wavenovel Chapter 1481 1 Flash
Chapter 1481 1 Flash
Chapter 1481 A flash
Upon hearing the sound, Chi Jingyuan and the others immediately stopped their discussion, all looking at their phones and opening the news page.
The source of the news was quickly found... because it had already become a trending topic on the real-time search rankings.
YMC Entertainment's official announcement was particularly eye-catching, officially announcing that "Wanna One will make their official comeback on March 15 with their second mini-album '0+1=1 (I Promise You),' showcasing a more mature style from the members than before."
The announcement also further stated that Wanna One will participate in a charity concert hosted by eBay Korea in April, and all proceeds from the concert will be donated to the "Supporting and Improving the Livelihood of Disabled Youth in Korea" campaign to spread positive energy...
The news swept across the internet instantly. The Korean entertainment industry, which was already bustling with excitement due to EXO's comeback, was completely ignited by this sudden "comeback clash." The comment sections and topic pages of major social media platforms were filled with discussions about the two groups, and the popularity remained high.
Wanna One fans erupted in cheers, filling the comment section with excited shouts, each one radiating anticipation for their comeback and confidence in their idols:
"Finally, our Bowl is back! I'm definitely going to buy their second mini-album. I'm already looking forward to their signature addictive melodies and group dances."
"Without comparison, there is no harm. This time, the public can finally see what real synchronized dance is and what a real male idol is. Those senior boy groups who can't even dance in unison should really step aside."
"March 15th! I heard EXO is on March 9th or 10th? That's perfect for going head-to-head with EXO. Our Wanna One is the best, we'll definitely crush EXO and become the top boy group!"
"The charity concert was so thoughtful. Our team not only has talent, but also a kind heart, which is much better than some senior artists who just rely on their past achievements!"
Compared to the excitement of Wanna One fans, the enthusiasm of casual observers and fans of other groups was even greater—everyone knew that SM had just officially announced EXO's comeback in March, and Wanna One followed suit by announcing their comeback in the same month, even choosing a comeback date within EXO's comeback window. This was clearly aimed at EXO and was an open provocation.
Most importantly, casual observers and fans of other groups were extremely excited because the focus of this news wasn't Wanna One's comeback... but rather that SM Entertainment had just announced EXO's comeback in March, and Wanna One was immediately following suit.
This is clearly their intention.
EXO and Wanna One are already rivals, with their fans locked in a bitter and hateful rivalry, engaging in fierce online arguments and feuds. Now, the two groups have directly confronted each other, igniting a massive public outcry.
"This is clearly aimed at EXO. YMC's plan is too shrewd. They deliberately chose to make comebacks around the same time, just to step on EXO to rise to the top, right?"
"Does this feel like a replay of the 2015 storyline? Back then, EXO directly challenged BigBang and successfully reached the top. This year, Wanna One is actively provoking them. Do they really want to replicate the legend and climb to the top by stepping on EXO?"
"To be objective, EXO is still at their peak. Their achievements in Europe, America, and Japan last year were groundbreaking. Although Wanna One is popular, their foundation is still a bit weak."
"I feel like Wanna One is the current trend. They are young and energetic, and their fans are strong. EXO hasn't been active in their home country for too long, and their popularity has declined significantly."
"Judging by looks alone, I feel EXO wins. Although Wanna One members are all pretty handsome, Kang Daniel, who is in the center position, is far inferior to Yuan. None of the others are as handsome as Yuan."
"However, EXO's official center position is not Yuan, it's Kai."
"No matter who wins, I'll love watching. The music scene hasn't been this lively in a long time. I'm eagerly awaiting the head-to-head battle between the two boy groups!"
As public opinion intensified, fans of EXO and Wanna One completely broke off relations and engaged in fierce online arguments.
"Wanna One's bunch of washed-up bastards are really shameless. They've only been in the industry for two years and they dare to try and emulate EXO? They should take a good look at themselves in the mirror. Without EXO pioneering the boy group market, they wouldn't even have a chance to get a piece of the pie!"
"A bunch of temporary groups put together through talent shows dare to say they can crush EXO?!"
"The Five Poison Sticks were beaten into enlistment, and after your sister Alice kept a low profile for two days, a bunch of clueless people suddenly appeared."
"These old guys in EXO should just retire already. They're just occupying positions without doing anything. They've been absent from the domestic scene for the past year and are already washed up. How dare they pretend to be seniors?"
"Hurry up and save up money to boost your oppa's sales; it's time for your oppa's wife to get a new ring."
"No way, no way, there must be someone who doesn't know yet, right? Your Kai oppa has found you a few new sisters-in-law, and maybe he's even pregnant soon."
"Speaking of Wanna One, since their debut, can the combined views of all the individual fancams of all the members compare to the views of just one fancam of Ji Yuan's 'Boy with Luv'?"
"Honestly, these kinds of limited-time boy groups, which are just for fun, are fine to do casually."
They've already started to directly overtake EXO in the loan battle, aiming to become the new generation's top boy group in K-pop.
The fans on both sides were exchanging vicious insults, criticizing everything from the members' looks and stage presence to their overall behavior and even resorting to personal attacks. Every comment was filled with hostility, leaving even casual observers speechless – this wasn't just a fan war, it was like two sworn enemies meeting, locked in a life-or-death struggle.
EXO's practice room.
The light from the phone screens shone on the members' faces, and everyone looked rather pale, creating a heavy atmosphere.
Anyone would feel annoyed and have a nameless anger rising in their heart if they were being relentlessly pursued by such a group of juniors who clearly wanted to step on them to reach the top.
Chi Jingyuan's expression was quite interesting. He had only heard during the meeting that they might meet, but he didn't expect it to be officially announced so quickly.
Clearly, they have made ample preparations and are determined to confront them head-on.
Even Chi Kyung-won felt a surge of anger rising within him.
It feels really awful to have someone want to step on your head.
But at the same time, a long-lost sense of excitement spread through my heart.
Since defeating BigBang and successfully taking the top spot in 2015, EXO has dominated the boy group market. They haven't faced any significant challenges on the Korean Peninsula for too long, and their lives have become too stable, even somewhat numb.
Now that Wanna One has taken the initiative to approach him, this blatant provocation has awakened his competitive spirit. The feeling of giving his all and striving hard for his goals seems to have returned.
"It feels like we need to get serious."
Chi Jingyuan looked at the comments on his phone where fans were tearing each other apart, raised an eyebrow, and muttered to himself.
If he were to be directly confronted like that, not to mention others, he himself would definitely not be able to tolerate it.
The other members were also discussing it.
Some members, like him, seemed to have cheered up a lot, suddenly becoming more focused on this comeback and excited.
However, some members still frowned, their voices filled with anger, and kept criticizing Wanna One's provocative behavior.
Especially Kim Jong-in...
Chi Jingyuan quietly observed his expression; it was gloomy, and the surrounding air pressure was noticeably low.
He always felt that Kim Jong-in seemed to want to beat his opponent not only in terms of comeback performance.
He seemed to be thinking of some other tricks.
…………
"The online criticism is really fierce."
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Twice's practice room was relatively relaxed.
Several members were scrolling through their phones during their break, occasionally exchanging a few words. Lim Nayeon held her phone, swiping across the screen, looking at the posts online about fans arguing, and couldn't help but click her tongue, her tone full of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing regret, sigh, and a sense of melancholy).
These EXO-Ls are incredibly aggressive; they treat Wanna One fans like mortal enemies, tearing each other apart and hurling all sorts of insults.
In comparison, when she recalled being criticized by Ellie before, it was nothing compared to now; she was only criticized for being ugly.
...Am I ugly?
Suddenly remembering this, Lim Nayeon couldn't help but purse her lips and grind her teeth unhappily.
She's incredibly cute.
However, these Wanna One fans are also very strong. They kept fighting back against the Kpop bullies, EXO-Ls, and were actually holding their own.
“Scolding is nothing; there are even more outrageous things to come.”
Son Chaeyoung leaned over, a hint of amusement on her face, and said, "Unnie, did you see the news? Yesterday, Wanna One fans and EXO fans got into a fight at a middle school in Seoul. I heard it was a really fierce fight."
"qingjia?"
Lim Nayeon's eyes lit up, and she looked surprised: "I didn't see it, they actually started fighting?"
"Really?"
"Of course it's true. There are photos and videos online. You can check them out for yourselves."
Son Chae-young said with a smile, "I heard that people on both sides were injured, and the fight was very intense."
"Who won? EXO?"
Yu Dingyan put down her phone and asked curiously.
"Probably, Aeri is known for being domineering, who can beat them?" Lim Nayeon bluntly retorted.
"This time it really isn't."
Upon hearing this, Son Chaeyoung's smile became quite interesting: "It seems that the EXO fans suffered this time. Among students of that age, there are more Wanna One fans, and they were outnumbered and lost the fight."
"Huh? How could this happen?"
Hirai Momo looked surprised and couldn't help but say, "I remember just two years ago, my elementary and middle school were full of EXO fans. They were even called 'Elementary School Presidents.' How come they've been replaced by Wanna One in just over a year?"
"What else could it be? Wanna One rose to prominence too quickly."
Son Chaeyoung shrugged: "EXO has been active overseas for more than a year, with less exposure in the domestic market, so naturally they have lost fans, especially elementary and middle school students who like new things and are easily attracted to new idols."
She blinked: "And EXO seems to be getting older too. How old is Kyungwon oppa again?"
"94 years."
He was born in 94.
"24!"
Before Son Chaeyoung could finish speaking, three voices suddenly popped up from the side at the same time: Lim Nayeon, Minatozaki Sana, and Chou Tzuyu all spoke up simultaneously.
Even Hirai Momo noticed that Mina's lips trembled slightly, as if she was muttering something, but the lip movements were so subtle that she couldn't make out what she said.
But you can probably guess it just by thinking about it.
"Tsk tsk."
The surrounding members couldn't help but smack their lips in amusement at the sight of these people speaking in unison... Tzuyu seemed normal, but they didn't think much of Nayeon and Sana.
After all, everyone knows they have a good relationship.
The group started discussing it.
"Why do these two groups seem to have such a deep-seated hatred for each other?"
"Of course, Wanna One clearly wants to surpass EXO and climb to the top by stepping on them."
Yoo Jeongyeon lowered her voice and said seriously, "And I heard that this group was formed specifically to compete with EXO..."
Yoo Jeongyeon solemnly recounted what she had heard from Ji Kyungwon and Oh Sehun, such as EXO incurring public wrath, being targeted by the industry, and being forced to spend a year overseas, etc...
"So that's why EXO didn't make a comeback last year and were busy with overseas activities~"
The other members exclaimed in surprise, their faces showing sudden realization.
"Who do you think will win this comeback?" Lim Nayeon asked curiously.
"It's definitely EXO."
Hirai Momo said without hesitation, "Don't be fooled by the heated online debate. EXO has talent... EXO's strength speaks for itself, and they did so well overseas last year."
“Yeah, I also feel that Jingyuan Oppa and the others are much better,” Yu Dingyan echoed.
At that moment, someone turned to look at Park Jihyo and asked with a smile, "Jihyo, what did your boyfriend say?"
Park Jihyo smiled, clearly having discussed this topic with Kang Daniel as well: "He said that the members are quite confident... They've been having meetings lately, constantly working on their comeback and practicing their stages. I heard they all feel good about this album."
"I see." The others clicked their tongues in agreement.
"Tsk."
Sana Minato suddenly chuckled: "I think Shihyo seems quite confident too."
"..."
Park Jihyo wanted to laugh, but upon closer inspection, she felt that something was off about what Minatozaki Sana said.
"Tzuyu, aren't you going to ask Kyungwon oppa?"
On the other side, Kim Dahyun nudged Chou Tzuyu, who was looking down at her phone, and whispered, "See how their preparations are going."
"what?"
Chou Tzu-yu was engrossed in scrolling through her phone when she snapped out of her reverie and shook her head: "What's there to ask?"
In her heart, Chi Jingyuan was invincible.
"..."
Kim Da-hyun blinked, looking at Chou Tzu-yu's confident expression, and suddenly felt that there was no need to ask.
Seeing how focused Chou Tzu-yu was, she asked curiously, "What are you looking at so intently?"
"Let's watch a movie~"
"what?"
"..."
Chou Tzu-yu thought for a moment and then revealed to Kim Da-hyun, "Our new title track, 'What is Love?,' has a music video that pays tribute to some classic movies. Each of us will play a classic scene from one of them, so I've been watching movies these past few days to see if there are any I like."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Kim Da-hyun was a little surprised when she heard this: "Kyungwon oppa told you?"
They asked Chi Jingyuan before, but he wouldn't tell them.
"Yes, he told me that when he picked me up a few days ago."
Chou Tzu-yu nodded, a little smug: "He said that the company would probably take our own ideas into account when it comes to the movies that the music video pays tribute to, so I've been watching movies these past few days."
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Their discussion quickly attracted the attention of the other members, who all gathered around. Kim Da-hyun and Chou Tzu-yu explained the whole story, which immediately caused a stir.
"Is that right?"
"That's quite interesting."
Does it have to be a romance movie?
"I love Love Letter!"
"No, not really. Classic movies should be fine, as long as we can capture our feelings."
"Tzuyu, which movie do you like?... What are you watching?"
"Um"
Chou Tzu-yu blinked:
"I... am watching La La Land."
Chi Jingyuan recommended it to her.
…………
The day after Wanna One announced their comeback, SM Entertainment released another concept photo of EXO's comeback. Unlike the first one, which had a more abstract feel, this concept photo was full of strong visual impact: against a dark background, the members' figures were blurred, revealing only their clearly defined profiles, which excited fans.
YMC followed suit, releasing their first concept photo, which excited fans and immediately drew comparisons to EXO.
The two groups and their management companies are really at odds, causing the fans on both sides to fight even more fiercely, which also excites casual viewers and other fans.
It's been a long time since the K-pop industry has seen such an exciting scene. Since 2015, it's rare to see such a close competition between boy groups. It's also been a long time since we've seen a boy group challenge EXO.
As the situation escalated and became increasingly heated, the date arrived at February 25th.
The PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which lasted for about half a month, has finally come to an end.
Norway topped the medal count with 14 gold, 14 silver, and 11 bronze medals, breaking the Winter Olympics record for total medals. The host country, the peninsula, ranked 6th with 17 medals, second only to the major winter sports powerhouses of Northern Europe and North America.
Although they didn't finish in the top three, it was still a successful Winter Olympics, bringing pride to the nation and playing a significant role in promoting the Winter Olympics.
In the past two days, he heard similar thoughts from Tzuyu and Sana Minatozaki respectively. Tzuyu wanted to go skiing, while Sana Minatozaki wanted to go ice skating.
Chi Kyung-won... I can only say we'll go together if we have the chance.
The closing ceremony was held on the 25th at the Changchun Olympic Stadium, and EXO, as a top boy group from the Korean Peninsula, was invited to attend and successfully performed.