[How is this the same person?]

「(A photo of Lee Sion smiling brightly while holding a crocodile)

(A photo of Lee Sion standing after finishing a stage, with makeup and outfit that looked as if they had bled into water)」

⤷This really isn’t easy

⤷The one above is a thug living in Haan-dong, and the one below is an idol, right?

⤷No, they’re both Lee Sion

⤷I’m losing my mind, how do you go to the jungle and catch a crocodile, Sion Sion...

⤷Isn’t it scripted? How does a girl idol catch a crocodile?

⤷If Bangman’s stunned expression was acting, he deserves the Oscar grand prize

⤷The moment Lee Sion said she was going to the jungle, this was already foretold

“Seriously, I think she’s insane?”

As usual, Jinsu had entered the Iam fan community on his smartphone and was reading posts carefully. Looking at the board filled with posts about Lee Sion’s jungle expedition, he let out a hollow laugh.

Reviews about the program that aired last night had already been posted this quickly and in this quantity. Yours had always been an active community, but recently, Jinsu could feel that the number of people had grown beyond recognition.

“If I hadn’t seen this live, I might’ve gone crazy.”

As Jinsu stared holes into the posts, a grumbling voice reached his ears.

When he turned his head, Jiyeon, who was standing beside him, had poked her head out and was peering at Jinsu’s smartphone screen.

“You worked hard holding back all this time.”

“Why does all the fun stuff explode only when I can’t stan?”

Jiyeon, who had finished the college entrance exam not long ago and returned to Yours, seemed to have a lot of pent-up resentment. Meeting Jinsu again after a long time, she was busy venting her unfairness.

‘That’s understandable.’

As he comforted Jiyeon, Jinsu could fully understand how she felt.

It was only natural. While Jiyeon had stepped away for a while because of the college entrance exam, Iam had set off far more than one or two activities.

-I stayed up all night yesterday.

-Again?

-What am I supposed to do when it never ends no matter how much I watch?

Iam had been so active that new Yours said they needed a week just to catch up on the material that had accumulated in less than a year.

Even just yesterday, their appearance on the variety show Jungle Expedition had become a hot topic, causing an uproar not only in the fandom but among the general public as well.

[Lee Sion Crocodile Hunt!]

「Girl group Iam member Lee Sion is drawing attention after hunting a crocodile on the Ecuador edition of Jungle Expedition.

The Ecuador edition of Jungle Expedition visits the Waorani, an indigenous tribe living in the Amazon···」

⤷Jaguar, get out if you don’t want to die

⤷Jaguar: thanks...

⤷Respect to the delinquents who tried to gang up on Lee Sion seven-on-one in high school

⤷For real, only seven of them and they thought they could jump her

⤷ㅋㅋㅋ The production team panicking because even they didn’t expect her to actually catch one is hilarious

⤷They really carefully included the part where she got investigated by the local police in case controversy broke out

⤷What a shame, Jungle Expedition could’ve been added to Lee Sion’s discipline list

⤷What’s the discipline list?

⤷The list of program PDs who got disciplined because of Lee Sion. Go to Namuwiki

And of course, every bit of screen time Lee Sion had on Jungle Expedition was dopamine itself, without a single exception.

[Lee Sion Adds Another Foreign Sacrificial Victim]

「(A gif of a Waorani tribe member getting planted by Lee Sion with a wild-baejigi)

Beyond Haan-dong, Ecuador conquest complete」

[Lee Sion Coconut Breaking Show]

「A gif of Lee Sion breaking a coconut with a knife-hand)

How the hell did she break that?」

From clearing the warrior’s trials set by the Waorani tribe members alone like she was sweeping the field, to being sent into the jungle to find food and smashing coconuts barehanded.

She kept pouring out scenes that would have been enough broadcast material if even one of them had appeared.

-Is this Jungle Expedition, or Sion Grylls’s Jungle Survival?

She had simply turned it into a Lee Sion special of Jungle Expedition.

Thanks to that, the other cast members had become folding screens.

-Where did our Shinyu go?!

⤷She was watching while drinking coconut when Sion caught the crocodile

⤷ㅋㅋㅋ If a member of your team says she’s going to catch a crocodile, isn’t it normal to stop her?

⤷But what if that member is Lee Sion?

⤷That’s fair

Even Geum Shinyu, an Iam member who had appeared with her, had become nothing more than a coconut-drinking machine in the face of Lee Sion’s insane performance.

[Guys, Bangman caught fish too]

「(A gif of Kim Bangman catching and lifting up a fish in the Amazon River)」

⤷Hm... fish is a little

⤷To oppose a crocodile, shouldn’t he at least catch an anaconda?

⤷Are you crazy bastards? Hunting fish without tools in the Amazon River is fucking hard

⤷Lee Sion caught a crocodile, though?

⤷That’s because Lee Sion is insane

⤷Anyway, it was bland, right?

Even Kim Bangman’s performance, successfully hunting a large fish in the Amazon River, had only gotten about a minute of screen time, so in a way, getting even a coconut mukbang was something to be grateful for.

“I did think Sion wouldn’t just go to the jungle and come back normally, but I didn’t know she’d catch a crocodile.”

“I screamed while watching that live! Sion is seriously the best!”

Would there ever be another day when people could see a girl idol, and on top of that, an idol currently boasting the highest popularity, catch a crocodile barehanded?

Jinsu thought it was not strange that people were making so much noise about Jungle Expedition right now.

“We’ll begin entry for the Music Count audience!”

While he was talking with Jiyeon like that, a voice rang out.

“It opened!”

“It’s been so long since I went to a broadcast audience.”

“I made a new slogan too!”

The reason Jiyeon and Jinsu had joined forces after so long today was none other than to attend a music broadcast.

-Did you get in too?

-I got in too!

Attendance for music broadcasts had already been fiercely competitive.

But this time, the difficulty was truly on another level.

[Did Iam’s audience competition rate jump ten times this time?]

「Please, just move all of Iam’s stages to prerecording!! The competition is already insanely fierce, but if they go live, the number of seats is seriously way too small」

⤷I always went to at least one broadcast audience every time the girls made a comeback, but I gave up this time. It’s too brutal

⤷Fuck, the first week was the chance. Back then, everything was prerecorded, so there was at least a possibility

⤷No, it was always hard, but it wasn’t this bad. Why did the competition rate rise this much?

⤷Rumors already spread like crazy that this activity is insane, so it’s chaos. They say muggles and fans of other idols are applying too

⤷Where did my small little Iam go

⤷Fact) Iam was never a small idol

As rumors started to spread that Iam’s stages for the new song “Black Pearl” were insane, the competition rate for music-broadcast audience attendance had risen nearly tenfold because of the rapidly increased fans.

Thanks to that, existing fans had no choice but to despair at audience attendance that had become nearly impossible.

Jiyeon and Jinsu had also tried fiercely for every music broadcast audience since the first week, but failed every time. Only now, in the fourth and final week of promotions, had they miraculously succeeded.

“The heavens must be congratulating my return as a fan!”

“That might really be true. How did both of us get picked at the same time?”

Following the staff’s guidance, they moved toward the seats designated for Iam fans. Even then, Jinsu and Jiyeon kept talking, as if they still could not believe they had won through that hellfire competition rate.

Soon, they sat down and began watching the broadcast with excited hearts.

-Wow!!!

Since it was the end of the year, there were few major singers or idols, but perhaps because of that, the atmosphere of the stage instead heated up through special appearances by bands that had less public buzz but were recognized in the scene, as well as foreign singers.

At first, even the audience had been lukewarm, but they gradually became swept up in the heated atmosphere of the stage and began sending cheers.

The audience sending cheers, and the singers doing their best onstage as if trying to respond to those cheers.

As the rising stages passed one by one, at some point the final order of the broadcast approached.

“Today’s final stage on Music Count!”

“You’ve waited a long time, haven’t you? The stage of girl group Iam, who achieved first place for the past two weeks and is challenging for a triple crown this week!”

“Let’s meet them right now!”

-Waaaaaaah!!!!

-Iam!!

-Sion!!!! I came to see you!

At the explanation from Music Count’s male and female idol MCs, cheers incomparable to anything before echoed through the stage.

Before the stage began, there was a very brief moment when even the staff did not control things, and the fans who had come to watch could scream.

Not only from the seats where Iam’s fans were gathered, but from the entire audience, Jinsu could hear cheers pouring toward Iam.

‘The girls’ popularity is seriously no joke these days.’

He himself had also shouted, but normally at music-broadcast audience recordings, the basic rule was to stay quiet when it was not the singer you supported.

If you cheered along for no reason, the mood could become cold because people might think you had disguised yourself as another group’s fan to attend.

But as if such an unwritten rule did not matter, before Iam’s stage began, fans of other groups were also cheering as if Iam were the group they supported.

Click.

While Jinsu was briefly lost in thought, watching that surprising sight, the stage lights came on, and seven girls climbed onto the stage.

“Amazing···.”

A single word, amazing, came out quietly from Jiyeon beside Jinsu.

Jinsu felt exactly the same as Jiyeon.

‘The stage outfits are seriously amazing!’

Iam’s stage outfits for this promotion, themed around medieval pirates, were famous for their outstanding quality.

In particular, they always drew attention by appearing deliberately wet before going onstage. And today, perhaps because it was the final music broadcast, unlike usual, each Iam member had even brought props.

Deep in the night, destiny swaying over the waves

A shattered compass, even if I lose my way I still believe

The gazes that mocked me, throw them all behind

Even inside the storm, I spread larger

Ryu Ayeon, who took the first part, had come out wearing an eyepatch like Captain Hook from Peter Pan. On the opposite eye, perhaps because she was wearing a circle lens, there was a sparkling light, drawing Jinsu’s gaze.

Other than that, there was Im Yunkyung with a bandana—a colorful patterned cotton handkerchief that originated in India—wrapped around her head, and Geum Shinyu, who came out wearing the pirate captain hat worn by the protagonist of the once-popular film Pirates of the Caribbean.

Especially,

“Lee Gahyeon!!!!”

Lee Gahyeon, who had worn long leather pants and a corset throughout the promotion, seemed to have made up her mind because this was the final activity. She was wearing short boots and a garter belt, completely different from before.

Thanks to that, when Lee Gahyeon came forward for her part, the audience seats poured out thunderous cheers.

“Seriously, KJ Entertainment will be blessed!”

“They just poured money into it. This is basically fan service.”

Usually, idol stage outfits were either directly made by stylists or received through sponsorship.

Because of that, the cost of stage outfits could range from several million won at the low end to tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, every time they promoted.

Because of that, unless it was a major agency, reusing outfits to save on costs was not uncommon.

However, Iam came out wearing new outfits every week on each different broadcasting station’s music show.

Iam’s outfits, whose quality clearly showed they were custom-made and not ready-made items, made fans’ hearts boil over with fan feeling every time they watched a music broadcast.

“It really is completely different seeing it in person.”

“I’m glad I didn’t give up on coming. If I’d missed this, I seriously would’ve felt so wronged.”

It was not only the outfits.

When they saw the stage of “Black Pearl,” which had been a hot topic since its release for its new form of group choreography, Jinsu and Jiyeon forgot even to scream and had no choice but to stare blankly at the stage.

Crown on my head now

Rising even higher

Over every sea

Black flag queen, that’s me

From the highlight part, the Iam members showed choreography with movements that seemed as if one person was moving continuously, matching the changing song.

[The choreography is insane, but the girls’ gazes are even more insane]

Among fans, people had even begun asking if this was really the Iam they knew, because the splendid performance they showed with venomous gazes was so different from before.

Many people named those things as the reason Iam’s fans had increased sharply recently.

An idol who danced fierce choreography as if the body would break, while staring into the camera with an intense gaze.

People had fallen into that intensity, something they had never felt from a girl group before.

In truth, part of this craze came from the fact that until now, Iam’s image had been less “idol” and more “cute, pretty girls who are funny.”

But with this album, they had completely shattered that image through an intense transformation, and people had somehow become fans.

Most of all,

This sea is my stage

I survive to the end and dominate

Behind Kurosawa Yuri, who was taking the highlight part of the song right now, Lee Sion was preparing to decorate the finale.

“Lee Sion!”

“Sion, I came to see you!”

“Kyaaaak!!!”

When Lee Sion came out to the very center of the stage, as if they had been waiting only for this moment, the space filled with voices calling her, regardless of men or women.

“Seriously, Sion is a superstar.”

“It can’t be helped. Your eyes just go to her.”

Iam’s other members were popular enough too, but Lee Sion had long since gone beyond that level.

Crown on my head now

No one can stop me

At the edge of the world

Black flag queen—It’s me

The audience sang along to Lee Sion’s final part as if they were at the concert of a foreign singer visiting Korea.

Just like Jiyeon and Jinsu, they were people who had somehow become captivated by what Lee Sion showed.

Flutter.

“Sion, I came after finishing the college entrance exam to see you!!!”

Jiyeon unfurled the slogan she had brought at the sight of Lee Sion.

[Sion’s No. 1 fan came to cheer after getting into college!]

The memories from the Agbaek days, which had now become memories, rose in her mind.

Back then, Jiyeon had waited in front of the MPlay broadcasting station for the contestants every recording, and by luck, she had once had a short conversation with Lee Sion.

-Sion··· I have to prepare for the college entrance exam now, so I can’t come anymore.

When Jiyeon, ahead of the exam, said that she would no longer be able to come support her on-site, Lee Sion had smiled and answered.

-After the exam, make a pretty slogan and come back! I’ll be a superstar by then, but I’ll recognize you at one glance.

-Really?

-Saying two different things with one mouth is something only Seo Ryujin does.

Jiyeon had endured the difficult period of studying for the exam by using that memory as fuel.

‘Will she see it?’

But when she actually came to the site and held up the slogan, she felt unbearably nervous.

Among all these people, would Lee Sion really be able to recognize Jiyeon?

No, did she even remember?

While Jiyeon had been focusing on the college entrance exam, Iam and Lee Sion had somehow become stars that had risen high into the sky.

Hiding that nervous heart, Jiyeon lifted the slogan again.

At that moment,

Bang.

The instant the song ended, right before the lights went out, Lee Sion, who had been holding her ending pose onstage, closed one eye and made a gun with her fingers, aiming it exactly toward Jiyeon.

“Sion!!!”

Some people might say she might have just done it, or that she did not do it because she recognized Jiyeon but simply because the slogan stood out.

But Jiyeon could clearly feel that Lee Sion had recognized her and done it for her.

Because Lee Sion was looking at Jiyeon and smiling exactly like she had when she made that promise.