Ready? Burn! - A Just B Primer
May. 23rd, 2025 08:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
boulevarddoubleDo you like varied and evolving music? Self-produced idol groups carving their own path in an industry that rewards sameness? Do you like gay people?
Well do I have the group for you!
Just B is a 6-member group under Bluedot Entertainment, who debuted on June 30th, 2021. I'm not sure how they came up with the name Just B, or if it has a deeper meaning (they all do, and they're all corny). The fans are called Only B, which is fine, as far as fandom names go.
Unlike most of my intros, I feel compelled to talk about Bluedot in depth here, not because they're a potential money laundering front, but because the Just B story has many twists and turns that are tied very specifically to their management. Bluedot was also founded in 2021 as a subsidiary of Kakao Entertainment (remember them?). While I have never been able to confirm this, it is likely that the initial management came over from another KKEnt subsidiary you may know and loathe - IST Entertainment, though at the time it was known as Plan M (pre-Cre.ker merger). I believe this is the case because several of the Just B boys, including leader Lim Jimin, were known as the Play M Boys, aka the next group of Play M trainees, and there seemed to be no issues in transferring trainees from company to company, which usually has the benefit of good relationships, not just an active parent company.
Yes, Just B were originally going to be Victon's little brothers. Yes, that does make me cry every time I think about it.
Anyway, this is important because while they seemed to be on a roll, with their second and third minis selling over 50k each, they took almost a year long break from traditional kpop releases, doing a single collab with the wonderful Kim Seri (then AleXa), losing momentum and posting solidly nugu numbers (21k) with their fourth mini, Nanugi, in late 2023.
Even so, in early 2024, they toured the US and Mexico, which is how I became a fan. However, watching the behinds from that tour, especially this one in Denver, it's obvious that they were hitting a wall, both in popularity and creativity. In fact, it was on that tour that they debuted their single Daddy's Girl, which was written by a good friend of Doyum's and was a marked turn towards pop punk, even though they'd favored a more rock-inspired sound for their last two comebacks ("Me=" and "Medusa"), and they discussed in that behind, whether rock, which Doyum and Geonu advocated for, was the path forward, because their fans had certain expectations of them as ~Kpop Idols~.
Summer 2024 hits and three things happen in quick succession.
1) Chu Jimin changes his name from Jimin to Siwoo, something he said he wanted to do for a while. In fandom spaces you will frequently see him referred to as Chusi now, as his old nickname was Chuji to differentiate him from Lim Jimin, or Limji.
2) Bluedot and IST announce that Just B and ATBO will be combining as TheCrewOne to compete in Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace, with a tease that they will release some music as a combined group. It is also obvious that, while this is a "collaboration", IST is the one who will be managing the combined group (as indicated by basically only ever using IST facilities, not to mention the size and experience disparity - remember that Cre.ker very successfully showcased The Boyz on the first RtK).
3) Literally a day or so after that announcement, Siwoo gets caught up in a "dating" "scandal" and put on hiatus.
The details of the dating scandal are sparse, and while I am very biased as a fan, frankly just looked made up.
With one big ALLEGEDLY to disclaim this section, here's what happened: A woman released screenshots of what was supposed to be a text conversation with Siwoo to prove they were dating and that they'd met through an online game. Fans responded as they usually do, though, again, my personal opinion is with good reason, by investigating who this person was and trying to discredit them. Multiple people came out to say they'd seen this woman acting inappropriately towards Siwoo during the US tour and that she was a sasaeng. All of the screenshots were incredibly tame, with no misogynistic or even sexual behavior to get mad at, and did literally nothing to prove they were dating. There were no photos, only texts.
None of any of this has ever been confirmed or denied.
While the official hiatus announcement came from Bluedot, and many fans blame them for putting Siwoo on haitus for what was ultimately fucking nothing, I do not. Because as I said, IST was obviously the one calling the shots at this point. And IST is very, very famously scandal adverse. (Ironically, Yang Donghwa, now of Polarix, who was originally part of the ATBO lineup and kicked out of the group for unsubstantiated bullying accusations from middle school days, is listed as the only other Bluedot artist.)
During the Road to Kingdom run, it was revealed by one of the show's PDs that IST and Bluedot had considered disbanding both groups and instead tried to merge them into on big dance crew, probably to mimic The Boyz's RtK success as a last ditch effort for popularity.
It did not work. TheCrewOne took a disappointing 5th place (out of 8) and the musical collaboration that was teased never came to fruition.
Here is where I admit some haterism: I don't like ATBO's music and adore Just B's, so I was very selfishly glad not to see my boys take steps backwards, even if it did mean extreme uncertainty in their future. It was also obvious during the TCO era that the Just B boys were very unhappy. Not with their friendship with ATBO, to whom they still act like supportive big brothers, but just with the whole situation.
The break up of TCO also deepened my conviction that the decision to place Siwoo on hiatus was IST's. Not even a week after the project end was announced, Bluedot - and Lim Jimin, the leader, himself - mentioned very emphatically that Just B would always be six and then a few days after that, Siwoo made his triumphant return to idoldom.
Which brings us to another thing that has not been officially confirmed, but all the evidence points this way: At some point post-TCO, Bluedot broke away from papa Kakao.
Now, if you are insane like me and find the corporate machinations of the kpop world fascinating, you would know that since the whole SM takeover debacle, Kakao Entertainment (and even big daddy parent-company Kakao) have been in the shit with the Korean government. So much so that the CEO literally went to jail on charges of stock fraud (which he totally did, btw). Anyway, this eventually led to the very real and confirmed selling off of several KKEnt properties, including fuck-ass IST, and very very speculatively, Bluedot.
Further evidence to support my claim is that Kakao no longer owns the distribution rights to Just B's music, which is huge, as Kakao is the biggest distributor of music in Korea, and absolutely distribute all of the music of the properties that they own.
Knowing Bluedot is basically an indie outfit is important because it quickly became evident with their 2025 releases, starting with "Still I Love You", a digital single, that Bluedot had zero money and like, three employees. This is cool because it means the members have a lot of creative input now, with Doyum as their main producer, to which Geonu and Sangwoo frequently contribute, and Bain does a lot of the creative direction for things such as styling, makeup, and graphics. Geonu also choreographed all their new songs.
However, with no budget and few industry connections now, fans will need to adjust their expectations accordingly.
In the end, really, all this means is that Just B have a chance most kpop groups never will. They get to control their own destiny.
So! That was a very long intro and didn't cover some of the usual things I get into, but I think that story is far more compelling than the boygroup-in-dystopia-saves-the-world-through-music lore they had going in the Damage/Tick-Tock/Re=Load trilogy.
As of May 23, 2025, they have 5 EPs and 6 singles, and are in the middle of their Just Odd tour, having wrapped the US leg, and are spending a delightful month promoting in Mexico.
Since these guys have more music than my usual primer fodder, I'm not going to add everything.
Their debut: Just Burn with the title "Damage"
Their first 50k comeback: Just Begun with the title "Re=load"
(I saw this for the first time while high and it was a religious experience, strong recommend)
A personal favorite: =(Neun) with the title "ME= (나는)"
Their pop punk serves: "Daddy's Girl" and "Still I Love You"
A Doyum-written ballad for the ballad lovers: "한걸음만"
And their most recent release: "Chest"
As usual, this is in age order. However, Just B is an unusual group as they are all born in 2001 and 2002.
Basic Info
Born: February 2, 2001 (Aquarius)
Position: Vocal, Dance, Slut
Representative Emoji: Seal
Why You Should Love Geonu
Because no one wants your attention more than one Lee Geonu. Please know when I call this man a slut, I mean it with all the affection in my heart. But it is true. If he could get naked on stage as a stunt, he probably would. None of it takes away from the fact that he is incredibly talented as both a singer and a dancer, but yeah. Yeah. The abs are often how he says hello.
Geonu is a great friend to his members, being very close to Siwoo because of their shared experience on I-land, and someone Bain felt comfortable in confiding in before he came out publicly. He was the first person Sangwoo opened up to after his health hiatus about how insecure he felt about his position in the team. Geonu was also chosen as the leader for TheCrewOne, showing just how diligent he is. He's the kind of guy that tends to match the energy of the people around him, so when he's with a hyper member, he's hyper, and when things are chill, he's the most relaxed.
Other Notable Geonu Facts
Geonu's mom was an English teacher, so he speaks pretty much fluent English. And in addition to producing, choreographing, and translating, Geonu basically seems to run the Just B social media these days. While I don't love censoring, if you tweet about Just B, this man will find you and possibly retweet you. That is a threat.
Important Geonu Performance
Geonu is no stranger to survival shows, having been on i-land, RtK and also MNet's vocal group show: Build Up. Here is his duet with fellow Build Up contestant Jeong Sumin.
Basic Info
Born: May 04, 2001 (Taurus)
Position: Main Vocal, Diva
Representative Emoji: Bear
Why You Should Love Bain
Because Bain is one of the only publicly out gay kpop idols in existence.
Now, I'm guessing that's why 99% of you reading this are reading it, but in case you didn't hear somehow, at their final US show of the Just Odd tour, Bain came out as a gay man and encouraged others to live their authentic lives.
This wasn't a spur of the moment act. In interviews, he mentioned that his members and his company have known he was gay for years, and earlier, on tour, he posted a message talking about how the tour, and the fans, have made him feel so supported and how he wanted to show his honest, genuine self. If you want to make yourself cry, go watch the members rooting for him and read their messages of love and support.
(This also makes me even more sure they are not owned by Kakao any longer. This would never fly in the corporate kpop machine.)
Beyond solidarity, because I'm sure that same 99% of my readers are some kinda queer, you should love Bain because he's a big little weirdo. He's always making noises and annoying someone (often Limji). He has been voted as the weirdest one by other members.
He's also another nearly fluent English speaker, and is in charge of much of their TikTok content.
Other Notable Bain Facts
While I didn't call him out for this earlier, Bain also has written a few Just B songs, too! Both "My Way" and "Coming Home" are his work. This live acoustic English version of Coming Home is one of my favorites.
Important Bain Performance
Like many of the just bees, Bain is no stranger to survival shows. He was on Under 19 (with Doyum!) where he didn't make the final group, and Build Up, though he and Geonu were on different teams. Anyway, this performance went kinda viral because this man is a singer.
Basic Info
Born: May 22, 2001 (Gemini)
Position: Leader, Vocal, Rap, Dance, Gym Rat
Representative Emoji: Tiger
Why You Should Love Limji
Because he's a massive loser. And I do mean massive in both the physical and spiritual sense. As the leader, Limji is naturally given to loserisms, but he has overachieved. No one makes more (adoring) fun of Jimin than the other members of Just B. And they are justified!
The man is a disaster on roller skates, has one specific pose he does all the time, gets sulky when he doesn't get attention from his favorite person (Siwoo, it's always Siwoo), and straight up asked Bain "Bain are you gay?". Like oh my god Jimin, you can't just ask people if they're gay. He also loves showing off his big buff body in a way that's honestly kind of a turn off, even though he's super hot.
Like I said: Loser! I love him! This is my bias!
He's also a great leader, is happy enough to roll with Just B's many, many punches, and will advocate for his members through thick and thin, as we saw with the whole Siwoo hiatus thing, and also when people are kind of rude to Sangwoo about his whole... deal.
Other Notable Limji Facts
Limji's best friend is Beomgyu from TXT! He very famously transferred him 1 million won in the middle of a TXT variety show mission. Here's Siwoo giving him shit for not sending him money, too.
Important Limji Performance
Okay, so while Limji is a GREAT dancer, and that's actually what made me sit up and take notice at their 2024 concert, and has a great voice, especially in the lower register, there's one thing you absolutely have to know: He debuted as a soloist in 2019. Here is his title "Loveholic"
Basic Info
Born: October 11, 2001 (Libra)
Position: Vocal, Mischief Maker
Representative Emoji: Rabbit
Why You Should Love Chusi
Because you love the demon-coded idols. Listen, if there is a crime, Siwoo is probably at the scene. He, Geonu, and Bain, are what I refer to as Just B's shenanigans line, and of any of them, Siwoo is probably the leader. The most obvious target of his teasing is always one Lim Jimin, but truly, no one is safe. He reminds me a lot of WayV's Ten in that manner (and also when you look at him from certain angles, it's like they could be cousins).
That said, Chusi's an incredibly affectionate guy, the first one to give hugs, and can generally be found hanging on to one of the other members like he'd fall down if he didn't. This is huge, because when he first debuted, he clearly still had a lot of trauma from being on I-Land and was mostly just close with Geonu.
He's also Just B's resident jock, specializing in baseball, and finally achieved one of his dreams while throwing out the first pitch at a Sultanes game in Mexico.
Other Notable Chusi Facts
While Bain is the official boy kisser of the team, Siwoo has had his go unofficially, starring in the Korean-Thai collab BL "Love is Like a Cat". Geonu also had a side character role. As much as I love this boy, this drama was so poorly written I couldn't finish it. You're welcome to try, I believe it's still available on Viki.
Important Chusi Performance
As a subvocal, we don't get much time to appreciate Siwoo's voice usually, however, I really enjoyed his solo during the Just Odd tour. This "official" fancam has pretty good sound.
Basic Info
Born: February 21, 2002 (Pisces)
Position: Rap, Cool
Representative Emoji: Cat
Why You Should Love Doyum
Because this man just exudes cool. When I was at their 2024 concert, Doyum was the other performer who really stood out to me. The energy on stage changes when he takes the center. To borrow a Chanmina quote, "it's like a Doyum-scented wind blows through."
Also, it's obvious that this man just loves music. As their main producer these days, it would be easy for him to fall into the trap of one style of music, and to be honest, I thought these boys were going all-in on Pop Punk (which I love and wouldn't've minded in the least) and then bam, Chest, a hyperpop track that somehow sounds even more Just B than his previous work. (My personal favorite from Just Odd is "Doomx3" which BANGS live).
He's also one of the chillest guys in kpop, happy to be along for the ride, though he seems especially grateful that it's this ride in particular; he's another survival show survivor, having made it into the final 1THE9 group from the Under Nineteen contest.
Other Notable Doyum Facts
One of his best friends is Jiung from P1harmony. Which is hilarious because they look a lot alike. This picture, from Just B's Medusa era, makes them look like twins.
Important Doyum Performance
Ngl, my "oh damn, Doyum" moment came during the RE=Load video, but I've already linked that. His rap in Chest is also... well, I won't voice that thought. So instead, here's a heartwarming song he wrote for the fans for Just B's first anniversary in 2022.
Basic Info
Born: September 3, 2002 (Virgo)
Position: Rap, Vocal, Staring into Space
Representative Emoji: Wolf or Gorilla
Why You Should Love Sangwoo
Because he's the most autistic man in kpop. Listen, I don't say that lightly. A lot of people will call anyone and anything neurodivergent, but this one, this one definitely is. And it's delightful! Sangwoo very much exists in his own world, checking back in with his team when he has something to share. He hates interviews and frankly doesn't even do concert ments, and that's totally just fine! It was actually very cool to see the rest of Just B letting him hang out and wave at fans while they were doing ments at this year's tour. They know who he is, they love him, and it's great that he gets to be himself.
(He does get called out by hosts and people interviewing them, though, which is usually funny, but sometimes uncomfortable and that's often when Jimin or the others will step in and deflect.)
Even though he doesn't necessary love the "being famous" part of his job, Sangwoo is probably the most fan-oriented of the 'bees. After last year's tour, he was like "I wish I could've hugged Only B" and then in this year's snapshots he's doing full bear hugs to almost every fan. He goes live a lot, sends hilarious and weird bubbles, and genuinely loves Only B so much.
Other Notable Sangwoo Facts
Sangwoo is part of the Jeju-Idol crew! Spoiler if you watch the full series of Just B's debut variety show, you even get to see his home, and drool over his family's cooking. Because of his island life upbringing, he's a really strong swimmer and loves being near the ocean and in the water.
Important Sangwoo Performance
Like Siwoo, we don't often get too much of Sangwoo in official songs, though you can always tell when he's feeling himself. He also has a special kind of energy that makes you think he should be fronting some kind of thrash metal band, best encapsulated by his solo stages on this year's tour, where he tried, semi-successfully, to get people to mosh.
This is where is important to remember there are two phases to Just B's career. If you're looking for older, wiser, hotter, post-RtK Just B content, your best bet is to follow their TikTok or Twitter. They've kept things fresh and interesting there because it's not like there's a budget for much else.
Geonu, if you're reading this, you're doing a great job. Love, a marketing professional. Now please stop reading.
There is, however, a ton of content from the early days of Just B, because they were following the traditional kpop boy group formula.
My first recommendation, though, is this, a compilation video of all 15 "friendships", as it gives you great insight into who they are as people.
I also really enjoyed their debut variety show, Just B's Baam Escape because it's a really fun concept I hadn't seen before.
Their anniversary dating show, which happened not long after Sangwoo came back from hiatus is solid gold, and a Must Watch IMO.
They also have a self-produced variety show called Right, Just That! which offers some very funny moments.
And for more current interviews, this one is fun and I haven't even gotten around to watching this one yet, but the clips on twitter were great.
As with most nugu groups, the world is your oyster when it comes to ships. There's not one ship to rule them all, with a total of 94 fics on the archive and the most popular ship (Geonu/Limji) only having 10 fics total. Both "Other Relationship Tags to Be Added" and "Shin Ryujin/Yu Jimin|Karina" show up in the top 10 Just B relationships. So. That's where we are.
I do have one very strong OTP in Just B, and that's Limji/Siwoo, if it wasn't obvious. Frankly, a large part of Limji's loserism comes from the fact that he's so pathetically down bad for this guy. And on the flip side, there was a whole year or so where Siwoo basically wouldn't let Limji get close to him and taunted him about it. There's also no one more into their size difference than those two. It's delicious.
Limji also gives off the vibe of someone who enjoys being bullied, sexually, which I enjoy quite a bit in my fanned fiction.
There are also some moments where I was like "hmmm, I think Bain has a little crush on Geonu", which, who wouldn't?
My favorite bicycles within the group are Doyum, because everyone likes him (cool guy!) and Geonu, because he's a slut (affectionate).
Sangwoo also provides some really interesting fodder because he's such a unique personality, and they all respond to him in very different ways.
Anyway, these guys are only getting hotter, so feel free to go crazy.
In conclusion: Just B! They're great! I'm excited to see what comes next!!
Well do I have the group for you!
The Basics
Just B is a 6-member group under Bluedot Entertainment, who debuted on June 30th, 2021. I'm not sure how they came up with the name Just B, or if it has a deeper meaning (they all do, and they're all corny). The fans are called Only B, which is fine, as far as fandom names go.
Unlike most of my intros, I feel compelled to talk about Bluedot in depth here, not because they're a potential money laundering front, but because the Just B story has many twists and turns that are tied very specifically to their management. Bluedot was also founded in 2021 as a subsidiary of Kakao Entertainment (remember them?). While I have never been able to confirm this, it is likely that the initial management came over from another KKEnt subsidiary you may know and loathe - IST Entertainment, though at the time it was known as Plan M (pre-Cre.ker merger). I believe this is the case because several of the Just B boys, including leader Lim Jimin, were known as the Play M Boys, aka the next group of Play M trainees, and there seemed to be no issues in transferring trainees from company to company, which usually has the benefit of good relationships, not just an active parent company.
Yes, Just B were originally going to be Victon's little brothers. Yes, that does make me cry every time I think about it.
Anyway, this is important because while they seemed to be on a roll, with their second and third minis selling over 50k each, they took almost a year long break from traditional kpop releases, doing a single collab with the wonderful Kim Seri (then AleXa), losing momentum and posting solidly nugu numbers (21k) with their fourth mini, Nanugi, in late 2023.
Even so, in early 2024, they toured the US and Mexico, which is how I became a fan. However, watching the behinds from that tour, especially this one in Denver, it's obvious that they were hitting a wall, both in popularity and creativity. In fact, it was on that tour that they debuted their single Daddy's Girl, which was written by a good friend of Doyum's and was a marked turn towards pop punk, even though they'd favored a more rock-inspired sound for their last two comebacks ("Me=" and "Medusa"), and they discussed in that behind, whether rock, which Doyum and Geonu advocated for, was the path forward, because their fans had certain expectations of them as ~Kpop Idols~.
Summer 2024 hits and three things happen in quick succession.
1) Chu Jimin changes his name from Jimin to Siwoo, something he said he wanted to do for a while. In fandom spaces you will frequently see him referred to as Chusi now, as his old nickname was Chuji to differentiate him from Lim Jimin, or Limji.
2) Bluedot and IST announce that Just B and ATBO will be combining as TheCrewOne to compete in Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace, with a tease that they will release some music as a combined group. It is also obvious that, while this is a "collaboration", IST is the one who will be managing the combined group (as indicated by basically only ever using IST facilities, not to mention the size and experience disparity - remember that Cre.ker very successfully showcased The Boyz on the first RtK).
3) Literally a day or so after that announcement, Siwoo gets caught up in a "dating" "scandal" and put on hiatus.
The details of the dating scandal are sparse, and while I am very biased as a fan, frankly just looked made up.
With one big ALLEGEDLY to disclaim this section, here's what happened: A woman released screenshots of what was supposed to be a text conversation with Siwoo to prove they were dating and that they'd met through an online game. Fans responded as they usually do, though, again, my personal opinion is with good reason, by investigating who this person was and trying to discredit them. Multiple people came out to say they'd seen this woman acting inappropriately towards Siwoo during the US tour and that she was a sasaeng. All of the screenshots were incredibly tame, with no misogynistic or even sexual behavior to get mad at, and did literally nothing to prove they were dating. There were no photos, only texts.
None of any of this has ever been confirmed or denied.
While the official hiatus announcement came from Bluedot, and many fans blame them for putting Siwoo on haitus for what was ultimately fucking nothing, I do not. Because as I said, IST was obviously the one calling the shots at this point. And IST is very, very famously scandal adverse. (Ironically, Yang Donghwa, now of Polarix, who was originally part of the ATBO lineup and kicked out of the group for unsubstantiated bullying accusations from middle school days, is listed as the only other Bluedot artist.)
During the Road to Kingdom run, it was revealed by one of the show's PDs that IST and Bluedot had considered disbanding both groups and instead tried to merge them into on big dance crew, probably to mimic The Boyz's RtK success as a last ditch effort for popularity.
It did not work. TheCrewOne took a disappointing 5th place (out of 8) and the musical collaboration that was teased never came to fruition.
Here is where I admit some haterism: I don't like ATBO's music and adore Just B's, so I was very selfishly glad not to see my boys take steps backwards, even if it did mean extreme uncertainty in their future. It was also obvious during the TCO era that the Just B boys were very unhappy. Not with their friendship with ATBO, to whom they still act like supportive big brothers, but just with the whole situation.
The break up of TCO also deepened my conviction that the decision to place Siwoo on hiatus was IST's. Not even a week after the project end was announced, Bluedot - and Lim Jimin, the leader, himself - mentioned very emphatically that Just B would always be six and then a few days after that, Siwoo made his triumphant return to idoldom.
Which brings us to another thing that has not been officially confirmed, but all the evidence points this way: At some point post-TCO, Bluedot broke away from papa Kakao.
Now, if you are insane like me and find the corporate machinations of the kpop world fascinating, you would know that since the whole SM takeover debacle, Kakao Entertainment (and even big daddy parent-company Kakao) have been in the shit with the Korean government. So much so that the CEO literally went to jail on charges of stock fraud (which he totally did, btw). Anyway, this eventually led to the very real and confirmed selling off of several KKEnt properties, including fuck-ass IST, and very very speculatively, Bluedot.
Further evidence to support my claim is that Kakao no longer owns the distribution rights to Just B's music, which is huge, as Kakao is the biggest distributor of music in Korea, and absolutely distribute all of the music of the properties that they own.
Knowing Bluedot is basically an indie outfit is important because it quickly became evident with their 2025 releases, starting with "Still I Love You", a digital single, that Bluedot had zero money and like, three employees. This is cool because it means the members have a lot of creative input now, with Doyum as their main producer, to which Geonu and Sangwoo frequently contribute, and Bain does a lot of the creative direction for things such as styling, makeup, and graphics. Geonu also choreographed all their new songs.
However, with no budget and few industry connections now, fans will need to adjust their expectations accordingly.
In the end, really, all this means is that Just B have a chance most kpop groups never will. They get to control their own destiny.
So! That was a very long intro and didn't cover some of the usual things I get into, but I think that story is far more compelling than the boygroup-in-dystopia-saves-the-world-through-music lore they had going in the Damage/Tick-Tock/Re=Load trilogy.
As of May 23, 2025, they have 5 EPs and 6 singles, and are in the middle of their Just Odd tour, having wrapped the US leg, and are spending a delightful month promoting in Mexico.
The Music
Since these guys have more music than my usual primer fodder, I'm not going to add everything.
Their debut: Just Burn with the title "Damage"
Their first 50k comeback: Just Begun with the title "Re=load"
(I saw this for the first time while high and it was a religious experience, strong recommend)
A personal favorite: =(Neun) with the title "ME= (나는)"
Their pop punk serves: "Daddy's Girl" and "Still I Love You"
A Doyum-written ballad for the ballad lovers: "한걸음만"
And their most recent release: "Chest"
Meet Just B
As usual, this is in age order. However, Just B is an unusual group as they are all born in 2001 and 2002.
Lee Geonu
Basic Info
Born: February 2, 2001 (Aquarius)
Position: Vocal, Dance, Slut
Representative Emoji: Seal
Why You Should Love Geonu
Because no one wants your attention more than one Lee Geonu. Please know when I call this man a slut, I mean it with all the affection in my heart. But it is true. If he could get naked on stage as a stunt, he probably would. None of it takes away from the fact that he is incredibly talented as both a singer and a dancer, but yeah. Yeah. The abs are often how he says hello.
Geonu is a great friend to his members, being very close to Siwoo because of their shared experience on I-land, and someone Bain felt comfortable in confiding in before he came out publicly. He was the first person Sangwoo opened up to after his health hiatus about how insecure he felt about his position in the team. Geonu was also chosen as the leader for TheCrewOne, showing just how diligent he is. He's the kind of guy that tends to match the energy of the people around him, so when he's with a hyper member, he's hyper, and when things are chill, he's the most relaxed.
Other Notable Geonu Facts
Geonu's mom was an English teacher, so he speaks pretty much fluent English. And in addition to producing, choreographing, and translating, Geonu basically seems to run the Just B social media these days. While I don't love censoring, if you tweet about Just B, this man will find you and possibly retweet you. That is a threat.
Important Geonu Performance
Geonu is no stranger to survival shows, having been on i-land, RtK and also MNet's vocal group show: Build Up. Here is his duet with fellow Build Up contestant Jeong Sumin.
Bain (Song Byeonghee)
Basic Info
Born: May 04, 2001 (Taurus)
Position: Main Vocal, Diva
Representative Emoji: Bear
Why You Should Love Bain
Because Bain is one of the only publicly out gay kpop idols in existence.
Now, I'm guessing that's why 99% of you reading this are reading it, but in case you didn't hear somehow, at their final US show of the Just Odd tour, Bain came out as a gay man and encouraged others to live their authentic lives.
This wasn't a spur of the moment act. In interviews, he mentioned that his members and his company have known he was gay for years, and earlier, on tour, he posted a message talking about how the tour, and the fans, have made him feel so supported and how he wanted to show his honest, genuine self. If you want to make yourself cry, go watch the members rooting for him and read their messages of love and support.
(This also makes me even more sure they are not owned by Kakao any longer. This would never fly in the corporate kpop machine.)
Beyond solidarity, because I'm sure that same 99% of my readers are some kinda queer, you should love Bain because he's a big little weirdo. He's always making noises and annoying someone (often Limji). He has been voted as the weirdest one by other members.
He's also another nearly fluent English speaker, and is in charge of much of their TikTok content.
Other Notable Bain Facts
While I didn't call him out for this earlier, Bain also has written a few Just B songs, too! Both "My Way" and "Coming Home" are his work. This live acoustic English version of Coming Home is one of my favorites.
Important Bain Performance
Like many of the just bees, Bain is no stranger to survival shows. He was on Under 19 (with Doyum!) where he didn't make the final group, and Build Up, though he and Geonu were on different teams. Anyway, this performance went kinda viral because this man is a singer.
Lim Jimin (Limji)
Basic Info
Born: May 22, 2001 (Gemini)
Position: Leader, Vocal, Rap, Dance, Gym Rat
Representative Emoji: Tiger
Why You Should Love Limji
Because he's a massive loser. And I do mean massive in both the physical and spiritual sense. As the leader, Limji is naturally given to loserisms, but he has overachieved. No one makes more (adoring) fun of Jimin than the other members of Just B. And they are justified!
The man is a disaster on roller skates, has one specific pose he does all the time, gets sulky when he doesn't get attention from his favorite person (Siwoo, it's always Siwoo), and straight up asked Bain "Bain are you gay?". Like oh my god Jimin, you can't just ask people if they're gay. He also loves showing off his big buff body in a way that's honestly kind of a turn off, even though he's super hot.
Like I said: Loser! I love him! This is my bias!
He's also a great leader, is happy enough to roll with Just B's many, many punches, and will advocate for his members through thick and thin, as we saw with the whole Siwoo hiatus thing, and also when people are kind of rude to Sangwoo about his whole... deal.
Other Notable Limji Facts
Limji's best friend is Beomgyu from TXT! He very famously transferred him 1 million won in the middle of a TXT variety show mission. Here's Siwoo giving him shit for not sending him money, too.
Important Limji Performance
Okay, so while Limji is a GREAT dancer, and that's actually what made me sit up and take notice at their 2024 concert, and has a great voice, especially in the lower register, there's one thing you absolutely have to know: He debuted as a soloist in 2019. Here is his title "Loveholic"
Chu Siwoo (Formerly Chu Jimin/JM)
Basic Info
Born: October 11, 2001 (Libra)
Position: Vocal, Mischief Maker
Representative Emoji: Rabbit
Why You Should Love Chusi
Because you love the demon-coded idols. Listen, if there is a crime, Siwoo is probably at the scene. He, Geonu, and Bain, are what I refer to as Just B's shenanigans line, and of any of them, Siwoo is probably the leader. The most obvious target of his teasing is always one Lim Jimin, but truly, no one is safe. He reminds me a lot of WayV's Ten in that manner (and also when you look at him from certain angles, it's like they could be cousins).
That said, Chusi's an incredibly affectionate guy, the first one to give hugs, and can generally be found hanging on to one of the other members like he'd fall down if he didn't. This is huge, because when he first debuted, he clearly still had a lot of trauma from being on I-Land and was mostly just close with Geonu.
He's also Just B's resident jock, specializing in baseball, and finally achieved one of his dreams while throwing out the first pitch at a Sultanes game in Mexico.
Other Notable Chusi Facts
While Bain is the official boy kisser of the team, Siwoo has had his go unofficially, starring in the Korean-Thai collab BL "Love is Like a Cat". Geonu also had a side character role. As much as I love this boy, this drama was so poorly written I couldn't finish it. You're welcome to try, I believe it's still available on Viki.
Important Chusi Performance
As a subvocal, we don't get much time to appreciate Siwoo's voice usually, however, I really enjoyed his solo during the Just Odd tour. This "official" fancam has pretty good sound.
DY (Jeon Doyum)
Basic Info
Born: February 21, 2002 (Pisces)
Position: Rap, Cool
Representative Emoji: Cat
Why You Should Love Doyum
Because this man just exudes cool. When I was at their 2024 concert, Doyum was the other performer who really stood out to me. The energy on stage changes when he takes the center. To borrow a Chanmina quote, "it's like a Doyum-scented wind blows through."
Also, it's obvious that this man just loves music. As their main producer these days, it would be easy for him to fall into the trap of one style of music, and to be honest, I thought these boys were going all-in on Pop Punk (which I love and wouldn't've minded in the least) and then bam, Chest, a hyperpop track that somehow sounds even more Just B than his previous work. (My personal favorite from Just Odd is "Doomx3" which BANGS live).
He's also one of the chillest guys in kpop, happy to be along for the ride, though he seems especially grateful that it's this ride in particular; he's another survival show survivor, having made it into the final 1THE9 group from the Under Nineteen contest.
Other Notable Doyum Facts
One of his best friends is Jiung from P1harmony. Which is hilarious because they look a lot alike. This picture, from Just B's Medusa era, makes them look like twins.
Important Doyum Performance
Ngl, my "oh damn, Doyum" moment came during the RE=Load video, but I've already linked that. His rap in Chest is also... well, I won't voice that thought. So instead, here's a heartwarming song he wrote for the fans for Just B's first anniversary in 2022.
Kim Sangwoo
Basic Info
Born: September 3, 2002 (Virgo)
Position: Rap, Vocal, Staring into Space
Representative Emoji: Wolf or Gorilla
Why You Should Love Sangwoo
Because he's the most autistic man in kpop. Listen, I don't say that lightly. A lot of people will call anyone and anything neurodivergent, but this one, this one definitely is. And it's delightful! Sangwoo very much exists in his own world, checking back in with his team when he has something to share. He hates interviews and frankly doesn't even do concert ments, and that's totally just fine! It was actually very cool to see the rest of Just B letting him hang out and wave at fans while they were doing ments at this year's tour. They know who he is, they love him, and it's great that he gets to be himself.
(He does get called out by hosts and people interviewing them, though, which is usually funny, but sometimes uncomfortable and that's often when Jimin or the others will step in and deflect.)
Even though he doesn't necessary love the "being famous" part of his job, Sangwoo is probably the most fan-oriented of the 'bees. After last year's tour, he was like "I wish I could've hugged Only B" and then in this year's snapshots he's doing full bear hugs to almost every fan. He goes live a lot, sends hilarious and weird bubbles, and genuinely loves Only B so much.
Other Notable Sangwoo Facts
Sangwoo is part of the Jeju-Idol crew! Spoiler if you watch the full series of Just B's debut variety show, you even get to see his home, and drool over his family's cooking. Because of his island life upbringing, he's a really strong swimmer and loves being near the ocean and in the water.
Important Sangwoo Performance
Like Siwoo, we don't often get too much of Sangwoo in official songs, though you can always tell when he's feeling himself. He also has a special kind of energy that makes you think he should be fronting some kind of thrash metal band, best encapsulated by his solo stages on this year's tour, where he tried, semi-successfully, to get people to mosh.
Boy Content
This is where is important to remember there are two phases to Just B's career. If you're looking for older, wiser, hotter, post-RtK Just B content, your best bet is to follow their TikTok or Twitter. They've kept things fresh and interesting there because it's not like there's a budget for much else.
Geonu, if you're reading this, you're doing a great job. Love, a marketing professional. Now please stop reading.
There is, however, a ton of content from the early days of Just B, because they were following the traditional kpop boy group formula.
My first recommendation, though, is this, a compilation video of all 15 "friendships", as it gives you great insight into who they are as people.
I also really enjoyed their debut variety show, Just B's Baam Escape because it's a really fun concept I hadn't seen before.
Their anniversary dating show, which happened not long after Sangwoo came back from hiatus is solid gold, and a Must Watch IMO.
They also have a self-produced variety show called Right, Just That! which offers some very funny moments.
And for more current interviews, this one is fun and I haven't even gotten around to watching this one yet, but the clips on twitter were great.
The Ships
As with most nugu groups, the world is your oyster when it comes to ships. There's not one ship to rule them all, with a total of 94 fics on the archive and the most popular ship (Geonu/Limji) only having 10 fics total. Both "Other Relationship Tags to Be Added" and "Shin Ryujin/Yu Jimin|Karina" show up in the top 10 Just B relationships. So. That's where we are.
I do have one very strong OTP in Just B, and that's Limji/Siwoo, if it wasn't obvious. Frankly, a large part of Limji's loserism comes from the fact that he's so pathetically down bad for this guy. And on the flip side, there was a whole year or so where Siwoo basically wouldn't let Limji get close to him and taunted him about it. There's also no one more into their size difference than those two. It's delicious.
Limji also gives off the vibe of someone who enjoys being bullied, sexually, which I enjoy quite a bit in my fanned fiction.
There are also some moments where I was like "hmmm, I think Bain has a little crush on Geonu", which, who wouldn't?
My favorite bicycles within the group are Doyum, because everyone likes him (cool guy!) and Geonu, because he's a slut (affectionate).
Sangwoo also provides some really interesting fodder because he's such a unique personality, and they all respond to him in very different ways.
Anyway, these guys are only getting hotter, so feel free to go crazy.
In conclusion: Just B! They're great! I'm excited to see what comes next!!
