Okay, so there is a new dating show in Korea that is basically everything I would naturally watch anyway.
Rappers, women, flirting, awkward first dates and the possibility of watching grown men completely lose their ability to speak when a pretty woman sits across from them.
Sign me up.
Mnet recently premiered Rapper’s Girlfriend: KISS or DISS, a new dating reality show featuring rappers who have appeared on Show Me the Money. The first date features five rappers — Royal 44, Jung Junhyuk, Roh Yun Ha, Double Down and Viceversa — and one female muse.
And that muse is Hwarin, a beauty model.
The format of the show is actually pretty interesting because the entire thing seems to take place over the course of one very long afternoon, evening and apparently into the early hours of the morning.
So basically, these men met this woman and then spent the rest of the day trying to convince her that one of them should get picked.
No pressure.
So How Does KISS or DISS Actually Work?
The first stage is the 10-minute first impression date. Each rapper gets 10 minutes alone with the muse. This is their first opportunity to talk, flirt, give her a gift, show off their personality and, presumably, make her remember them once the other four guys start coming in.
And 10 minutes sounds like plenty of time until you realize that you’re sitting across from someone you’ve never met, there are cameras filming you, and you’re apparently supposed to make a romantic impression.
Some men handled this better than others.
After the first impressions, we move into the “callout” date. This is where things get much more interesting. The muse gets to choose which rappers she wants to have dinner with, but she can also swap them out.
And there is a secret signal involved.
When she wants to switch rappers, she gives the producers the signal without the guy necessarily knowing what is happening. Hwarin’s signal was touching her lip seductively.
Yes.
So imagine sitting there thinking your date is going well while the woman across from you casually touches her lip and the producers are already preparing to replace you.
I would simply pass away.
After the callout date comes the group date, followed by the 1:1 dates, and then Hwarin has to make her final decision.
So essentially, five rappers enter, one woman gets to evaluate them, and by the end of the night somebody is getting the kiss and somebody is getting the diss.
At least that’s the theory.
Because before we get to the actual dates, we need to talk about those first impressions.
First Impressions: Five Rappers, One Very Pretty Woman
The first impressions take place at an art gallery, which is honestly a very interesting choice for a first date. Nothing says “please make a good romantic impression in ten minutes” like standing next to expensive artwork while trying to figure out what to say to a beautiful woman.
I’m going to go through these in absolutely no particular order because, quite frankly, I am too lazy to remember who went into the room first.
And honestly, the order doesn’t matter. What matters is how these men handled their first 10 minutes with Hwarin.
Roh Yun Ha
Roh Yun Ha was immediately flustered. Apparently, he had imagined that the muse would have more cat-like features, and when Hwarin actually walked in, she basically matched what he had been hoping for.
Unfortunately for him, this seemed to make his brain stop functioning.
He was visibly shy and awkward and seemed to have a hard time getting his words out properly. This was not giving smooth rapper who knows exactly what to say to women. This was giving “Oh no, she’s actually really pretty. What do I do?”
And honestly, it was kind of cute.
Jung Junhyuk
Jung Junhyuk came in with considerably more confidence. He seemed smoother and more prepared for the whole situation, and he even brought Hwarin a handmade bracelet.
Cute. Thoughtful. Definitely the kind of gesture that could give you some points on a first date.
Unfortunately, he made one tiny little mistake.
He forgot her name.
Yes.
The woman sitting directly in front of you. The woman you are supposed to be trying to impress. The woman whose name you presumably knew before walking into the room.
Forgot it.
Hwarin immediately joked that they should just end the 10 minutes early. Suddenly Mr. Smooth was no longer so smooth, and he was clearly flustered by the mistake.
Which honestly made the whole thing even funnier.
Viceversa
Viceversa was another one who seemed completely stunned by Hwarin. He came across as awkward and a little overwhelmed by her beauty.
His attempt at making an impression was giving her his CD, which is actually a pretty personal gift for a rapper. Basically: Here. Listen to my music.
Depending on how much you like the guy, that is either romantic or the world’s most elaborate business card.
Still, he seemed genuinely nervous around her, and it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t completely prepared for how attractive she would be in person.
Royal 44
And then there was Royal 44.
This one was… interesting.
Because compared to some of the other men, Royal 44 seemed almost completely uninterested in Hwarin. She was trying to tease him and get a reaction out of him, while he seemed much more interested in looking at the artwork around them.
At one point, she mentioned that the other guys had brought her gifts. So Royal, apparently not wanting to be outdone, pulled out a lollipop for her.
A lollipop.
Listen, I’m not saying it wasn’t thoughtful. But after hearing that the other men had brought bracelets, CDs and flower arrangements, pulling out a lollipop was certainly a choice.
There was also a moment where Hwarin pointed her finger at him while teasing him, and Royal seemed to take issue with it. He told her to put her finger down. He didn’t explicitly explain that he considered pointing at someone rude in Korean culture, but the interaction definitely shifted the mood for a moment.
Overall, he seemed far more interested in the paintings than he did in flirting with the woman sitting across from him.
Which raises the obvious question: Why are you on a dating show, sir?
Double Down
Double Down came prepared with a pretty elaborate gift of his own. He brought Hwarin a flower bear bouquet and made sure to mention that it was very expensive.
Okay, we get it.
It cost money.
We heard you.
The gesture itself was sweet, but Hwarin did not seem particularly interested in him.
And that is something that becomes important as the episode continues. Because on a show like this, it doesn’t really matter how expensive your gift was if the woman receiving it isn’t feeling the chemistry.
You can bring the bracelet, the CD, the expensive flower bear or the lollipop. At the end of the day, she still has to like you.
And Hwarin was already starting to make her preferences pretty clear.
And There Was One Thing Hwarin Didn’t Tell Them
Interestingly, Hwarin did not reveal that she was a beauty model during these first impressions.
The rappers were meeting her as the show’s mysterious female muse without knowing exactly what she did for a living. That information would come later, when all five men sat down together for the callout date.
Which is probably a smart move.
If you tell five rappers immediately that the woman sitting across from them is a beauty model, you’re potentially changing the entire dynamic. Instead, they had to judge her based on their first interaction.
And judging from those first 10 minutes, we already had a few very different reactions. Roh Yun Ha couldn’t speak, Junhyuk forgot her name, Viceversa gave her his music, Royal 44 seemed more interested in the art, and Double Down brought an expensive flower bear.
And this was only the beginning.
Because now the five rappers had to sit down with Hwarin again — except this time, she was going to start choosing who she actually wanted to spend time with.
And that’s when KISS or DISS really started getting interesting.
Things Get Awkward at CLub Henz
I don’t want to break down every single detail of this episode because honestly, you’ll just have to watch it for yourself.
There is a lot that happens, and half the fun of a dating reality show like this is watching the awkwardness unfold in real time. But yes, there will be spoilers from here on out.
After the first impressions and callout date, the group eventually moves to Henz in Hongdae, which is a very popular hip-hop club in Seoul.
And naturally, because these are rappers, the producers decided that this was the perfect opportunity to make them perform.
Because apparently dating wasn’t stressful enough.
The muse had the rappers perform, and this was where things got… awkward.
Not necessarily because anyone was terrible, but because you could feel the dating-show setup creeping into what should otherwise be a normal performance.
Only Roh Yun Ha, Viceversa and Junhyuk Jung performed during this part.
And out of the three, Junhyuk seemed to make the strongest impression on Hwarin. She was visibly satisfied when he looked directly at her while performing, which was probably exactly the kind of interaction he needed after his slightly disastrous first impression when he forgot her name.
It was one of those small moments that told you quite a bit about what Hwarin was responding to. She didn’t just want someone standing on stage rapping at the room. She wanted to feel like he was performing for her.
And Then Viceversa Came Back…
The mood was apparently going well until Viceversa decided he wanted another chance to perform.
And this is where things got awkward again.
He came in later wanting to perform, which completely changed the mood that had already been established. And yes, they let him perform.
I understand why he wanted the opportunity. This is literally a dating show about rappers. Obviously you want to show off what you do.
But there is also something very funny about watching someone essentially interrupt the romantic atmosphere because they still haven’t gotten their performance moment.
It felt less like a smooth romantic gesture and more like, “Wait, I want to rap too.”
Sir.
Read the room.
Still, he got his performance, but by this point, it was becoming increasingly obvious that not everyone was fighting from an equal position.
Hwarin’s Favorites Were Starting to Show
By this point in the episode, I think it was pretty obvious that Hwarin was more interested in Junhyuk Jung and Royal 44.
And honestly, this is where things get more interesting.
Because on the surface, the two men offer very different types of appeal. Junhyuk has the softer, more approachable image, while Royal 44 has something else going for him.
Clout.
And not just rapper clout.
Royal 44 has a level of recognition and social presence in Korea that makes him stand out from the rest of the lineup. So while some of the other guys were trying to impress Hwarin with gifts, performances and nervous flirting, Royal already walked into the show with a certain level of name recognition.
That matters, especially when you’re dealing with someone who is already working in the beauty and entertainment space.
The Former K-Pop Trainee Factor
Junhyuk also has an interesting background that makes his appeal a little easier to understand.
He is a former K-pop trainee.
And if you know anything about the Korean entertainment industry, you already know that being a former trainee means you have spent years learning how to perform, present yourself and exist under scrutiny.
That doesn’t automatically make someone good at dating. Clearly, he did forget Hwarin’s name.
But it does give him a certain familiarity with the entertainment environment that may have helped him feel more natural as the date progressed.
Compared to some of the other rappers, Junhyuk seemed to understand the importance of making Hwarin feel like she was actually the person he was interested in, especially during the performance.
That look toward her?
Yeah.
She noticed.
So Who Did She Pick?
At this point, I don’t think the final decision was particularly shocking. Of course Hwarin ended up choosing Royal 44. After everything we had watched throughout the episode, he was clearly one of the men she was most interested in.
And this is where the whole premise of KISS or DISS becomes interesting. Five men can walk into the same room with the exact same goal, but they aren’t necessarily starting from the same place. Some have the looks, some have the personality, some have the performance skills, and some already have years of entertainment-industry experience. Royal 44 also has something that can be difficult to manufacture: clout and name recognition in Korea.
But Hwarin wasn’t the only one making a decision.
Once she made her choice, it was Royal 44’s turn to decide whether he wanted to accept her choice or go in another direction.
And apparently, he had a choice of his own.
He chose the diamond.
Which… yeah.
We’re going to have to talk about that but I’ll save that for another blog.
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