Broadcast dates: Dec. 30-31
Starring: BTS, Seventeen, IZ*ONE, Astro

(Naver's V Live)

V of BTS took to Naver’s V Live to mark his 25th birthday.

It was a little awkward doing this alone, he murmured, and then he asked viewers to sing “Happy Birthday” to him. He waited for them to get ready and nodded and clapped along with the song before showing off his strawberry cake and making a wish.

The birthday boy thanked his fans for their countless messages and events -- one even made the morning news -- and let them know that he was going to have some gimbap, or Korean seaweed rice rolls. The seaweed might get stuck in his teeth, he said, begging their pardon in advance as he suppressed a chuckle.

Meanwhile, he said, he was happy that some people said he sounded like Jack Nicholson on his solo single that came out on Christmas.

“In the second verse of ‘Snow Flower,’ there is this part that goes, ‘You make me wanna be a better man,’ and I recorded it. And many commented on how it came from (the actor’s) line and that I sounded like him,” he said with a proud smile. He’d had fun using different voices in the song, he added.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/230500.

Seventeen’s Joshua says quick thank you

(Naver's V Live)

Joshua of Seventeen thanked fans for celebrating his 25th birthday in a brief livestream as he was waiting in a car.

He asked viewers to bundle up if they were headed out, acknowledging that he hadn’t paid much attention to the cold wave warnings. He regretted not dressing for the weather, he said.

Last year he hadn’t had a chance to eat “miyeokguk,” a seaweed soup that Koreans have on their birthdays, but he hoped to eat some when he returned to the residence, the idol said in reply to fans’ comments. He was in the middle of an activity with his bandmates and they’d showered him with congratulations.

“And I have received so many happy birthday messages from you Carats,” he went on, saying he’d had a very rewarding year thanks to his fans, full of achievements and good memories. The Carats are the band’s fandom community.

“We couldn’t have achieved anything if it wasn’t for you,” he added.

One thing he found regrettable was not being able to get together with his fans face to face.

“I really, really miss you,” he said.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/230631.

IZ*ONE’s Yuri makes cookies for bandmates

(Naver's V Live)

Cho Yuri of IZ*ONE livestreamed herself making cookies for her bandmates.

“You know what I brought today?” she asked, giddy with excitement. “Don’t be surprised!”

Then she showed viewers a cookie-making kit and said she was going to make a cookie for each of the band members. But she was worried that it would take too long to make 12, so she’d already made half the day before.

She excused herself for a second and brought out the ones she’d made. The first was in the shape of a puppy, and the viewers easily guessed it was for Ahn Yujin. Next, she held up two chocolate-covered gingerbread cookies.

“These are for Hyewon,” she said. “There was another one I wanted to make for her but instead I decided to make two.”

She’d forgotten to take a picture of her first attempt, she lamented. “Actually, the first batch I made got all burnt and I couldn’t save any,” she said.

But then Honda Hitomi, who’d been watching from outside the camera frame, showed viewers the photographs she’d taken, including one of Cho crying in front of the oven.

Watch the full video at https://www.vlive.tv/video/229975.

Astro’s Cha Eunwoo keeps his word

(Naver's V Live)

Cha Eunwoo of Astro made good on a promise he’d made about a year earlier.

“Some of you may remember but I promised to devote an hour to you … at around Christmas last year,” he said, apologizing for fulfilling the promise a little late.

He’d been busy portraying Suho, the leading man in the drama “True Beauty,” and he’d woken up early in the morning and shot some scenes before coming on to V Live. Thanking viewers for the compliments on a fight scene from the drama, the singer/actor said he’d suffered an injury while filming it.

“My fist swelled up into what looked like that of Anpanman,” he said, referring to a Korean superhero made out of red bean bread. But he was totally fine now, he added.

He also said he couldn’t believe there was only one day left in the year.

“It will be the Year of the Ox next year,” said Cha, who was born in the Year of the Ox, adding that he felt for some reason that everything would be much better.

Watch the full clip at https://www.vlive.tv/video/230517.

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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