Strongest K-pop Survival Ep 01(Re-cap)

Kang Woo Hyun is the two-faced leader of idol group M2, captivating fans with his killer smile but doesn’t stop to show his cynical and selfish side behind the scenes. 

On the same plane back to korea after his successful London concert is Ji Seung Yeon, a classical music student that aspires to be a hip hop artiste. Having failed her music test after turning Beethoven’s classic with a modern, pop twist, she was expelt from school. However, Seung Yeon took this chance to return to Korea in hopes of achieving her real dream. 

Meanwhile, a protest is ongoing outside Sunny Entertainments as fans protest to the rule of M2’s members needing to graduate upon hitting the age of 23. This year, 4 members are set to graduate, including Woo Hyun, who is highly popular among M2 fans. President Jang and Team Leader Han was observing from the office when the CEO asked the Team Leader of her opinion. Truthfully, Team Leader Han said that she too thinks that it is crucial for Woo Hyun to stay as part of M2, and asks the president to think about it. 

Back to the plane, Seung Yeon took a tad too much to drink as she felt sick during the turbulence. Meeting Woo Hyun at the toilet, she accidentally threw up on him, having been unable to make it in time into the toilet. Woo Hyun’s displeasure is obvious, as he had been humiliated when the air stewardess had thought it was Woo Hyun that has thrown up. 

After reaching Korea, Seung Yeon decides to seek refuge at her (presumably childhood) friend Kwon Ji Woo’s house for the time being, knowing that she’d be dead meat when her parents knew she failed school. On the way, she found her ‘wifey’ Ji Woo to be bullied by the neighbourhood holigans, and doesn’t hesitate to beat all of them with her exceptional fighting skills, and the two hugged in the tearful reunion. 

The two then made their way to Ji Woo’s house, and Seung Yeon managed to persuade Ji Woo’s grandmother to let her stay after telling her of her plans to make her dream come true. In the evening, Seung Yeon found Ji Woo baking in the kitchen, a habit he has when he’s worried or unhappy. But before she confronted him, she went snuck up on him and pulled his pants down (screaming “I-like-it~” at the top of her voice) to reveal his boxers (much like a boy lifting up the hem of a girl’s skirt to tease them).

Ji Woo then proceeded to tell Seung Yeon of his worries, for he had finally scored a chance to become part of M2. Seung Yeon encouraged him by telling him that ‘dreams come true with hope’, and the two went to slept there after. The next day, Seung Yeon accompanied Ji Woo to Sunny Entertainment for his auditions, and sent him off with further encouragements.

Feeling a little unwell, Seung Yeon rushes to the toilet (not after meeting M1, but missed the chance to get their signature as she rushes towards the washroom). But she walked out of the toilet to find President Jang, and went into the male’s washroom in attempt to hid from him. As she peeked out from the toilet cubicle to check if the coast is clear, she saw Woo Hyun who wore the same clothes as Ji Woo that very day. Thinking it was Ji Woo, Seung Yeon decides to tease him by doing ‘I-like-it~’ and saying that she took a picture of him, only to find out in horror that it is actually Woo Hyun, who also remembered Seung Yeon from her Tiger JK tee that she’s the one that threw up on him on the plane.

Immediately, Woo Hyun called for his manager to get the security, only for the manager to walk in and see Woo Hyun with his pants stripped down with Seung Yeon in a suspicious position. Assuming that they were doing something, he went out of the toilet, not before throwing the sentence ‘I’d keep watch, you just do what you need to do’. Taking the chance when Woo Hyun bend down to pick up his pants, Seung Yeon took off, Woo Hyun close on her heels after that. Even though Seung Yeon told him that she didn’t actually take any photos, Woo Hyun was not going to take the chance of ‘believing a pervert’s words’. At the end, Woo Hyun managed to get Seung Yeon’s phone after a long chase, only to find the phone locked and Seung Yeon long gone.

At the same time, the auditions have long started, as contestants after contestants took the chance to showed off their capabilities in terms of singing and dancing. Ji woo, contestant number 10, soon took the stage, but the countless bouts of nervousness got the best out of him in the end. It was later revealed, while he went home to cook to relieve his emotions, that his nervous wrack ending up in him throwing up on the stage, ruining his one chance to become a M2 member.

Right after he left, not willing to hear the reasons for the choice of new members, M2’s manager rushed in to tell them that there is an uproar over the new members. Apparently someone had uploaded the audition videos, and comments were flooding in talking about the difference in level of the newbies and the M2 members, and rumours were circulating that the newbies were chosen because of their connection with the agency and not on pure talents.

In order to calm the fans down, president Jang called for a press conference, the first one he attended since 15 years ago which he had to sacrifice his relationship to savage his career. Apparently the lies spun then had caused quite some trauma to the president, and thus Sunny Entertainment’s press conference was usually conducted by Team Leader Han.

 Back in Ji Woo’s house, Seung Yeon was looking for Ji Woo only to find him in the rubbish bin outside the house. He states dejectedly that since he was an idiot that threw away that hard earned chance, he’s no more than a disposable rubbish and thus should stay in the bin. After asking him to come out that instant and receiving no reply, Seung Yeon slammed the lid on him.

 The next day M2 members observed President Jang’s press conference from their photoshoot location, as Seung Yeon and Ji Woo watch on from their house. To everyone’s surprise, President Jang announced the second auditions for M2 members, whereby 4 contestants will be selected purely and only by the fans through online voting. The 4 will join the 4 from the first auditions to be part of a group called M2 Junior, where they will undergo training for 3 months for the ultimate survival battle. In this 3 months, their performances will be evaluated and voted by fans. The four will then be the official fifth generation members of M2.