SEOUL — A K-pop song that missed the charts during its original run is getting a remarkable second chance more than a decade later, proving once again how short-form video culture can resurrect forgotten music.
BESTie’s “Love Options,” released in 2013, has suddenly returned to the spotlight after fans began using the song in short-form videos.
The unexpected revival has pushed the track onto several music charts and introduced the former girl group’s music to a new generation of listeners.
From 2013 Release to 2026 Viral Hit
“Love Options” was BESTie’s second single and originally arrived when the group was active in the highly competitive K-pop scene of the early 2010s.
Now, 13 years later, the song has achieved something its members once hoped for but never reached during its original promotion period.
Former BESTie member Uji celebrated the song’s unexpected chart appearance, recalling that the group had wanted to enter the Top 100 when they were promoting it.
The song entered Melon’s daily chart on Aug. 27 and climbed to No. 175 by Sept. 7.
A Fan Video Sparked the Revival
The comeback began with a fan-made short video combining a performance of Hearts2Hearts’ “Lemon Tang” with “Love Options.”
The choreography and melody reportedly worked so well together that fans began referring to the mashup as “Lemon Tang March.”
As the clip spread, viewers started searching for the original BESTie song, generating new streams and renewed interest in a track that had been largely dormant for years.
The phenomenon demonstrates how short-form video can change the life cycle of a song: a track does not necessarily need to be new to become culturally relevant again.
More Than 180,000 TikTok Posts
The revival has gone far beyond one viral clip.
More than 180,000 TikTok posts have used “Love Options,” according to the latest report, while the track has also appeared among trending audio on Instagram Reels.
The song also reached No. 1 on Shazam’s charts in both South Korea and Vietnam, showing that the renewed attention has extended beyond a single social-media community.
It has additionally appeared on Apple Music’s Top 100 chart in Korea and YouTube Music’s weekly chart.
BESTie Members Join the Unexpected Comeback
The former members of BESTie have also embraced the revival.
Hyeyeon, who has since pursued a career as a trot singer, filmed a short video performing the “Love Options” choreography with Haeryung, while Dahye referenced the song in a video with her boyfriend.
That response has added another layer to the revival: the former members are now watching a song from their early career reach listeners they could not have reached in the same way back in 2013.
The New Rules of K-Pop Virality
The comeback of “Love Options” highlights a broader shift in how songs become successful.
In the traditional K-pop cycle, an artist would release a song, promote it on music programs and compete for chart positions immediately after release.
Short-form platforms have changed that timeline.
A song can remain relatively unknown for years before a dance, meme, performance clip or fan-made edit suddenly gives it a second life.
The result is an increasingly unpredictable music landscape in which a 13-year-old song can compete for attention alongside brand-new releases.
A Second Chance More Than a Decade Later
For BESTie, “Love Options” is now experiencing a moment that seemed unlikely when the song was first released.
The group is no longer promoting the track as an active release, yet a new generation of fans is discovering it through a completely different route.
The story also shows the growing power of fan communities in determining which songs receive renewed attention.
A song that once struggled to reach the charts has now found a new audience 13 years later—and its comeback may be another example of how the internet can rewrite a K-pop song’s history long after its original era has ended.
WWC ONE MEDIA G.A
Leave a Reply