After becoming a senior, singer Sunmi goes around avoiding juniors

Singer Sunmi is stepping into the host's chair for a night. The K-pop veteran will appear as a special MC on the KBS2 variety show "Boss in the Mirror" on the 19th, marking two decades since her debut.

Sunmi is often called the original "Water Bomb goddess," a nickname tied to her viral summer festival performances. Her "Gashina" stage at the Water Bomb festival has pulled in 23 million views online. On the show, she performs a dance challenge to her new song "Forever July" with hosts Jun Hyun-moo and Jung Ho-young, drawing laughs from the studio.

Twenty years into her career, Sunmi still looks much the same as she did in her early idol days. But behind the polished image, she opens up about a quieter side of being a senior artist in K-pop. "I try not to leave my dressing room too often because I worry it might make the younger artists uncomfortable," she says on the show, only half joking about the weight that comes with seniority.

Veteran comedian Lee Kyung-kyu jumps in with a very different memory. "Back in the day, 20 or 30 people would share one dressing room at the broadcasting station," he says. "I used to tell everyone else to get out so I could have the room to myself."

Sunmi also shares a story about her long friendship with designer Ko Tae-yong, whose designs turned an ordinary T-shirt into a national trend. Thinking back to when she first met him 12 years ago, she recalls a young designer with sharp edges. "He had this charisma like his pride ruled everything," she says. "He was so intense that I could barely talk when I was around him."

Ko takes the description in stride. "My nickname back then was 'roof tile,' because people said I walked around with roof tiles on my shoulders," he says, admitting he had plenty of confidence to back up the attitude.

"Boss in the Mirror" airs Sundays at 4:40 p.m. KST on KBS 2TV.