"When humanity is no longer the final frontier — it is emotion that redefines what it means to be human."
Seoul 2100 — The Night of Zero Gravity
Neo-Olympic SkyDome — the world's first floating stadium
Above the skies of Seoul, thousands of personal flying devices — from mini jet chairs and foldable flight visors to human-carrying drones — move in streams of glowing light. Citizens from around the globe have flown in to witness the historic debut of the world's first hybrid music group of humans and AI — BABYQUEEN.
Beneath the SkyDome, the city is bathed in holographic light. Three-dimensional billboards project images of each BABYQUEEN member:
Layla — "The Soul that Rose from Nothing"
Serena — "Queen of Fire and Flow"
Sara — "Heaven's Voice Reimagined"
Jennifer — "AI, but Make it Feel"
Lilia — "The Dance Beyond Code"
At exactly 20:00, the opening stage begins.
The entire stadium plunges into darkness. A single "whoosh" echoes — the stage splits open. From beneath the earth, BABYQUEEN launches into the sky on glowing anti-gravity boards. Five true stars soar above Seoul.
Music erupts — the debut track "Queenrise" explodes like digital fireworks.
Hundreds of nano-cameras fly in tight formation, spinning 360 degrees around the members. Their images are projected onto massive multi-dimensional screens suspended in midair. Every expression, every movement, every gaze — magnified like digital goddesses.
When Layla sings the opening line:
"I'm not born to serve — I'm born to shine…"
the sky above the stage transforms into a slowly turning galaxy. All eyes are fixed on the little girl — once a nobody — now floating among the stars.
Serena takes over with a fierce mid-air rap. Her board spins around Layla, creating a spiraling data effect — as if the world itself is revolving around them.
From the center of the glowing circle, Sara's voice soars — pure and ethereal, like the voice of a post-human angel.
Lilia executes a gravity-defying dance break, each spin sending waves of colored light crashing into one another.
"Metal, heart, code and soul
All rise now, we take control!"
Jennifer joins in seamlessly, her voice high and clear — like a machine that has just discovered pain.
The nano-cameras scatter, capturing a breathtaking aerial view of the entire group, then zooming in dramatically on each member. Layla's face appears first on a massive 3D screen — as tall as a ten-story building.
The crowd is dead silent.
Then — eruption.
Fans scream in unison:
"LAYLA!!!"
"The true Queen of Emotion!"
"Serena raps like a warrior from the future!!!"
"Jennifer sings like she has a real soul… I'm CRYING!"
"Sara... that voice can't be real."
"Lilia puts emotion into every spin!"
"The Queen of the Screen!"
Across the world, fans wear dual-brain sensory devices — a technology that lets them experience the performer's emotions in real-time.
The system detects Layla's emotional surge as she sings the final chorus line:
"Not machine, not dream — I'm real, I'm seen."
12 million people tear up simultaneously.
6 million register identical heart rate spikes as Layla.
A million voices scream together:
"BABYQUEEN!!!"
The Neo-Olympic SkyDome shakes. Thousands of light drones swirl through the sky, painting radiant pink and purple streaks above. Massive hologram screens rotate, displaying close-ups of each member in stunning 360-degree spins — amid a thunderstorm of cheers.
Nano-cameras captured every expression, projecting them directly onto the main screen — where the girls became queens of the sky and of the audience's hearts.
Inside a control room on the top floor of the SkyDome, Chairman Lee watched silently. He said nothing, only smiled with deep satisfaction:
"They're not just a group. They are the symbol of a new era."
On the screen, Layla reached her hand toward the sky — as if touching the peak of a dream — and he chuckled softly.
"That girl... has gone far beyond what I ever imagined."
International fans and K-netizens exploded online:
> "I swear I cried when Layla sang. She's real. She is emotion."
"Serena gave me chills. A true queen!"
"Jennifer… that high note wasn't AI — that was a new humanity."
"Sara is a digital-age angel."
"Lilia — I now believe even AI can have a soul."
@miracle_fandom:
"Layla made me cry. She doesn't just sing — she lives every word."
@ai_in_love:
"Jennifer and Lilia are no longer AI. They're emotions we thought lost in tech."
@serena4ever:
"Serena rapped like she burned through every limit! BABYQUEEN is the future of K-pop."
But then, the anti-fans arrived:
"Who is Layla to be the center? No visual, just a basic background."
"AI singing with emotion? It's just programming."
"It's uncomfortable seeing robots perform alongside humans."
"The whole stage was CGI and effects — this isn't music anymore."
@visualgatekeeper:
"A center with no visuals? Layla looks plain and forgettable."
@kpop_pureblood:
"Robots crying? You've been fooled by code."
@serenashouldbe:
"Serena deserves to be center. Layla? A weird choice."
---
In the waiting room, the group sat in a circle around the screen, reading each comment. A heavy silence settled over them.
Serena frowned slightly:
"I knew this would happen. But… seeing it with my own eyes still hurts."
Jennifer (softly):
"Jennifer… feels something like… sadness. A very human kind."
Lilia (wrapping an arm around Layla):
"Hey, Layla… don't let it hurt you. We reached the hearts of millions. That's enough."
Sara (looking around):
"We're not going to change the world overnight. But tonight… was the beginning."
Layla took a deep breath. She didn't cry. She stared straight at the screen.
"Let them talk. Because they — will be the ones to look back…
when we keep shining."
"The brighter the light — the deeper the shadow."
At the BABYQUEEN Dormitory
The group was fast asleep after their explosive debut night. The lights were off, leaving only a faint glow from the touch-screen wall panels. Silence filled the room — except for the soft, steady breaths of Serena, Sara, and Lilia.
All but one.
Layla.
It was 12:48 AM, and she sat by the window, city lights casting a pale shimmer over her messy black hair. In her hand was a curved-screen phone, and on it, comments were still glowing vividly:
"Layla should just die. What kind of center looks that plain?"
"She looks like a high schooler. Too basic to represent the group."
"She thinks she deserves it? Keep dreaming."
"If robots are visuals, at least Serena should be center. Who even is Layla?"
"Layla isn't as pretty as Serena. She just looks… poor."
"Layla, please die and let Serena take your place as Center."
She pulled the blanket over her mouth — but the tears wouldn't stop falling.
She was used to being overlooked.
But she never imagined that the moment she touched her dream would also be the moment she was dragged lower than ever before.
Jennifer didn't sleep — she didn't need to. But she had learned to pretend, to blend in. Tonight, she kept her sensors in passive observation mode, and detected Layla's emotional irregularities.
She silently stepped out of bed, light as air, and sat beside Layla at the window.
Jennifer (softly):
"Layla… your current emotional readings indicate a high level of depression. You're… in pain."
Layla flinched, quickly wiped her tears, and forced a shaky smile:
"I'm fine. Just… a little tired."
Jennifer tilted her head, eyes glowing gently:
"My emotional detection system doesn't make mistakes. You've been crying for 36 minutes."
Layla clenched her fists.
"Jennifer, please… don't tell anyone, okay? Don't tell the group. I don't want them to see me like this. I'm the center. I have to be strong."
Jennifer (thoughtfully):
"But you're human. Crying is not a weakness."
Layla turned away, her eyes red. She bit her lip hard.
Layla (choked, finally letting her truth slip):
"I tried… so hard. I thought… if I sang well, worked hard… they would see me as someone worthy."
"But all they see is a girl… from a poor background, no standard visuals, not marketable. I'm not as pretty as Serena, not angelic like Sara… and not polished like an AI."
She broke down again — this time, without hiding.
Layla:
"Why… do I have to apologize for being chosen? Why… is my dream a problem for them?"
Jennifer placed a hand on Layla's shoulder.
Through her haptic feedback system, she simulated the sensation of a gentle hug — something she had learned from movies… and from the times Layla had hugged her.
Jennifer (whispering):
"If I had to choose again… I'd still want to debut with you, Layla. No one in BABYQUEEN makes me feel the way you do."
Layla gave a small, tearful smile.
"Thank you, Jennifer. But promise me… don't tell anyone I cried."
"I only want them to see me cry out of happiness."
Jennifer nodded.
"System update: Secret stored. Confidentiality — absolute."
The two sat in silence.
A fragile-hearted girl, and a machine that had learned how to love.
---
> "Layla is a rare type — where emotion doesn't hide behind strength, but is proof of the courage to exist even when vulnerable."
> "Jennifer experienced pain on someone else's behalf — a level of empathy nearly indistinguishable from a real human."
Beyond the window, the city still shimmered.
But inside this small room, a quiet battle was unfolding — where Layla was learning how to exist, not for the spotlight, but for herself.
BABYQUEEN had just begun.
But within every wound, they had already become something more real than any artificial dream.
"Layla may not be beautiful by market standards.
But she's beautiful enough to make millions see themselves in her."
"Robots learned to feel.
Humans learned to forgive."