95: Chapter 94 Waaaaah

TG Entertainment's reputation and industry status were quietly rising as the recording of "ae training camp" neared its end and aespa underwent an amazing transformation. Based on this successful collaboration case, Lee Soo-yeon's massive and clear "five-year plan" now had a more solid stepping stone and a broader space for imagination.

Jealousy? Let them be jealous.

True leaders never look back at the pursuers behind them; they only focus on laying tracks further ahead. And the four girls of aespa, along with the two "Midas Touches" and "Strategic Queens" from another world behind them, had clearly stepped onto this fast-moving track.

—

The success of "code: ae training camp" was like a pebble thrown into a pond, with ripples constantly spreading. aespa's transformation story and the training segments that were both "devilish" and "interesting"—especially Lee Tima's imaginative game designs—not only attracted the audience but also caught the curiosity and attention of industry peers, especially the "battle-hardened" top idols.

President Jiang Zhiyu keenly captured this point. TG Entertainment needed more exposure and cooperation opportunities, and what could be faster for increasing brand recognition and buzz than inviting a national-level, phenomenal top idol group to "experience" a TG-style variety show project?

His gaze naturally fell upon Girls Generation. This legendary girl group, which was about to celebrate many years since their debut and whose members each possessed a powerful personal brand and national recognition, would produce an absolutely explosive effect if they were willing to "condescend" to participate in a TG project.

But inviting Girls Generation couldn't use the high-intensity, "forging"-focused model of "ae training camp." What was needed was a more relaxed, more entertaining project that could showcase their mature charm and funny side.

President Jiang's thoughts drifted back to that afternoon when the four members of aespa relaxed while hiding a competitive streak—the "squirtle water gun battle." This game was simple and childish, but it somehow broke down barriers and created unexpected laughs and chemistry. What if... it were upgraded into a version more suitable for variety show cameras, more "watchable" (or rather, more "socially suicidal")?

A brilliant (and wicked) idea took shape in his mind.

Soon, a beautifully designed invitation titled "Classic Revisited · Special Social Project: 'Get Wet... Ah No, It's the Cool Summer' Friendship Match!" was solemnly sent to SM Entertainment and delivered directly into the hands of the Girls Generation members.

In the invitation, President Jiang used extremely sincere and tempting words to describe a relaxed social activity "aimed at promoting exchange between seniors and juniors, releasing stress, and returning to one's original intentions." The core segment was none other than "squirtle water gun battle—Mouth-Spitting Limited Edition"!

The rules were described vividly: participants would hold a "specially made harmless edible liquid" (which could be water, juice, sports drinks, etc.) in their mouths and, from a designated distance, spray the liquid towards scoring rings in a target area using the posture and momentum of a "Squirtle's Water Gun," competing for range and accuracy. It emphasized being "harmless," "relaxed," "recalling childhood," and "showing a reverse charm different from the stage."

Attached were several snapshots of the four aespa members playing this game, making faces and splashing water but laughing exceptionally happily.

In Girls Generation's exclusive practice room.

The members were passing the invitation around, their expressions varied.

"Wow... this game..." Tiffany held the invitation with a look of disdain yet unable to stop herself from laughing, "It feels so gross! Holding water in your mouth and then 'Pfft—' spraying it out? And we have to see who sprays further? What is this!"

"Exactly! It's completely for elementary schoolers!" Kwon Yuri agreed, but her eyes kept glancing at the photo of the aespa members laughing so hard they were falling over.

Kim Hyoyeon, however, became interested: "But... it seems quite fun? Look how happy the aespa juniors are playing it! And we don't have to dance or sing, it's just playing!"

Sunny pushed up her glasses, revealing her signature "watching the fun" smile: "President Jiang Zhiyu... as expected of his reputation, he can always come up with these ideas that are hard to look at but make you strangely curious. If this project is broadcast, the buzz will definitely hit the roof."

Seohyun read the rules seriously and nodded: "If the liquid is safe and the venue is well-arranged, as a variety show challenge, it can indeed show a different side of us. We just need to pay special attention to image management."

Choi Sooyoung rubbed her chin: "I feel like it'll be hilarious... and we haven't played this kind of simple, slightly silly game together in a long time, right?"

Everyone's eyes, intentionally or not, drifted toward Im Yoona, who was sitting in the corner carefully looking at the photos of aespa.

Im Yoona didn't have any particular expression on her face, but her gaze lingered on the words "mouth-spitting," "spraying," and "scoring rings" for a long time. She remembered the fear of being dominated by President Jiang's "Golden Toilet" script during the filming of the "destined kim hyo-soon" special (even though it wasn't filmed in the end), and the "glorious history" of being pranked by him even earlier in the "weekend special."

This person... why did he always come up with these ideas where the first reaction is "unacceptable," "too embarrassing," and "absolutely not"... but upon closer thought, one faintly feels "it seems interesting," "maybe it can create a classic legendary moment," and "fans might like this contrast"?

She could even imagine the effect if they actually participated and it was broadcast—the national girl group Girls Generation, puffing out their cheeks and spraying water regardless of their image? A trending topic for sure.

And...

Im Yoona's gaze fell on the very end of the invitation, on that line of handwritten, seemingly casual but actually meaningful postscript from President Jiang: "...Looking forward to seeing a different side of the Girls Generation seniors~ (￣▽￣)~*"

The corner of her mouth curled up almost imperceptibly, and a glint of cunning and... an eager-to-try light flashed in her eyes.

'But... this works too.'

She closed the invitation, looked up, and gave the members who were watching her a sweet but slightly "darkened" smile:

"Since President Jiang has invited us so warmly, it wouldn't be right to refuse, would it?" Her tone was relaxed. "And don't you all think this is a great opportunity..."

She paused, her voice lowering with a hint of dangerous sweetness:

"...to spray the water (or something else) onto his face?"

The practice room went silent for a second.

Immediately following—

"Pfft, hahaha! Yoona!!"

"That's a great idea!"

"Yes! The chance for revenge has come!"

"Let him taste the feeling of being blasted in the face by a 'Squirtle' too!"

The atmosphere, which was initially hesitant and disdainful, was instantly replaced by a sense of "united against a common enemy" and "mischievous" excitement. Girls Generation agreed.

The news was quickly reported back to President Jiang. When he heard that all the members of Girls Generation had agreed to participate, a predictable smile appeared on his face, but he also secretly raised his guard—especially after hearing rumors from the SM side about Im Yoona being "particularly enthusiastic."

So, before the official recording, President Jiang "thoughtfully" sent a private message to each member of Girls Generation, with roughly the same content:

"Senior/xi XXX, thank you very much for being willing to participate in this little game! Please rest assured, this game is completely harmless; it's just for everyone to get together and have fun, without any competitive pressure. To make sure everyone enjoys themselves, we've prepared plenty of drinking-grade purified water. Of course, if you'd like to bring some of your favorite drinks to add some 'flavor' and 'color,' that's perfectly fine too! For example, lemon juice, grape juice, or... a certain colored sports drink? As long as it's a harmless, edible liquid, we welcome it! Looking forward to spending a cool and interesting afternoon with you!! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧"

He tried to use this "harmless" and "considerate" posture to lower their "hostility" and "vigilance."

Soon, he received replies.

Almost at the same time, new messages popped up in the chat windows of all nine members of Girls Generation.

He clicked to open them.

Uniformly, they were all the same emoji.

:)

Uniform, ambiguous smiles from eight beautiful sisters.

Im Yoona: 😊 (Smile)

President Jiang stared at it for three seconds, feeling that in those curved lips and seemingly gentle eyes, there was a cold light that said, "You're dead."

President Jiang: "..."

He silently put away his phone, rubbed his nose, and began to seriously consider whether he should wear his best waterproof jacket on the day of recording, or... just wear a face mask?

However, the arrow was already on the string and had to be fired. This "refreshing (?)" storm triggered by the "squirtle water gun battle" that was about to sweep through the top girl group could no longer be stopped.

TG Entertainment's variety show claws—no, creative feelers—were reaching toward a broader and more challenging field. And the "entangled and messy" ill-fated relationship between Jiang Zhiyu and Girls Generation (especially Im Yoona) seemed destined to have a heavy (and soaking wet) stroke added to it.

—

The popularity and reputation of "Fight on, AE!" gave TVN and TG Entertainment a taste of success, so the "Special Social Gathering Project" finalized with Girls Generation naturally couldn't be wasted. Under Lee Tima's wild imagination and Jiang Zhiyu's "subtle" adjustments, a brand-new special episode proposal was quickly produced and received rapid approval from SM and TVN.

Project Name: "Fight on, AE! Special Episode—Girls Generation Squirtle Task Force."

When this name was first presented to the members of Girls Generation, the eight sisters preparing in the waiting room (Jung Sooyeon did not participate in this recording due to her personal schedule) fell into a collective silence.

"What kind of... crappy name is this?" Tiffany was the first to lose her patience, her beautiful brows furrowing into a knot. "Squirtle... Task Force? And with a 'Girls Generation' prefix? Why does this combination feel both childish and chuunibyou?"

"It feels like a group of low-level villain grunts from an elementary school cartoon..." Kwon Yuri massaged her temples.

"President Jiang Zhiyu's taste in naming is... 'unique' as always," Seohyun commented solemnly, though there was a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

Im Yoona looked at the name, her mouth twitching, but she said nothing. She only silently tightened her grip on the bottle of... extra-strength lemon juice she had specifically brought.

As the leader, Kim Taeyeon sighed and waved her hand. "Forget it, forget it. It's just a name. The important thing is the content... I hope the content is a bit more normal." She had an ominous premonition.

However, when they were led by the staff to the specially prepared "changing room" and saw the "team uniforms" neatly laid out inside, the last bit of luck in everyone's hearts was completely shattered.

Those weren't ordinary tracksuits or stage outfits.

They were... eight charmingly naive... turtle shell backpacks in different colors but with a unified design.

The main body was green and round, with a curved protrusion on the back. There were holes on the sides for arms to stick through and Velcro fasteners in the front. They were essentially giant Squirtle shells that could be worn on the back!

Next to them were matching headbands and wristbands printed with Squirtle's face and little paws.

The electronic screen on the wall scrolled the title of this special episode: "Fight on, AE! Special Episode—Girls Generation Squirtle Task Force, Assemble!"

"Squirtle... Task Force?" Kwon Yuri read the title, her expression indescribable. "What kind of crappy name is this? Are we here to be a 'Task Force'? And a 'Squirtle' Task Force at that?"

"I feel like my intelligence is being insulted," Choi Sooyoung said, leaning her head on her hand.

"Hey! Jiang Zhiyu!!" Im Yoona recognized immediately that this was definitely the work of that "perverted prank king," and she gritted her teeth.

Holding back laughter, a staff member stepped forward to explain: "Seniors, these are the special team uniforms for this 'Cool Summer' friendship match! Everyone needs to... well, put on these turtle shell backpacks and wear the matching accessories to participate in the game with the full 'Squirtle Warrior' look."

"What do you mean 'put on a turtle shell'?!" Kim Hyoyeon's eyes widened. "We're wearing these on our backs? Like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?"

"Senior, it's Squirtle..." the staff member corrected weakly.

"Is there a difference?!" Tiffany also joined the ranks of complainers.

Amidst the outcry of "What the hell is this," "I don't want to," and "This is too much," leader Kim Taeyeon picked up a light green turtle shell backpack. She weighed it, her expression actually quite calm. Her level of acceptance for strange costumes had always been among the best in the group.

"Actually... I don't really mind what I wear," Kim Taeyeon said. Her voice wasn't loud, but it quieted the room. "It's for variety show effect, so it's understandable."

She changed her tone and swept her gaze toward a piece of "equipment" that was clearly different—a pair of quite dashing black aviator sunglasses with reflective lenses.

"But," Kim Taeyeon pointed at the sunglasses, then looked at Sunny (Lee Soon-kyu), who was holding the sunglasses and gesturing toward herself with a smug, secret smile, "can you tell me why Sunny gets to wear sunglasses while we only have headbands?"

"Yeah!" The other members immediately reacted. "Why does Soon-kyu/Unnie get to look cool while we have to carry turtle shells?"

Sunny had long expected this question. She unhurriedly put on the sunglasses, pushed up the frames, struck a cool pose, and said smugly, "Well~ that's naturally because I... had more foresight~"

It turned out that as early as when she received the invitation and guessed that Jiang Zhiyu would definitely "cause trouble," Sunny had privately contacted him. Her bargaining chip was simple: as the "intelligence officer" and "mood maker" of Girls Generation, she could "appropriately" cooperate with Jiang Zhiyu's "pranks" during the recording, guide the topics, create laughs, and even "sell out" a bit of harmless intel about her teammates. The condition was—she wanted a bit of "special treatment" so she wouldn't experience as complete a "social death" as the others.

When Jiang Zhiyu heard this, it was exactly what he wanted! With Sunny as an "inside agent," the show's effect and flow control would be much more guaranteed. So he readily agreed to Sunny's request and designed a special look and character role for her as the "Sunglasses Squirtle Boss."

The staff member quickly explained: "PD Jiang said that Sunny xi will take on the role of 'Boss' in this 'Squirtle Task Force'! A boss naturally needs to have style! Also, if everyone remembers, in the Pokémon anime, wasn't there also a Squirtle leader who wore sunglasses and was especially cool and arrogant?"

This explanation... was barely acceptable?

But the other members of Girls Generation were clearly unconvinced. They were all Squirtles, so why was Sunny the cool boss while they were ordinary turtle soldiers?

Seeing the "unfriendly" gazes of the sisters, the staff member felt immense pressure and subconsciously mumbled a sentence, trying to ease the atmosphere: "Actually... in PD Jiang's original plan, he wanted everyone to wear 'bald caps' to play 'humans who went bald after being hit by Squirtle's Water Gun'... compared to that, the turtle shells are already very cute..."

The voice was small, but it was clearly audible in the quiet dressing room.

"..."

The seven members of Girls Generation (except Sunny) fell into a collective silence.

Bald... caps???

"What????!!!!"

The next second, screams and roars of disbelief almost blew the roof off.

"Jiang Zhiyu!!!"

"Is he crazy?!"

"Bald?! Don't even think about it!!!"

"Turtle shells! We'll wear the turtle shells! We'll wear these! They're great!!"

"Right, right, right! Turtle shells are so cute! So full of childlike innocence!"

The members who were just disdaining the turtle shells now had a 180-degree change in attitude, scrambling to pick up their own turtle shell backpacks as if they were some precious fashion items.

The threat of bald caps made the simple turtle shells instantly look elegant and endearing.

Sunny, wearing her sunglasses, looked at her sisters who had instantly "seen the light." A "plan successful" smile curled at the corner of her mouth, and she gave a "done" gesture to the hidden camera (which Jiang Zhiyu had requested to be installed).

In the monitoring room, Jiang Zhiyu looked at the screen where Girls Generation was in chaos but finally "succumbed" to the turtle shells, and he nodded with satisfaction. Sunny was indeed reliable! This cooperation was seamless!

"Alright, all departments prepare!" Jiang Zhiyu picked up the walkie-talkie, his voice filled with the joy of a successful prank. "The 'Squirtle Task Force' is about to enter! Let's look forward to... the wonderful (socially fatal) performance of the Girls Generation seniors in 'Cool Summer'!"

A special variety show destined to be recorded in the (black) history books—interwoven with turtle shells, sunglasses, water-spitting, and potential desires for "revenge"—was about to pull back its hilarious curtain. And whether the instigator, Jiang Zhiyu, could escape unscathed from Girls Generation's (especially a certain Ms. Yoona's) "water gun counterattack" remained an unknown.