Chapter 150
Fans can also write diary entries in the Everblue exchange diary.
It’s possible to write diary entries on each date’s board.
Sometimes the Steel Blue members leave comments too.
(Captured photo)
One EverBlue said they were really sad because they failed all their college applications and had to retake the entrance exam. Kim Geum told them to take all her luck for this year’s CSAT.
(TMI: Kim Geum is also taking the CSAT this year, she’s 19.)
It was touching, but Geum, aren’t you going to college? ㅠㅠ
└ Kim Geum said she and Ryu Bo-ra should graduate from Steel Blue University firstㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠ
All five Steel Blue members were known to be filial daughters, and now they’re proving it even in their own content… ㅠㅠ
└ Honestly, they communicate so naturally that it seems like they don’t even have time to rest…
What’s really great about this album’s diary content is that
A lot of fans were worried because of their individual schedules.
Worried there would be too many individual fans.
But after seeing this content, the feeling is
It’s a huge party of relationships… A world where all fans win…
ㄹㅇ You can really see the relationships between the members, it’s great.
The best part is that every day’s entry is a 5-member content, you can feel they’re real friendsㅋㅋㅋㅋ
The concept of this album made a significant impact among the fans.
Steel Blue consistently shared their daily lives with the fans.
And most of the diaries were not about just one member, but included stories of all five.
It didn’t feel artificial, like something shot by the agency or the broadcast station, but rather ‘real daily life’ directly filmed by Steel Blue themselves, though clumsy at times.
Although the video was often shaky and the sound quality poor, many fans loved the raw emotion it conveyed.
It wasn’t just something used and discarded for the album; it remained as a new, ongoing content unique to Steel Blue, which deeply moved the fans.
But everyone is so focused on the diary hints that they’re forgetting about this album’s concept.
The title of this album is “Paper doll.”
It seems to be a concept combining paper dolls and idols (hence the diary album).
Honestly, I’m dying of curiosity.
Actually, I’m waiting because I think I’ll become obsessed with the concept once the concept photos come out.
So, when will the concept photos be released?
Colors, release Steel Blue’s concept photos now.
They will be released today at 6 PM, sir.
***
This album was one that we all struggled with.
Because our debut album was successful, the pressure was even greater.
However, it wasn’t a greater success that worried us.
Although we are rookies who debuted only a few months ago, we have experienced a lot in that short period.
“Thinking about what we’ve been through, it feels like we’ve been debuting for ten years, doesn’t it?”
At Yeon Juhong’s words, I nodded without thinking.
That’s how it felt to me too.
I’ve actually been in this industry for ten years, but the past few months felt like I’ve experienced much more.
“That means we’re a hot topic. Let’s think of it as a good thing.”
“Baek-young unnie, how can you always stay so consistent?!”
Yeon Juhong looked at Seo Baek-young with eyes full of genuine respect.
I agreed too…
Maybe it was because she had been a trainee for a long time.
Seo Baek-young had a particularly strong side compared to others.
Other girls also had long trainee periods.
What made Seo Baek-young so resilient?
Someday, there will be a chance to find out.
“But we all worked hard together to fight this and clear up the unfairness.”
Seo Baek-young said as she tied Yeon Juhong’s hair.
“The truth is, there are many times when the world isn’t fair. Unjust things just remain unjust. Compared to that… I think we’re lucky.”
That was true too.
We were gradually realizing.
That there were more obstacles blocking us than we thought.
That the frame surrounding us was stronger than we thought.
For me, having felt this way for the past ten years, I had become accustomed to it.
But the members had not.
Judging by how many things they wanted to include during concept meetings.
I suggested that each member choose one message they really wanted to convey.
At first, no one could answer easily.
“There are too many!”
“If we want to say one thing each, we’d have to release an album every time we breathe…”
Yeon Juhong and Kim Geum seemed to have the most to say.
Actually, they hardly ever stopped talking even at the dorm.
“We only have one body each.”
“That makes a total of five, so we can manage.”
Even trusted Ryu Bo-ra joined in.
I sought help from Seo Baek-young.
Seo Baek-young awkwardly laughed and avoided my gaze.
It seemed she also had a lot to say.
They all really had so much they wanted to do.
“We’ll release many albums in the future… Let’s try to do one thing at a time. Even that is actually difficult and challenging. Cheong is right.”
“But…”
“There’s no need to rush. What we don’t say this time, we can say next time.”
Finally, after Seo Baek-young supported me, the situation started to settle.
Everyone returned to their rooms to think deeply.
And then, after discussing and debating all the ideas.
We came to our second conclusion.
“This album should be solely for the fans!”
Not an album for our success or popularity.
Not about the wounds we received or the walls that blocked us.
But containing the hearts the fans deserve, and the wounds and walls they must have felt.
Let’s create a place where fans, tired from fighting for us, can pour out their hearts for a day.
Let the main subject of this album be Everblue, not Steel Blue.
***
Meanwhile.
In a certain studio apartment.
Deputy Kim was biting her nails, waiting for something.
What was she waiting for?
Ding!
★
Steel Blue(스틸블루)
1st Single Album
Concept Photo #kimguem
#스틸블루 #SteelBlue #Paper_Doll
#페이퍼돌 #스틸블루_페이퍼돌 #1stSingleAlbum
20xx. 3. 5. Fri 6PM (KST)
This.
Kim Geum’s concept photo.
She couldn’t contain her excitement knowing Kim Geum would be the first concept photo for this album.
However.
Something was unusual.
“Four concept photos…?”
Was the concept of this album really not paper dolls but filial daughters?
What kind of idol gets four concept photos per person?
She thought this was crazy, but Deputy Kim clicked on the first photo.
And the moment she saw the photo, she understood the concept clearly.
“It really looks like a paper doll template.”
First, the background of all the photos was unified.
A sky-blue checkered pattern, like diary pages.
A white border surrounding Kim Geum and the props, symbolizing the paper doll template.
Especially the outfits and props around Kim Geum had white foldable parts, like stickers.
However, each template had a different outfit concept.
In the first photo, Kim Geum wore a preppy look, like something out of a teen movie.
A white crop shirt with loosely buttoned buttons, a black tweed jacket, and shorts with a pearl chain.
It was a coordination that screamed she wasn’t a model student.
The outfits surrounding Kim Geum were all similarly loose.
The next photo showed Kim Geum in a girl punk look.
A choker necklace, a t-shirt with a planet design, and a red checkered skirt.
Next to her was a cross-shaped piercing.
The props around her included a guitar and a microphone, decorated flamboyantly.
This time, there were tattoo templates too, suggesting that it was a paper doll template that allowed tattoos.
It looked like she was about to perform rock, not rap, on stage.
It was exactly the Y2K style.
Each photo featured a different hairstyle for Kim Geum.
In the first photo, Kim Geum had long, wavy brown hair with bangs pinned back.
With a mischievous expression looking directly at the camera, Kim Geum truly looked like a doll.
The rigid posture and the white border surrounding her gave an almost inhuman feel.
In the second photo, she had short bangs and a layered black bob cut down to her ears.
Unlike before, she was looking to the side with an indifferent, expressionless gaze.
Yet, this also gave her a doll-like appearance, but in a different way.
“Different expressions for different concepts, yet she looks perfectly like a doll each time.”
Deputy Kim was on the verge of tears.
The other photos also depicted paper doll templates with different concepts.
A modern reinterpretation of hanbok, and a collection of comfortable outfits that looked like real everyday clothes.
But that wasn’t the end.
Ding!
Another notification surprised Deputy Kim, who quickly checked it.
“Wait a minute. There are videos too?”
Individual teaser videos for each member?
Deputy Kim hurriedly pressed the play button on the video.
Then, the four photos she had just seen appeared in the video one by one.
The four paper doll templates of Kim Geum were cut out by someone’s hands.
The hands tried different outfits on the paper doll Kim Geum, eventually choosing the punk look.
Then, they stuck the punk-look Kim Geum onto a diary.
“It’s the Everblue exchange diary.”
Just the cover alone was recognizable.
It was the same cover that had recently excited fans.
The mysterious hands opened the diary and stuck the paper doll Kim Geum on the March page.
Kim Geum took up the entire Wednesday section in March.
The hands, looking satisfied, wrote next to Kim Geum, “Steel Blue comeback! Kim Geum, come quickly.”
Then, they closed the diary.
As the video seemed to be ending, the screen blacked out.
“Is it over?”
Just as she thought the video had ended…
Click.
Suddenly, the screen changed.
The diary shook, and the snap button clattered.
Then the diary opened again.
Inside…
“Hello.”
The ‘real’ Kim Geum was standing on the diary, smiling brightly and looking directly at the camera.
“I’m here.”
Kim Geum playfully tilted her head, bringing her right hand to her cheek and winking.