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[You said do the beat like kung-chi-ttak-chi, right? What? I couldn’t hear you because of the instrument sounds ⎜Choo Gaeul Han Yeoreum So Dami <Youth Disqualified!>] 30:21:22
Views 234,559
-What is this, some constellation-type content? LOOOOLLL The PD and writers’ opinions keep popping up like a status window
︎˪What is constellation-type content..? T_T Asking carefully
︎˪Ahh it’s something otakus like
-The center director feels familiar now, like someone we just know
-Look at how only Lee Saerok’s subtitles get crammed in, it’s so compressed the font is tiny I can’t even read it T_T LOLOLOL
Intube viewers gradually began to grow attached to Han Yeoreum, Choo Gaeul, and So Dami. Watching the friendly, comfortable footage, the emotional distance in their hearts slowly narrowed.
The wooden chopsticks stamped with the YeopX Tteokbokki logo that came out of Dok Gomin’s emotional studio, the actors starting off sitting on the sofa but eventually all ending up on the floor, conversations constantly drifting off-topic, and then someone suddenly mentioning a menu—leading them to seriously debate it before inevitably ordering it anyway.
Kim Yeonji (Honestly yogurt ice cream with chocolate isn’t great. Only fruit toppings are valid)
︎˪Park Minye (I don’t really like yogurt ice cream in the first place)
︎˪Lee Hyejeong (I think Kim Yeonji just has no taste)
︎˪Lee Saerok (Honestly, should yogurt ice cream even be this expensive? What the hell kind of ice cream costs over 20,000 won—though if you give it to me I’ll still eat it)
︎˪So Yesol (I’m lactose intolerant)
The subtitles that appeared like real-time livestream comments also played a huge role. It gave off a kind of intimacy that variety shows featuring actors had never managed before.
“Why did you call me?”
-They said you’re good at drums, sunbae! Alright, a very difficult-to-invite special guest—Joo Junseo. Let’s give him a round of applause.
Starting from Episode 3, they even had a guest appear briefly. Joo Junseo showed up wearing glasses and a hoodie pulled low over his head, and was practically forced to grab a pair of drumsticks.
-Just one song you’re confident in!
-...Do you guys even practice?
Joo Junseo, who ended up becoming their drum teacher, bought them pizza and ice cream, taught them just a little, and then left.
It really felt like a club activity that was barely holding together.
But the practice wasn’t entirely lighthearted. A fast-forward segment showed Choo Gaeul practicing alone. Staying in the practice room until 1 a.m., she looked completely different from when she was with her friends.
-Ah, damn...
Her fingers were swollen red from gripping the drumsticks for so long. Since her sense of rhythm wasn’t particularly strong, she had to double her practice time.
︎˪Park Minye (I’m genuinely touched... a woman who doesn’t know how to give up, Choo Gaeul)
︎˪Lee Hyejeong (I think Gaeul’s personal color is “effort”)
Because drums required using both hands and even her feet, Choo Gaeul stopped mid-practice and let out a sigh.
-Ah...
After lowering her head for a moment, she started repeating the same section again as if nothing had happened.
˪So Yesol (I really think it was a good decision to suggest forming a band haha)
Choo Gaeul stubbornly repeated the same section ten times over. And when she finally stopped making mistakes, the comment section collectively burst into tears.
-TT__TT ah shit TT__TT Gaeul TT_TT
-Choo Gaeul looks kind of cold and urban but she’s actually so loose and hardworking, I really saw her differently
-C.G.E. is the best. Same initials, right? Coincidence? I think not
When morning came, the practice room door opened again. So Dami always arrived early. She would start things off by playing a different song for personal practice, so subscribers began calling the opening segment “Dami Time.”
-Dami’s song choices are exactly my taste T_T she’s so good
-I was wondering how they’d make a band with actors, but having someone experienced like her anchor things makes it way better, both in practice and in actual performance
-Honestly So Dami doesn’t even need to practice this hard, but the fact she shows up every day is likable
˪LOOL She’s the least known so she has no schedules, that’s why she comes
So Dami practiced seriously. She made very few small mistakes, which made her the easiest to listen to.
Whenever the camera focused on So Dami, it really felt like they were becoming an actual band.
˪Lee Saerok (As expected of someone who loves music, I think she has an exceptional sense for song selection, quietly closing my mouth in admiration while watching her rearrange it into jazz and demonstrate what swing really is)
˪So Yesol (How do you admire something with your mouth closed?)
During breaks, they immersed themselves in reading the <Youth Disqualified!> script. So Dami looked completely at home spending long hours in the practice room.
-But honestly... he’s handsome... he is, right? Handsome? He is~ hmm... what do I even like about him.
The editing team didn’t cut out the part where she practiced her lines out loud several times. The subtle <Youth Disqualified!> spoilers delighted the subscribers.
-Ah she delivers the lines perfectly LOLOLOL
-She’s literally raw, unfiltered boy-crazy energy... but she’s so lovable I can’t even complain, I’m just frustrated alone
˪For real... she’s great, but it’d be even better if she dumped that bastard... that kind of friend
And finally, Han Yeoreum didn’t appear in the practice room as often. Instead, she carried a camera around and filmed separately.
-Damn, her determination is insane...
-She even brings a guitar to the filming set, she’s the type who’ll succeed no matter what
Han Yeoreum carried her guitar around even while doing location shoots in Jinhae. Without even plugging it in, she practiced over and over again.
While getting her makeup done, she held sheet music in her hands and studied it.
˪Kim Yeonji (Filming at 4 a.m.... explaining that she started memorizing chords from that time)
The set of <The Great Garland> appeared split into four screens. While waiting, during breaks, before sleeping, after waking up and moving—Han Yeoreum practiced constantly.
˪So Yesol (Adding that she sent footage of herself practicing without taking a single day off)
Watching this now, subscribers could roughly imagine just how hard Han Yeoreum must have had it while filming <The Great Garland>.
Seeing everyone doing their best in their own circumstances tugged at something deep in their hearts.
And so, their first band session began.
-????
-??????? I’m doubting my ears
-What is this
-You guys worked hard TT__TT noooo
There was no dramatic, movie-like emotional payoff. The editing even added sweat sound effects, making the performance sound even more chaotic.
-What was that just now? What do we do?
-Hey! Han Yeoreum! What do you mean what do we do?! We just have to do better!
-Wow~ but at least the first measure matched!
Han Yeoreum’s confusion, Choo Gaeul’s frustration, and So Dami still smiling. Watching the three of them together, the subscribers began to grow quietly curious.
-Will they at least be good when the drama starts...? T_T
-Even people who practice well alone mess up when they start playing together... it’s insanely hard to play while listening to other instruments
-Their effort is commendable, but music is not something that can be mastered in such a short time. Especially Miss Choo Gaeul—your wrist snap when playing drums is completely wrong. At this rate, you’ll ruin your wrists. Focus on moving your arms more. That is all
˪That guy’s here again T_T he’s lowkey watching everything
And in the teaser for the next video, another guest made a surprise appearance.
-Who is that???
-What are they going to get wrecked by this time, hamburger?
-LMAO Since when did this become a variety show LOLOLOL
Because the video cut off before revealing the identity, viewers naturally began looking forward to next week’s upload.
Before the drama had even aired, they were already ready to love the characters.
Because every moment visible through the screen was youth.
It felt like <Youth Disqualified!> had already begun.
* * *
Seo Eden had arrived early at the filming set. For some reason, the set felt especially lively today.
‘Today’s finally our first shoot together!’
Han Yeoreum had the busiest schedule out of everyone here. And Seo Eden was still a complete beginner at acting. So any scenes where the two of them appeared together had to be pushed as far back as possible. frёeωebɳovel.com
If Seo Eden kept making NGs, it would interfere with Han Yeoreum’s schedule.
Seo Eden had already filmed a few times with So Dami. When he was first cast, Director So had said this in a tone meant to ease the pressure:
“Just... relax. The charm you naturally have as Seo Eden alone is already enough for us....”
But Seo Eden didn’t want to leave it at that.
‘If I’ve been given a good character, it’d be a waste not to do it properly!’
Some people think it’s fine if idols can’t act. But that assumption is wrong.
-Another idol LOLOLOL yeah, I’m out, not watching
-For fuck’s sake, squeezing into a successful project like this, don’t you have any shame? This is so damn annoying
-Standing next to real actors, don’t you feel like you need to sleep a few more times just to catch up..? Haha what even is this, why are you acting up, haha
Viewers had already built up experience from witnessing bad acting several times. When an idol tried acting, they couldn’t help but judge even more harshly.
The character Seo Eden had been given was the kind of social butterfly you’d find in every department. It seemed like it reflected his real personality to some extent.
Thanks to that, the scenes he had filmed so far hadn’t been particularly difficult.
‘Still, I need to leave a real impact!’
Seo Eden wanted to give his all to the character he’d been entrusted with. It was different from filming a music video.
A music video was something fans would replay over and over, searching for hidden meanings and details in the acting. But a drama was different—he had to perform at least above average in front of the general public, who would watch it once and move on.
Luckily, <Youth Disqualified!> had a senior actor who had already made a name even in the U.S. just four years after debut. Following the advice of Han Yeoreum—his former agency mate and now teammate—Seo Eden planned to approach his acting accordingly.
The atmosphere on set shifted in an instant.
From his experience, Seo Eden immediately knew who had just arrived.
There are people who inspire an inexplicable sense of trust in both staff and fellow actors. Someone who makes you feel certain things will go well.
A grounded confidence—there’s no way it won’t work out with this person here.
“Hey! Han Yeoreum!”
“Yeoreum—aaah!”
Han Yeoreum was walking in.
* * *
Today was finally the day they filmed the scene where the love line in <Youth Disqualified!> first forms.
‘Because everything about Heejeong’s character starts with a man.’
The role So Dami played, Heejeong, had dated within her campus twice before and sworn never to date within campus again—but the moment she saw Seo Eden, she fell in love at first sight all over again.
‘Depending on how well Seo Eden does here, the audience’s affection for Heejeong will change.’
There’s a difference between thinking, “Ah, this is the moment that character falls in love,” and actually feeling it in your heart.
‘If we don’t imprint the feeling of “yeah, I get why she’d fall for him,” then Heejeong just becomes a shallow boy-crazy character.’
That’s why I was a bit surprised when Seo Eden asked for advice.
‘Because he’s an idol.’
I thought he’d just assume, “People will like me as soon as they see me anyway.”
‘Well, if Seo Eden does well, Dami will come across even more lovable, so it’s better if he does well.’
If you fall for a man you don’t understand, you become just another boy-crazy girl. But if you fall for a man you do understand, you become a lovable girl.
I recalled the conversation I’d had with Seo Eden not long ago.
“In a narrative about falling in love at first sight, I think the gaze is important.”
“Oh....”
“Isn’t it? Sunbae, isn’t it? Ah, shit, I thought that was a pretty accurate analysis.”
“No. I think so too.”
“Yes. Good, good. Anyway, but it’s not like I can just send a look through the screen and everyone goes, ‘wow... I love him.’ It’s not that simple.”
Seo Eden asked seriously. It seemed like he had thought about this for quite a while.
“How do you act... understanding? Conviction?”
The three of us answered him one by one after he came to the practice room.
“For me, smiling? Whatever it is, if you smile, the feeling changes. It’d be good to show a shift in emotion.”
That was Choo Gaeul, who didn’t usually smile much.
“For me, making eye contact and then looking away. Because a crush makes you keep thinking about the other person, right? There’s nothing better for adding meaning than that!”
That was So Dami, who had deeply immersed herself into Heejeong’s character.
Seo Eden nodded diligently at both of their advice, as if to say both were right. Finally, all three of them turned to look at me.
“I...”
* * *
So Yesol monitored the scene more seriously than ever. Even if Seo Eden failed to properly convey the “falling in °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° love” moment, it wouldn’t be a big problem.
‘We can fix it as much as we want.’
At worst, they could just use a side profile of Seo Eden, add brighter lighting, slow it down, and layer in a suitably sweet OST.
With his above-average height, well-balanced clean features, and Heejeong’s trait of emotional deprivation, it would be easy to create a believable “falling in love” moment.
‘I didn’t expect much....’
Seo Eden was just Heejeong’s “trigger,” after all.
There was no intention to micromanage someone with such a small amount of screen time.
‘But this changes things.’
Seo Eden was in the middle of talking with a friend when he turned his gaze. Then slowly turned his head.
As if his eyes met first, and his body followed naturally.
Seo Eden smiled while making eye contact with the camera. Then he lowered his head slightly, letting his gaze fall away.
And just like that, he returned to where he started—continuing his conversation with his friend.
That alone was enough. The narrative of falling in love was complete.
“...Okay!”
So Yesol called out “okay” through the megaphone. The moment the director’s signal dropped, cheers erupted around them.
<Youth Disqualified!> had transformed from a low-budget project into one of the most anticipated works of the first half of the year. There was no way the atmosphere on set could be anything but good.
“Ooooh—Seo Eden—.”
“Do we have two ‘Nation’s First Loves’ in our team now?”
“What was that just now? What was that?”
Amid the flood of praise, Seo Eden grinned sheepishly. Then he bowed toward So Dami, Han Yeoreum, and Choo Gaeul, who had been sitting across from him to help guide his eyeline.
The staff of <Youth Disqualified!> all thought the same thing.
For some reason, this felt right.
