weddingnovel Chapter 126 Bangkok Concert
Chapter 126 Bangkok Concert
Chapter 126 Bangkok Concert
The next morning, Zhou Wenzhe bid farewell to Pei Xiuzhi, who was reluctant to part with him, went home to get his luggage, and headed to the airport.
The four members of BlackPink and the concert staff arrived in Thailand a few days in advance.
As the first overseas stop of their debut world tour, B|ackPink's concert was reported by major Thai media outlets, and fans from Thailand and neighboring countries gave them a warm welcome at the airport.
Their promotional posters have been placed in densely populated areas such as subway stations and bus stops.
BlackPink's songs could be heard everywhere, from shopping malls to streets and alleys. This was the first time such a phenomenon had occurred when a Korean idol group performed in Thailand.
Zhou Wenzhe arrived in Bangkok in the afternoon.
After leaving the airport, he went to the parking lot, found the car he had rented in advance, and drove to his residence there.
That's right, Zhou Wenzhe also has a house in Bangkok, a two-story seaside villa with a swimming pool. However, he didn't buy the villa; it was a reward for completing a mission. He stayed there for more than three months to complete the mission.
The villa is very close to Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Thailand, less than a 20-minute drive away.
Although he hadn't been to the villa for two or three years, the property management company was responsible for maintaining the house, so it was still usable. At most, it just needed some dust cleaning.
This was very simple for him; he could just sweep it away with a cleaning spell.
After resting for a while at the villa, Zhou Wenzhe set off for the concert venue. Knowing that the roads would be congested, he did not drive but took the subway instead.
As expected, the subway was full of fans who had gone to the BlackPink concert, speaking in various languages and accents, including quite a few fans from China.
Nowadays, Korean celebrities can no longer carry out various activities in mainland China, so many fans in mainland China have to travel overseas to see their idols. Thailand is a famous tourist destination, so fans can combine star-chasing with tourism, making Thailand the first choice for these fans.
As soon as you exit the subway, both sides of the road are lined with stalls selling BlackPink merchandise and various fan support items.
A concert can boost many local industries. In addition to tourism and hotel revenue, it can also help many ordinary people earn money, such as these street vendors.
Zhou Wenzhe joined in the fun and bought a hat and scarf printed with B|ackPink. They weren't expensive, only 450 baht for the two items together, and the workmanship and quality were quite good.
When he walked outside the stadium, he took out his phone and made a call. A short while later, a staff member came out and led him through a private passage into the stadium, to the backstage waiting room.
At this moment, the four members of BlackPink had finished rehearsing and were eating to replenish their energy in the waiting room. When they saw Zhou Wenzhe walk in, they excitedly got up to greet him.
"Oppa, you're here." Kim Jisoo was the first to walk up to Zhou Wenzhe, her happiness impossible to hide.
"Hmm, your concert this time is quite a big event."
After landing in Thailand, Zhou Wenzhe realized that BlackPink was incredibly popular there, with the momentum of an international girl group. He hadn't felt this way when he was in Korea.
"Yeah, we were a little taken aback too." Jennie stuck out her tongue. They hadn't expected to receive such a warm welcome for their concert in Thailand. Not only were the fans enthusiastic, but the organizers also provided a lot of logistical support and convenience for the three Bangkok concerts.
At this moment, the others noticed that Zhou Wenzhe's hat and scarf didn't seem to be genuine, and immediately asked, "Oppa, where did you buy these?"
"There were quite a few vendors selling these things on the way here."
"But these are all counterfeit," Jennie Kim said, leaning closer. She could tell at a glance that the hat and scarf were not genuine.
"It's really too expensive."
YG Entertainment has set up a stall in the stadium that sells authentic B|ackPink merchandise, from plush toys to keychains, as well as hats, T-shirts, and scarves, though each item is generally priced above 500 baht.
His two counterfeit items combined are not even as expensive as one genuine item.
In terms of workmanship, the two are actually quite similar, with no clear winner; the only difference is that one has authorization while the other does not.
Of course, most fans will buy from officially authorized stores, but some fans who are not so well-off will choose these counterfeit products.
No matter what, fans' love for BlackPink is the same.
"Hmph, you're supposed to be a major shareholder of YG Entertainment, yet you're leading the way in buying our counterfeit merchandise."
"What, is that not allowed?" Zhou Wenzhe had an expression that said, "What can you do about it?"
"Haha, Jenny, actually it's already pretty good that Oppa can buy it." Kim Jisoo stepped in to smooth things over. Knowing Zhou Wenzhe as she did, she knew he wouldn't stoop to doing such things. Buying their counterfeit merchandise was already a huge support for them.
"Oppa, you probably don't have our lightstick yet, right? I'll go get you one." Lis walked out of the waiting room and returned a moment later with an unopened box containing their official B|ackPink lightstick.
This is a light stick shaped like an air hammer, with pink sides and a black handle in the middle.
"This actually saves me money."
Zhou Wenzhe opened the packaging and took out the light stick. This light stick is not cheap. In YG Entertainment's directly operated stores, one costs more than 4 Korean won.
"whee."
"Come on, sign your names for me, and I'll put them up for sale online." Zhou Wenzhe smiled and handed the light stick to Jin Zhenni. With her signature, it wouldn't just be 4 won anymore; fans would buy it even for ten times the price.
"Hey!" Jin Zhenni glared angrily at Zhou Wenzhe, who actually wanted to sell their autographs.
"Sign quickly, Chaeyoung, go get a pen," Zhou Wenzhe instructed Park Chaeyoung, who was secretly laughing to herself.
"oh."
Park Chaeyoung obediently went to the table to get a pen, and then handed it to Kim Jennie. This was the pen they had used when they were signing posters and albums earlier.
Jennie glanced at her disappointing younger sister, took the pen, signed her name on the pink hammer of the light stick, and then handed the pen and light stick to Jisoo.
She actually knew Zhou Wenzhe wouldn't sell the light stick; she just said that to tease them.
Subsequently, Jisoo, Rosé, and Lis each signed their names on the two air hammers, thus creating a unique BlackPink lightstick.
After receiving the signed light sticks from them, Zhou Wenzhe found a staff member, handed over his phone, and took a group photo with the four of them. He stood in the middle of the four, holding the light stick in his hand to prove that the signatures on it were genuine.
After the group photo was taken, he took a separate photo with each person. When he took the photo with Jennie Kim, she deliberately took his arm and made a very intimate gesture.
When Kim Ji-soo saw it, she frowned slightly but didn't say anything, though she felt a little uneasy.
As the start of the concert approached, Zhou Wenzhe stopped bothering them and entered the venue through the VIP channel. Today, his seat was very close to the front, in the most expensive section, only two or three meters away from the stage.
However, there are no seats here, and you have to stand the whole time. Fans certainly love this opportunity to get close to their idols, but Zhou Wenzhe just wants to sit and watch.
It seems a bit too late to exchange the ticket now.
Oh well, I'll just stand here and treat it as a completely new experience.
Because of his outstanding looks and physique, quite a few female fans came up to chat with him. Most of the people who can watch the concert in this area are quite wealthy, since the tickets here are hard to get and are mostly purchased from scalpers.
A ticket originally priced at 8800 baht will be sold to you by scalpers for at least 7 or 8 times the price, and some may even be sold for more than 10 times the price.
Ticketing companies usually take a tacit attitude towards these scalpers, and may even cooperate with them, sharing the extra profits proportionally.
Only the fans were truly hurt and bore all the consequences.