After launching SM 3.0, fans are left wondering about what would happen to KWANGYA that Lee Soo Man created.

In a recent fan sign event, NingNing's remark drew attention.

NingNing's Remark About ae-aespa Shocks MYs

NingNing drew attention following her statement involving their virtual members, ae-aespa. During the group's recent fan sign event, MYs (aespa fandom) got to talk to the members about various topics.

ALSO READ: Is Kwangya Ending? Pink Bloods Speculate Changes In Light of 'SM 3.0'

Among the anecdotes shared by those who were able to attend to the general public, NingNing's response to the fans regarding their virtual members sparked curiosity.

In particular, the fan asked NingNing if she could sing, "Run," a pre-debut song released by SM when she was introduced as a member of aespa.

At the time, she performed it with ae-NingNing, her virtual counterpart.

Upon hearing it, NingNing briefly replied:

"There's no ae-NingNing now."

Immediately after this information was shared on the internet, fans were quick to wonder if the KWANGYA concept was scrapped following Lee Soo Man's departure.

As a brief background, aespa originally debuted as an eight-member girl group, including their digital self, ae-aespa. They then introduced a worldview called KWANGYA, which eventually involved other SM artists as well.

Without aes, the core of the worldview, KWANGYA wouldn't make sense then.

Although the concept initially drew divided opinions at first, K-pop enthusiasts eventually fell in love with it and it became their identity that sets them apart from other fourth-gen girl groups.

MYs Notice Difference Between aespa's 'MY WORLD' vs 'DRAMA'

As fans showed more curiosity about the KWANGYA concept, they also made a comparison of aespa's recent albums, "MY WORLD" and "DRAMA."

During "MY WORLD" released in May, the group still involved naevis and their journey from the KWANGYA worldview to the real world.

However, during their comeback on Nov. 10 with "DRAMA," the ae-aespa were nowhere to be seen and they also drifted away from their worldview concept.

In fact, after the launch of SM 3.0, the label's new system after Lee Soo Man left, the album was also changed completely and erased the trace of its original lyrics that contain a message about "planting trees."

On the flip side, there are also fans who are confident that this concept will not be fully scrapped.

In August, aespa released its digital single, "Better Things," in which the music video was participated by aes.

READ MORE: Music Critics Discuss aespa's Future: What Makes Them Different From Other Groups?

Fans then explained that the virtual members most likely didn't appear in "DRAMA" since the members are still stuck in the real world.

In addition to this, naevis, another core member of the KWANGYA concept is also set to debut as a virtual soloist in 2024, which is why supporters are convinced the worldview will not be gone forever.

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Written by Eunice Dawson.