Stray Kids, Episode 3: kicking the leaves in the autumn breeze

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(Written May 9, 2025)

Quiet down, class.  We have a quick morning announcement before we get started.  P1Harmony just dropped a video for their song “Duh!”.  It’s got an infectious beat, and it’s cheeky as hell.  I couldn’t help laughing at the flippant attitude of it all.  I can’t wait for this to come up on my exercise playlist.

Back to our Stray Kids!  They have (barely) made it through the first mission, and they have a LOT more work to do.  Leader Bang Chan has to find charisma and the ability to write songs in a key that won’t shatter glass when his bandmates try to sing them.

But it turns out we’re not done yet with JYP’s assessment of the first mission.  We return to the performance room.  He’s just finished telling the Stray Kids that he will eliminate anyone who can’t keep up.  Oh wait, he means NOW.  The three at risk of elimination are I.N, Hyunjin, and Lee Know.

Lee Know, Hyunjin, and I.N

 

JYP says these three are currently least prepared to debut.  I.N’s vocals are shaky.  Hyunjin’s pronunciation isn’t clear when he raps.  Lee Know only sang one line, but it was enough to make JYP decide he didn’t want to hear any more.  Oof. 

JYP switches some of the parts around.  He wants Lee Know to try rapping.  Lee Know has never rapped before.  And without any rehearsal, the group has to perform the song again, right now.

I immediately hear a difference in Hyunjin’s rapping, even though I don’t understand Korean.  The words are more clear and forceful. 

When it’s time for Lee Know to rap for the very first time, Han holds his hand for support.  We find out later that Han is squeezing Lee Know’s hand in time with the beat to help him keep on track.

It helps.  JYP likes the new performance.  He tells Lee Know to keep practicing his rapping.  Do we have a potential all-rounder in this Stray Kid?

Now for some big news.  JYP is going to have them make the video for “Hellevator” so Mnet can air it with this show.  For a group that just had their parts switched around, things are happening very quickly.  This also explains why Woojin is still in the group when this video is made.

We are finally done here.  JYP leaves, and our Stray Kids take their first deep breaths in what seems like hours.  But they can’t rest for long.  We’re jumping right into the music video filming.  I can’t imagine how bewildered these kids must be.  They were chosen to debut a week ago, and now they’re on a video set.  They’ve all got that “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” look on their faces.  

We get some really cool behind the scenes footage.

I had to do some Googling to find this shooting location.  It’s an unnamed abandoned building that is a very popular filming spot.  Videos by VIXX, Kim Lip, Minseo, VICTON, ONEUS, and ONF have also been filmed here.  It’s located in Gimcheon, about two and a half hours from Seoul.  Filmmakers like its post-apocalyptic vibe.

Now back to the JYP Building.  The boys have a new mission, and it’s based on our three members in danger of elimination.  The group will split into three teams, each one meant to show the improvement of one of the three in danger, and if JYP isn’t impressed, they will be eliminated. 

The boys huddle to choose their songs.  And I’m guessing this show is sponsored by Coca-Cola.  The bottles of Coke have been inconspicuous set dressing up to this point, but now the show is getting blatant with it.

Also out of nowhere:  Felix likes mosquitos and can imitate their buzzing sound.  One of the tracks the group is considering has the mosquito sound on it.  This is going to be one weird mission.

The boys split up into their three teams and choose their songs.  These are the teams:

As I’m watching I.N’s group huddle, I’m struck by how supportive and protective Woojin is of him.  I had to stop here to find out why he left the group.  And it turns out that we don’t know.  He left in 2019 due to personal reasons, and of course, the online rumor machine cranked up into full gear.  Happily, he overcame the online abuse and debuted as a solo artist in 2021.  He also landed a role on an HBO MAX series.  He’s currently carrying out his military service as a member of the army band.

Back to our show.  We watch the songwriting process as the boys build songs around Bang Chan’s sample tracks.  Han is writing lyrics about high school life.  He has to read about it online and ask his teammates for their stories, because he grew up being homeschooled in Malaysia.  At fourteen, he left school to be a K-pop trainee.  These Stray Kids are really interesting people.

Now on to Hyunjin’s team.  In an attempt to keep the focus on Hyunjin’s improvement in rapping, Bang Chen suggests not doing choreography.  I’ve been recapping K-pop shows for almost two years now, and I’ve never heard this suggestion.  It feels almost sacrilegious.  Hyunjin pauses, then he diplomatically says, “It’s right we don’t dance, but I feel like I need to.”  He’s also concerned because his specialty is dance.  It’s hard for him to let go of that.

However, now that he’s not dancing, he can focus on his pronunciation.  He holds a pen in his mouth and tries to enunciate around it, which is a great speech exercise.

We get a few minutes of watching Lee Know’s team.  They have the biggest challenge, as he must change from a singer who just started rapping to an actual rapper.  He’s going through some anxiety.

After watching them for a while, we cut to two days later, when the boys are getting a rare day off.  We find them relaxing at the dorm in their bunk bed storage closet posing as a bedroom.

In their own room, Bang Chan and Woojin decide to get everyone out of the dorm so they can have some fun.  “They haven’t had a moment where they aren’t thinking about JYP’s criticism,” says Bang Chan, who will make a great dad someday.

Our teams split up.  Lee Know’s team heads out to a place called Banpo Hangang Park.  Google tells me this is a great place for riverside walks, bike rides, and sports, plus views of an illuminated bridge fountain.  I found some pictures of this fountain online, and wow.

Seoul looks like an amazing place to visit.

Lee Know’s team takes a selfie stick and walk through the park on this gorgeous day.  They bring inflatable sofas, which I did not know were a thing and I want one.  Felix practices his Korean by ordering fried chicken delivery.

Meanwhile, Hyunjin’s team goes bowling in the cleanest bowling alley I have ever seen.  You could eat off those floors.  Seungmin has never bowled before and starts by throwing nothing but gutter balls, but after a few minutes, he’s all strikes and spares.  I love watching this.  I haven’t been bowling in years.

Now over to I.N’s group.  They are in a karaoke bar.  Karaoke is insanely popular in Korea.  As an introvert, I’d rather eat tinfoil.  But our guys are having fun.  They sing trot songs, which I just now learned is a thing.  Trot is the oldest form of Korean pop music and sounds very much like polka music.

Back at the park, Lee Know’s team plays Jenga while waiting for their food delivery.  This version of the game has truth or dare challenges on the blocks, and long story short, this happens:

We end the episode on this really nice shot:

After the stress of the previous two episodes, it’s nice to have a chill ending here.  STAYs, go outside, touch some grass, order fried chicken, and give your bestie a big kiss.  See you next episode!

Episode 4:  we’re in different places with the same dream

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