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On November 24, 2024, EXO's D.O. went viral online after he appeared in Zico's fan concert. Sports Donga reported that the KOZ Entertainment CEO and South Korean rapper, Zico, held the ZICO LIVE: JOIN THE PARADE event to celebrate his 10th anniversary in the industry. During the event, he surprised fans by inviting EXO's D.O. (Doh Kyung-soo) and BLACKPINK's Jennie.
EXO's D.O. performed Mars, That’s Okay, I Do, and Popcorn. In between his performances, D.O. drank a bottled drink kept aside for him onstage and questioned what kind of drink it was. He said:
"I watched the concert. But I'm curious about some stuff. What's the drink that Zico drinks? He drinks it by himself! Personally, I don't like this. For me water is enough.. what is this?? Wait let me try. What is this?? Wait a minute! Ah! A tea? It seems like to be a tea! Ah~ there's a possibility that he ran out of sugar while he did a concert. But it's delicious though."
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Although Zico wasn't on stage, the entire segment became a fan-favorite. D.O said.
I heard Woo Ji-ho (Zico's real name) speak English on stage, and it's not like I usually see him. He never speaks English when we have a drink together. I wonder if he's just pretending to be cool right now."
He shared that Zico's songs are "often exciting" while his own tracks are "calm." D.O. revealed that he has been trying to add fun songs into his "next album" and said:
"Zico's songs are often exciting, but most of my songs are calm, so I felt a little embarrassed to sing them on this stage. I'm trying to include songs that I can jump around and have fun with in my next album. So please love both Zico and my album."
Fans were delighted to see the close friendship shared between the two artists as the clips went viral online. One fan wrote on X:
"They love each other, as simple as that... and that's what friendship is all about! Mutual love and respect"
Fans noted how D.O. would always say or do something in between his sets to make spectators laugh. While a few fans underscored how only a handful of fans knew about his close friendship with Zico before this event.
"It's always some stand up comedy stunt he's pulling out of nowhere, love him for that," one fan joked.
"I always find it a little crazy that before Kyungsoo appeared on Zico youtube show to promote Bad Prosecutor, not many people knew they were even close and then we got NMST, the Seasons, concert appearances, and dance challenges," another fan said.
"Really love the way Kyungsoo is: - how he talks. - his curiosity. - very clear on his preference. - at the same time, open to try new things. - acknowledges other's choices/preference. - this whole time, giving fans new insight of their idol (eg. the drink). Thank you Zico too," another fan added.
Several other fans praised Zico for thanking the EXO idol for always being there for him.
"This is so heartwarming and beautiful way to describe Kyungsoo as a person.. he’s a kind hearted angel," one fan wrote.
"I try to be like kyungsoo, seriously its so exhausting. Now, I choose to focus on myself. Im so proud with you Kyungsoo," another fan said.
"A tree full of flower blossomed in a wasteland," another fan added.
More about EXO's Doh Kyung-soo aka D.O.
On October 18, 2023, D.O. terminated his solo contract with SM Entertainment although retained his group contract with them. He joined Company SooSoo, which is a new agency founded by his longtime manager Nam Kyung-soo.
The EXO idol released Blossom with the title track, Mars, on May 7, 2024. Additionally, he embarked on his Asian tour titled "2024 DOH KYUNG SOO ASIA FAN CONCERT TOUR [BLOOM] THE FINAL."
It started in Seoul on June 8, 2024, and headed to Taipei, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Bangkok, Malaysia, and Manila, and ended in Singapore on September 28. However, he held (BLOOM) The Final event from October 11-13, 2024, in Seoul.
In other news, EXO's D.O. also featured on Lee Youngji's Small Girl track. The song is from Lee Youngji's debut EP, 16 FANTASY, and was released on June 21, 2024.
