Chapter 377: Copying for a Long Time Makes One an Expert
aespa took the stage.
Countless people at the venue and in front of their televisions eagerly awaited, while Jiang Shu stayed in the waiting room watching.
The introduction to the song “AS IF IT'S YOUR LAST” was handled by Liu Zhimin, meaning Liu Zhimin sang the part originally performed by Jennie, followed by Kim Minjeong taking over Jisoo's part, and Ning Yizhuo performing Rosé's section, with Giselle naturally handling the rest.
This song could also be said to be the one with the most lyrics for Giselle; this Japanese member, who had always been marginalized, received a significant amount of spotlight in this single.
Jiang Shu did not simply copy the song's stage performance; he made new modifications to it.
On stage, the lights gradually dimmed, and a cold laser beam suddenly illuminated, outlining the silhouettes of the four members.
A pixelated butterfly totem appeared on the background screen, echoing aespa's virtual worldview, and then the lighting shifted to a pink-purple gradient flow.
This stage was designed by Jiang Shu, and he added some extra funds to the original stage budget for it, spending a considerable amount.
In addition, the choreography was also specifically discussed with Yun Huilin; the iconic “gun gesture” in the original chorus was changed to an “AI heart code” with interlocked hands, a modification that integrated aespa's own concept.
Regarding the stage design, pink smoke erupted around the stage during the chorus, intertwining with the cold lasers, echoing the brilliant imagery of the lyrics “bloom like fireworks.”
In the arrangement, the original reggae drum beat was retained, but overlaid with synthesizer effects to create a sense of space.
Regarding the members' performance, the relaxed sexiness combined with the original song's liveliness created a cold-sweet contrast.
The ending involved all members turning their backs to the audience, removing their in-ear monitors, and looking back at the camera amidst their breathing, with virtual silhouettes of the four members appearing on the background screen, once again imprinting the concept of aespa as an “eight-member” girl group in the audience's minds.
This song was not a simple replication of BLACKPINK, but a re-deconstruction based on the “wilderness” concept.
After so many years of 'transporting' works, Jiang Shu has also evolved from simply mindlessly copying to gradually incorporating his own understanding, slowly forming his own style.
The more he copied, the more he himself became an expert.
Without any surprises, the return of the only current super-tier girl group, with a song that was on point, meant there was virtually no possibility of failure.
Although K-pop is not strictly hierarchical, as long as the song is decent, popularity is basically the dividing line. The possibility of a first-tier girl group challenging a super-tier girl group is lower than winning three million in a scratch-off lottery.
Not to mention, aespa's comeback this time didn't even have a first or second-tier girl group promoting concurrently.
Are you kidding me? IZ*ONE and ITZY are gone, but aespa is still here. Only someone crazy would actively collide with aespa; is that a death wish?
They effortlessly secured first place.
For many girl groups, who might not win a single first-place trophy in their entire careers, aespa has already won an unknown number of them since their debut.
Some are parched to death, while others are drowned.
After seeing aespa secure first place as expected, Jiang Shu left.
aespa still had schedules, and besides, it was just a first-place win; new girl groups would have celebration parties, but established groups like aespa did not.
From the company's perspective, it was only natural for them to win first place, so there would naturally be no such thing as a celebration party.
Only when the outcome is not so clear-cut will there be a celebration party after winning; for such a crushing victory, how much money would it cost to hold a celebration party afterwards?
DM Entertainment is not short on money, nor does it lack money, but money is not spent like that; one should save where appropriate and spend where needed.
...
It was already evening when he left the studio; after watching for so long, it was time to eat.
Fried chicken restaurant.
After seeing off another batch of diners who came for photos, Jiang Shu picked up a wet wipe from the table and cleaned his hands.
Ding-dong.
He picked up his phone.
Li Duohui: Chairman, I'm at the entrance.
Seeing this message, Jiang Shu turned his head and saw Li Duohui looking around at the entrance.
He waved his hand towards her, and Li Duohui walked over after seeing him.
“Chairman, how do you have time to eat our commoner food?” Li Duohui's teasing voice came as soon as she sat down.
“Because I am also a commoner.” Jiang Shu pushed the popcorn in front of him towards Li Duohui.
“Why is there popcorn too?” Li Duohui glanced at the camera next to the tissue box, took the popcorn, and said in surprise.
“It’s a complimentary snack,” Jiang Shu said casually.
“Why would they give popcorn? And it's salty,” Li Duohui said, puzzled.
“I don’t know either.” Jiang Shu didn't quite understand this behavior either. “I ordered a large three-person meal, to eat as much as we want.”
“Can you finish it?” Li Duohui asked, confused. She didn't care about waste, but they were currently recording a vlog, so they needed to be mindful.
“There are other people,” Jiang Shu said, taking a sip of beer.
“Who else?” Li Duohui asked, raising her hand.
Soon, a waiter came over.
“Hello.”
“I’ll have one like his too,” Li Duohui said, pointing to the large glass of beer with foam in front of Jiang Shu.
“Okay, please wait a moment.”
“Bae Joo-hyun is coming over too,” Jiang Shu replied.
“Irene?” Li Duohui raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. “For something?”
“Nothing, she’s just recording nearby,” Jiang Shu picked up the camera, aimed it in the direction he indicated, “She’ll be done recording soon, then she’ll come over to eat something before her next schedule.”
“Oh, I see.” Li Duohui nodded. “How long until she gets here?”
“A few minutes, I guess. How did you get here?”
“Drove. I’ll find a designated driver to go back.”
“That’s what I was thinking too,” Jiang Shu said with a smile.
Neither of them were leaders who particularly liked using drivers; they usually drove themselves, and neither had brought a driver for this meal.
“Speaking of which, have you changed cars recently?”
“Hmm…”
The two chatted idly, and within a few minutes, Bae Joo-hyun arrived.
As soon as she came, naturally, people came over to ask for photos and autographs.
Initially, not many people noticed the fully-masked Bae Joo-hyun, but as soon as she sat down next to Jiang Shu and took off her mask and sunglasses, she was immediately recognized.
Even Li Duohui, whose popularity wasn't as high, was recognized through NAVER image search.
After all, if Jiang Shu suddenly appeared in such a popular fried chicken restaurant, the people accompanying him would most likely also be celebrities.
And indeed, after a search, they were celebrities.
Soon, news headlines like “DM Entertainment Chairman, President, and Irene Dining Together” appeared online.
The news of aespa winning first place had already spread, but the stage performance video had not yet been officially released, with only fancams available online. Therefore, when this news broke, it immediately attracted a lot of attention, even snatching some of the buzz from aespa.
This was the buzz of the K-pop girl group godfather, the Chairman of DM Entertainment, the K-pop star Chairman!