NOVPUBStart Again
A music variety show where famous Korean singers travel overseas to take on the challenge of busking.
The core concept revolved around well-known singers performing on the streets like unknown artists, experiencing the reactions of local audiences firsthand.
Since the filming took place abroad, the show also had an element of a travel program.
The opening location for this season was Lisbon Airport, exuding a full-on travel atmosphere.
However, unlike previous seasons, which began with casual chatter about the upcoming schedule, this season of Start Again had an undeniably different start.
"Check your wallet to see if anything’s missing."
"M-my cash and ID are all here. Nothing seems to be gone."
ㄴ Because if something was missing, she would've dealt with it on the spot, obviously.
ㄴ From that kid’s perspective, it really is a relief ㅇㅇ
ㄴ She was probably ready to interrogate him until he confessed lol
ㄴ Crazy woman... crazy woman... crazy woman...A lead actress single-handedly catching a pickpocket.
A scene that wouldn’t seem out of place on the evening news was instead airing in full detail on a music variety show, causing an absolute explosion across various online communities.
Several entertainment journalists, sensing a golden opportunity, were already drafting articles about Ha-eun's pickpocket-catching incident.
Even though Start Again had been airing for less than 20 minutes, the news was already spreading like wildfire.
<‘Start Again’ Song Hyeon-min Pickpocketed at the Very Start... A Dangerous Situation Unfolds>
<Lee Ha-eun Catches a Pickpocket at the Airport... Quick Thinking Shines in a Real-Life Situation>
Before long, major news portals were flooded with articles about Ha-eun.
The show’s rising viewership was an added bonus.
"Kim PD-nim, it’s already at 10 percent!"
"H-huh?"
From the very beginning, Start Again had an undeniably strong grip on its audience.
Even though it was an unplanned incident from the production team’s perspective, the impact was massive.
The broadcast continued with Leo, trying his best to appear cheerful as if nothing had happened.
But despite his extensive travel experience, even he had never encountered a situation like this before.
"Did you see Ha-eun running earlier? I swear, I thought I was watching a cheetah."
"I was startled when she suddenly dashed off too."
Even while touring the hotel's facilities, Ha-eun remained the center of discussion.
Meanwhile, the female cast members, Leni and Ha-eun, were having a slightly different conversation while walking down the hotel corridor.
Though Leni was just as surprised by Ha-eun’s pickpocket-catching incident, their discussion initially revolved around past university festival performances.
"I saw you perform at Yeorye University last time. Did you watch our show too, unnie?"
"Of course, I watched everything. How could I miss seeing the three of you perform live?"
Since they were currently filming as singers, most of their discussion remained focused on music.
That said, they didn’t completely avoid other topics.
Especially Veterans, the first movie of the year to surpass ten million viewers.
"You’re really good with knives. Did you learn kendo or dagger techniques?"
"Oh, uh, no. I just practiced really hard."
"That fight scene with Yoo Sung-jae... I have no idea how you pulled that off. You stabbed—bam!—then immediately kicked."
Leni even reenacted the movements as she talked, fully expressing her curiosity about Ha-eun’s skills.
Viewers found it both amusing and concerning.
ㄴ Damn ㄷㄷㄷㄷWhile viewers were immersed in the interesting exchange between Leni and Ha-eun, the scene transitioned as the two entered their rooms.
Next, a drone camera captured the hotel's swimming pool.
A slightly awkward voice from Song Hyeon-min followed.
"Huh? No one else is here yet..."
The screen then showed Song Hyeon-min, shirtless, wearing only swimming trunks, his chiseled muscles on full display.
As a former idol group member, his fan community immediately erupted with excitement.
"Oh, second place? I thought I’d be first."
At the same time, Song Hyeon-min and Leni turned toward someone off-screen, their eyes widening slightly.
"...Oh, you’re here."
The camera slowly panned to reveal the owner of the voice.
A brief moment of silence passed.
A semi-transparent jumper draped over her shoulders.
A bikini that fit perfectly to her toned figure.
And, most of all, her well-defined 11-line abs.
While Two Nights, Three Days had shown a drenched Ha-eun before, this was the first time her figure had been fully revealed on broadcast.
"M-m-m...m-m-m-m-madness?! What was she thinking?!"
Da-yeon was just as shocked.
She knew Ha-eun had gone abroad for filming, but she never expected her to go this far.
For the next several minutes, Start Again continued showcasing Ha-eun’s figure.
Da-yeon, watching in stunned silence, repeated “Oh my God” at least twenty times.
A flushed face.
A pounding heartbeat.
Why was this happening?
"Hyeon-min, Leni-unnie. When Leo arrives, should we all play beach volleyball?"
"No way... Lee Ha-eun... are you serious...?"
Da-yeon could not take her eyes off Ha-eun in a bikini.
Her jaw slowly clamped shut, then locked.
As her eyes trembled at the TV screen—
Leo finally arrived at the pool, and the beach volleyball match began.
Up until that point, the show still felt like any other vacation program.
But then—
"What’s with that jump?! Do you have springs on your feet, Ha-eun?"
Ha-eun, soaring unnaturally high, spiked the ball down with brutal force.
The atmosphere began shifting.
"Okay, one, two, three—!"
As Song Hyeon-min lost the beach ball match and was hurled through the air by Ha-eun, Da-yeon once again doubted her eyes.
She wasn’t alone.
The communities exploded with a different kind of chaos than before.
"Take this—!"
"So... is it my turn now?"
A visibly excited Ha-eun began playing full force against Leni.
"Oh? W-wait—"
She played like an overexcited retriever on a snowy day, and people were mesmerized by the raw athleticism.
Even Da-yeon, watching from home, couldn’t help but scoff in disbelief.
For a moment, she genuinely felt bad for Leni.
The pool segment ended completely differently than it started.
Once the cast had changed into casual clothes and were gathered at a local restaurant for dinner, the atmosphere returned to normal.
As the scene shifted to morning, the angle of the broadcast changed dramatically.
Viewers, caught off guard by the sudden solo shot of Ha-eun, stared at their screens in confusion.
People began wondering what she was up to so early in the morning.
The footage looked almost like a personal vlog.
"Everyone else is still asleep. Looks like I’ll be taking a solo walk."
She talked about the scenery, greeted strangers, and even described the architecture, much like a travel YouTuber.
"Hmm, breakfast should have started by now. Let’s go check it out."
Next, she was shown carefully plating food at the buffet, describing each dish in detail.
Even as she tasted the food, she seamlessly explained how it was.
At no point did her commentary pause for even a second.
Viewers weren’t the only ones caught off guard.
Many broadcast professionals were equally stunned by her natural flow.
"We made the right call giving her a personal cam."
"I saw the footage while editing... She’s seriously good at this."
Kim Jun-ha PD and the Start Again production team had nothing but praise for her.
However, the only person unfazed by Ha-eun’s broadcasting talent was Da-yeon.
"Ugh, she just has to show off whenever she’s on camera..."
Da-yeon sighed and shook her head before getting up.
It was almost Hida’s broadcast time.
She turned off the living room TV and headed to her room, preparing to start her VTuber stream as usual.
At that exact moment—
"Do you know... Animal Village?"
"Oh, yeah. I used to play it. The villagers were so cute... I miss it."
Ha-eun and Song Hyeon-min were watching Hida’s broadcast.
And—
Her phone screen got leaked.
Within seconds, the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ news spread across countless online communities.
Lee Ha-eun watches VTubers.
More specifically—
She watches ‘Hida.’
Meanwhile, Da-yeon had absolutely no idea what was happening.
She was only focused on her pre-planned content.
Then—
Not even five minutes into her stream—
Her viewer count skyrocketed.
Normally, she averaged 3,000 viewers.
Now?
13,000.
That was almost four times her usual audience.
In other words—
"...What the hell is going on?"
Hida’s stream had gone into full emergency mode.
