petals on the moon

New boy group MZSD makes a powerful and bold entrance with “Earth, Wind & Fire” and “ME=”

The much-anticipated 8-member boy group MZSD, from the newly established label USGEN, has officially made its debut with the release of its dual-title singles, “Earth, Wind & Fire” and “ME=.” Comprised of members BK, NOEUL, MK, SAEM, WENJUN, JAZZ, EDEN, and YICHEN, it is projected to be one of the leaders of 5th-generation boy groups through its bold performances, relatable music, and unity.

Formed under the creative guidance of DBSD’s CHOI DAEHYUN, founder of USGEN, MZSD is a project rooted in intention, individuality, and identity. DBSD and MZSD members were involved in both songs’ music and performance production.

Their name, MZSD, symbolizes a split yet connected generational narrative: the “Z” side, full of boundless energy and youthful defiance, and the “M” side, a reflection of the slow but sure path toward adulthood. With each comeback, they aim to tell a different chapter of this coming-of-age story through music. The Z-side title, “Earth, Wind & Fire,” captures the unfiltered, raw, confusing, and somehow chaotic throws of youth’s first loves. Meanwhile, “Me=” represents their M-side: a more introspective, emotionally rich, and confident expression of one’s feelings.

Before its debut, MZSD was introduced through the year-long YouTube series “NEWKIDS NEWDREAMS,” which premiered on May 1, 2024. The series documented the team’s formation, the training process, and the dreams the team carried into the practice room each day. Over the past year, they also released seven pre-debut tracks, offering fans a first look at their artistry and raw potential.

Now, with their official debut underway, they are ready to be the soundtrack of a generation growing up in real time.

[ + / - ] FINALLY! mzsd has finally debuted and i’m so hyped to hear their songs!! i watched their series and i’m so attached to these boys that i’m so excited to see them grow and dominate everything! fighting, mzsd!! [ + / - ] another group is debuting?? isn’t there anything worthwhile to talk about besides that because this happens so often in this industry lmao

#USGEN #DBSD #MZSD

dongha rolls his eyes when wenjun teases him, but he doesn’t stop holding wenjun’s hand. he’s not a monster! besides, he did start the joke, assuming wenjun would’ve taken the bait. instead, he squeezes wenjun’s hand as if he’s pretending to crush it under his own. just to be annoying in return.

“really? donghee? that’s the best you can come up with?” he shoves wenjun a little, not enough that it’ll make wenjun lose balance though, still holding onto the older boy. “give me something… cooler, like a stage name. or a superhero name! but make it realistic still, something that still fits my face. don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how i look either!” he whines, a junior pandering to his senior, nothing new. especially with dongha’s eccentrics.

he furrows his brows, and jokingly pinches dongha’s arm. “hey, you’re just teasing me now,” he points out. but there’s no malice to his voice, instead it’s light laughter as he makes himself comfortable by the mirror. “come on, can’t you do me that favour? i physically hurt myself for your entertainment, you know?” a lie – it’s not like wenjun had done it on purpose, but he still did get hurt.

he stretches a little bit, and he’s hit by some wave of nostalgia. when he used to do this as well, stay back and work on freestyling, nothing too grande. nowadays, he’s been busying himself with debut, and their songs. his schedules slowly piling up more than ever.

So he isn't in the best of moods when they're told that all debut preparations are put to a screeching halt due to things that could possibly be his fault... Was it something he said at the leadership meeting? Was it because he lacks too much? Either way, he's always known what his choice is, but the new question is, is he good enough to rightfully choose to stay?

“what were you doing before i came?” he asks, eyes gazing over to haneul’s nails, genuinely curious. perhaps talking to haneul might help wenjun with his inability to keep his eyes closed and his brain quiet.

he does wonder what it’d be like if he was an idol, what type of criticism he might receive when he debuts. dongha forgoes the thoughts, instead pouring out his energy in the practice room for no particular reason. putting in extra effort would surely get him results, even though he doesn’t know where he’d want to allocate those results in the first place. oh well—that’s something for future dongha to worry about!

someone walks into the practice room suddenly, dongha half suspects it’s a ghost and thinks he could make a living off of submitting a verified photo evidence of a ghost—turns out it was just wenjun. not that he’s disappointed. “oh! it feels like it has been so long, i was starting to think you’d forget about me.” he announces, dramatic in his speech, playing with wenjun’s heartstrings playfully. he doesn’t mean it, of course.

he manages to stand up thanks to the hold dongha has on his hand, and he decides to laugh it off. wenjun is gonna be a sunbae, he can't look like a complete fool. even if he is one – sort of – at times.

instead, he circles back to what dongha says, and playfully he nudges the boy with his elbow. "oh yeah, i did forget about you. what was your name again? dong... hee?" he jokes. it's clear that wenjun hasn't forgotten about dongha though. despite his apparent bad memory when it came to things like his glasses, he remembers dongha quite well. they were after all, friends.

In that instant, the time apart fades away into something distant and unimportant; the world quiets, leaving just the two of them, with Wenjun’s head resting gently on his chest, his own embrace tightening as if to absorb every ounce of this precious moment.

How he’s missed this—missed him.

"How could I miss it?" he murmurs softly, almost to himself, voice dipped to a whisper. "My sad Wenjun radar went off. I have one, you know—it’s connected to my heart, and that’s connected to yours, so I can feel when you need me, even if I’m not there." His words are soft, almost teasing, laced with a chuckle as he tries to lift Wenjun’s spirits, yet every word is true and full of care.

“I’d be so disappointed if I hadn’t known,” he adds with a gentle squeeze, holding Wenjun close, cradling him like he’s the most cherished part of Yoojoon’s world. He presses a tender kiss into Wenjun’s hair, then another, each one a silent reassurance.

and yoojoon has a way with words, as though knowing exactly what wenjun needs to hear. yoojoon's lips against his head has wenjun sighing, melting more and more at each touch. this is nice, he thinks. how nice if this could last forever. if the menacing thoughts in his head wouldn't take over ( he'd been reprimanded to the point of questioning his own capabilities. but yoojoon is gentle reminder that things will be alright ). he wishes he could tilt his head upwards, press a soft kiss against yoojoon's lips. though he's still careful; afraid that they might catch the attention of unwanted eyes.

yoojoon manages to get a chuckle out of him though, and he buries his head even deeper into his boyfriend's chest. "you're saying our hearts are connected?" his voice is teasing as well, though the idea that their hearts are connected has his cheeks turning a bright shade of red. to be connected to yoojoon always. his chest tightens at the thought of it. "my yoojoon radar is connected to yours too," he beams, wrapping his arms tight around his boyfriend.

for a moment though, wenjun juggles with the idea of telling yoojoon or not – but in the end, he decides to do so. after all, yoojoon is his boyfriend, and in truth, wenjun would more than appreciate a listening ear, and his presence.

minki isn’t sure where he had gone wrong, if his weird feelings about dancing had gotten in the way of his work ethics. picking out when his anxieties outshone his determination, moments where it’d look like he was slacking off. scrutinizing his every movement, trying to find something amiss. whatever he did that wasn’t enough, whatever he did that hindered their progress so abruptly that their debut was postponed.

he’s working on making up for his shortcomings, that has been the plan from the very beginning. even with this ‘break’ they’ve been given he doesn’t let up on his usual routine. it helps take his mind off of things, keeps his mind focused on bettering himself—for the most part. other times, like when he looks in the mirror after some solo practice, he can see the flaws in his steps. how it could be better. how he could be better.

it’s another day of pushing himself further, of replaying the memories in his head to remember his own mistakes. he’d just finished a post-practice shower when he hears someone at his door. it’s wenjun, and a smile graces his face as the boy sits next to him. he hopes he doesn’t look at tired as he feels—not when wenjun is probably thinking about a lot as it is.

“if i’m baymax, then what does that make you?” minki hadn’t watched the movie yet, but he does know of the character. while he doesn’t know the details, he is curious to see what exactly wenjun has been comparing him to.

“sure we can!” minki replies, never one to say no. it could be nice, taking a moment to truly enjoy a break before they’re thrown into more debut preparations. something at the back of his mind grates at him though, tells him not to slack off again—but he shuts it away.

"me?" wenjun asks, fingers hovering over his keypad as he attempts to find the folder he's stored the movie in. "i'm hiro, hyung! he's like the..." he pauses for a moment, furrows his brows in an attempt to remember the word in korean, "ah, protagonist! and baymax is his best friend, kind of. you'll see."

he already feels a lot lighter like this, at the very least not as burdened by the thought of debut while he busies himself with trying to set up his laptop. his eyes do light up though when he finds the specific folder he's saved the movie in.

at minki's question though, a mischievous smile makes it way across his face and wenjun lightly nudges the older boy with his elbow. "hyung, i can do bad things too you know," he says, voice a little lower. "this movie... i downloaded it illegally to watch. hahaha," wenjun after all isn't particularly known for being a 'rule-breaker', but this much does excite him.

Unable to will himself to disappear, he remains in his bed, mind riddled with nagging thoughts and doubts unending. No matter how much he'd tossed, turned, and rolled over onto each side. Eventually, he rises to his feet, taking note of the empty bunks around him as he makes his way up onto the roof. At least he could be alone there -

Or so he thought.

but byeongkwan's presence isn't unwelcome, if anything, wenjun thinks it might be good to have someone else here right now, just in case his thoughts begin to consume him.

he shakes his head and smiles. "i didn't think anyone would be here too," he replies. he watches as the older boy moves to a corner, far away from him and after a moment, decides to follow him. silently, wenjun makes his way closer to byeongkwan, before he leans his arm against the older boy's.