Jindol & Hidi
Oh Minji: An art school candidate, later student, painter in the military and webtoon artist can, in fact, be color deficient? It takes a week for Jindol to create an episode of his webtoon series. He uses his webtoon series to communicate with his readers. On top of that, he chose to connect with his followers using his YouTube channel. It’s been revealed that he is a huge nerd through the numerous stories he told on his channel. However his fellow webtoon artist and wife, Hidi says his nerd power is “my essence, my foundation, hope, andpride!! I have nothing to hide!!” A color deficient husband and a nerd wife. This couple draws inspiration from the various stories they encounter on their YouTube channel to create their webtoon series Jindol & Hidi with a soft, round style of drawing and writing. Their readers identify with the simple yet humorous stories that are featured in their series like the “peddler’s syndrome” where a person only feels safe when they wear their bag wherever they go, “summer phobia” where a person is so afraid of insects and bugs that they are able to see them far away despite not being able to see their future, “night owl” when the jokbal set is considered a salad because it contains the most amount of greens among the available delivery foods at 3 AM, and the McMorning is their midnight snack.

Jindol & Hidi are about two people who know each other so well but, at the same time, are two pieces of a puzzle that wouldn’t fit together slowly getting addicted to each other’s tastes. This webtoon series shows us that although our everyday lives can be mundane, we can turn it into fun webtoon episodes if we pay close enough attention. And if a weekly upload forone episode just isn’t enough, you can connect with them on their YouTube channel. They communicate with people through the webtoon series and personal channel. Jindol confessed in his video entitled “A color deficient person goes to art school”: “Living with an insurmountable handicap has taught me that instead of trying to excel at things I can't do, it's better to skillfully dodge them. When I happen to discover something I was good at, I would manage to make it look as plausible as possible. I believe that’s how I adapted.” This is something only someone who tried to be better at what they did well can say.

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
Jeong Seohui (Cinema Journalist): She can survive as long as she is missing her conscience. A 68-year-old vampire named Sasha (Sara Montpetit), who looks more like a teenager, can only survive on human blood. But she has a problem. She feels pity for the people she has to kill, and it is evident in the film that her dilemma is also a part of herself. This vampire has skin that shrivels up in the sun and is allergic to the cross. She is stuck between exploitation and shamelessness then chooses to starve herself to death instead of continuing her life by means of murder. It’s because she finally gained independence after aging at a glacial pace. Starved and absolutely refusing to hunt and feed herself, Sasha joins an anonymous suicide group. There she meets a boy named Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard) who is depressed from being outcast by his peers. The timid boy who has nothing more to expect from life and the “girl” who needs nourishment believe they could be the perfect partners who can share what they’ve got, instead of being a victim and an assailant. But things don’t exactly go according to plan; Sasha and Paul find themselves going down the path of an “extremely creative humanist vampire.” The disharmony between “I” and the rest of the world makes you feel like surrendering in the face of the precipice, but if you know your own limits, then you know yourself well. The two who finally found their kin at the corner decide to keep on walking through the dark night.

INE of ISEGYE IDOL Member Solo Concert EVER PURPLE
Baek Seolhui (Writer, Columnist): Virtual idol ISEGYE IDOL member INE’s solo concert EVER PURPLE was broadcast in real time on May 11, 2024. The concert was held in four parts in which INE sang 13 songs. With the running time of an hour and 20 minutes, EVER PURPLE was successfully held with a total of 80 thousand viewers. This wasn’t the first ISEGYE IDOL solo concert, however. JURURU held a solo concert entitled Ju. T'aime on May 15, 2022 which was followed by GOSEGU and LILPA’s TOUR and dream again. 

However, EVER PURPLE stood apart from the rest; INE led the whole enterprise as Artistic Director. Everything was performed live except for the intro; INE sang and danced live with live stage effects, lighting and camera work, just like a physical concert. EVER PURPLE, which was in its early planning stages in January 2023 involved a lot of technical efforts such as building a proprietary program in order to create the illusion of a real concert venue while taking advantage of the virtual space. The virtual stage was created by studying a physical stage then the additional elements like blocking, lighting, and cameras were arranged within the scope of the virtual venue. There were a total of 1870 virtual lights. When INE sang “A Cruel Angel's Thesis (残酷な天使のテーゼ)” the Sephiroth tree was realized without a hitch, which would have been virtually impossible in the physical world. All elements in EVER PURPLE weave to and from reality and the virtual world. Furthermore, all cover songs that INE sang were rearranged so that they could be performed only during the concert. The musical accompaniment was created solely for the concert, which was all played by people, without a single virtual instrument. Even the band and classical sessions, and the chorus were recorded by real professional musicians. Compared to JURURU, GOSEGU, and LILPA’s concerts, INE’s showcased how much farther virtual concert technology has come.

When the COVID-19 virus spread and became a pandemic in 2020, many entertainment companies started holding both online and in-person concerts. But can they really create an in-person concert with the same quality as EVER PURPLE, let alone an online one? This gives us some food for thought. We are currently witnessing a new world of possibilities through EVER PURPLE.

The Golden Mole and Other Living Treasures by Katherine Rundell
Kim Boksung (Writer): Sit down in any cafe these days and you can’t help but overhear people talking about pandas—specifically Fu Bao and her family, and it’s in light of this topic du jour that today’s book feels so relevant. The Golden Mole and Other Living Treasures is a treasure in itself, written by author Katherine Rundell. This nonfiction book has its roots in a series of magazine articles, and each takes a deep dive into one particular animal. Some are familiar, others are unusual, but all of them are fascinating. It tells you about animals such as a 400-year-old shark, and a bird that’s almost constantly in flight (even while asleep). We also learn how good bats are at calculating distance and how amazing the iridescent yet blind titular golden mole is.
Another common thread between the animals featured in the book is that they’re all endangered. Even common creatures like spiders face serious threats from humanity’s impact on the planet. The author uses her essays to make a plea for their protection. This does mean that the structure of each animal’s section can start to feel a bit repetitive, so it’s suggested to read the book in pieces over time and really think about each individual animal. The message is moving without resorting to sentimentality. There’s even an air of wit and poetics to Rundell’s words as she explores the many stories, poems, and folktales throughout history that have name-checked her book’s noble beasts.