More K-pop fans go online for intimate fan-star interactions

Fans can get a peek into the lives of their favorite stars.

SEOUL -- Park Ji-yoon quickly swipes the phone screen and unlocks her phone to open a message from Wendy, a member of the popular Korean girl group Red Velvet, who just texted back with her selfies in real-time.

“My heart pounded fast when my favorite celebrity texted me a message calling my own name for the first time,” Park, 28, who has been using DearU Bubble for a year, told ABC News.

Often referred to as simply “Bubble,” the feature offered inside LYSN, a K-pop fandom community application platform created by SM Entertainment, lets fans into private chat rooms with their favorite idols. This subscription-based chat service is hugely popular among K-pop fans.

K-pop stars, much like their fans, welcome the two-way direct messaging service. They message fans in group chat rooms from their own respective profiles, texting fans as if they were close friends.