Before the boy group Highlight overthrew the yoke of agency contracts and struck out a new path as independent artists in 2016, they performed for seven years under the name B2ST.
Fiction, the title track to their Fiction And Fact album, is arguably the standout song in B2ST’s discography—although both 2010's Shock or 2011's On Rainy Days put up some solid points in their favor.
The somewhat understated chorus is particularly memorable here, and combined with the similarly restrained choreography, Fiction offers a bit of a respite from the powerful, in-your-face classic boy group title track formula.
Sadly, the future of Highlight was recently thrown into chaos when one of its members, Yong Jun Hyung, announced that he would be departing the group after being implicated in the tendrils of the “Burning Sun” scandal. This scandal started out as an isolated investigation of a nightclub for illegal activities centered around Big Bang’s Seungri, but soon ballooned into a mass investigation of numerous male Korean celebrities and their alleged habit of surreptitiously filming sex without consent and passing around these videos in a secret group chat. Throw in a little police corruption in there for spice, and you have the makings of a wild and deeply disturbing story that has sunk many of Korea’s biggest names and will undoubtedly sink many more.
Going back to Fiction, you might recognize the actress from this music video. Park Bo Young is one of Korea’s most well-known stars, with many well-received K-dramas under her belt—including the hilarious and touching Strong Girl Do Bong Soon, my favorite drama of 2017. It’s a refreshing take on the superhero genre, blended with classic K-drama screwball charm.