RESCENE's Won-i Confesses to Diet Failure in Gyeongju and Discusses Members

Won-i, the leader of the girl group RESCENE, visited her hometown of Gyeongju and candidly shared the painful struggles she faced during her trainee days. The first video of the second season of the YouTube channel 'Anwonjalbu' (Hello, I'm Won-i, Please Treat Me Well), released on the 7th, captured Won-i and member Jenna visiting Gyeongju and having a playful time in a 'Silla Princess' and 'Maid' concept. Jenna confessed that she hated traveling to Seoul the most during her trainee days due to weight management. Won-i revealed that she had failed her diet shortly after debut, weighing 8kg more than she does now. In particular, Won-i added that member Minami had gained significant weight due to stress-induced binge eating at the time of debut, resulting in a difference of about 20kg from her current weight.

The Realistic Hardships of Idols Faced in Gyeongju

In the video, Jenna struggled to speak in front of the camera due to her shyness. When Won-i told her, "Tell me if you need anything," Jenna whispered a request for dermatology medication. She confessed she was taking medication because she couldn't sleep properly due to her non-stop daily schedules. The two members even fell into a happy sleep during a break suggested by the production crew.

Upon arriving in Gyeongju, the two performed a 'Princess and Maid' skit while tasting traditional food from the Joseon and Silla eras. Won-i took on the role of the 'Silla Princess' herself, while Jenna played the humorous maid. They also visited an excavation site of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage in Gyeongju to witness the hard work of the researchers. Later, when they visited Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, a scene was staged where a Baekje assassin made a surprise appearance.

From 4 AM Raids to Escaping the Agency: The 'Raw' Records Dominating YouTube

Viewers, fatigued by provocative directing and artificial worldviews, are responding positively to the unpretentious daily lives of celebrities behind the camera. A prime example is the 'Sunmin's House Raid' series on the YouTube channel 'Yongju Lee Yong-ju,' run by comedian Lee Yong-ju. Unpredictable videos, such as showing up unannounced at colleague Lee Sun-min's house at 4 AM to grill meat or leaving to watch the sunrise at Jeongdongjin, have amassed a cumulative 2.6 million views. Viewers reacted by saying, "I get excited every time they raid Lee Sun-min's house," "It feels human," and "It feels like visiting a college friend's studio apartment."

Won-i's personal YouTube channel, 'Anwonjalbu,' surpassed 1.66 million subscribers within just six months of its launch. The video 'Gyaru is in Geoje,' where she goes fishing and gets treated to chicken with Minami on the coast of Geoje, Gyeongju, recorded over 10 million views. Comedian Lee Eun-ji also achieved a peak of 770,000 views with her 'Escaping the Company' content, where she travels to Dongmyo, Han River, and Changwon secretly with the agency's youngest PD, Yoo Young-woo, through her channel 'Jae-beureo.' Even Epik High, now in their 20th year since debut, shows unfiltered, realistic chemistry on their official channel, such as members putting everything on the line during rock-paper-scissors or tag.

The Differentiation of Media Platform Roles and the 'Meal Mate' Viewing Pattern

Pop culture critic Ha Jae-geun cited the increasing social fatigue of modern people as a key factor for this success. The analysis suggests that exhausted modern individuals have come to prefer light viewing. Professor Lee Seong-min of the Department of Media and Visual Arts at Korea National Open University diagnosed that while TV and OTT platforms lead planned variety shows, YouTube is undergoing a role differentiation through the sharing of comfortable and small daily moments.

Viewers use YouTube as a 'meal mate,' playing it casually while eating. This trend of responding to human-centric portrayals without artificial settings reflects the phenomenon of exhausted modern people seeking true relaxation through media.