𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝒮𝒰𝒩𝒮𝐸𝒯𝒯𝐸
Sunsette is a girl group originally formed by BryteStar entertainment. It was originally formed by four of BryteStar's most prodigious prospects, though the full lineup of six went through several changes as management struggled to commit to choosing the final two girls. One of the original four prospects dropped out of the training program and was replaced by Kandili, who was not originally a trainee at all. The last two slots were filled by Rathana, a late inductee into the training program, and Junha, an already established star in the west who had come back to South Korea in search of a fresh start. The three remaining members of BryteStar's original lineup before training ended and the group was official formed were Serin (a dancer who had inspired BryteStar's initiative in the first place and the first official member confirmed for Sunsette from inception), Araceli, and Seonhui.
Junha's arrival changed the original direction of the group greatly as BryteStar saw the chance to capitalize on her existing stardom to expand early into international markets. Sunsette's concept was dropped and rebuilt to center the former Hollywood starlet, which at first caused some resentment between herself and other members of the group, particularly Serin. This was all at BryteStar's discretion, and Junha, feeling guilty for the imposition upon the other girls, did her best to endear herself to them and make sure they were all treated fairly, including using her influence to turn down several of BryteStar's directives that would have further alienated her groupmates. Eventually, her dedication earned their trust, and the six girls developed a sisterhood.
Sunsette would go on to become one of the hottest and most influential international groups in recent memory, steadily on their way to being named among some of the most successful of all time. They became one of the first k-pop groups to win a Grammy award, breaking through western biases and dominating awards seasons in both hemispheres for consecutive years to gain well-deserved recognition. Their music was often praised for creative instrumentations, balanced structure, excellent vocal harmonies, evocative choreography, and the collaborative efforts between the girls that showcased their strengths. Their artistic presentation and creative direction was also a source of praise, and the diversity of the group was particularly popular in western markets. Sunsette is largely credited with BryteStar's rise in international markets whereas before they had been largely local to Korea and unable to compete with larger entertainment conglomerates; now, with Sunsette's success, they were considered among the best of the best.
The group always seemed like the sky was their limit. With six talented individuals, incredible artistic direction and production quality, and the backing of rising industry giant BryteStar, most believed nothing could stop Sunsette's ascent. Nothing, of course, except scandal from within. As the leader and public face of the group, Junha was under the utmost scrutiny of the public eye, as she had been since being abruptly launched to superstardom at the young age of thirteen. She was a pro at handling Public Relations, having learned from experience in the industry over the past decade. However, several unfortunate and tragic events in Junha's personal life occurred in close succession, and a highly publicized break-up with long-time boyfriend Dae Jaeshin (known professionally as JAZON) had her at her breaking point.
During a press event, Junha was hounded repeatedly by reporters and paparazzi about the recent misfortunes of her personal life, and in her poor mental state, the singer snapped, verbally lashing out at the reporters. The situation spiraled, the mob persisted even when she abruptly attempted to walk out, and the high pressure situation caused Junha publicly meltdown. She broke the glass door of the building where the event was held, broke several furnishings (mainly by throwing decorations at the paparazzi as well as one chair), and threw the camera of a certain reporter into oncoming traffic when she believed he had taken an up-skirt photo of her amidst the chaos. Needless to say, this caused a massive scandal that rocked the Korean music scene.
BryteStar issued a public apology and insisted Junha do the same, but she refused, and instead took to social media to double-down on her actions, launching into several tirades over the course of the next week berating various people whom she deemed culpable in the incident. Eventually, BryteStar's social media team gained access to her accounts and locked her out, and upon intervention from her Sunsette groupmates, Junha quietly disappeared from the public eye to voluntarily enter an inpatient mental health facility. She stayed for two weeks before checking herself out and dropping contact with everyone. After a mutual decision to void her contract at BryteStar and settling the numerous lawsuits caused by her meltdown, for which she had to pay roughly 48.3 billion won in total (~34 million usd), she all but dropped from the face of the earth for over a year, during which she contacted no one, not even her Sunsette groupmates, who had become her family.
In the wake of Junha's scandal and disappearance, Sunsette's future was uncertain. BryteStar had built the group's image around Junha, and with her release, many questioned if Sunsette would be able to continue at all. It was Serin who held the group together during this time, restructuring Sunsette when BryteStar balked at the prospect. She took over leadership of the group during this time, largely due to her collected mindset and the trust the girls had in her, and together, this new, five-member version of Sunsette worked to rehab their broken public image and rebuild their brand from the ground up. It was because of Serin's leadership that Sunsette survived the perilous aftermath, though BryteStar's entertainment empire would not be so fortunate.
Many talent in other projects were unhappy with how the situation with Junha was handled, especially BryteStar's failure to support Sunsette after her departure; some began requesting releases from their contracts, and others declined to have them renewed when they reached the end of their deals, choosing instead to move on to other companies. The loyal talents that stayed benefited from BryteStar's gratefulness and flourished, keeping the company afloat, but it would struggle to reach the heights it once had with Sunsette as it's golden child.
Over a year after Junha's disappearance, she resurfaced with a sudden comeback that once again shook the industry. A darker, edgier, and highly provocative rebrand championed her to solo success, and she embraced her previous scandal rather than hiding from it. The renewed vigor in Junha was unmistakable, and some would say she came back to the industry better than she had left it. Junha would publicly credit her signing with Erebos Entertainment with this new direction in her career and praise its founder, Yi Nam-Kyu, for helping her create her new image. The attention Junha brought to the company sparked a boom in talent signings, many of which Junha personally orchestrated as a liason on behalf of Mr. Yi. Within a few months, her solo career had launched her into becoming a full-blown pop princess and immortalized her forever as a songstress whose star refuses to fade.
But with Junha's return, more questions arose, especially regarding the state of her affiliation with Sunsette. While some hoped for a reunion, many believed that company clashes and Junha's flourishing solo career might prevent such a thing. There were other considerations; Sunsette's image had shifted considerably in the past year and was thriving under the leadership and direction of Serin, and some imagined a power clash between two of Korea's most beloved idols. This was not the case, however. Junha had longed to reconnect with her sisters in Sunsette, and after reconciliation, the six became close once more in their private lives. Professionally, Sunsette was on the verge of resigning with BryteStar; it was Junha's personal appeal to Serin that stopped this, convincing Sunsette to sign with Erebos instead when their contract expired. The announcement of Sunsette's acquirement by Erebos once again set the music industry alight with rumors and speculation, and soon enough, it was proven true when Junha was featured heavily in Sunsette's first project released under Erebos. She would rejoin the group, albeit in a somewhat reduced role that allows her to continue her solo career.
While once again the public face of Sunsette under its Erebos rebrand, which, much like Junha's own rebrand, leaned into an edgier and more sexualized public image, Junha only superficially accepted becoming a leader within the group once again, instead becoming a co-leader with Serin in recognition of her work to carry Sunsette through the scandal that Junha had caused. She may be the public face, but Serin is the one truly making the decisions for Sunsette, including maintaining a degree of independence from Erebos's management due to uneasiness regarding certain aspects of the company. Eventually, Serin's reluctance would be proven right, as Junha was not wholly honest about the future she and Mr. Yi had in mind for Sunsette.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋𝐒
Name : Moon Junha (문준하) Alias : Junha or Angel (formerly Jianna in her Hollywood career) Age : 27 Role : co-leader (formerly the leader, now a superficial title for her), face of the group, main vocalist, dancer, lyricist, liason with Erebos FC : Roseanne Park (Rosé) Notes : technically identified as a leader because she used to be, but now is more of just the public face of the group with Serin stepping up as the new leader after her messy exit
Name : Han Serin (한세린) Alias : Serin or Cierra Age : 26 Role : co-leader (defacto leader), face of the group, main dancer, lead rapper, sub-vocalist, choreographer FC : Lisa Manoban Notes : former vice-captain, now the true leader of the group after Junha’s messy exit; the glue that holds the group together [ created by @crystaserin !! ]
Name : Araceli Diaz Alias : Ara Age : 27 Role : main rapper, dancer, sub-vocalist, main producer, lyricist FC : Lizeth Selene Notes : international trainee from Mexico recruited as a rising underground star; made headlines for coming out publicly as genderfluid
Name : Kandili Pineda Alias : Kandy Age : 26 Role : main visual influencer, dancer, sub-rapper, sub-vocalist, style coordinator FC : Nava Rose Notes : originally a designer and BryteStar coordinator not part of the line-up, Kandy showed great chemistry with the girls after filling in for a no-show trainee and was invited to train with them
Name : Choi Seonhui (최선희) Alias : Sunhee or Sunny Age : 28 Role : lead dancer, assistant choreographer, sub-vocalist, assistant producer FC : Lee Hayi Notes : oldest of the group; “mom-friend” of the group, also heiress of a luxury brand based in the Gangnam district
Name : Suy Rathana (ស៊ុយរតនា) Alias : Raven Age : 25 Role : lead vocalist, dancer, lyricist, assistant style coordinator FC : Tai’Aysha Notes : international trainee; maknae of the group, almost left training due to joining the process late and a worsening anxiety disorder but was encouraged by the other girls to stay