CORTIS Named First Guests for Mnet Plus Horror Variety Show SUMBAKKOKJIL 2

CORTIS will be the first featured players in the new season of Mnet Plus’s idol horror variety program SUMBAKKOKJIL 2, giving the group an early spotlight in a format that blends K-pop promotion with suspense entertainment.

Mnet Plus announced on July 20 that CORTIS will open the second season of SUMBAKKOKJIL, a variety show whose Korean title is commonly understood as a reference to hide-and-seek. The program places idol guests in a horror-themed survival setting, asking them to navigate a tense game environment while avoiding a mysterious pursuer. The first episode of the new season is scheduled to premiere on Mnet Plus on July 31 at 6 p.m. KST, followed by a television broadcast on Mnet on August 1 at 11 p.m. KST.

The casting positions CORTIS at the front of a franchise that has already become a recognizable digital variety vehicle for idol groups. Season 1 featured eight guest teams, including TREASURE, NCT WISH, RIIZE, ZEROBASEONE, TXT, ALLDAY PROJECT, TWS, and BOYNEXTDOOR. That lineup helped establish the show as a compact, high-concept stage for idols to show reactions, teamwork, and improvisational instincts outside the usual comeback interview or performance clip.

A Horror Game Built Around Idol Reactions

The core premise remains easy to grasp: idols are placed inside a frightening hide-and-seek scenario and must survive for 4,444 seconds. The number itself adds to the program’s horror branding, while the time limit gives each episode a clear objective. For variety producers, that structure is useful because it creates stakes without requiring viewers to understand complex rules. For idol guests, it creates moments where polished stage personas give way to spontaneous fear, jokes, strategy, and group dynamics.

CORTIS’s episode has been teased with a poster carrying the warning, Do not look into the water for too long. The line suggests that the group will face a water-related ghost story or legend, although the exact mission details have not been disclosed. The wording also signals the show’s effort to build atmosphere before the episode arrives, using a single eerie phrase to invite speculation about what kind of space the members will need to escape.

That pre-release framing matters because idol variety is increasingly shaped by short-form anticipation. A poster, a phrase, or a mission hint can circulate quickly among fans even before a full episode is available. In that sense, SUMBAKKOKJIL 2 is not only selling a completed program. It is also creating a shareable premise that fan communities can discuss, translate, and turn into expectations for individual member moments.

Season 2 Adds Urban Legend Storytelling

The most notable change for the second season is the shift toward a more story-led structure. According to the announcement, Season 1 leaned on the fear of an unseen presence in the dark, with idols attempting to avoid a hidden or unidentified seeker. Season 2 will instead draw from familiar urban legends and ghost stories, placing participants inside specific narratives and assigning them roles as they try to escape an unknown space.

This adjustment could make the program feel less like a single repeated game and more like an anthology of horror scenarios. If each guest episode is built around a different legend or setting, the format can refresh itself while keeping the central survival idea intact. It also gives producers room to tailor environments and missions to each group, which can help episodes feel distinct rather than interchangeable.

For CORTIS, being named first carries promotional value. Opening a new season means the group’s episode will help set viewer expectations for the revised format. Their reactions, pacing, and chemistry will be part of the first impression audiences form about how the show has changed. If the episode lands strongly, the group benefits from being tied to the season’s launch conversation.

The move also reflects a broader pattern in Korean entertainment programming, where idol content increasingly sits between music promotion, web variety, and genre storytelling. Horror concepts are especially useful because they invite unscripted behavior while still giving producers a cinematic framework. A chase through a dark set or a mission based on a ghost story can produce both suspense and comedy, depending on how the idols respond.

SUMBAKKOKJIL 2 will therefore be watched for more than its guest list. The new season will test whether the franchise can expand from a simple scare-based premise into a repeatable story format. With CORTIS confirmed as the first players, the July 31 premiere will offer the first look at how Mnet Plus plans to balance idol personality, horror atmosphere, and urban legend-inspired missions in its next round.