The newly debuted K-Pop group 1VERSE. SINGING BEETLE Seoul, South KoreaCNN — In a quiet corner of Seoul’s Hyuga Cafe, a warm, honey-toned space nestled inside what once served as the dormitory for K-pop megaband BTS, two young men sip iced americanos, sketching out their own dreams of superstardom. A table away, tourists murmur over lattes, unaware that they’re seated beside what a new record label hopes will be the next big thing in K-pop. Seok and Hyuk, members of the newly debuted group 1VERSE (spoken as “universe”), are modest in demeanor, almost reluctant to speak of themselves as anything more than trainees with a shot at something bigger. But their stories are unlike any other in K-pop’s history. Ad Feedback They are both North Korean defectors, turned highly trained K-pop dreamers, hoping to follow in the footsteps of K-pop megastars such as BTS and BLACKPINK who have in recent years taken K-pop global, topping US Billboard charts and amassing ...