Lee Soo-man is celebrating his rookie girl group’s record-breaking debut in style. The A2O Entertainment key producer paid for every diner’s meal at a famous Seoul pork restaurant to mark A2O LITE’s music show triple crown with their debut single “NEON.”
On October 22, A2O LITE shared a video on the group’s official social media showing Lee Soo-man at Geum Dwaeji, a well-known restaurant near Yaksu Station in Seoul, ringing what Korean fans call a “golden bell” — covering the entire restaurant’s bill. According to Eyes Magazine, which posted the footage, the event was arranged to celebrate both the successful wrap of the group’s debut showcase project and A2O LITE’s string of No. 1 wins.
In the clip, Lee Soo-man shouts “Eat a lot!” to the stunned diners as the restaurant erupts in applause and cheers. When the crowd chants his name, the veteran producer throws both arms in the air and beams. One netizen who claimed to be at the scene wrote online that she had simply gone out for dinner when Lee Soo-man paid for her meal. She added that after complimenting the bracelet he was wearing, he gave it to her as well — “Family heirloom secured. Amazing,” she wrote.
The celebration capped an extraordinary ten days for the nine-member group. A2O LITE released their debut digital single “NEON” on October 13 and reached No. 1 on the Melon Top 100 just 29 hours later. They then won first place on SBS Life’s “The Show” on October 20, MBC M’s “Show! Champion” on October 21, and Mnet’s “M Countdown” on October 22 — a triple crown in their debut week.
It is the latest chapter in Lee Soo-man’s return to the Korean music industry. After selling his SM Entertainment stake to HYBE in 2023 under a three-year agreement to stay out of domestic music production, the restriction expired this February, and he has since been building A2O Entertainment’s roster. Days earlier, a video call of Lee congratulating the members on their first win also went viral, with the producer telling them, “Make sure you eat a lot today. It’s worth it,” and trading finger hearts with the group.
With “NEON” still riding high on the charts and the members now triple crown winners, the industry will be watching whether A2O LITE can keep their momentum going into the year-end awards season.
