X X [multiply multiply]: LOOΠΔ Reimagines a Multifaceted Sphere of Individual Influence

Blockberry Creative’s unimaginable move to introduce LOOΠΔ in the South Korea’s

partially “misogynist, horrendously stereotypical, candy-pink, cutesy, and overly fetishized”

(Chakrabarty) pop culture has sparked discussions among supporters and non-supporters

across social networking sites concerning the girl group’s attempt to deviate from the rule of

thumb while maintaining the success of the country’s ‘multi-million dollar’ entertainment

industry. Given the recurring themes that boost popularity among other groups as effortless

and earliest as possible, limitless it can be that LOOΠΔ presents a standard deliberately set in

order to build anticipation from the masses. The power each member holds, brought by their

pursuit to provide the listeners a never-been-heard music, never-been-done choreography,

impressively incomparable visuals, and expressively empowering storytelling, has been

thought to be kept for a long time; but right at this moment, it has been being carefully

revealed like building blocks and forming puzzle pieces to reimagine a universe where people

can be empowered “by the path they choose, not the power they are graced with” (Ashton 37)

Taking the path less traveled and higher than expected, LOOΠΔ “started with the

system where each member of the group has an own character as a solo artist, who will gather

up to form a unit, which will also bond to become one whole team” (loonatheworld).

Revealed from the Korean term “Idalui Sonyeo” which translates to “Girl of the Month”

(Park), Blockberry Creative finally debuted a 12-member South Korean girl group after a

long and expensive preparation, with almost 2 years of pre-debut project and an

“approximately 8.9 million dollar” worth of investment (S. Park). A subsidiary of Polaris

Entertainment, BBC started the launching of the project with the aim to produce a state-of-

the-art collection of music, videos, and other content dedicated to LOOΠΔ.

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 The entertainment’s first puzzle piece, HeeJin, represented the group’s first solo track

“Vivid” in October 2016. The first release was followed by HyunJin’s “Around You” and

Haseul’s “Let Me In” in November and December of the same year respectively. Thereafter,

the year 2017 welcomed YeoJin as the 4th and the youngest member of LOOΠΔ with her solo

track “Kiss Later.” One month later, Blockberry Creative announced the group’s first sub-

unit, LOOΠΔ 1/3, with previously introduced members Heejin, Hyunjin, and Haseul. ViVi,

to which her single “Everyday I Love You” was released in April 2017, made her public

appearance first as a member of the first sub-unit. Its promotional album [Love and Live] and

[Love and Evil] depicted the cliché’ K-pop storyline “filled with a sense of youthful love”

and “filled with pain and worries in the process of love” (loonatheworld).

With the introduction of Kim Lip in May 2017, her solo track “Eclipse” changed up

the structure built by the innocence of the first sub-unit by “drawing a new circle (musical

style) different from the one drawn previously” (loonatheworld). JinSoul’s “Singing in the

Rain” and Choerry’s “Love Cherry Motion” were released in June and July of the same year

to draw a bigger circle and bring the second sub-unit into existence. LOOΠΔ Odd Eye Circle

promoted with [Mix and Match] and [Max and Match] on the second half of the year with a

story being influenced by their odd view of the world and carried upon a choice to take

charge in a relationship.

Taking its last step to form the last sub-unit, Blockberry Creative revealed the 9th

member named Yves in November 2017 with “new” as her promotional single. The last

month of the year revealed Chuu’s “Heart Attack” and it has been followed by Go Won’s

“One and Only” solo track in January 2018. Lastly, the last puzzle piece, Olivia Hye, marked

the end of the pre-debut project with the group’s last single “Egoist” released in March 2018.

One month after, Blockberry Creative commemorated LOOΠΔ yyxy as the third and last sub-

unit before coming into one. Illustrating a story derived from self-hatred and self-awareness,

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its [beauty&thebeat] album relinquished the real depiction of their stories from the mass

literature into a “forbidden quest to find their identities” (loonatheworld).

After the 18-month long pre-debut era, the three sub-units: LOOΠΔ 1/3, LOOΠΔ Odd

Eye Circle, and LOOΠΔ yyxy, together with YeoJin as a solo unit, finally declared their

signature sound as a whole in their lead single “favorite.” Unrepresentative of a typical K-pop

portrait, simplicity was showcased throughout the music video in terms of attire and setting

but the overall performance was “designed to be at its maximum potential” (loonatheworld).

LOOΠΔ’s lead single was followed by the most-awaited extended play [+ +] (read as

plus plus) which was released in August 2018 to celebrate each member’s first public

appearance as a full group. With its energetic “Hi High” single, the title track radiates each

member’s desire to stand on their own fate and surpass beyond limits.

After the first EP [+ +] which announced the start of LOOΠΔ, the girl group

reconceptualized into a new perspective to start a “two-two-dimensional fusion” with [X X]

(read as multiple multiple). Making waves across various online media platforms (Go), the

mesmerizing title track “Butterfly” transforms the previously enthusiastic sound and

dynamism into an aesthetic style with “new beats and drops along with electronic sound and

melody never heard in K-pop before” (loonatheworld). Also, the comeback commemorated

the group’s motivation to highlight empowerment, inclusivity, and self-realization by

“unraveling the stories behind the universe of LOOΠΔ represented by anyone under the

influence through music” (loonatheworld).

Moreover, it is highly recommended for an “orbit” to briefly understand the context of

the LOOΠΔ’s imaginative lore: the LOOΠΔverse. Coined from the term LOOΠΔ and the

universe, LOOΠΔverse is the ‘substantial otherworld’ where each member plays an

important role, with representative color, shapes, animals, and fruits coming into play. From

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there comes the storyline’s complexity of connections that bind LOOΠΔ members altogether.

Despite each members’ overarching goal, a force known as the ‘Mobius strip,’ a “one-sided

surface with three-dimensional space” (Clifford), controls each member’s fate. To simply

explain, inside the LOOΠΔverse is a never-ending loop that contains all mysteries thoroughly

and cleverly depicted all over the group’s videography and discography (@caskerbox) and

the only way to free themselves from the trap is through a dauntless decision to break the

loop (Ruben).

Even the supporters and non-supporters take stance on expanding the setting by

discussing relevant themes and theories. In a casual manner, ‘orbits’ are known to be active

in sharing entertaining LOOΠΔ content (Russell). Although typically assisted by the common

grounds of online media platforms, the substantial otherworld does not always reside in the

virtual world, but also highly significant in the real world. An “art deliberately created for a

purpose” (Ruben), the substantial otherworld of LOOΠΔ places a person into something

which he or she can relate to. On the other side, it can be a place where people can “create a

noisy split of opinion” (Glasby) that either encourages or discourages one’s personal point of

view. Consequently, anticipation may arise to how LOOΠΔ plans to respond to a more

favorable interest, considering many fans prefer the mainstream more than the unorthodox.

At this juncture, this paper attempts to examine LOOΠΔ as an individual and how it

affects other individuals. According to Soares, “an individual is the source of his or her own

individuality” (13). In this manner, various subliminal discourse on individuality depicted

across 18 music videos are given importance. Properly contextualized on self-acceptance,

inclusivity, and women empowerment, the analysis figures out the relevance of this purpose

to LOOΠΔ’s evolving characterization towards reconstructing the typical K-pop grammar

and reimagining the sphere of influence at its core value. Acting as lenses intended to work

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out with the analysis are Weitheimer, Kohler, and Koffka’s “Gestalt theory” and Ozdemir,

Guzel-Ozdemir, and Yilmaz’s Butterfly Effect in Psychiatry.

The 20th-century school of psychology that yielded a foundation for the modern

concept of perception, Gestalt theory proposes that “the whole is different or [greater] from

the sum of its parts” (Clarkson and Mackewn). The sense of wholeness depicted from this

theory is seen not only within the cognitive level but also “within the emotional, physical,

and spiritual level” (Ikehara 66). Also, the visual perception has been taught to be universal

to which a person may perceive the whole unconscious of the connections interplaying within

the system. To further explain, derived laws are involved in the framework: Jorgensen’s

continuity (instances approaching continuously), Melnick and Roos’ closure (tension is

released by completion), Sykes’ et al. proximity (interaction obligation), Malik’s similarity

(interpersonal attraction), Leder’s et al. symmetry (determinant of reality), and Sekuler and

Bennett’s common fate (moving together to be grouped together). Each law plays an

important role to examine a character’s inclination to connect the dots and grasp a simplified

view of the world or an element rather.

On the other hand, highly relevant to understanding LOOΠΔ’s prevailing concept is

the psychological representation of the butterfly effect. Ozdemir, Guzel-Ozdemir, and

Yilmaz’s study on The Butterfly Effect in Psychiatry: A Case Example mentioned the idea of

self-concept and how it affects a person’s outlook on “personal differences, individual

thought patterns, perceptions of social events, attitudes [towards] social norms, intergroup

relations, expectations, and [his or her] potential impact on development” (35).

It is also important to note that the sequence of how the music videos are presented

does not follow a chronological order. Rather, it follows a reversed order where LOOΠΔ

yyxy comes first, then LOOΠΔ Odd Eye Circle goes after, and ends with LOOΠΔ 1/3. The

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reason behind this order can be reflected in the ‘plus plus’ following the periodic fashion and

‘multiple multiple’ doing it otherwise. In this manner, the latter has given mere importance.

Also, some terminologies are deliberately stylized under author’s discretion such as

‘loonatheworld’ and the like.

SELF-ACCEPTANCE: FOLLOWING INNATE DESIRES

The last four members of LOOΠΔ, Yves, Chuu, Go Won, and Olivia Hye, have been

gathered into one unit to reveal the lore that places them beyond the real world. Attributing a

“neanthropic chromosome ‘yyxy’ different to xx and xy chromosomes” (loonatheworld),

LOOΠΔ yyxy (expounded as ‘youth youth by young’) manifests a modern form of human

characteristics portrayed by their decision to renounce the rules of Eden in search for their

identities.

love4eva. Born in a utopian setting, the story of the four girls develops inside a place where

each of the girls has certain rules to follow. Inspired from Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Houses,

the music video presents differences crucial to LOOΠΔ yyxy in detail. Yves’ burgundy skirt

corresponds to Gryffindor’s House which “values courage, bravery, nerve, and chivalry”

(Rowling 156). Chuu’s yellow-tinted skirt “values hard work, patience, justice, and loyalty”

as observed in the Hufflepuff’s house. Go Won’s blue skirt represents Ravenclaw’s

“intelligence, creativity, learning, and wit” while Olivia Hye’s green skirt meets with

Slytherin’s “ambition, cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness. Differently presented in this

manner, the context still goes around the continuing struggle towards self-awareness and ego.

Accustomed to LOOΠΔ yyxy’s “love4eva” music video, the success of completing

oneself among the characters relies on the idea of being close to each other. However, the

scenes before the climax show a contrasting viewpoint. Wearing the same uniform, three

members are seriously minding their tasks except Yves, who places herself in a distant

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(01:01). Yves’ boredom becomes a predominant point after revealing these lyrics: “Come on,

come on baby, tell me your story, / Come on, come on baby, close to me baby” (01:01-

01:06). Relieving Yves’ boredom by convincing others to get closer to her and be part of her

escape plan, there exists Olivia Hye that has been left behind. Being the last member of

LOOΠΔ, her character is embodied with an emotion of neglect, causing her to take her own

path individually. From Yves, Chuu, and Go Won’s intentional act of denying Olivia Hye’s

presence (01:55) to their successful escape plan (03:03), it can be explained that there is a

recurring theme of disparity that hinders bond among them but reveals something more

important than what connects them.

What happened to Olivia Hye is a manifestation that her character has been governed

by a degree naturally presented “not only as a test but also as a very fruitful principle of

discovery” (Leibniz 56). It can be also applied to the three girls who have found their

freedom of going against the rules while Olivia Hye struggles to wander with high chances of

getting lost (03:26); thus, weakening her self-esteem to accept the situation and move forward

along with the consequences.

Egoist. The growing enthusiasm of members piling up like small blocks one by one has been

dismantled with the dissociation of Olivia Hye and her attempt to “love oneself” (01:23). The

process of completing her ego through self-acceptance is captured in her solo act.

Represented by anger, her disclosure starts from a perspective of two hands, one from her and

one from an unknown person, and then letting go of one hand with an act of falling (00:14).

Afterwards, her character has been placed on a mattress with scattered feathers to signify

Olivia Hye as a fallen angel (00:18). Because of her fate, she starts self-loathing and plans to

finish her overarching goal: to rise above where she is. Within this process, Olivia Hye meets

with her own self (02:43), with the 7th member JinSoul (01:56), and with the first member

Heejin after reaching the rooftop (04:26).

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 In this situation, “two instances approach each other continuously” (Jorgensen 225) to

indicate a prevailing connection between Olivia Hye and the other members. Her portrayal of

being a low scorer, where she “feels dissatisfied with self; is disappointed with what has

occurred in past life; is troubled about personal qualities; and wishes to be different than what

she is” (Hernandez 7) significantly guides her to “take a step [from a dramatic fall] towards

loving oneself instead of someone else” (loonatheworld).

One and Only. Go Won’s character revolves around a life cycle of a butterfly. Her existence

as the one that can withstand the weight of the winds is highly motivated with self-love.

Bringing innocence throughout the music video, Go Won starts her long-term growth by

recognizing unnatural shadows which take steps towards her (00:27). From her fear that

someone is following her path, she runs away and tries to hide in the darkness (00:45).

Wandering somewhere else, Go Won places herself below a chandelier (01:11), faces a

mirror (01:13), and communicates with her shadow (01:28) until she finds her fate after a bite

with her fruit of knowledge, glows with a new appearance, and looks after Yves and Chuu

(01:21).

The way Go Won realized her own self can be reflected to finding her missing puzzle

pieces. With her incompleteness, she builds up tension inside; thus, hinders her growth in her

character. Fortunately, her realization that there can be no problem about expanding one’s

boundaries, as seen from her joining with Yves and Chuu, depicts Go Won as “an individual

continuously and unsuccessfully striving to release the tension” and bringing closer the gaps

inside (Melnick and Roos 97).

Heart Attack. Carrying a new wind into the universe of LOOΠΔ, the 10th member of the

month interprets her solo act with her “own adorable emoticon-like ways” (loonatheworld).

Chuu renders an imitative characteristic yearning towards her role model Yves, with hopes of

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being recognized out of love. To follow this overarching goal, Chuu is seen mimicking Yves’

steps and wearing clothes the same way as hers (00:18). Unnoticed by Yves, Chuu does not

stop disturbing her from reading a book (00:30), taking her camera shots (01:01), and giving

her an apple (02:05). Emotionally dejected, she finds herself in the middle of nowhere while

dreaming herself with Yves and having fun with each other (02:51).

Amidst Chuu’s failure to be noticed by Yves at the earliest possible time, her

character remained positive. Being a high scorer individual with “a remarkable attitude

toward the self” (Hernandez 7), she learns how to accept the situation and move forward from

the harsh force that separates them.

new. With the introduction of Yves “to start building its last four-member squad”

(loonatheworld), one’s faith is brought up into discussion. Her rebellious attitude throughout

the music video declares her faith to be herself no matter what kind of difficulties may arise.

This inclination is captured out of her curiosity, and as a result, she always takes a bite of an

apple on purpose (00:48).

Yves’ overwhelmed curiosity has led her to ask questions about being closer to God,

To briefly examine this, Gestalt therapists such as Zinker can explain how an individual

experiences sensations (existential crisis) that lead to an awareness (rebellion), to action

(quest for finding oneself), and assimilation (standing up from God’s decided fate). Taking

her stance, she chooses to continue embracing the forbidden to find something new within

herself and be closer towards an overarching goal.

INCLUSIVITY: COMPLETING AS ONE

Kim Lip’s red, JinSoul’s blue, and Choerry’s purple uncovered an untold story of the three

moons gathering to form a full circle. Born between the earth and the cosmos, LOOΠΔ Odd

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Eye Circle places itself on a ‘girl-crush’ attitude in order to “take control of love in a

relationship instead of waiting passively” (loonatheworld).

Girl Front and Sweet Crazy Love. The former strengthens the representation of LOOΠΔ Odd

Eye Circle “standing at the frontline to save the world under the same slogan”

(loonatheworld). Divergent and ill-fated, the three different girls have been missing each

other for a long time in search for truth behind the LOOΠΔverse. With Kim Lip’s exceptional

running speed (00:30), JinSoul’s teleportation (02:30), and Choerry’s dualism (01:40), they

have reached the finish line and finally met to continue the rescue mission of missing puzzle

pieces. On the other hand, the latter presents a prequel of the sub-unit portrayed in a black

and white setting to reveal the origins of the three colors and the three odd moons.

It can be noticed from the two music videos that the three girls act on a similar basis.

To briefly discuss, JinSoul is seen inside a moving train, probably thinking for something else

(“Sweet Crazy Love” 00:12). At the same time in a different timeframe, Choerry walks in an

underground parking with her backpack (“Sweet Crazy Love” 00:19). When Kim Lip starts

to dance (“Sweet Crazy Love” 00:40), the two girls do the same act subsequently. Likewise,

they have found out that their odd eyes may activate when one approaches another (“Girl

Front” 01:40 and “Sweet Crazy Love” 03:00). From these coincidences, it is probable that

any involved sameness and nearness signifies a relation they must find out.

Love Cherry Motion. A funky pop dance with “opposing qualities of refreshingly explosive

chorus and ethnic break beats” (loonatheworld), Choerry’s character blasts with the potential

she got from having a purple color, a combination of Kim Lip’s red color and JinSoul’s blue

color. Her story revolves around the concept of parallel worlds where she can travel to a

“higher level where human existence is highly improbable” (Ryan 634).

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 LOOΠΔ 1/3’s Haseul and YeoJin’s appearance in the music video (00:32) is a “strong

determinant of aesthetic judgements of meaningless, abstract patterns” (Leder et al. 2) which

develops symmetry towards Choerry’s character. Her involvement in the process of passing

through realms, as seen from a green field that places her in the reality (02:15) to a purple

field that places her at the opposite end (03:32), shows that her “symmetrical stimulus is

processed fluently and efficiently” (Reber et al. 364); thus, making it easy for her to

accomplish their goal of finding others at the earliest possible time.

Singing in the Rain. The climax of the LOOΠΔverse presents JinSoul’s out-of-the-human-

world adventure for she represents a blue betta fish, rarely seen and found, and her quest to

find an appropriate place to thrive. Dauntless and composed, her character reveals depth in a

bigger circle.

Wearing the same attire in a different color, the way the music video presents a

different camera angle may suggest that someone is following JinSoul (00:29). In relation,

interaction obligation comes into play. The nearness of an unknown person following JinSoul

“obligates the one who appears to trespass on the personal space of another to communicate

with that individual” (Sykes et al. 268). In a different angle, it has been shown that the

moment JinSoul waved her hands in an aquarium (02:19), the unnatural movement of the

fishes conveys that her character is somewhat related to them.

Eclipse. With well-established fervor to complete LOOΠΔ’s circle of colors, Kim Lip

maximizes the full group’s potential by “showing a different side” on a different level of

genre (loonatheworld). Her character fortifies the “act of being associated with attitude

similarity, backgrounds, values and beliefs” to co-exist and unify in the LOOΠΔverse (Malik

142).

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 Kim Lip’s initiative starts in her act of saying “This is our fantasy” while dancing

inside a structure filled with symmetrical shapes (00:40). From there, she assumes that

whoever notices her might have “more positive emotions towards [her] when [she comes] to

know that he or she has the same attitude as [hers]” (Buss 49). Moreover, this interpersonal

attraction has been recognized as an “excess of light into the Earth`s shadow onto the Moon”

(Bagdoo 2); hence, the moon eclipses (02:26).

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: DESTROYING THE MOBIUS

Finishing the shuffles and swaps of fate to toughen its Mobius strip to become one, LOOΠΔ

1/3 offers an empowering attitude by “putting together stories of innocence and excitement”

associated with distinctive melodies typical from the K-pop music grammar (loonatheworld).

Proudly presenting the most realistic sceneries present on planet earth, HeeJin, HyunJin,

HaSeul, and ViVi, together with YeoJin, found themselves in France, Japan, Iceland, Taiwan,

and Hong Kong to share a one-of-a-kind story.

Love & Live and Sonatine. Guided by the law of common fate, LOOΠΔ 1/3 places itself first

in a positively encouraging plot. With “Love & Live,” creative it can be said that the story

pretends to be a real scenario. In the case of ViVi’s character, who was once an android from

Hong Kong, it can never be that way. With “Sonatine,” the sub-unit gets reversed in order to

recover from the pain in the process of love and find out mysteries of a girl running away

deeper into a dark forest (loonatheworld).

It can be observed that HeeJin, HyunJin, HaSeul, and ViVi found themselves in a

running track (“Love and Live” 00:24). After several trials, all of them are feeling tired

except ViVi. Playing a role of an android separated from humans, she becomes exceedingly

motivated and disconnects herself from her power source by running off the track to be

defined as a human and be with them in the process of living with life altogether (“Love and

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Live” 03:21). After ViVi’s triumph, there goes the ‘live’ reversed into ‘evil’ where each girl

shares the same sentiments out of curiosity. Healing wounds, HeeJin confesses that the

mystery has caused her to become secretive (“Sonatine” 00:24). HaSeul wishes towards

looking at the shooting stars by herself (“Sonatine” 00:49). HyunJin waits until something

would happen (“Sonatine” 00:58) and ViVi asks about things in the process of becoming

herself (“Sonatine” 00:55). Lost in a forest, they start solving questions left unanswered.

Everyday I Love You. The music video explores the retro-inspired life of ViVi as a human

being in its complete form. From there, she experiences an “intense but short-lived passion or

admiration for someone” (Christie 18).

In order to cope with her timidity, ViVi gives compliments to the one she admires by

telling him “You are awesome” secretly (00:06). Stationary in nature, her actions are

accustomed by the common fate into which she seeks self-empowerment “independent from

obstructions to follow” and achieves a sense of satisfaction towards oneself (Macnamara 19).

Kiss Later. Shifting its focus to the most mysterious girl of the LOOΠΔverse, YeoJin has

been characterized as that girl who got lost in the woods after failing to accept a kiss from her

strange admirer (loonatheworld). What happened to her could be the most probable reason for

her absence of a sub-unit but the story that goes along continuously makes her role special.

From end to end, the prince-like supporting characters treat YeoJin as a princess and

the first-class set-up provides an ambience of her decent life inside. Starting the song’s

storyline, YeoJin wears a glittering shoe (00:37) different from the converse and school-type

shoes of the other members of LOOΠΔ. Afterwards, she encounters a frog in human form

who admires her a lot but refuses everything else he can offer (01:53). YeoJin’s decision

suggests maturity towards life; however, this has led to a negative shift in her common fate,

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unexpectedly “extending beyond the realm of the real world” and giving her disoriented and

distorted direction to move forward (Sekuler and Bennett 437).

Let Me In. Heading off the warm climate, HaSeul discovers her other self in a distant where

everything is below the normal temperature. As she walks along the frigid environment,

HaSeul encounters her common fate in the music video with high chances of failing.

Her adventure is being compared to a wreck of an airplane continuously thriving

amidst the harsh climate (01:18). There also comes a paper plane at the same time frame, and

HaSeul’s other self – a human dove in form (01:46). “Modulated in different directions”

(Sekuler and Bennett 437), the wide range of conditions that might affect her common fate in

the LOOΠΔverse did not matter to her for she was empowered to sacrifice her other self

(02:41).

Around You. The November girl, HyunJin, showcases a passive side of the LOOΠΔverse

where either being introvert or reserved is accepted. Innocent and charming, HyunJin places

herself in a hard-to-get situation while hoping for a day that she would never be that alone

(loonatheworld).

One of the most important cues corresponding to HyunJin’s common fate is the “need

for [luminance] space” (Sekuler and Bennett 437). It is evident in her music video that she

encourager herself by writing letters (00:28). With pale emotions from end to end, HyunJin

decides not to “expect anything from somebody else” (01:57). It can be also determined that

she fears to speak out and accepts her fate of “leaving again without a word” to avoid

mistakes she may commit and regret (03:23).

Vivid. The one who started the complex universe of LOOΠΔ, HeeJin assembled all colors

into a splendid set-up. Having her central role, the first girl takes the audience back to the

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roots of grandiosity that resulted to twelve solo artists and three sub-units coming together as

one group.

Emphasized in her music video, it was all black and white before LOOΠΔ began

(00:04). HeeJin acts as the maid and the homeowner, but the former role was the one who

worked hard after all (00:11). Carried away by an array of colors scattered around, she

grouped together “elements that move in the same direction” (Weitheimer 71) such as red,

orange, yellow, and green (represents LOOΠΔ 1/3’s music video introduction colors); thus

forming a common fate with “surprising changes” (01:25).

COINCIDENCE MEETS COINCIDENCE

It has been explicitly discussed previously that the three sub-units, even the solo acts in

detail, correspond to three overarching goals: following innate desires, completing as one,

and breaking the Mobius. LOOΠΔ yyxy’s conception of self-acceptance works towards

Yves’ faith, Chuu’s hope, Go Won’s love, and Olivia Hye’s anger – four emotions born out

of “realizing that self-awareness is not decided upon or created by somebody else, but build

by oneself by starting to love oneself” (loonatheworld). Upon completing one’s ego comes

the process of completing as one made possible by LOOΠΔ Odd Eye Circle and its

inclusively odd view of the world expressing each member’s willpower to “surpass the limits

against sameness and [the drive to] search for puzzle pieces” (loonatheworld). Beyond the

limits comes LOOΠΔ 1/3’s feministic move to fulfill their potential by overpowering the

force that holds them back in places. Each goal influences one another like the domino effect

in a form of coincidences.

Adopting the Gestalt approach, LOOΠΔ can be better visualized as “a dynamic whole

person/organism who configures the dominant need at a particular moment and attempts to

meet this need by contacting the environment with some sensory-motor behavior” (Ikehara

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66). Regardless of LOOΠΔ’s creative stint in solo and sub-unit releases, what matters the

most in general is the wholeness LOOΠΔ can provide and “the figure of interest” that has

spawned the typical K-pop music grammar into its fame (Yontef).

In connection to the concept of wholeness, LOOΠΔ’s signature sound as one group

has been declared for the first time through their “favOriTe” music video. The group’s lead

single starts with an intro of a moon showing phases of different colors consecutively

representing the 12 “girls of the month” (00:03). All are wearing one outfit (00:08), followed

by a focus towards HeeJin as the center of the group (00:12), and a blast of a full

performance showcasing their power without the divide. Moreover, it can be deduced that

their common fate starts to develop at the basement where the song has been being

performed, and suddenly swaps and shuffles between the colorful (03:00) and the colorless

(03:02). From end to end, a viewer can easily complete a bigger picture of LOOΠΔ on its

own context and “seeks continuation” to find more about this interest (Yontef).

For all one knows, LOOΠΔ’s debut single “Hi High” establishes an exciting plot and

emits “positive energy that the gathering of the twelve members create” (loonatheworld).

Employing a ‘plus plus’ effect, the story acts on a process similar to piling blocks carefully

done one by one. To start with, Haseul finds the lost girl, YeoJin, with their hands holding

each other while walking beneath the tall grasses (00:46). Kim Lip is seen running across an

alley at her fastest pace, with hanged clothes blocking her way (01:40). Oppositely placed in

the toughest Mobius strip, HyunJin (representing yellow) and Choerry (representing purple)

run towards each other with utmost excitement (01:15). Olivia Hye places herself inside the

Odd Eye Circle to seek motivation to move forward (01:32) and take a giant leap from a

platform towards Yves (01:58). Lost inside the forest, Chuu and Go Won finally realize their

self by searching for the exit (01:45). ViVi sets her momentum on a railroad track to test her

human capacities (02:44). JinSoul accelerates all of a sudden (03:05) and HeeJin steps

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towards the edge and launches herself against the gravity (03:14). Loaded with countless

symbolisms from scene to scene, “Hi High” characterizes an individual’s continuing pursuit

to strengthen one’s potential and filling up gaps, and at the same time, forming relations out

of nearness and sameness, and propelling oneself from a common ground to a broader level.

Bounded by a Gestaltist idea that “every individual has different way of being-in-this-

world” (Spinelli 9), each member of LOOΠΔ takes a step back from its roots and captures a

metamorphosis dissolved and diffused for a purpose. LOOΠΔ’s “Butterfly” features

becoming LOOΠΔ from an audience’s perspective. Embodying similarities, the music video

narrates untold stories of women around the world. To start with, a girl is seen taking a nap,

distressed and hopeless the same as HeeJin’s whereabouts to take in charge of the

LOOΠΔverse (00:41). Another random girl shows up her butterfly tattoo, a hint that goes

around the storyline oftentimes (01:04). Then, an Afro-American character runs towards a

wall; after a second, a black screen is presented (01:24-01:26). Deliberately shown on

purpose, the black screen signifies a viewer showing up as a reflection for a second and acts

as part of LOOΠΔ (@caskerbox). Rare it can be found, a Moslem girl is featured, wearing a

pair of Converse shoes the same as the Odd Eye Circle’s. Moving forward, a woman stands

up above a pool of women workers of the Asian descent, the same as Yves’ standing up

against her fate (02:15). Similarly, a random girl takes off her jacket to reveal a dauntless

decision, an act done by Go Won in XIIX teaser video (02:38). A bite of an apple from an

Indonesian girl in an attempt to imitate LOOΠΔ yyxy’s denial (02:44). Towards the coda

comes a brave woman standing at the edge of the building’s rooftop, overshadowing the

whole landscape to represent her ambition to fly (03:10). Then, the scene is followed by an

albino sitting under the shades of an apple tree (03:30), three girls with eye patches arranged

in Odd Eye Circle’s fashion (03:31), and a dancer embracing the road less traveled by going

off the straight path (04:17). Intentionally characterized in “Butterfly” music video, “anyone

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under the influence [of Butterfly effect], [in which through music where] listeners gain

courage, find oneself, and raise one’s voice, is another LOOΠΔ” (loonatheworld) Also. It

strengthens the idea of self-concept and how it affects a person’s outlook on “personal

differences, individual thought patterns, perceptions of social events, attitudes [towards]

social norms, intergroup relations, expectations, and [his or her] potential impact on

development” (Ozdemir et al. 35). Considering the influence that LOOΠΔ contributes to

spread awareness and carry out societal norms into a different perspective, everyone under

the influence should be able to multiply the effect across various ways and embrace the

wholeness in a self-accepting, inclusive, and empowering manner.

CONLUSION

Building its own unique world like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, LOOΠΔ has started its

mission to break the walls of the typical K-pop structure and build a sphere of influence

across countries. The “reverse engineering” marked the girl group as “one of the loftiest

project South Korea’s highly-competitive music industry has ever seen” (Herman). Also, the

unusual plan that goes against the usual K-pop group debuts shows a fearless move from an

unknown agency (Go). The hype comes along with its “Stan LOOΠΔ” hashtag on Twitter

and social networking sites among all; a noteworthy proof that the group has more to offer.

In order to discern the relevance of various subliminal discussion concerning

LOOΠΔ’s substantial otherworld, Weitheimer, Kohler, and Koffka’s “Gestalt theory” and

Ozdemir, Guzel-Ozdemir, and Yilmaz’s Butterfly Effect in Psychiatry are used to respond

towards the concept of self-acceptance, inclusivity, and women empowerment or

individuality as a whole yet more specific discourse. It is revealed that LOOΠΔ yyxy’s

overarching goal to follow innate desires, LOOΠΔ Odd Eye Circle’s determination to

complete as one, and LOOΠΔ 1/3’s fearlessness to break the Mobius that controls their fate

and freedom to rise above their ambitions. Conceived as coincidences, the wholeness of

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LOOΠΔ as a group suggests an effect where anyone under the influence might pursue

strengthening one’s potential, bringing closer one’s gaps, developing patterns and relations

out of nearness and sameness, and gaining enough momentum to make a move independent

from biases.

The overarching goal of LOOΠΔ brought by its most-awaited culmination in its

substantial otherworld elaborates an equivalent idea in the real world. From following innate

desires comes following one’s dreams. It is the destination that allows an individual to help in

the process of completing one’s character. Without the innate desires, one might get lost and

end up wandering somewhere else, confused and distressed. Secondly, to find others with the

same cause entails a deeper view of completing into one. It comes with a realization that an

individual is not meant or destined to be alone, but accustomed to a shared interest that

shapes one’s identity regardless of race, color, religion, or anything else. Lastly, breaking the

mobius can be made into action by breaking out of social standards and stereotypes.

Overcoming each stage, an individual may feel connected to something greater than just

oneself.

Indeed, it starts with a small flap – to build a world and be a LOOΠΔ with an

empowering storyline yet to uncover.

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