Broadcast date: Feb. 17-18
Starring: BTS, SF9, NCT 127, Monsta X

(Naver's V Live)

J-Hope of BTS tuned into V Live 30 minutes before his birthday holding a cute birthday cake.

“I always say this but receiving so many celebratory messages from so many of you is a blessing,” he said before taking a closer look at the pictures of himself put on the wall behind him.

It has been quite long since he came back to the studio, he said with a sigh of content. The birthday boy had Korean food cooked by his mother, including a bowl of miyeokguk, or seaweed soup.

“It is a whirlwind preparing for the return. All the recordings are done of course and we’re practicing the choreography,” he told viewers. This is the hardest part of coming out with new music, however, as all of them are under pressure to present the best of what they can, he acknowledged. The artist gently turned down fans’ request for spoilers telling them the wait is almost over and it will be even better to go into it cold.

When it was 1 minute before midnight, he lighted the candles on the cake but howled in despair when the icing got on the sleeve of his jumper, a birthday present from Jin.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/175869.

SF9’s Youngbin showered with love from fans

(Naver's V Live)

Youngbin of SF9 went live for his solo weekly segment talking to fans for over two hours.

“I don’t know where to start but first I was surprised to see 48 million hearts (clicked by fans) as soon as I turned this on and then I saw messages from many of you that said ‘Welcome. This is the first time to see 40 million, right?’” he said chuckling.

He has started the first day of the week happily thanks to the unexpected snowfall but the enthusiastic response from fans made him even happier, the idol said. As promised, he will extend the segment by an hour but will first focus on the stories sent in by viewers, he added.

When a 30-something fan told him that she wants to change the prejudice against being too old to be a fan of an idol group, the leader of SF9 assured her that there is no right age for anything.

“Many have told me that it was too late for me to become an idol,” confided the 27-year-old, “but here I am.”

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/175746.

NCT 127 kicks off promotion in novel way

(Naver's V Live)

The nine members of NCT 127 appeared in front of camera for the first time in a long while.

Having missed the right timing for his turn in a game, Taeyong distracted the bandmates by asking everyone to say hi to the viewers. Johnny protested that they agreed not to greet, but Taeyong told him he wanted to since it is the first time they are livestreaming for the promotion of forthcoming album.

Doyoung reminded fans that a series of teasers have been released -- “probably the largest scale ever” according to Haechan -- including two versions of photographs, two video clips and a timeline.

The essence of the promotion, however, will be unveiled today, he said dramatically in the form of “Neo Zone” as it will be an interactive channel with fans.

“We have filmed music videos for all 11 tracks and they will be released over the next two days. You will then be able to vote your favorite through (Neo Zone) chart,” explained Doyoung. The bandmates praised him for explaining so well and he replied that he is an AI.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/175843.

Monsta X’s Minhyuk discusses new album

(Naver's V Live)

Minhyuk of Monsta X took to V Live from his hotel room apologizing for his bad skin condition citing a long flight.

“I don’t like how I look but I thought you must be missing me,” he said with a snicker after giving up on adding a filter.

The performer admitted that he was tired and had no appetite. He had bought a burger from Five Guys but did not feel like eating and was only having the milkshake.

He then asked fans if they had listened to “All About Luv,” the band’s first full-length album in English.

“I seldom am satisfied with what I’ve done but I like it quite a lot. The voices of each and every one of us can be heard well, I think,” said Minhyuk. It contains many tracks that are he likes to listen to, he noted. Many viewers picked “You Can’t Hold My Heart” as their favorite and he agreed before adding that he also loves “Misbehave” after singing the songs a number of times.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/175771.

Naver’s real-time broadcasting app V allows fans to interact with their favorite K-pop stars through live broadcasts. The app is available for Android and iOS. For more information, visit http://www.vlive.tv.

By The Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

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