Chapter 151: Resistance!
ean Peninsula group comebacks tend to choose mini albums. This way they can balance winning awards while keeping costs relatively low.The cost will naturally vary depending on the number of songs incl...Although IU probably guessed the reason behind Ji-yeong's actions and knew it was normal, to be honest, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of resentment.
However, she certainly wouldn't go out of her way to confront him directly or accuse him. IU's emotional intelligence wouldn't allow her to do so. This kind of thing could just stay between them privately. Besides, she didn't really have the standing to do so. Although she and Ji Kyung-won were considered fairly familiar, they weren't that close either. They were still simply colleagues at the company.
If that guy in the combo met this kind of situation, I guess he could just confidently go up and kick him in the ass, then casually chat about it.
After all, the relationship is still different.
However, it's also possible that Chi Jingyuan simply didn't know she was participating in the role competition...
Never mind.
She watched the distant figure of Ji Jingyuan receding further and further away, her lips twitching slightly.
Many more days to come!
……
After finishing today's schedule, EXO flew to Hong Kong Island early on the 16th. After checking into their hotel and freshening up, they headed straight to the AsiaWorld-Expo for sound checks and rehearsals for tonight's concert.
EXO's second tour planning is very extensive. From May to now, it has been over three months and they have already held dozens of concerts, with a total attendance exceeding 200,000, yet it hasn't even completed one-third of the entire project.
According to the initial plan, this second round will span across the year and continue until March of next year. As for whether there will be encore performances later, it depends on the company's arrangements at that time.
Because EXO's momentum this year is too hot, almost all performances are sold out. No matter how big the venue is, as long as it is not a stadium with tens of thousands of people, basically once the ticket window opens, all tickets will be sold out within one or two seconds.
And the idol groups on the peninsula, also started the "instant sell-out" era by EXO.
Because there are more fans than available tickets, many fans who have been waiting for a long time were unable to secure tickets. This caused significant complaints from the large fan base across various regions. As a result, ** started adding extra performances outside of their initial schedule, hoping to give more fans the opportunity to see their idols perform live.
This time the Hong Kong concert lasted for two days, on the 16th and 17th. Originally it was only scheduled for one day on the 16th, but in the end, another show was added due to these reasons.
But whether it's the company or the EXO members, they all accept it happily and don't have any complaints. The continuous comebacks in the first half of the year with such a momentum increased popularity to this extent, and ultimately the goal is still revenue, and concerts are one of the best ways for the group to make money.
……
"Bro, how did your recording of Masked Singer King go"
After the concert on the 16th, on the morning of the 17th, EXO's group was having breakfast at the hotel restaurant. The nine members were divided into two tables, chatting and eating. At Chi Kyung-won's table, they casually brought up Kim Jong-dae's variety show.
This period of time EXO hasn't made a comeback, all the members are running their own individual activities. Several popular variety shows have their appearances, such as "Infinite Challenge," "Law of the Jungle," and so on. Kim Jong-dae also participated in "King of Masked Singer."
For idol group members, is a great place to prove their singing skills. Winning a few rounds can get fans bragging for a long time.
"Not bad, on to the next round." Jin Zhong mumbled with a mouthful of bread.
"Do you have confidence in winning the championship"
"
That estimate is outrageous.
"
"Jingyuan, how's your 《Wutiao Gaoyou Ji》 coming along What song did you sing I haven't heard it before."
"Gee, you're totally uninterested, haven't watched a single episode... Oh well, it's already over. The song is called "Rooftop," and the audio will be released in two days... Can I get a bowl of mango pudding"
Ji Jingyuan glanced silently at Park Chan-nyeol, who was staring back. This guy hadn't watched a single episode of "Infinite Challenge" yet, and it wasn't just him, EXO members were all pretty much the same, they hardly ever watched his variety shows.
But Chi Jingyuan is the same too, he has also almost never seen these guys' shows. It's a mutual thing.
He shook his head and replied, then he told the waiter beside him to bring him another dish.
"I want one too."
"And me too."
Several people nearby also chimed in, it seemed that this Hong Kong-style dessert was very much to their liking.
"This thing is really delicious."
"There's a dessert shop near our dorm that sells them. You haven't tried them before, have you..."
I don't know.
The dessert arrived quickly. Chi Jingyuan scooped a bite and put it in his mouth, listening to the chatter of the members around him. Suddenly, the phone he had placed on the table vibrated twice. He glanced at the sender's name displayed on the screen, then took the phone and leaned it against the back of the chair with his spoon, unlocking and opening it.
Pei Zhuxuan sent me a text message. When I opened it, the first thing that caught my eye was a selfie.
This is a half-length portrait. She is wearing a red plain short-sleeved shirt with denim shorts. Her brown slightly curly long hair is all on the left side of her face. She is standing in front of a white wall, and her posture seems to be holding a phone in both hands, smiling at the camera that she is looking up at slightly.
The key point is that she was still wearing a pair of black-framed, asymmetrical glasses perched on her nose, which added a mature and intellectual air to her overall look. She seemed alluring and captivating in the photo. In a slightly visible fragment beneath the picture, it looked like she might be wearing a red half-stockings as well.
Qi Jingyuan raised his eyes to glance at the reactions of the people at his table. Seeing that no one paid attention to him, they were all eating and chatting, he then relaxed and lowered his head to look at his phone.
No, these girls, no matter their age, all seem to love taking selfies at the drop of a hat. Just in the last few days, he's already received several.
Although, it's pretty good-looking.
He glanced at the text message, which still read "It's hot today," smiled, and replied:
"Is this your new look for your comeback"
He could tell at a glance that this outfit wasn't in Lisa's usual private style.
“This is one of the looks from the music video for the lead single. Today, we’re shooting the album cover and promotional photos.”
What do you think
The little sister replied very quickly, I guess this would be during her break time.
"It looks pretty good, very unique... Is that stocking only on one leg"
After clicking send, Chi Jingyuan held his phone closer and continued to eat the sweets in front of him.
After the successful promotions of their third mini album in March, Red Velvet has reversed their previous unfavorable situation and gained a lot of popularity. Under the company's arrangement, they are directly seizing the momentum to release their first full-length album after a five-month gap, marking their second comeback this year. It is said that their comeback time is estimated to be early September, which will allow them to catch the last train of the summer girl group battle.
Pei Zhuxuan and the others have been busy preparing for their album recently.
Although EXO hasn't been very busy recently, it seems like Lay and Baekhyun are swamped. To be honest, besides a chance encounter at the company once and a few group music shows they participated in together, Ji-sung has not seen Lay and Baekhyun for almost a month. Pejhu-Hyun is about the same, only seeing them every week during Music Bank recordings.
"Haha (laughing)"
PYEJIHYUN seems really happy about the praise for JI KYUNG-WON, she even sent an emoji and explained further: “Yes, this stocking was only worn on one leg, I also find it strange, but according to the producer, this is a concept that our song expresses... each member's color is different, using their own representative colors.”
"Your representative color I remember Seqi and Seungwan were orange and blue, respectively. You're pink... but your stockings aren't pink either."
"Pink and red are pretty similar, kkkkk. Don't say that Seqi and Seungwan are over, they had a fight these past two days and are in a cold war hahaha kkkkk."
"Oh What's going on" Chi Jingyuan became curious immediately upon seeing this.
"So Seqi had a pimple on her face these past two days. Seung won saw it in the morning after winning and said it out loud, his voice was a bit loud. Seqi probably heard it and felt a little uncomfortable, she held back her feelings, but then started saying sarcastic things to him while they were talking, and that's how the argument started. These two have been ignoring each other for the past two days..."
"Haha, don't worry, this kind of thing has happened many times. These two people always make up after a cold war for two days, and everything is fine in a couple of days."
The little sister told the story in a cheerful tone, sounding like she was used to it and didn't take it too seriously. Instead, she treated it as a funny anecdote.
Seeing her words, Chi Jingyuan blinked and recalled how Jiang Sheqi and Sun Shengwan were usually inseparable. Imagining the two of them with sullen faces, deliberately ignoring each other, he found it quite amusing.
It's common for people with different lifestyles and preferences to live together, which often leads to small conflicts or misunderstandings. Idols living in the same dorm frequently experience these kinds of situations. They might argue over trivial things like acne breakouts, stepping on each other's feet, or shower order. Even the most patient person can have bad days and lose control sometimes.
But since we have to live together for many years, all we can say is that we just have to get along and understand each other.
EXO is the same. They didn't just fight a lot when they first lived together, sometimes even getting physical. Even after living together for several years, they still occasionally have huge arguments over little things.
However, it wasn't a big deal anyway. After the anger subsided, in two days' time, an apology would be given and then promptly forgotten about.
It's a bit disappointing that I didn't get to see what it was like when Jiang Shishi and Sun Shengwan got angry.
"Could you secretly film them getting together next time, like just to see what it's like"
"kkkkk Why are you so bad Of course not! If they find out about this, they'll be really angry."
"Actually, it's not really a good fit... I'm just a little curious, that's all. When I didn't say anything."
"Actually, we don't have pictures of them being angry, but there are some pictures from this comeback where I tried different outfits for the title song. Would you like to see them" After chatting for a bit, the young lady suddenly asked with a hint of shyness.
Before an official release, photos of a new look, even selfies, are usually kept private and not shared with others. This is mainly to prevent leaks before the comeback. However, for Ji-seong, Park Soo-hyuk naturally has no worries about this at all.
What do you think
"Ding~~Ding~~Ding~~"
Chik Jingyuan's reasonable request was met almost immediately. His phone buzzed incessantly, with Pei Zhuxuan sending a string of photos. Besides a few pictures that hinted at the unique style of her new song, there were several selfies of her in casual wear taken inside the studio. Some showed her smiling eyes, others a curved smile, and some revealed her dimples – each picture was stunningly beautiful, as if she was sitting right in front of him, smiling sweetly.
Though Pei Ju-Hyun's selfies aren't exceptionally amazing, her expressions are very natural and the angles she chooses are good. She definitely outperforms some people who are genuinely attractive but always take awkward selfies.
Which one do you think is the most beautiful
If we talk about the characteristics of the shapes, I'd say the first one with the glasses.
“Kkk, do you like this style Then don't look at the styling”
"Every single one of them is pretty good."
(shy)
While texting with a pretty girl and enjoying delicious desserts, he occasionally chimed in on the conversation at their table. The sun was shining brightly that morning, and Chi Jingyuan felt a sense of contentment and relaxation throughout his body.
……
After the concert on the 17th was successfully concluded, EXO also returned to Seoul through Incheon Airport on the 18th and then dispersed to start their solo activities. The next collective schedule will be the concert in Chang'an, China on the 22nd.
Meanwhile, as EXO returned to Seoul, more than a month after their pre-release single, Girls' Generation also made their official comeback as one of the protagonists in the summer girl group battle this year. On the 18th and 19th, they separately released the MVs for their double title tracks, "Lionheart" and "You Think."
The two lead singles have very different styles. One is aimed at the domestic peninsula market, and the other is geared towards the overseas market. It's clear that ** has high ambitions for this comeback of Shinee.
The album includes two songs from the pre-release single, with a total of 12 tracks. Five songs were released at noon each day, and the two title tracks landed at number five and six on Melon respectively. Although this sound source ranking is not as high as the pre-released song "party," the response it has generated is no less significant, especially the luxurious outfits worn by all members in the "lionheart" MV immediately became a hot topic and focus of attention in the K-pop scene.
However, not all online reviews are positive. Many people also feel that the main song's style is too sweet, the melody is average, the choreography is ugly, and the costumes are too flamboyant.
Moreover, after Girls' Generation performed the title tracks of their new album on Music Bank on the 21st, an discordant voice arose online again.
Many Girls' Generation fans, as well as Yoona's solo stans, have noticed that their idol Yoona unnie doesn't have a single line in "Youthink," one of the two title tracks for the group's comeback. This song is three minutes and eight seconds long.
is not few.
There is none.
Not a single word.
Even idol groups' own fans can be vicious towards each other. For example, EXO fans often fight amongst themselves and against the company because members like Sehun have few parts in songs. They argue endlessly about it.
This time, it's even more obvious. Unnie didn't have a single line in the song, and besides the chorus where she could open her mouth to show she wasn't just a background dancer, she didn't have any room to perform at all.
Many of IU's fans discovered this and immediately became furious. Just two days after her comeback, they started tearing each other apart online.
While Chi Jingyuan almost laughed out loud when he saw the news online, he was immediately filled with righteous anger and joined the others in denouncing it:
"Not even a single part is divided The company is really interesting. I don't want to bring Yoona, if it's fine without her. Just let the seven members of Girls' Generation play by themselves and see how they do without me."
"Please, don't keep tiring Yoona. You know how hard she worked filming in the first half of the year She has to travel back and forth for schedules and prepare albums. To end with that last line part was really hurtful. Let me just have Yoona be a beautiful actress, okay"
"Just quit the group and become an actress, as a Seohyun fan I can't take it anymore, this is the title track! She acted like a backup dancer throughout the whole performance, you can tell how uncomfortable she must be. I really feel for her!"
"I'm boycotting this comeback, I won't be buying the album anyway."
"Boycott!"
Before they even had a chance to compete with other girl groups, the fandom of少女時代 started fighting amongst themselves. As one of the top members, Lim Yoona lost many fans due to her publicized relationship last year and has fallen behind in popularity compared to another top member, Kim Taeyeon, in some aspects.
But after all, her fan base is huge, and the number of her die-hard fans is still very large. After they started arguing, it caused quite a stir, with many people in Korea watching the drama unfold. It even spread to mainland China, and I heard that several of IU's fan sites directly closed their channels for purchasing this album as an excuse.
Although the impact isn't great and it's estimated that some physical album sales will decrease, overall, it's not all bad for Girls' Generation. At least, there's discussion when things get heated up. The attention caused by fan arguments after the initial stage is significantly higher than the past two days. Besides, fans enjoy stirring up drama, and that's how their connection with idols deepens.
Seeing Girls' Generation dominating the recent comeback scene with their rising popularity and online buzz, even Ji Chang Wook can't help but marvel at their success.
As expected from senior Yoona, even this has already been calculated.
As for why IU's verse is missing from the title track, Chi Kyung-won doesn't know the specifics. He only remembers chatting with Kim Taeyeon before and hearing her say that "Youthink" was particularly difficult to sing...
...while Girls' Generation's "youthink" and other artists were striving to climb the charts, on the 22nd, the final episode of "Infinite Challenge Music Festival" aired as scheduled. The six songs performed at this music festival were also released simultaneously.
(The End) and glanced at him."Annie, it seems like I just heard another girl group mention a nickname they gave you."Wu Shih-hsien couldn't help but laugh, Chi Jingyuan's mouth twitched, not knowing what to sa...