Broadcast date: Sept. 24-25
Starring: X1, Twice, NCT, ITZY

X1 shared footage from last week in which the band showered Kang Minhee with love on his 18th birthday.

(Naver's V Live)

The day before his birthday, his bandmates gathered to prepare for the party in a small hotel room, putting the final touches on a cake topped with strawberries.

“Eunsang is going to bring Minhee,” said Han Seungwoo to the camera.

“Why are everyone’s birthdays so close? It hasn’t been a week since we celebrated Dongpyo’s, right?” asked Cho Seungyeon. The boys asked Kim Yohan, who would turn 21 a week later, if a combined celebration would be OK.

“We have prepared something for Minhee. During our performance for the Korean Music Festival, we made an exclusive video clip for him,” Cho told fans.

The bandmates scrummed in front of the cake and jumped up to greet the birthday boy when he arrived. Then they sang “Happy Birthday” as Kang blew all the candles out on the first try.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/151513.

Twice’s 8th EP is inspiring, encouraging: K-Pop Herald

Two K-Pop Herald reporters discussed the new EP from Twice, “Feel Special,” a day after it came out.

(JYP Entertainment)

Arguably the most popular K-pop girl group at the moment, Twice has managed to stay at the top of its game since its debut in 2015 after a survival audition program, said Yim Hyun-soo.

The title track is quite inspiring, dealing with friendship and relationships, noted Hong Dam-young, who went to the media showcase. Although Mina could not physically attend the event as she is still recovering from her anxiety disorder, she participated by appearing in a video, a meaningful gesture, Hong added.

The song was written by Park Jinyoung, head of JYP Entertainment, who drew his inspiration from a deep conversation with the bandmates about how they’d overcome hardships and struggles to become K-pop idols, said Hong.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/151402.

NCT’s Jeno talks to fans amid hectic schedule

Jeno of NCT said hi to fans on his own after a busy month.

(Naver's V Live)

So much had happened all at once recently that he could not find the time to livestream, he said, apologizing for the long absence.

He has wrapped up the promotion for “Boom” and traveled a lot as well, said the idol, adding that although he was happy to meet so many fans in other countries, it was good to be able to chat with fans on V Live too. He also missed “The Show,” a music chart program where he is the master of ceremonies.

Telling fans that he had to wait for his food in an empty waiting room after the show, Jeno mentioned a recent incident that led to him getting another nickname -- “roly-poly.”

“Jisung was ringing the (doorbell) very urgently and I got up quickly to answer and bumped my pinky toe into a chair. It hurt so badly and I could barely get up. I thought I heard a click but did not realize that he took a picture of me because of the pain,” he recalled.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/151570.

ITZY can’t wait to meet fans overseas

ITZY took to V Live while taking a break from preparing for a performance in Thailand next week.

(Naver's V Live)

“We have been practicing and just wanted to see you,” said Yeji.

“We are practicing our choreography, preparing for KCON 2019 Thailand,” added Chaeryeong and Ryujin.

“Have you seen the official announcement that we will be holding a showcase tour?” asked Lia. Many of the fans asked about the group’s upcoming schedule, but it was a secret, she said with an apologetic smile.

“Oh, how much we wanted to tell you,” said Ryujin.

Indulging fans’ request to share some details about their lives, Yeji said she was suffering from sore muscles. Although all the band members were aching from rigorous dance practice, she was really in pain.

“I had my first personal training session yesterday and I almost died,” confessed the leader, asking fans to pardon the expression.

As for the practice room, ITZY had a lot to share as well.

“This room is so full of memories for us. This is where we practiced so hard for ‘Dalla Dalla,’” Yeji told fans, referring to the band’s debut single.

“Yes, we learned that choreography for the first time here,” chimed in Ryujin.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/151587.

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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