From Rookie Heartthrob to K-pop’s Busiest Star: The Meteoric Rise of Myung Jaehyun

2024 was a significant year for fifth-generation K-pop idols, especially BoyNextDoor, who debuted on May 30, 2023, and became a million album copy seller by October 2024. Among BoyNextDoor members, Myung Jaehyun has emerged as one of the most popular idols. The 21-year-old rookie crush is currently the co-host of the weekly music show M Countdown with Sung Hanbin (ZEROBASEONE) and Sohee (RIIZE). He made his official MC debut on January 11, 2024.

According to a new Blip app report, Jaehyun’s packed idol life activities and juggling MC responsibilities have made him the ‘busiest’ K-pop idol of the year, with 697 official schedules this year. For anyone who is confused about how Blip came up with the result, the report tallied activities of the most popular K-pop groups and members from January 1, 2024, to November 30, 2024, and analyzed various activities of artists such as broadcasts, music releases, events, purchase events, and congratulatory schedules.

The report also highlights K-pop groups that were the busiest this year. SM Entertainment’s NCT was selected as the ‘group with the most schedules’ this year, with a total of 1,993 activities, Blip noted. BoyNextDoor followed the score with 902 schedules in second place. Among girl groups, IVE recorded the most schedules and ranked 6th overall.

Apart from Myung Jaehyun, some of the other idols who ranked in the Blip top ten charts are NCT Mark with 674 schedules and ZERROBASEONE’s Sung Hanbin with 652 official activities.

BoyNextDoor Teases 2025 Comeback

Despite this grueling pace, Jaehyun and BoyNextDoor show no signs of slowing down. At their debut concert at INSPIRE Arena this December, the group thrilled fans with news of a January 2025 comeback. When questioned about their intense schedule, the members were adamant: “This comeback was 100% our choice.” They even treated the audience to a sneak peek of their new choreography, proving their passion outweighs any fatigue.

After an extremely busy 2024, it looks like BoyNextDoor is embracing another year of unstoppable reign. As one of the group’s busiest members, Jaehyun fans expect to see the star thrive and grow with the group’s success. From weekly broadcasts to fan events, from recording sessions to live performances, Jaehyun’s journey from rookie crush to K-pop’s busiest star has already exemplified the relentless drive that defines K-pop’s fifth generation. And if 2024 is any indication, 2025 promises to be even bigger for this unstoppable performer.