February 13, 2001
12:00
Donghwa, Youngwon, Jumin, Yubin, Woohyun, and Yesung were at JTBC's grand winter festival—an event that also featured heavyweights such as Seo Taiji, Diva, JINUSEAN, Sharp, Space A, and Lee Junghyun, among many others; on the setlist, they were billed as "The Mirae Ent. Boys."
While the boys watched various artists moving back and forth, the CEO was giving instructions to Seok Minhyun—a member of Miracle 5 and the broadcast's MC—regarding potential issues during the performance. "If you notice any slip-up, let us know," the CEO explained, while Woohyun simply nodded.
Minhyun (birth name: Seok Minhyun) was born in North Jeolla, South Korea, on December 24, 1978; he was approaching his 23rd birthday and served as the main rapper for Miracle 5. The son of an entrepreneur and a homemaker, he has a twin brother named Seok Junho and a younger sister named Seok Minah (born in 1982). Due to constant fighting between his parents, he and his siblings ran away to Seoul, where Minhyun made his solo debut in 1995 at the age of 16 with the song "To My Family" under the Music Factory label. In January 1998, he was invited to join Miracle 5 after Kim Taehyung—who would later become a member of Click-B—fractured his leg and left the lineup; he is, by far, the most trouble-free member of Miracle 5.
Minhyun looked at the boys with a mix of deep pity and hope, knowing what they would have to go through; it is worth noting that Minhyun had previously placed second in the reality show *MC The Master* in 1997, an achievement that ultimately solidified his career as an MC.
12:21 PM
Lee Junghyun left the stage and waved to the boys; suddenly, the stage went dark. It was time for the boys to come out, so Minhyun took the stage to talk more about the group and introduce them.
"Rookies—practically everyone in this world has been a rookie at something at some point: a rookie at a supermarket, a hospital, a school... it's the same in the Korean music industry," Minhyun continued reading. "Major acts like H.O.T., Shinhwa, S.E.S., S#arp, Baby V.O.X., Sechskies... all of them were once rookies." He read with a precision that left the audience tense and expectant.
Minhyun cleared his throat. "So... today we'll be taking a look at the new trainees—six boys from humble backgrounds who are now striving to achieve their dream of stardom. After all, as Saint Augustine said: 'The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.'" Minhyun took a small step toward the dressing room. "Introducing... The Mirae Boys." He headed back to the dressing room as the chosen intro track—"Memories" by Netzwerk—began to play, and the six boys started to dance.
The audience was instantly energized by the music; the boys danced with precision, recalling and perfectly executing every step. When the music ended, they stepped off the stage and were immediately called away for an interview in a designated area.
15:45 PM
After all that, they had returned to the dormitory; their performance had drawn a great deal of attention and overshadowed the day's other acts—newspapers and commentary were talking about nothing but them.
Seoul Pop Weekly
"MOVE OVER, VETERANS? THE ROOKIES WHO STOLE JTBC'S STAGE"
The festival was supposed to showcase Korea's biggest stars.
Instead, six trainees became the story everyone was talking about.
Seo Taiji performed.
JINUSEAN performed.
Diva performed.
Lee Junghyun performed.
Sharp and Space A performed.
But when the curtains closed, the name appearing in conversations everywhere was:
Mirae Boys.
Meanwhile, Donghwa saw a call coming in on his phone and answered... it was his brother, Kim Eunseok. "Congrats to the Rookie of the Year," Eunseok said mockingly, making Donghwa look fed up. "Go screw yourself, Eunseok."
Kim Eunseok was born in Buk District, Ulsan, South Korea, on February 8, 1975. He was Donghwa's older brother and the family's golden child; he always attended the best schools and was loved by everyone, receiving all the praise and credit, while Donghwa bore the brunt of the mistreatment. He was accepted into Yonsei University's medical program, yet he displayed a highly arrogant and narcissistic nature.
"Listen, if you really want to ruin my day, just know that it's not going to happen," Donghwa warned, but Eunseok kept mocking him until Donghwa hung up.