A roundtable interview marking the release of Cravity’s eighth mini album, “ReDeFINE,” was held on the 23rd at Starship Entertainment’s headquarters in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul.
Seongmin drew attention by handing reporters strawberry mousse bungeoppang he made himself. He said it was also an item he prepared for fans during the group’s current promotions.
“Since the last promotions, I’ve been giving fans things I made myself, like cookies,” Seongmin said. “I’ve been choosing items I can make by hand. For this time, I was thinking about what would be good, and I wanted to try making a special dessert inspired by an anime I like. A friend connected me with the owner of a bakery.”
He said he often bakes bread and cookies, and that the concept came from the anime “Yumeiro Patissiere.” “I wanted to recreate the strawberry mousse cake that appears in the show,” he said. “The owner and I worked together from planning to production, and after several steps we ended up making it in the shape of bungeoppang.”
The gift also included a detail meant for fans to enjoy together: Seongmin produced sweets cards that appear in “Yumeiro Patissiere.” In the series, the cards serve as a kind of report compiling recipes made by humans and fairies and presented to a queen. Seongmin said he wanted to bring those settings into his fan gift to add a different kind of fun.
“Fans often come to the site at dawn, especially for pre-recordings, and sometimes they arrive without having eaten,” he said. “So I wanted to give them something they could snack on. It’s fine to prepare things through a company, but I wanted to give something that went through my hands, so I’ve kept doing it. I enjoy it a lot, too.”
Seongmin said this was not his first time preparing handmade gifts. “During ‘Lemonade Fever’ promotions, I prepared lemon cookies,” he said. “At first I planned to bake about 200, but more fans came, so I hurriedly made 400. Since the pop-up keyword was the five senses, I tried to prepare it so fans could feel all five. I remember it because they liked it so much,” he said, laughing.
Cravity has held various events, including free pop-ups, to build memories with fans. Seongmin has also expanded his own way of connecting with fans through handmade gifts.
Cravity released its eighth mini album, “ReDeFINE,” on the 29th and is promoting it. The album portrays the group’s process of redefining itself after moving through fear, longing and growth. The title track, “AWAKE,” says what feels like an ending can become another beginning.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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