“IDOL I” (Genie TV · ENA)
Catherine Choi (Guest Editor): Maeng Se-na (Choi Sooyoung) is an undefeated lawyer and a devoted idol fan. She lives by one clear rule of fandom: fans should cheer from a distance. Afraid that being recognized might bring unwanted attention to the idol she loves most, Do Ra-ik (Kim Jaeyoung), Se-na pulls a cap low over her face at fan signings. At concerts, she stays quietly in the back, even helping catch ticket scalpers. It is a careful, disciplined way of loving an idol. But the line she has always held is shattered in the most unexpected way. Standing behind the police line is Ra-ik himself. Not the dazzling singer onstage, but the prime suspect in a complicated murder case that even fellow lawyers have walked away from. Worse still, he is now Se-na’s new client.
“They really have no idea, huh?” a staffer says, watching Ra-ik’s fans. “That lunatic is actually a total psycho.” In the visiting room, Ra-ik quickly proves to Se-na why people call him “Doraik.” His blunt, unfiltered mouth and brazen attitude say it all. A mother who sees her son only as a source of money; a cold, ruthless agency CEO; bandmates who have drifted away; and stalkers hiding behind the label of fans. Ra-ik is surrounded by enemies on every side. But Se-na, his attorney, never doubts his innocence for a second. She stands firmly on his side. Ra-ik finds “Attorney Maeng” baffling at times. She uses only the products he endorses and knows his preferences to an almost unsettling degree. Still, he chooses to trust her. As they join forces to clear him of the murder charge, the distance between them begins to close.
“Not once have I ever been anyone but myself.” The line from Ra-ik’s song can sound almost like a lie. He sees himself as a product and insists that the version people are shown is not who he really is. But to Se-na, Ra-ik is not a product. He is someone she feels deeply grateful for, someone who gave her comfort when she needed it most. That is why Se-na chooses to protect him, no matter what form he takes or who he turns out to be. Because this, she believes, is what it means to be a fan: to wish for her singer’s happiness sincerely.
“30 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Quit Making Films”
Bae Dongmi(CINE21 Reporter): The woman sitting across from him finally says it, like she has been working up the nerve. “It’s not about anything else. I think I’m done with film. I think quitting is the right call.” It sounds like the conclusion she reached after going back and forth with herself for a long time. The man doesn’t comfort her. He fires back. “Did you think about it thirty times? Have you ever coughed up blood on set? Had your appendix ruptured in the middle of a shoot? Gone broke making a film, then had creditors show up at your place and cause a scene? Ever had your short screen at a festival, only for it to be so bad people wanted to beat you up for it?” The questions are ridiculous, and “no” is the only possible answer. But somehow, they still land as encouragement. When he finally slows down, he asks one last thing. “Just answer me this: have you ever really gritted your teeth and believed in yourself?” I have never directed a film, but I once read an essay by a Korean director who wrote that everyone, from investors to the lowest assistant on set, is always telling the director to quit. This film cheers for the opposite: don’t give up on film, and don’t lose your nerve.
This short film makes you laugh, and before you know it, you find yourself rooting for it. Directed by Jung Ga-young, “30 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Quit Making Films” is one of thirty short films brought together into an omnibus feature released under the same title, and opened in Korean theaters on January 14. The line “Have you really thought about it thirty times?” and the fact that the omnibus consists of exactly thirty short films are no coincidence. The project was created to mark the 30th anniversary of the Korea National University of Arts, specifically its School of Film, TV & Multimedia. Founded to train artists through hands-on practice, the school has shaped figures such as writer Jeong Seo-kyeong, director Na Hong-jin, director Jang Jae-hyun, and producer Kim Hee-won. New generations of aspiring artists continue to prepare for what comes next. This anniversary project brings together a lineup that includes Jung Ga-young, producer Kim Tae-yeop of “Lovely Runner,” director Yoon Ga-eun of “The World of Love,” and director Namgoong Sun of “Love Untangled.” If you have followed these filmmakers through their longer works, this is one to look forward to.
Fred Again.. : Apple Music Live
Seo Seongdeok (Music Critic): What does an album mean in the age of streaming and digital platforms? A few recent examples help answer that. In 2013, Justin Bieber released a new song every Monday under the banner “Music Mondays.” Over the course of ten weeks, those tracks became the backbone of his album “Journals.” In 2016, Kanye West took the idea further. After releasing “The Life of Pablo” on streaming, he kept revising it for months, adjusting mixes, rewriting lyrics, and even changing the track order, like a piece of software that never stops updating. He called it a “living, breathing, changing creative expression.”
British producer and DJ Fred again.. goes one step beyond even that. Since 2022, he has been building the “USB” project, often described as an “infinite album.” If his “Actual Life” series is designed for immersive listening, with a clear narrative shape, “USB” feels more like a toolbox for club floors and festival sets, a shared folder rather than a finished record. Where DJs once hauled around heavy bags of vinyl (LPs), today they can carry thousands of tracks on a single USB stick. Fred again.. can add new songs to “USB” at any time, delete others just as easily, and share those changes with fans.
Starting in October 2025, Fred again.. launched “10-10-10,” a run of shows that functioned as live updates to “USB.” Ten new tracks were revealed over ten weeks through concerts in ten cities, with each city announced only a week in advance. The run began in Glasgow, Scotland, and moved through Europe and North America before ending in Mexico City. Week by week, the dance music community lit up over both the new songs and the next surprise destination. The Lyon, France, and Toronto, Canada, shows were livestreamed on Apple Music and later released as live albums. After the final show, the December 12 version of “USB002” arrived with 34 tracks. To mark the release, Apple Music made a video from the Dublin, Ireland, performance available on December 31. It was the very show that club music fans around the world had spent the previous fall hoping might, somehow, come to their city.