Zebwon and Cortis were left breathless by the 'Hide-and-Seek'.. Is Mnet establishing a new 'Horror IP'? [★FOCUS]

*This content was translated by AI.

The MZ generation and Alpha generation have recently begun showing increased interest in 'horror content'. Could this be a psychological desire to step into the 'unknown' in an era flooded with abundant information?

This year alone, the domestic horror film 'Salmokji', released in April, attracted over 3 million viewers, while the American horror film 'The Backrooms', released in May, recorded over 1.2 million admissions. (Domestic records, Movie Ticket Integrated Computer Network System) MBC's 'Late Night Ghost Stories' has continued broadcasting through Season 6 from 2021 to the present, solidifying its position as Ji Sang-pa (CEO) horror program.

The next contender is Mnet Plus original content 'Hide-and-Seek', which opened last year and is rapidly gaining word-of-mouth attention up to Season 2 this year. 'Hide-and-Seek' is a 4,444-second hide-and-seek game played by K-pop idol groups and an unidentified entity in dark nights within unfamiliar spaces. While 'Late Night Ghost Stories' creates fear through storytelling, 'Hide-and-Seek' offers another form of entertainment through the participants' experiences, realistic reactions, and survival format.

If Season 1 of 'Hide-and-Seek' built tension centered on intuitive fears such as the terror of unseen entities in darkness, Season 2 has been upgraded by adding 'urban legends' that many have heard at least once. In particular, actor Lee Jung-hyun joined as a storyteller, increasing immersion with the condition that players must become characters from the ghost stories and escape the unknown space. With massive location shooting and solid storytelling, it gives the feeling of being sucked into the story itself.

The lineup of cast members is also dazzling, appealing to both K-pop fans and the general public. In Season 1, TREASURE, NCT Wish, Rise, Zero Base One, Tomorrow X Together, All Day Project, Tour, and Boy Next Door appeared, while in Season 2, Cortis, Alpha Drive One, and Zero Base One have been revealed as the lineup so far.

'Hide-and-Seek' is Mnet Plus's first original variety show. Since its initial release in March 2025, it has achieved remarkable results with over 14 million total views for all Season 1 episodes and surpassing 2 million unique users per single IP.

The first episode of 'Hide-and-Seek 2' featuring Cortis as the first player, broadcast on July 31, was watched in 206 regions worldwide and recorded more than seven times the membership contribution compared to the previous season. Including social media, cumulative total views approached approximately 20 million by the third day, and related keywords ranked high on X's real-time trends, confirming its global buzz. The second player episode featuring Alpha Drive One also achieved high popularity, ranking first and second in Mnet Plus across South Korea and globally overall.

The first episode of 'Hide-and-Seek 2' featured ghost stories related to water spirits at fishing spots, while the second episode plunged participants into urban legends reminiscent of red masks in neighborhoods. 'Hide-and-Seek' plans to expand its horror universe with future episodes featuring common themes such as mountain lodges and hide-and-seek that everyone has likely heard about at least once.

Interest is focused on how much global impact 'Hide-and-Seek' will have as a representative IP of Mnet Plus original content.

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*This content was translated by AI.