Chapter 37: Equal to Not Returning

airstyles, everyone looked incredibly cool.And Chi Jingyuan, in order to prepare for the stage performance later, wore a pair of non-prescription black-rimmed glasses. The glasses perched on his nose..., the Peninsula Asteroid

By the way, did you guys watch the fancam of Jingyuan and Sehun's "Coming-of-Age Ceremony" from yesterday's birthday party

Park Chan-wook broke into a smile again, bringing up the topic and licking his lips with an air of appreciation: "Jia, you danced so well, that wave was truly..."

"Dude, you love this song so much, why didn't you dance with us yesterday"

Chi Jingyuan glanced sideways at him, speechless about this guy.

Park Chan-wook and Kim Jong-min, either they enjoy watching the maknaes' antics or genuinely like the "Coming of Age" style of dance, because they always bring it up. Yesterday, when Ji-seong and Soo-jung went back to the dorm after their farewell, these two were still awake, watching fancams of him on their phones.

Honestly, you have so much free time… Couldn't you just call your girlfriend instead

But the fan who he said took pictures of Ji-won at the pool actually did go specifically to see him.

From a bystander's perspective, seeing him in a serious and well-fitting black suit, full of righteousness, dancing seductively in the video is indeed very charming. The strong contrast creates a feeling that makes female fans flutter their hearts. It's no wonder this fan-taken video went viral immediately upon release, causing a frenzy of discussion and screen-capping among Chi Jingyuan's fans.

After the birthday party ended yesterday, some photos taken by fans at the event were quickly shared in fan groups and uploaded online by some fans.

After seeing the on-site photos, all kinds of fan comments in Chi Jingyuan's fan club started scrolling directly. Some fans who participated came back and boasted about the process of the birthday party and their interactions with Chi Jingyuan, but this made many female fans feel a surge of bittersweet envy.

...including special photos from the stage, the members with frosting on their faces when they cut the cake and distributed gifts, as well as pictures of them receiving those thoughtful little gifts prepared by the K-Team.

Especially after a video of Ji Jingyuan sitting alone on stage, chatting with fans like good friends, was released, some fans were completely broken. Besides envy and jealousy towards the fans who won the birthday party tickets, there was also intense criticism directed at S company.

300 spots aren't enough, your whole family couldn't even fit in them.

Our hearts really want to go there. I also want to chat and take photos with yuan up close....

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. So I just rushed another wave of s.

Even now, on the company's website, there are still many people leaving messages criticizing the company for its poorly planned birthday party. They urge the planners to resign and stop harming their idols.

"You don't know, if I wasn't an adult already, I would have jumped up there! You two are just so timid and hesitant."

Park Chan-wook shrugged and said nonchalantly, "You might feel a little embarrassed or awkward doing it yourself, after all, it's your first time. But watching from the sidelines, it's really captivating."

"Next time, we'll definitely do it together." Qi Jingyuan twitched his lips and nodded in agreement.

After chatting for a while, the two people over there finished their styling and came over to share their achievements on this happy first day of their return. Twenty minutes later, Lee Seung-hwan walked in, pushing open the door and saying, "Are the styles all done"

Without needing a response, he glanced at the situation and then clapped his hands, shouting: “Alright everyone, get ready. In half an hour, go to the standby room for a return interview. The script is here, you can take a look first. Suho and Chanyeol will go over the script with C later.”

"After the interview, it's our rehearsal."

Today, there are two stages: "eedu" will be live streamed on-site, and "overdose" will be filmed with a pre-built set. The background is ready and we'll wait for the stage crew to notify us before going in. Everything should be fine, right

"Yes!" the members all chorused, their voices brimming with joy. The unexpected results had left them incredibly motivated.

"Have a look, don't mess it up later." Lee Seong-hwan handed the members several scripts and sat down on the side.

The six members stopped chatting and, having received their scripts, began to work seriously.

…………

"We couldn't help but be curious so we came."

"What will EXO, who is about to return to the stage, be like Come and see for yourself…"

On the television screen, Zheng Junying and An Jaehyun, two c members holding microphones, stood expectantly at the door of a resting room with the label 'exo-k' on it. After finishing their discussion, they knocked on the door, turned the doorknob, opened the door and shouted: “Annyeonghaseyo...”

"Anihaseyo..." A cheer erupted, and the six members of Team K inside, who had been waiting for quite some time, stood up and applauded.

Their resting area was also filled with quite a few things, like bags and purses, it looked quite messy but also very real. The dy and assistant who were originally in the room had already gone out at this time, so now they just stood behind the vj laughing and watching the interview.

"It's nice to see you all. Please greet our viewers."

Two people stood on either side of the k team, pointing at the camera.

"1, 2, 3 we are one."

"Hello everyone, we are EXO-K." After giving a signature thumbs up, the six members lined up and bowed to the camera.

"Please, please sit down."

Although he said to please sit down, in reality there were only three stools. The captain, Kim Jun Myeon, and the two maknae, Park Chanyeol and Wu Sehun, had no place to sit, so they could only smile and stand at the back.

"With this song "Overdose," you're back. How are you feeling now" Jung Joon-young extended the microphone toward Kim Jun-myeon.

"First of all, thank you to the fans who have been waiting patiently. I want to show everyone this stage as soon as possible."

Before that, he had already gone through the script. Kim Jun Myeon smiled and spoke smoothly without any stumbles.

"Speaking of EXO, their performance was amazing, especially with the unique facial expressions choreography this time. V just revealed it and it has already caused a huge stir among fans."

Zheng Junying then looked at Ji Kyeongwon standing in the back row: "Yuanxi, can you give us a performance"

"Ooo ooo ooo…"

Under the cheers of his members, Ji Kyeong-won walked to the front of the camera, pursed his lips, and smiled. He puffed out his cheeks "All, all, all, all" and quickly tapped twice before immediately shrinking back.

It feels awkward to perform alone when being interviewed on camera, unlike on stage.

But the actual effect was very good. He couldn't see the audience's reaction, but several DJs and female staff members standing behind the VJ were staring at him with bright eyes. Even after he returned to his original position, their gaze did not shift away and remained firmly locked on him.

"Wow, it's really beautiful..." Ahn Jae-hyun remarked, looking at the script and curiously saying, "To be honest, is there a member in the choreography team who thinks they can do better than yuan There should be members who think that way, right"

“This…” A few people looked at each other. Park Chan-lye winked at the camera with a touch of helplessness: “This one, we really don’t have it. This choreography, we all think it’s very nice, so during rehearsals, everyone tried it, and Yuan really did the best.”

"So it's universally acknowledged..." The camera focused on the smiling Ji Jingyuan for a second before moving on to the segment where he reads fan mail.

After chatting with several overseas fans, this comeback interview is coming to an end.

The program team really values XO's comeback this time, the length of this interview segment is almost as long as a stage performance.

If this interview hadn't happened, an idol group from a certain lake point could probably have taken the stage on this episode of 《!c》 during the empty time slot.

"Today is Teacher's Day on the Peninsula. We thank Ms. Lee Soo-man here, and thank all the teachers who have helped us..."

Finally, Kim Jun-myeon held the microphone and thanked everyone, and everyone waved at the camera.

Stay tuned for X's return to the stage tonight, Kamsahamnida...

…………

"fall everything."

"fall everything."

They were falling one after another.

"fall everything."

“…………”

Six members of 《eedu》 lay on the stage as the prelude began. With the sound, Ji-won slowly stood up with Seon's support. After a low hum, the performance officially started.

Novel Reading Network

The song "《eedu》" has been incredibly popular lately, especially at night. After its leak and several promotional videos from birthday events surfacing online, this regular track's popularity is only slightly lower than the main title song.

Besides, the leaked footage was blurry and unclear on stage. The birthday performance uploaded yesterday lacked dedicated camera work and lighting effects as a backdrop, so it was definitely less impressive than a formal stage production.

And today marks the first time that is appearing on a formal stage.

"I need you girl."

"You are so beautiful."

"eedyougirl."

"It's too cold again." Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

In the final chorus of the performance, Park Ji-seong's slightly sharp vocals blended with Do Kyung-soo's harmonies, and the exhilarating instrumental melody ignited the passion of all the audience members.

He stood in the very center of the stage, singing while bowing his head and clutching his chest. The other five members knelt on the ground in a pentagon shape, tightly surrounding him with their outstretched hands, as if grasping or not grasping, like paying homage.

"Ahhh..."

Silver sequins cascaded from the ceiling, shimmering under the dazzling lights. The choreography in this section was breathtakingly powerful. The screams of the audience from the upper reaches of the theater almost drowned out the music.

And today, the same group also participated in this episode of < !-- -->, and the other artists who have been following EXO and watching their live performances were also amazed by this stage. In the resting room, several people including apk just watched TV with their mouths agape, apparently immersed in it.

"eedyougirl."

Wu Xiaorong and Jin Nanju finished watching and stood on the spot, singing with their mouths while lowering their heads and grabbing the clothes on their chests to imitate the part that Ji Jingyuan just did. However, without anyone kneeling around them, it seemed a little less imposing.

"Well, at least we're running next week."

Jung Eun-ji watched TV with a hint of smugness: “If they collided, one wouldn't be able to take it. Wouldn't that ruin Ji Seong-won’s pride”

"Oppa, we're not that bad either, you know."

"Aha ha ha…"

《eedu》was a live performance, and after it ended, the screen switched to their pre-recorded stage for 《overdose》 which they had prepared for the afternoon.

The six-member version of "overdose" by k team is very similar to the full twelve-member version, with almost the same choreography. The only difference is that with six members, each person's part and the center camera shots are naturally much more numerous.

When Ji Jingyuan delivers the impactful pool-reflection slap, the audience cheers again. It seems this choreography has become a signature move for this song.

"The last one is..."

"This is an APK, Karmic."

Following Zheng Junying's loud announcement, as expected, this week's < > gave a spot to apk's < >. This is their second consecutive week of winning < >!

Their return so far has already achieved 7 number ones, which is considered a good result. Coupled with last year's "nonono", both returns have been very well-received. Their popularity and fame are rising at a visible speed, and they have taken the lead in the competition among female groups who debuted in the last two years.

Before, Jung Eun Ji said that this was the last week for APINK's promotions, but whether or not it matters doesn't really matter, because even if they continued promoting, next week they wouldn't be able to surpass EXO's comeback which seems unstoppable.

It's better to withdraw early, so as not to squeeze into a candidate spot and then have your score multiplied by the competition, leading to fans being ridiculed.

"Congratulations." Ji Jingyuan and Jeong Eun-ji, along with a few other acquaintances, smiled and followed the members off the stage.

This comeback's debut stage has already been completed, and EXO-K will also be busy running various schedules.

This mini-program's first day performance can be said to have exceeded expectations, and the specific performance will depend on the trend of the next few days.

…………

"Soohedoctor, catch me quickly…………"

The music from "Addiction" was constantly playing in the three-story audio and album store called 'ickorea' in Myeongdong, the sound echoing in every corner.

Kim Hee-jin, accompanied by Lee Min-eun, arrived at the album sales area. The most eye-catching thing was EXO's second mini album "Overdose" displayed prominently on the shelves.

"Are you sure you want to buy xo's album Fite is coming back next week, don't you want to compare it" Kim Hyeon-jin saw her friend go straight to the xo album section as soon as they arrived, her eyes shining at the albums on the shelves and the posters on the back wall. She hesitated for a moment and followed behind, persuading her in a low voice.

They are both freshmen and get along very well. They both like Kpop and often discuss it together.

"What's so good about fite and xo" Lee Min-eun gave her a strange look, and what she said was something she couldn't refute.

".....Jin Hee-jung opened her mouth, thought for a moment, and then asked: "Then the sun is also going to solo comeback soon, isn't that what you said you used to be"

“You said it was from the past, didn’t you”

"The bigbang is pretty popular, and I kind of like gd too... but I'll just listen to their songs as an average fan. That average face value makes it hard for me to want to stan them."

Lee Min-eun didn't turn around, looking at the albums on the shelf and murmuring to herself, "It's really annoying that there are no solo covers, and if I don't get a yuan card, it's not worth buying..."

"It's better to buy a few more, just to be safe..."

Kim Hee-jin rolled her eyes. Seeing her friend like this, she really was a fan of EXO. She was definitely a Planet stan now.

But this is also normal, after all, in today's peninsula student fan base, EXO is really a top player. Back in the "The War" era, they were already incredibly popular, and this return is even more massive, despite being just a mini album comeback.

Just look at the crowd in front of this album shelf, you'd know it's popular. At this moment, there are seven or eight students who are planning to buy albums around the two of them. Basically, they are all here for EXO. There are also a few young ones with obsessed expressions, their eyes sparkling as they stare at the posters on the wall.

I saw online that the configuration of this album "Overdose" is average.

"I've seen it, it's just the usual postcard photobook CD."

Lee Min-eun held up the album she had just taken and looked at it, while answering very familiarly: "The configuration of a mini album is like this, what's the need for so much Over 10,000 won isn't expensive either."

"And he already made his money back by opening a Yuan card, you know how popular they are right now His comeback style is really amazing, and the photos of him are especially handsome."

“Sehun and Chanyeol are not bad either, but they still can't compare to the main vocalist.”

"She rattled off a list of songs like she knew them by heart, grabbed the album and dragged her friend over to pay. 'Let's buy five,' she said."

Most people buying EXO albums, after the cashier scans the barcode, would routinely remind each customer who bought "Overdose" with a point to the poster area: “EXO’s mini-album doesn’t have individual posters, if you like it, feel free to choose some.”

"Then I'll go take a look." Lee Min-eun, hearing this, took Kim Hee-jin's hand and walked over there.

"Whose poster are you going to buy" Kim Hee-jin looked around and asked.

"This is not nonsense, it must be yuan's."

Lee Min-eun walked straight over and started picking: "Look at this inventory, whose pictorials are the most popular at a glance."

"fall everything."

"Let everything fall."

At this moment, the music store was playing "eedu". Jin Hee-jin couldn't help but hum along to the intro for a couple of bars and then sighed, "This song is really good. I've been replaying it countless times since yesterday."

The stage was amazing, did you watch yesterday's performance of 《！c》

"After watching, the choreography at the end was really great. Yuan looked so cool when he was surrounded by people." Kim Hee-jin nodded, she had indeed watched it and had a deep impression of that stage.

"That was a hundred percent kill part, weren't you insta-killed You shouldn't have been!" Lee Min Eun turned back to her in surprise.

"There is a bit...but I just want to wait until fite and the sun return before comparing them..."

"Hee hee."

Hearing her friend's hearty laughter, Jin Hee-jin sensed the depth of meaning behind it and hesitated for a moment before considering:

"How about I buy one too"

"If you pull yuan's little card, remember to exchange it with me."

“I won’t change.”

Then you better just wait for your fite...

…………

"EXO's second mini-album sound source was released, with all three songs simultaneously topping the charts. The trend of the three songs' sound sources is impressive, forming a straight line!"

"Real-time rankings 1-9 on the music charts are all occupied by EXO!"

“Overdose” pre-orders hit 780,000, the highest ever for a mini album.

Following yesterday's release of exo#overdose#, the group has attracted widespread attention from fans. The members' dazzling performances and stunning visuals have captivated audiences.

”…………“

In the Woolli Entertainment practice room, a few members were resting while looking at today's trending news online. The atmosphere around them felt a little tense, and things weren't going well for a while.

They are returning next week. As they enter their fourth year since debut, this is a crucial period for them. Their previous single album, "desty," was well-received with sales of over ten thousand copies, which is considered very high for them.

This time, it took a long time to relaunch after difficulties. Everyone worked hard and meticulously prepared for the regular second issue, hoping to continue the previous popularity and strive for further progress.

The company had, at the beginning of the year, referenced various internal messages and many idol's schedules to select May 21st as the comeback date for the group. This is a period when there are not too many major artists releasing songs, so the competition isn't very intense.

It's just that I didn't expect EXO, who was originally scheduled to return in mid-April, to keep pushing back their comeback date due to various reasons. They finally released a song on May 15th, which happened to be just a week before their FITE event.

After half a day of deliberation, I ended up bumping into EXO.

Only those within the industry, particularly male idol group members, can truly understand the immense pressure and terrifyingly overwhelming sales figures of EXO.

Besides BigBang, other male groups' music releases are not doing well. EXO is considered one of the better ones. Other male idol groups rely on popularity and sales, dead-set fans to go on tours and make money.

Other groups have sales in the tens or hundreds of thousands, which is already considered very good and impressive for a top-tier boy group. Moving up further, there are bigbang and SJ with sales of several hundred thousand. This level of group has a gap that's doubled compared to ordinary top-tier male idols.

But this EXO release started with pre-orders of hundreds of thousands, consistently breaking records with sales reaching millions. These kinds of numbers, which they never dared to dream of before, are constantly appearing with XO.

Who can stand this

Last year during the peak of the "idol" craze, there were dozens of male idol groups, both returning and debuting, throughout the second half of the year. However, most of them didn't make a splash at all, with the exception of one or two groups. The vast majority debuted only to find themselves unemployed shortly after.

Because at that time, the core fan base of male groups, women in their teens and twenties, mostly went to support EXO and listen to "Growl," which caused the songs of other male groups to be completely ignored.

After that, there was a rumor circulating within the circle:

'A male group's comeback meeting EXO... is equivalent to not having a comeback.'

While it might sound exaggerated, it's a collective outcry from those bland male idols who returned to ordinary life after their debut.

Even though fite is considered a first-line boy group, their regular second album comeback wouldn't go completely unnoticed even if it coincided with another group's. At the very least, they have their own dedicated fanbase.

But every member wants it, and a conflict with XO will definitely greatly affect the results this time.

Not to mention looking at XO's comeback momentum this time, just a mini album has already been so terrifying, with 780,000 pre-orders....

Oh, come on...

"By the way, how many have we pre-sold now" Kim Mingsoo broke the silence and proactively asked.

He seemed to have asked the wrong question. The moment he spoke, the surroundings grew even quieter. The heavy breathing of everyone around him was now distinctly audible.

After a while, someone finally replied:

"Maybe thirty to forty thousand... I didn't look closely."

"...

" Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

……………

After a day of fermentation, by May 16th they had already occupied many website news and various SNS platforms.

More than 24 hours after the official release of XO's comeback album, sales have reached 116,696 copies. The Korean version has sold over 70,000 copies, officially breaking the previous single-day album sales record held by BIGBANG due to data delays.

And if we include the pre-orders, this time's sales total for 《overdose》 is almost 900,000 copies, just one step away from breaking a million.

But the source is even more interesting. Several real-time charts, besides the original Korean version's six songs taking up the top six spots, also saw three summer version songs like "Addictive" climb to the top nine, ranked as summer songs.

Although it certainly can't last, this speechless scene also truly proves that their music source's explosive power is simply too strong. The fans are just too powerful, this chart brushing makes me not know what to say.

... While the official Korean version on YouTube has exceeded 2.7 million views in a day, the Chinese version has reached 1.5 million views.

The number of clicks for the title song is noticeably lower than that of the pre-released track "dope", and compared to other achievements, it's not particularly outstanding. This has also been one of EXO's weaknesses all along.

However, these speechless sales figures and the explosive popularity of the results have sparked widespread discussion on major music forums.

...and with the idol's rise in popularity, fans naturally feel proud as well. xo's fanbase at this time was caught in boundless euphoria, various achievement posts, battle reports, and large posters appeared on all kpop-related forums. Similar messages could be seen in any relevant discussion, momentarily dominating everything.

Besides the excitement, there are also quite a few newcomers who really like the new songs on this album, as well as old fans who are relieved because of XO's successful return.

I declare EXO is the new generation group, there should be no controversy about this.

This novel is first published on [繁體小說網].It really touched me that they waited for us there for so long.”“I actually always thought fans would only go in the morning, around 5 or 6 am. After seeing that scene, I realized…” Ji Kyeong-won cro...