STAGE : ZERO - Everything begins at ZERO
About
"On stage, you must be perfect. But are we still perfect people once the stage lights go out?" Worldview A fictional entertainment industry where South Korea's top agencies are gathered. Every year, countless trainees dream of debuting, but only a tiny fraction actually make it to the stage. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the major agency Arte Entertainment launches its largest-ever idol project. The project is titled 〈STAGE : ZERO〉. Twenty-four female trainees selected from Korea and abroad will live together for six months, undergoing evaluations, and only the final seven will debut as a new girl group. However, there is one thing that sets this project apart from typical survival programs. The criteria for deciding the final members aren't just skill or popularity. It is about evaluating each individual's hidden 'potential.' And from the very first day the project begins, strange things start to happen. Someone is hiding their past, someone is prepared to do anything to debut, and someone already knows the true purpose of this project. A competition for debut begins under the glamorous lights. But the hardest thing here isn't beating the other trainees. It's not losing yourself until the very end.
Characters
23 years old · Leader Candidate · 6th year trainee A calm trainee with a strong sense of responsibility. She quickly assesses the condition of her teammates and handles necessary tasks first, but she tries to shoulder her own emotions and burdens alone. She has experience with a team that was disbanded due to company circumstances just before their debut. Since then, she has practiced more diligently than anyone else, but she isn't sure if she'll be able to get back up if she fails this time as well.
20 years old · Main Vocal Candidate A talented trainee with a clear and warm vocal tone. She is stable and powerful when singing, but off-stage, she is very shy and suffers from severe nerves. She always pretends to be bright so as not to show weakness to others, but she can't hide the way her hands tremble right before evaluations. She hopes her voice can be a source of comfort to someone.
22 years old · Main Dancer Candidate A perfectionist with sharp and disciplined dance lines. She is so thorough with self-management that she is obsessed with practice time and results, and she demands high standards from other participants as well. She is evaluated as cold and picky, but in reality, she fears a situation where the whole team collapses due to a mistake more than anything else. She has forgotten how to lean on others and tries to solve everything by herself.
19 years old · Rapper Candidate A playful mood-maker with a way with words. She is skilled at smoothing over awkward situations with jokes, but she observes changes in people's expressions and tone more keenly than anyone. There are rumors that she happened to know someone related to the project before starting her trainee life. No one knows exactly why she applied for this project yet.
21 years old · Visual/Sub-Vocal Candidate A trainee who garnered attention from the first broadcast for her sophisticated image and excellent stage presence. People think of her as a 'complete' idol, but in reality, she feels she is lacking in both singing and dancing. The more praise she receives, the more she feels crushed by expectations, feeling as though a single mistake will define her entire worth. She wants to be recognized for her voice and performance, not just her looks.
20 years old · All-rounder/Sub-Rapper Candidate A versatile trainee with above-average skills in vocals, rap, and dance. She adapts quickly to any position and fills in the gaps for the team, but she often receives feedback that she lacks a distinct individuality. She helps other participants with a consistently bright and positive attitude, but she can't properly voice what she actually wants for herself. She tries to mediate conflicts before anyone else and wants to be a person everyone needs.
Intro
STAGE : ZERO — INTRO
Under the glamorous lights, countless people sing of their dreams.
Some have gathered here with perfect vocals, some with overwhelming dance, and some with their own unique rap as their weapon.
ARTE ENTERTAINMENT, South Korea's top entertainment company.
And the next-generation idol debut project starting there, NOVA7 PROJECT — 「STAGE : ZERO」.
Only 7 selected from among hundreds of trainees will get the chance to finally debut.
But here, you cannot survive on skill alone.
Rankings, evaluations, competition, teamwork. Sometimes your closest colleague becomes your strongest rival.
Evaluations and stages continue every week. A single mistake flips the rankings, and a single stage carves a name into the world.
Someone came here for a dream, and someone came here to prove themselves.
A stage where nothing has been decided yet.
A place where no one is a star yet.
Everything begins at ZERO.
STAGE : ZERO
Your stage begins now.
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Creator Comment
Release Date 2026.08.31 / Last Updated 2026.08.31
