#218.
From morning until past 4 PM, fans thronged a temporary booth shaped like a large dome.
Today marked not only MOST’s debut anniversary fan meeting but also the unveiling of the long-awaited MOST merchandise by Kingdom Entertainment.
MOST had, of course, released standard merchandise like other artists, including keychains bearing the MOST logo and various clothing items designed to complement each album’s concept.
However, this new line of merchandise was something special.
Instead of merely using logos, member signatures, or photos, these were character goods based on the members of MOST.
The characters were six dogs, each representing a MOST member: JUNI (Gijun), MINI (Heungmin), KIKI (Gyuseong), DIDI (Dojae), WOO (Woocheol), and RIRI (Louis).
At first glance, the connection to the MOST members wasn’t obvious; they simply looked like cute dog characters.
Only fans deeply familiar with the members’ personalities could discern which character represented whom.
But that was precisely Kingdom’s intention in creating the characters under the name ‘WITH MOST’.
The goal was to create characters appealing not only to the fandom but also to the general public, allowing for ‘stealth fandom’ [discreetly showing support for a group without being overt].
Above all, what made the With MOST, or WIMO, characters special was the members’ active participation in their creation.
The members consulted and collaborated with the designer on every aspect, from the overall feel to the minute details of the dog characters.
Considering these characters would represent them, they were naturally meticulous.
Louis, in particular, with his keen interest in clothing and unique talent for drawing, invested even more attention into the project.
Even when the members described abstract ideas like ‘dreamy scholars,’ Louis miraculously captured their feelings and translated them into accurate drawings.
Louis’s drawings became invaluable references for the character designer.
After a year of dedicated effort in creating the With MOST characters, the members eagerly anticipated the fans’ reactions ahead of today’s unveiling.
“Ah, what? They’re even cuter than I imagined?!”
“Ah…. This is hilarious. Is this Dojae?”
“No. It’s Didi, right?”
“I’m telling you, it’s Dojae.”
“Didi.”
“Dojae, I love youuuu.”
A female student, clearly a Dojae fan, hugged a Border Collie-like dog doll and professed her love.
Her friend beside her shook her head.
But even so, she was gently stroking the head of Kiki, Gyuseong’s character.
“Ah. Mini is cuter than I thought? Should I get a Mini too?”
“Yeah. I want to put a Mini on my bed.”
Indeed, since the merchandise didn’t feature the members’ names or photos, the desire to purchase surged if they liked the character itself, regardless of whether it was their ‘bias’ [favorite member’s] character.
“Should we go for it?”
“Let’s go. We don’t know when they’ll sell out.”
At her friend’s words, the girl holding Kiki nodded and added an arm-sized Mini doll to her basket.
Her basket was already overflowing with pencils, notebooks, and keychains adorned with the With MOST characters, yet it still didn’t feel like enough.
Outside, the line of fans eager to enter the ‘WIMO’ booth stretched endlessly.
The two friends had been waiting in line since lunchtime and had barely managed to get inside.
‘We have to buy everything we can while we have the chance,’ she thought.
Both of them had a burning desire.
Even with the limited number of people allowed in at a time, the booth was packed with fans.
Amidst the pushing and shoving, fans snapped photos in front of the giant WIMO dolls and diligently filled their baskets with merchandise.
They knew the online store would open within the month, but they couldn’t resist scooping up goods into their baskets.
Until the online store launched, only those who bought from the booth would possess the merchandise.
They wanted to savor that short-lived exclusivity.
The characters were undeniably cute.
“Ah, I have to get stickers too.”
“Buy! Buy! Buy everything!”
“There’s a limit! Two per person.”
The hand of a fan reaching for a handful of stickers froze at the staff’s warning.
The fans clutched two stickers in their hands, their faces etched with regret.
“Ah, seriously, stealth fandom is totally possible with these.”
“I like cats more than dogs. They should release a cat version too.”
“If this does well, they might release one, right?”
“How could it not do well?”
The fan who preferred cats asked, glancing at the checkout counter.
They had waited in line for ages to get in, and now the checkout line was equally long.
“Honestly, these days, they could just sell the members’ doodles and they’d sell like crazy.”
Her words rang true.
The number of people buying WIMO merchandise far surpassed the number who bought merchandise at the first concert earlier in the year.
“As a Bestie [MOST’s fandom name] since the beginning, I’m really proud, but…….”
“At this rate, won’t we be unable to get into the fan meetings next year because there won’t be any seats left?”
Fans who had supported MOST since their debut couldn’t help but feel worried even as they felt proud.
“I know, right? I almost couldn’t get in this time either.”
“My friend tried to get a ticket through general admission but failed, so she bought one for 400,000 won [approximately $300 USD].”
“Wow…. A 20,000 won [approximately $15 USD] ticket became 400,000 won. What a creative economy.”
“Fan meetings…. are incredible.”
As the fans waited in line to pay with their baskets overflowing with WIMO merchandise,
The members, having finished their stage rehearsal, were browsing online reviews of the merchandise in the waiting room.
“Mini is getting a good response?”
“Oh, really?”
“Mini is a hit. It looks so dumb and silly, but it’s endearing.”
Heungmin’s expression became ambiguous as Louis read out the Twitter reactions on his phone.
“Uh…. Is that a compliment?”
The WIMO dogs were designed to capture the members’ personalities rather than resemble specific breeds.
This was based on an idea from Gyuseong, who raises mixed-breed stray dogs at home.
Nevertheless, if one had to find similar breeds, they would be Jindo (Gijun), Retriever (Heungmin), Pomeranian (Gyuseong), Border Collie (Dojae), Maltese (Woocheol), and Poodle (Louis).
Mini, modeled after Heungmin’s charming eye smile, possessed such an abundance of ‘puppy-like charm’ that it appeared strangely vacant.
That was precisely what made it cute.
“They’re not saying that to you, hyung [older brother/male friend], they’re saying it to Mini.”
“Ah, right…….”
Heungmin scratched the back of his head and muttered at Woocheol’s words as he walked past.
“I’m glad everyone seems to like them.”
Of course, some fans expressed that it wasn’t to their taste, but overall, the consensus was that the WIMO characters were cute.
Later, when more merchandise was released and the behind-the-scenes story of the MOST members’ creative process was revealed, the fans would become even more attached.
The members laughed as they looked at the 30cm-sized dolls they would be taking on stage.
“I didn’t even play with these when I was young…….”
Dojae was amazed that he was playing with dolls now that he was all grown up.
Gijun, who seemed like he would have nothing to do with dolls, even tied a ribbon on his Juni doll.
Woocheol captured Gijun’s ‘Juni’ moment on camera.
“I didn’t know Gijun hyung had this kind of hobby.”
Gijun glared at the chuckling Woocheol without malice.
In any case, with so many cute dog dolls in the waiting room, the atmosphere felt more relaxed and friendly.
Even the staff admired the dolls, commenting on their cuteness and expressing their desire to own the merchandise.
“Ah. Should we take a group photo with WIMO? Before we go on?”
Lee Jungyeon, the deputy manager who was monitoring the booth’s situation in one corner of the waiting room, perked up at Woocheol’s suggestion.
Although the merchandise-related business team was separate externally, Lee Jungyeon oversaw this project internally.
The WIMO business revenue was of great interest to Lee Jungyeon, so the more the members promoted it, the better.
Of course, the merchandise revenue offered a much better profit margin for the members than the music revenue, but the members weren’t thinking that far ahead.
They were simply excited and amazed that they had participated in the production and that dolls resembling them had been created.
“Hyungs! Take a picture with WIMO!”
When Louis, who had participated in the doll design, shouted excitedly, the members who had finished their makeup gathered one by one.
Click.
After taking the photo, the members joined their hands together.
Today, they placed the heads of the WIMO dolls together instead of their own hands.
It was right before they went on stage.
“Let’s do our best today too. We can do it!”
“We’ll make it!”
“MOST!!!!!”
With a thunderous shout, the WIMO dolls were tossed towards the ceiling.
At the same time, the members’ cheerful laughter filled the room.
***
Opening the fan meeting, the MOST members presented a new side to the fans with a setlist different from their concert.
The hip-hop song cover stage performed by Gijun, Heungmin, and Woocheol as a team, and the a cappella stage prepared by Louis, Gyuseong, and Dojae were performances that had never been seen before, deeply moving the fans.
It was evident that these stages were prepared exclusively for the fans, for this fan meeting.
In addition, the game and talk segments were quite extensive, and the members alternately brought tears and laughter to the fans with their genuine personalities.
Six members and tens of thousands of fans.
In a way, it was an impossible number to connect with individually.
However, a feeling of genuine connection flowed between the members and the fans throughout the fan meeting.
Although detailed one-on-one communication was impossible, everyone in the stadium shared the same emotions.
After the
The members sat in their chairs and shared their thoughts one by one.
“It was really fun…. Time has flown by.”
“Awooooooo”
“Aaaaaaa-”
As Dojae, who spoke last, announced that the fan meeting was drawing to a close, a chorus of lamentations filled with regret erupted immediately.
Dojae, having received a signal from the staff in front of the stage, smiled.
He understood the fans’ regretful feelings and found their collective disappointment endearing.
Of course, it wasn’t just the fans who were sad about the impending farewell.
“I want to keep…. being together.”
It wasn’t an attempt to lower his voice; it was a truly sincere feeling that escaped his lips.
Dojae’s eyes, magnified by the camera, were filled with sincerity.
At Dojae’s soft and heartfelt words, the fans paused for a moment before erupting in screams that shook the concert hall.
“Kyaaaaaak!”
“Dojae-yaaaa―! I love youuuuuuu!”
“Kang Dojae, I love you!”
“Me toooooooo!”
At the fans’ shouts, the members looked at Dojae with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
Even without intending to, Dojae possessed an almost innate ability to captivate fans.
Woocheol asked, holding the microphone.
“Should we not leave?!!!”
“Yeeeeees!”
“Don’t goooo!!!”
As expected, the fans answered Woocheol’s question with a resounding “Yes!”
Heungmin smiled and said, “Then we won’t go!”
The concert hall erupted once again with the fans’ cheers.
As the members rose from their seats one by one and the staff began to clear the chairs, shouts and lamentations mingled in the air.
The lighting in the concert hall gradually dimmed.
The fans seemed to sense something and began to chant MOST.
At the same time, they erupted in excitement at the sight of the members forming a new formation.
“MOST!”
“MOST!!!”
“But is there any stage left to do? Didn’t we do everything?”
“Are we doing it one more time? What is it?”
And as the lights went dark and then brightened, the fans heard a prelude they had never anticipated.