CHROMATIKA ( KR: 크로마티카 ), is a six membered boy group under STARBORN CREATIVE. They are known for their blend of city pop and retro sounds, and for being one of the few groups in STARBORN CREATIVE without any sort of lore within their concept. The group first became popular with their lineup, consisting of former The Boyz member KJ (now known as DOMINO), who had left his original group back in 2019, former WANNA ONE member JAEHWA, who had been a model and dancer before his second debut in CHROMATIKA, and former I-LAND contestant MIGUEL, who was eliminated in the final episode of the show and soon after left BIGHIT ENTERTAINMENT, signing to STARBORN CREATIVE in 2021 and debuting in CHROMATIKA as MISAE.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⋆ ࣪ 𖠗 Ꮺ ָ࣪ ۰ ִ . . . DON'T BLAME IT ON ME, YOU BROUGHT THE FLAME IN MY HEART !
FEYWILD ( KR: 페이와일드 ), stylized as FYWLD, is a six membered boy group under STARBORN CREATIVE. They are known for their nature and fairy-type concept and for being the company's attempt at recreating LOONA and their concept with the BOYS OF THE FOREST predebut project.
In 2021, STARBORN CREATIVE started releasing the boys' debut trailers and solo releases one by one under the name MERAKI, revealing that the lineup would have twelve members in their newest boy group. Many fans were excited for the group, since two of the most popular members, YOO TAEHYUN and KIM HANJAE, were former members of WANNA ONE and PENTAGON, respectively. However, Orbits were quick to jump to hate on this upcoming debut, claiming that STARBORN CREATIVE was plagiarizing BLOCKBERRY CREATIVE's idea for what had been LOONA's debut. They mass protested the upcoming group, sending protests trucks demanding STARBORN to apologize to LOONA, resulting in the indefinite hiatus of the project — despite all the trailers and solos having been released already and the boys being so close to their planned debut.
In 2022, STARBORN CREATIVE took down all the trailers and solo releases, only to rerelease six of the original twelve under a new name, FEYWILD. Their original concept was kept, and the group's new debut was set for 2023. Their debut was met with a lukewarm response and slight anticipation, especially since many were still excited for TAEHYUN and HANJAE's second debut.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⋆ ࣪ 𖠗 Ꮺ ָ࣪ ۰ ִ . . . BASICS !
NAME › FEYWILD // FYWLD // Boys of the Forest
MEMBERS › Lune, Aster, Hanjae, Sage, August, Khanin
♱ WARNING(S) . . . allusions to a death and that's about it ? if I'm missing anything please let me know !
♱ WORD COUNT . . . 2K
♱ AUTHOR'S NOTE(S) . . . this is a rewrite of the piece that was here with the previous version of CARAVAL lmao . many thanks to Uyai ( @maeumui ) for proofreading this <3 . feedback is greatly appreciated !
Kentaro loved making hot chocolate.
It always made him feel warm and fuzzy when he made hot chocolate for others. Knowing that someone will also feel warm and fuzzy whenever they drink his hot chocolate. It made him feel better about himself.
Most importantly, it reminded him of his grandmother and how sweet and warm her hot chocolate used to be.
She had been such a sweet lady, always wearing a smile on her face no matter how difficult Kentaro had been, always willing to put up with him no matter how angry and rebellious he would get. She did so much for him all throughout his life, raising him when his parents didn’t and loving him when even he didn’t love himself.
He missed her terribly.
"Kenta? What are you doing? It's, like, two in the morning," a voice whispered behind Kentaro, startling him and making him jump. He quickly turned to see who it was.
"Jesus Christ, Ayla, you scared me," he said, breathing out a small sigh of relief and pressing a hand against his chest to calm his racing heart.
The woman smiled tiredly, yawning as she hopped onto the kitchen counter while he turned back to the hot chocolate. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Making hot chocolate, Lala," Kentaro joked, turning to kiss her nose and smiling when she wrinkled her nose. "Do you want some?"
Ayla smiled wider and nodded. "Yes, please."
Kentaro's smile softened, turning back to the hot chocolate and, using a ladle, he poured hot chocolate into a light blue mug, which he knew was her favorite.
"Thank you, Kenta," Ayla said quietly, yawning again before taking a small sip. "Mmm, tastes good."
"Thanks, Lala," Kentaro said, smiling wider as Ayla wrinkled her nose again.
"Stop calling me that," she whined. "You know that's embarrassing."
"Well, I think it's cute, and it suits you," Kentaro replied, spooning hot chocolate into his own dark blue mug. He moved forward to stand in front of Ayla, but stopped, his eyebrow raising in a silent question.
"Everyone's asleep," Ayla said quietly, then smiled. "It's literally two in the morning."
Kentaro smiled back, then continued to step closer to her until he stood in between her legs that were dangling from the counter, his hips next to her thighs and his face just below hers. He placed his mug down next to Ayla, then rested his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him.
Ayla's smile dropped, but Kentaro could still see it in her eyes as he leaned in.
As their lips met in a soft kiss, Kentaro felt his heart flutter as he felt Ayla’s slender hands wrap around his neck, pulling him closer. His grip on her hips tightened in return, pulling her closer until he picked her up and they somehow found themselves in the dorm's living room, their lips never parting as Kentaro stumbled to the couch. He gently sat down on the couch, then laid Ayla down next to him, immediately crawling on top of her. Once they were settled, Kentaro gently laid his head on her shoulder, his arm moving to support her head from behind as a makeshift pillow.
"Kentaro. . ." Ayla whispered, giggling softly as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Why were you up so late?"
"Couldn't sleep, is all," Kentaro said, his free hand moving to crawl up under her shirt and rest on her stomach. "What about you, baby? Why are you up?"
"Heard noises in the kitchen and wanted to see what they were," Ayla hummed, her other hand moving to rest on Kentaro’s forearm and gently rubbing it. "Good to know it wasn't a robber or anything like that."
Kentaro chuckled quietly, turning his head and pressing a soft kiss on her head. "That's fair."
The two stared at each other in silence, cuddling on the sofa in the dimly lit living room.
"Kenta?" Ayla whispered.
"What's up, baby?" Kentaro whispered back, his hand sliding from under her shirt to her cheek to turn her face towards him. He saw her biting her lip in worry, so he leaned in and kissed her gently, nibbling on her bottom lip and pulling on it gently, getting her to stop. "You know you can tell me anything."
Ayla looked up at him and moved her hands to rest on his bare chest. "Were you up because you missed your grandmother?"
Kentaro paused, then nodded, his eyes turning glassy. “Yeah. . . yeah, baby, I. . .”
He trailed off, memories of his grandmother returning. He couldn't take it anymore, and he burst into tears from the weight of them all.
Ayla pulled him in for a tight hug, letting him hide his face in her shoulder as she turned her head to press soft kisses to his hairline and whisper sweet words in his ear.
“I can’t help it,” Kentaro sobbed softly into her shoulder. “I-I miss her so much she was so good to me, and I just. . . I took her for granted. . .”
“I know, baby,” Ayla whispered, closing her eyes as she kept kissing his temple. “I know. Let it all out, it’s okay.”
Kentaro wanted to let it all out as she said, but something inside him froze when she said that. It was like he couldn’t let himself completely fall apart, like he wasn’t allowed to.
He slowly pulled away from the hug, refusing to let any more tears fall as he looked at Ayla. “It’s late. . . we should head back to sleep now.”
Ayla frowned at the obvious attempt to change the subject. “Kenta. . .”
“Ayla,” Kenatro said firmly, immediately regretting it when she flinched slightly at his tone. “I-I’m sorry, I just. . .”
“It’s okay, Kenta,” Ayla said softly, smiling weakly. She looked over behind as much as she could before looking back at Kentaro. “Our hot chocolates are about to get cold.”
Kentaro quickly jumped up and almost ran to the kitchen, breathing out a small sigh of relief as he felt the mugs of hot chocolate and felt their heat. He grabbed his mug and lifted it to his lips, tasting it and breathing a deeper sigh of relief.
Yeah, they were still good.
He made his way back to the living room, both mugs in his hands as he rejoined Ayla. She was sitting up on the couch, in a crisscrossed position as she fiddled with her hands. She looked up as he sat next to her, handing her her mug.
“Don’t do that again, that was so mean,” Kentaro lightly joked in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. It worked a little, since Ayla giggled softly as she took her mug from him.
“Thanks,” she whispered, taking a small sip of her own hot chocolate and sighing happily. “Still good.”
Kentaro smiled slightly at her words and used his now free arm to wrap around her waist and pull her into his lap. His smile widened at her surprised yelp as she quickly made sure her hot chocolate didn't spill, and he leaned in for a sweet kiss. She hummed against his lips and smiled softly, pulling away to drink the rest of her beverage.
Kentaro did the same, and they stayed that way: Ayla comfortably on his lap with her head on his chest and his arm around her waist as they both finished their drinks and stared out into the dark living room.
It was quiet and peaceful despite it being in the early hours of the morning, and it helped them finish their hot chocolate. Ayla finished first, keeping her empty mug in her lap as she yawned and leaned her head on his shoulder, eyes closing as she breathed deeply.
“Tired?” Kentaro asked quietly as he finished his own hot chocolate. He moved his hand from her waist to her thigh, pressing a soft kiss to her temple.
“Mhm,” Ayla murmured tiredly, burying her face into his neck and leaving small, soft kisses there. He laughed softly at her cute behavior and put his mug on the table next to the couch, gently taking her mug, placing it next to his own.
“Let’s go back to bed, then, baby,” he whispered, still rubbing Ayla’s thigh as he pressed a small peck on her nose, slowly standing up with her in his arms. "I'll carry you to bed."
"Nooooo," Ayla mumbled, head rolling back to look up at him. "Wanna stay here."
"No, baby, you gotta go to bed," Kentaro whispered as he quietly chuckled at her cute and dramatic behavior, gently adjusting Karis in his arms.
Ayla said nothing but mumbled incoherently in response as he quietly walked to Ayla and Amane’s room. He opened the door, wincing when it creaked a little. Luckily, Amane didn’t wake up, allowing Kentaro to quietly cross the room to Ayla’s side and tuck her in as he softly kissed her forehead.
"Kenta. . ." Ayla mumbled sleepily, looking up at him with hazy, unfocused eyes.
"Yeah?" he whispered, gently tucking a piece of stray hair from the woman's forehead.
"Stay with me?"
Kentaro smiled, but he shook his head no. “Sorry, Lala. We have practice tomorrow, and we both know you’ll refuse to go if I'm here with you.”
The girl in bed pouted, too tired to even notice that he called her by her least favorite nickname. She whined in protest and insisted he join her in bed. It made Amane stir, and Kentaro had to quickly get in Ayla’s bed in order to quiet her and avoid waking up her roommate.
As soon as he was under the covers, Ayla wrapped her arms around his waist, leg throwing itself over his lap as she rested her head on his chest and scooted as close as she could to him. She almost expected him to try to escape, but he didn’t, and it surprised her a little.
Every time she tried to hold him captive in her bed, Kentaro would always manage to throw her limbs off his body before becoming trapped and would free himself from her, tucking her in and tiptoeing out of her and Amane’s room to go back to his own.
He must have really been thinking about his grandmother if he wasn’t fighting her now.
She hadn’t forgotten about his quick and awkward subject change when she tried to comfort him further, either.
“Kenta. . .” she started, trailing off as she debated on whether or not to press on the issue of his grandmother. It caught his attention, and while he didn’t turn his head to look at her, the subtle stiffening of his body let her know he was aware of what she wanted to ask him.
He knew she was about to ask about his dodging his feelings from earlier, and he knew he wasn’t ready to talk about it. He couldn't. It was too early, too painful, too raw for him to even try to unpack anything.
He didn’t know if he wanted to talk about it at all.
“You know you can let go with me, right?”
As soon as he heard those words, Kentaro denied it.
“I’m fine, Lala. I promise,” he whispered, reaching down to cover her hand with his own and gently squeezing. “Let’s just sleep, okay? We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow, and I don’t want you being all tired.”
Ayla knew he was covering it up. She knew he wasn’t okay.
But who was she to argue? It wasn’t like she could relate to him — her own family was the picture of perfection. There was nothing she could say about her own personal life that could truly help Kentaro cope.
It was better to just let the matter drop and focus on them.
“M’kay, baby. Let's just sleep now,” she hummed. She buried her head in the crook of his neck, placing soft kisses there.
Kentaro smiled slightly at the feeling of her lips on his neck, and his arm moved to completely embrace her as he kissed her forehead.
As much as he hated to shut her down, he'd really rather not talk about his feelings. He didn’t want to worry her.
He was happy where he was: in her bed, with Ayla in his arms, content with simply being each other.
He loved it this way, and he'd make sure to do anything so it stayed.
This was where he belonged. This was where he was home.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ †˖ ࣪ ⨳ . . . THE RUNAWAYS RUN THIS CREEPY NIGHT !
CARAVAL ( KR: 카라발 ) is a ten membered coed group under PANDORA LABELS well-known for their circus concept that was blended with the supernatural and horror concepts. Formerly under GLASSHOUSE INC., CARAVAL was bought by STARBORN CREATIVE in 2018 and redebuted with new members a year later, gaining popularity through members EUNSEONG, a former RBW ENTERTAINMENT trainee, and AYLA, a former member of SONAMOO who left both the group and TS ENTERTAINMENT in 2016. They were received with a lukewarm reaction from netizens, many debating whether or not the coed group was a good idea. However, despite the debates the group causes, they are both domestically and internationally well recognized.
✫ WARNING(S) . . . one mention of abuse ( not specified ) and I think that's it ? if anything is missing let me know !
✫ WORD COUNT . . . 953
✫ AUTHOR'S NOTE(S) . . . many thanks to Uyai ( @maeumui ) for proofreading this ily bestie <3 . feedback is greatly appreciated !
THE FOLLOWING CONTENT IS A TRANSCRIPT OF A THERAPIST APPOINTMENT BETWEEN DR. AHN AND YOSHIKAWA KENJI, AN ARTIST UNDER STARBORN ENTERTAINMENT. THIS APPOINTMENT TOOK PLACE ON JANUARY 10th, 2023.
DR. AHN: Hello, Kenji.
KENJI: Hi, Doctor Ahn. . .
DR. AHN: How are you doing today, Kenji?
KENJI: [pauses] I think I'm [pauses] I’m okay?
DR. AHN: What is ‘okay’ for you, Kenji?
KENJI: [pauses] well. . . I’m just doing okay. I’m still taking my meds, so I’m not doing too bad there. I spend a lot of my free time with my partner, and we’re doing great. My group is also doing better than last year. We’re, uh, pretty successful, and our pay’s been raised a little bit, so I can afford a little more for me and my partner. So yeah. . . I-I’m okay.
DR. AHN: But you still seem a little nervous.
[SILENCE]
DR. AHN: Kenji?
KENJI: I-I. . .
DR. AHN: It’s okay, Kenji, take your time. Take slow, deep breaths.
[BURSTS OF STATIC, LIKELY KENJI TAKING DEEP BREATHS]
DR. AHN: Feeling better?
KENJI: [short pause] y-yeah. . . thank you.
DR. AHN: Is something wrong?
KENJI: Uh, well. . . it’s almost my birthday.
DR. AHN: Congratulations, Kenji! How old will you be?
KENJI: I’ll be twenty-four.
DR. AHN: And your partner?
KENJI: He’ll– they’ll be twenty-two.
DR. AHN: He?
KENJI: Uh. . . yeah. He’ll be twenty-two.
DR. AHN: Your partner is a man?
KENJI: Yeah. . . he’s my boyfriend.
DR. AHN: I see.
[SILENCE]
KENJI: Is it bad?
DR. AHN: Is what bad?
KENJI: Is being gay despite what happened to me bad?
DR. AHN: . . . No, I don’t think so.
KENJI: It always feels bad to me sometimes. Especially because of what happened to me.
DR. AHN: Do you want to talk about what happened to you today, Kenji?
[SILENCE]
DR. AHN: Kenji?
KENJI: U-Uhm. . . I don’t know. . .
DR. AHN: It’s okay, Kenji. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.
KENJI: No, it’s okay. . .
DR. AHN: Are you sure?
[SILENCE, PRESUMABLY KENJI NODDING]
DR. AHN: Alright, then. Whenever you want to stop, we can stop.
KENJI: [burst of static, likely sighing] I was . . . hurt. . . by my uncle and grandparents when I was a kid. It happened when I was six.
KENJI: I think. . .
DR. AHN: You think?
KENJI: I can’t really remember when exactly it started or how long it happened.
KENJI: I-It’s just [pauses]
KENJI: It’s like my brain purposely doesn’t let me remember, y’know? Like [pauses]
KENJI: Like it’s blocking all the memories, and it won’t let me go back to those moments. I just remember what was going on, and I just [pauses]
KENJI: I hate how I let it happen to me.
DR. AHN: I see. . . [pauses, likely writing in her notebook]
DR. AHN: Have you ever had any thoughts of harming yourself due to this memory block?
KENJI: No, not at all.
KENJI: It just. . . it makes me confused, like I just can’t remember the specifics of what happened. I can’t remember when it started or how long it lasted — I think it was years, because I can’t remember most of my childhood. I just remember what was going on and who did it to me. . .
[SILENCE]
DR. AHN: Has this incident made you distrustful of other people? Did it make you less open to friendships or romantic relationships?
KENJI: Not. . . really? I have friends, and I have my boyfriend. . . they’ve been with me for most of my life, especially my best friend Kazuya. I trust them a lot.
DR. AHN: What about any new friendships?
KENJI: I don’t. . . I don’t think it’s affected that either? I can still make friends pretty easily. . .
DR. AHN: That’s good, Kenji. I’m glad you’re able to create and maintain connections with others. [pauses, likely writing in her notebook]
[SILENCE]
KENJI: . . . do I have to keep talking about what happened to me?
DR. AHN: No, Kenji, you don’t have to if you’re not comfortable. We’ll do this at your pace, and you can share whatever you’re comfortable with sharing today.
KENJI: . . . so I have to share it all at some point?
DR. AHN: I think it would be helpful for you.
[SILENCE]
DR. AHN: What are you thinking, Kenji?
KENJI: . . . what if I don’t want to tell the whole story? What if it’s too painful?
DR. AHN: [burst of static, likely sighing] Kenji. . . I know it’s difficult for you to open up about what happened. Those kinds of trauma are especially hard to talk about when it happened to you when you were a child. But talking about it in full — whenever you're ready to — may help you heal and discover coping mechanisms that can help you recover and take the next step forward in your life.
[SILENCE]
DR. AHN: I’m not saying this to force you into talking about it today, Kenji. I’m just saying this to help you realize that this is something that can help you overcome what you went through, so you can have a happier life–
KENJI: And so I can finally stop taking meds?
DR. AHN: . . . is the medication not helping?
KENJI: I-I’m not saying it isn’t.
KENJI: I just. . . I don’t like having to take them. . .
DR. AHN: [pauses] I hope it helps you do so, Kenji.
KENJI: [burst of static, likely sighing] okay. . .
[SILENCE]
DR. AHN: Do you want to keep talking about what happened to you, or do you want to do that another day?
KENJI: . . . yeah, I guess.
DR. AHN: Alright, then–
KENJI: Can I go now?
KENJI: I’m sorry.
KENJI: I just. . .
KENJI: I don’t think I can keep going today.
DR. AHN: [pauses] Yes, that’s fine, Kenji. I’ll see you in three days, okay?
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ࣪𓂃 ˖ ࣪ 𖠵ˎˊ˗ . . . WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PAST MEMBERS OF WANDERLUST ?
WANDERLUST originally had nine members when they first debuted in 2018, well received by netizens for being open about mental health and other real topics in their music. However, the group went through a hiatus in 2021 following a minor car accident with one of its members, unfortunately resulting in his injury, leaving him out of the group for months before he decided to leave the group in 2022. Soon after, another member left the group, but also the label, allegedly due to personal reasons, but as fans dug into past WANDERLUST content, they brought the possibility that the member was bullied out of WANDERLUST. They quickly took to accusing two members of supposedly bullying him out, nonstop harassing them until one of them left and was subsequently replaced and erased by a former member of Stray Kids.
In 2022, Pandora Labels made the decision to add two final new members (a former member of X1 and a former KQ Fellaz member) to the WANDERLUST lineup, making waves among netizens due to not knowing they had even signed to them.
Now, WANDERLUST is known as a nine membered boy group under Pandora Labels, known for their added members and their vulnerability about mental health topics.
But who were the members who left and what the fuck happened ?
KIM DOOSHIK, professionally known as PETER, was the oldest member and part of the producer line in WANDERLUST. Born March 11th, 1996, he was born into a family with musical and business connections, with his father being a producer and his mother being a shareholder at a small entertainment company. He spent more time in the studio dancing and watching producers work than he did at home, and was asked to become an idol trainee. In 2016, he became a trainee, signing with STARBORN CREATIVE (then known as Cassiopeia Media), and training for two years before debuting in WANDERLUST.
WHERE IS HE NOW ?
Dooshik ended up leaving WANDERLUST in 2021, after many fans accused him and fellow member Lian of bullying former member Yeojun out of WANDERLUST. He stated that he could no longer take the "baseless rumors," and wanted to start again somewhere else. He has left the idol industry as of now, only working behind the scenes as an indie producer who occasionally goes on livestream to talk about WANDERLUST, his most recent livestream going viral for him drunkenly trashing his "fuckass replacement," Keito.
KANG MINHO, known professionally as DAL, was part of the rap line in WANDERLUST. Born August 9th, 2000, he came from a normal middle-class family, with his parents both being office workers with nine-to-five schedules. He knew he wanted to be a musician one day, practicing the guitar at school constantly as well as teaching himself dance through YouTube videos. In 2016, he learned of an audition STARBORN CREATIVE (then known as Cassiopeia Media) was holding. He sent in an audition tape and was accepted, almost getting into the original GAMEPLAY lineup before being pulled out at the last minute, instead debuting in WANDERLUST.
WHERE IS HE NOW ?
Minho ended up suffering an injury from a car accident in late 2021. The accident, while minor and not life threatening, left him with a broken leg for many months. He ended up leaving WANDERLUST in early 2022 after Juno's departure, stating that he was "holding the group back" with his injury and hiatus. In June 2022, Minho would end up debuting again out of nowhere in a joint group named STEALERZ that was created between STARBORN CREATIVE and ColorCover Entertainment. Whenever asked about his departure and redebut, he simply says, "I'm happy where I am now, let's keep it at that."
YEO JUNO, professionally known as YEOJUN, was the original maknae of WANDERLUST. Born February 9th, 2002, as a middle child and older twin, he was grew up in a very wealthy family and was always spoiled by his siblings and his single mother. Since he was a kid, He enjoyed dancing, often learning from videos he watches and teaching them to his younger twin when he finally knows the whole dance. Because of his love for dancing, he often joined in his school events and talent shows, and also joined his friends in public buskings. In 2017, during one of his public busking events with his friends and brother Kwon, he was casted by STARBORN CREATIVE (then known as Cassiopeia Media), who offered him a chance to train to become an idol, which Juno happily accepted. A year of training later, Juno debuted in 2018 in WANDERLUST.
WHERE IS HE NOW ?
Juno ended up leaving both WANDERLUST and STARBORN CREATIVE as a whole in 2021 soon after the car accident that left fellow member Dal injured, stating that it was for "personal reasons" — but no one bought it. Everyone thought it was because he had been bullied out of the group by members Peter and Lian, bringing up past clips of him being shut down by them. Despite the rumors growing more and more, he essentially went silent both during and after the incident, with no one knowing what he was up to, as he was no longer on social media. A year later, Juno came back under ColorCover Entertainment, where he participated in the survival show WANNABE IDOL. He placed 7th overall, which allowed him to debut with WANNAB in 2022. Many fans who followed him have stated that he looks happier with WANNAB than he ever did with WANDERLUST.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ꒰ ७.*´. ꒱ . . . WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PAST MEMBERS OF GAMEPLAY ?
GAMEPLAY originally had thirteen members when they first debuted in 2017, well received by netizens and being called STARBORN's first-ever "pretty" boy group for their visual lineup. However, the group went through a hiatus in 2019 following a tragic car accident with five of its members, unfortunately resulting in the passing of two of them, one on impact, and the other days later in the hospital. Soon after the unfortunate passings, one member left the group, and three more were introduced. In protest of the new additions so soon after the accident, two members left the group, and were promptly replaced by a final new member in 2021. Now, GAMEPLAY is known as a twelve membered boy group under STARBORN CREATIVE, well-known for their versatile sound and their video game style concept.
But who were the ones who left, who were the ones that died, and what the fuck happened ?
AHN JUNSIK, known professionally as JUNSIK, was the second oldest member and a lead vocalist of GAMEPLAY. Born on April 8th, 1996, he was the oldest of two brothers, his younger brother being fellow member AHN JUNSEO. He always had a love for singing, especially opera, since he and his mother enjoyed watching musicals, his favorites being The Last Empress and Jekyll and Hyde. He also loved playing the guitar and taught himself how to play when he was a teenager. With his brother's songwriting talent, they took to busking on the streets of Seoul on weekend nights, Junsik playing the guitar and singing while Junseo harmonized with him. In 2015, he and his brother Junseo were scouted while they were busking by STARBORN CREATIVE, then known as Cassiopeia Media. Both boys accepted the offer after a few days, and were signed to the label, training for two years before debuting in GAMEPLAY in 2017.
WHERE IS HE NOW ?
Unfortunately, Junsik was one of the members who passed away in the fateful car crash in 2019. He had been in the driver's seat, and received the worst of the impact, unconscious and in critical condition by the time paramedics arrived. He was urgently taken to the hospital, but unfortunately passed away a few days later when he succumbed to his severe injuries. He left behind his bandmates, his younger brother, his parents, and a pregnant girlfriend, who gave birth to their daughter in May 2020.
JEON DONGHAN, known professionally as DJ, was part of the dancer line of GAMEPLAY. Born on January 9th, 1997, he came from a poor family in Busan, only dreaming of being able to perform one day. However, in 2016, a stroke of luck hit him when he met soon-to-be fellow member Shin Yunseo one day while he was visiting a relative in Seoul, becoming fast friends and being introduced to a dance studio near his relative's neighborhood. Soon enough, Donghan spent more and more time there, eventually joining Yunseo to audition for multiple companies, eventually both being accepted into STARBORN CREATIVE, then known as Cassiopeia Media. He trained for almost a year before debuting in GAMEPLAY.
WHERE IS HE NOW ?
Unfortunately, Donghan was one of the members who passed away in the fateful car crash in 2019. He had been sitting in the backseat behind the driver's seat, and he also received the worst of the impact. Sadly, he died on impact due to a broken neck. He left behind his parents, a younger brother, and a boyfriend his bandmates.
KIM DAESUNG, known professionally as DAESUNG, was part of the rapper and dance lines in GAMEPLAY. Born on January 12th, 1997, he knew he wanted to be a performer, so he enrolled in dance classes at the age of ten, specializing in the contemporary and hiphop styles. He ended up joining a dance crew called IMPULSE in 2015 under the name Daesync, going on to compete in regional competitions. There, he was scouted by YG and STARBORN CREATIVE (then known as Cassiopeia Media), both who wanted to have a dance crew under their labels. Daesung ended up signing with Cassiopeia Media, and trained with them for a few months before the sudden cancellation of the dance crew plans, instead being pushed to train to become an idol. At first, he resisted, but eventually gave in, and spent a year and a half training before debuting in GAMEPLAY in 2017.
WHERE IS HE NOW ?
Daesung ended up leaving both the group and STARBORN CREATIVE alongside fellow member Liam following the additions of HERO, FABIAN, and HARU in early 2020. He signed with CreativeColor Entertainment and their subsidiary label CLOUDY DAZE in July 2020 as a model, and has been occasionally acting in K-dramas such as Itaewon Class, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and most recently, Parasyte: The Grey. In November 2024, he spoke out about his former group and label during a livestream, confirming Liam's earlier statement that STARBORN CREATIVE had kicked them out of the group and label for being unhappy with the added members of GAMEPLAY. He has stated that he occasionally keeps up with GAMEPLAY content, and wishes to reunite with them someday.
LIAM MIYAZAKI, known professionally as LIAM, was part of the vocal line in GAMEPLAY. Born on October 23rd, 1997, he came from an actor family, moving from Tokyo to San Diego when he was three years old. He was involved in many activities, including martial arts, vocal lessons, dance lessons, and acting and modeling classes. In 2015, at the age of eighteen after his graduation, he decided to move back to Japan and take up a career as an idol, but was quickly scouted by a STARBORN CREATIVE (then known as Cassiopeia Media) recruiter. He signed with the label in 2016, and trained for a year before debuting in GAMEPLAY.
WHERE IS HE NOW ?
Liam ended up leaving both the group and STARBORN CREATIVE alongside fellow member Daesung following the additions of HERO, FABIAN, and HARU in early 2020. He went back to Japan in the middle of 2020 and became an actor, starring in shows such as Alice in Borderland Season 2 and most recently, the live action adaptation of the hit show One Piece. In January 2024, he spoke out about his former group and label in an interview, revealing that STARBORN CREATIVE had kicked him and Daesung out of the group and label for "disliking the violation of my friends' memories." However, he has stated that he was happy for the group and their success, wishing them all the best, and hopes to reunite with them one day.
AHN JUNSEO, known professionally as A. JUN, was one of the members in the producer line of GAMEPLAY. Born on August 12th, 1998, he was the youngest of two brothers, his older brother being fellow member AHN JUNSIK. He grew a passion for songwriting when he was in middle school, and started to write ideas for lyrics and songs with his brother, performing on the streets on the weekends, doing vocal duets with his older brother while Junsik played the guitar. In 2015, he and his brother Junsik were scouted while they were busking by STARBORN CREATIVE, then known as Cassiopeia Media. Both boys accepted the offer after a few days, and were signed to the label, training for two years before debuting in GAMEPLAY in 2017.
WHERE IS HE NOW ?
Shortly after the accident and the passing of his fellow member and brother, Junseo left the group, stating that he needed time to properly grieve his brother and focus on his mental health. He all but disappeared from the public eye for three years, until recently in late 2022, when he resurfaced to the industry by announcing his solo debut. To this day, he is working as a producer, songwriter, and — shockingly for his original fans — a pop-rock soloist, under the stage name JUNNY.
One thing Harris had learned about Zac was that he was incredibly strong willed. He wasn't unflappable, but it took a lot to break him. That was why he wasn't surprised that Zac waited until the end of the school day, when the hallways were empty, to corner him. If anything he'd been expecting it.
“Give me my phone."
Harris took a moment to compose himself, manic glee making his skin tingle. He loved when pieces of a puzzle fell into place.
He turned, barely able to stop himself from smirking. “Why would I have your phone?"
I missed his voice so much, I couldn't help it, I started scrambling some book 2 Gyujin moments!!! Can you believe we have to survive 1/3 of the saga without him. Devastating. What was I thinking. How come he wasn't here from the get go.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀✶⠀‧ . . . QUEENS OF THE MOONLIGHT SUNRISE !
ASTRALIS ( KR: 아스트랄리스 ) is a nine membered girl group under STARBORN CREATIVE. They were formed from the survival show FOREVERGIRLZ, which had consisted of twenty four female trainees, with only nine making the final cut. The group debuted with high popularity thanks to member LANA, who is a former member of F(X) that left in 2015 and only trained for a few months before participating in FOREVERGIRLZ.
The group originally debuted under FNC ENTERTAINMENT in 2016, after the final episode of FOREVERGIRLZ. However, only two years later in 2018, STARBORN CREATIVE suddenly bought the rights to the group name and the contracts of the girls, moving them over to STARBORN's artist roster.
In 2020, member KAYA left both the group and company for unknown reasons, simply posting a goodbye letter on her Instagram and an announcement from STARBORN CREATIVE that confirmed her departure. One year later, in 2021, member CALI was added to the lineup, making the group nine again to this day.
ASTRALIS is very popular domestically and internationally due to their blended concept of magic, girl crush, and mystical lore.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ꒰ ७.*´. ꒱ . . . BREAK ALL THE RULES, GOTTA MOVE !
GAMEPLAY ( KR: 게임플레이 ), also known as GAMEBOYZ, is a twelve membered boy group under STARBORN CREATIVE. They are well-known for their versatile sound and their video game style concept.
The group originally debuted in 2017 with thirteen members, well received by netizens and being called STARBORN's prettiest boy group. However, the group went through a hiatus in 2019 following a tragic car accident with members DJ, DIAZ, A. JUN, and JUNSIK, unfortunately resulting in the passing of DJ and JUNSIK. Soon after the accident, member A. JUN left both the group and company, stating that he would stay with his family and seek mental help after his brother's passing.
Only three months later, members FABIAN, HARU, and HERO were introduced to the group, making the lineup thirteen. Members DAESUNG and LIAM soon dropped the lineup again to eleven as they left both the GAMEPLAY and STARBORN CREATIVE, stating in their social media that the company was replacing JUNSIK and DJ. STARBORN CREATIVE denied the rumors, saying that they were simply trying to 'keep the group going in the deceased artists' memories.' In 2021, member JISU was added.
To this day, the lineup remains the same at twelve members.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ꒰ ७.*´. ꒱ . . . BASICS !
NAME — GAMEPLAY // GAMEBOYZ
MEMBERS — Silas, Hyunsu, Kaz, Haru, Blitz, Maddox, Diaz, Jisu, Fabian, Hero, Andres, Sunwoo
VALLEY OF THE DOLLS ( KR: 인형의 계곡 ), also known as VOD, is a seven membered collaborative girl group under STARBORN CREATIVE and REDRUM RECORDS. The members consist of three trainees under REDRUM RECORDS and three trainees under STARBORN CREATIVE. The group debuted rather quietly on April 27th, 2018, with the mini album THE STRANGE WORLD, but after their debut the girls gained some attention for their complex choreography and dark concept and lyrics.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ༝ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ . . . BASICS !
NAME » Valley of the Dolls // VOD
MEMBERS » Lilith, Sunhui, Noa, Biya, Nina, Bella, Xiali
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ࣪𓂃 ˖ ࣪ 𖠵ˎˊ˗ . . . CAUSE I LOVE YOU FOR INFINITY . . .
WANDERLUST (KR: 방랑벽), also known as WNDRLST or Runaway Boys, is a nine membered boy group under PANDORA LABELS.
The group originally debuted with members WAY, APOLLO, SKYE, PETER, YEOJUN, DAL, LIAN, SIWOO, and AKIRA, and were well received by international netizens who praised them for their concept and lyrics that talked about emotional and mental issues. However, the group went through a hiatus in 2021 following a car accident with member DAL, who was left with a broken leg for the remainder of the year. DAL later left the group, stating that he "was holding the group back with his injury."
Soon after the accident, member YEOJUN left both the group and company, saying that it was for "personal reasons." However, many fans didn't believe his reasoning and accused of members PETER and LIAN of bullying him to leave, citing evidence through past livestreams where they were allegedly seen "shutting him down." This was proven false by both PANDORA LABELS and WANDERLUST themselves, but still many fans accused the two of bullying until PETER left the group, stating that he was "tired of so many false rumors of his character and having to feel stressed to even get on social media," and was replaced (and subsequently erased) by KEITO, a former member of STRAY KIDS. LIAN, on the other hand, stayed.
In 2022, PANDORA LABELS made the decision to add TOMMY, a former member of X1, and former KQ trainee and almost ATEEZ member ZEN, which made waves among netizens due to the label adding people they didn't even know had signed to them. However, there wasn't much for them to say on the matter, since no one knew until after their debut in WANDERLUST.
Even after the scandals surrounding the certain members, WANDERLUST continues to make music surrounding dark topics. They are still well loved internationally more than domestically.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ࣪𓂃 ˖ ࣪ 𖠵ˎˊ˗ . . . BASICS !
NAME › WANDERLUST // WNDRLST // Runaway Boys
MEMBERS › Way, Keito, Zen, Siwoo, Akira, Tommy, Lian, Apollo, Skye
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ *ੈ✩.ೃ . . . THIS TIME I WANT YOU, LIKE IT'S MAGNETIC !
PRIMADONNA ( KR: 프리마돈나 ), also known as DIAMOND GIRLZ, is an eight membered girl group under STARBORN CREATIVE. The group was originally known as TEEN IDLE, a twelve membered pre debut girl group that trained together for three years before sudden lineup changes. Former EMPHASIS member CHAEWON was added in early 2019, barely a year after signing with STARBORN CREATIVE after her departure from ANGELICO ENTERTAINMENT, giving the pre debut group much more attention, but also costing them three of the members, who decided that they were done waiting for a chance to debut and left STARBORN CREATIVE a few weeks later.
In early 2020, former ITZY member SOHYEON, who left both the group and JYP ENTERTAINMENT shortly after debut, would join STARBORN CREATIVE and be placed in the lineup, costing TEEN IDLE two members, bringing the lineup down to eight. TEEN IDLE changed their name to PRIMADONNA, and to this day, have remained the same with growing popularity.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ *ੈ✩.ೃ . . . BASICS !
NAME › PRIMADONNA
MEMBERS › Gemma, Dahlia, Karis, Kyra, Iris, Chaewon, Nova, Jina
Hello 🎉❤️
As we step into a new year full of possibilities,
I’m asking for your help to make a fresh
start for a family in need. 🌟
Could you reblog my pinned post or donate?
Every act of kindness could bring them a brighter tomorrow.
Thank you for being a part of this new beginning! 🕊️🌸
Adam
I am reaching out on behalf of my dear friend, Mohamad S., who is faci… Adam Bin Ali needs your support for Help Mohamad reunite his family
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