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Flip: Hey guys, welcome back to my podcast, Your Playlist, and today we have Hope Boys in the pod!!

(Applause)

Flip: I bet we gonna have a heavy stream today! Your bunnies must be flooding the livestream by now...

Wei: Of course they are! They love us!

Flip: You sound confident, tho!

(laughs)

Flip: Kay, as usual, you can stream this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, View, and Notaron Podcast. And, you can also join the live stream on my YouTube channel, FlipYourPlaylist. How many viewers are in the livestream now, Fun?

Fun: Right now we reached almost 50k views. Wow! That's quite a lot. We just started like 10 minutes ago!

Flip: So, the statement claimed by Wei is not just a statement...

Wei: Thank you, Bunnies... We love you all!!

(blow kisses)

Flip: So, today we have Wei, Fun, Yunta, and Jun with us. Hope Boys just came back from BBMA last week and managed to snatch the Top Social Artist award! Congrats, guys!

(applause)

Flip: How's the feeling?

Yunta: To be honest, being nominated is more than we could even imagine, let alone receiving the award. We feel grateful and blessed to have lots of love and support from many people, especially our beloved Bunnies.

Flip: Congratulations once again. So, let's do a recap. One studio album, 5 stadium concerts, Tokyo Dome, World Tour, and now BBMA... What's the secret?

Wei: We met a shaman...

Fun: Certainly! Your Immo?

Flip: Are you guys kidding me?

(laughs)

Wei: Nah, just joking bro! If you ask anyone, obviously hardworking is the answer. We worked so hard during the process of making the album, especially Jun, who is also the producer of this album.

Fun: Yeah, we almost have no time to ourselves!

Flip: But, I heard someone managed to get himself a girlfriend while working on the album...

(woo)

Jun: I wonder who...

(laughs)

Jun: Let's put that aside, okay?

(teases)

Flip: Fine... Fine... Okay, let's talk about your hits. We have 8 songs in this album. 2 bonus songs. So in total, it's 10. Which one is your favorite?

Yunta: I love Tic Tac. The beat suits me the most.

Fun: Me too! I mean, we love dubstep and hip-hop. So Tic Tac is a good jam!

Wei: I love Sacramento. A touch of the rock element is something that we rarely do. So for me, it's special.

Jun: My fave is A Letter for You...

Fun: Because you write it for You-Know-Who...

(teases)

Jun: Am I dating Voldemort?

(laughs)

Flip: Judging by the way your eyes glisten, we're sure that you do have a lovebug...

(shake head in disagreement)

Flip: Okay, let's read the comment...

(scroll)

Flip: Okay, this is cliche but we need to talk about it. There is a comment asked about your inspiration for this album. This album, without a doubt, is different from the previous album. It has different colors and vibes than the last album. Like.. How did you guys gather the material and what's with this sudden change?

Yunta: I think Jun should answer the question.

Jun: Thank you, Hyung. Lemme explain...

(clear throat)

Jun: It's not like we abandon our main genre; Hip Hop. But, I think it's time for Hope Boys to try something new. We still have Hip Hop songs, like Tic Tac. And, we also have EDM and LoFi in combination in another song, Truly. I really wanna show some new colors to our members, for example, Wei's ballad and RnB vibe in A Letter to You. Fans like it so much. So, it's worth to try.

Yunta: Right now, we have a wide range of fans; from teens to adults. So, I think we have to broaden the genre instead of focusing on one. It's an early stage of experimentation. If fans hate it, we can always change.

Wei: True. While in that process, we learned a lot. We had a good time as well. So, in the future, we know our limitations and our strengths.

Flip: Fun, you wanna add more?

Fun: Nah! They speak on behalf of me.

(laughs)

Yunta: You make easy money, bro!

Flip: Okay, next question is... Wah... Can you answer it, Jun?

Jun: What's the question?

Flip: A Letter to You is written based on your personal love experience, is it true?

(teasing)

Jun: I do not agree, or disagree...

Flip: Be straight.. Just tell us...

(inhales)

Jun: Okay, the song was written by me for someone... But of course, as a listener, you can listen in a way that you want. I wanna share my feelings and hope that fans can connect to me through the song.

(woo)

Yunta: No need to ask. Look at his radiant face!

(shy)

Flip: Okay, let Jun simmer down his flush for a bit... we'll take a break. Let's roll the first song, everyone's favorite, #1 hit song on Billboard 100! Tic Tac!

***

"Unnie!"

She jumps a bit before playfully smacking Sweet's head with a flat balloon. The girl whines a bit and puffs.

"I did warn you not to jump-scare me like that. Don't blame me!"

"Still, it hurts, Unnie!" she smiles as she attaches the balloon to the helium tank gas and turns on the valve slowly.

"How many left?"

"Right now we have 125. Do your math..."

"Ah... Lemme grab a calculator..."

"Can't even count them?"

"You count then, Unnie!"

Karin's deep gazes make Sweet feel tiny. She grins as she rubs her nape slowly.

"I swear to God, ever since you and Hera got together, you act bold day by day. I wonder what did your girlfriend teach you behind my back..." Karin inquires.

"I taught her nothing, Unnie! I swear! She just turned into savage mode lately!"

"Blame my training for that..."

"What training?" asks Hera. Sweet pouts as she glares at Karin. The owner of the cafe; Black Coffee and Tea, lifts her eyebrows.

"You ask me to learn how to be the top. So I did learn how to become one!"

Hera gets flusters. Her face turns into bright pink when Karin smirks at her. She nudges Sweet from under the table.

"Practicing gone wrong, I guess..." Karin teases them. Her hand still working hard, but her sight never leaves the couple even for a second.

"Ah, Unnie..." Hera frowns as she quickly turns away. Karin gives a faint laugh. She knew Hera was too shy right now. It's fun to tease a savage girl like her until she turns cherry red.

"It's 18!"

Both Karin and Hera turn their head towards Sweet.

"What?" asks Hera.

"We need 18 more balloons..." Karin huffs and then lets go of a snickering laugh when she realizes that Sweet is talking about the balloon. She didn't even catch the conversation between Hera and her.

That's so Sweet!

"Unnie, why 143 tho?" Hera inquires Karin.

"143 means I LOVE YOU..."

"Like how?"

Karin smiles as she takes a piece of paper and a pen. She scribbles the word and shows Hera and Sweet.

"Look at this. I equal to 1 alphabet. LOVE consists of 4 alphabets and YOU...."

"Consists 3 alphabet!" Sweet snaps her finger when she gets the point of the meaning of 143.

"Wow, you catch this fast!"

"Of course! I am a romantic person. You surely didn't catch up, right?" Sweet points her finger towards Hera. Her girlfriend stretches her lips, giving her a fainted smile.

"I don't. And I won't..."

"That's not fair! See... You have to learn how to be romantic just like I learn how to be the top..."

"Sweet, no need to mention that..." Hera tried to prohibit Sweet from talking about the topic again.

"Am I wrong for asking? You know what, we'll discuss this tonight! No excuse!" Sweet glares at Hera.

"No... Lemme sleep, please..."

"Then, let's talk now!"

"No!"

"You always avoiding mew!"

The couple continues bickering to the kitchen, leaving Karin shaking her head in disbelief. She finishes her remaining job when a text is incoming.

JUN:

Jagi, is everything ready?

Karin smiles as she replies to the text swiftly.

ME:

Yes. The cake, deco, and the food are ready.

JUN:

Alright. See you guys in 15 minutes.

Karin quickly clears the space for the guest. She collects the remaining scraps puts them into the garbage bag and drags the bag to the back alley of the shop.

Karin throws the scrap boxes into the arm roll tank and is about to leave when she feels uneasy. She turns back but sees nothing. Her hunch says differently. It seems like she's being followed, or stalked.

I need to take five, I guess! She murmurs before entering the cafe from the back door.