Throughout the opening performance, I wondered if this was the same Tamna Country fool I knew.
Since she was the main vocalist and had a certain level of visuals, she often ended up in the center, and when she was mixed in with the group, her dancing skills weren't noticeable and she blended in pretty well.
That kid, she's quite something.
If there was an Information Window, I could have seen how much her skills had improved. Unfortunately, from the moment Eun-bit signed a contract with Plan Maker, I could no longer see the Information Window.
It probably means that since she has an agency, I can no longer be involved.
“Well then, let's hear the title track, 'No No'!”
*
They say a celebrity's life is a one-shot deal.
The name of HappyJoy, no, Eun-bit, spread to the public faster and more explosively than expected.
Two months after the release of their debut mini-album, they released a single album and continued their activities without a break, and their appearance as a panelist on a cable food show caused an unexpected stir.
The location for that episode's food tour was Jeju Island.
Originally, the spot was offered to a member of the company's senior group, Plan L, but the schedules didn't match. Instead, the company emphasized to the writers that Eun-bit's hometown was Jeju Island, and three members of HappyJoy, including Eun-bit, appeared on the show.
The birthplace of the meme that changed Eun-bit's life was the Haenyeo Village.
Influenced by her grandmother, who was a Haenyeo[TL] Korean Sea Diver. [/TL], Eun-bit had learned diving (for seafood) since childhood as a form of play, and she immediately put on a Haenyeo Diving Suit and jumped into the sea, and, as if by magic, caught an octopus.
The scene where she held her face out of the water and shook the octopus was truly impressive, and it was made into a meme titled 'First Idol Haenyeo-dol', causing a reaction on internet humor boards and social media.
In addition, the quirky and slightly crazy charm she showed throughout the broadcast was well-received by the public.
Using that as a stepping stone, she appeared on a series of public broadcast variety shows, leading to an increase in the group's recognition.
As a result, striking while the iron was hot, HappyJoy's third album, released earlier than originally planned, ranked high on the music charts, signaling the beginning of their true heyday.
Eun-bit filmed three individual commercials in one month.
The Aura of a Star I saw in her was accurate, and the Information Window's advice that Plan Maker and Eun-bit's compatibility was not good was proven wrong.
As her fame grew and she became busier, our relationship inevitably became more distant, but still, she called me from time to time to ask about me and my parents. Jeju Island specialties such as cutlassfish, abalone, and Hallabong oranges were also consistently delivered.
For our family, that was enough.
I heard enough from Representative Yeom about how incredibly busy she was.
They say she only sleeps an average of three hours a day for six months, so that says it all.
I met Eun-bit again on the night of HappyJoy's first anniversary.
She suddenly called me and said she was at the playground near my house and told me to come out.
I went out. She was riding the swing alone in the empty playground.
“Hey, you should have come straight home.”
“Oppa...”
As soon as she saw me, she buried herself in my arms.
And she cried silently for a long time.